Libretro Intellivision Emulator

[incunabula]

Thanks! Always nice to see the Intellivision and Colecovision getting some love. Even in my own hardware collection they always seem to be treated like step-children. Maybe it's the shit membrane keypads on their controllers that has doomed their fate :)

[recompile]

markwkidd from Libretro has put the project on github.

https://github.com/markwkidd/FreeIntv

He's working on a makefile now so that the libretro ‘buildbot’ can start producing pre-compiled binaries for other platforms. (The pre-compiled binary supplied is just for the Pi3)

@Hex Mark asked if you, specifically, wanted to be involved.

[Hex]

I can help wherever possible.

I am currently working on getting GBC emulator on ESP32.

[markwkidd]

@hex said in Libretro Intellivision Emulator:

I can help wherever possible.

I am currently working on getting GBC emulator on ESP32.

That sounds pretty cool too!

As recompile said, right now for FreeIntv my main investigation is getting the Makefile in shape to compile for architectures other than rpi. Feel free to contact me here, the libretro forums, or especially on github if you have any ideas or insight on that or other topics!

I'm hoping to do what I can to make it easy for more experienced coders like yourself to have access.

edit: I have also started a section for FreeIntv in the RetroPie docs. Right now it contains just about everything I know (ie the contents of the FreeInt website and this thread). Please feel free to make changes to this stub https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Intellivision

[markwkidd]

@recompile

Question #1 -- Does FreeIntv require the two BIOSes listed as required for jzintv in the docs? This is the relevant section:

The first two files listed below are the most important:
Executive ROM: exec.bin MD5: 62e761035cb657903761800f4437b8af
Graphics ROM: grom.bin MD5: 0cd5946c6473e42e8e4c2137785e427f

My next questions have to do with which ROMs are preferred for FreeInt:

• Can it accept both .int and .bin ROMs?
• Do you recommend one Intellivision ROM source/DAT over another (GoodINT, TOSEC, something else?)

[Hex]

@markwkidd I would also suggest you and @recompile decide on the license you want to release your software with. I would suggest adding the non-commercial clause.

[markwkidd]

@hex said in Libretro Intellivision Emulator:

@markwkidd I would also suggest you and @recompile decide on the license you want to release your software with. I would suggest adding the non-commercial clause.

I chose GPL-3 for the github repo, based on the contents of the archive.

I don't feel that I have any intellectual ownership of this work, at least so far, but for what it's worth I see no reason why emulators should be licensed with non-commercial clauses. In general I believe intellectual property should be made available the most permissively as possible based on the circumstances.

Most of my own open-source software contributions are GPL licensed, including my software tools for working with RetroArch and MAME.

My work as an artist is generally available either as creative commons with commercial reuse allowed or without commercial reuse allowed depending on who commissioned or funded the work.

So anyway that's who I am. I do think this is entirely up to recompile however.

[recompile]

Question #1 -- Does FreeIntv require the two BIOSes listed as required for jzintv in the docs? This is the relevant section:

Yes, both exec.bin and grom.bin are required. Neither are distributed as I'm not sure if BSR would allow it.

My next questions have to do with which ROMs are preferred for FreeInt:

• Can it accept both .int and .bin ROMs?

As far as I know, .int and .bin files are the same. The program doesn't currently support .cfg files for those, but does have a big, poorly tested, bunch of preconfigurations for most of the existing int/bin files.

It also supports .rom files (the Intellicart format), though it doesn't support extra features like bank switching.

• Do you recommend one Intellivision ROM source/DAT over another (GoodINT, TOSEC, something else?)

I haven't looked in to it, but I think Good has a great reputation.

[quicksilver]

I was just about to start configuring jzintv when I saw this. I had been saving configuring intellivison on my pi for last due to the need for keyboard hack files. I am glad I saw this post first and am anxious to try this out. Thank you for your work on this as I am sure it will save me a headache!

[jeepfan1973]

Please help! I can't get the permission to copy files working in the ssh terminal. I copied everything you had in the installation instructions, but I get a "no such file or directory". It is not a spelling or syntax error.

I've tried changing permissions inside mc file manager as well. What am I doing wrong?

[recompile]

@jeepfan1973 I'm guessing that you forgot to copy freeintv_libretro.so to /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-freeintv

I should probably edit my first post and the readme, as it has a capital 'I' in lr-freeintv in Step 1 and 2, but nowhere else. That'll probably cause a few problems...

[jeepfan1973]

@recompile I can't copy the file. I get a permission error. I also made sure all the text is identical. I'm 44. I've worked with computers since 1984, I'm just a noob with Linux. I have some linux experience but not much.

[mitu]

@jeepfan1973 Copy the file to your home folder (/home/pi) first, then execute from the terminal

sudo cp freeintv_libretro.so /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-freeintv

[jeepfan1973]

@mitu I put the file in /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS because I used samba to get it onto the pi from my PC. In trying to copy it from there, I get permission denied in the terminal. Everything is spelled and capitalized and all that where it needs to be. I just don't have permission.

[jeepfan1973]

Ok got it. I was missing sudo in terminal. I was trying to use mc file manager. Thanks!

[jeepfan1973]

However, now when I try to launch intellivision games, the raspi gives a permission error, I think for one of the cfg files. It flashes pretty fast on the screen. Do I have to do the chmod permission for the cfg files that I installed?

[recompile]

@jeepfan1973

@jeepfan1973 said in Libretro Intellivision Emulator:

Do I have to do the chmod permission for the cfg files that I installed?

Yes. I'll update the instructions to reflect that.

[jeepfan1973]

Thank you!

[jeepfan1973]

Got files copied. Changed permissions for both. It won't launch the games. Just about ready to give up and use jzintv. I was really hoping for an lr core for this. Can't it be added to the retropie package manager?

It flashes an error parsing xml file message:
lv10:. Error parsing xml file /home/pi/.emulationstation/gamelists/atarilynx/gamelists.xml
No document element found.

Don't ask me what Atari lynx has to do with anything.

[recompile]

@jeepfan1973 Now that's a mystery.

Don't ask me what Atari lynx has to do with anything.

The Lynx shouldn't enter in to this at all. Why ES is even doing that when you try to launch a game is completely beyond me.

Something as gone horrible wrong. Maybe someone with more ES knowledge would have some idea as to what actually happened. I can't even begin to guess.

The only thing I can suggest is to the install process over from the beginning (having sort-of done it once, it should only take you a few minutes).