Q68 Powered Arcade Game
- vanpeebles
- Commissario Pebbli
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Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
New topic
Can we do fancy music and sound? Is it possible to somehow define the sprites and backgrounds into a standard? That way some people who are rubbishing at coding (like me) can do some artwork or sound effects?
Can we do fancy music and sound? Is it possible to somehow define the sprites and backgrounds into a standard? That way some people who are rubbishing at coding (like me) can do some artwork or sound effects?
Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
Thanks for moving the thread!
For me, the most simple way of conversion is using the Audacity effect "Change Tempo and Pitch" with the right factor and then save in "unsigned byte" format. (It also makes sense to use the "normalization" filter.) Q68 SMSQ/E has BASIC commands to play such files directly, also there is a "sound device" extension, where you can just COPY soundfile, SOUND2.
Peter
Sound effects are simple on Q68. Just two unsigned byte samples for left and right (joined into a 16-bit word) at 20 kHz rate. The Q68 has a large hardware buffer, so all one needs to to do is check for full buffer, and if not, feed in samples. It can also be done via SMSQ/E, a little more overhead, but makes it compatible to more platforms.vanpeebles wrote:Can we do fancy music and sound? Is it possible to somehow define the sprites and backgrounds into a standard? That way some people who are rubbishing at coding (like me) can do some artwork or sound effects?
For me, the most simple way of conversion is using the Audacity effect "Change Tempo and Pitch" with the right factor and then save in "unsigned byte" format. (It also makes sense to use the "normalization" filter.) Q68 SMSQ/E has BASIC commands to play such files directly, also there is a "sound device" extension, where you can just COPY soundfile, SOUND2.
Only in contributing optimized graphics routines, or an arcade game itself?Zarchos wrote:Please start a new thread, as yes I am interested, in particular if it is a community project.
But what kind of incentive, can a little money still motivate?Zarchos wrote:To me, incentive is the key to dev on retro systems.
In any case, the Q68 should never be slower than a 68000 at 40 MHz. If you plan for 68000, you should be on the save side. (Not even using the small "Fast RAM".)Zarchos wrote:I hope what I did is doable for a 68000 based system, but I believe so. I believe in 2 byte per pixel 'low res' screen mode, the QL68 should be faster than a 12 Mhz Archie in 1 byte per pixel 320 x 256 (just a belief as I haven't really checked the timings, I was just working with timings of a 68000 at 40 Mhz, here we have something different. I'll edit this post later).
Peter
Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
Yes Peter, it is why I am very excited by your system, with its area of very fast RAM.
For the incentive, to me, it will not be money because of the small users base, but most certainly contributions (coding, or 'simply' optimising some source code, graphics, original tunes and so on).
Of course if some nice and willing people want to fund development, it will for sure help.
I believe in 'good will' in a friendly community.
For retro collectors, a final product could be edited, in a finite number (ex : 200 copies) at a relatively high price, with artworks etc ...
See what neo geo dev people do : it is very smart.
Again, I believe there is a lot possible.
If the spirit stays friendly, and people in the community do even small things, it can be good fun, and tools and routines can be made open source and serve as teaching to people who are interested by developping.
I very much believe in shared knowledge to keep retro dev alive.
See TerribleFire on YT or eab for example, with his accelerator boards, and free VHDL source, I mean, this is just beautiful and awesome.
For the incentive, to me, it will not be money because of the small users base, but most certainly contributions (coding, or 'simply' optimising some source code, graphics, original tunes and so on).
Of course if some nice and willing people want to fund development, it will for sure help.
I believe in 'good will' in a friendly community.
For retro collectors, a final product could be edited, in a finite number (ex : 200 copies) at a relatively high price, with artworks etc ...
See what neo geo dev people do : it is very smart.
Again, I believe there is a lot possible.
If the spirit stays friendly, and people in the community do even small things, it can be good fun, and tools and routines can be made open source and serve as teaching to people who are interested by developping.
I very much believe in shared knowledge to keep retro dev alive.
See TerribleFire on YT or eab for example, with his accelerator boards, and free VHDL source, I mean, this is just beautiful and awesome.
Owner of various QLs including accelerated beasts, and also a happy Q68 owner
Now porting SOTB to the Archies, to then port it to the Q68.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archimedes ... +%28100%25
Now porting SOTB to the Archies, to then port it to the Q68.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archimedes ... +%28100%25
- NormanDunbar
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Re: Q68 Notice 3 - Update
[quote="Peter]It's a matter of speed! The Q68 has hardware SLUG [/quote]
I wrote SlowGold for my Gold Card to do a similar thing!
Cheers,
Norm.
I wrote SlowGold for my Gold Card to do a similar thing!
Cheers,
Norm.
Why do they put lightning conductors on churches?
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts
No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts
No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
- NormanDunbar
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Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
How much better? I have no idea. As far as I remember, there was no SLUG command available which is why I ended up writing it. Dilwyn might have suggested it - but I can't remember. He certainly sold it through DJC though.
Cheers,
Norm.
Cheers,
Norm.
Why do they put lightning conductors on churches?
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts
No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts
No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
Can you please explain what you are talking about ?
I am lost.
I am lost.
Owner of various QLs including accelerated beasts, and also a happy Q68 owner
Now porting SOTB to the Archies, to then port it to the Q68.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archimedes ... +%28100%25
Now porting SOTB to the Archies, to then port it to the Q68.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archimedes ... +%28100%25
Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
The GoldCard had a builtin SLUG command, that's why wondered.NormanDunbar wrote:How much better? I have no idea. As far as I remember, there was no SLUG command available which is why I ended up writing it. Dilwyn might have suggested it - but I can't remember. He certainly sold it through DJC though.
Slowing down by software had some issues, so I added a hardware solution. Even that requires individual finetuning if the speed of the original game shall be met exactly.
It's about slowing down faster machines for old games.Zarchos wrote:Can you please explain what you are talking about ?
Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
(not sure if this will make it due to intermittent and very slow broadband presumably due to local flooding)NormanDunbar wrote:How much better? I have no idea. As far as I remember, there was no SLUG command available which is why I ended up writing it. Dilwyn might have suggested it - but I can't remember. He certainly sold it through DJC though.
Cheers,
Norm.
Slowgold was written by Norman at my suggestion before the SLUG command was added to fast systems such as Gold Card. Both work in a different way and you tend to find one might work in situations where the other doesn't to slow down fast older games.
I think SLUG works by putting delays in keyboard read systems IIRC, whereas Slowgold is written to use interrupts or scheduler lists IIRC (haven't got the sources to hand to check), so it's quite possible that both might be of use in situations where some software needs to be slowed down.
--
All things QL - https://dilwyn.qlforum.co.uk/index.html
All things QL - https://dilwyn.qlforum.co.uk/index.html
Re: Q68 Powered Arcade Game
No way on the QL to do some consuming time CPU operations, triggered by a timer interrupt, synced to whatever the screen mode sync is ?dilwyn wrote:(not sure if this will make it due to intermittent and very slow broadband presumably due to local flooding)NormanDunbar wrote:How much better? I have no idea. As far as I remember, there was no SLUG command available which is why I ended up writing it. Dilwyn might have suggested it - but I can't remember. He certainly sold it through DJC though.
Cheers,
Norm.
Slowgold was written by Norman at my suggestion before the SLUG command was added to fast systems such as Gold Card. Both work in a different way and you tend to find one might work in situations where the other doesn't to slow down fast older games.
I think SLUG works by putting delays in keyboard read systems IIRC, whereas Slowgold is written to use interrupts or scheduler lists IIRC (haven't got the sources to hand to check), so it's quite possible that both might be of use in situations where some software needs to be slowed down.
Owner of various QLs including accelerated beasts, and also a happy Q68 owner
Now porting SOTB to the Archies, to then port it to the Q68.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archimedes ... +%28100%25
Now porting SOTB to the Archies, to then port it to the Q68.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archimedes ... +%28100%25