Retro Virtual Machine v2.1 release today

[XeNoMoRPH]

We are working hard, Retro Virtual Machine v2.1 available the day 30/12/2022. Stay tuned

download: https://www.retrovirtualmachine.org/

[Gryzor]

Today! 

[SkulleateR]

Now 

[Gryzor]

Can't a man have a lunch in peace? 😁

[norecess464]

I really do enjoy this emulator when I want to test something quickly (cf. not for Amstrad development purposes).

The emulation level (including the ASIC) is good enough to run almost all classical games/demos/whatever, the unusual user interface "feels at home" with the Amstrad machines (cf. click on the disc drive image to insert new DSK), the visual filters applied on top of the emulated monitor are very well done, and all of that available for all the major desktop OS: Windows/MacOS/Linux.

Suggestion: please bring a unique monitor picture for each machines, cf. a CTM-644 for the Amstrad CPC 6128, a CM-14 for the Amstrad Plus / GX-4000, etc.

Big congratulations to the author !

[jcgamestoy]

thank you, coming from you this is a great compliment.

I really do enjoy this emulator when I want to test something quickly (cf. not for Amstrad development purposes).

The emulation level (including the ASIC) is good enough to run almost all classical games/demos/whatever, the unusual user interface "feels at home" with the Amstrad machines (cf. click on the disc drive image to insert new DSK), the visual filters applied on top of the emulated monitor are very well done, and all of that available for all the major desktop OS: Windows/MacOS/Linux.

Suggestion: please bring a unique monitor picture for each machines, cf. a CTM-644 for the Amstrad CPC 6128, a CM-14 for the Amstrad Plus / GX-4000, etc.

Big congratulations to the author !

[Anubis6175]

I just get a black box with rounded edges that I can resize. Anything that I've missed?
Tried older versions with same result.

the last public release worked on Windows 10 64bit - GTX 1050Ti
current setup is Windows 11 64bit - RTX 3060Ti -

[dragon]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,   it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

[dragon]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

"Arnold V" Specification - Issue 1.5 - 10th April 1990 (cpc-live.com)"

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snnaphot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

[asertus]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I guess you reported that to @retrovm (in twitter), no idea his nick in this forum.

[jcgamestoy]

I just get a black box with rounded edges that I can resize. Anything that I've missed?
Tried older versions with same result.

the last public release worked on Windows 10 64bit - GTX 1050Ti
current setup is Windows 11 64bit - RTX 3060Ti -

This error is known with Nvidia drivers, reset all options in the Nvidia control panel to default, or create a custom profile for the emulator executable with default values.

I don't have an Nvidia graphics card and I haven't located the exact option yet.

[jcgamestoy]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I had never heard of this before.

In the link you provided, I can't find anything about this.

However, in the documentation it does say that the disk ROM can appear in positions 0 or 7 depending on the expansion bus. Since the GX4000 has many unconnected lines, it's possible that it puts the pseudo disk ROM in position 0.

Do you know of any place where this is documented? Anyway, it would be very easy for me to modify the emulator to do this, but I want to do it correctly.

[jcgamestoy]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I guess you reported that to @retrovm (in twitter), no idea his nick in this forum.

I'm the author 

[dragon]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I had never heard of this before.

In the link you provided, I can't find anything about this.

However, in the documentation it does say that the disk ROM can appear in positions 0 or 7 depending on the expansion bus. Since the GX4000 has many unconnected lines, it's possible that it puts the pseudo disk ROM in position 0.

Do you know of any place where this is documented? Anyway, it would be very easy for me to modify the emulator to do this, but I want to do it correctly.

its just above  "Analogue paddle ports". Anyway  i test it tomorrow in the true gx4000 only to confirm it.,In theory you can detect a gx4000 using that.

[jcgamestoy]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I had never heard of this before.

In the link you provided, I can't find anything about this.

However, in the documentation it does say that the disk ROM can appear in positions 0 or 7 depending on the expansion bus. Since the GX4000 has many unconnected lines, it's possible that it puts the pseudo disk ROM in position 0.

Do you know of any place where this is documented? Anyway, it would be very easy for me to modify the emulator to do this, but I want to do it correctly.

its just above  "Analogue paddle ports". Anyway  i test it tomorrow in the true gx4000 only to confirm it.,In theory you can detect a gx4000 using that.

I hadn't read that paragraph, it seems that the GX4000 always maps ROM 1. I'll implement it that way, thanks. I'll release an update tomorrow or the day after and since this is a very simple change it will probably be included there. Thank you, there's always something new to discover.

[andycadley]

I hadn't seen that either. Would be interesting to see if anyone has actually confirmed that on real hardware as what the official docs said and what the Plus hardware did aren't necessarily the same thing.

Not sure what a practical use of it would be though. Other than detecting a GX for the sake of it.

[dragon]

it works cheked with my own code, the game detects the gx4000 and made only a save/load  in ram in the true gx4000.But in the emulators they save it in tape.

I mount  the page 07 and chek the first tree bytes. if they are equal to page 1, i asume was gx4000 and save the game in ram, other wise i  try save it in tape.

[andycadley]

it works cheked with my own code, the game detects the gx4000 and made only a save/load  in ram in the true gx4000.But in the emulators they save it in tape.

Doesn't that hurt 6128+ owners, though? Since they can't save to tape either....

[dragon]

it works cheked with my own code, the game detects the gx4000 and made only a save/load  in ram in the true gx4000.But in the emulators they save it in tape.

Doesn't that hurt 6128+ owners, though? Since they can't save to tape either....

Yeah i know. i want made  that they try detect a gx4000,if detected save in ram->detect fdc 765->if detected save in disk->if not save in tape.

Unfortunly as restore the firmware need to much ram to backup. i need use fdd direct access.And i not have much lucky found a code that works in to save/load..

[roudoudou]

Unfortunly as restore the firmware need to much ram to backup. i need use fdd direct access.And i not have much lucky found a code that works in to save/load..

did you try this? for Amsdos there is only read function but hey, you can format a floppy and use your own format (then use the 2nd project)

http://www.julien-nevo.com/arkos/fdc-tools/

[jcgamestoy]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I implemented this, there are a new version online v2.1.2 

I implemented a gx4000 with 128k too

[Anubis6175]

I just get a black box with rounded edges that I can resize. Anything that I've missed?
Tried older versions with same result.

the last public release worked on Windows 10 64bit - GTX 1050Ti
current setup is Windows 11 64bit - RTX 3060Ti -

This error is known with Nvidia drivers, reset all options in the Nvidia control panel to default, or create a custom profile for the emulator executable with default values.

I don't have an Nvidia graphics card and I haven't located the exact option yet.

Reset all setting made no difference, but if you go to "Adjust image settings with preview" under the 3D setting in the Nvidia control panel, then select Let the 3D application decide then it works fine. I would add a photo but it want me to upload it as a URL.

[dragon]

Unfortunly as restore the firmware need to much ram to backup. i need use fdd direct access.And i not have much lucky found a code that works in to save/load..

did you try this? for Amsdos there is only read function but hey, you can format a floppy and use your own format (then use the 2nd project)

http://www.julien-nevo.com/arkos/fdc-tools/

I have finally manage work the fano lib.

i have tested it in the last version of retrovirtual machine. it works perfect with a gx4000 save in ram, with  a 6128 plus save in disk and with a 464+ save in tape.

That should be valid with the "old gen" using play2cpc.

thanks jcgamestoy great work!.

[roudoudou]

Tested it i like it but it have the same flaw that the winape.

nobody remember support this never



On an unmodified GX4000, selecting logical page 7 using DFxx doesn't select physical page 3, instead it selects physical page 1. The appropiate hardware is not activated as it is on 464 and 6128.

https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Arnold_V_Specs_Revised
And the pause in gx4000 don't work. (or at least i don't know where is it)

So my code try detect a gx4000 with that,  it fail and instead of made a snapshot he thinks its a 464+ and save in tape .

I implemented this, there are a new version online v2.1.2 

I implemented a gx4000 with 128k too

just tested a little piece of code
so do you assume a modded GX is like a 6128+ with rom 7 mapped to 3 ?

[dragon]

Really i don't have idea if a modded gx4000 continue with the same behavior.

Probably depend of the connections of the asíc...