Daedalus R14 Progress--N64 Emulator--UPDATE 11/25

[CaptainMorgan4]

StrmnNrmn (http://strmnnrmn.blogspot.com/2007/11/r14-progress.html) has updated us this Sunday night, well for all my U.S. right now, anyway read away and enjoy. This looks to be a great upcomming release!


R14 Progress It's been a while since I talked about R14 so I wanted to post a quick update on what I've been doing.

The Media Engine work has been going well. The job manager I talked about last week is now fairly functional and handles executing the audio upsampling code in 3 different modes: synchronously, asynchronously on the main processor, and asynchronously on the ME.

It's taken me a little longer to get the audio upsampling code working smoothly on the ME. I decided to focus on this initially (rather than Azimer's Audio HLE code) as it's a lot simpler and more self contained, but getting it working on the ME without any glitches required a little bit of work. I had to rewrite the simple ring buffer I was using to be lock-free. This is straightforward when dealing with a single reader thread and a single writer thread on the same processor, but a little more care is required when the reader and writer are operating on separate cores without cache coherency. I think getting this running glitch-free has helped prepare me well for the bigger task of getting Azimer's HLE code running asynchronously on the ME. I'll be working on this next.

Besides the ME work, I've had an interesting diversion getting some new font rendering working in Daedalus. I saw on the ps2dev.org forums that BenHur had released a library for rendering text using the PSP's built in fonts. I've always been a little unhappy with Daedalus's text rendering, and thought this would be a good opportunity to improve it. Here's a screenshot of the UI using BenHur's intraFont library (click through for a better-looking unscaled version):

http://bp0.blogger.com/_DFQdY4jxLWo/R0oNXHNUjoI/AAAAAAAAAIE/bmKXrUuZKIA/s400/sd0024.png

I think this is looking a lot better than the previous font. The drop shadows really help make the text more readable. I also support multiple fonts for the first time, so the header text actually looks like header text :)

-StrmnNrmn

[Safari Al]

wow that looks sooooooooooo much better!!!!1

[Wally]

Looks up at Safari Al then back onto the thread.

yes it looks soo much better :P

Wishes Safari Al didn't speak now :P

[kjetil1991]

this was a good design =)

[Cloudhunter]

This news post really needs work - instead of attaching the image, which people who aren't logged in can't see, you should instead just insert it in [img] tags.

Captain Morgan (or a mod) can you please insert this updated article in place? It's in code tags.

Edit: Thanks - sorry the code tags removed the spaces o.O

Cloudy

[CaptainMorgan4]

Go ahead I don't mind I was just posting it because no one else seemed to see it or want to do it.

edit: Seems to be something wrong with the code with the image, I pasted it 3 times and even edited with what I thought would fix it but the picture wouldn't show, but this looks better then the original.

[PSPdemon]

Go ahead I don't mind I was just posting it because no one else seemed to see it or want to do it.

edit: Seems to be something wrong with the code with the image, I pasted it 3 times and even edited with what I thought would fix it but the picture wouldn't show, but this looks better then the original.

edited for the pic and aded spaces where needed ;)

Thanks for Everything,
PSPdemon

Edit: please do try to keep it within the same format as the original news ;)

and also leave links to the creators thread/news post, just telling you so you know next time :) good job at the spot :D

[Cloudhunter]

Ta, looks better ^_^

Cloudy

[Shiesty]

good idea to change the menu (thumpsup)

[M Dash]

Is the emulator compatible with the rom "Neon Genesis Evangelion (jap)"?

Last time I checked, it wasn't...

[DarthPaul]

I really don't care about a good look at all. The engine comes first, like a better speed...

For example; Look at PicoDrive. It doesn't have the prettiest menu, but it runs very good and everyone loves it.

[Baboon]

I really don't care about a good look at all. The engine comes first, like a better speed...


I totaly agree with you on this one... but so long as the media engine is working nicely then we should be in for a treat all round next time round. :)

[arapozo]

Does Daedalus plays any game at playable level?
I haven't been following it's progress lately.
Does it have sound?

[Veskgar]

Does Daedalus plays any game at playable level?
I haven't been following it's progress lately.
Does it have sound?

Yes, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and quite a few others are very playable. Yes it does have sound. Although Mario 64 isn't as as smooth as I'd like to really play through and enjoy the game, I have a feeling the next release with ME enabled may change this.

This emulator is really coming along. I love the new look of the UI and appreciate all of the work that has been going into this.

Would be a great Christmas treat if this was released soon.

[Ultima Chocochu]

Nice, definitely
Can't wait.

[acn010]

same here... looks great.... i want to finish mario in full speed!!! lmao

[Haisook]

I appreciate the dev's work, but why is everyone praising this emulator that much? It (R13) won't even let me play Super Mario 64 without audio on an acceptable speed. Most of the games I've tried crash.

In fact, comparing Daedalus to gpSP - for instance - makes me think the former is just an alpha release.

Anyways, *sigh*, I'm looking forward to a seeing reliable release sometime in the future.

Thanks to the developer, nontheless. But we need to be more realistic, and admit that this release is NOT acceptable as it is.

[Veskgar]

Thanks to the developer, nontheless. But we need to be more realistic, and admit that this release is NOT acceptable as it is.

Well that is basically saying that the months and countless hours that have been going into this emulator all amounts to something that is just unacceptable.

Then there is the fact that the author takes the time to give us lengthy and informative updates relating to the progress of future releases. We should all appreciate a homebrew developer that keeps us informed and involved and not call his work unacceptable.

Lets take gpSP for instance, that you may consider "acceptable" but that was in development by Exophase for at least 6 months before he gave the scene a public release.

Or how about PicoDrive which is a more recent emulator to cause excitement in the PSP homebrew scene. PicoDrive has been 2 years in the making according to Notaz.

So lets not be so critical of the ONLY known N64 emulator project for the PSP. Daedalus is absolutely acceptable and appreciated as well.

[Trekster]

looking good is ok but I totally agree with the earlier posts, its' about how well it plays games much more than the look. Is there any game yet that runs at full speed with sound? I know there are some playable ones but not with full sound. I don't want to sound like am bitching or anything I am greatful for the attempt but I dont want in depth updates on mere cosmetics. Maybe he should see if there is any other programmers out there that could lend a hnad, I sure wish I could.

[ab_geee_eee]

wow, really nice

[Buddy4point0]

awsome!
this looks great!

i cant wait to have me support.
finally some decent sound, and it will take pressure off the main proseccor too.

thank! i cant wait for r14!

[PSPdemon]

I appreciate the dev's work, but why is everyone praising this emulator that much? It (R13) won't even let me play Super Mario 64 without audio on an acceptable speed. Most of the games I've tried crash.

Super Mario 64 plays at a very good playable speed with sound.... nuff said, dont have to go into details


Thanks to the developer, nontheless. But we need to be more realistic, and admit that this release is NOT acceptable as it is.

this is a very acceptable release... dont whine about it...

as stated above, look at how long all the other emulators took to get to their speeds... and a N64 emu isnt any easier if not harder. think about how far N64 emulation has come on the psp. ;)

Please do remember, 30 fps on the psp would seem like it would be on the N64 ( since the N64 skiped by 1 frame ).. so anything running at 30fps you could technically call fullspeed ;)

thats just my $0.02 worth

Thanks for Everything,
PSPdemon

[Johnny_Mcbride]

Please do remember, 30 fps on the psp would seem like it would be on the N64 ( since the N64 skiped by 1 frame ).. so anything running at 30fps you could technically call fullspeed ;)

thats just my $0.02 worth

Thanks for Everything,
PSPdemon

some n64 games actually do run at 30fps on the n64 itself so it isnt technically full speed, it IS full speed (on certain games) ,

n64 games fps (on real hardware)

ntsc : 30 or 60fps (game dependent)
pal : 30 or 50fps (game dependent)

[Safari Al]

So you think its not acceptable eh? How about N64 on a psp or no n64 on the psp. I think we all agree youd want a daedalus. If not then get over it and stop the whining. If you dont like it, make a better one ;)

[Johnny_Mcbride]

So you think its not acceptable eh? How about N64 on a psp or no n64 on the psp. I think we all agree youd want a daedalus. If not then get over it and stop the whining. If you dont like it, make a better one ;)

I think you should quote the guy who said that, currently it looks like your saying that to me:rolleyes:

[PSPdemon]

some n64 games actually do run at 30fps on the n64 itself so it isnt technically full speed, it IS full speed (on certain games) ,

n64 games fps (on real hardware)

ntsc : 30 or 60fps (game dependent)
pal : 30 or 50fps (game dependent)

ive been trying to tell people that recently......however i dont think people get it -_-

as i said....its mainly because N64 hardware skipped a frame on most games....so technically N64 ran games at 30fps ;)

anyway, YAY someone finnaly agreed and noticed what i said....HURRAY!!!!

Thanks for Everything,
PSPdemon

[SpicyTempura]

looking good is ok but I totally agree with the earlier posts, its' about how well it plays games much more than the look. Is there any game yet that runs at full speed with sound? I know there are some playable ones but not with full sound. I don't want to sound like am bitching or anything I am greatful for the attempt but I dont want in depth updates on mere cosmetics. Maybe he should see if there is any other programmers out there that could lend a hnad, I sure wish I could.

To those who don't appreciate the menu updates, leave him alone. It's not the easiest thing programming an N64 emulator on the PSP, so maybe some cosmetic changes may encourage/ motivate him to continue. Maybe hes updating the GUI because, I don't know, he wants to?

Also, he has been getting help from other programmers in the past, so obviously he knows when he needs help on certain things.

Anyways, we shouldn't expect every update to be absolutely monumental in speed and compatibility considering his philosophy that he should have small and quick updates. Obviously, he has come a long way from way back when he started.

[Johnny_Mcbride]

ive been trying to tell people that recently......however i dont think people get it -_-

as i said....its mainly because N64 hardware skipped a frame on most games....so technically N64 ran games at 30fps ;)

anyway, YAY someone finnaly agreed and noticed what i said....HURRAY!!!!

Thanks for Everything,
PSPdemon

i see what you mean now :p I misinterpreted what you meant lol.

Anyway, lets hope strmnrmn keeps up his great work :)

[Raziel-chan]

Super Mario 64 plays at a very good playable speed with sound.... nuff said, dont have to go into details
PSPdemon

Speed-yes. Sound - stutters.

But it's still awesome as it is now. And with the ME update it may just get awesomely awesome :3

cya
Raziel-chan

[xg917]

hopefully he will do speed improvements as well..

[Wally]

There are some noticeable speed improvements in R14. Lots of them

Outside the castle is full speed with sound (No ME yet), however it does jerk until you get to the door. Then turn around its quite good :)

Goldeneye doesnt work well still
for CaptainMorgan - DKR wont work properly until the DKR microcode is implemented, same with Perfect Dark and Conker.

Resident Evil now shows signs of working..

Im no official beta tester, although i do keep in touch with Strmnnrmn over bugs anyone can get a build but im not telling how ;) (No its not by bothering Strmnnrmn constantly) and you wont be able to get it to build straight away.

[xg917]

shhhh.. i thought that was a secret! lol

[CaptainMorgan4]

The microcode for DKR, could you elaborate on that more Wally? Yeah now we're going to have tons of people wondering how to get betas of R14, if only they knew the source (get it).

[Wally]

Its a special way that the game goes about graphics..

So some games use their own Microcodes, Diddy Kongs microcode is RSP SW DKR

where as Banjo Kazooie is F3DEX1

I dont think Strmnnrmn has Implemented RSP SW properly or at all, most of the games that use it are all screwy or dont work.

[NeoXCS]

MAPLE STORY WOOT! #1 RPG IN NORTH AMERICA!

http://www.maplestorymob.com/zone/maplestory/tools/i/464200/1.gif

For 5 year olds. :p Honestly this is seriously some spam, what was the point of this post? So someone actually acknowledges your existence? :p Post this somewhere else, it is off topic here. :cool:

Back on topic. The menu is looking good, and I'm really excited to see how the ME work will improve this emulator. I wish I could do something like this, but I don't think i have the patience. :D Good job and good luck on this emu! :)

[BrooksyX]

Glad to see progress being made on this.

Can't wait for R14!

[CaptainMorgan4]

Thanks for breaking that down for me Wally, so when StrmnNrmn chooses to work on compatability he might implement the right microcode for DKR and the others that use the same one?

[PSPdemon]

For 5 year olds. :p Honestly this is seriously some spam, what was the point of this post? So someone actually acknowledges your existence? :p Post this somewhere else, it is off topic here. :cool:

Back on topic. The menu is looking good, and I'm really excited to see how the ME work will improve this emulator. I wish I could do something like this, but I don't think i have the patience. :D Good job and good luck on this emu! :)

handled ;)

and i wish that we could have interchangable backgrounds.....like snes... ( cause id love to make a few backgrounds for it :) )

Thanks for Everything,
PSPdemon

[kharaboudjan]

i couldnt care less about interface, GUI and stuff for the emulators. i mean my 2 favorite emulators (besides sonys psx ) is gpSP and piccodrive. both of them have 100 % great performance and a very basic GUI.

i couldnt care less about the icons compition either. i put my custom icons on my emulators anyway.

but like someone said before. if strmn gets more motivated to work with the important stuff when he is doing these kind of things he should do it. its his project, no one can demand him to do anything and he doesent have to do as ppl tell him.

but in my opinion the only important thing about emulators is PERFORMANCE, such as speed, compatibility and correct graphics in the games!

[darkness angel 777]

Paper mario freezes up as soon as I select a save file is it working yet??

[moers]

well i think daedalus r14 will never be released its like the r6 everyone thought it was dead :/

[Panini]

It's been a while since he gave us any form of an information update?

I know the guy is busy but how hard would it be to type a "hello" message on his blog to ease peoples concerns that he's ok? Instead all the rumours and hype build up and people get worried.

At this rate we'll never see a working emulator by 2017. lol

[No_one_in_particular]

For ****'s sake. Thought it had been released then. He gave us an update around Xmas time didn't he? It's barely been two months since, stop whining.

[Bobablob]

Seriously. The sense of entitlement some of these posters have is outrageous. Quiet your b*tching.

[CaptainMorgan4]

If you look at the SVN he's been some what active so R14 is on the way just be patient.

[Panini]

If you look at the SVN he's been some what active so R14 is on the way just be patient.

I know patience is a virtue - but going from what you said his SVN hasn't updated for about 8 weeks? :confused:

[CaptainMorgan4]

Yeah I got some bad info on that the other day, my bad, but he's been on these stints before so really all we can do is wait.

[jxx2005]

is there a compatibility list for daedalus 14?
and how about "star wars rogue squadron"
i'm looking forward to it

[CaptainMorgan4]

Well it's not out yet so, I mean I could test games on my R14beta but I mean it's sort of pointless since it's not the official R14.

[djbrotherson]

I like this emulator but it just seems like by the time it's finished... PSP3 will be out

[jurkevicz]

I agree, Strummn need to give us at least an update on his site.

[bacalacadaca]

The microcode for DKR, could you elaborate on that more Wally? Yeah now we're going to have tons of people wondering how to get betas of R14, if only they knew the source (get it).

i have over 336 n64 roms is there any way to let me test them on r14?

or is this a pointless question ha

[CaptainMorgan4]

It's not even worth it, trust me, the biggest improvement in my beta is the GUI. You get a couple new settings and speed is probably 1-2 FPS faster if that. It's an old build, obviously since StrmnNrmn hasn't updated in so long, but trust me it's not worth it. It's not like compatability is any better, so please people stop asking.

[Energy jobs]

What's particularly annoying is that the bug is stopping me from measuring how much of a difference running the audio code on the ME makes. Hopefully I'll be able to fix the bug over the Christmas break and be able to publish some timings over the new year.
As part of this work, I've also been writing a general-purpose 'job manager', which coordinates batches of work between the main CPU and the ME. The idea is to build on top of J.F.'s MediaEngine.prx to provide a simple interface for queing up and dispatching work asynchronously. When a job is added to the queue, a flag indicates whether the job is suitable for running on the ME, or whether it should just be run asynchronously on the main CPU instead.