rocketfan Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 To me the box art in current Nexus looks fine, and I also like that I could drop the exact A2600 pack on an LFB and it still looks optimal - but that is only going to impact a very small number of people. ? The list of mods that happens on the retromenu at this point: 1) Change the path where it looks for the all-games.ini from the internal emulator to /rom (which is remounted to whatever current rom folder is selected). 2) Change all the slots to point at the wrapper "runcommand" script instead of calling the cores directly - this allows any number of cores to work based on file extensions. 3) Set up so the /game folder handles .bin (now genesis), .a26, .zip, .zim. BTW, I have found you can just rename an 2600 ".bin" to be an .a26 extension and seems to work. I ran across more evidence showing that the Atari Flashback 9 retroplayer application does indeed perform significantly better than the Atari Flashback X retroplayer. You can clearly see this with MAME game like "Cosmo Gang" which even with the overclock still runs slow with choppy sound using the AFBX retroplayer, but runs well with the AFB9 retroplayer. It's like the atGames developers forgot to set some optimization flags when they built it for AFBX, or they added some extra buffer copies or something, but it's a pretty big difference. Unfortunately, at least for A800 there is some incompatibility with the AFB9 retroplayer which completely messes with the sound. It's a bummer not having source code for both sides, because it limits the ability to debug and understand what is going on or different with the retroplayers. So I think a future update should switch the .zim's and maybe .zip's - or maybe everything but A800 to use the AFB9 retroplayer - needs some more test. BTW, I ran across this: https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=340684 Which is a "retroplayer" (with sources available) for Kodi. Kodi is a front end for media boxes and retroplayer there is a libretro "game player core". What is a little confusing is that Kodi has cores at a different level - like a core for videos, a core for audio, and for games - not to be confused with the emulation cores from libretro/retroarch. Anyway, I wonder if the retroplayer name is just a coincidence, or if atGames started with the Kodi retroplayer as the base for theirs? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 (edited) Yeah, afb9 retroplayer feels superior to me as well. Sucks about a800. Also, I never tried the 1.21 update. I assumed both versions were running the same size artwork. Mail: Edited March 27, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 That's a pretty cool Flashback 1 (I had to google it). My dream Atari flashback would come with (good) paddles, regular Atari joysticks with some extra "shoulder" buttons for 5200/7800 emulation, and allow bluetooth or at least regular USB keyboard support for actual A800 computer emulation. It's totally doable and the current devices have enough power, but with extra/fancier controllers it would probably have to be $120 retail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 New working one button arcade games (R & S). Some real oddities but as usual a few hidden gems. Final Burn: szaxxon.zip suprmous.zip streakng.zip stratvox.zip starfigh.zip ssi.zip - super space invaders, pretty good game. spacbatt.zip sos.zip snapjack.zip skylancr.zip silvland.zip - Run over the bunnies ? sidepckt.zip shootout.zip sectrzon.zip savgbees.zip satansat.zip sasuke.zip roadf.zip radarscp.zip rackemup.zip Mame 2000: stocker.zim starhawk.zim starforc.zim stactics.zim spiker.zim speedfrk.zim spectar.zim sparkz.zim - Late Atari prototype solfight.zim solarfox.zim snakjack.zim snakepit.zim sindbadm.zim sidetrac.zim shuuz2.zim - Late Atari prototype sharrier.zim sharkatt.zim shackled.zim senjyo.zim scregg.zim schaser.zim sbbros.zim route16.zim robby.zim roadrunn.zim retofinv.zim - return of invaders - also good redalert.zim cosmogng.zim - works with AFB9 retroplayer, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 AFB1 controllers have a start and a select button. I havent tested them with any other system yet. one of the AFB1 pad was new still. I like what this member did. Its sweet. What other than a Pi zero tho? 3 or 4? is there fpga atari stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 (edited) On 3/21/2021 at 8:32 PM, KevinMos3 said: Here is the startup.sh and emulator folder (minus the theme resource folders), which includes the retromenu, retroplayer, etc. from my 9 Gold. @KevinMos3 Could you also please .zip up and provide the /emulator/res folder? I need to check that. Also, is your unit a standard or gold? Edited March 29, 2021 by rocketfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 @KevinMos3 There must be a 1 hour time limit on edits, because I can no longer edit that last message. You can skip that last request. I found the original AFB9 CFW thread and got what I needed looking at the FW packs. Still working on it (w/ a lot of help from Draxxon behind the scenes). It's more complicated than I thought, and I forgot multiple things, but I'm still optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 3 hours ago, rocketfan said: @KevinMos3 ...I found the original AFB9 CFW thread and got what I needed looking at the FW packs. Awesome. Let me know if you need anything else. I have both the Gold and the Standard, but I'm currently using the Gold (Standard is in storage). You've probably already noticed that the theme resources are named slightly different between the two. I haven't made a list of the corresponding names, but I should, so that theme files could more easily be renamed from one to the other. Alternatively, maybe the firmware could be edited to look for the same file names so the two versions would be interchangeable. I'd think that hex editing the binaries inside the firmware would do the trick, but I haven't tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 t,u,v working one button Arcade games. In the home stretch now. FBA: vanvan.zip uniwars.zip turtles.zip triplep.zip treahunt.zip toypop.zip tokio.zip todruaga.zip tiptop.zip terracre.zip tekipaki.zip tacscan.zip (working sound, text hard to see) hustler.zip Mame2000: turbofrc.zim trog.zim trogp.zim tomahawk.zim toggle.zim timetunl.zim thunderx.zim targ.zim tankfrce.zim tacscan.zim (good text, no sound) bublbobl.zim 3stooges.zim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 I finally watched that video of the "Ultimate Flashback". Very nice how he customized the case and so on. Not my ultimate though - I still prefer the VCS style joysticks I grew up with, and he didn't add 800 support! ? With the Hyperkin Trooper 2 joysticks (USB Atari joysticks with extra buttons) you can do pretty well with a Raspberry Pi running retropi or an Odroid XU4, or an Android TV box running Emuelec. All those are time consuming projects in their own right - and the costs add up. I have built an arcade cabinet running an Android TV box and Emuelec and can vouch for it. The atGames "plug and play" products are real time savers over those types of project builds - though who am I to talk with all the time I spend on these devices!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 I just ran across this: http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/linux/armv7-neon-hf/latest/ The full set of libretro cores built essentially for the right architecture for AFB and LFB. I tried the "Stella2014" core (same we have stock AFAIK) and to my great surprise it "mostly" works. It behaves like the Stella 6.1. No video with the AFB9 retroplayer, but does show video and play games if you flip back to the AFBX retroplayer. I'm particularly interested for the Legends Flashback, since the controllers on those have plenty of buttons and maybe some of the "no BIOS" cores could drop in and just work. I'm guessing the ones that need BIOS or extra files may have trouble because of the way the file-system is structured on these units. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) yes, in my experience, placing the bios is a b****. if they don't go in the same folder as the roms by default, I dont know how to make them work. So behind the scenes I have been helping, but I'm moving slow right now. The Nexus is running on my AFB9 standard edition. It does not work on the Gold version. (a gold version owner could flash the standard version cfw and run the nexus, but your system w/o an sd card would now be standard version. You will lose the 10 bonus games, the gold version theme/skin and I'm guessing also the wireless controllers? but i cant test this. maybe it could be fixed from the sd card since the bluetooth components are in the unit) i wonder if MrFister could make an "all-in-one" afb9gold CFW that includes the missing standard afb9 versions fonts and images the NEXUS pack is looking for. (you could flash back to a gold version with the CFW if you just wanted to try it, or keep the update to restore it. It sucks, but its not a huge deal.) Maybe the control files can make the system ALWAYS look on the card/drive 1st and not on the System itself, but how many paths need edited for that, i have no clue. Also, it seems the NEXUS is pretty much cut and paste for the LFB units to boot. Ive seen some other neat stuff that i havent been able to try out yet. gba support for the LFB now that Rocket has a set of compatible cores. Also I hear stella 6.1 is mostly running on the LFB, I havent been able to try that either. Ive got updates by rocket in the NEXUS pack that use the afb9 retroplayer when it is optimal and the AFBX one when it is. If we get the LFB retroplayer imported, i think it could run stella 6.1 on the 9 and X. Rocket correct me if i got something wrong. Im no expert, guys. Edited March 30, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFister Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) 57 minutes ago, Draxxon said: i wonder if MrFister could make an "all-in-one" afb9gold CFW that includes the missing standard afb9 versions fonts and images the NEXUS pack is looking for. Basically you are just looking for a AFB9Gold CFW w/ the AFB9 fonts and system images correct? And I am assuming you are talking about the system images in the images folder and not the boxart images correct? Tell me exactly what you need. Edited March 30, 2021 by MrFister 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) I havent got it all together yet, but basically yes. the fonts are different across the two versions, and a handful of the /res/images are different or named differently. and yes~correct, not the box art. use the gold as a base, and add the missing standard files. let me see what i can do right now. Edited March 30, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 (edited) I know I'm just the art guy, but this shit looks like a pretty big deal. Is this Sega Genesis FB SOURCE CODE? REMEMBER... Its not April Fools day yet, and I wouldnt do you like that anyways! Thank you to MrFister for telling me where it was. 3680.zip It seems the wayback machine took a snapshot of just the sega fb. Credits – AtGames E-Store Edited March 31, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Taking a quick look, that source looks like the source for the gen_plus_gx core. If you ever find source for one of their retroplayer or retromenu apps I would get really excited! Good to see the Atari 7800 in the Nexus menu!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrZarniwoop Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 27 minutes ago, rocketfan said: Good to see the Atari 7800 in the Nexus menu!!! +1! A good many of the games work well with a 1 button joystick. A few manage it via difficulty switches, such as Atari 7800 Xevious will fire both weapons with one button if the switch is set to the left ("A"), or Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest mapping jump to up direction if switch is set to the right ("B"). Curious if that's handled by the emulator to allow for a few more Atari 7800 games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 (edited) Well, the pack is finished, there were 100 Atari 7800 games added. The non working Atari 800 games were removed. I built the full pack knowing some games wont work. they can always be removed later. This way the full pack can also be dropped into the Legends Flashback "Ultimate" setup Rocketfan is working on, and since there is no list of 1-button 7800 games, we can test each one to see what games actually work on this system. Also, the Nexus Pack works on Atari Flashback 9 HDMI Standard Edition (NOT THE GOLD EDITION) I'm doing some quick testing and Ill upload it this afternoon sometime. Thank you to Rocketfan for the AFB9 support and the Atari 7800 emulator core. Edited March 31, 2021 by Draxxon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Atari Flashback NEXUS - V.0.4.0 (Atari FB9, Atari 7800 Update) This pack will work on an Atari Flashback 9 HDMI Standard Edition, Flashback X and Flashback X Deluxe with CFW installed. NOTE: It will NOT work on an Atari Flashback 9 HDMI Gold Edition. NEXUSv4.rar 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvis Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Has there been any progress with possibly getting paddles to work on the mame version of Warlords? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Draxxon said: Atari Flashback NEXUS - V.0.4.0 (Atari FB9, Atari 7800 Update) C'mon this really has got to be close to the ultimate flashback now - A800, A2600, A5200, A7800 + Atari arcade games... As usual Draxxon puts in a huge amount of work on this stuff so thanks man! Another slight improvement which snuck in there is a cleanup of A800 sound. Some games like Bandits and Space Harrier were (still) glitchy and they are much better if not perfect now. 11 hours ago, MrZarniwoop said: A good many of the games work well with a 1 button joystick. A few manage it via difficulty switches, such as Atari 7800 Xevious will fire both weapons with one button if the switch is set to the left ("A") I had no idea about this - however (again I'm surprised) with left switch "a" and right switch "b" Xevious does fire both. So, at least one of the difficulty switches for the AFBX is recognized. It doesn't seem to quite map the way the document in your link shows though. I have no idea how those switches get read, but maybe I can look at the source for Stella 6.1 and figure it out. The 7800 core is just a prebuilt one from the Libretro folks (God bless them! ? ) but I would be willing to look at a source code version some day and see if a minor hack could provide 100% functionality for the difficulty switches. I should note that it appears the games read the switches at startup. You can't switch them live while the game is running and see an impact. Edited April 1, 2021 by rocketfan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, rocketfan said: C'mon this really has got to be close to the ultimate flashback now - A800, A2600, A5200, A7800 + Atari arcade games... As usual Draxxon puts in a huge amount of work on this stuff so thanks man! dont forget Atari BASIC, all the Atari Age homebrew games and the atari flashback 1-X+portables & R77 unreleased originals! so, lynx... does it work? any one buttoners? Edited April 1, 2021 by Draxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draxxon Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 5 hours ago, Velvis said: Has there been any progress with possibly getting paddles to work on the mame version of Warlords? I have not. I only tested paddles with A2600 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketfan Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 (edited) WXYZ - working one button games! (And I'm through with that) FBA: zzyzzyxx.zip zodiack.zip zerozone.zip (naughty one, BTW) youma.zip yiear.zip wrofaero.zip wiping.zip whoopee.zip warpwarp.zip warofbug.zip wanted.zip Mame2000: yosakdon.zim xybots.zim - This is an Atari game - level 1 seems playable, level 2 you can't seem to turn to face the enemies. Anyone know if there is a second control or something? wjammers.zim - Not 100% sure there is not a second button needed. wacko.zim Also - these games (and others like bublbobl.zim) would be playable if you map joystick up to the second control: xsleena.zim wwestern.zim wboy.zim However, on my test drive I can't get into the mame config at the moment - is that from using AFB9 retroplayer? With all the changes I'm not sure... Edited April 1, 2021 by rocketfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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