SNES4ALL Alpha-3 released !

[chui]

New alpha version of Super Nintendo emulator for Dreamcast:

- Hardware scaled resolution.
- Assembler CPUs core enabled.
- Others little optimizations.
- New logo and menu skin.



http://chui.dcemu.co.uk/snes4all.png


More info and download at SNES4ALL site (chui.dcemu.co.uk/snes4all.html).

[jsmith3899]

Hells yeah way to go chui is it any faster ?

[fackue]

Nice logo!

[gxb]

what about the speed?faster than the alpha 2 version?

[dcsteve]

VERY NICE>>>> HARDWARE RESOLUTION looks WAAAAYYY better.

[YZB]

what about the speed?

^-^

[chui]

It is more faster than alpha2, but similar to DreamSNES.

For more speed i want draw graphic tiles as textures with pvr, also we need rewrite a lot of parts of assembler code.

But now, Fox continue working in FAZE and i just begin MAME4ALL.

[RockinB]

@Chui:
You said at first the sh2 asm cpu core couldn't be get running. What have you done that it works now?

[Christuserloeser]

But now, Fox continue working in FAZE

YESSSS!!!


Btw, did you get my PM Chui ?

[OT] RockinB, I wonder if the Saturn had a 68k & Z80 too ? Wouldn't that mean it could be possible to 'emulate' a MD / SMS easily by using these ?
Otherwise I can't wait to see which wonders FAZE & FAME will do for emulation on a Saturn once converted to SH2...

[chui]

@Chui:
You said at first the sh2 asm cpu core couldn't be get running. What have you done that it works now?

We have changed assembler code for running. The main problem was to get a correct offset.h for SH, also adapt main cpuexec to new structure and know the equivalent of opcodesE1. See source code.

It only speed up a bit, around 10% - 15%. To create this SH assembler code was a lot of work for a poor acceleration, in comparation with time to implement. But this SH assembler code exists and it is possible to use it.

[Christuserloeser]

Yeah, the SNES isn't a Mega Drive or NeoGeo - it only has a 3Mhz 8bit-like CPU where the M68k is a strong, full blown 16bit CPU running at incredible 9/12MHz, accompanied by the powerful good old Z80.

The strong sides of the Super Nintendo is its video hardware and its sound chip. Hell, it even had an analog bass booster o_O

[chui]

Original Snes9x code is good for video emulation, uses tile caching. I have profiled SNES4ALL and spends only 33% for video emulation and 66% for CPUs without sound, but maybe my profiling is not very good for now, but i think that CPUs emulation spends the major time.

I will try to draw tile cached with pvr for reducing this 33%, but mode5 and mode7 are difficult to implement with this method.

[Zherae]

Just tried it, played a bit of Super Mario World and it already plays better than DSnes but without transparencies very impressive almost fullspeed very much playable. Unfortunately the image still flickers on a TV you think it would be possible to use SNES resolution? Like DSNES does? If not would it be possible to run in low res like the UAE4ALL and DCast emulators? Also tried the new NeoCD4all I think it's pretty much perfect apart from the resolution as well it flickers too. Excellent work overall, and PSX4ALL? There's no stopping you ;)

[chui]

I have tried to use the SNES resolution for alpha3, is not ok?

Also i think that NEO4ALL resolution is correct, tell me your video connection: PAL TV, NTSC TV or VGA monitor adapter.

[Zherae]

I think the image is stretched right? I only see a small black border on top and bottom, when I had a Super Nintendo you could see full border around the screen, same on DSNES. NEO4ALL has correct ration but is in VGA res (640x480) scaled. I do have a VGA box but I prefer to play 2D games on TV (PAL) when in low resolution video the image doesn't flicker, is sharper and the scanlines smooth the hard edges of the sprites.

[digDug3k]

nice work, some games are starting to run very smoothly

Killer Instinct runs surprisingly well, as does Smartball and Lemmings, even with 2 players
anticipating every release

but I do have resolution problems, that is to say, the screen stretches too far horizontally and the first digit on the frames per second indicator is cut off.

[Christuserloeser]

I only see a small black border on top and bottom, when I had a Super Nintendo you could see full border around the screen, same on DSNES.

Hm, remember that the PAL Super Nintendo games had borders around the screen because they were -not- modified ( = fixed! ) for PAL.

When they were made, they were meant to work on NTSC which uses a lower resolution than PAL. That is what creates borders in PAL.

Btw: Dreamcast was the very first console were almost all games were fixed for PAL (no borders, 50/60Hz modes in full speed) :)

With Super Nintendo, games have borders and run slower in PAL. Playing Japanese or American Super Nintendo games on your Dreamcast with SNES4ALL will of course make them run in 60Hz and full screen :)

[RockinB]

We have changed assembler code for running. The main problem was to get a correct offset.h for SH, also adapt main cpuexec to new structure and know the equivalent of opcodesE1. See source code.

It only speed up a bit, around 10% - 15%. To create this SH assembler code was a lot of work for a poor acceleration, in comparation with time to implement. But this SH assembler code exists and it is possible to use it.

Thanks, I will try to get it running on SEGA Saturn asap, too.

Yes, the slow main CPU speed of the SNES and it's good video emulation are the resons why there is an SNES emu on Saturn, but no Mega Drive emu.


RockinB, I wonder if the Saturn had a 68k & Z80 too ? Wouldn't that mean it could be possible to 'emulate' a MD / SMS easily by using these ?
Otherwise I can't wait to see which wonders FAZE & FAME will do for emulation on a Saturn once converted to SH2...
I think FAZE will most likely be used on Saturn, too. As for FAME it depends on it's size. The pure size of the 68k CPU emulation core of other emulators is so massive, that there's almost no chance to fit it into Saturn's RAM. If FAME is smaller, than maybe it could lead to a proof-of-concept Mega Drive emulator. But due to the fast 68k cpu clock, it won't run fast. Oh yes, the SEGA Saturn's sound block contains a 68k, too (running at 21MHz?). I've been said that memory access is a problem, because it got no mmu(?).

[Christuserloeser]

21 MHz should be more than enough! Hope the memory access could be solved... Maybe something worth to investigate... Hm, Sonic Jam contained a collection of MD games iirc - maybe they already used the 68k to emulate a MD instead of reprogramming/porting the games ?

Hehe, guess we're getting a bit OT here :D

Great to hear that FAZE will be used on Saturn too :)

[Gromber]

Good work Chui, I never played in a Snes
and in a dreamcast can be fantastic.

[Eric]

DCSteve had mention the X, Y buttons werent properly set in the last version is that fixed in this version?

[Pavlik]

Great work chui !!! If you can make in near future quick save / save state option at any moment of game. It will increase playbality a lot :) None of SNES emulators has this option.

[dcsteve]

fixed since alpha 2

[gxb]

Great, MAME4ALL is a great plan,so is snes4all.

[quzar]

Great work chui !!! If you can make in near future quick save / save state option at any moment of game. It will increase playbality a lot :) None of SNES emulators has this option.

The reason no emulator has this is because the size of such a thing would exceed the capacity of a vmu. It could be possible to implement a save state that could be saved into ram, but that would mean it would not be possible to keep that save.

[Cid Highwind]

Thanx Chui, great to see you making progress at this rate, keep up the good work :D

Edit: Can someone please explain what the Throttle setting does? I couldn't get myself a clear answer when I was messing with it.

[DemoniusX]

I am a chui-Dite :)

Just burned and played some games on Snes4all
I am really impressed. I played final fight 3 with frameskip of 3 and it ran really well.
Once again I am shocked and impressed. Keep up the fantastic work.

[Imerion]

It just gets better and better! Im off to spread the news...

[Cid Highwind]

Wow, this version is really impressive, Killer Instinct is now about just as fast as it was on Dreamsnes, can't wait to see this make even more progress :D

Btw, Gooftroop is now playable, in vAlpha 2 it wasn't, this release is definately faster.

[ace3093]

Great release! Keep it up!

:)

[turnerl]

Chui, what can I say HAHA your amazing!!!

[Segata_Sanshiro]

Very GREAT work, thanks for all! heh

[Ivan]

CHUI, Respect
You the great person which have much made for Dreamcast.
SNES4ALL alpha 3 test I can tell one emulator better than DreamSNES 0.9.8
Also emulator Neo4ALL beta 4 has liked is made perfectly.

P.S. Very much I wait emulator PSX4LL


CHUI, Респект
Ты великий человек который много сделал для Dreamcast.
SNES4ALL alpha 3 протестил могу сказать одно эмулятор лучше чем DremSNES 0.9.8
также понравился эмулятор Neo4ALL beta 4 сделан отлично.

P.S. Очень жду эмулятор PSX4LL

[Kairo Hayime]

Really Awesome Chui, most game can be played this time, and I'm prefered Frameskip 2 for games like Megaman X or Donkey Kong, with sound this run great, you read mi 2nd report in your mail account?

See ya and COOL

Que lastima que tengas que dejar un tiempo Snes4All pero bueno ya que te vienes con el MAME4All eso es asombroso, Saludos Chui, y espero que mis opiniones y reportes te sean de utilidad,

Saludos desde Chile!!!

[Mixalakis]

Chui you're such a genius!

Thangs for your greate work and for the greate emus you have coding for us!

Keep up the amazing work !!!

[tonythekitty]

Sorry for being off topic but I am needing help and saw Chui speaking in here. Please forgive my english as I am a French Canadian. I would wish very much to use Chuis new AESfor all emu but when I boot it now it only goes to black screen. Old version worked fine. I have tried as he suggested and to use SBI inducer but that program is buggy or does not like my system. I have downloaded sbi file and hit extract many times and sbi is in correct directory, but never does it show the name in the file list like it should. Any help from chui or other smart people in forum would be appreciated. Thank you.

[chui]

Maybe rom bios filename is uppercase.

[dreamer1uk]

Hi,

I have downloaded the SNES4ALL and the SBI Inducer but how do i get my ROMs to play with this EMU? When it boots up, i dont get my game lists.

[nate9999]

What is the current status of snes4all?

[Rick_Son]

I wanna know too :confused:

[turnerl]

great work chui!!!

[narn]

Is this still being worked on?

[Masta-G]

dont think so

[Christuserloeser]

Not atm. But I guess we will see a new release in early 2008.