C64 emulator project - need team members!

[suchiaruzu]

[refractor]

I think Jont is correct. I looked at one of the other ports (to a non PPC platform), and there wasn't anything nasty like mixing going on with the sound

[jont]

The linux sound code (SID_linux.i) in particular is an almost trivial 125 lines, simply opening the soundcard device, setting the playback parameters, and outputting raw data to the device every time the buffer becomes full. I am (perhaps naively) assuming the features used by this file don't depend on other linux-specific code elsewhere in the codebase though...

In contrast, the Win32 DirectSound playback code is pretty complicated, but I'm guessing in this instance that our Pocket PC sound API has more in common with the linux sound "API"...

[TechMage]

I'm almost done with my game, and I would love to do the graphics for the C64 emu's GUI (I can program too, but only eVB and I assume your using eVC++). Just tell me when you get to the GUI part and what you want and I'll do it for you.

[britcode]

>The SID chip is the part that worries me most... it was a complete synthesizer, and PocketPC's don't offer that ability.

I'm a little bit confused by this post... PocketPC's obviously don't have a C64 sound chip built into them. Host machines hardly ever have the emulated machines sound chips or graphics chips in them - hence the need for sound emulation and graphics emulation.
Exceptions are emulators such as the early versions of Genecyst (0.20) which attempted to run YM2612 emulation using the OPL chip in PC sound cards, and a select few games under MAME which use a OPL sound chip and probably a few emulators running on the GBA.
The other 99% emulate the sound hardware.

To put it another way, yes the Pocket PC obviously doesn't have the C64 hardware but nor does the PC, MacOS or UNIX version of your C64 emulator that you plan to port.

> I'm not sure how to pull it off, but I suppose we'll have to have a series of small waveforms that can be dynamically mixed, but knowing what I know about C64 sound capabilities, I expect this to be the single most difficult aspect of the job.

That's the usual method yes.

[fzammetti]

I was simply alluding to the fact that emulating a true synthesizer like the SID chip with all it's complexities and flexibility might prove very difficult. I have no experience writing emulators as I have previously stated, so I don't know how it's usually done. Having read what Jont wrote and, assuming he is correct, it makes much more sense now and might not be as difficult as I feared at first.

Then again, I note that most emulators seem to have problems with sound more so than any other part of the emulated system, and knowing what the SID was capable of, it still does worry me.

[Maf54]

[Buster]

Hi Folks!

How are things going on? I read on your homepage that you already managed to display the C64-Screen. So is there already a possibility to ask when there might be a dirty release?

Bye,

Buster

[refractor]

Coder answer:

fairly soon

I'll let one of the other guys (probably Frank) give a more definitive answer, but some of the other members are on holiday and I'm really busy with "real" work-work right now. Progress should re-accelerate next week.

The only thing that's stopping a release (IMO) is that we lack:
a) testing
b) input method/keyboard - we haven't done that yet
(though if you're lucky, I'll have a go at it over the weekend).

Cheers,

Ref.

[fzammetti]

I suppose as "project coordinator" it's my job to answer these questions.

So, I'll answer it by saying the answer is: EXACTLY WHAT REFRACTOR SAID!

I think there's been an informal agreement within the team that as soon as we have keyboard input working, which should by extension mean you can at least enter Basic programs and execute them, and as long as there are no glaringly ugly bugs that we know of, we'll unleash it on the world.

I'd say within a week is probably a good estimate, so keep an eye on the site!

[Buster]

[benkenobi0]

[TheOldBoiler]

[TheOldBoiler]

[TheOldBoiler]