Gamestation Pro

[GB_Baker]

Additional observations about how the GSP configures the provided controller for different game categories.  There appears to be three configurations; non paddle,  stella paddle, and retroarch paddle.  When you are launching Retroarch from the @fluxit's patched firmware using the runme.sh, it matters what game you select through Local Storage and the GSP game menu.  Select any non-paddle game and the udev driver in Retroarch 1.18 will detect all of the buttons and joystick directions, but no paddle axis will be active.  Launch retroarch by selecting Atari 2600 Breakout in the GSP game menu and all buttons and joystick directions will be available and the +0 axis right rotation for the paddle will be available.  If you launch retroarch from an arcade paddle game like Avalanche in the GSP game menu, then only the buttons and paddle will be functional.  The joystick gets disabled and now the -0 (left rotation) and +0 (right rotation) axis will be active for the paddle.  If you want to play a game through retroarch with both the + and - 0 axis active for the paddle, you will need a non-GSP controller like an xbox controller or a keyboard so you will be able to navigate as the GSP joystick will be disabled.

 

Attached my udev autoconfig file for the GSP controller.

ShanWan Twin USB Joystick.cfg

Edited April 8 by GB_Baker

[big_guitar]

8 hours ago, GB_Baker said:

I think there is some kind of udev/evdev rule that gets triggered by the GSP game binary or particular games.  I have used jstest-sdl to see when the paddle (axis +0) is active.  If you are using the patched firmware to launch into RetroArch from any game in the GSP paddle game menu, the paddle will be active and available to any retroarch core.  There is something funny going on because my RPi 5 sees the GSP paddle as Axis +/-5.  

I know there are tmp files that come about when the GSP app runs, I was thinking of comparing some tmp files depending on how game launch was triggered.

[big_guitar]

8 hours ago, Airwolfman said:

Would someone be willing to list step-by-step how to write, install and configure the files from A to Z, or even ZIP up the file structure into a downloadable?

Did you see my Windows interface build here ? (also note related comments on that same page)

It makes deployment of games with other cores a little easier IMO, especially if you're not big into editing scripts.  It makes additions to the games.db schema, but those do not negatively impact the core GSP application at all.

 

I provide PDF instructions in the zip file on getting started using Intellivision as an example.  Actually even without reading the PDFs, I built a Quick Start feature in the windows app to help you establish your first Intellivision game deployment.  Most of the instructions for CV will be somewhat similar.  I haven't gotten to documenting a CV example, but so far the most robust RA core for CV is with using FBNEO, but that one's a bit more involved to get working properly. 

Edited April 8 by big_guitar

[Airwolfman]

On 4/8/2024 at 8:00 AM, big_guitar said:

Did you see my Windows interface build here ?

It makes deployment of games with other cores a little easier IMO, especially if you're not big into editing scripts.

I forgot to check back on the 1.30c board before asking - thank you! What a nice way to make things easy for everyone.

I just began. So now I am trying to figure out where the download link is on https://docs.libretro.com/library/freeintv/#bios for exec.bin  and grom.bin. Although the page lists the following, they are not clickable.

 

BIOS¶

Required or optional firmware files go in the frontend's system directory.

Filename	Description	md5sum
exec.bin	Executive ROM - Required	62e761035cb657903761800f4437b8af
grom.bin	Graphics ROM - Required	0cd5946c6473e42e8e4c2137785e427f

 

I tried looking through all the linked downloads and the two files do not appear in any of them. What am i missing?

 

Can't wait to add my first CV game, too. I'm trying to do everything in parallel to the INTV instructions with BlueMSX.

 

Thanks again.

Edited April 9 by Airwolfman
Needed to add more detail

[Airwolfman]

After some digging, I found exec.bin in the INTV.zip file at this location:

https://wowroms.com/en/roms/mame/intellivision/85329.html

But I still haven't found grom.bin. Will post an update for anyone else that needs it.

[Airwolfman]

After some more digging, I found the .bin BIOS files, as well as one for ColecoVision, here:

https://archive.org/details/bizhawk-firmware-2.9.0

[Airwolfman]

Thank you so much again, @big_guitar. I'm happy to say that following your directions for GSPgames.exe I got Stonix up and running on my GSP...sort of. One hitch so far is that it runs one way but not the other.

 

It plays fine when I select the stonix.md file from Games\triggers via folder navigation. But I'm afraid it doesn't run at all when I select it from the GUI, nor do the graphics show up. It does momentarily pause the GUI music like it's trying to run. I've double and triple-checked my games.ini entry, which is:

[stonix]
display_name=Stonix
suffix=.md
release_date=2004
players=1
class_type=4
game_type=2
hard=5
save=0
timer=/Games/triggers
about="Stonix"
controls="HOW TO START:
- Press A or SELECT to get into the options screen.

SETTINGS (Press MENU button):
- GAME CONTROLS are not supported.
- SAVE MENU is supported.

CONTROLS: 
- A-Fire
- B-PopupMenu
- C-# value assigned via popup action"
vertical=0

The images reside in Games/triggers/ along with the .md file as instructed, too. I wonder why it plays correctly one way and not the other.

 

I can confirm these files/folders are present on the SD as instructed:

racfg\gsp1_free_stonix.cfg

racfg\runme.sh

cores\freeintv_libretro.so

games\INTV\exec.bin

games\INTV\grom.bin

games\INTV\stonix.rom

triggers\stonix.md

triggers\stonix.jpg

triggers\stonix.png

triggers\stonix_menu.png

triggers\stonix_title.png

logs

Edited April 9 by Airwolfman

[big_guitar]

2 hours ago, Airwolfman said:

I'm happy to say that following your directions for GSPgames.exe I got Stonix up and running on my GSP...sort of.

Well that's the first acknowledgement I've received so far, congrats!  😀

 

4 hours ago, Airwolfman said:

After some more digging, I found the .bin BIOS files, as well as one for ColecoVision,

Yeah, archive.org is a good source to check for various things.

 

2 hours ago, Airwolfman said:

One hitch so far is that it runs one way but not the other.

If you used the deployment screen for quick start in the Windows app and allowed the action buttons to do all the work, and saw all the green checkmarks, you wouldn't need to mess with the INI file at all.

 

The INI method is sort of a competing path for editing, so you'd want to be careful if you're using both, but you don't need to use it if you're using the windows editor, and if you're using the windows app for cores outside of the GSP, it's probably best to stick with the Windows app (at least when you need triggers), because you have to perform some editing there anyway.  You could end up overwriting some game data that was edited using the Windows program, unless you first dumped a fresh ini file after using the windows app.

 

It looks like you left out the "/sdcard/" portion of the 'timer' file path. 

 

When you're writing to a Windows path, you of course would not reference "/sdcard/", but the path seen by the GSP for root folders needs either the "/sdcard/" prefix or "/data/" (a different folder) since that 'data' path is recognized due to the nature of how @Brad_from_the_80s deployed the 1.30c update.  Not to be confused, those options are NOT pointing to the same folder. 

 

So there is a '/data/Games' folder, and a separate '/sdcard/Games' folder. 

From a Windows perspective, those would look like (depending on drive letter):    T:\data\Games    and   T:\Games

 

With the quick start, I wasn't really using the /data/ folder.

I'm just used to forcing the /sdcard/ prefix in front of everything from the original update from @fluxit. 

 

Additionally, if you use /data/Games for the gui entry, those will not be seen via folder nav.  You can have the best of both worlds if you keep the trigger file under /sdcard/Games. 

 

Your GAMES record should look something like this if you open it in the Windows app... 

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by big_guitar

[big_guitar]

4 hours ago, Airwolfman said:

But I'm afraid it doesn't run at all when I select it from the GUI, nor do the graphics show up.

So in the other thread, I posted this information that paints the picture for how the records should look in the database. 

The windows app was originally meant as an alternative editor for the games database, so you don't have to work with the INI file.

[Airwolfman]

6 hours ago, big_guitar said:

Well that's the first acknowledgement I've received so far, congrats!  😀

The INI method is sort of a competing path for editing, so you'd want to be careful if you're using both, but you don't need to use it if you're using the windows editor, and if you're using the windows app for cores outside of the GSP,

Sooo...I'm still adding Atari and Arcade games via the games.ini file. Each time I set update_db=1 so the GSP will load in the new GUI entries. I'm pretty comfortable adding games that way as it's quick and easy to copy and modify prior entries. Would simultaneously adding the other ROMs via GSP Games overwrite one or the other? If so, I might have to wait to do one method after the other.

[big_guitar]

31 minutes ago, Airwolfman said:

Sooo...I'm still adding Atari and Arcade games via the games.ini file. Each time I set update_db=1 so the GSP will load in the new GUI entries. I'm pretty comfortable adding games that way as it's quick and easy to copy and modify prior entries. Would simultaneously adding the other ROMs via GSP Games overwrite one or the other? If so, I might have to wait to do one method after the other.

So you likely wiped out the games file I created via the quick start feature.  

 

Each time you edit a games record entry with the Windows app, if you want to go back to the ini method, you then have to 

• Close the windows app
• Delete /data/games.ini from SD
• Put SD in GSP, start it
• let Brad's script regenerate the games.ini based on the database games table.
• Turn off the GSP, remove SD, and go back to editing the ini file

You don't lose any data this way, that's how Brad designed it. Any existing or new game data in the database will be dumped to the ini file fresh if it doesn't exist.

 

In his original post, it is stated:

 

"Delete the /data/games.ini file and the startup script will generate a new one from games.db"

 

Note, in the windows app, I do provide a way to store a game entry as a template, and when you create a new record, you can load the template to have your default values filled in. Of course the image files are a manual thing mostly, but I do provide a way to deploy those to the trigger path by selecting the source files from your hard drive.

Edited April 10 by big_guitar

[Airwolfman]

Well I've taken a break from trying to do both until I finish inserting the rest of the games for use with existing cores, particularly because I've experienced an unintended consequence: all the games take longer to load now. Instead of 2 seconds it takes each one about 10 seconds to load.

[big_guitar]

On 4/13/2024 at 8:24 PM, Airwolfman said:

Well I've taken a break from trying to do both until I finish inserting the rest of the games for use with existing cores, particularly because I've experienced an unintended consequence: all the games take longer to load now. Instead of 2 seconds it takes each one about 10 seconds to load.

I haven't experienced anything like 2 to 10, but here's a different runme file to try the next time around. It might increase load times about 1 second or so. 

Even without a runme, the Jungle2014-2016 cores take the longest to load on their own, they are quite slow.  The FBNeo core takes a while to load as well.

runme.zip

[tcpuccio1]

Ok there are 55 pages in this thread and the answer to my question is probably in this thread I just put in the wrong search criteria I guess? . Here's my question. I bought one of these and love it brings me back to my youth   I figured out how to get 2600 and 7800 series games on it and have played them. what about 800 games which is the main reason I bought this it was by far my favorite Atari platform. from making my own home brew games to writing a BBS system. the rom set I found on here appears to have a different file .extension  will those work on this system or did I grab the wrong rom set off a different thread on here.  there are 3 games I really want to play on this game system. Miner, Bounty Bob and basic Pac-man. if they are part of a complete rom set great I will pick them out of the bunch. will that .extension work of do I have to change something?  the .a26 and .a78 games work well. shooting for the 800 series if it's even possible? 

[Atari8264]

22 hours ago, tcpuccio1 said:

Ok there are 55 pages in this thread and the answer to my question is probably in this thread I just put in the wrong search criteria I guess? . Here's my question. I bought one of these and love it brings me back to my youth   I figured out how to get 2600 and 7800 series games on it and have played them. what about 800 games which is the main reason I bought this it was by far my favorite Atari platform. from making my own home brew games to writing a BBS system. the rom set I found on here appears to have a different file .extension  will those work on this system or did I grab the wrong rom set off a different thread on here.  there are 3 games I really want to play on this game system. Miner, Bounty Bob and basic Pac-man. if they are part of a complete rom set great I will pick them out of the bunch. will that .extension work of do I have to change something?  the .a26 and .a78 games work well. shooting for the 800 series if it's even possible? 

There are Atari 5200 versions of all 3 games.  The Atari 5200 was very similar to the Atari 8 bit computers.  The 5200 file extension is .a52 

[Airwolfman]

Has anyone tried adding .chd games like Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Mach 3?

[+Mocotechprfl]

8 hours ago, Airwolfman said:

Has anyone tried adding .chd games like Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Mach 3?

I've has ZERO luck with any laser disk games. Especially since I am DYING to play Konami Badlands again! I tried multiple times in different ways, with no success.

[big_guitar]

4 hours ago, Mocotechprfl said:

I've has ZERO luck with any laser disk games

So kbadlands.zip doesn't work with mame 2003, or are there multiple zip versions, one specifically for CHD based? 

Did you try the appropriate zip files with 2014 or 2016 mame?   Also it could be that GSP hardware is insufficient.

[big_guitar]

I see those chd files go in subfolders and are typically quite large, so I wouldn't expect that the GSP would handle those very well.

Yeah, some those are choppy even under Windows.  I got some to work under mame2003-plus core with older rom sets, but I doubt many of them would work on GSP. 

Slow loads under Windows, needs to fast forward sometimes.

Edited April 24 by big_guitar

[big_guitar]

I could not find badlands.chd anywhere (goes with kbadlands.zip), but I got area51 to load in decent time in Windows, so I tried it on GSP using mame2003-plus, it seemed to load in an acceptable amount of time also, however the audio and play was choppy as expected, but not nearly as bad as my attempts at playing 3DO games.  The available cores for 3DO just do not perform well with that hardware.

I could play the area51 game (that has a chd with it in its subfolder), but it was not ideal.  I imagine you'd be pumping plenty of quarters/tokens into the machine to play this for very long.  It was difficult to use my analog xbox controller stick for aiming. 

I have my GSP going through a capture device into an old laptop with OBS at this time, a sample screenshot.  

Edited April 24 by big_guitar

[Spanner]

Has anyone fixed out how to get this to boot for the sd card, well partly boots from it so it boots the Linux system from the nand then boots everything else from the sd card, including its menu, that what I do with PCUAE, even the carousel is run from the usb stick, it make it easier to update it you just add the files or replace them, no need to flash them any more, you just copy the files it to the sd card, you can even have libs on the sd card but not links so they have to be the real files if its using FAT32 it does not support symbolic links, only ext3 or 4 does.

[big_guitar]

37 minutes ago, Spanner said:

Has anyone fixed out how to get this to boot for the sd card, well partly boots from it so it boots the Linux system from the nand then boots everything else from the sd card, including its menu, that what I do with PCUAE, even the carousel is run from the usb stick, it make it easier to update it you just add the files or replace them, no need to flash them any more, you just copy the files it to the sd card, you can even have libs on the sd card but not links so they have to be the real files if its using FAT32 it does not support symbolic links, only ext3 or 4 does.

it is recommended to use exFAT with GSP, but we've tested creating symlinks for using library files from the SD card, and that has worked... just established the links with a separate runme, but in the end did not serve the purposes I was looking for.

[big_guitar]

15 hours ago, big_guitar said:

I could play the area51 game

To be clear, this particular CHD game does work with the built-in retroarch as well as mame2003-plus.

For those HUGE games previously referenced (with 12+gb CHD files), to even be considered would probably require a newer mame libretro build like 0.262, but I haven't found one out there for linux-arm, and I'm sure the mame core alone would take quite some time to load, but dealing with a multi-gig chd, not so likely to be handled well on the GSP.  I would expect to see "segmentation fault" errors like I do with the older build references.

Edited April 24 by big_guitar

[Airwolfman]

On 4/23/2024 at 11:04 PM, big_guitar said:

I have my GSP going through a capture device into an old laptop with OBS at this time, a sample screenshot.

Could you post some 720p screenshot samples of the GSP GUI main screen, arcade screen and game details screen? Might be able to use them.

Edited April 25 by Airwolfman

[Airwolfman]

Does anyone have an artwork zip file for Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator in the compatible .art format?