134 lines
6.8 KiB
Plaintext
134 lines
6.8 KiB
Plaintext
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WHAT IS THIS?
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This is DGen/SDL, a semi-fantastic emulator for Unix-esque operating systems
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supported by the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) library. It produces a virtual
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environment in which Sega Genesis (MegaDrive outside the US) games may run
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with fairly accurate audio and video.
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HOW DO I INSTALL IT?
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You'll need SDL version 1.0 or greater. Fetch it from
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http://www.libsdl.org/, and install it. Make sure, if you're
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using prepackaged rpm's or deb's, to get both the SDL and SDL-devel packages.
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For Intel/AMD/Cyrix CPUs, you'll also need NASM, which can be found at
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http://www.web-sites.co.uk/nasm/, in order to utilize the assembler
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optimizations. *WARNING*: The NASM that comes prepackaged with RedHat 7.x is
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broken! Install the rpm from RedHat 6.x, and it should work. One such rpm can
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be found at http://pknet.com/~joe/nasm-0.98-2.i386.rpm.
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Now you should be able to build and install DGen like any other
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autoconf-using package:
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sh ./configure && make && make install
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If you have egcs or GCC >= 2.95, you can give configure the '--with-extra-opt'
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switch, which will add some insane optimization to the CFLAGS used to compile
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the program, giving the binary a very decent speed boost.
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The control configuration and other options available in DGen/SDL are set
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through a file dgenrc, which should be in the location $HOME/.dgen/dgenrc.
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The sample.dgenrc file in this archive documents all the fields, and so does the
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dgenrc(5) manpage. If it doesn't exist, an empty one will be created when
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dgen is run.
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Now that it's been installed, running 'dgen ROMFILE' should run the Genesis
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program contained in ROMFILE. For a list of all the fancy options supported,
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run either 'dgen' with no options, or see the dgen(1) manpage for more detail.
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IT'S TOO SLOW!
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Well, sorry. Here are some ideas to help accelerate it:
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- Lower the value of "int_nice" in your dgenrc. 0 is good for short tempers :-)
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- Turn off sound.
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- Run fullscreen, if possible.
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- Increase int_soundsegs to 16 or (if you're desperate) 32.
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- Buy a faster computer. (sorry, had to say it ;)
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IT'S TOO FAST!
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I couldn't believe it either, but someone asked me this. If you happen to find
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yourself in this unfortunate predicament, here's how to slow it down:
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- Raise the sound rate to 44100Hz. It sounds a LOT better, and is a LOT slower.
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- Increase the value of int_nice in your dgenrc. This is the best way to slow
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things down, since it makes dgen much more CPU friendly.
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- In the game, press the key set to 'dgen_cpu_toggle' (which defaults to F11),
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to use the Musashi CPU core, which is slower and more accurate than
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StarScream.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Q: DGen segfaults on startup!
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A: The two most common causes of this are a broken NASM, or an absent NASM.
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RedHat 7.x distributions ship with a prepackaged NASM which doesn't work.
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You'll need to use an RPM from a different distribution, or RedHat 6.x.
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Q: How do I set up OpenGL mode?
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A: OpenGL mode can be activated either from the commandline, or from the dgenrc
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file. Using the '-G XxY' switch will activate OpenGL mode. The switch takes
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the desired resolution as an argument. For example:
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$ dgen -G 640x480 sonic.bin
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will run with a 640x480 screen resolution.
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So that you do not have to type this switch every time you use dgen, you
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can add the following lines to ~/.dgen/dgenrc so that dgen will start in
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OpenGL mode every time:
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bool_opengl = yes
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int_opengl_width = 640
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int_opengl_height = 480
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int_opengl_width and int_opengl_height can be changed to suit your own
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preferences.
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Q: I make dgen setuid-root, and try to run it fullscreen, and all I get is
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a black screen with the game running in the middle of it.
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A: You need to have your X server set up with a 320x240 video mode. For XFree86,
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if you have XF86Setup installed (which is more than likely):
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- Close all X sessions you have running.
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- From a console, as root, run "XF86Setup". When asked "Would you like to use
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the existing XF86Config file for defaults?" say Yes.
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- After 30 seconds or so the X server should start in VGA mode, and put you
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in the setup program. Everything else is set up, just click on the
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"Modeselection" button in the top right-hand corner.
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- From the list of possible modes, choose 1024x768 (or whatever mode you use
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regularly), and 320x240 (which is the mode DGen wants). Choose a bits-per-
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pixel from the list on the bottom (DGen works best in 15- or 16-bpp).
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- Press "Done", then "Okay".
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- It should restart the X server. When you see the message
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"Congratulations!...", try pressing CTRL-ALT-KEYPAD+ to switch to your new
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320x240 mode, just to make sure it works. Press CTRL-ALT-KEYPAD- to switch
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back, and press "Save the configuration and exit".
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- Restart your X session. If you use xdm, press CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE to kill
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the X server and restart it. Fullscreen should work now.
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Q: DGen's colors are messed up!
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A: Some video cards, such as most Riva cards, use different pixel formats
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for true-color modes. If you use 16-bpp bit depth, try 15- or 32-bpp bit
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depth.
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Q: I try compiling, but when I run ./configure, it tells me it can't find
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sdl-config. I installed SDL from the rpm's.
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A: You need to install the SDL-devel rpm as well:
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http://www.devolution.com/~slouken/SDL/release/SDL-devel-<version>-1.i386.rpm
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Q: Sonic 2 freezes right before the title screen!
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A: There is a bug in the StarScream CPU core which causes Sonic 2 to freeze
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at this point. Press F11 to switch to the Musashi core, until you get to
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the title sequence, then press it again to switch back to StarScream. Save
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a snapshot here, so you don't have to go through it again. :)
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BUGS
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Of course the chances of finding a bug are unlikely, but if you do, tell me
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about it. Send me a patch too, if possible :-) Also, check the FAQ above before
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reporting bugs, to see if your question's already been answered.
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Enjoy DGen!
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