Request for ProSystem

[PacManPlus]

... actually two:

 

1) It doesn't seem to support RAM at $4000-$7FFF if you have a standard 32K cart. Only the larger ones. When I make the appropriate changes to the 128-byte header, all I get is a black screen. I am going by this layout:

 

0	  Header version	 - 1 byte
1..16  "ATARI7800	  "  - 16 bytes
17..48 Cart title		 - 32 bytes
49..52 data length		- 4 bytes
53..54 cart type		  - 2 bytes
bit 0 0x01 - pokey cart
bit 1 0x02 - supercart bank switched
bit 2 0x04 - supercart RAM at $4000
bit 3 0x08 - additional ROM at $4000

bit 8-15 - Special
	0 = Normal cart
	1 = Absolute (F18 Hornet)
	2 = Activision

55	 controller 1 type  - 1 byte
56	 controller 2 type  - 1 byte
0 = None
1 = Joystick
2 = Light Gun
57  0 = NTSC/1 = PAL

100..127 "ACTUAL CART DATA STARTS HERE" - 28 bytes

 

Using a standard 32K cart (all zeros for Cart Type, and "00 00 80 00" for Data Length), if I just flip bit 2 of byte 54, which should allow for RAM at $4000, that's when I get the black screen instead.

I've tried different configurations, trying to 'trick' the emulator into thinking it's a larger file, but it doesn't work. I know it obviously works for Jinks, and other 128K games that use RAM, but I don't need all of that and I want to be able to easily test it on the real thing (so I don't want to reconfigure everything for the bank switching, etc. if I'm not going to use it).

 

 

2) (and much less important) High Score Cart support!

 

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

 

Bob

[+Mitch]

I think Prosystem ignores the a78 header, it uses it's own database instead. Check the prosystem.dat file.

 

Mitch

[TwiliteZoner]

Has anyone had issues running the emulator on a multi-core system. It seems to act up when in fullscreen mode. I don't have this issue on other machines.

[PacManPlus]

I think Prosystem ignores the a78 header, it uses it's own database instead. Check the prosystem.dat file.

 

Mitch

 

Thanks Mitch, but I don't think it completely ignored it, as I changed the 'title' in the header and ProSystem reflected it in the window title... Also the fact that when I changed that one bit to enable RAM, that's when it stopped playing.

 

BUT, I believe in trying all possibilities, so does anyone know how to get the checksum of an .a78 file so I can enter it into the ProSystem database?

 

Thanks again,

Bob

[+Mitch]

I usually load the games in emu7800 and it spits out the hash. Now that I think about it, I believe ProSystem may default to it's database but if it's not there then it checks the a78. But it may not be fully a78 compatable.

 

Mitch

[jwierer]

I think Prosystem ignores the a78 header, it uses it's own database instead. Check the prosystem.dat file.

 

Mitch

 

Thanks Mitch, but I don't think it completely ignored it, as I changed the 'title' in the header and ProSystem reflected it in the window title... Also the fact that when I changed that one bit to enable RAM, that's when it stopped playing.

 

BUT, I believe in trying all possibilities, so does anyone know how to get the checksum of an .a78 file so I can enter it into the ProSystem database?

 

Thanks again,

Bob

 

The source for ProSystem 1.3 is available from here. There is a file hash.cpp if you want to see how it's currently being calculated.

 

-Jeff