Old Computer Appreciation Thread

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 11:01

@folly @folly I'm not sure. I know they're the same series, much like the MZ700 and MZ1500. But I don't know if they're software compatible. There's also a MZ3500, 6500, and a lot of others... I've got a bunch of those machines set up and they seem to have somewhat different libraries but with quite a bit of overlap. So I suppose it could be but I imagine that much like FM7 and FM77AV you'd still need MESS rom sets for each system.

Interesting discovery. I loaded CAS files for PC6001. Lr-mess doesn't do anything with them. I get booted back to ES. The lr-mess-pc6001 I built with your script doesn't load the game, but the machine does boot. I get a 'How many pages message?'.

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 11:01

This post is deleted!

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 11:09

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly @folly I'm not sure. I know they're the same series, much like the MZ700 and MZ1500. But I don't know if they're software compatible. There's also a MZ3500, 6500, and a lot of others... I've got a bunch of those machines set up and they seem to have somewhat different libraries but with quite a bit of overlap. So I suppose it could be but I imagine that much like FM7 and FM77AV you'd still need MESS rom sets for each system.

Interesting discovery. I loaded CAS files for PC6001. Lr-mess doesn't do anything with them. I get booted back to ES. The lr-mess-pc6001 I built with your script doesn't load the game, but the machine does boot. I get a 'How many pages message?'.

I think a problem as expected.
You have to create a second commandline in the emulators.cfg for that system and make one with -cass instead of -cart1.
Select the cass version when booting should do the trick, I think !

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 11:11

@Zering
I will hear about it later, have to do some other stuff today.

good luck!

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 11:12

@folly

So like this?

lr-mess = "/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/pc6001/retroarch.cfg %ROM%"
default = "lr-mess"
lr-mess-pc6001 = "/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/run_mess.sh /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so /opt/retropie/configs/pc6001/retroarch.cfg pc6001 /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS -cart1 %ROM%"
lr-mess-pc6001-cass = "/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/run_mess.sh /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so /opt/retropie/configs/pc6001/retroarch.cfg pc6001 /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS -cass %ROM%"

I'll try.

Edit : Didn't work with cass, but it worked with -cart2. The game I tried didn't boot, but with cart2 I did get into the machine, so there's that. I'll try a few more games.

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 11:59

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly

So like this?

lr-mess = "/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/pc6001/retroarch.cfg %ROM%"
default = "lr-mess"
lr-mess-pc6001 = "/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/run_mess.sh /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so /opt/retropie/configs/pc6001/retroarch.cfg pc6001 /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS -cart1 %ROM%"
lr-mess-pc6001-cass = "/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/run_mess.sh /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so /opt/retropie/configs/pc6001/retroarch.cfg pc6001 /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS -cass %ROM%"

I'll try.

Edit : Didn't work with cass, but it worked with -cart2. The game I tried didn't boot, but with cart2 I did get into the machine, so there's that. I'll try a few more games.

This is the output, cassette plays indeed from the -cart2 option (no -cass option in there):

$ /opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listmedia pc6001
SYSTEM           MEDIA NAME       (brief)    IMAGE FILE EXTENSIONS SUPPORTED
---------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------
pc6001           cartridge1       (cart1)    .bin  
                 cartridge2       (cart2)    .cas  .p6

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 12:05

@folly None of the .cas files I booted with lr-mess-pc6001-cart2 worked. Mess does start the machine though, so that's a leg up from regular old mess.
I haven't tried any p6 files though.

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 12:32

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly None of the .cas files I booted with lr-mess-pc6001-cart2 worked. Mess does start the machine though, so that's a leg up from regular old mess.
I haven't tried any p6 files though.

Perhaps you have to do a load command just like with zx81.
(perhaps you can find on the internet what command)
Go to menu of lr-mess tape control -> play
Don't know if it works, but you can try.

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 12:39

@folly Hehe I put that method in the first post two days ago! ^^
I tried but there doesn't seem to be a tape control menu in the mess interface in this instance.

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 17:15

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Hehe I put that method in the first post two days ago! ^^
I tried but there doesn't seem to be a tape control menu in the mess interface in this instance.

Figured it out with pc6001 + cass :
just enter on "how many pages"
type : cload (tape will automatically load)
then type : run (basic file will run)
Perhaps there is also something like : cload"",r (did not try)
3D Asteroid Fire (T&E Soft) (-cart2) :

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 17:25

@folly Brilliant! Can't wait to try that!
I don't understand something though. Any other cassette on other MESS systems I have to use Tape control. Here it's absent. Do you know why?

Folly · 12 Mar 2020, 12:44

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Brilliant! Can't wait to try that!
I don't understand something though. Any other cassette on other MESS systems I have to use Tape control. Here it's absent. Do you know why?

Some computers, for example the c64, have tape control built in.
So the computer controls when the motor of the cassette starts or stops.
I think thats why they called it cart2 instead of cass.

cload is short for casload.

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 17:30

@folly Ah that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Did you try any other games? How's compatibility overall?

I'll include all this in my next edit.

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 17:34

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Ah that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Did you try any other games? How's compatibility overall?

I'll include all this in my next edit.

3D Asteroid Fire (T&E Soft) works with controls !
(tried also other games and they work too)
You can also speed up the cassette load, when using the "space" hotkey !
Also lr-mess can do save states, so you can go directly to the save state, once the basic boots.

In the (extras) files are readme files on how to boot.
Many not quite readable, but you can see the commands.

Some games have to load differently with,mode 5, page 4, mon -> R -> 0
This is for the pc6001mk2 computer. You have to install this seperately.

So the pc6001 directory contains also games for other types of pc6001 computers.

Zering · 28 Nov 2020, 18:22

@folly I didn't know that! That's great! Waiting for cassettes to load is about as fun as watching paint dry.

dmmarti · 28 Nov 2020, 18:23

Here's a web resource I've used in the past to figure out some of these older computer systems and how to load the various games within them.

http://www.ankman.de/load_cassette_tape_8bit_computers.html

Folly · 28 Nov 2020, 18:40

@dmmarti said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

Here's a web resource I've used in the past to figure out some of these older computer systems and how to load the various games within them.

http://www.ankman.de/load_cassette_tape_8bit_computers.html

Thanks, we will look at it.

Folly · 29 Nov 2020, 18:20

@Zering @AdamBeGood

Today I did a huge updated on my script.
The second, third, etc lines without a system name were quite a challange.
I think I had to overcome 5 big problems.
And I think I tried 20 differnt things, before I got it working.
It took me 10 hour to programm. Pffff.....
But now we have it.WOOOOOWW :-)
4100 seperate files are being generated.
If you want it all, it will take more time than my first script !!!

Now all system with more media (quik, cas, flop1, dump, cart) are splitted.
So for every media, we now can install multiple commandlines depending upon the media.

I also added a simple script(generate-desired-systems.sh) that can be edited.
If you run this script after editing, then it will only generate your desired systems.
(I already placed a few in there)

I did many tests. Perhaps there is still mistakes, but I am real confident.

It's already on github.

Advise :
The names are changed depending on the supported media. So I advise you to uninstall the old ones first and than remove the files also.

In the next update I can add more info about each computer in the script.
So everybody can see much more info about the system in the "package help"

Zering · 29 Nov 2020, 18:34

@folly I can't test today but if you explain how to do it (is it the same way as your last script?) I'll do it tomorrow. So excited!

Folly · 29 Nov 2020, 18:43

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly I can't test today but if you explain how to do it (is it the same way as your last script?) I'll do it tomorrow. So excited!

Yes, it works the same.
But if you add a system to the command, it will only do that system.

All 4100+

bash generate-lr-mess-systems.sh

Only x1 :

bash generate-lr-mess-systems.sh x1

This wil run the generate-lr-mess-systems.sh depending on your desired systems in this file :
(open this file with a text editor and you will understand !)

bash generate-desired-systems.sh