Old Computer Appreciation Thread

AdamBeGood

@folly Excellent work! I'll try this tonight, I'm out with the family at the mo. Seems a good solution. Do you think it'll be able to set the Video output to V9000? I need to look at what the options are.

Bloody good idea anyway, very economical.

Edit: I need to find the machines list as well, I don't have TurboR set up, not the OpenMSX generic one. I need the Panasonic code. I'll find it.

Folly

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Excellent work! I'll try this tonight, I'm out with the family at the mo. Seems a good solution. Do you think it'll be able to set the Video output to V9000? I need to look at what the options are.

Bloody good idea anyway, very economical.

Machine setup is already in the commandline => "turbor"
These extensions are in the commandline => "video9000" and "Konami_SD-Snatcher_Sound_Cartridge"
Tested video9000. This is automatically used as source.
(you can see in the menu)

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Excellent work! I'll try this tonight, I'm out with the family at the mo. Seems a good solution. Do you think it'll be able to set the Video output to V9000? I need to look at what the options are.

Bloody good idea anyway, very economical.

Machine setup is already in the commandline => "turbor"
These extensions are in the commandline => "video9000" and "Konami_SD-Snatcher_Sound_Cartridge"
Tested video9000. This is automatically used as source.
(you can see in the menu)

Works a treat! Wow! Great work.

openmsx = "/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx %ROM%"
openmsx-loe = "/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine Panasonic_FS-A1GT -ext video9000 -exta moonsound %ROM%"
openmsx-sdsnatch = "/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine Panasonic_FS-A1GT -ext video9000 -exta Konami_SD-Snatcher_Sound_Cartridge %ROM%"

Folly

@AdamBeGood

Good job !
Now we can share these game "starters".

Folly

While checking the PC8800 docs.
Info of 2 emulators are shared of both quasi88(stand alone) and lr-quasi88.
lr-quasi88 works and I made improvements in the docs.
To complete the job I also had to check quasi88(stand alone).
But it was not listed, so I could not install.
For the pi4 at least, there is an issue in :
/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/emulators/quasi88.sh
When I change this line :

rp_module_flags="dispmanx !mali !kms"

Into :

rp_module_flags="dispmanx !mali"

Then we can install a working quasi88(stand alone).

If you both want to test this emulator put the bios files in :
/home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/pc88
Containing :
N88EXT0.ROM N88EXT1.ROM N88EXT2.ROM N88EXT3.ROM N88N.ROM N88.ROM N88SUB.ROM
Also using N88KNJ1.ROM, N88KNJ2.ROM then the menu is in Japanese and Japanese characters work in games !
Not using N88KNJ1.ROM, N88KNJ2.ROM then the menu is in English and Japanese characters do not work in games !
Press F12 to go into the menu.
2 times F12 = exit (from within the menu)

This stand alone emulator could be interesting.
And I want good information about it, in the docs.

EDIT :
For both emulators I improved the doc for the PC8800 .
I would like to ask you both to take a good look at it.
If we all agree that it's OK for now.
Then I will try to do a "push request" directly in github.

AdamBeGood

@folly Cool, I'll try to have a look at this then. I wonder if there are any performance differences.

Edit: I've installed the standalone emulator now, it is only in a small window on my screen. I'll look at fixing that tomorrow.

Zering

@folly I've read through your proposed docs, as before i think it's excellent work. Perhaps you could add that some games, ie. Final Crisis, run at a different frequency mode?

Folly

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly I've read through your proposed docs, as before i think it's excellent work. Perhaps you could add that some games, ie. Final Crisis, run at a different frequency mode?

Thanks for the reading.
Good suggestion!
I've added some important core options.

I think it's finished now.

EDIT : I did the push request

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Excellent work! I'll try this tonight, I'm out with the family at the mo. Seems a good solution. Do you think it'll be able to set the Video output to V9000? I need to look at what the options are.

Bloody good idea anyway, very economical.

Machine setup is already in the commandline => "turbor"
These extensions are in the commandline => "video9000" and "Konami_SD-Snatcher_Sound_Cartridge"
Tested video9000. This is automatically used as source.
(you can see in the menu)

As an interesting foible, I've also bought "Myths and Dragons" by the same company, but the video for that game only works correctly on a GFX9000 output. If I change the emulator to add that as an extension rather than video9000, it does not default the source. It does add the extension correctly, and as soon as I manually change the Video Output, it works fine.

Folly

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

As an interesting foible, I've also bought "Myths and Dragons" by the same company, but the video for that game only works correctly on a GFX9000 output. If I change the emulator to add that as an extension rather than video9000, it does not default the source. It does add the extension correctly, and as soon as I manually change the Video Output, it works fine.

Nice.

Tried this :

/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine Panasonic_FS-A1GT -ext gfx9000

Indeed, video source is "MSX" by default.
Don't have a solution ;-)

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

As an interesting foible, I've also bought "Myths and Dragons" by the same company, but the video for that game only works correctly on a GFX9000 output. If I change the emulator to add that as an extension rather than video9000, it does not default the source. It does add the extension correctly, and as soon as I manually change the Video Output, it works fine.

Nice.

Tried this :
/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine Panasonic_FS-A1GT -ext gfx9000
Indeed, video source is "MSX" by default.
Don't have a solution ;-)

It's not a massive problem - strange though!

Folly

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:
@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

As an interesting foible, I've also bought "Myths and Dragons" by the same company, but the video for that game only works correctly on a GFX9000 output. If I change the emulator to add that as an extension rather than video9000, it does not default the source. It does add the extension correctly, and as soon as I manually change the Video Output, it works fine.

Nice.

Tried this :
/opt/retropie/emulators/openmsx/bin/openmsx -machine Panasonic_FS-A1GT -ext gfx9000
Indeed, video source is "MSX" by default.
Don't have a solution ;-)
It's not a massive problem - strange though!

I think an issue, you can see here for issues on gfx9000 :
https://github.com/openMSX/openMSX/search?q=gfx9000&type=issues

dmmarti

From this post and all the info provided within it….I’ve now started expanding to other old computer systems as well.

After hearing about the success with Retroarch translate, I’m hoping that it works good on them too.

Here’s a few I’ve started getting setup to begin experimenting with.

Elektronika BK-0010
Hector HRX
Mikrosha
Vector-06C

I can’t read Russian….but some of the games look pretty fun!

Folly

@Zering @AdamBeGood

Today, I discovered something amazing again !

Earlier we patched MSX roms with an IPS patch.
Back then I found 2 open source programs for patching.

Today I tried the second patch program (it works too) :
https://github.com/kylon/Lipx
(has also a link to the IPS format specifications)

What so nice is about this version, it can create patches !
IPS format seems not only MSX specific.

So I tested if I could make an IPS patch for the "Otoko_dama.hdm" of "x68000"
Made the patch from the original and modified file :

./lipx.py -c Otoko_dama_original.hdm Otoko_dama_modified.hdm Otoko_dama.ips

Then I patched the original with the IPS patch back to the modified one :

./lipx.py -ab Otoko_dama_original.hdm Otoko_dama.ips Otoko_dama_for_others.hdm

It worked ;-)

So now it's possible to share fixes (if the checksums of the original files are the same).
IPS patch was only 11,7kb.

Folly

@dmmarti said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

From this post and all the info provided within it….I’ve now started expanding to other old computer systems as well.

After hearing about the success with Retroarch translate, I’m hoping that it works good on them too.

Here’s a few I’ve started getting setup to begin experimenting with.

Elektronika BK-0010
Hector HRX
Mikrosha
Vector-06C

I can’t read Russian….but some of the games look pretty fun!

I'm all ears !
Curious if this works too.

Keep us posted !

Zering

@folly So what change did you make to Otoko Dama?
That sounds like an incredible discovery! The possibilities are huge. Could it be possible to use that to get around some of those roms that just won't run, ie. Refight and its music mode or multidisc X1 games?

The computers dmmarti mentioned should all work within mess,I think they're on the list of systems I was planning on adding to my rig.

Folly

@zering said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly So what change did you make to Otoko Dama?

So the changes I made, to get music working, can now be shared.
(if the sum of the originals, we have, are the same)

That sounds like an incredible discovery! The possibilities are huge. Could it be possible to use that to get around some of those roms that just won't run, ie. Refight and its music mode or multidisc X1 games?

Indeed, incredible. ;-)
And if more people can make patches we save time.

The computers dmmarti mentioned should all work within mess,I think they're on the list of systems I was planning on adding to my rig.

Curious, if he gets it working with translation.

AdamBeGood

@folly said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

@Zering @AdamBeGood

Today, I discovered something amazing again !

Earlier we patched MSX roms with an IPS patch.
Back then I found 2 open source programs for patching.

Today I tried the second patch program (it works too) :
https://github.com/kylon/Lipx
(has also a link to the IPS format specifications)

What so nice is about this version, it can create patches !
IPS format seems not only MSX specific.

So I tested if I could make an IPS patch for the "Otoko_dama.hdm" of "x68000"
Made the patch from the original and modified file :
./lipx.py -c Otoko_dama_original.hdm Otoko_dama_modified.hdm Otoko_dama.ips
Then I patched the original with the IPS patch back to the modified one :
./lipx.py -ab Otoko_dama_original.hdm Otoko_dama.ips Otoko_dama_for_others.hdm
It worked ;-)

So now it's possible to share fixes (if the checksums of the original files are the same).
IPS patch was only 11,7kb.

So it just modifies the autoexec.bat as we did? That is very clever!

Zering

@Folly Why is this sort of stuff not more widely known?

Folly

@adambegood said in Old Japanese Computer Appreciation Thread:

So it just modifies the autoexec.bat as we did? That is very clever!

Indeed.
1 person does the real editing.
Then this person makes a patch that can be shared so others don't have to edit the autoexec.bat but just apply the patch.