Batocera (Emulation system) and TI-99/4A

[globeron]

@Cheung okay i will check. Btw i moved tonise Retrobat (on Windows, benefit is not to switch to boot from USB each time as i use the pc for TV as well).  But the ti99 directory is the same with RPKs, images, videos and easy to transfer between. 

[Cheung]

3 minutes ago, globeron said:

@Cheung okay i will check. Btw i moved tonise Retrobat (on Windows, benefit is not to switch to boot from USB each time as i use the pc for TV as well).  But the ti99 directory is the same with RPKs, images, videos and easy to transfer between. 

Warlords can be found here:

https://github.com/CheungChang7/TI99_HOMEBREW/tree/main/WARLORDS/SSS

 

And They Come At Night can be found here:

https://github.com/CheungChang7/TI99_HOMEBREW/tree/main/TCAN

[Cheung]

2 minutes ago, Cheung said:

Warlords can be found here:

https://github.com/CheungChang7/TI99_HOMEBREW/tree/main/WARLORDS/SSS

 

And They Come At Night can be found here:

https://github.com/CheungChang7/TI99_HOMEBREW/tree/main/TCAN

If that Warlords is too big, you might be able to use the one here:

 

https://github.com/CheungChang7/TI99_HOMEBREW/tree/main/WARLORDS

[globeron]

On 11/8/2023 at 10:24 PM, Cheung said:

If that Warlords is too big, you might be able to use the one here:

 

https://github.com/CheungChang7/TI99_HOMEBREW/tree/main/WARLORDS

 

Both now have been added to Retrobat/MAME64.
 

[Cheung]

16 hours ago, Cheung said:

All,

   Finished the game "port" of IMAGIC's ATLANTIS. a video of the game is here:

 

and here is the cartridge binary for download (attached)

 

ATLANTIS.bin 64 kB · 31 downloads

If you plan on adding any more programs, I just finished up ATLANTIS. In case you don't know about them, you might also want to checkout the Mario Bros and Ghostbusters ports which both have posts either under the Main TI994A topic or the Development subtopic.

[globeron]

Nice will add it. Others were added already 

 

[Frank1969]

I got problems with speech on Batocera v39. In bios check it states bios/ti99_speech.zip.  UNTESTED - MD5: 206........ If I try to start a game it shows Batocera logo but always goes back to main menu. Any suggestions, really hoping I can play my games from back in the days.

 

Frank

[globeron]

@Frank1969 I moved to Retrobat. But batocera should work very similar  (bios, roms, rpk all the same).  Try the retroarch/libretro as emulator (you can configure it per game) Or try mame64 as emulator. That might give the crash.   

[globeron]

On 3/15/2024 at 7:13 AM, Frank1969 said:

I got problems with speech on Batocera v39. In bios check it states bios/ti99_speech.zip.  UNTESTED - MD5: 206........ If I try to start a game it shows Batocera logo but always goes back to main menu. Any suggestions, really hoping I can play my games from back in the days.

 

Frank

I just tested with Batocera - https://updates.batocera.org/x86_64/stable/last/batocera-x86_64-x86_64-39-20240304.img.gz

(website - https://batocera.org/download) Desktop PC, Laptop, NUC and Intel-based Apple Computers

> unzip to .img file, with Win32mgr write to a USB stick  (Sandisk 64 gb and bootup on the PC (Beelink Ser5), then a bluescreen appears, press key and boot Batocera.

 

> press F1 (for the file system)

> copy (from another USB stick or disk the  .rpk  files into  SHARE/roms/ti99     (search on ftp.whtech.com in the batoceraretrobat)

> copy in SHARE/bios the ti99_4a.zip and the ti99_speech.zip

 

> Press spacebar > Game Settings > Update Gamelists    (then Esc), now the TI99 is listed in the menu

> Press spacebar > Game Settings > Per System configuration > TI99 > Emulator > MAME 

    (Note:  Libretro/MAME, it seems to have issues with sound and keymapping, like ENTER)

 

(I did not had sound at first):

> press spacebar -> System Settings -> Audio ouput -> select the right sound option

 

Now > TI-99 - > select your TI game ->  press Esc   (this takes a while on my system, somehow Batocera is a bit slower than Retrobat, maybe because it runs of the USB)

 

> Some hotkeys:  ESC to get back to Batocera.    (or CTRL-ESC  in Libretro/MAME)

> or SELECT + START on a controller

> TAB  (to configure MAME itself)

 

> Using Controllers

> Wired might work the best,  Wireless I am using issues with PS4 controllers and Bluetooth (discovered okay, mapped okay, but after standby does not associate anymore and cannot delete and rediscover)

> XINPUT controllers might work better as MAME prefers it.    (that's why I use Windows with Retrobat and DS4Windows and Hide to use wireless PS4 controllers in XINPUT mode)

 

> Mapping TI-keys.   

> Press spacebar > Game Settings > Per System configuration > TI99 > PAD2Key file.

    > e.g.  map keys like 1, 2, 3 to to Y, A, B buttons on a PS4 controller

    > multi-combination keys e.g. FCTN-QUIT   map it to (right) ALT and =   (when you see the keyboard at the bottom of the screen you see the option how to configure combination keys)

    > or configure FCTN-BACK  and FCTN-REDO    (I map it to the Right Analog Stick).  

    > and configure SELECT to 5   (e.g. for Mario Bros to insert a coin)

 

Then most TI games you can play without touching the keyboard. 

 

Hope this helps for your Batocera setup. 

[globeron]

 

 

Update on the TI99 images to look better in the preview and to show old vs new manual 

RomTI99Images.zip

 

 

e.g.  the image will show both manuals

 

 

 

 

(FYI - some TI-99 Cartridges have 3x different manuals)