mos6507 Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) I'm kind of surprised this hasn't been discussed earlier (or maybe it has). I would like to gather a list of games that people might like to see hacked for added AtariVox support. Games that already have (volatile) high score tables might be good candidates even if they don't necessarily cry out for voice. Games that use both ports at once are a problem (like Wizard of Wor) otherwise 2P games would have to be altered to both access the same controller. I'll start things off. Coinop ports that had voice but aren't 2P simultaneous: ------- Berzerk (already bumped a separate thread) Gorf Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator Megamania could be hacked into Astro Blaster Star Wars: The Arcade Game Q-Bert Reactor Simulators that could have a chatty damage control computer: ------- Starmaster Robot Tank Phaser Patrol Anyone who hacks a game in order to be able to fit in speech gets a free AtariVox. Well, I guess they would need one to be able to hack it, but they get the NEW combo one if they do it Edited October 15, 2009 by mos6507 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Is there an AtariVox programming FAQ someplace? --Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 (edited) This would be VERY cool. In addition I'd love it if someone would port a simple speak and spell (like the one on OD2). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPb3lMa0448 I'd also like to see several 7800 hacks, and NEW stuff too! AX Edited November 25, 2009 by the.golden.ax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 Is that really the way The Voice sounds on the O^2 or is that the emulator that makes it sound so rough? AtariVox is definitely better than that. There is a TTS companion chip for Speakjet. If you wanted a speak and spell sort of thing you'd probably need that, or at least a big TTS dictionary in a banked ROM and some fast assembly code to scan through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 It is that rough when you type it directly. It is possible to get plenty out of it if you trick it, and that is half the fun. Coming up with word and letter combinations strung together to make it sound good. Personally, I enjoy making it cuss. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 (edited) Is there an AtariVox programming FAQ someplace? --Will Yes, although I can't find the web page where they live, so I have attached them below. Chris AtariVox_docs.zip Edited November 29, 2009 by cd-w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Yes, although I can't find the web page where they live, so I have attached them below. Chris Ah perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks! --Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Ah perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks! --Will Thomas also posted an optimised version of the AtariVox i2c code. I'm hoping you will be adding AtariVox speech to Duck Attack? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Thomas also posted an optimised version of the AtariVox i2c code. I'm hoping you will be adding AtariVox speech to Duck Attack? Chris Thanks for the updated .inc link! I would love to have some sounds in there (a nice robotic "duck in vicinity!" would be great) but I'm not sure if I have the byte-squeezing skills to pull it off. I'm going to play around and see if I can manage it, although I'm not optimistic since things are pretty darn tight as it is. (And I don't actually have an AtariVox, so testing would be tough.) I did decide to add a "save game" feature, though, so that if you're wandering around on Level 14 and want to play something else for a while, you can save the game to the EEPROM and resume it later. That (and high score retention) will be in v0.09. Since Stella emulates that, testing should be straightforward (I hope). --Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Ah perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks! --Will Thomas also posted an optimised version of the AtariVox i2c code. I'm hoping you will be adding AtariVox speech to Duck Attack? Chris I just wanted to add that if you'll be using an AtariVox with Stella, you must use this latest optimized i2c code. Thomas released this new code in part because we found a bug when adding AVox support to Stella. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I just wanted to add that if you'll be using an AtariVox with Stella, you must use this latest optimized i2c code. Thomas released this new code in part because we found a bug when adding AVox support to Stella. Thanks for the heads-up. Out of curiosity, what was the nature of the bug? --Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Thanks for the heads-up. Out of curiosity, what was the nature of the bug? IIRC, the bug was only in the first optimised version that Thomas posted, not the original code (which is in the AtariVox docs above). I think the bug was caused by an insufficient delay between i2c operations, but I can't remember properly now. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Thanks for the heads-up. Out of curiosity, what was the nature of the bug? IIRC, the bug was only in the first optimised version that Thomas posted, not the original code (which is in the AtariVox docs above). I think the bug was caused by an insufficient delay between i2c operations, but I can't remember properly now. Chris I'm a bit vague on the details now as well, but it was related to asserting both the SDA and SCL lines at the same time. Basically, the code was generating a state that was invalid according to the specs of the I2C protocol. I suspect it probably worked on real hardware because one of the lines took priority over the other. But that's not something that can be depended on; it might fail on future versions of the hardware. I didn't realize the original code worked. I do know that the AStar ROM doesn't work in Stella (wrt AVox support), and I thought the author used the original code. In any event, the very latest optimized code does work. If you're so inclined, perhaps you could test with the original and latest optimized i2c code. It would be nice to know if the original code actually works in Stella. If not, we should modify the documentation ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primordial Ooze Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Quick question, how can i get an AtariVox besides hacking a game and adding AtariVox support for it? Sincerely, Dino Dash Derby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard H. Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 how can i get an AtariVox When the AA store re-opens they'll be back in there. Glenn's probably built over 100 by now (so there won't be a shortage anytime soon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I just wanted to add that if you'll be using an AtariVox with Stella, you must use this latest optimized i2c code. Thomas released this new code in part because we found a bug when adding AVox support to Stella. Well, I'm brand new to programming for the AtariVox, and I must be making a rookie mistake, although I don't know what it is. I'm including Thomas's i2c_v2_2.inc, I'm using the example code from AtariVox.rtf EXACTLY as it's written, and I've got my ROM configured in Stella to look for the AtariVox in the right port (screenshot attached). But when the example code runs, the first jsr i2c_startwrite always returns with the carry flag set, which from the documentation means it was unable to communicate with the port. buffer = $80 jsr i2c_startwrite ; Start signal and $a0 command byte bcs eeprom_error ; exit if command byte not acknowledged lda #$01 ; upper byte of address jsr i2c_txbyte lda #$40 ; lower byte of address jsr i2c_txbyte ldx #$00 write_loop lda buffer,x ; get byte from RAM jsr i2c_txbyte ; transmit to EEPROM inx cpx #$08 ; 8 bytes sent? bne write_loop eeprom_error jsr i2c_stopwrite ; terminate write and commit to memory rts Is there some initialization that I'm missing? Or a Stella configuration option I've missed? --Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Is there some initialization that I'm missing? Or a Stella configuration option I've missed? There is an option to use a real AtariVox in Stella (Input Settings -> Virtual Devs -> AVox Serial port), but I don't think this will interfere with the SaveKey stuff. Have you tried setting the right port to "SaveKey" instead? Do other games (e.g. Juno First) do their SaveKey saving and loading fine with this version of Stella? Could the stack pointer be overwriting something (e.g. the SaveKey temp variable) when you do the jsr? If it still doesn't work, you could post some more of your code here. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 There is an option to use a real AtariVox in Stella (Input Settings -> Virtual Devs -> AVox Serial port), but I don't think this will interfere with the SaveKey stuff. Have you tried setting the right port to "SaveKey" instead? Do other games (e.g. Juno First) do their SaveKey saving and loading fine with this version of Stella? Could the stack pointer be overwriting something (e.g. the SaveKey temp variable) when you do the jsr? If it still doesn't work, you could post some more of your code here. Chris Setting the P1 controller to SaveKey gives the same results. Juno First is working fine saving and retrieving its high scores, so Stella is able to read and write to the .dat file. The stack pointer is at $F7 when the SaveAndLoad_Main function (which contains the example code) is called, and drops to $F5 when the jsr i2c_startwrite is called; the temp variable is at $DD, so there shouldn't be a conflict there. Here's how I'm calling it: the main game loop calls a joystick input function (PlayerMove, at $F374 in bank 7), which checks if the fire button is being pressed in the egg shelf room. If it is, it JSRs to the SaveGame function, which JSRs to the SaveAndLoad_Main function ($B9C3 in bank 3) which contains the example code. The first thing that function does is call jsr i2c_startwrite, which on return has the carry flag set. (And viewing the contents of the .dat file confirm nothing has been changed from all $FF's.) When SaveAndLoad_Main returns, it puts the player in either the score room (if the carry flag is clear, meaning success) or the credits room (if the carry flag is set, meaning failure), and so far it has always done the latter. --Will DUCKNTSC.BIN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I just wanted to add that if you'll be using an AtariVox with Stella, you must use this latest optimized i2c code. Thomas released this new code in part because we found a bug when adding AVox support to Stella. Well, I'm brand new to programming for the AtariVox, and I must be making a rookie mistake, although I don't know what it is. I'm including Thomas's i2c_v2_2.inc, I'm using the example code from AtariVox.rtf EXACTLY as it's written, and I've got my ROM configured in Stella to look for the AtariVox in the right port (screenshot attached). But when the example code runs, the first jsr i2c_startwrite always returns with the carry flag set, which from the documentation means it was unable to communicate with the port. buffer = $80 jsr i2c_startwrite ; Start signal and $a0 command byte bcs eeprom_error ; exit if command byte not acknowledged lda #$01 ; upper byte of address jsr i2c_txbyte lda #$40 ; lower byte of address jsr i2c_txbyte ldx #$00 write_loop lda buffer,x ; get byte from RAM jsr i2c_txbyte ; transmit to EEPROM inx cpx #$08 ; 8 bytes sent? bne write_loop eeprom_error jsr i2c_stopwrite ; terminate write and commit to memory rts Is there some initialization that I'm missing? Or a Stella configuration option I've missed? --Will Just thought I'd take care of the obvious first; you are restarting Stella, correct? It's not enough to select the AVox as the right controller in the UI. You then have to restart Stella with the same ROM to pick up the change (as indicated by the text at the bottom '(*) Changes to properties require a ROM reload'). Currently, one cannot 'hotplug' a virtual controller while Stella is running a game; you have to exit the game and start again. This is a deficiency I'm working on fixing for a future release. Alternatively, you can start your game from the commandline with the following: stella -rc atarivox ROM_FILE which will force the right controller (the -rc command) to the AtariVox. Using a real AVox will result in the same issues, if I'm correct in thinking that your issue is that Stella isn't actually using the AVox controller at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) Just thought I'd take care of the obvious first; you are restarting Stella, correct? It's not enough to select the AVox as the right controller in the UI. You then have to restart Stella with the same ROM to pick up the change (as indicated by the text at the bottom '(*) Changes to properties require a ROM reload'). Yep, definitely restarting Stella each time. What's interesting is when I recompile the ROM, Stella will "forget" that I've specified AtariVox for the P1 controller (perhaps it uses a checksum or modification date rather than simply the filepath of the ROM?) and reverts it to Joystick, but regardless I do change the controller setting outside of the game (and then confirm it's still set correctly by looking at the config after starting the game.) --Will EDIT: Tried it with the commandline argument, still can't access the EEPROM: Stella.exe -fullscreen -1 -rc atarivox DUCKNTSC.BIN Edited December 5, 2009 by e1will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) Just thought I'd take care of the obvious first; you are restarting Stella, correct? It's not enough to select the AVox as the right controller in the UI. You then have to restart Stella with the same ROM to pick up the change (as indicated by the text at the bottom '(*) Changes to properties require a ROM reload'). Yep, definitely restarting Stella each time. What's interesting is when I recompile the ROM, Stella will "forget" that I've specified AtariVox for the P1 controller (perhaps it uses a checksum or modification date rather than simply the filepath of the ROM?) and reverts it to Joystick, but regardless I do change the controller setting outside of the game (and then confirm it's still set correctly by looking at the config after starting the game.) Yes. this is correct. The ROM properties are indexed by MD5sum, so a recompile of a ROM is essentially creating a new ROM entry (which uses joysticks by default). In fact, this was precisely why the various commandline options were added; to force the properties to a specific value. So if you're always launching from the commandline (either yourself or with an IDE), it's easy to force the controller. Otherwise, you need to do it each time from the UI, which is something I'm thinking about reworking for a future release. EDIT: Tried it with the commandline argument, still can't access the EEPROM: Stella.exe -fullscreen -1 -rc atarivox DUCKNTSC.BIN You don't need to specify the fullscreen argument each time; it's saved after the first time. If it still doesn't work, then it might be a problem in the programming of the AVox itself. Unfortunately, I can't help in that area. EDIT: I should also add that using SaveKey vs. AtariVox will not help, as they both are doing exactly the same thing behind the scenes wrt accessing the EEPROM. To Stella, an AVox is just a SaveKey with an additional SpeakJet chip. Edited December 5, 2009 by stephena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 (edited) If it still doesn't work, then it might be a problem in the programming of the AVox itself. Unfortunately, I can't help in that area. If I understand correctly, the problem is the very first "jsr i2c_startwrite" command, before any AtariVox or SaveKey programming is performed. I suggest that e1will posts the binary containing the problem so that we can debug it and see why this is happening. Chris Edited December 6, 2009 by cd-w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 If it still doesn't work, then it might be a problem in the programming of the AVox itself. Unfortunately, I can't help in that area. If I understand correctly, the problem is the very first "jsr i2c_startwrite" command, before any AtariVox or SaveKey programming is performed. I suggest that e1will posts the binary containing the problem so that we can debug it and see why this is happening. Chris Correct, the first jsr i2c_startwrite is failing (setting the carry flag.) The binary is posted above (post #18), the first jsr i2c_startwrite is at $B9C3. Either stepping through it in the debugger or letting it run at normal speed seems to produce the same results. --Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd-w Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) Correct, the first jsr i2c_startwrite is failing (setting the carry flag.) The binary is posted above (post #18), the first jsr i2c_startwrite is at $B9C3. Either stepping through it in the debugger or letting it run at normal speed seems to produce the same results. --Will I'm having a bit of trouble finding the AtariVox calls in your code. Can you let me know when they are called in the game, and which bank/address they are at. Ideally, if you could separate the AVox stuff from your main code and post the source, or post a symbol file for the Stella debugger? Chris Edited December 7, 2009 by cd-w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1will Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) Correct, the first jsr i2c_startwrite is failing (setting the carry flag.) The binary is posted above (post #18), the first jsr i2c_startwrite is at $B9C3. Either stepping through it in the debugger or letting it run at normal speed seems to produce the same results. --Will I'm having a bit of trouble finding the AtariVox calls in your code. Can you let me know when they are called in the game, and which bank/address they are at. Ideally, if you could separate the AVox stuff from your main code and post the source, or post a symbol file for the Stella debugger? Chris Sure, symbol file attached. --Will EDIT: The jsr i2c_startwrite call is the only call in the game that pushes the stack pointer down to F3, so if you have trouble locating that call you can just add a breakif {sp==F3} and it will catch there. Starting a game, move the robot to the right door and into the light blue room, then pressing the fire button is what triggers the AtariVox call. DUCKNTSC.zip Edited December 7, 2009 by e1will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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