Old Computer Appreciation Thread

Zering

@adambegood The best way to run FM Towns games is with chds, I recommend you find some if you can.

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood The best way to run FM Towns games is with chds, I recommend you find some if you can.

Hmmm, I haven’t as yet, I’ll have another look.

Edit: Looking at MAME .226 now, but can’t see where Towns is marked. I’ll try again in the morning. Probably me being thick. Any idea if Azure is in there? That is pretty much the only game I need now.

Further Edit: I may have found it, doesn't appear to have Azure if I am looking at the right set.

Zering

@adambegood In my experience if there are no Mame chds the games don't run.

Folly

I will test some too, if I have some time left today.

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood In my experience if there are no Mame chds the games don't run.

No, that isn't the case - mine are mostly .img/.cue and some .bin/.cue and they run fine.

I've really been trying to have a look at Alltynex. I've extracted the .iso to try and see how it works, but I can't even see where the game is executed within the structure. This website had some interesting sounding information (http://ysflight.in.coocan.jp/FM/towns/internalCDROM/e.html), and it sounded like a relevant situation to what I see, but I am struggling with it now. Maybe I'll have another look later, I should probably do some work now.

Edit: I am just running it through ScummVM now, but it turns out the FM Towns version of Zak McKraken is much prettier than than the PC and Amiga versions. This is a good find, I've never played that Lucasfilm adventure through before.

Zering

@adambegood So you managed to get the mouse to work properly??

AdamBeGood

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood So you managed to get the mouse to work properly??

It works for Monkey Island 2 and Super Shooting Towns, yep. I have it plugged in the bottom right USB port, but beyond that I've done nothing to make it work.

Edit: Do you have Azure? I am really finding it hard to locate a copy beyond the .IMG that I have, which I don't think works.

Further Edit: Still messing with Alltynex. It doesn't seem to be AUTOEXEC.BAT or DOS.BAT which is running to cause the issue. Very confused now.

Folly

@adambegood

I also have an Alltynex harddrive img.

Seems that there is an other system in mamedev called fmtownssj.
Perhaps we can try this system, which has harddrive support :

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ /opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -listmedia fmtownssj
SYSTEM           MEDIA NAME       (brief)    IMAGE FILE EXTENSIONS SUPPORTED
---------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------
fmtownssj        floppydisk1      (flop1)    .bin  .d77  .d88  .1dd  .dfi  .hfe  .imd  .ipf  .mfi  .mfm  .td0  .cqm  .cqi  .dsk  
                 floppydisk2      (flop2)    .bin  .d77  .d88  .1dd  .dfi  .hfe  .imd  .ipf  .mfi  .mfm  .td0  .cqm  .cqi  .dsk  
                 cdrom            (cdrm)     .chd  .cue  .toc  .nrg  .gdi  .iso  .cdr  
                 memcard          (memc)     .icm  
                 harddisk1        (hard1)    .chd  .hd   .hdv  .2mg  .hdi  
etc

If you want, you can try and install it also with this :

curl "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FollyMaddy/RetroPie-Share/main/00-scripts-00/generate-systems-lr-mess_mame-2v0-alpha.sh" | bash -s fmtownssj

Edit : I just updated the script so the media hard1 can be detected and these module-scripts can be created.

AdamBeGood

@folly I have no option for hard1 with that...

But, the cdrm does get me further with the bootable CD. I am in a GUI, but my mouse is not working as yet. Trying to proceed now.

Edit: It works! Almost unplayably choppy, but it works!

Further Edit: Run it underclocked and it runs much much better. This seems to work for other games as well, it makes the sound much much better in some cases - videos for Genocide Square are pretty much perfect now.

Now I just need to find Azure.

Thanks for the help with this, @Folly !

Folly

@adambegood

You have to install install-fmtownssj-from-mamedev-system-fmtownssj-hard1.sh after creation.
But it didn't work for me with the .h0 file.

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood

You have to install install-fmtownssj-from-mamedev-system-fmtownssj-hard1.sh after creation.
But it didn't work for me with the .h0 file.

The bootable iso will with the new core.

Folly

@adambegood

Can't find the iso can you give a hint ?
No joy here, I have given up.

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood

Can't find the iso can you give a hint ?
No joy here, I have given up.

Google "alltynex bootable iso"

Folly

@adambegood said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood

Can't find the iso can you give a hint ?
No joy here, I have given up.

Google "alltynex bootable iso"

Thx !

Found it after a very long search.
I had to break the boot process and run tmenu.
No mouse and joy buttons yet, but looks very nice :
(no mouse in desktop enviroment, booting in cli/emulationstation mouse ok)

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood

Can't find the iso can you give a hint ?
No joy here, I have given up.

Google "alltynex bootable iso"

Thx !

Found it after a very long search.
I had to break the boot process and run tmenu.
No mouse and joy buttons yet, but looks very nice :

How do you break the boot process?

Mine just worked in the end, after taking a while.

Edit: also, if you have any time and get the chance to take a look at Azure in Neo Kobe, I'd appreciate it. I can't get it to work.

Folly

@adambegood

I have found that with the system fmtowns you get in a loop.
You just press ctrl+c before the little squares come.
Then you type tmenu. <- edit !

If you take the mame line with autoframeskip you have it running almost perfect with almost perfect sound.

With fmtownssj you have 8mb ram instead of 2mb.
It then boots directly into the OS but it's much slower and not really playable in both lr-mess and mame.

AdamBeGood

@folly You are right! It does work well on MAME. I wonder if other FM Towns games with bad sound, like Turbo Outrun, are better on that core.

I actually splashed out a fiver on Alltynex Second on Steam today, as I wanted to try it.

This FM Towns week has been pretty successful for me. That fancy version of Zak McKraken was a really pleasant surprise, and it so good to get Alltynex working. Tomorrow, I will continue to fight with Azure.img!

I want to play it! Seems like there is only one version of it online though from what I can tell, unless it is in these MAME sets I've heard about but am let to locate, but I don't think it will be.

Further Edit: MAME AutoSkip does make Turbo Outrun better, for sure. Other games too.

Folly

@adambegood

Sounds really good.

The advantage with mame is that autoframeskipping works/works better that with lr-mess.
So now we have added it in the script, a whole new world is opening now.

Some kudo's ^^ for @DTEAM for the idea of integrating mame into our script.

AdamBeGood

@folly How familiar are you with creating ISOs?

I thought I could put the Azure files into the Alltynex ISO and then do the break process and just run the executable for Azure from within that.. but if I put those files into the ISO then it won't run. I am confused as to how it knows the difference.

Edit: Also, any hints on finding these .226 MAME CHDs? Mad Stalker Neo Kobe doesn't work for me, and I imagine that is in there. I must be being stupid here, but I can't find FM Towns in any MAME sets I come across, all seems to be arcade-focussed.

Zering

@adambegood I haven't followed everything and I'll need to reread to understand those new discoveries but the mame chds for Mad Stalker do not work.
I don't know if Azure is in the set, I doubt it. I haven't been home lately so not been able to check, I will do today.