Hacking NDSSFC/CATSFC revival

[Deleted member 319809]

As for the speed hacks from SNESAdvance, they did nothing. Snes9x contains code that does its own speed hacks.

A build with this patch:

--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -71,3 +71,3 @@
DEFS  := -DSPC700_C -DEXECUTE_SUPERFX_PER_LINE -DSDD1_DECOMP \
-          -DVAR_CYCLES -DCPU_SHUTDOWN -DSPC700_SHUTDOWN \
+          -DVAR_CYCLES \
          -DNO_INLINE_SET_GET -DNOASM -DHAVE_MKSTEMP '-DACCEPT_SIZE_T=size_t' \

runs most games 40% slower - this is even more noticeable on the lower CPU frequencies and for the more demanding games like Yoshi's Island. It does a bit of jump analysis and trims some CPU emulation on its own.

 

[2ndApex]

As for the speed hacks from SNESAdvance, they did nothing. Snes9x contains code that does its own speed hacks.

A build with this patch:

--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -71,3 +71,3 @@
DEFS  := -DSPC700_C -DEXECUTE_SUPERFX_PER_LINE -DSDD1_DECOMP \
-          -DVAR_CYCLES -DCPU_SHUTDOWN -DSPC700_SHUTDOWN \
+          -DVAR_CYCLES \
          -DNO_INLINE_SET_GET -DNOASM -DHAVE_MKSTEMP '-DACCEPT_SIZE_T=size_t' \

runs most games 40% slower - this is even more noticeable on the lower CPU frequencies and for the more demanding games like Yoshi's Island. It does a bit of jump analysis and trims some CPU emulation on its own.

Well that's rather disappointing

Hopefully we can still improve frame rate somehow?

 

[Canadacdn]

Can you increase the max volume at all? I'm finding the sound to be a little quiet even with the volume slider cranked up all the way on my 3DS XL.

 

[Diego Liberal]

They were not. Your part was needed too as a reference for the others.

Anyway, now my work on the GUI is mostly done, so apart from that timing issue, there isn't much left to do.

Except to accept more localisations, to continue speedhacking if I get better documentation about it, to oversee Snes9x 1.5x porting efforts in CATSFC or pass the baton to another maintainer. Perhaps also to copy-paste GUI improvements into NDSGBA if its sources are ever available.

That is something we need very much, it's interface is too dirty and doesn't accept touch inputs.

And maybe we could do same with nesDS and make it more integrated since it's source is open to anyone.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/nesds/

 

[Aeter]

Sounds good; I'll just reply here if some text is too long.

EDIT: Just looking at the file for now, this text is way too big for a main-menu button:

#MSG_MAIN_MENU_RETURN_TO_GAME
Ga terug naar het spel

/Video & audio
* The combination of "Beeldverhouding" and "[4] Volledig scherm, gladgestreken" makes "streken" go to the next line.
* All option values for "Beelden overslaan" (frame skipping) go to the next line.
/Opgeslagen staten (Saved states)
* Main menu entry becomes "Opgeslagen st". You could probably get away with just translating "Saves" (one save, multiple saves).
/
* "Ga terug naar het spel" is split into "Ga terug naar he" and "t spel".

Would you like a compiled version with your translation in it so you can see what's up?

I figured a lot of them would be too long, but most of the time the only other option in Dutch is just using the English terms, since most of those terms are just used by dutch people.
Like "Saved state", we would always say something like that in English anyway, but I'll see what I can do.
And yes, I would love a compiled version with my translation in it. It saves a lot of discussing back and forth.

Oh, and sorry for the late response, I've been quite busy the last week.

 

[BassAceGold]

And maybe we could do same with nesDS and make it more integrated since it's source is open to anyone.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/nesds/

It wouldn't be a simple copy and paste job to implement it into nesDS like it would NDSGBA. The menu would have to be rewritten to use the NDS hardware, rather than to software draw it all like the Supercard does--which uses a lot of ram and processing power that the NDS doesn't have.

 

[Deleted member 319809]

I figured a lot of them would be too long, but most of the time the only other option in Dutch is just using the English terms, since most of those terms are just used by dutch people.
Like "Saved state", we would always say something like that in English anyway, but I'll see what I can do.
And yes, I would love a compiled version with my translation in it. It saves a lot of discussing back and forth.

Oh, and sorry for the late response, I've been quite busy the last week.

I released the Dutch localisation as part of 1.29, but added some new options with Dutch text in 1.31. So you can get 1.31 with your Dutch localisation in it and some more languages already compiled in.

I already tried to shorten some text, but you'll probably be a better tester than me for that

Can you increase the max volume at all? I'm finding the sound to be a little quiet even with the volume slider cranked up all the way on my 3DS XL.

I'd imagine such a setting would be per-game, not global? Some games are already louder than others, so a global setting would clip/distort a lot of games.

 

[Diego Liberal]

It wouldn't be a simple copy and paste job to implement it into nesDS like it would NDSGBA. The menu would have to be rewritten to use the NDS hardware, rather than to software draw it all like the Supercard does--which uses a lot of ram and processing power that the NDS doesn't have.

I'm aware of that, would take time and effort, yet, would be cool.
Is just a idea.

 

[Rydian]

I'd imagine such a setting would be per-game, not global? Some games are already louder than others, so a global setting would clip/distort a lot of games.

This.

Check out some of my recorded waveforms (the last few pages), and note which ones are almost clipping at two notches below max output volume on the DSi.

I haven't touched an original DS or Lite in ages, so I don't know if the DSi is naturally louder or something though, or how the volume compares to the 3DS...

 

[jurassicplayer]

For the people that want to sort of see the difference between the old and new CATSFC, I have made a new video .

Spoiler

 

[Deleted member 319809]

For the people that want to sort of see the difference between the old and new CATSFC, I have made a new video .

Spoiler

29 minutes. I'll need to get comfortable first...

E: Holy crap, epic change log. Well done tracking all of it.

 

[carnage781]

Whenever I play certain games, the screen seems to be cut off on the top and/or bottom, is there any way to fix this?

Roms I've tried: Mario All Stars, Donkey Kong Country 2.

 

[Deleted member 319809]

Whenever I play certain games, the screen seems to be cut off on the top and/or bottom, is there any way to fix this?

Roms I've tried: Mario All Stars, Donkey Kong Country 2.

That's up to the default value of the "Aspect ratio" option, settable per game. The option is in the Video & audio menu.

 

[bloodliketheatla]

I'm replying in regards to the post on the homepage titled "CATSFC, SCDS2 SNES EMU translations needed."

My question is whether you need a Chinese translation? (I could do that.) But if I remember correctly the 2 emu's included with the DSTWO (one for GBA, one for SNES) already have Chinese built-in.

Now the CATSFC emulator is a replacement of the included SNES emulator, correct? I still haven't tried it, unfortunately. But if it's basically the same as the original SNES one then it probably has a nearly identical menu structure, etc., and would also have Chinese.

Probably a pointless post if Chinese is built into all these, but thought I'd check.

 

[2ndApex]

I'm replying in regards to the post on the homepage titled "CATSFC, SCDS2 SNES EMU translations needed."

My question is whether you need a Chinese translation? (I could do that.) But if I remember correctly the 2 emu's included with the DSTWO (one for GBA, one for SNES) already have Chinese built-in.

Now the CATSFC emulator is a replacement of the included SNES emulator, correct? I still haven't tried it, unfortunately. But if it's basically the same as the original SNES one then it probably has a nearly identical menu structure, etc., and would also have Chinese.

Probably a pointless post if Chinese is built into all these, but thought I'd check.

CATSFC has a lot of new features and menu options and needs to corresponding text with these menu options as well, though I'm not sure if there's a Chinese translation already.

 

[jurassicplayer]

Probably a pointless post if Chinese is built into all these, but thought I'd check.

Quality checking isn't bad either.

 

[Deleted member 319809]

I'm replying in regards to the post on the homepage titled "CATSFC, SCDS2 SNES EMU translations needed."

My question is whether you need a Chinese translation? (I could do that.) But if I remember correctly the 2 emu's included with the DSTWO (one for GBA, one for SNES) already have Chinese built-in.

Now the CATSFC emulator is a replacement of the included SNES emulator, correct? I still haven't tried it, unfortunately. But if it's basically the same as the original SNES one then it probably has a nearly identical menu structure, etc., and would also have Chinese.

Probably a pointless post if Chinese is built into all these, but thought I'd check.

I added lots of new options, whose text in Chinese (simplified) is still in English because I don't know Chinese. You can translate the options back to simplified and traditional if you want.

 

[Deleted member 319809]

My question is whether you need a Chinese translation? (I could do that.) But if I remember correctly the 2 emu's included with the DSTWO (one for GBA, one for SNES) already have Chinese built-in.

Speaking of Chinese, and of the two emulators. Some forum members, including myself, would like the Supercard Team to release the source for the GBA emulator, NDSGBA. As an added little favour to the community, could you also post on the Supercard Chinese BBS asking DarkChen for the source directly? I believe that someone asking on the Chinese BBS would get us the source faster. I can then transplant the improvements from CATSFC (improved over NDSSFC) into NDSGBA and continue the favour.

 

[ferret7463]

Speaking of Chinese, and of the two emulators. Some forum members, including myself, would like the Supercard Team to release the source for the GBA emulator, NDSGBA. As an added little favour to the community, could you also post on the Supercard Chinese BBS asking DarkChen for the source directly? I believe that someone asking on the Chinese BBS would get us the source faster. I can then transplant the improvements from CATSFC (improved over NDSSFC) into NDSGBA and continue the favour.

I thought there was a way to "Decompile" code and reverse engineer it? of course i know very very little about code.

 

[Deleted member 319809]

I thought there was a way to "Decompile" code and reverse engineer it? of course i know very very little about code.

That wouldn't be very useful here. The tool to make plugins, aptly called makeplug, in the SDK applies encryption to the resulting file. So first one needs to reverse-engineer makeplug, which is Intel assembly.

If one manages to reverse the encryption, then what one gets from the plugin file is raw MIPS assembly, not C, due to the optimisations performed by the C compiler. One also gets no meaningful names at all, not even function names or variable names because they're lost during the conversion. So all one would see is hundreds of thousands of jumps from one memory address to another.

In MIPS assembly it would take me a month to write a feature (like the touch screen support) without it crashing, also needing to adjust memory addresses everywhere, not just the little area I'm changing.

The source really is needed.