Retro Virtual Machine v2.0.beta-1.r0 Released for Windows / Linux / MacOs

[cpcitor]

Not yet, in the next version I will add a option to have a 1:1 output.

Please do. It's useful to perform exact pixel measurement, which is a different thing from visual assessing of shapes.

Currently RVM uses the real Aspect Ratio of a cpc, (if I have not failed in my calculations) because in the analog world pixels are never square 

As a curiosity, if you load the same loading screen on a ZX 48k or 128k you will see that the aspect ratio is not the same (as on real machines).

What RVM currently does is indeed valuable. It allows to prepare graphics that will look good on a real CPC, not subtly squashed without the author being aware.

This is a use case different from the other one, and both are valid.

Can you share the aspect ratio that you consider "canonical"? This is very useful for people doing work that depends on it. For example, precise 2D or 3D drawing, just drawing a big circle that is indeed circular, for one.

Also, the "official" aspect radio is indeed when preparing artful graphics in an editor that supports different DPI in X and Y directions, like gimp.

In the future version also a cpc 6128+ and a gx4000 do not have the same aspect ratio. But I'm going to add an option to disable it and another one to make the window size in integer multiples

Are you saying that the cpc6128+ has a ratio different from the cpc6128? I'm surprised. In that case, what are the number?

Thanks!

[jcgamestoy]

Please do. It's useful to perform exact pixel measurement, which is a different thing from visual assessing of shapes.


What RVM currently does is indeed valuable. It allows to prepare graphics that will look good on a real CPC, not subtly squashed without the author being aware.

This is a use case different from the other one, and both are valid.

Can you share the aspect ratio that you consider "canonical"? This is very useful for people doing work that depends on it. For example, precise 2D or 3D drawing, just drawing a big circle that is indeed circular, for one.

Also, the "official" aspect radio is indeed when preparing artful graphics in an editor that supports different DPI in X and Y directions, like gimp.

Are you saying that the cpc6128+ has a ratio different from the cpc6128? I'm surprised. In that case, what are the number?

Thanks!

Yes, of course.


The calculations are done in mode 2 pixels but by simply multiplying them you can extrapolate to mode 1 or 0


In the PAL standard a video line lasts exactly 64us of which 52us are active video.


In these 52us the cpc gateway makes 16 pixels of mode 2 per us which gives a total of 832 pixels


As for the vertical axis the proportion is one to one exact since the cpc makes (normally if we don't modify the timings of the crtc) 312 lines.


The standard PAL has a resolution (well this is theory since in an analogical television it makes sense to speak of lines and not of pixels) of 768x576. As the CPC makes 832 pixels in the time space there is to show 768 the pixels are smaller on the horizontal axis than normal.


So I use a texture (without overscan) of 832x288 and then using the gpu I scale it to an area with relation 4:3. So if we divide 768/832 the pixels of the cpc are about 92% of the width of a PAL pixel



As for CPC6128+, no, it has exactly the same aspect ratio as the classic cpc.


The one that changes is the GX4000 that Amstrad modified the master clock from 40mhz to 39.9mhz to improve the image on televisions: [size=78%]http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php?title=Plus&redirect=no#The_GX4000_Games_Console[/size]

[roudoudou]

As for CPC6128+, no, it has exactly the same aspect ratio as the classic cpc.

When the Plus monitor is switched ON it can display 270/271 lines but after a few minutes, it can reach 273 visible lines, will you emulate this? 

[jcgamestoy]

When the Plus monitor is switched ON it can display 270/271 lines but after a few minutes, it can reach 273 visible lines, will you emulate this? 

I think I can live with this inaccuracy 

[roudoudou]

I think I can live with this inaccuracy 

Feature request, i tried to edit config file to change ROM configuration but everything is ciphered. Will it be possible to have a simple configuration
rom0=file
rom1=file
...
up to 255 (i know the plus is limited to 128 ROM on expansion slot)

[jcgamestoy]

Feature request, i tried to edit config file to change ROM configuration but everything is ciphered. Will it be possible to have a simple configuration
rom0=file
rom1=file
...
up to 255 (i know the plus is limited to 128 ROM on expansion slot)

The machine internal format is changing constantly.


Isn't it easier for you to use an XMEM like on a real machine?


Look Here:
https://www.retrovirtualmachine.org/book/usermanual/en/devices/xmem.html

[roudoudou]

Isn't it easier for you to use an XMEM like on a real machine?

absolutely not at all because for each ROM i have to open a dialog box, scroll and select (so changing global rom configuration is pain in the 4ss )


But in addition to that,  the XMEM is limited to 32 roms  whereas the CPC is able to handle 256 roms and the Plus 128 roms (EDIT: The Plus too!)

[XeNoMoRPH]

https://twitter.com/retrovm/status/1251244618919948288

[XeNoMoRPH]

https://twitter.com/retrovm/status/1251479616235155457

[Gryzor]

I don't really care about the Colecovision, but that's pretty 🙂

[WiltshireWizard]

L
Maybe one day you could even emulate the transfer sticker sheets and background art that you would get in boxes of Ready Brek and Weetabix in the late 70s too...

[Otto]

Conclusion

Nice work, great potential to become THE Amstrad CPC emulator.
[..]
Anyway, to become the ultimate CPC emulator, it would have to become open-source.

We tested this emulator coming as a BLOB, in a sandbox within our Xubuntu Linux 20.04 . 
It runs very well and clearly is an amazing piece of software! Well done, you Spanish CPC lover and thanks for your hard work!

The emulator isn't OpenSource. Is it still safe to run it in my OpenSource-only Debian based Ubuntu Linux without a sandbox? Like Cpcitor, we would very very much appreciate to have OpenSource software in these awful Edward-Snowden-times.


P.S. Where does the big size of the executable (~80 MByte) come from? From all those extra ROMs being bundled internally?

[norecess464]

+1 for open-source 

[Mr. DVG]

Is there a possibility to take a screenshot of the game running from the emulator itself?

I did a quick tour of the options but I didn't find it ...

[WiltshireWizard]

a

[XeNoMoRPH]

[WiltshireWizard]

rred

[Nich]

Just use Lightshot. Ive been using it for years to screenshot anything that runs on my PC. Very powerful little tool.

I would prefer an option to take a screenshot using the CPC's native resolution without any blurring of pixels, and while Lightshot may be a useful tool, it can't solve this problem.

[Gryzor]

Is there any way to associate dsk files with the app?

[jcgamestoy]

Is there any way to associate dsk files with the app?

Not yet, the problem with RVM is to which machine send the disk you double clicked on.


I think I will solve it by being able to select a "default" machine, but I have to add all this to the UI

[Gryzor]

Yes, I thought of that issue as well, but indeed a default option could sort it in the short term. In the long term, perhaps a selector could redirect?

[Sid_]

I start to handle RVM debugger and I don't know which assembly you use, but what do you think to use rasm ?
It's compatible with pasmo, maxim etc...
Can add break point etc ...
It would be a killer feature to add it.

[roudoudou]

I start to handle RVM debugger and I don't know which assembly you use, but what do you think to use rasm ?
It's compatible with pasmo, maxim etc...
Can add break point etc ...
It would be a killer feature to add it.

Hey, rasm may be used embedded BUT the killer feature of RVM would be to allow command line snapshot, cartridge, roms, ...
Because after the assembler question will be the editor question 
A priori embedded usage is to allow tools to generate binaries (like Arkos Tracker 2  )

[XeNoMoRPH]

Well, now that I have more time to dedicate to the hobby of making the emulator, the development is accelerating.
And today after too much silence here, I present the latest addition. The ZX Spectrum Next!!!

https://twitter.com/retrovm/status/1395704184721317896

[Gryzor]

Oh. Never ever have I understood the appeal of the Next but why not I suppose