Edit: List of features and their status follows
Edit2: Marked features whose Linux implementations will require significant rewriting.
I am still open to requests.
The list so far:
Previously Implemented
numeric save-state loading moved from number to ctrl-shift-number, to free up 1-0 for use as gamekeys (windows only)
2 or 3 player input display using RGB channels. (probably windows only)
controller settings loaded from GMV (and restored on GMV close)
GMV auto-closes on movie end.
Allow read-only to be toggled during movie playback (Nitsuja did this)
Implemented by Nitsuja
Graphical layers can be enabled-disabled
Sound-soften filters implemented
Auto-hold feature implemented (Only works on controller 1 and 2)
Auto-fire feature implemented (Only works on controlelr 1 and 2)
Frame counter can optionally be displayed in frames instead of MM:SS:FF
Option to disable numeric savestate loading.
Implemented before return home
No longer warns on different controller settings (windows only)
Warns on GMV controller settings unknown (windows only)
Stretch while maintaining aspect ratio (doesn't work with full screen blits) (windows only)
Config definable full screen resolution (windows only)
Option for no resolution change on full screen (windows only)
Less cluttered menu style (Slowdown, AVI dumping, and movie playback moved to "TAS Tools" menu) (windows only)
(Optional) Movies default to read-only checked (can be configured in config)
Movies default to read-only checked can change in Options->Misc (Windows Only)
Save and load slowdown speed from config
Separate joypad config dialog to allow for reassignment of keys individually (instead of having to go in order "up down left right a b c start x y z mode") (windows only)
Merging Nitsuja's changes in
Auto Pause on movie end if movie is not in read only mode (to allow for rerecording without having to reopen movie.)
Now Implemented
Option to disable movie AutoClose on console reset
Am working on
High Priority
Bookmarking savestate system (as an alternative to slotted savestates)
Adding Sound Rate data into GMV format for correct sync on all games. (and generalized GMV format upgrade)
24 & 32 bit color support (IE, no display change on startup)
Porting IdeaMagnate's cheat search to Windows.
Low Priority
Sega CD syncing correctly on movie replay (IE, TASable SegaCD)
Fixing YM2612_Restore to save and reload states without desyncing certain games
Better font for displaying frame counter. (Adding a menu for font choice.)
Am not working on
sms/gg support (beyond my current abilities)
Again, feature requests are still open
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
Ability to run in 32 bit colour depth is the thing i think would go best.
Some sync options would be nice too if possible. A slight example would be the controller settings, whatever input (eg 3/6) is present in the movie is configured to that for the movie playback. Maybe sound settings also would fit under this, as i've tried playing some of the movies on the site from gmvs and have had 0 success in playing them, and its the only reason i can come up with as to why they don't work.
Joined: 2/15/2005
Posts: 246
Location: Torquay, England
When in fullscreen mode, Gens should have an option to stretch the display to fit (Of course, keeping the aspect ratio correct) and not change the resolution, and any windows that you open (e.g. options) shouldn't make it change back to windowed mode. Basically, just how VBA does it.
Why I suggested that: Some windows will cause the display to screw up when they're opened in fullscreen. And besides, it's annoying to keep switching in and out of fullscreen.
That other 10% of SegaCD support, of course. (99.9% re-recording stability on SegaCD games.)
Atma wrote:
Some sync options would be nice too if possible. A slight example would be the controller settings ... Maybe sound settings also would fit under this ...
I think he already did controller settings, although the dialog box still warns you about it. Sound settings definitely make a difference, though. For example, see this Vectorman submission. If the sound rate is not set to 22050 by 4:02:00 in the movie, the upcoming boss takes longer to appear, causing the the movie to desync. Also, there is a major bug with savestates which you can see by saving and loading on frame 4:02:01 of that movie, even while the sound rate is 22050. The YM2612_Restore function seems to be to blame for it, because it fails to fully restore the YM2612 after resetting it.
I have a few changes already done (autofire, autohold, numeric frame counter, sound soften filter, high quality PSG/DAC options, EDIT: and disabling graphics layers), so don't spend time on those.
That other 10% of SegaCD support, of course. (99.9% re-recording stability on SegaCD games.)
Atma wrote:
Some sync options would be nice too if possible. A slight example would be the controller settings ... Maybe sound settings also would fit under this ...
Sound settings definitely make a difference. For example, see this Vectorman submission. If the sound rate is not set to 22050 by 4:02:00 in the movie, the upcoming boss takes longer to appear, causing the the movie to desync.
I'll work on adding sound sync stuff to GMV loading/saving, but unfortunately, this is not currently saved anywhere in the GMV format, so it won't fix people's issues with movies that have already been made.
I'll also work on sprucing up the YM2612 save and restore functions.
Edit: GMV, not GYM
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
Joined: 2/15/2005
Posts: 246
Location: Torquay, England
upthorn wrote:
I'll work on adding sound sync stuff to GYM loading/saving, but unfortunately, this is not currently saved anywhere in the GYM format, so it won't fix people's issues with movies that have already been made.
How's that anything to do with movies? GYM is for dumping sound.
* FCEU-style dropdown boxes for locating movies. Requires auto-searching for matching checksum, as well.
* Less cluttered menu style (Move the movie controls to their own menu)
* Default to read-only checked
* Allow read-only to be toggled during movie playback
* Frame display instead of mm:ss:frames
* Better font for displaying above (Ask Acmlm, I gave him a new one with A-Z and some other stuff to implement)
And last, but most certainly not least:
* NOT CHANGING SCREEN RESOLUTION ON START
If you choose "Open ROM" then hit cancel, it ends the currently active movie, which it probably shouldn't do.
upthorn wrote:
Default to read-only checked
In addition to defaulting to read-only the first time Gens is run, it should save the checkbox's state in the config file (using WritePrivateProfileString) and restore it each time the dialog is opened, rather than always resetting to read-only.
Joined: 2/15/2005
Posts: 246
Location: Torquay, England
Indeed.
By the way, an idea I had a long time back for the movie recording (keys are all configurable of course):
v - Resync all marks (plays movie from start as fast as CPU allows, and whenever it gets to a mark, updates the savestate for that mark)
b - Go to previous mark
n - Mark/unmark this frame (marked frames save as savestates so you can get to them quick, and you don't accidentally overwrite them)
m - Go to next mark
, (comma) - Rewind movie to start, and play
. (dot) - Toggle record/play mode
/ (slash) - Save and close movie
Movie pauses at end instead of just ending, so you can begin recording from where you left off.
The marking features would certainly save a lot of trouble with remembering which savestate is which, and for making more than 10 points in the game to continue from. You could mark e.g. the beginning of the level, or significant places within the level, or if you're doing something tricky you could mark however many frames you liked.
nitsuja>Has anybody implemented a cheat search or memory viewer feature for Gens?
Yes, I have an older (non-rerecording) version of Gens which has that. It was given to me by Bladegash, via this link:
http://www.emulation64.com/tutorials/gens/downloads/gens210-mk2-bin.zip
But there is no source in that zip file and I don't know where it can be found.
For Upthorn, two other things that might be nice to have:
- ROM checksum in GMV file. (I realize that it doesn't fit in the current format.)
- Ability to disable graphics layers. I don't know if Genesis works in the same way as SNES in this regard but I know that I have wanted to see through an obstructing layer more than once.
Everything else I wanted is already on your list. The most important item being RAM search and viewer.
I tried out the new input display for multiple player movies... I'm afraid I don't like it very much. :/ It takes too much brainpower to remember which player is which color and figure out which combinations of colors become which players, when it could be so much easier.
My suggestion: Keep the different colors for the players, but make the box higher and give them a line each.
Just for the record, I like the current font, and if you're changing from mm:ss:ff to frames, I think it should be optional in the Option -> Misc menu.
- Ability to disable graphics layers. I don't know if Genesis works in the same way as SNES in this regard but I know that I have wanted to see through an obstructing layer more than once.
Truncated wrote:
if you're changing from mm:ss:ff to frames, I think it should be optional in the Option -> Misc menu.
Both of these are already done.
Truncated wrote:
But there is no source in that zip file and I don't know where it can be found.
That's too bad, I can't find it anywhere either. But it looks like most of it came from Snes9x. And ideally it wouldn't be a modal dialog.
- ROM checksum in GMV file. (I realize that it doesn't fit in the current format.)
If we're going to mess with the GMV format, it's better to have some sort of dedicated discussion then make all the changes at once. Having two incompatible formats called GMV doesn't sound like fun.
- ROM checksum in GMV file. (I realize that it doesn't fit in the current format.)
If we're going to mess with the GMV format, it's better to have some sort of dedicated discussion then make all the changes at once. Having two incompatible formats called GMV doesn't sound like fun.
I strongly agree with you about that.
That's the major reason I'm not doing anything to GMV right now.
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
I agree, I was just hoping that there was some magical way you could fit it in that I had overlooked. (I'm not that good at programming really, so it's not impossible.)
Create a new format called "GMX", and leave plenty of space for new things to be added later, so that you can freely add new information to the GMX format as needed.
(of course, maintain backwards compatibility with GMV if at all possible)
Create a new format called "GMX", and leave plenty of space for new things to be added later, so that you can freely add new information to the GMX format as needed.
(of course, maintain backwards compatibility with GMV if at all possible)
Nah, no need.
There's already a switch upon loading GMV that checks its version, and reads things differently depending on it.
So even if we end up making significant changes to the format all we need to do is add a case, and change the version number it writes in.
The problem about adding data without a dedicated discussion is that there are three coders who think that GMV needs to be improved. And we may have different ideas about how to do it.
If IdeaMagnate and Nitsuja and I each improve GMV separately, then we have three incompatible file formats called GMV.
If we called our improvements GMX, then we'd just have three incompatible formats called GMX--not really a solution.
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
