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ron
September 13th, 2004, 05:14
Yesterday CHui and Me have released the first port of DCaSTaway, using OpenM68K core. The emu runs and emulates games 100 % and you can use the mouse and the joy for playing games or software. Many other better things will come up and of course, let's talk about the availability of your M68K cores for SH4. In www.talfi.net and here self you can follow the progress of the emu and download a version to tryout. It's Still very WIP and needs more speed. Actually we're getting almost 85% speed comparing with an original ST. Thats a good new and at the end an ATARI ST EMU for our Dreamcasts. Cheers

The sound is not yet emulated, so in few days we'll release a new version trying to include a menu to change ATARI DISK IMAGES and configure some aspects for the emulator. In main page of this wonderful DC site you can download it and remember to include a file called ROM (containing TOS,. recommended 1.04 UK) and a floppy Disk image called DISKA (containing ATARI ST software)

The Colour graphical modes are well emulated, even if you choose to change it from the GEM.

The mouse and the Joy are also too emulated, then a lot of games will work prefectly.

It has been executed in chankast and doesn't work, so don't waste your time doing it. Seems to work, but It crashes showing bombs.

I hope you enjoy it, and my infinity gratitude to Chui for all his help.

LyonHrt
September 13th, 2004, 06:36
Was playing around with it in the early hours of this moring ;) (the emulator that is, and not what you people with dirty minds were thinking!)
Its quite impressive for a first release, though sadly i couldn't find my mouse :-[

ron
September 13th, 2004, 07:14
Was playing around with it in the early hours of this moring ;) (the emulator that is, and not what you people with dirty minds were thinking!)
Its quite impressive for a first release, though sadly i couldn't find my mouse Â*:-[

Dear Friend, don't worry, yesterday but too late we have released a 2nd binary including the joystick support.

Visit www.talfi.net to DL. ;-)

LyonHrt
September 13th, 2004, 07:17
Dear Friend, don't worry, yesterday but too late we have released a 2nd binary including the joystick support.

Visit www.talfi.net to DL. ;-)

You don't want me to get any rest do you ;)
I'll try it out right now, and get a local download on here.

ron
September 13th, 2004, 07:22
Wraggy is not online, so I can't find another way to pass u the emu. Thanks a lot.
Sorry anyway

LyonHrt
September 13th, 2004, 07:23
The download might be corrupt :/ I got a crc failure when extracting it.

Eric
September 13th, 2004, 09:01
Is this pal and NTSC aswell cause i would really love to check this one out big fan of old pc stuff

ron
September 13th, 2004, 09:04
OK about PAL and NTSC, pricipally is AUTO. Will work in both systems. Also in VGA.

LyonHrt
September 13th, 2004, 09:06
oh yeah btw, we now have a local link, so its all good :)

Eric
September 13th, 2004, 09:06
also what about rom wize how many can be on a disk

ron
September 13th, 2004, 09:11
Processor: Motorola 68000
Speed: 8 Mhz
RAM: 512K (Up to 4 Mb)
Sound: Yamaha YM2149 (NOT IMPLEMENTED YET)
Operating System: TOS (Tramiel Operating System)
GEM (Graphical Environment Manager) by Digital Research
ROM: 192 Kb
Drive: Single-sided 3 1/2" and double-sided floppy disc drive 360 & 720 Kb
Display Modes: 320X200 (16 colour), 640X200 (four colour), 640X400 (mono), palette of 512 colours or 4096

Eric
September 13th, 2004, 09:24
Alright i know how to do it now. Just wondering if the bios has to be zipped and the game should be called DISKA and the extension is .msa

is this right?

ron
September 13th, 2004, 10:29
Well, some more .msa files must be probed, at the moment we know that the emu loads .msa, that means that should work fine, in any case try .img or .dsk and DO NOT USE EXTENSION FOR THE FILE, Just name it DISKA and make sure is in the same root that the 1ST_READ and the ROM (thats the name of the TOS ROM).

Kron
September 13th, 2004, 10:30
Thanks for the release ron! :)

LyonHrt
September 13th, 2004, 12:15
just a recap, in the root of your cd it should be

1st_read.bin - emulator image
rom - your tos bios, no extension
diska - your disk image

qatmix
September 13th, 2004, 12:50
I get teh TOS screen but ti will not read the DISKA. Its years snce I had an ST but do you have to do anythign to run the disc as clickign the DISK =A Icon opens a blank window. The game is Lotus esprit Turbo2 by gremlin. They have made all of their games for Atari ST free so its not Warez BTW

wraggster
September 13th, 2004, 13:40
moved to official forum

LyonHrt
September 13th, 2004, 14:03
Right now it auto loads the disk image when it loads up, so if the game is autoboot, which i'm certain lotus esprit is, then it you'll see it come up.

If not, you should load up the disk, select the floppy disk a icon, executables are usually, *.prg and *.tos

Remember it has to be named diska (no extension)

ron
September 13th, 2004, 19:17
DCaSTaway Alpha 01R3 released.

EMU SPEED 100 % ATARI ST
Video MEDIUM y LOW, speed increased to 100% when executing GEM
- Real Video Modes in DC 640x400 is 640x400 REAL and 320x200 is 320x200 REAL
- Blitter es much more faster,increased arround 30 %
- The 99.99% of the games in 320x200 video mode are now fantastic
- Original Dreamcast keyboard is fully functional as real atari keybaord. To use the ATARI mouse or pointer still use the joypad.

WHAT IS NO IMPLEMENTED
- Mode Monocrhome
- packs & msa disks DOES NOT WORK
- SOUND not implemnted yet.

STATUS: Games 100 % playable.

See You Tomorrow.

qatmix
September 14th, 2004, 03:20
All teh images I have are .MSA Do they not work or do I just have to rename it DISKA?

THanks
Q

ron
September 14th, 2004, 03:35
WHAT IS NO IMPLEMENTED
- Mode Monocrhome
- packs & msa disks DOES NOT WORK
- SOUND not implemnted yet.


OK we hope to include MSA and Pkg files support in next versions

qatmix
September 14th, 2004, 07:23
Ok, I managed to try another image. Good stuff. I have a few questions.

What port should the Keyboard be in? Does it only work in port 1? What is the mapping for the Emu? Ports 1 n 2 Controllers, and 3 Keyboard and 4 mouse?

Are you lookign at adding steffs 68K core? Obvioulsy this will help you speed things up. Also Have you spoek to Tyrell of The Seccy emu on the DC as his emu runs 128K spectrum emulations with sound, and its the exactly teh same sound chip in the 128 spectrum as the Atari ST.

Im lookign forward to seeign this full speed with sound.

Cheers
Q

Eric
September 14th, 2004, 07:38
Okay i had a problem with the burn all i got was a black screen i got the Tos Uk version 1.4 and Super Off Road.msa (which i now know that msa dont work) but anyways would that be the problem for having a black screen?

chui
September 14th, 2004, 08:42
Okay i had a problem with the burn all i got was a black screen i got the Tos Uk version 1.4 and Super Off Road.msa (which i now know that msa dont work) but anyways would that be the problem for having a black screen?

DCastaway is early stage, no virtual keyboard, no file manager, and no error management :D

About .MSA... don't work but I got MSA2ST app (google search) but it's a MS-DOS RealMode app (win9x). Anybody runs this app?

Eric
September 14th, 2004, 09:00
AH okay so i got the black screen cause it does a direct load of the rom lol i thought it loaded that filemanager that was shown in the download section of Dreamcastaway and now one more question what about .ST downloads

ron
September 14th, 2004, 09:47
If you are looking for a legal TOS (ST ROM) you can use EMUTOS. It's Opensource and free and can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/emutos.

Please, follow the rules respect to illegal images and piracy.

ron
September 14th, 2004, 09:51
MSA Converter is a utility intended to convert and handle the files
images of diskettes for emulators ATARI ST. It functions under Windows
95 and more. It also makes it possible to visualize some formats of
Atari images directly since the images discs or the hard disk.

The principal functions are:

The exploration of image disc with addition/suppression/visualization
of files M
The conversion of format of images disc (ST, MSA, DIM, STT)
The conversion of files ZIP into image disc ST or MSA
The posting of the state of the clusters of an image disc
Compression ZIP of multiple single files
The search for files let us double
The creation of virgin images discs with many parameters
Bilingual Français/Anglais

ron
September 14th, 2004, 19:06
NEW IMPLEMENTATIONS
-------------------

- autoframeskipping has changed to the 25 option and now fps
with amazing, very smooth results works constantly to and drawn of
screen much more faster (we have detected that in certain games some
fused backscreen are irregular, but does not prevent the correct
execution and playability of emu.)

- the DISKB has been added and is obligatory that that is in the same
root of CD, ROM and DISKA so that emu works. (Very Important)

- Now the floppy disks of Atari go to ram, being faster, faster the
execution and the speed in the reading and the writing of such,

READING and WRITING in the floppy disks. (is 100%)

* When not being in the CD else in ram, this it considerably
increases to the speed when making the together disc change and power
to have several games to become a collection wonderful and not to have
to change the CD (you remember that the greatest discs of the 720 ST
are of Kb, take a look if tons of them in a CDROM fit to you)

- KEYBOARD, MOUSE and JOYPAD are functional in Dreamcast 100 %
(Highly recommended to use keyboard and mouse Sega DC)

Atention:
A = JOYSTICK BUTTON
B = RIGHT MOUSE
X = UP JOY
Y = LEFT MOUSE
START = Start Game (Enter in Atari ST)


NEXT IMPLEMENTATIONS
--------------------
- LOad and Save to VMU games and disks.
- GUI and Graphical MENU for emu configuration.
- File Manager to change Game / PRG
- MSA & PKG support
- SOUND

Eric
September 14th, 2004, 20:04
Thats wicked i might wait for the FileManager to be released. I am also still having problems. Today I tried the UK version TOS 1.4 still didnt work. I also got Outrun and changed it to DISKA and still having a problem. I think i am doing this correctly but i am still getting a black screen.

pelayo
September 14th, 2004, 22:50
I'm unable to run it with DC coders cable, it freezes when the binary is 100% loaded, does it only run from CD, and not with dcload's cd emulation? (I don't have blank cd-r's now)

chui
September 15th, 2004, 01:48
I'm unable to run it with DC coders cable, it freezes when the binary is 100% loaded, does it only run from CD, and not with dcload's cd emulation? (I don't have blank cd-r's now)


I use BBA for runing dcastaway with cd emulation.
Do you unscrambe 1st_read.bin before?
scramble -d 1st_read.bin dcastaway.bin

i use 'dcload-ip dcastaway.bin -i data.iso'.
'DATA.ISO' is a cd-iso built with mkisofs util: /rom, /diska and /diskb

pelayo
September 15th, 2004, 11:41
I unscrambled it, I tried it but doesn't work, it loads 100% but when it executes, the dreamcast hangs. The console also exits when it sends the execute command, instead of starting cd emulation. Maybe it's a coders cable only problem?

ron
September 15th, 2004, 14:47
I use coders-cable, and I don't have any problem when transfering and running to the DC. Quite sure it's a problem in your config. Take a look in what appears to your command console.

qatmix
September 15th, 2004, 14:51
Ok, ive tried several games and I just cannot get past the title pages. I have 2 Joypads plugged in and a Keyboard(All official). I just cannot get any user input workign with the games. Supercars stays on the title page Ive pressed every key on teh keyboard adn it doesnt do anything. ALso Ive pressed allof the Joypad buttons.. :( This happens with all of the games. Do you guys have to have devices pluged in certain ports etc.

BUG- You must burn DISKB on the CD otherwise it will crash. Even if you want to try a 1 disk game (That took me 3 disks to solve)

Cheers
Q

ron
September 15th, 2004, 15:50
OK , thx a lot for your info qatmix. I'm sure that you are doing something wrong. But don't worry, to pass over the presentation screen press start button on your joy.

Anyway in few , few days an official beta will be released containing a menu and a file manager, in where all your `problems with the emu just will disappear.

I appreciate your notes and i'm taking good note about what's happenig , because knowing that info, allows us to correct all kind of bugs.

Thx

qatmix
September 15th, 2004, 16:09
Ive tried pressign start, still no luck... :(

Lookign forward to teh beta version.

chui
September 15th, 2004, 20:30
Ive tried pressign start, still no luck... :(

Lookign forward to teh beta version.


i'm writting a virtual keyboard for dcastaway.... wait a few days :D

Now, i writed a part of GUI with menu for choose image disk, but hangs when i choose another image disk during emulation:

Sakuragi
September 15th, 2004, 22:23
Wow you make it Â*:o, an Atari st émulator ^_^ , i will try it when sound and virtual keyboard will be ready, because i haven t the dreamcast keyboard, i can t play games without it , no ? i love the game Bloodwych but for starting a game , i Â*have to push the F1 button, i can do that with the dreamcast pad ?

pelayo
September 15th, 2004, 23:52
'DATA.ISO' is a cd-iso built with mkisofs util: /rom, /diska and /diskb
Can you tell me the parameters to mkisofs to create an iso and insert that files? maybe I'm creating a bad .iso (I used Magic ISO Creator for windows). Sorry, I'm newbie on some unix commands.

ron
September 16th, 2004, 10:30
Virtual Keyboard will be available in few days, as fast as I can finnish the design. Take it easy, we've got in mind.

pelayo
September 17th, 2004, 05:14
Well, I'm still unable to run it with coders cable (maybe a bad configuration of something, I'll check one day) but I tested it on a pair of CD-R's and.. well... GREAT work!! O_o just one question, are you planning on implement the DC mouse?

ron
September 17th, 2004, 06:12
Take a look in last DCaSTaway release alpha 0.22 from last night.
And follow how to burn or load it
Virtual Keyboard, filemanager and many improvements are included.

Hope you enjoy it.

Ron

ron
September 17th, 2004, 06:16
Yet another DCaSTaway release!

New Features:
- Preliminar Main Menu.
- Filemanager (Start button)
- Virtual Keyboard (L-R Triggers for enter/leave)
- New 16-bit Blitter (speed around 100%)


TODO:
- Sound.
- Complete Main Menu.
- Hsync retrace control (+games supported).
- MSA image disks (now only IMG/ST works).
- ZIP support.


For correct run this emulator need at cdrom root this files:
'ROM' : TOS (ST bios) image file.
'DISKB' : a image disk for B: (i will fix it).

elefas
September 20th, 2004, 04:49
Hi,
I burned the latest release (20-09) along with a bunch of automation roms (zipped .st format). The emulator starts ok and when I load a disk image I get to the TOS GEM screen. There are 2 icons (drive A and B), I place the cursor over each of them but I can't open em! Even if I have selected a drive, then choose File->open nothing happens! Whats going on? I use the standard game controller for DC (no keyb, no mouse). Please help

fil
September 20th, 2004, 07:36
Downloaded dcastaway-20-09-2004 which is said to have zip support?

- zips not loading for me, just goes straight to desktop like there's no disk in drive

- after entering a folder, cannot escape back to the root to enter into another dir

- 'exit emulator' doesnt exit back to dreamcast bios, just goes black and hangs

- needs fast scrolling / page up/down of files, left & right triggers or analogue stick, scrolling doesnt repeat when holding down dpad, so have to repetitively tap up/down

i burnt this emulator with loads of games expecting to be able to try it out but as the zips wont load in i cant :(

chui
September 27th, 2004, 00:03
Now, zip support tested with beta-one release.
Also, you can move into directories without problems and you can use pad up/down for speed moves at filemanager.

arqueiro
September 27th, 2004, 06:19
Now, zip support tested with beta-one release.
Also, you can move into directories without problems and you can use pad up/down for speed moves at filemanager.



nice news chui, you are the man !

Retroid
September 27th, 2004, 16:03
This is fantastic work, I'm really looking forward to trying this...

Sadly, I burnt the latest release to a CD and tried booting it with the Utopia Boot CD to test it out but it sticks at 98% :-[

I've included a TOS (tried 1.02 then 1.62) named 'ROM' with no extenstion as described, even tried to include DISKA & DISKB just in case based on part posts.

Can anyone help...?

tinku
September 27th, 2004, 16:25
I believe you have to have a Tos 1.04 image english or uk (same)

you can aquire one from planetemu.net

as for disk image i dont know as no one has bothered to expain how to do a disk swap and what the disks should be named i asume you can burn more than one disk image to a cd.

i didnt burn this emu as i dont like st games since owning an st many moons ago. i belive my son has burnt it i will ask when he returns from school.

maybe someone will write docs for this to stop the board being spammed up with requests for help.

wraggster !


tinku :)

Retroid
September 27th, 2004, 16:32
An FAQ would be nice, yes 8)

It's been a while since I bothered burning any new DC stuff but the porting of 16bit computer emus has reignited my interest ;D

Seems strange that I don't actualy get into the emu itself, that the Utopia loader locks at 98% :o

Anyone used Utopia successfully, or should I give the 'homebrew boot CD' a go...?

VampiricS
September 27th, 2004, 16:48
An FAQ would be nice, yes 8)

It's been a while since I bothered burning any new DC stuff but the porting of 16bit computer emus has reignited my interest ;D

Seems strange that I don't actualy get into the emu itself, that the Utopia loader locks at 98% :o

Anyone used Utopia successfully, or should I give the 'homebrew boot CD' a go...?

Just make it selfboot instead, have all the required files for the emu in 1 folder and use DIR2BOOT.EXE to selfboot that directory, you can make a NRG or CDI file that way. Can't be more simple then that.

LyonHrt
September 27th, 2004, 17:03
An FAQ would be nice, yes 8)

It's been a while since I bothered burning any new DC stuff but the porting of 16bit computer emus has reignited my interest Â*;D

Seems strange that I don't actualy get into the emu itself, that the Utopia loader locks at 98% Â*:o

Anyone used Utopia successfully, or should I give the 'homebrew boot CD' a go...?

Utopia does work, did you not unscramble the 1st_read.bin?

Retroid
September 27th, 2004, 22:41
Utopia does work, did you not unscramble the 1st_read.bin?
Ah! :o

So it's scrambled? Right, I'll go get the scramble proggy to undo that.

I could've made it selfboot but I just wanted to play around with a mutli-session as a test, giving it different TOS images and adding disks as I get them.

Thanks for the directions ;)

Retroid
September 27th, 2004, 22:56
Right.... I've unscrambled the 1st_read.bin and tried it again with Utopia.

Still sticks at 98% ???

Think I'll sleep on this...

Don't suppose this emu works as a disk image on Chankcast, does it? That would save a lot of faffing about with CDs...

Retroid
September 28th, 2004, 21:09
;D

Gave up trying to get this to work with Utopia and just made it self-boot with a few dozen ST disks.

8)

Fantastic job! Had a friend visiting who had been very pessimistic about the possibility of full speed ST emulation and he was really quite surprised when he saw it running. Of the games which worked most did indeed seem to be working at 100% or very close to it. Impressive.

Not sure if it's the new sound core I think I saw mentioned but the sound emulation doesn't seem to sound right sometimes, and there are times which ti sounds like it's picking up the instructions to play something but can't use the instruments, so you hear sort of dull thuds instead of notes.

There's the afore-mentioned mouse emulation problem where it either doesn't seem to react properly or gets stuck on one axis, usually vertical.

Overall though I'm just blown away by this. :)