Old Computer Appreciation Thread

[Folly]

@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]

@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]

@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]

@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

[Zering]

@folly Is there a list of the available systems?

[Folly]

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Is there a list of the available systems?

You can create your own list (1 line per system) :
(creates a txt file that you can scroll through, rather than outputting it to the terminal thats too short for outputting all information)

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listdevices | grep Driver > infosystems.txt

Loads of info on all systems :
(creates a txt file that you can scroll through, rather than outputting it to the terminal thats too short for outputting all information)

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listdevices > allinfosystems.txt

Note : in my script I still filter on systems that support some media.
( cart , flop1 , dump , quik , cdrm )
Above lines will also give info on systems that don't support media !

Good to know : grep is use for searching in text. So you can search for other things. Piping another grep like this ( use it 2 times) :

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listdevices | grep Driver | grep Final

Here you get only the lines containing "Driver" and "Final".

[Folly]

@Zering

I have found 1 issue.
Only the extensions of the last installed sub-system are remembered in the es_systems.cfg :
If you install in this order the cass_extensions in es_systems.cfg are overwritten by disk_extensions, so now the cass_extensions don't appear in emulationstation anymore :

• generated-lr-mess-fm77av-cass
• generated-lr-mess-fm77av-flop1

To get cass extensions again you have to update the cass version from the RetroPie-Setup again.

On the other hand, this can also be handy, because cassettes don't work in floppy's.
But if we want to see all the extensions then we have to join them together somehow.

This could be a solution for the future (what do you think of it ?) :
Perhaps splitting can also be done on media in the future.
So this way cass files come in a "fm77av-cass" directory and floppy files comes in a "fm77av-flop1" or (perhaps better) "fm77av-flop" directory etc... Already tried this solution, but I have too look into it better. Perhaps it can be done. Than we don't have to swap between "sub-systems" anymore.

[Folly]

@AdamBeGood @Zering

I have added "prin" media to the script.
Now we can install an MSX2+ in lr-mess.
(there seem to be many MSXes)
@Zering I also used your "progettoemma" site,
because we can't search on MSX in MAME.
EDIT : Tried again and we can search :

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listdevices | grep MSX

So I found the MSX2+ type : fsa1wsx ,
(added this one already in my desired script)
I Installed the cartridge one. And it works !!!!!
MSX on lr-mess. I tested with oilswell and I could play directly.
And lr-mess has save-state support. (nice)
I read somewere in the sofwarelist that Snatcher and SD-Snatcher should be supported too with SCC+ .
My god !!!!
(So we have to find out how we can accomplish that)

[Zering]

@folly That is a lot of info! ^^
As far as I know, MSX2+ runs on the msx emulators we already have available. Would there be advantages to using lr-mess to run it? Besides of course the SCC+ you've mentioned within a libretro core.

[Folly]

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly That is a lot of info! ^^
As far as I know, MSX2+ runs on the msx emulators we already have available. Would there be advantages to using lr-mess to run it? Besides of course the SCC+ you've mentioned within a libretro core.

Indeed lot of info, I felt that it should be shared.
I was just curious if MSX would work.
Save states are also nice to have.
While doing this I found somewhat a bug.
So thats also nice.

Curious which system you get working.

[AdamBeGood]

@folly @Zering Sorry for lack of response on here, I'm having my kitchen done and work has kicked off as well so my time for tinkering is limited at the moment. Sounds like you are going great guns on this obscure systems work though - impressive!

[Zering]

@adambegood No worries at all, I've got a new job starting this week and I expect my time to become limited also. But we'll keep you apprised of any news.

@Folly I'll see if I can try the new scripts tonight ; if not I should be free in the morning. I've got a few systems in mind - the Sony SMC777 looks interesting, as does the MTX512. I'll try those, and use PC6601 as a reference to compare to the first scripts.

[AdamBeGood]

@zering Congratulations on the new job! It's funny that none of us have any idea what anyone does for a living, or anything about each other really.

[Folly]

I've got a new job starting this week and I expect my time to become limited also.

@Zering Good for you, also congratulations and good luck on your new job!

It's funny that none of us have any idea what anyone does for a living, or anything about each other really.

@AdamBeGood Indeed, thats often the downside of this way of communicating.

I still have a week off. Then I will have to work again. So perhaps it's my tinkering will become less also. Will see how it goes.

By the way : I also booted Amiga500 with lr-mess( it not really good, not worthwile ). Strange It also has to have a keyboard-rom.

[Zering]

@folly Thanks! Speaking of amiga ; you were asking the other day how to run it on retropie. Did you figure it out?

@AdamBeGood That is funny. But I suppose as Folly said it can't really be helped with this form of communication!

[Folly]

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Thanks! Speaking of amiga ; you were asking the other day how to run it on retropie. Did you figure it out?

I think I was asking how you run Amiga. I Have used amiberry and I also use lr-puae now. The lr-puae works good but keyboard support is not really nice. A lot of time you have to find the right keys.

[Zering]

@folly Honestly I'm not the best person to ask as my total experience with the Amiga comes down to a short session on Turrican, but I think the concensus is that Amiberry with kickstart roms and .lha files is the best way to run it.

[Folly]

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Honestly I'm not the best person to ask as my total experience with the Amiga comes down to a short session on Turrican, but I think the concensus is that Amiberry with kickstart roms and .lha files is the best way to run it.

Indeed. At the moment I am not much playing with Amiga.
Now there are other interesting things to do.

[Folly]

@Zering @AdamBeGood
This morning I thinkered with the script again.
I made a version 1.2 .

I will put it on github when there is an interest for this.
Because I also have to decide if it is usefull to replace 1.1 fully,
or having it working next to each other.

This version makes systems fully depending on the supported media.
Tested this with "hbf1xdj" (Sony MSX2+) so it should work for all.
So this is how it works, with "hbf1xdj" as example :

old rom directory :

hbf1xdj

new rom directories (depending on how many different media you want to install) :

hbf1xdj-cart1
hbf1xdj-cass
hbf1xdj-flop

This way we don't have to switch the emulator media wise.
Also I don't have to join non compatible extensions, in the script, anymore.
The supported media will now completely match the startup commandline in emulators.cfg.

[Zering]

@folly Is there still an option to have all the extensions in the same directory? This is great stuff but I've got 160 systems already and my Pi is becoming tricky to navigate ^^