CPCemu 2.5 released

[Emu]

Almost 8 months after the previous release, I'm proud to present a new version. I thought of making it v3.0, but decided to save the new major version number for a new user interface I'm working on. Many thanks go to Vincent Weber for thoroughly and patiently testing the Android version (thus improving the others, too).

Even without a new UI, the current version provides many new features:

• Floppy LED (visible only with virtual keyboard)
• Virtual keyboard:
  
  • adjustable: position, size, transparency
  • persistent: saves position, size, transparency automatically (separately for portrait and landscape on Android and iOS)
  • visual und acoustic (switchable) feedback
• Virtual joystick in two different sizes
• Virtual mouse (selectable instead of joystick): AMX, Reisware/Gerdes or Symbiface II (PS/2)
• Original sounds of disk drive, cassette relay and keyboard (can be switched on and off)
• Zoom function (display without border), alternating with and without full screen; persistent (separately for portrait and landscape on Android and iOS)
• Audio emulation deeply revised; output quality significantly improved (you can select from 4 output frequencies)
• Vortex memory extension SP64...SP512
• Jarek memory extension 576KB...4096KB
• Bank-switching speed dramatically improved; correct emulation of C3 mode
• IPv6-enabled web server similar to M4 board (upload and download into/from the emulator via web interface)
• Autostart behaviour improved (automatic file selection and deactivation)
• Minimal audio latency on Android (Oboe)
• User interface improved on Android/iOS
• Setup settings are saved immediately
• First preparations for new user interface
• Adjusted to SDL version 2.0.22 (which needs to be installed manually on Linux)
• Fixed bugs: background-foreground-changing behaviour on Android, real-time speed, video output speed (in particular on Android, iOS and MacOS, I think also on the Raspberry Pi), memory leaks, M4 sockets, file access on Android and iOS

The new version is available from https://cpc-emu.org/ and from the Google Play Store.

Unfortunately, the manual has still not been updated. So, please ask any questions here. I'm happy to receive bug reports as well.

[Gryzor]

Great stuff, waiting for v3, hopefully it'll make it more usable on a mobile 🙂

[Emu]

@Gryzor : I suggest you try v2.5, because it is more usable on mobile devices. I increased the menu text size as far as I could, improved touch scrolling, and improved the on-screen keyboard so much that I think it is probably the best available on any emulator.

You will get used to the two-finger actions required to open the main menu and to switch the keyboard on and off.

For anybody who has not found out, yet: Moving and resizing the keyboard needs two fingers (in the yellow bars), as does changing its transparency (in the cyan bars).

[SkulleateR]

On macOS I only get to the virtual Keyboard screen, it just close itself after that

[Emu]

@SkulleateR 
Please try to rename "~/Library/Application\ Support/CPCemu/cpcemu.cfg" to some backup name (or delete it completely). Does CPCemu work after that?

Oddly enough, the binary does not work on my own Mac anymore, but I cannot even start it. Do you have an M1 or an Intel Mac?

[Gryzor]

Despite Play store showing an update for August 14, launching it only shows 2.1?

[SkulleateR]

@Emu 

Nope, same thing, the App just crashes (closes), I'm on an old Macbook Pro with Intel i5 and MacOS Catalina

[Emu]

@SkulleateR :
Thanks for the details. I don't know what happened to the MacOS package, this is strange. Anyway, I could reproduce the problem here. Perhaps I grabbed a wrong (older) file when uploading the binaries to the server.

I recompiled CPCemu on the Mac and uploaded this recompiled package. Please try again.

By the way, is the package correctly signed with my personal developer certificate or do you need to "unlock" the app in the security preferences?

[Gryzor]

Any idea about the android version? Can you post the APK here? 

[SkulleateR]

@SkulleateR :

I recompiled CPCemu on the Mac and uploaded this recompiled package. Please try again.

By the way, is the package correctly signed with my personal developer certificate or do you need to "unlock" the app in the security preferences?

Nope, no joy, same behaviour

And macOS is moaning that security cannot be proved, so I don't think it is correctly signed ...

[Emu]

I'm sorry, I forgot the Android issue. The APK is on my server. It's the same as in the Play Store.

Where does it show "2.1"? In the splash window with the copyright or elsewhere? The thing is, I never uploaded v2.1 to Google, v2.3.2.1 was the first one. But, of course, there is "2.1" at the end. Does it show "v2.1" or ".....2.1"?

[Gryzor]

I'm sorry, I forgot the Android issue. The APK is on my server. It's the same as in the Play Store.

Where does it show "2.1"? In the splash window with the copyright or elsewhere? The thing is, I never uploaded v2.1 to Google, v2.3.2.1 was the first one. But, of course, there is "2.1" at the end. Does it show "v2.1" or ".....2.1"?

2.1. See attached. You cannot view this attachment.

[Gryzor]

Ok, the APK shows 2.5 when launched. 

[Emu]

I think I found the MacOS problem. Apparently, a specific temporary file for converting the configuration cfg file cannot be created by CPCemu when it has been downloaded from the Internet. However, I have been able to circumvent the problem by creating the temporary file in the CPCemu folder. I assume this has something to do with the missing signature.

I will look into this to make my signature work.

The Android thing is more than strange. How the heck did v2.1 get to Google?

[Gryzor]

 Don't ask me😀 In fact, it's still there because I updated and got that one instead of 2.5 (I don't remember what the previous version I had was)

[SkulleateR]

I think I found the MacOS problem. Apparently, a specific temporary file for converting the configuration cfg file cannot be created by CPCemu when it has been downloaded from the Internet. However, I have been able to circumvent the problem by creating the temporary file in the CPCemu folder. I assume this has something to do with the missing signature.

I will look into this to make my signature work.

Nice, hope you can figure it out 

[Emu]

@SkulleateR
I have found one way to sign (and notarize by Apple) the Mac version. This update is already uploaded and available at the regular URL: https://cpc-emu.org/Release/2022-08-13/CPCemuMacOS.app-2.5.zip

[Emu]

@Gryzor
I'm sorry, but I have not been able to find the reason nor a solution for the wrong Android version. I have asked other people to install CPCemu from the Play Store and they received v2.5 as expected. Have you tried to delete CPCemu completely and install it from the Play Store from scratch?

[Gryzor]

Weird as hell but not a problem since I got 2.5 one way or the other 🙂

[Emu]

So, do you like it? Larger menus, zoom mode (border not shown), amazingly flexible keyboard, uploading stuff via HTTP server, ...?

[Gryzor]

The interface is really acting up on my phone... I didn't have the time to investigate, but it's rather unusable for me. I'll let you know when I find some time! 

[SkulleateR]

Ok, works fine now on MacOS .... here are some thoughts

Love the Webserver ! But is there a way to integrate the ROM TAB of the M4 so that you can manage your ROMs with the Web Interface ?

And there should be an option to disable all those virtual inputs like the keyboard since it interferes with mouse movement so that sometimes you cannot access the menu at the top.

Games and programs run fine, no problem with that. 

One last thing : is there a way to redefine the keyboard ? I'm not able to access the equal ( "=" ) on my Mac ...

[Emu]

@Gryzor : Thank you in advance. A few screenshot would be nice then to identify the problem.

@SkulleateR : I had thought of managing the ROMs in the web server, but decided not to implement this, at least not in the first step. My problem is, that the configuration file (as opposed to the real M4 board) has options to define different configurations for different CPC types. It would be very complex to represent this in a modifiable way so that afterwards a correct configuration file can be written. But I agree, this would be very nice. I will have to think about it.

If in the desktop versions the mouse is turned on you will need to press a modifier key (CMD on the Mac) to type on the virtual keyboard as well as to reach the main menu (or to click with a mouse button you don't have on your real mouse). Without CMD, you will only operate the CPC mouse. The only bug I face sometimes is an invisible mouse pointer, this needs to be fixed. What do you mean by "disable all"? If you set "mouse type" to 0 (so, joystick) and switch off the keyboard, all virtual inputs are already disabled. Can you describe your issues? 

The keyboard layout has errors. I knew it and forgot it, I'm sorry. The keyboard can be redefined in cpcemu.dat inside the app package, but you need to know the SDL key codes. I will look after that and tell you what to do. Which keyboard language do you use?

[SkulleateR]

@Emu 

German Keyboard on a MacBook Pro ... The other issues are hard to describe, I'll make some screenshots at the weekend

[t_j]

Hi,

I write to share my first impressions, I am using CPCemu since yesterday on my Raspberry Pi 4.

It's the arm linux release from your website.

Actually I was looking for some emulator for arm linux that is maintained and I stumbled across the CPCemu.
It looks like there is not that much choice for arm/linux.

It seems to be working absolutely fine  however my experience with that setup is limited to checking some BASIC commands and running few demos until now.

Thanks a lot for the program I hope you keep updating the emulator also in the future !

BR

T_J