CD audio games enhancement project

[Mrz]

I think the way to test if a game will work on a real cd32 without all the work to compile a real CD is testing it with winuae 3.3 or older
if work there surely will work on a real CD32

anyways this type of modified games are ideal to play in winuae instead a CD32 because winuae can use mp3 as cd audio , this is fantastic because save lot of harddisk space, etc

btw, I deleted wonderdog, this game is horrible one of the worst plarformers for the AMiga, the megaCD version is far better,anyways horrible game too

[jotd]

@Toni that makes very much sense!!! I had to remove the AKIKO DMA clear because of audio.

yes, it's RN loader fault, since no audio is done at the start of any game.

Is there a way I can reproduce it on some WinUAE? where to get a debug build?

Note that I'm not taking over RNC exception handler, which probably overwrites vector at zero page. But installed game probably does. The issue is that if the files are small / file access is very small, this is going to take forever to load...

So basically should I:

- start with AKIKO INTENA completely disabled except for bit 29 (so audio can start/stop anytime)
- wait a while after RN routine (Psygore routine actually) ended

And that's it? no more INTENA fiddling, let RN routine handle it/save/restore it internally

thanks for testing and reproducing on WinUAE. This will help A LOT.

@mrz No, bad advice. Because CD audio emulation wasn't accurate on old WinUAE versions. Toni explained that himself in some thread. CD32load CD audio play uses PIO mode for audio CD, which is used nowhere else. And wasn't emulated properly before Winuae version 3.5 (not sure about the minor version).

And I agree with you that 1) wonderdog is rather bland, but I wouldn't call that horrible, and 2) the MP3 trick saves a lot of space, for my dropbox too

[Mrz]

Originally Posted by jotd

WinUAE versions. Toni explained that himself in some thread. CD32load CD audio play uses PIO mode for audio CD, which is used nowhere else. And wasn't emulated properly before Winuae version 3.5 (not sure about the minor version).

I tested your game gods in winuae 3.4 and worked fine, but on 3.3 or older the game boot but crash later

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by jotd

Note that I'm not taking over RNC exception handler, which probably overwrites vector at zero page. But installed game probably does. The issue is that if the files are small / file access is very small, this is going to take forever to load...

Ah, so then it is probably best to add your own custom exception 2 handler that checks akiko (intreq AND intena) and if any DMA related bit (25-28) is set -> redirect it to RNC exception handler, if PIO bits (29,30, 30 isn't used by maybe in future versions so better check it already) -> CD audio. This should make it much more reliable and easier to handle.

Wait 0.5s or so before switching between loading and CD audio (switching = modifying intena bits)

Is there a way I can reproduce it on some WinUAE? where to get a debug build?

I think I can "force" it to happen more easier by delaying CD replies a bit more. Real hardware runs code in CD mcu that does message handling with unknown timing.

EDIT: No, I couldn't manage to duplicate it with larger delays. I guess there must be some possibly very small timing window where exception 2 has been moved but akiko intena dma bits are still enabled. It may be as small as few instructions in worst case..

[jotd]

in the meanwhile, Toni would you care to test more ISOs on your WinUAE version? I'll try to follow your indications (and we contributed to save the planet by not burning too many discs before finding out that it didn't work)

[Glen M]

Just a quick query on a thought that jumped randomly into my head.

Would it be possible to substitute the packaged MP3s for anything else of our choice to essentially change the in game music?

Not that I'd really want to do so but just a thought I had. Or is the code that runs the music in anyway tied to the length of the track etc?

[jotd]

nope, you can put any MP3 you want. And FYI the "real hardware" problem is being investigated by Toni & me. Hopefully something will come out in the next weeks.

[NeoHippie2016]

One word from a still Reader and Amiga Fan without any programming skills: you do a great Job and spent a lot of time for it!

[turrican3]

I think about the settlers (don't remember if i said it yet ??) :
1 settlers sfx use the 4 paula channels if set without the music.

2 the music is always the same, i like it but we could put more tracks on a cd. We could add the best tracks of the serie. And when you choose music + sfx you loose some sfx.
3 there is good remixes version too : [ Show youtube player ] http://www.remix64.com/track/mano/th...rs-main-theme/



-> full fx + best music , why not ??

[jotd]

BTW just got my "new" CD32 console today. I hope the CD works (specially after the dumb delivery boy let it drop from above my gate instead of leaving a parcel slip: what don't you understand in "FRAGILE" you dumbass? fortunately, despite the useless "FRAGILE" red stickers, the e-bay seller was pro enough to put a lot of air-cushions around, sometimes it's too much, but not here)

So I'll be able to conduct tests with various versions/mods of CD32load until I die or the emulator-only games work on the real thing.

(the name of the e-bay seller is "Analogic Computers", real solid & fast & not that expensive, 200 euros for a good condition CD32 when the repairs on my old one would have cost me probably more...!!)

[Amigajay]

Good news JOTD, hope the machine survived the courior drop off! These couriors are getting worse!

[jotd]

Well, that may have damaged the console, because it boots absolutely no CD even pressed ones ! damn! 200 euros down the drain. CD reads & reads, cannot get past boot screen

EDIT: WTF audio CD works, now tried to boot a game and ... it boots!! damn now it doesn't... Gotta check those washers first. Can't even blame the seller since some dumb guy dropped the parcel.

[Glen M]

Almost sounds like a dying laser. Does it seem to work better once warmed up a bit?

[jotd]

probably, since the game I tried worked after a while, but then it didn't... audio CD worked.

[Mrz]

hey jotd look at this
is amazing

[ Show youtube player ]

it is possible to make this real?

[jotd]

@Mrz what do you mean "make it real"?

[Mrz]

Originally Posted by jotd

@Mrz what do you mean "make it real"?

if you can insert music to double dragon 3
the music in the video is fake was added by the youtuber

[jotd]

cool the game looks decent. Never played it. I can get hold of the arcade tracks for example here:

https://downloads.khinsider.com/game...a-stone-arcade

(but there are a ton of them...)

BTW one of my consoles is repaired: I put a new laser in it and it seems to work very well back for more tests ... as soon as I can get hold of CD-Rs

[Mrz]

Originally Posted by jotd

cool the game looks decent. Never played it. I can get hold of the arcade tracks for example here:

https://downloads.khinsider.com/game...a-stone-arcade

yes double dragon 3 amiga port is enough good but they forgot to add music, who knows why
in the Amiga scene this game lived unnoticed,I think it was because lacks music
this type of game without music is not the same thing

The music added by the youtuber is better than the original arcade music

[jotd]

Arcade music is sometimes mediocre but most of the time the music was drowned in the big arcade hubbub, so that wasn't the strongest arcade games point all the time.

(of course there are a lot of very good arcade tunes: Pang, Marble Madness, Galaga 88 for example)