BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications

Rok

I recently installed BeebEm using @zerojay's extra-unstable repository. Having done that, I have to say that it actually feels pretty stable. I encountered a couple of minor problems which I'll file as bugs when I get a chance. I'm listing them here in case anybody else has the same problems and wants to know how to get around them.

It didn't set up the <extension> field in es_systems.cfg so didn't show up in EmulationStation at all to begin with. To fix this I edited the file using sudo vi /etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg and modified the relevant line in the BBC configuration to <extension>.SSD .IMG .ADL .DSD .ssd .img .adl .dsd</extension>
I got no keyboard response at all from within the emulator. To fix this I stopped it running in X Windows by removing the xinit from /opt/retropie/configs/bbcmicro/emulators.cfg. The downside of this is that you lose the ability to swap disks from within the emulator. I'd like to know why I get this problem but at least I have a workaround for now.

I thought it was a pity that I couldn't play my BBC Micro games using my (I-PAC2) arcade controls so I made my own branch of the BeebEm code from the one that @zerojay uses. I modified it so that when BeebEm loads an IMG, SSD, etc image it looks for an accompanying .map file (for instance snapper.ssd and snapper.map). If there's no map file then it carries on as normal. If there is a map file then it parses it and remaps those keys in the emulator.

Foe example (using snapper again) my snapper.map file is -

define p1up up
define p1down down
define p1left left
define p1right right
define p1start 1

map p1left z
map p1right x
map p1down /
map p1up '
map p1start space

(The define statements are optional as you can map the keys directly [map up z for example] but when you have two player controls with six buttons per player plus start buttons, coin buttons, etc it's easier to use defines as a basic template that can be used at the top of all map files).

Anyway, it's as simple as that. The caveat being that you need each game in a separate file unless they share the same controls. It's fantastic fun playing Snapper using the proper arcade controls. I'm looking forward to trying Planetoid tomorrow!

At some point I may add a keypress that toggles the remapping on and off from within the emulator and might also add the ability to map a button to quit the emulator. It's not a very high priority for me at the moment though.

I'm just wondering whether this extension would be useful to anyone else and/or whether @zerojay would like to add it to the BeebEm code in his repository?

zerojay

Send me a pull reqquest.

OneSwitch

Great work! I would love a more stable version BBC Micro emulator running within Emulation Station. Definitely the games side is obvious, and for me I'd love to have a nice compact system to preserve and demo old SpecialNeeds accessible games that the BBC Micro was such a pioneering thing for.

Could you tell me please if this version of BeebEm is as up to date as the PC version (I'm running 4.14 dated Feb 2012)? Most importantly, I'd love the touch-screen and switch interface to work for all the special needs games that the BBC had.

Touch-screen:

Via the Comms menu option, turn the RS423 to on, and set the destination as the Microvitec Touch Screen.
Via Options, select Analogue Mousestick.
Try some of the games here: http://www.retro-kit.co.uk/page.cfm/content/Microvitec-Touchtech-501/

Switch interface box:

Via Options, select/tick the User Port RTC Module, and remap the 8 switch inputs via the "User Port Breakout box" option.
Try this game: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5r7e6422ha8xhns/Switch-On-(1986).ssd?dl=0

Would be chuffed to bits if those elements can work too within RetroPie.

Cheers,

Barrie

Rok

I believe @zerojay based his changes on the work at http://beebem-unix.bbcmicro.com/news.html so it'll be running quite an old 3.5 build. I'm genuinely surprised there isn't a newer port but I guess we're all in the same position of wanting one but not having time to invest in doing it ourselves.

The only work I've done on it is the remapping of keypresses as described to allow any game to be played using arcade controls. And this is only going to be of help to people using I-PAC2 type interfaces. I haven't sent a pull request for my changes yet partly because I wanted to make further improvements first and partly because there didn't seem to be any interest in it. It may well be that the vast majority of people have their controls hooked up via GPIO rather than I-PAC2.

hardmanm

Can this now be added to Retropie as an Experimental package, would love to play all the BBC classic games.

Rok

@hardmanm You can get BeebEm straight from @zerojay's extra-unstable repository. My modifications are only useful if you have an interface to change controls to key presses. If that's the case, I'll try to neaten up and submit my changes over the next few days.

nevsan

Wondering if this is close to being added to the next release? Really looking forward to playing some of the old arcade clones on this machine - and I know a lot of retro friends that would love it added too.

Cheers again for all your hard work :)

JasonStonier

Super old thread, I know, but - Rok did you ever release your code which allows key mapping? I've compliled the latest version of Beebem on my Pi and got it working well through emulationstation (no sound though), but I'm having a problem with games which use CapsLock as a direction key (quite a few from memory, but in this case Thrust). Before I dive into the code and try and find out how to remap it, would your code let me remap a key to another key in a map file?

[edit]
I dived into the code anyway, and remapped L-Shift (PC) to capslock (beeb) and |\ (PC) to ctrl (beeb), so at least on a standard UK PC keyboard, emulated capslock and ctrl are next to each other and usable for games.

If anyone wants that code, I'm happy to email it out with instructions how to compile it.

Lord Vek

Hello. Can someone please post instructions as to how can I install BeebEm on the Retropie from zerojay's repository? I am a noob...

rott42

Joining the request for the beebem repo use. I am also a major NOOB, and just can't figure it out. I love this forum.

Rok

@Lord-Vek said in BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications:

Hello. Can someone please post instructions as to how can I install BeebEm on the Retropie from zerojay's repository? I am a noob...

@rott42 said in BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications:

Joining the request for the beebem repo use. I am also a major NOOB, and just can't figure it out. I love this forum.

I'm currently making a new rPi cocktail table. I'll have finished in a week or so and, if nobody's posted instructions before then, will go through the process to remind myself and then post the steps.

rott42

@Rok Thanks

Lord Vek

Thank you!

Lord Vek

Bump!!! Any news about Beebem installation for noobs?

Lord Vek

@Rok said in BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications:

I'm currently making a new rPi cocktail table. I'll have finished in a week or so and, if nobody's posted instructions before then, will go through the process to remind myself and then post the steps.

At least, can someone please tell me how can I download from zerojay's repository?

zerojay

@Lord-Vek said in BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications:

@Rok said in BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications:

I'm currently making a new rPi cocktail table. I'll have finished in a week or so and, if nobody's posted instructions before then, will go through the process to remind myself and then post the steps.

At least, can someone please tell me how can I download from zerojay's repository?

Hi. I've been away from RetroPie for a few years. The repository hasn't been touched in that long and likely should not be used as I can't imagine any of it still works. But I'm back. I just bought a Pi4 a few days ago. No promises but I'll try to find time to get stuff back up and running again.

ExarKunIv

@zerojay

Hi. I've been away from RetroPie for a few years. The repository hasn't been touched in that long and likely should not be used as I can't imagine any of it still works. But I'm back. I just bought a Pi4 a few days ago. No promises but I'll try to find time to get stuff back up and running again.

you will be suprised on what still works. i still install RetroPie-Extras on all my builds. most that i want to use still works just fine, but im sure most of it has updates

Lord Vek

Can I hope, then?

zerojay

@Lord-Vek said in BeebEm and fun arcade control modifications:

Can I hope, then?

I have no idea what you are asking.

Lord Vek

I am a noob and I don't know how to install Beebem in my Retropie from your experimental repository. ie what commands and parameters should I use. I asked in this forum but I didn't get any answer. Can you help? Thanks in advance!