A new Amstrad CPC emulator has arrived on the ds and it's real good.
https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/SugarDS
Fantastic news!
How does it compare to AmeDS?
So much better. You won't regret downloading it
Exciting. I was just playing Head Over Heels on my DS yesterday!
A new update is being today 0.8
Hi,
Nice to see another emulator for the DS/DSi, I will have to take time to try it.
One question, your save/load state feature is something different than the snapshot format which is already supported ?
I wrote about it on my Amstrad web site.
V0.9 is available
And now v1.0
Greetings Programs!
I'm actually the developer of SugarDS. Nigel is a friend of mine.
I've worked hard on SugarDS - having slept with the CRTC Compendium [v1.8] under my virtual pillow at night. Most games run quite well on the old DS/DSi handhelds - but there are still a few that I haven't got running yet. My emulation is accurate to about half-a-scanline... good enough for most games, but not for some of the really hard-hitting games that really rely on cycle-accurate emulation. But games like Prehistorik II and Super Cauldron work fine as do most of the original commercial releases and a large number of homebrews. I have a section in the readme file with the half-dozen games that I have yet to get working. Hardest thing to get right was the horizontal scrolling (of which I was only able to get 2-pixel accuracy ... so it's not quite as smooth as a real CPC machine but close enough for handheld use).
I've just released version 1.2 with some cleanup and minor timing improvements. I hope people get some enjoyment from this... I've really enjoyed learning about the Amstrad CPC hardware!
https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/SugarDS
(https://scontent-bos5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/506401995_10238168091045025_7509015844584076080_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=zvYiBoZKNAEQ7kNvwEqORkO&_nc_oc=Adk0pMteSPHvRgzpME561UBS8AaqXHkJ4BxJRWV65P7j9IO9-k1RiDHfIq9ZMYJmJ3Q&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.xx&_nc_gid=MLt8zzaTJag1BEqlytwJXw&oh=00_AfMmNx7C1D3Q6bGKV4vLCp0_tcHOTm0RsR7RD2DY7Tz7kw&oe=685C8BEB)
Can you show what MODE 2 and MODE 1 look like?
The DS/DSi only has 256 pixels horizontally so Mode 1 has to be compressed slightly (though if it's not using the full resolution it can be stretched back out somewhat). Still... Mode 1 fares pretty well on the little handheld. I also have two buffers and shift one by a half-pixel (yes, this is actually possible on DS hardware!) and blend them so to the eye, it fakes a reasonable looking screen.
(about:invalid)
Mode 2 is where things start to get very dicey for me. 640+ pixels compressed down to 256 looks pretty unreadable... so I have a 'Pan-and-Scan' mode which renders the pixels 1:1 but you must use the shoulder-buttons and/or the top of the touch-screen area (up by the Amstrad Logo) to pan-and-scan left/right to see the full screen. I use this while playing Orion Prime.
(about:invalid)
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Hmmm... my pics didn't post that time. Let's try this again.
Mode 1:
mode-1.png
Mode 2:
mode-2.png
I've got a 2DS (New) with Homebrew Launcher. Is it possible to run this through there? Explain to me like I'm five please :D
Quote from: dthrone on 10:24, 22 June 25I've got a 2DS (New) with Homebrew Launcher. Is it possible to run this through there? Explain to me like I'm five please :D
As I don't have a 2DS/3DS, nor have I ever used Homebrew Launcher... I'd also have to have it explained to me like I'm five :)
My
understanding is that people have run all of my emulators (I have 11 of them now covering all manner of 8-bit systems) on the 2DS/3DS. But there are so many ways and means of doing so that it's beyond me. I specifically target the DS/DSi/XL/LL handhelds via an R4 card (flash card) or via Twilight Menu++ launcher (via SD card). I leave other possibilities up to the reader.
Kudos
@wavemotion-dave . Your new CPC emulator rocks.
I exclusively use CPC game patches on my GX4000 in CPR format, and it works perfectly.
Are you planning any other developments for Sugar CPC, such as Amstrad Plus support or vertical resizing to be able to play overscanned games like Arkanoid or Tempest 8) ?
Quote from: iXien on 12:53, 02 July 25Are you planning any other developments for Sugar CPC, such as Amstrad Plus support or vertical resizing to be able to play overscanned games like Arkanoid or Tempest 8) ?
Amstrad Plus support is on my list... but not immediately.
You can play overscanned games by scaling the screen. Use the L/R shoulder buttons with the d-pad to position (offset) or scale the screen. And make use of the PAN UP/DOWN feature by mapping those to some otherwise unused DS buttons... this will let you instantly pan the screen up/down briefly while you hold the button and it will smooth-scroll back into place. This works really well for games that have status/score at the very top/bottom where you can safely place it just off screen while you concentrate on the main playing area on the DS screen and then tap the PAN UP/DOWN button to get a glimpse of it.
And thanks for the kind words!!
Hey folks.
Only seeing this thread after
@iXien informed me about this on another thread.
I'm really looking forward to checking this out on my 3DS XL with the bigger screen. I'm not a big plus guy so to be able to play Er*Bert and Bruce Lee on my 3DS XL should be fun.
Will post up some photos when I get it up and running. :D
I can confirm that on the big screen of my DSi XL, it's already fabulous 8)
Quote from: wavemotion-dave on 14:05, 02 July 25Quote from: iXien on 12:53, 02 July 25Are you planning any other developments for Sugar CPC, such as Amstrad Plus support or vertical resizing to be able to play overscanned games like Arkanoid or Tempest 8) ?
Amstrad Plus support is on my list... but not immediately.
You can play overscanned games by scaling the screen. Use the L/R shoulder buttons with the d-pad to position (offset) or scale the screen. And make use of the PAN UP/DOWN feature by mapping those to some otherwise unused DS buttons... this will let you instantly pan the screen up/down briefly while you hold the button and it will smooth-scroll back into place. This works really well for games that have status/score at the very top/bottom where you can safely place it just off screen while you concentrate on the main playing area on the DS screen and then tap the PAN UP/DOWN button to get a glimpse of it.
And thanks for the kind words!!
A "bit" stretch, of course :D But it's nice to be able to play it too 8)
Well I guess I don't need to post anything. Thanks
@iXien for saving me the trouble. :D
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 16:09, 02 July 25Well I guess I don't need to post anything. Thanks @iXien for saving me the trouble. :D
On the contrary, don't hesitate. It's always nice to see a CPC game working on a different system ;)
Yeah it finally dawned on me that you're on a DSi XL. So I gots me a job to do! :D
I'm stuck on this thing :laugh: I really love the fact you play in full screen with no more border, thanks to the native 256x192 display 8) Look at Golden Axe, I can tell you it make a complete difference.
I'm done trying to post photos on this forum guys. It's not 2004 anymore, surely drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors?
Anyway. I have it working on my 3DS XL and loving it :)
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors
usually works for me
Quote from: eto on 20:53, 03 July 25Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors
usually works for me
Not for me, spent about 20 minutes wrestling with it before eventually giving up. Way too much effort for such a basic function.
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25I'm done trying to post photos on this forum guys. It's not 2004 anymore, surely drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors?
Anyway. I have it working on my 3DS XL and loving it :)
Which launcher are you using on your 3DS to fire it up?
This looks like a fantastic way to play cpc games.
I have a 3DS XL that hasn't been used for many months, and I think it might be time to inject some life into it.
Any recommendations on how to get this emulator working on it?
Thanks. :)
The canonical guide for jailbreaking the 3DS to run homebrew is at https://3ds.hacks.guide/. Do not use any other guide or video tutorial; this one is always 100% up to date and covers every possible combination of 3ds hardware and firmware.
Outstanding!!!
Thanks!
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25I'm done trying to post photos on this forum guys. It's not 2004 anymore, surely drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors?
Anyway. I have it working on my 3DS XL and loving it :)
Bruce Lee on 3DS, who would have thought :D ? Nice rendering on your 3DS XL 8)
Quote from: ervin on 00:53, 04 July 25This looks like a fantastic way to play cpc games.
I have a 3DS XL that hasn't been used for many months, and I think it might be time to inject some life into it.
Any recommendations on how to get this emulator working on it?
Thanks. :)
You don't need to jailbreak your 3DS as it's only a DS software. You just need to buy this :
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/115959503580?_skw=nintendo+DS+r4&itmmeta=01JZ9TV92GKDJWRKVDSVZ13T2M&hash=item1affb99adc:g:2PYAAOSw-idlP3-b&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1f6WOaxjEVauDmcFLY%2BhaipP0YaIfR8oNMOkTL0qcM%2B73lODsgfvfJygVuJUrgAnz4kEi2t6dXzcpmUIf%2BGWN5jC85tg3NyOHxHkN4fDTYj2%2FEAdGHnmRltELC4B1Mg9nMPH0If7CBaSdDPmZF1nLa4FOLNQG%2BVPDraKv7rC7c5v6AlUlDEt6WqQzQDYD1puVbYw12E4uzzjnkwBLlUiLR2drXEqxG2P2kkceFmCbIcWExEahN8t3Uj6rbagGRqbgA%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7CR7br6ZQ
Then dowload the emulator here : https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/SugarDS and copy SUGARDS.NDS in your micro SD card.
Finally inject DSK or CPR files in a directory of the micro SD card and go! 8)
Quote from: dthrone on 22:53, 03 July 25Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25I'm done trying to post photos on this forum guys. It's not 2004 anymore, surely drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors?
Anyway. I have it working on my 3DS XL and loving it :)
Which launcher are you using on your 3DS to fire it up?
It didn't turn up on my launcher, however if I used Twilight Menu ++ and pointed it to SugarDS, it launched it.
My 3DS XL is also jailbroken.
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 08:08, 04 July 25Quote from: dthrone on 22:53, 03 July 25Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25I'm done trying to post photos on this forum guys. It's not 2004 anymore, surely drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors?
Anyway. I have it working on my 3DS XL and loving it :)
Which launcher are you using on your 3DS to fire it up?
It didn't turn up on my launcher, however if I used Twilight Menu ++ and pointed it to SugarDS, it launched it.
My 3DS XL is also jailbroken.
Thanks, I'm running Homebrew Launcher via Ninjhax, I'll give it a try and I think I can run Twilight Menu via that if necessary. I'm not very knowledgeable about this stuff so I'll just have to have a mess around I think! ;D
Quote from: dthrone on 09:03, 04 July 25Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 08:08, 04 July 25Quote from: dthrone on 22:53, 03 July 25Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 20:51, 03 July 25I'm done trying to post photos on this forum guys. It's not 2004 anymore, surely drag and drop should work without a crap load of errors?
Anyway. I have it working on my 3DS XL and loving it :)
Which launcher are you using on your 3DS to fire it up?
It didn't turn up on my launcher, however if I used Twilight Menu ++ and pointed it to SugarDS, it launched it.
My 3DS XL is also jailbroken.
Thanks, I'm running Homebrew Launcher via Ninjhax, I'll give it a try and I think I can run Twilight Menu via that if necessary. I'm not very knowledgeable about this stuff so I'll just have to have a mess around I think! ;D
Oh neither am I! I usually just take a photo of a QR code with the 3DS camera and the install goes through. Not used to manual installs at all.
Quote from: iXien on 05:26, 04 July 25You don't need to jailbreak your 3DS as it's only a DS software. You just need to buy this :
I don't consider "buy extra hardware" to be preferable to running it straight off the 3ds SD card... (it still uses the native DS execution mode.)
Quote from: dthrone on 09:03, 04 July 25Thanks, I'm running Homebrew Launcher via Ninjhax, I'll give it a try and I think I can run Twilight Menu via that if necessary. I'm not very knowledgeable about this stuff so I'll just have to have a mess around I think! ;D
Wow, ninjhax is *oooold*. I'd recommend ditching it and installing the modern boot9strap/Luma3DS CFW, if you're still actively using your 3ds.
Quote from: pelrun on 12:04, 04 July 25I don't consider "buy extra hardware" to be preferable to running it straight off the 3ds SD card... (it still uses the native DS execution mode.)
And for my part, I don't consider that jailbreaking a console is a good thing when you can make your way buying a low cost extra hardware to do the job, letting the hardware and OS untouched. And it's so much more simple : buy it, insert it, that's it 8) Just a question of opinion, of course ;)
It's a matter of convenience I guess at the end of the day. To be honest, the 3DS is not difficult to software jailbreak. Just needs a few minutes of your time.
Also +1 for Luma3DS. I've never had any problems with it.
@wavemotion-dave , are you interested in feedbacks? I have some CPR files systematically crashing while they don't use Plus features and I experienced a freeze while saving on Golden Axe ;D If yes, I can make some more tests, like testing the games that crash usin DSK image disk rather than CPR to see if I have the same problem, etc.
Quote from: iXien on 14:06, 04 July 25@wavemotion-dave , are you interested in feedbacks? I have some CPR files systematically crashing while they don't use Plus features and I experienced a freeze while saving on Golden Axe ;D If yes, I can make some more tests, like testing the games that crash usin DSK image disk rather than CPR to see if I have the same problem, etc.
Always! I know the emulation isn't perfect (emulation rarely is!) but as a hobby-project, I know it's still got a ways to go. I always try to provide the best I'm capable of - no promises on fixing anything, but always glad to get in and debug.
And everyone: I do appreciate all the enthusiasm. If you have a github account, STAR-ing my repository always makes me smile.
Hey
@wavemotion-dave, think this can (or will) be eventually added to the likes of the Homebrew channel for easier install with a QR code in the future?
I know it's a hobby project, but from a feedback perspective, it might be easier to install for ultra noobs. :)
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 14:53, 04 July 25I know it's a hobby project, but from a feedback perspective, it might be easier to install for ultra noobs. :)
I second that, an idiot's guide to installing would be very helpful 👍
Quote from: dthrone on 15:57, 04 July 25Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 14:53, 04 July 25I know it's a hobby project, but from a feedback perspective, it might be easier to install for ultra noobs. :)
I second that, an idiot's guide to installing would be very helpful 👍
If you're stuck, drop me a message and be happy to help, my friend.
@wavemotion-dave , I made some tests.
- Puzzle Bobble : Working in its DSK version. But the CPR conversion created to work on any Plus machine and on 464/664 with a cartridge adapter crash after the Crazy Piri logo.
- Robocop : All original version crash, the version used to patch the game in CPR/nokeyboard crashes too, another cracked version in DSK works.
About the savestate freeze, no more problem since friday. I'll keep you informed if I have this problem again ;)