Hacking DS2x86 0.04 ALPHA

[Killermech]

DS2x86 0.04 release info

This version has a lot of new protected mode opcodes supported, based on the debug logs you have been sending. Thanks again for those! This version might now run a few more 386-specific games, for example I have been able to make Warcraft: Orcs & Humans start up into the actual game. Every now and then it fails with an unsupported I/O port, which seems to be caused by the game sometimes detecting the SoundBlaster as using DMA channel 3, while in reality it uses DMA channel 1. I suspect there are still some rather serious problems in my audio handling.

I have also made some minor performance improvements, the things mentioned in my previous blog post, and I also moved the temporary variables used by the Mode-X graphics mode opcodes into the small data segment which is accessed by the GP register. This makes the Mode-X graphics handling (as used in Doom, for example) slightly faster.

While making the performance improvements, I again ran into the weird keyboard reading problem I originally fought with at the beginning of this year. After various tests I was able to determine that when I used the new improved Mode-X code (which was slightly smaller), the keyboard behaved very erratically, but going back to the original slightly larger Mode-X code got rid of the problem! The weird thing is that this problem happens immediately in the 4DOS prompt, when none of the changed Mode-X routines have even been run yet!

So, in the end I had to add 1000 bytes of filler at the end of the Mode-X graphics code to make the keyboard reading work properly! This obviously makes absolutely no sense, and I will remove the extra filler bytes as soon as I can figure out what the real problem is. It seems like some sort of alignment problem in the DS2 SDK code that handles the communication between the ARM side and the MIPS side, but that is just a theory and without knowing the internals of the communications code I have no way of properly testing this theory.

I haven't been able to handle all the issues mentioned in the debug logs yet, but many games should at least progress further. Please send me the new debug logs again for this version, and I'll again try to implement as many fixes as possible to the next version.

Download

Compatibility is getting better all the time. I just can't stop admiring this guy, even though he's working on two projects (DSi / DSTWO) at the same time, he never fails to deliver.
Warcraft 1 is working to some extent, which was one of my favorite childhood games. Can't wait till he properly gets it running.
Going to test if Bloodbowl works too, me and my friend used to play that alot.

 

[The Catboy]

I can't wait till the day he gets Elder Scrolls Arena working. It is possible with the DSTWO.

 

[Killermech]

I can't wait till the day he gets Elder Scrolls Arena working. It is possible with the DSTWO.

According to its PC requirements
"386/25 MHZ, DOS 5.0, 4MB RAM, 25MB HD Space, VGA graphics card or better, Mouse, Soundcard "

Yea, it should be playable at some point with the emulator. It might even run it now since he's added some new opcodes.

 

[Keshire]

That would definately be a nice list of games to have running.

Warcraft
Bloodbowl
Elder Scrolls
Throw in x-com too. (right now there's the issue of the looping geoscape and battlescape exe's)

 

[Master_Thief]

Heretic's now working.

Archer Macleans Pool - Playable - Works, though no sound.
Blake Stone - Playable - Works, though sound not fully working.
Heretic - Playable - Works, though is a little slow.


Also Arena isn't yet working (it currently gives a "not enough EMS" error at startup)

 

[Killermech]

I tried running Warcraft, it starts loading dos4gw but then gives me some opcode errors and it never runs it.
Someone else having more luck with it?

Yea, tried Elder scrolls Arena too and got the same EMS error.

 

[Sheimi]

Could Doom Run on this?

 

[spinal_cord]

Could Doom Run on this?

I think so, I believe most of the testing was in fact done with doom.

 

[Rydian]

Yes, Doom is used for a lot of his testing, and it runs (without sound last I remember) in DS2x86 as well.

 

[Master_Thief]

I tried running Warcraft, it starts loading dos4gw but then gives me some opcode errors and it never runs it.
Someone else having more luck with it?

I get an opcode error too.

 

[The Catboy]

How come I can never get any of the games to work >.< I can't get doom to work and I can't get Warcraft to work

 

[Killermech]

How come I can never get any of the games to work >.< I can't get doom to work and I can't get Warcraft to work

Well neither me or Master_Thief can get Warcraft to run atm. Maybe Pate tried a shareware version or something.
I've tried the shareware version of Doom and got it running. Haven't tried the full version though.

EDIT:
Just tried Warcraft DEMO and it runs. So I'm guessing that's the version Patrick used to test it.
You can get the DEMO here if you want to try it:
http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/wa...rcs-and-humans/

 

[Laughing Stock]

Could Doom Run on this?

Sorry if it's not the point, but can't you just use the doom emulator?

 

[VatoLoco]

I didnt see a thread for regular 'ol dsx86, so i'll post my excitement here=D

I just loaded my XLs side-slot SD card up with the newest beta, and am now enjoying some Commander Keen via the sudoku exploit. The touch screen even works, yay=)

Thank you Pate!

...now to test some more games...

 

[Sir_Voe]

I didnt see a thread for regular 'ol dsx86, so i'll post my excitement here=D

I just loaded my XLs side-slot SD card up with the newest beta, and am now enjoying some Commander Keen via the sudoku exploit. The touch screen even works, yay=)

Thank you Pate!

...now to test some more games...

Yep, FINALLY an emulator that can be run through Sudoku. I don't know if it's just my SD cards or what, but loading is much quicker than running DSX86 from my DS2.
One of the games I notice clearly taking advantage of the hardware is Prince of Persia 2: it chugs pretty badly unless you run it through SH, at which point it runs pretty much at full speed.

 

[Rydian]

Let Pate know it works via Sudoku?

 

[WioWao]

I've seen him writing on his own page, that he got it to work on the Cyclo iEvo. I am not able to get it to work on my iEvo though. In the regular DSL-mode it works just fine, but when i switch my iEvo into DSi-mode it just hangs at the initialization of FAT. I'll tinker some more with it tomorrow.

 

[nl255]

I tried running Warcraft, it starts loading dos4gw but then gives me some opcode errors and it never runs it.
Someone else having more luck with it?

Yea, tried Elder scrolls Arena too and got the same EMS error.

Arena requires 4MB of EMS memory and DS2x86 still only emulates 1.5MB of EMS. It does emulate 16MB? of XMS but arena doesn't support XMS only EMS. At least Moraff's World is working great (in 320x200 EGA and MCGA mode) and really benefits from the increased speed.

 

[Akdul]

LibFAT initializing fails with SDHC cards in DSi mode (Sudoku Hack)

Thanks for your great work.

 

[Mbmax]

I've seen him writing on his own page, that he got it to work on the Cyclo iEvo. I am not able to get it to work on my iEvo though. In the regular DSL-mode it works just fine, but when i switch my iEvo into DSi-mode it just hangs at the initialization of FAT. I'll tinker some more with it tomorrow.

Disabled the Homebrew layer comaptibility. I'm able to run it in DSi mode on my iEvo without problem.