MAME Emulation

A place to discuss everything Dragon related that doesn't fall into the other categories.
pser1
Posts: 1655
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:32 pm
Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by pser1 »

@pernod70
Hello,
lately I have been trying to test the scrolling capcabilities of John's SuperSprite-FM+ module
and have had some issues:
1) with vertical scrolling the screen has a very noticiable flickering that acording to MSX2+ users
doesn't happen on their machines (with the V9958). Unfortunately I can not access my dragon64
and the module to test ...
2) with horizontal scrolling, despite I have converted to 6809 code a subroutine copied from an MSX forum,
the program using it does nothing on screen when I run it on MAME
Horizontal scrolling is not suported by V9938 but it is for V9958.
I asume that the emulation we have for the Dragon is based on the V9958, right?
I attach here two VDK files that once mounted on drive1 can be tested just issuing
RUN"RO"
I hope they could be of help to find out what is causing those issues ...
Thanks beforehand
pere serrat

Ps. each zip file contains the VDK and the assembler source code
SCROLLV.ZIP
(13.21 KiB) Downloaded 1341 times
SCROLLH.ZIP
(13.4 KiB) Downloaded 1298 times
Pernod70
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:06 pm
Location: Croydon, UK

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by Pernod70 »

pser1 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 5:44 pm I asume that the emulation we have for the Dragon is based on the V9958, right?
Yes, but ... having now looked at the current V9958 emulation I'm not seeing the hardware scrolling registers actually being used anywhere. There's also a bug report at https://mametesters.org/view.php?id=8466 that suggests it's not emulated.

I'd need to do extensive research on how the V9958 works to be able to do anything with this, and be familiar with suitable test cases. Is there any other 9958 emulator that I could use as a reference?
pser1
Posts: 1655
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:32 pm
Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by pser1 »

Pernod70 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 6:32 pm
pser1 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 5:44 pm I asume that the emulation we have for the Dragon is based on the V9958, right?
Yes, but ... having now looked at the current V9958 emulation I'm not seeing the hardware scrolling registers actually being used anywhere. There's also a bug report at https://mametesters.org/view.php?id=8466 that suggests it's not emulated.
I'd need to do extensive research on how the V9958 works to be able to do anything with this, and be familiar with suitable test cases. Is there any other 9958 emulator that I could use as a reference?
It seems that the best emulator that works correctly with the V9958 (MSX2+) is called OpenMSX
Count on me if you need someone to test 'provisional' versions or someone that could create programs using 6809 and V9958
cheers!
Pernod70
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:06 pm
Location: Croydon, UK

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by Pernod70 »

pser1 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:15 pm It seems that the best emulator that works correctly with the V9958 (MSX2+) is called OpenMSX
Count on me if you need someone to test 'provisional' versions or someone that could create programs using 6809 and V9958
cheers!
I've taken a look at OpenMSX and doesn't look like it'll that useful without fully understanding it's architecture. I can't imagine hardware scrolling being too much effort to implement, surely just shifting video ram contents according to registers. I'll take a look at your test cases when I have some time and see what's involved.
pser1
Posts: 1655
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:32 pm
Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by pser1 »

Pernod70 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:34 pm
pser1 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:15 pm It seems that the best emulator that works correctly with the V9958 (MSX2+) is called OpenMSX
Count on me if you need someone to test 'provisional' versions or someone that could create programs using 6809 and V9958
cheers!
I've taken a look at OpenMSX and doesn't look like it'll that useful without fully understanding it's architecture. I can't imagine hardware scrolling being too much effort to implement, surely just shifting video ram contents according to registers. I'll take a look at your test cases when I have some time and see what's involved.
Thanks a lot!
Anyway, no need to rush. By now the games I have converted do not require horizontal scrolling at all!
regards
pere
Pernod70
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:06 pm
Location: Croydon, UK

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by Pernod70 »

pser1 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:53 pm Anyway, no need to rush. By now the games I have converted do not require horizontal scrolling at all!
Looks like someone has now implemented this, see https://github.com/mamedev/mame/commit/ ... 7c6bbc1e55
pser1
Posts: 1655
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:32 pm
Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by pser1 »

Pernod70 wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:03 pm
pser1 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:53 pm Anyway, no need to rush. By now the games I have converted do not require horizontal scrolling at all!
Looks like someone has now implemented this, see https://github.com/mamedev/mame/commit/ ... 7c6bbc1e55
Hello,
thanks for letting us know!
Has this already been added to a new MAME version?
I am using right now MAME240 and I have seen somewhere that there is a 250 version, but doesn't seem to contain this registers
behaviour mod ...
Anyway I have downloaded this 250 and will make some tests ...
cheers!
Last edited by pser1 on Fri Dec 02, 2022 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Pernod70
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:06 pm
Location: Croydon, UK

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by Pernod70 »

pser1 wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:56 pm Has this already been added to a new MAME version?
I am using right now MAME240 and I have seen somewhere that there is a 250 version, but doesn't seem to contain this registers
It was only submitted today, so will be in the 0.251 release due on the 28th Dec.
pser1
Posts: 1655
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:32 pm
Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)

Re: MAME Emulation

Post by pser1 »

Pernod70 wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:58 pm
pser1 wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:56 pm Has this already been added to a new MAME version?
I am using right now MAME240 and I have seen somewhere that there is a 250 version, but doesn't seem to contain this registers
It was only submitted today, so will be in the 0.251 release due on the 28th Dec.
ok, thanks a lot!
will wait for this version!
pere
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