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Feature suggestions

Started by Muzer, 13/Feb/2012 08:26:27 PM

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Muzer

As Matthias_H requested in another thread, I'll create this wishlist of feature suggestions. Please post in this thread if you have a feature you want to be added, and I'll add it to this first post. I'll also guess how hard it would be for Matthias_H to implement, but not having seen how exactly the code works, bear in mind that these are my estimations and the real difficulty levels might be very different.

Current feature requests, in my estimated difficulty order:
* Flash LED to indicate changes in overdump mode (easy)
* PS3 home button support (medium)
* Mega Drive EEPROM support (hard)
* Convert Game Boy Camera pictures to image files on-the-fly and have them openable (hard)
* Power Base Converter support (hard, maybe impossible)
* Satellaview support ((very?) hard, not definitely possible)
* Mega CD RAM cartridge support (hard)
* Super Street Fighter 2 for Mega Drive bankswitching (hard)
* Tales of Phantasia oversize (48Mbit) ROM support (medium)

Features that are definitely impossible without hardware modification/adaptors:
* SA-1 support (for Super Mario RPG etc. - very hard, and therefore unlikely - extra hardware would be required)
* ColecoVision controller support (lack of hw support)
* Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2/+3 Joystick support (lack of hw support)
* J-cart support (lack of hw support)
* Xbox 360 controller support (impossible due to it using undocumented encryption, which won't be supported even if it were documented for legal/moral reasons)

Features previously on this list that have been implemented:
* Some way to prevent filenames in games with a blank title field (Micro Machines '96) from starting with a dot, as this makes them hidden in UNIX-like OSes
* Ability to access Sonic 3's FRAM (SRAM) when playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles
* Hold button on controller at startup to change HID mode

Plug-in Suggestions

If anyone has a request for a specific plug-in adaptor, perhaps post that here and the difficulty could be assessed. Ones that already exist/are planned can be found in my other thread here.

Edit, Matthias_H: Stickied.

Matthias_H

#1
Actually, I'm not even sure if Power Base Converter is technically possible at all. Won't work if /CE and /OE require different signals (they're wired together in the Retrode)

Edit: I'd feel much more comfortable if this thread were called "Feature Suggestions", a "wishlist" or something less, uhm, requesting :)
https://www.retrode.org

I no longer sell the Retrode. For sales inquiries, please contact our friends at DragonBox.

MasterOfPuppets

One feature I would appreciate is the ability to dump Satellaview 8M Memory Paks via the BS-X cart.  I have no idea how difficult it will be to implement, but it should be possible.

Muzer

#3
Quote from: Matthias_H on 13/Feb/2012 08:56:00 PM
Actually, I'm not even sure if Power Base Converter is technically possible at all. Won't work if /CE and /OE require different signals (they're wired together in the Retrode)

Edit: I'd feel much more comfortable if this thread were called "Feature Suggestions", a "wishlist" or something less, uhm, requesting :)

OK, done :)


EDIT: Looks to me, from various schematics I found, like OE (Mega Drive pin 16B) is connected to the "Not read" pin (ie, 0 when you're reading), and CE_L (pin 17B) is connected to both "not address range $0000-$7fff" (0 when it is in that range) and the 15th address bit, which is odd. CE_H (pin 26B) is not connected.

Matthias_H

#4
Quote* Some way to prevent filenames in games with a blank title field (Micro Machines '96) from starting with a dot, as this makes them hidden in UNIX-like OSes (very easy)
* Ability to access Sonic 3's FRAM (SRAM) when playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles (medium?)

Try http://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.17e-alpha.zip and see if those two points work for you. (I haven't tested either but they seemed rather straightforward fixes.)

Edit: Tested both; seem to work.
https://www.retrode.org

I no longer sell the Retrode. For sales inquiries, please contact our friends at DragonBox.

JonY

We're going to have to come up with a whole lot more suggestions if you are going to implement them this quickly ;)

Muzer

Afraid it'll have to wait until Saturday, as I'm currently staying at relatives' without my Retrode.

Ness and Sonic

I wonder if the SA1 chip support for retrode could be done as another adapter or if that would be even harder.
Some times modern video game characters chase older ones. Some times older video game characters just say the wrong thing.

Matthias_H

Quote from: Ness and Sonic on 15/Feb/2012 11:08:29 PM
I wonder if the SA1 chip support for retrode could be done as another adapter or if that would be even harder.

Except in case of a miracle, there will be no SA-1 support from my side.
https://www.retrode.org

I no longer sell the Retrode. For sales inquiries, please contact our friends at DragonBox.

Muzer

#9
ColecoVision controller support (almost definitely without keypad): http://forum.retrode.org/index.php/topic,41.msg320.html#msg320


Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2/+3 joysticks: http://forum.retrode.org/index.php/topic,42.0.html

Muzer

I've added a new section for things that you have said are definitely impossible without hardware modification.

Muzer

Quote from: Matthias_H on 14/Feb/2012 07:23:25 AM
Quote* Some way to prevent filenames in games with a blank title field (Micro Machines '96) from starting with a dot, as this makes them hidden in UNIX-like OSes (very easy)
* Ability to access Sonic 3's FRAM (SRAM) when playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles (medium?)

Try http://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.17e-alpha.zip and see if those two points work for you. (I haven't tested either but they seemed rather straightforward fixes.)

Edit: Tested both; seem to work.


Both appear to work for me as well! Thanks! Removed from list in first post.

Matthias_H

Maybe the "done" points should be moved, not deleted. Otherwise, it will look as though I never get anything done and there's only a huge pile of to-dos :)
https://www.retrode.org

I no longer sell the Retrode. For sales inquiries, please contact our friends at DragonBox.

Muzer


matt

#14
Xbox 360 compatibility

I'd be interested in seeing Xbox 360 compatibility, with the aim of playing Megadrive Collection, Street Fighter II and lots of arcade classics on XBLA and through Game Room.

But it's not so easy. I understand there's a challenge and response made by the 360 when you plug a USB pad, so you can't just use a standard USB controller. That means the Retrode firmware would need to have an Xbox 360 mode and be able to send back the correct response.

This might be too much hard work, but I thought I'd start a thread as this is definitely something I would use and like to see added to the Retrode in the future.

Thanks,
matt