Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?)

duglor

@Folly
Hello.
I've looked around the b-em sites and I cant' find a defintions or glossary file for what the default settings mean.

Can anyone tell me what the below settings for this emulator mean and what other choices i have as numeric values? or a link to the answer?

key_as = 0
vdfsenable = 0
ideenable = 0
scsienable = 0
displaymode = 3
ddtype = 0
ddvol = 2
cursid = 2
sidmethod = 0
soundwave = 0
soundfilter = 1
sndtape = 0
sndddnoise = 0
snddac = 0
sndmusic5000 = 0
sndbeebsid = 1
sndinternal = 1
tube6502speed = 1
tube = -1
model = 3
defaultwriteprotect = 1
video_resize = 0

Folly

@duglor

These config settings are representatives of the settings that can be selected in the menu when using F11.

duglor

@Folly Is this emulator in a state where it can be "libretro-ized"?

How does that usually occur? Since I got the Retropie, I don't think there has been any new lr-XXX emulators created. They were all done before I joined.

Anyway, it would be nice to be able to change screensize, add key to Joy support as one of the control options aka "keyboard". etc.

-Doug

Folly

@duglor

FYI I am using quite old source code that works very good on the raspberry pi's.
It's not a good idea to libretrolize very old source code.
It would be better to use the latest source for that.
Libretrolizing depends on many decisions that play a part.
Like do they want to do the work and are there enough volunteers to do the job.
Besides the licence must be allowing it and it's nice to ask for permission to do it.
You see there will be many factors playing a part.

I can't really improve the emulator as I am not a real c developer.
The only thing I can and willing to do is make some minor patches to it.

ps.
I read that you are promoting my module-script on stardot.
That's ok but make sure you link to my repository.
Then everyone knows where the module-script originally came from and people can dig in to improve it.

duglor

ok!

@Folly said in Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?):

@duglor
ps.
I read that you are promoting my module-script on stardot.
That's ok but make sure you link to my repository.
Then everyone knows where the module-script originally came > from and people can dig in to improve it.

Evan

I'm an avid BBC Micro fan from my childhood, but the instructions for this seem very vague. My first attempt trashed retropie_setup.sh in that it gave me a 404 error on running, which appeared to be the text contents of a file the process downloaded.
Can someone provide step-by-step instructions please?

Folly

@Evan said in Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?):

My first attempt trashed retropie_setup.sh in that it gave me a 404 error on running, which appeared to be the text contents of a file the process downloaded.

You probably downloaded the module-script, that you want to add, wrongly. check that file with a text editor.
Remove it and then make sure you get the file correctly and try again.

Evan

@Folly
I tried again, same problem....
I'm following instructions from "post 4" above, i.e. downloading the script. Then running the add external repositories option from retropie_setup.sh in Config/Tools.

It seems to download quite a bit of stuff and then at the end it comes up with this: -

/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/packages.sh: line 912: __mod_idx: bad array subscript
/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ext/RetroPie-Share/scriptmodules/emulators/runcommand-archypie.sh: line 1: 404:: command not found
Module is missing valid rp_module_id
Module is missing valid rp_module_desc

at this point it has exited to the command line and doesn't return to the retropie_setup.sh menu.

And when I try now to get back into retropie_setup.sh I get this

sudo ./retropie_setup.sh
/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/packages.sh: line 912: __mod_idx: bad array subscript
/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ext/RetroPie-Share/scriptmodules/emulators/runcommand-archypie.sh: line 1: 404:: command not found
Module is missing valid rp_module_id
Module is missing valid rp_module_desc

It can't run.

Folly

@Evan

Ok, I see.
You have used the external repositories script.
I will edit post 4 not to use that anymore.
Things have changed in how stuff is downloaded from github and for some reason that script doesn't work anymore.

To fix it remove all files in the ext/RetroPie-share folder or the whole folder RetroPie-Share.
See if retropie-setup will run after that.
(If it doesn't then rename your RetroPie-Setup folder to another name and clone it again from, see instructions :
https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup)
If it still works then download this file (right-click on raw and save) :
https://github.com/FollyMaddy/RetroPie-Share/blob/main/00-scriptmodules-00/emulators/b-em-allegro4.sh
and save it here :
/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ext/RetroPie-Share/scriptmodules/emulators/b-em-allegro4.sh
Then run retropie-setup again and look for the script in experimental packages and install it from source.

Edit :
ext-ext-repos.sh has been removed from github :
https://github.com/FollyMaddy/RetroPie-Share/commit/18d01c8d5b25a7a4053c0938998f38cb7e48564d

Evan

@Folly

Thanks for that, I'll give it a go and let you know.

Bingo! That worked, thank you for that.

Folly

@Evan

Good for you !

Now you know how it works pasting 3rd party module-scipts inside the ReroPie-Setup.

phoenixdacat

@Folly I have followed the instructions and copied all 7 of the emulators/*.sh files into /home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ext/RetroPie-Share/scriptmodules/emulators/ but none of them show under experimental packages or any other package menu in RetroPie_Setup.

Have I missed a step?

I've been able to install and use your mamedev.sh script with no issue.

Folly

@phoenixdacat said in Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?):

@Folly I have followed the instructions and copied all 7 of the emulators/*.sh files into /home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ext/RetroPie-Share/scriptmodules/emulators/ but none of them show under experimental packages or any other package menu in RetroPie_Setup.

Have I missed a step?

Apparently you have missed a step.
Check again if you have them in the correct folder.

did you make a typo ?
are you using another username ?
open up an sh file, do you have content in them ?
did you check the very last packages in experimental packages below ?

phoenixdacat

@Folly

no typo.
user name is pi.
the .sh files have script content.
I scrolled all the way to the bottom.

The mamedev.sh script works. I did wonder if this was a permissions or ownership issue, but the permissions for the scripts in the emulators folder are identical to mamedev.sh.

Is there anyway that I can run the emulator scripts from the CLI, outside of the retropie_setup.sh, so that I can troubleshoot?

Folly

@phoenixdacat said in Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?):

Is there anyway that I can run the emulator scripts from the CLI, outside of the retropie_setup.sh, so that I can troubleshoot?

Yes.
For example you can use the retropie_packages.sh script to install one and check if the script is seen and works.

cd RetroPie-Setup
sudo ./retropie_packages.sh b-em-allegro4

If it's found it will install, otherwise you get the message :

No module 'b-em-allegro4' found.

Alternatively you can list all module-scripts available with :

sudo ./retropie_packages.sh

And use grep to filter out only the one you are looking for :

sudo ./retropie_packages.sh|grep b-em

With the last command the output should be :

pi@raspberrypi:~/RetroPie-Setup $ sudo ./retropie_packages.sh|grep b-em-allegro4
b-em-allegro4       : Acorn BBC emulator                         : build configure depends install sources clean remove

Retrodade

In one of the extras this works fine on pi4 but fails to install on a pi5
b-em-pico-pi ...ideas?

Folly

@Retrodade said in Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?):

In one of the extras this works fine on pi4 but fails to install on a pi5
b-em-pico-pi ...ideas?

Correct, b-em-pico-pi doesn't compile correctly on newer OSes.
Sadly no ideas and nothing I can do except try to add flags that will prevent installing on newer OSes

Retrodade

@Folly
OK, Thanks for the reply, was one of my favorites as it booted directly to game and exit was easy over any other.
most pi users like direct game loads I guess or I'm odd.

Folly

@Retrodade said in Acorn BBC Micro Emulator (current?):

@Folly
OK, Thanks for the reply, was one of my favorites as it booted directly to game and exit was easy over any other.
most pi users like direct game loads I guess or I'm odd.

I had a look again at the original source and it seems like kilograham has updated the source.
Also found that I use the flag rpi4 so for the rpi5 it will use the wrong compile line.
Can't promise but I will have a look if I can get it working again.

Retrodade

@Folly oooo ,wasn't expecting that but wow sweet if you do get it, I'd love to know.
and i do understand no promises all good either way