next release...

[evilo]

Some good news,

I've worked hard these last days to fix general game compatibilities, and it's done !
Thanks to Ian Michael (author of the DC port of Neocd), all gfx issues are now fixed (Some flags were *simply* missing for gcc).
I've also updated the code with last driver source from mame for most efficient accuracy, but directly removed it, as even optimized, it was completely killing performances !

Also fixed :
- In game freezes and exceptions
- Memory saves (still not save on MC, but games don't hang up anymore)

Meaning that almost all games are now fully playable !!!!!!!!!!

I still have some bugs to work on (but nothing hard), so I will now have a look at the cdrom code, add 2nd player control, add some more optimization and it will be done for the next release (expect it for next week) !

so all neogeo fans, be prepare to burn a few cdr ;)

[Dave_v76]

great news!!!!! good work!!!! :nana: :nana: :nana:

[pava]

i can't wait for this new release!!!
i will make more tests with this new release.Thanks evilo

Saludos

[mrush2004]

i cant wait but hopefully eventually it'll support the hdd like pgen, cause my chip sucks, but keep up the good work.

[Skm]

yeah!! thanks!! keep up the good work!!

[espy]

Yeah HDD support would be great, but what would be even greater is sound support. =) But fantastic work on this project, many thanks!

[evilo]

Thanks for the support guys ;)

anyway be patient, as we say "Rome wasn't built in a day" , but at the end everything will be inside !

After this release, I will work on the cpu core, switch it with the one from Stef (2x faster), we need it to achieve a good framerate on all games and it will gives sufficient additional "horsepower" to add sound emulation.

I didn't test the HDD support, but in theory it should work (as the code is there in last 0.0.2a build), I will try to have a look at it. Else did u try to load it using ps2menu (& fakehost) ?

[jozefx]

Evilo, what are the chances of making your emulator compatible with HDLoader? I tried making an ISO file with your emulator and the game files copied over from one of my NeoGeo CDs (I built one ISO with both the emu and game files together) I coped the ISO over to HDD, run it using the HDLoader, and the emulator starts, but when it says that I should insert the NeoGeo CD, I just press the X, and the HDD light blinks as if it's trying to access the game files on the ISO (as I was expecting it to do), but it does nothing. Screen just blinks and goes back the the 'Insert NeoGeo CD screen'.

I have also tried inserting an actual NeoGeo CD in the drive when prompted to do so, but it wouldn't even try to access the disc. It just tries to access the files on the ISO on the HDD, but for some reason the game won't run.

I've tried the said ISO (the same one I coped over to the PS2 HDD) with the Win32 version of NeoCD, and the game runs fine, so ISO is built correctly.

[<G>]

Evilo, what are the chances of making your emulator compatible with HDLoader? I tried making an ISO file with your emulator and the game files copied over from one of my NeoGeo CDs (I built one ISO with both the emu and game files together) I coped the ISO over to HDD, run it using the HDLoader, and the emulator starts, but when it says that I should insert the NeoGeo CD, I just press the X, and the HDD light blinks as if it's trying to access the game files on the ISO (as I was expecting it to do), but it does nothing. Screen just blinks and goes back the the 'Insert NeoGeo CD screen'.

I have also tried inserting an actual NeoGeo CD in the drive when prompted to do so, but it wouldn't even try to access the disc. It just tries to access the files on the ISO on the HDD, but for some reason the game won't run.

I've tried the said ISO (the same one I coped over to the PS2 HDD) with the Win32 version of NeoCD, and the game runs fine, so ISO is built correctly.

this has been asked millions of times over. HDLoader is warez and no homebrew developer is going to add support for a warez app. Get over it already! :mad:

as for the cds. you should have the original cds if you plan on running this emulator in the first place so it wont hurt you to put it in your cdrom tray and run it.

[evilo]

first, thanks <G> for your right answer !

then, there is a lot of thing planned for the final version of the emulator, but as you can see in the version 0.02a (2nd version), it is still not able to run games correctly (sprites issues, hanging up, etc..) so priority was FIRST to enhance game compatibility and emulator stability, and this is something definitely done now, as almost all games have perfect graphics, and no more freezing, etc... next goal is to complete the emulator (I just added 2nd controller), get more speed, add sound, etc.. once the emulation will be complete I will then have the time for other things like mc or hdd support, add some nice menu for options,etc...
guys, I could have hidden it until the end, but I choosed to release any wip version as soon as I get concret achievement with the emu in order to share it with you, so please be patient. I definitely don't have full dedicated time to work on it, so I use the time I have on things that seems most important for me !! but in the mean time, If you REALLY want sthg missing in the actual version, source code is available, you can get it and add some features and submit it to me, and I will add it in the next version, that would be really great , and of course help the emulator to be finished faster !!

anyway, HDD support is yes possible but under certain condition, as some software use fakehost mechanism to redirect cdrom0 calls to hd0, it WON'T be possible to run it using them (as you just said, when you press X on the "insert loading" screen, hdd leds light up) and I don't have any way to control it !

However if you have a look at the forum, you will see that there is actually two builds of the emu : 0.02a (which is the let's say official build, and look ONLY on the cdrom to load a game) and the 0.02a dev build (that allows to run a game from where the elf is loaded and search for it under the cd folder), so you should better have a look at that version.

last word, as <G> told it, there is no *official* support for backup cd, and the temporaly ability to load game from host is for convenience only.



evilo.

[jozefx]

this has been asked millions of times over. HDLoader is warez and no homebrew developer is going to add support for a warez app. Get over it already!
I must say I don't quite follow that logic considering that if you want to run any homebrew app, you have to do something illegal with your console anyways (mod it so that you can boot CDRs, which homebrew devs don't seem to have problem with supporting) Not that I'm complaining, but I honestly don't quite understand the difference.

as for the cds. you should have the original cds if you plan on running this emulator in the first place so it wont hurt you to put it in your cdrom tray and run it.
Yes, I have tried putting the game CD in the drive as well (an original CD at that) It didn't work, just as I described above.


However if you have a look at the forum, you will see that there is actually two builds of the emu : 0.02a (which is the let's say official build, and look ONLY on the cdrom to load a game) and the 0.02a dev build (that allows to run a game from where the elf is loaded and search for it under the cd folder), so you should better have a look at that version.
Oh, that sounds good! I'll look around for the dev version, then :)

[evilo]

I must say I don't quite follow that logic considering that if you want to run any homebrew app, you have to do something illegal with your console anyways (mod it so that you can boot CDRs, which homebrew devs don't seem to have problem with supporting) Not that I'm complaining, but I honestly don't quite understand the difference.

well, If it's what you think you're wrong, legitimated way of booting homebrew apps exist, just make some google, then if you think that homebrew dev is anyway warez software you are also wrong and didn't get the philosophy of the homebrew dev community.

[jozefx]

I don't consider Homebrew apps to be warez at all, as a matter of fact I think they are a wonderful thing! Still, from what I know, your console (PS2 at least) needs to be hampered in what it's manufacturer considers to be illegal way, in order to run any of those apps, except for the officially supported Linux apps, made to work with Sony's Linux kit.

Even on the PS2dev.org they mention at many places that in order to run software like pukklink or naplink, you need a 'console capable of booting the CDRs'. I am not aware that there is a 100% legal way to boot CDRs on the PS2. Much in the same way, I know that HDLoader is not 100% legal, but I choose to use it for legal purposes (running homebrew apps and faster game loading). I just don't see how is HDLoader 'more' illegal than any of the methods for booting CDRs which always seem to be necessary to run any homebrew app :\

[evilo]

Last word, how you boot my elf is not my concern, you can use whatever you want legal or illegal.

anyway you sould know that there are working methods to boot homebrew elf on the ps2 without requiring to open your console for i.e. http://ps2dev.org/kb.x?T=1069. Sony is maybe not endorsing it, but it's not declared as illegal.

simply don't ask for support on illegal stuff, like hdloader.

that's all.