Old Computer Appreciation Thread

Folly

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Hehe I put that method in the first post two days ago! ^^
I tried but there doesn't seem to be a tape control menu in the mess interface in this instance.

Figured it out with pc6001 + cass :
just enter on "how many pages"
type : cload (tape will automatically load)
then type : run (basic file will run)
Perhaps there is also something like : cload"",r (did not try)
3D Asteroid Fire (T&E Soft) (-cart2) :

Zering

@folly Brilliant! Can't wait to try that!
I don't understand something though. Any other cassette on other MESS systems I have to use Tape control. Here it's absent. Do you know why?

Folly

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Brilliant! Can't wait to try that!
I don't understand something though. Any other cassette on other MESS systems I have to use Tape control. Here it's absent. Do you know why?

Some computers, for example the c64, have tape control built in.
So the computer controls when the motor of the cassette starts or stops.
I think thats why they called it cart2 instead of cass.

cload is short for casload.

Zering

@folly Ah that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Did you try any other games? How's compatibility overall?

I'll include all this in my next edit.

Folly

@zering said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

@folly Ah that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Did you try any other games? How's compatibility overall?

I'll include all this in my next edit.

3D Asteroid Fire (T&E Soft) works with controls !
(tried also other games and they work too)
You can also speed up the cassette load, when using the "space" hotkey !
Also lr-mess can do save states, so you can go directly to the save state, once the basic boots.

In the (extras) files are readme files on how to boot.
Many not quite readable, but you can see the commands.

Some games have to load differently with,mode 5, page 4, mon -> R -> 0
This is for the pc6001mk2 computer. You have to install this seperately.

So the pc6001 directory contains also games for other types of pc6001 computers.

Zering

@folly I didn't know that! That's great! Waiting for cassettes to load is about as fun as watching paint dry.

dmmarti

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

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.