19 replies to this topic

[Roeoender]

It has been a while since my last release.
In the middile of programming my RPG (rather opus-magnum) which was interrupted by the UCN competition project which I suspended to write and release this quite fresh program.
It is a first ever emulator that works on Casio (the same prog was made for HPs and TIs and Saltire is working on it for Classpad). It even uses hardware clock to adjust emulation speed :-).
Enough talk,
41 games on one single flash drive, enjoy!
More info about SCHIP-8 or CHIP-8 you can find at various places (I first saw anything about it at www.classpad.org but as you see I am faster then they are).
Go *here*.
and download schip8fx.zip file.

And most import thanks to Mohamed for hosting it (mine unofficial page was removed ).

---Edit ---
We had some late-night PM chat with Mohamed because on his calc's ROM version my program didn't work.
I suspected that the interrupt 02h (real time counter) handler is the problem I did some recompilations with other values that also worked on my calc and the last one (28dec) works on Moha's calc.
So if you have ROM v.1.01 you use the link above
If you have other ROMs then try this:
send .cdr from the link above and then .exe from here:
link: http://www.geocities...algebrafx2/Roe/
file: s28.zip
the other recompiled versions (with different interrupt handlers) are also there:
file: blah.zip

This situation is ofcourse temporary for (few hours).
(I have to repack everything and contact 2072, because Mohamed went out on vacations )
So please don't distribute this beta version.

BTW FlashCOM has a bug - it is unable to make a CDR with large amount of files (I use ROMDISK instead).
I'd like to know on which ROM version which program version (s28.zip mostly) works.
1.01 - OK
1.02 - use s28.zip OK

Roeoender.

[Roeoender]

I have sent version 1.1 to 2072, he will edit this post and add a link to it when he gets the package.
I've added some nice features and fixed ROM incompatibility problem. Selecting game is now easier - I made a nice scrolled menu that lists games on current drive.


Download here! - Thanks to 2072 for hosting this file - Roeoender.

Changes:
1.1 - * Added version without sprites wrapping around
* Larger display for CHIP-8 games (2x2 pixel size)
* Implemented instructions Fx75,Fx85 (for PIPER game)
* In-game emulation speed control (VARS' /> key)
* Added menu for game selection
* Fixed incompatibilities between ROM versions
(beta testing done by Mohamed, thanks!)

[CrimsonCasio]

sorry, sort of off topic:
hey Roe, since you no longer have an unofficial page would you like to partner with me when I move my page from the ucn, after all, I almost totally work with basic and you with C, so I think we could have a good amount of content with just our stuff. (though I still intend to set up a huge archive)

plus I could handle all the web design stuff for you (unless you want to do it...)

On topic:
this sounds very cool, I cant wait to try it... I'm out of state at the moment, but in a few days...

[Brazzucko]

Well those games looks like a fast basic games?..

There is the possibility to have those games in the CFX models?

[Roeoender]

to Crimson - I've sended you a PM about it. Briefly: we can get some synergy from it
to Brazzucko: sadly eventhough those games look simple, some of them (those which use sprites or screen scrolling)
will never be playable on CFX models.
If you mean an automatic translation - possible, but worthless (still lack of speed).
Ofcourse logic games like Merlin, Hidden, Connect4 etc can be (and some of them already are) rewritten for CFX.
What is possible: it is possible to write new games for SCHIP-8 - it has some hi-level instructions (plot sprite with collision detection, scroll screen left/right/down, hardware delay timer and so on) so making new game is not hard to do. There are some assemblers/dissaseblers for SCHIP-8 available on the net.
--Edit-
Just a claryfication - they are rather bytecode generators not assemblers - such a Java for the 70s
Roeoender.

[huhn_m]

Hy! Great work! Well done etc..

Version 1.1

Works well on AFX 2.0+ with ROM 1.03

Suggestion:

Let the user choose the kbd layout! It seems as if the controls are turned upside down on some games.
Best would be if one kbd layout would be defined for each game. Let the emulator create kbd files in ram. eg:

for blitz.sc8 -> biltz.skb
for pong.ch8 -> pong.kbd

this would make the emu a lot better configurable ...

And you should turn off the menu key (it doesn't display the menu but an empty screen) or you restore the
menu by saving it to rom first or sth. like that

Also how do I control space invaders ?

[CrimsonCasio]

there are several games that are a bit ambigous...

[Roeoender]

Well guys remember that you are not average casio users -
there aresome infos about games and schip-8/chip-8 at hpcalc.org, ticalc.org, and various emulator for other comupters (PC,amiga etc.) with some of the packages there are explanations for games. BTW it is not that tought to figure everything by yourself. Just a note - for games like pong, sqash (with pixel size ball) etc. change speed to some really slow value - casio's LCD is not good enough to display moving and flickering pixels clearly.

As for me making different kbd layouts in external files is not worth the effort (I am happy with standard layout) - the opposite direction for 8/2 keys is because some emulators used bad kbd layout, if you wish I can add an option to switch between it's opposite meanings.
And come on blitz is controlled by a single key!!!
Invaders - 4-left, 5-fire, 6-right (slow down the emulation to see the missile)
MENU' /> key problem only shows when menu or speed control is displayed (when int9 (kbd interrupt) is enabled) and it is not so easy to solve (saving background is not enought, turning int9 off is not what I want, well you know I am going for a week+ long trip).
BTW it seems that schip8nw (no sprite wrapping around the screen) is more compatibile (although I had docs that stated that sprites should wrap aroung the screen) - this can be seen in games like blitz and mines.
For me the best games are ant (haven't completed it yet (I don't use slow down) and dragon (although too short), I play piper sometimes (my score for a sigle level was around 246).
Roeoender.

[Mohamed]

Finally I did a good time test!
Well, seems like the main annoyances are already said, but I'll say all my notes:

1- I'm very glad you made a list to scroll through the games, that was my objection in V1, but I would need another favor, if you could make the right and left buttons scroll pages (in the game list), it'd be much better, because reaching the bottom games takes sometime, you could also enable jumping to a game by pressing the first letter of its name, those are easy and would improve the comfort.
2- About the keyboard, it's very very sick, and I like the idea that enables us to create our own mapping, could this be done using a basic file for example? If you don't then I have no problem.
3- As you said Roe, the bricks games doesn't display the ball at all. I think decreasing speed will make the game play a bit choppy.
4- Who programmed these games? Can I edit them (source code)? That game Ant is very cool, but I hate to repeat the game from the beginning because I died!
Didn't they know something called LIFES or so these days?
5- As Crimson said, some games are just wierd, I'll though look in ticalc and hpcalc.

Finally that's good work, and I'd like to have this number of games at once.
It reminds me of my ATARI games.

Do you want me to upload V1.1? I'll add to my site anyway in the next update.

[CrimsonCasio]

mabey you could just ad a list of what keys the program uses that could be view from inside the program.

also, what language are these in?

[Roeoender]

I've just read French->English->Polish(by myself) translation of the graph100.com/forum thread about it (thanks 2072 for the announcement, lot of fun to read it translated ), I see that keyboard handling is tough for them (strange to me) so I will do a file where you could define your keyboard mapping (hope that allowing use of the keys in the last 4 lines would be enough), but remember that I will be offline for more then a week!

Mohamed points:
1. titled_list is mine "library" function so changing it will change behaviour of all other programs (not a big deal) - I'll do PG UP/PG DOWN but selecting by a first letter is not useful as this least is all-purpose thus it not need to be in alphabetical (or any) order.
2. ok,ok
3. rather difficult to change - those game were simply written for better screen than casio's LCD. The ball is so hardly visible because it flickers, which is needed for collision detection (and as for me those pong* games are difficult even for real slowdown. )
4. Those games were written on different platforms (home-made computers, calculator interpreters (HP later TI's), or desktop emulators). SCHIP-8 or CHIP-8 defines their own language - about 20-30 assembly-like instructions, and programs really look like assembly language (only you don't have to implement clear screen,collision detection, plot sprite etc.). There is an "dissnassembler" called unchip (or smthing) and assembler called "chipper" (in chipper.doc is good expalination about (S)CHIP-8 instructions).
As for your problem, well it wouldn't be hard to make a save-game feature (it only had to remember the screen and registers and some emulation variables), but than again it could spoil the replay value of some games (just like emulators for 8-bit computers).
5. Yes they are.

As for distribution - everyone can do anything with the .zip package (unless he modify it, which is a bit prohibited without asking me ).
Once again thanks to Mohamed and 2072 (and CrimsonCasio, he knows) for providing me support when I needed it.
BTW the first person who replied to publishing schip8fx was the author of the classpad's version of the emulator that can e seen at www.classpad.org. Well he now can use this comments before he officially releases his emulator.

Roeoender.

[huhn_m]

If you do the thing with the kbd definition file you can also store emulation speed there (so you don'T have to set it each time)

just a suggestion ...

[c@sioworld]

REALLY VERY GOOD WORK MAN ( as usual! )
but what's the diff?rent between the two EXE file ?

[huhn_m]

read roes post man!

the *nw.exe is without sprite wrapping ...

[helder7]

File recovered by me using wayback machine in 1 old algebra fx blog.
If anywone want it: http://www.casio-sce...?do=file&id=782

[flyingfisch]

File recovered by me using wayback machine in 1 old algebra fx blog.
If anywone want it: http://www.casio-sce...?do=file&id=782

Excellent

Did you happen to ba able to recover the source code for roender's fighter pilot game?

[helder7]

i think that Eagle fighter is close source, do you have the link for broken file source?

[flyingfisch]

i think that Eagle fighter is close source, do you have the link for broken file source?

No, but I remember that the people over at Casio Planet wanted it.

[helder7]

maybe they received it by pm

[flyingfisch]

maybe they received it by pm

No, they couldn't find it but some of them thought they remembered seeing it somewhere.

If you can't find it, that's fine, I personally don't think its out there any more.