Old Computer Appreciation Thread

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@AdamBeGood
I look into it, later on.

I've tried that, for some reason it doesn't seem to pick up at all. I can't see anything wrong at all, the file is called autoexec.bat and just includes that now. I tried it with CALL as well, I know that is needed for calling a file from within a batch file sometimes.

Edit: For the record, it doesn't matter too much to me, so please don't spend too much time on this. I am of course interested to know what I am doing wrong, but I always have a keyboard near so can type "blue" into the terminal if that is the way it has to be.

No music on Otoko Dama vexes me a lot more.

Zering

@adambegood I'm having the same issue with Otoko Dama. I'm still using my .dim file, out of my old rom set, so it has nothing to do with the ROMs.
It is quite vexing - the game looks awesome. Is it possible it only has MIDI music?

Folly

@AdamBeGood
Can't help you with that autoexec.bat. Don't have that file.
But what you tried should work, no idea why it doesn't.

@Zering @AdamBeGood
I think I have a different one.
I have sound OOB with Otaku Dama/Otoko Dama. (both .dim and .hdm work)

Zering

@folly You have sound but do you have music?

Folly

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly You have sound but do you have music?

Didn't read correctly. Also no "music" here.

AdamBeGood

Okay, so it isn't something specific to my setup then, with Otoko Dama. I've tried .dim and .hdm and a couple of Alt versions. Going into the sound.config file was pretty confusing, it wasn't at all clear what I should be changing, assuming there is a non-MIDI option which I haven't been able to work out from Google as yet.

I tried another version of Blue Phoenix, that also goes to command prompt. It's cool, I'll just type blue. It isn't a big deal with the way my Pi is set up at the moment.

Folly

Guy's I have music !

Read the otoko.doc file a bit (translated)

Game is designed for 16Mhz clock.
You have to have also more than 2mb ram(zmusic needs more), I made it 12mb(max)
This has to be added in autoexec.bat (I did this above the CD line):

ZMUSIC.X

Made a cmd (with full paths) to edit the drive (b:) :

px68k /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/x68000/HUMAN302.XDF /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/x68000/Otoko_dama.hdm

Afterwards just run the .hdm .

Folly

Now my monitor has stopped working :( aaarggg.
Up and running with a backup monitor :)

EDIT : luckily a supply connector issue (repairable)

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

Guy's I have music !

Read the otoko.doc file a bit (translated)

Game is designed for 16Mhz clock.
You have to have also more than 2mb ram(zmusic needs more), I made it 12mb(max)
This has to be added in autoexec.bat (I did this above the CD line):
ZMUSIC.X
Made a cmd (with full paths) to edit the drive (b:) :
px68k /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/x68000/HUMAN302.XDF /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/x68000/Otoko_dama.hdm
Afterwards just run the .hdm .

Amazing! That works a treat.

I had to use the .hdm version, .dim didn't seem to work.

Also, my autoexec.bat was pointing to some dshell weirdness rather than "Otoko" at the end of the .bat, so I had to change that. But music is there now!

Glad your monitor problem is fixable! Is there anything you can't fix? :p

Zering

@adambegood World hunger? ^^

I don't understand where you guys find the autoexec.bat?

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood World hunger? ^^

I don't understand where you guys find the autoexec.bat?

It's on the disk for Otoko.

What I do is just load up HUMAN302 as a game in Emulation Station.

Then when that starts, I go to the disk menu with Tab and insert Otoko as the second drive.

Then B: takes you to the Otoko disk.

Then ed autoexec.bat.

@Folly Have you ever had an autoexec.bat that worked just with a command and nothing else? I wonder if I need the Path section that the Otoko autoexec.bat has as the first line in order for my Blue Phoenix autoexec.bat to work.

Folly

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@Folly Have you ever had an autoexec.bat that worked just with a command and nothing else? I wonder if I need the Path section that the Otoko autoexec.bat has as the first line in order for my Blue Phoenix autoexec.bat to work.

Don't really remember. But I am almost certain this should work.

If your "blue.bat" works manually from the root of the drive.
(and there is no autoexec.bat)
and you would rename/copy the "blue.bat" as an "autoexec.bat". I'm almost certain it should work.
Because in that situation you don't have a path section either or it is in the blue.bat.

Folly

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood World hunger? ^^

I don't understand where you guys find the autoexec.bat?

You can almost always "break" the autoexec.bat when the machine is starting.
Do this with "ctrl+c" and you come into the prompt before running the game.

We use dos commands in human68k.
If you see the prompt :
A> or A:/>
type :
dir
Then you see the files.

type (if human is in first drive and the game is in the second):
b:
To go to the 2nd drive.
And dir again.

then use :
ed autoexec.bat

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@Folly Have you ever had an autoexec.bat that worked just with a command and nothing else? I wonder if I need the Path section that the Otoko autoexec.bat has as the first line in order for my Blue Phoenix autoexec.bat to work.

Don't really remember. But I am almost certain this should work.

If your "blue.bat" works manually from the root of the drive.
(and there is no autoexec.bat)
and you would rename/copy the "blue.bat" as an "autoexec.bat". I'm almost certain it should work.
Because in that situation you don't have a path section either or it is in the blue.bat.

I'll try copying blue.bat over autoexec.bat, that is a great shout!

Edit: That doesn't work either, well the copy did but I still get a prompt. So strange. Good idea though.

Further Edit: Solved this in the end. I think the Blue Phoenix disk's Human68k version may be limited in some way, you can't edit on it or use dir/w where you can on other Human68k versions.

So I duplicated the HUMAN302.xdf file and called it BLUE.xdf, then amended the autoexec.bat on there to include:

B:
blue

Then created an. m3u with BLUE.xdf in drive 1 and the game disk in drive 2. Works fine! I am sure there might be a better way, but it works. Seems a nice doujin shooter also.

Folly

@AdamBeGood
Indeed not ideal but really a nice solution !

Folly

@Zering

Can you try this solution to get the mouse (with buttons) working on fmtowns ?

Advice : make backups of these files.

/opt/retropie/configs/fmtowns/custom-core-options.cfg :

mame_mouse_enable = "enabled"

/opt/retropie/configs/fmtowns/retroarch.cfg :
(above # include)

input_player1_a_mbtn = "1"
input_player1_b_mbtn = "2"

/opt/retropie/configs/fmtowns/fmtowns.cfg :
(add the mouse button tags, keep your own joystick settings in the file, if there are any)

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- This file is autogenerated; comments and unknown tags will be stripped -->
<mameconfig version="10">
    <system name="fmtowns">
        <input>
            <port tag=":mouse1" type="P1_BUTTON1" mask="1" defvalue="0">
                <newseq type="standard">
                    JOYCODE_1_BUTTON2
                </newseq>
            </port>
            <port tag=":mouse1" type="P1_BUTTON2" mask="2" defvalue="0">
                <newseq type="standard">
                    JOYCODE_1_BUTTON1
                </newseq>
            </port>
        </input>
        <image_directories>
            <device instance="floppydisk1" directory="/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/fmtowns/" />
            <device instance="floppydisk2" directory="/home/pi" />
            <device instance="cdrom" directory="/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/fmtowns/" />
            <device instance="memcard" directory="/home/pi" />
        </image_directories>
    </system>
</mameconfig>

Zering

@folly I've just tried that, thanks.

I suspect I may have done something wrong, however there is some improvement.

The move works, albeit only vertically. Any horizontal movement is not detected.

I did manage to get into Ultima 3 and Ultima 5, however I could not actually play the games as they require some sort of disk swapping that I'm not certain how to do. Those games may require .bin/cues instead of .chds.

Where it all becomes weird is that I tried Tatsujin Ou to see if the changes had made any difference for the games that already worked, and well - buttons that used to not do anything now bring up a second ship for a second player, and my fire button fires the main gun of ship 1 and throws ship 2's bombs. Weird.

I've modified the .cfgs as indicated but the third one did throw me for a loop and I suspect that's where I screwed up :

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<mameconfig version="10">
<system name="fmtowns">
<input>
<port tag=":mouse1" type="P1_BUTTON1" mask="1" defvalue="0">
<newseq type="standard">
JOYCODE_1_BUTTON2
</newseq>
</port>
<port tag=":mouse1" type="P1_BUTTON2" mask="2" defvalue="0">
<newseq type="standard">
JOYCODE_1_BUTTON1
</newseq>
</port>
<port tag=":mouse2" type="P1_MOUSE_X" mask="255" defvalue="0">
<newseq type="standard">
NONE
</newseq>
</port>
</input>
<image_directories>
<device instance="floppydisk1" directory="/home/pi" />
<device instance="floppydisk2" directory="/home/pi" />
<device instance="cdrom" directory="/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/fmtowns/" />
<device instance="memcard" directory="/home/pi" />
</image_directories>
</system>
</mameconfig>

In the meantime I'll reverse back to my former configs.

I've also successfully edited ZMUSIC.X into the autoexec.bat of Otoku Dama. I have yet to do the .cmd file but I don't understand what it does and how it works?

Folly

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly I've just tried that, thanks.

I suspect I may have done something wrong, however there is some improvement.

I will try some more things, later on.
I think you have to remove this input tag (multiple lines) :
(I updated my fmtowns.cfg (full config now) in the earlier post to compare)
(mouse movements should work OOB)

<port tag=":mouse2" type="P1_MOUSE_X" mask="255" defvalue="0">

I've also successfully edited ZMUSIC.X into the autoexec.bat of Otoku Dama. I have yet to do the .cmd file but I don't understand what it does and how it works?

You don't need to make an .cmd anymore after you made changes.
Just running the .hdm image will do.

Folly

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

Where it all becomes weird is that I tried Tatsujin Ou to see if the changes had made any difference for the games that already worked, and well - buttons that used to not do anything now bring up a second ship for a second player, and my fire button fires the main gun of ship 1 and throws ship 2's bombs. Weird.

Tried that one, indeed very weird. There seems to be a confilct.
Checked player 2 settings in lr-mess. But could not find something specific.

Folly

@Zering @AdamBeGood

Now I know how to update my fork of retropie-docs.
Then I can make changes.
If I'm happy with that, I will try to do a pull request directly in github

This is the file I edited :
https://github.com/FollyMaddy/RetroPie-Docs/blob/patch-1/docs/PC-8800.md
( I think there is more to do though)

What do you think of it, with the original compared ?