20 replies to this topic

[Guitar]

A few improvements are in the process of being implemented. And thought it was time for an update.

CWAI, has now been implemented, this allows for running the £625JP game that was recently emulated on Fruit-Emu.

This will also come in handy for Maygay M1 tech.

The extenders are now mostly in except for the large LED extender. Reel and Lamp extenders are now included.

A timing error has been found and corrected, this has allowed me to get a few new ROMs to boot up, mainly BWB. Ok not running as there is still the CHR to contend with, but at least they boot up with errors, noteably a few now error in FMEF that dont work at all in MFME. So its getting better.

Percent/Stake/Prize keys are being implemented as this is causing a fair few ROMs to error whilst looking for the keys.

the usual bug fixes and tweaks obviously.

And I think I may know what is causing the problems with Vista. I believe the fault lies in the Windows API calls. This can be rectified by switching back to DirectSound. Which is what I will be using to emulate Synth sound anyway so back we shall go.

Last but definately not least, BWB Games. I can't promise anything at this stage but suffice to say I think I have found a method to bypass the CHR. I'm working on this at this very moment. To prove if I am right will take a few hours coding once I get home tonight, but here's hoping. The specific game is one of the BWB X Games labelled "es_39b__.3_0". I dont even know what game that is.

If you can enlighten me as to the game name, please do.

*IF* this works, it will hopefully mean it will be possible to emulate a fair few BWB games.

So thats the news for this week, 1.4.0 is on the way shortly. Comments please.

[stevedude2]

Best of luck with your continued efforts mate

[captainhaddock]

Well done on your progress so far Guitar,the bwb rom is called XS and there is a pic in the gallery here,I've looked at the other revision of roms in the xs set and this text shows if it helps:
" €CHARACTERISER Type ES___.P or ES___.G
There are no characteriser options. €PROGRAM CARD Requires universal sampled sound program card PCB 683077 populated with the 68681 to drive AUX3."

Dave.

[SUPER7]

Well done m8, sounds all good!!

[Geddy]

Good news, good luck

[Guitar]

Hoping you get the bwb tech sorted

I'd just like to say that the next emu release will be awesome.

[Yan]

Come on on, let's see it rather then listen to the words of a spin doctor!

[Guitar]

Well, well, well.

Several games can be made to work. Sky sports, Voodoo Express, Volcano, Abracadabra, Jackpot Jokers, BWB X Games, etc.

Sunday Sport boots but is a Data Program and I havent emulated the serial port so it wont play.

I will need to crack each layout individually however at least they boot and I do know the method to crack each one. Will take a bit of time to do though. Just ask and I will provide the relevant details to insert.

There are a few roms which show no signs of life however. Blues Boys (annoyingly), The Big Match (though this may be possible, it just sits there in constant resets atm, I havent looked so dont write it off). And no doubt others.

Also does anyone know how the coin acceptor hooks in on these as some sets of roms we have will not run without it.

A Major speed boost was found in a niggly bug. A lot of little fixes here and there, and a much larger and more featured config box. (see piccy)

I need some info on MPU4 hoppers too, and also the 5 reel opto multiplexer circuits if anyone has them.

The piccy shows Abracadabra loading for the first time, in the empire layout as Im just seeing what runs for now.

More fixes to be done yet but I hope to relase in the next month (maybe sooner depending on how much time I get).

However before then I need to have a chat with some layout designers and see how to make this more useable for everyone.

Bugs and sloppy code everywhere, a good tidyup is needed.

Anyway a lot of good stuff happening.

[Geddy]

It has been quoted by one of the scenes founding fathers that -

All you need to crack BWB roms is in the MFME you have but you are all just too lazy to figure it out.

Maybe it might be an idea to see if this can be worked out and thus give some pointers to how it can be done in FMEF.

[Guitar]

Maybe it might be an idea to see if this can be worked out and thus give some pointers to how it can be done in FMEF.

Its already done in FMEF. Its a bit like MPU5, the emu can handle it, but I will need to work out the CHR values for you to type in the box.

The process is easy if not long winded. Now I have done one anyway. And the running is very much a hack I'm afraid.

I couldnt hack a real machine out, the only way to do it is to manipulate the emu on the fly. But I can get it running w/o alarms. And I can stop the percentage alteration. So its good enough. In fact its still 1000% more than you thought you'd get a year ago.

[Geddy]

So if it is the same as MPU5 (in essence) once you have worked out what to type in the box the same 'value' will work in MFME? (Possibly )

[Guitar]

So if it is the same as MPU5 (in essence) once you have worked out what to type in the box the same 'value' will work in MFME? (Possibly )

Doubt it as there isnt a CHR box for MPU4. You could hack MFME to do it, you could, but it'd be tricky and you'd have to do it every time you loaded the game. Now all I have to do is work out what is wrong with Blues Boys. The germans got that running in V2.0 remember. I can do the CHR in all likelyhood but I cant even make it boot.

Edit: And also, the likelyhood of me and Wizzy choosing the same way to break it are pretty remote.

[Geddy]

The Germans got it running? Sorry I can't remember but maybe if they did they would have posted about it. Searchable?

[Guitar]

Definately, I think it was on FF, but could be on here.

It was deffo blues boys the hacked so search for that would be quickest i would think.

[Geddy]

Definately, I think it was on FF, but could be on here.

It was deffo blues boys the hacked so search for that would be quickest i would think.

Well if it was at FF we are knackered because loads has been lost over the last week. Apparently they lost all the posts/threads with a AT lie in it and were only left with 3000 from the 345,000 posts.... bhawawawaw*



* - just so the fake alienware sheep can complain..

[Guitar]

There ya go. http://www.fruitforu...highlight=blues. The video has since disappeared as it was on fileshare, but the thread and comments are there.

[Geddy]

Bugger........ not really much to go on there then. Still we 'know' we can run BWB roms in the MFME versions we have. Is it just a case of looking to see if there are any patterns when different ones run and evaluating the errors codes?

[Guitar]

Bugger........ not really much to go on there then. Still we 'know' we can run BWB roms in the MFME versions we have. Is it just a case of looking to see if there are any patterns when different ones run and evaluating the errors codes?

Well those error codes werent related to the CHR. Before i put in the CHR I got no opto error codes, that must just have been an emu bug.

That may well have been related to the PIAs / Timing tbh. I did find a timer related bug in FMEF which made some roms work suddenly when I fixed it, On inspection, it would appear the same (or similar) bug is still in MFME. (when it reads the counter it should read the Latch and vice versa).

Neither MFME or FMEF is perfect, the Barcrest test roms still show up a timer error on both emu's.

The only really annoying bit is that Blues Boys still shows no sign of life. Im gonna take a good look at that and The Big Match later on. Aside from tidying and release prep, I think it really is time for some layout designers to have a chat with me so we can make FMEF user friendly. (and rewrite the sound in directsound so it works in Vista).