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TI-99/Sim is quite good ... however ...


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In the meantime, I tried to convert dsk image in another format (PC99, v9t9 etc), but still without success.

Did anyone ever get to the emulator works with floppy disks or this feature does not work properly in the RPI version at all?

I tried both version one with binaries and other compile from source, but the result is the same.

I'm running out of ideas and I can only ask someone who has this emulator on Rpi2, to try and let us know what happens.

Cartridges work normally, but attaching disk image does not work and I always get the message I / O error 00 while reading dir, or I / O error 60 if I try to save something.

Did you convert the disk controller ROM as well, and is it in the right location? You need to have a ti99sim-specific set of ROMs for the disk controller in the right directory or it doesn't detect the drives. I believe that leads to I/O error 00 when trying to load something.

 

From the readme:

If you want to use the disk emulation features, you will need to create another cartridge named ti-disk.ctg that contains a copy of the TI Disk Controller ROM (the section on convert-ctg contains information about creating cartridges for peripheral DSR ROMs).

 

----8<----

 

To create a DSR ROM cartridge, simply use the --cru=xxxx option to convert-ctg. This will instruct convert-ctg to store the ROM at the special DSR memory range, and mark the cartridge with the correct CRU information. In order to use the disk emulation features, you need to create a cartridge from a TI disk ROM with the name ti-disk.ctg with the CRU address 1100.

If you've done that, perhaps there's a problem with the original rom file?

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Did you convert the disk controller ROM as well, and is it in the right location? You need to have a ti99sim-specific set of ROMs for the disk controller in the right directory or it doesn't detect the drives. I believe that leads to I/O error 00 when trying to load something.

 

Man, you save my day!

What actually happened?
I found on the Internet zip archive with system ROMs in ctg format and I used them.
TI994A rom and speech rom worked well and I assumed that ti-disk.ctg file is also correct.
However, it turned out, that this file is somehow broken or corrupted and therefore drive support is not working.
I just did the conversion and now everything works flawlessly. :)
Thank you for the tip, now I can enjoy in whole range of software on TI disk images with my RPI2.
Edited by retrofan11
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Well, you can always use this binary package from author web page.

http://www.mrousseau.org/programs/ti99sim/archives/ti99sim-0.12.1.armhf.tar.gz

Unpack archive to sd card and follow this instructions to obtain roms.

http://www.mrousseau.org/programs/ti99sim/README.html

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/232622-raspberry-pi-and-emulation/

 

It work out of the box, no need to compile on anything, I tried on my rpi2, just put the TI-994A.ctg in roms folder.

 

btw, if someone tried Flappy bird on ti99sim, It seems that is not working properly?

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Man, you save my day!

What actually happened?
I found on the Internet zip archive with system ROMs in ctg format and I used them.
TI994A rom and speech rom worked well and I assumed that ti-disk.ctg file is also correct.
However, it turned out, that this file is somehow broken or corrupted and therefore drive support is not working.
I just did the conversion and now everything works flawlessly. :)
Thank you for the tip, now I can enjoy in whole range of software on TI disk images with my RPI2.

 

 

 

That is interesting. As you can see from earlier in this thread I've compiled this for several Raspberry Pis and my Chromebook and it works great, but I've never even thought to attempt to use disk images. I just assumed that the version I have didn't have disk support. I've just been using it with cartridge images. I'll have to give that a try once I get ahold of a good disk controller ROM.

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Well, disk controller certainly works, but I have a problem runing some newer games, like for example, Sabre Wulf, Flappy Bird, Jet Set Willy neither from disk or cartridges.

Also cant convert in ctg format cartridge games like Alex Kid, 8in1, etc.

I'm not sure if this is a compatibility problem of emulator itself or something else.

Perhaps, if someone has the time to test and confirm this, because in windows emulator Classic99, these games work perfectly.

Edited by retrofan11
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Well, disk controller certainly works, but I have a problem runing some newer games, like for example, Sabre Wulf, Flappy Bird, Jet Set Willy neither from disk or cartridges.
Also cant convert in ctg format cartridge games like Alex Kid, 8in1, etc.
I'm not sure if this is a compatibility problem of emulator itself or something else.
Perhaps, if someone has the time to test and confirm this, because in windows emulator Classic99, these games work perfectly.

 

 

I would be interested in knowing why my games don't work TI-99/SIM, but I can't find an up-to-date installation for Windows.

 

My guess is that the problem could be related to reading either the VDP interrupt or the keyboard using CRU.

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Yes, you right, latest windows instalation is v0.0.10, but this version is less compatible than latest one.

In meantime I managed to run Sabrewulf (dsk demo), but still cant find a way to convert full version on cartridge in ctg format.

I used above windows version for conversion, but convert-ctg command doesnt make valid ctg file.

Has anyone tried and successfully convert this cartridge into ti99sim format?

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Well, disk controller certainly works, but I have a problem runing some newer games, like for example, Sabre Wulf, Flappy Bird, Jet Set Willy neither from disk or cartridges.

Also cant convert in ctg format cartridge games like Alex Kid, 8in1, etc.

I'm not sure if this is a compatibility problem of emulator itself or something else.

Perhaps, if someone has the time to test and confirm this, because in windows emulator Classic99, these games work perfectly.

I don't believe ti99sim supports the newer bankswitching schemes. MAME and Classic99 have added specific support for non-inverted 512k images fairly recently.

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TI99SIM may not support ANY of the currently used bank switching schemes when the cartridge file is greater than 2 banks. However, if the files won't run even when loaded from disk, that is something else. It may not be as compatible with the TI as intended--and as Rasmus' games tend to push the system to its limits, those incompatibilities may be raising their formerly-hidden heads. . .

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TI99SIM may not support ANY of the currently used bank switching schemes when the cartridge file is greater than 2 banks. However, if the files won't run even when loaded from disk, that is something else. It may not be as compatible with the TI as intended--and as Rasmus' games tend to push the system to its limits, those incompatibilities may be raising their formerly-hidden heads. . .

Its quite possible that this is a problem.
I noticed that all successfully converted cartridges have 2 ROM banks.
Here is example of convert-CTG output:
Title: EXTENDED BASIC V2.5
Groms: 3 4 5 6 7
2 banks of ROM at 6000
2 banks of ROM at 7000
In case when I try to convert Sabrewulf kartridge, I dont have last two lines, converter app crashed and produce corrupted and unusable ctg file.
Does this mean that it is completely impossible to run Sabrewulf on TI99sim or is still possible to somehow get valid ctg ?

 

Try running this demo of Tursi's in TI-99/Sim. If it doesn't work the issue probably is that the VDP interrupt cannot be read via CRU.

 

I have tried this demo and it works well I think, it gives me small multicolour circles on black background, with sound, looks like game of life...

But also true is, that TI99Sim have compatibility issues with some of your games:

Bouncy - doesnt work, corrupted main screen, unable to start game.

Titanium - bottom half of screen is messed up, preety much unplayable.

TI Scramble - mostly work good, have problem with autofire rockets.

Flappy Bird, Sabre Wulf (disk demo version), JSW, Road Hunter and Sports, works fine.

Sabre Wulf is my favorite game and I really would like to use the full version, which exists only on the cartridge.
Since I can not convert a cartridge, is there a possibility that the final version be made in DSK format?
Edited by retrofan11
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I think the problem with the final version of Sabre Wulf is that the program is larger than the available memory of the TI when running it in anything BUT cartridge mode, based on answers I've heard when this question came up before. Unless TI99SIM is updated to support larger ROM bank images, there is no way to build a cartridge of this program that will work on it.

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I have tried this demo and it works well I think, it gives me small multicolour circles on black background, with sound, looks like game of life...

But also true is, that TI99Sim have compatibility issues with some of your games:

Bouncy - doesnt work, corrupted main screen, unable to start game.

Titanium - bottom half of screen is messed up, preety much unplayable.

TI Scramble - mostly work good, have problem with autofire rockets.

Flappy Bird, Sabre Wulf (disk demo version), JSW, Road Hunter and Sports, works fine.

Sabre Wulf is my favorite game and I really would like to use the full version, which exists only on the cartridge.
Since I can not convert a cartridge, is there a possibility that the final version be made in DSK format?

 

 

If Bouncy and Titanium don't work, most likely the problem is related to some of the more rarely used hybrid screen modes. Try setting Titanium in "F18A mode" by pressing the F key on the main screen. If that works TI-99/Sim can handle "1/2 bitmap mode" but not "2/3 bitmap mode". You can also try if Rock Runner works (1/2 bitmap mode).

 

Edit: I looked at the code and I may be wrong but it doesn't seem to support hybrid modes at all.

 

If Sabre Wulf only works in the disk version there is probably also an issue with larger bank-switched cartridges. As Ksarul said, the full version will not fit in 32K.

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Thanks for the answers, now I know what kind of limitations TI99Sim has.

I tried Rock Runner as well as Titanium in F18 mode, but it doesnt work, so obviously hybrid modes isnt supported.

Just small question about SabreWulf.

I use demo version dsk file dated at 10/30/2014 and I wonder what is main differencies from the final version?

Is it possible to finish disk version or its incomplete game?

Edited by retrofan11
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Yeah, as far as I know, this emulator was sat there from like 2002 doing nothing, not getting any updates, and it's only really been the last couple of years it's been looked at by the owner. He's a good guy and tried helping me all he could to get it running but I wasn't lucky enough to get it to work with any games. Is there even an F18 mode on it?

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Thanks for the answers, now I know what kind of limitations TI99Sim has.

I tried Rock Runner as well as Titanium in F18 mode, but it doesnt work, so obviously hybrid modes isnt supported.

Just small question about SabreWulf.

I use demo version dsk file dated at 10/30/2014 and I wonder what is main differencies from the final version?

Is it possible to finish disk version or its incomplete game?

 

Yes the disk version can be played through to the end, but read these posts to see what was added to the cartridge version:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/228831-sabre-wulf/page-4?do=findComment&comment=3079572

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/228831-sabre-wulf/page-7?do=findComment&comment=3104292

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/228831-sabre-wulf/page-8?do=findComment&comment=3112280

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/228831-sabre-wulf/page-9?do=findComment&comment=3121595

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Yeah, as far as I know, this emulator was sat there from like 2002 doing nothing, not getting any updates, and it's only really been the last couple of years it's been looked at by the owner. He's a good guy and tried helping me all he could to get it running but I wasn't lucky enough to get it to work with any games. Is there even an F18 mode on it?

 

From what I saw, he doesnt support F18 mode.

 

 

Thanks.
Definitely, cartridges version is worth to try and I'll be happy to play at Classic99 emulator.
The main reason why I use TI99Sim is because he is the only choice for Raspberry Pi.
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Yeah, as far as I know, this emulator was sat there from like 2002 doing nothing, not getting any updates, and it's only really been the last couple of years it's been looked at by the owner. He's a good guy and tried helping me all he could to get it running but I wasn't lucky enough to get it to work with any games. Is there even an F18 mode on it?

 

I was referring to the F18A mode toggle in Titanium, which is basically a switch from "2/3 bitmap mode" (with 3 pattern tables and 1 color table) to half-bitmap mode (with 1 pattern table and 1 color table). The F18A is the only hardware VDP that supports more than 8 sprites in half-bitmap mode without sprite duplication.

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Looking at the code for ti99sim, I /think/ that only convert-ctg would need to be modified to support larger multi-bank cartridges. The emulator core itself seems to support an arbitrary number of ROM banks, although I'm not sure about which type of switching it supports. Either way, it's probably not super hard to add support the newer types (I am not volunteering though :) ).

Edited by TheMole
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  • 1 month later...

I just compiled the latest version of TI99Sim (version 0.0.12) on my Raspberry Pi 2, on stock Raspbian. It compiled fine and I was able to create and install the main rom cart. Like described above though, the emulator comes up if I launch it with no carts, but if I specify a cart file I either get segmentation fault if I run as a regular user and it bombs back to the command prompt, or if I run as root by sudoing it, it still bombs, but I don't see the segmentation fault error. The behavior is the same whether or not I force full screen with the -f qualifier.

 

Unfortunately, previous versions (including 0.0.11) don't seem to compile on the Pi 2, and since it's ARM based, there are no binaries available (that I can find, at least). I was going to roll this into my Emulation station / RetroPie setup, but it's not very useful with just being able to run stock TI basic.

 

I'm running over 20 other emulators, most of which use SDL on this pi, so I'm pretty sure that this is specifically a Ti99sim problem.

 

If anyone comes up with a fix or finds an update that makes this work, please post it here.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi Paradroyd,

I saw your update on Twitter and also in Facebook the references to TI-99/4A on RetroPie.

 

This is your video correct? (RetroPie TI99):

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHJKwX318_g&feature=youtu.be

 

FB link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209774843/permalink/10154007498184844/

 

People are asking how to set it up, but I think it should be in a separate thread?

(it is based on TI99SIM installation, but it makes it easier for other people how to install it and find it in the forum)

 

I just managed to get it to work (my instructions are very basic installation steps for v1.0)

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Hi Paradroyd,

I saw your update on Twitter and also in Facebook the references to TI-99/4A on RetroPie.

 

This is your video correct? (RetroPie TI99):

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHJKwX318_g&feature=youtu.be

 

FB link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209774843/permalink/10154007498184844/

 

People are asking how to set it up, but I think it should be in a separate thread?

(it is based on TI99SIM installation, but it makes it easier for other people how to install it and find it in the forum)

 

I just managed to get it to work (my instructions are very basic installation steps for v1.0)

 

Yes..that is my video. Someone had recently posted a message on Twitter to the effect that they hoped it would be possible "some day" to get a TI emulator integrated into RetroPie. I just wanted to show them that it is possible to get it done now with a fair amount of work. I don't have a Facebook account (for various reasons), so I can't post there.

 

I'm glad you came up with the steps..I couldn't give you a nice step-by-step as to how I did it. It was a long time ago (about a year, I think) and it seems like it should probably be easier now than when I did it. There was a lot of symbolic linking to get RetroPie to find the bits it needed in the right places to launch things properly.

 

The hardest part, if I remember right besides getting TI99Sim to compile, was building a nice RetroPie menu with the icons and game descriptions. it was really more tedious than hard. I basically scraped content from various places on the web and built the TI entry by hand over the course of a couple of weeks. Since it's not my content and I didn't get anyone's permission, I can't really post that stuff for anyone else to download.

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Yes..that is my video. Someone had recently posted a message on Twitter to the effect that they hoped it would be possible "some day" to get a TI emulator integrated into RetroPie. I just wanted to show them that it is possible to get it done now with a fair amount of work. I don't have a Facebook account (for various reasons), so I can't post there.

 

I'm glad you came up with the steps..I couldn't give you a nice step-by-step as to how I did it. It was a long time ago (about a year, I think) and it seems like it should probably be easier now than when I did it. There was a lot of symbolic linking to get RetroPie to find the bits it needed in the right places to launch things properly.

 

The hardest part, if I remember right besides getting TI99Sim to compile, was building a nice RetroPie menu with the icons and game descriptions. it was really more tedious than hard. I basically scraped content from various places on the web and built the TI entry by hand over the course of a couple of weeks. Since it's not my content and I didn't get anyone's permission, I can't really post that stuff for anyone else to download.

 

That's really great, I can imagine with an earlier version there is a lot of tweaking/configuration to be done.

I like it, same like the portable one (forgot the one you were using, but similar like a Sony PSP type), now TI-99/4A becomes very portable to bring around.

 

With the latest RetroPie, it is easier and it takes around an hour to build it from the v3.6 base version. One person is trying it now, but got some installation errors.

As alternative we are trying to "clone the SD" now to see if that works (not sure as on the internet forum people mention that RetroPi uses serial numbers

to verify), others say it works (maybe that's an alternative way to have an image with the base TI-99/SIM installed, but without the TI-99/4A Roms (=BIOS)

and without cartridges (= ROMS ) to make it easier to enable people to use TI-99/4A on the RetroPi as they only have to transfer these BIOS and ROMS.

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I can only test the ARM releases of TI-99/Sim on an original raspberry pi. I have assumed these binaries would run on the newer hardware as well. If this isn't the case, I might have to get my hands on a newer pi 3.

 

I usually build on raspian and have also assumed it the binaries would run on other distributions. If not, the distribution will need a fairly up-to-date version of g++ (or clang++ if you change the makefile rules). I will make sure the building section of the README is updated in the next release for the raspberry pi since it does require a few development libraries to build successfully.

 

The next release (v0.13.1 or v0.14.0 - not sure which yet) will fix issue with the mouse cursor showing.

 

As for the cartridge issue, as Paradroyd said: Since it's not my content and I don't have anyone's permissions, I can't make them available for download. I will try to make the sure the convert program works correctly and can handle all the files out there. I may also put together some shell scripts to automate creating the necessary files.

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