Features in the next PlayGuy

[playguy]

Hey,

I'm going over features to include in PlayGuy 1.03b. More than likely, GameLink support won't be added in the next version, as it will require a significant restructuring of the code. I will have to do some research to figure out how to do various kinds of blitters/filters. If anyone can point to some information on how to do stuff like this, that would be great. Maybe I should allow external plugins? Features which are likely to be in the next version include...

* Snapshots - What formats to support? Maybe PNG and BMP?
* Game Cheats
* Some timing improvements in Video Blitting - hopefully will run better on slower PCs.
* What else?

-JC

[Edea]

I can only speak for myself but definately PNG for the screenshots. BMP not important to me. And a cheats option would make it easier for me to make good screenshots without having to put too much time into a game. I still have hundreds of games to do.

It just keeps getting better and better!  http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Angel316]

Well filters... Cause nintedo is a 8 bit system.. blow that up to full screen and EWWWW!... well u get my point. I need stop playing ro, and my psx and focus on the emulators.

[playguy]

I've been looking at the 2xSai engine (zsnes uses it), but I'm having trouble building a hello world program with it. It's annoying. Arg. Well it was late last night, so maybe I'm missing something or was just too tired.

-JC

[Reina]

How bout .Gif for a pict format? That would make things alot easier for me anyways...

[playguy]

GIF has restrictive licensing for creating files, even on freeware. And it's rediculously priced too. GIF was developed by Unisys, which was acquired by CompuServe, which isn't it owned by AOL now? So now AOL-TIme Warner? That's why PNG was created. If you want GIF you will have to use a conversion tool. Possibly a third party conversion tool could be integrated into PlayGuy, I dunno.

-JC

[Rodney Jason]

could jpg be used?

[playguy]

Yeah,

JPG [B]could[\B] be used, it's freely available. Though for computer generated images - like a video game screen - JPG typically doesn't compress as well (quality vs. size) as formats like GIF and PNG. I only include BMP as an unadulturated, interchangable format. JPG is better for photographs and the like.

JC

[playguy]

I tested it on a game (super mario bros dx), it's not too bad with JPG, if you can live with the artifacts, but the PNG image looked much better, for about the same file size.

[playguy]

PNG image...

[playguy]

JPG image w/ artifacts...

[Cero]

Go with png. Nes is 8-bit, so you wont NEED a format that supports millions of colors. http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif And I also vote for a Cheats system.

[playguy]

Nes? Nes? Nes?
This is GameBoy :P

[Cero]

Ah sorry. Hehe, was playing RockNesX at the time I made that post. http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif But the same thing applies. GB and GBC dont have the power to show millions of colors at one time. So I still vote for png.

[Reina]

I agree for the cheats...

How bout 20+ save-state slots... I use em alot of multiple slots for those options in the game that changes the story (especially in Pokémon)

[playguy]

hmm,

I could possibly let you configure the number of slots that you want to appear in the GUI. Too many by defualt will make it cluttered for the average user. How many could one posssibly want? I was orignally going to make 10. I thought that I could use a couple keys, maybe PAGE_UP and PAGE_DOWN to increment/decrement the slot w/ a little message to tell you the slot you are currently in.

JC

[playguy]

OH, OH, OH, I know, I'll put the current save slot in the status bar that PlayGuy now has - well, will have in the next release. (See screenshots above.)

JC

[Reina]

Hmmm... well the top line of "letter" keys on the average keyboard (Q-P) is exactly 10... anymore could be possibly set in other letters http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[playguy]

or 1 through 0 above

[playguy]

Also,

The real time clock in MBC3 games should be fixed in the next release for games which use it - Pokemon series games which keep track of real time, e.g.

It should (theortically) work when saving to SRAM, using save states, and pausing. I'm pretty sure the stategy will work at least with Pokemon games. I'll have it in a seperate .RTC file saved along with the SRAM .GBS file. Maybe even have a emulator dialog to fiddle with the time?

JC

[playguy]

I've got snapshots done - BMP and PNG images. Though I want to add an option or two to scale them up. Wrote code from scratch based on image specifications to keep the code size and complexity down. Probably easier than fooling around with libraries. I'm guessing maybe a release of the next version in a week or so depending on my progress this next week. I've decided to forego game cheats until the next version (maybe game cheats and SGB support in 1.04?).

JC

[Rastan]

<font color='#000000'>Features I would be interested in are an option for turbo buttons. And it would be nice if i could redefine the key used for fast forwarding. &nbsp;I don't know how hard this would be to implement, but they would be nice features.

Rastan</font>

[Io0011ver2]

<font color='#000000'>Hmmm, dont know about you peoples, but here are the features I have liked on other emulators and would like to see in Play Guy:

- Dos mode(Makes the games run so much better)

- Speeds up to 1000% or faster(Certain games are annoying at the normal speed of 100%)

- The abillity to two players on two seperate PlayGuy's

- GameLink abillity(If possible, the Japanese Infared GameLink would be helpful for certain games)

- Play Guy border resembling the type of handheld you're playing with.(Just would be graphically different than the other emulators out there)

- The abillity to visually see the game link and the abillity to "connect" and "disconnect" to local Play Guy's.

Just some things that would be kinda nice. &nbsp;http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif</font>

[kcar181]

<font color='#000000'>I really like the rar support &nbsp;http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif</font>

[Jevous]

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Quote (Io0011ver2 @ Oct. 17 2002,14:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><font color='#000000'>- Play Guy border resembling the type of handheld you're playing with.(Just would be graphically different than the other emulators out there)</font>[/b][/quote]
<font color='#000000'>Yeah, I've also thought bout this. It wouldn't really improve Playguy technically but it would sure be cool to see the actual gameboy and the window is where the gb's screen is.</font>

[Takezo]

<font color='#000000'>CABLE GAME LINK!!!!!! PLEASE JUST THIS, THE POKEMON MATCHES WILL COME TRUE!!!! PLEASE, IT'S SO HARD TO EMULATE IT??? I HAVE SOME HOPES ON YOUR JOB, GREAT JOB!!!!! THIS IS THE BEST EMULATOR OF GB, FILTERS, SOUND, EVERYTHING PERFECT!!!!!!!
NOW, TO WAIT YOU and new versions....
http://www.emuxhaven.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cheeburga.gif</font>

[playguy]

<font color='#000000'>Hey all,

Sorry for no recent updates or anything. I've been on kind of on a hiatus from working on PlayGuy since working on this new software development contract. As things slow down and I have a more regular schedule I can get back to PlayGuy.

So please hang in there and be patient.

J.c.</font>

[kcar181]

<font color='#FF7F00'>hehe np jc. Your emu is the best right now :P probably take time to make it better..... as for me I can't wait for the perfection ^_-</font>

[LordDamien]

<font color='#000000'>First I'd like to say this emulator is the best I've ever tried. Finally someone put a V-sync option in a GBC emu(this is a godsend, bye-bye screen tearing).

Anyhow I have a few littles things that are in the "would be nice" category of features to suggest.

The ability to map the fast foward key as well as the quick save state and quick load state keys to the controller.

perhaps some autofire feature would be nice too.

these things are icing on the cake of course as this emulator already rocks :o)

---Damien</font>