ZX ULAX emulator

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Pegaz
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Pegaz »

Lethargeek wrote: Fri May 15, 2020 10:38 pm btw @Pegaz, do you use your TV as the primary display? have you experienced any problems in a dual-screen setup?

sadly, i cannot figure out how to detect a mode change without reinitializing SDL every suspicious event or using the dreaded winAPI :(

so for the correct operation the emulator needs to be started in a display mode it's supposed to work in without any later changes
No, I had no problems in either single or dual mode, no matter which display is primary.
I just changed the resolution in graphics card settings to 720p 50Hz, to achieve perfect sync with the TV screen and everything works very well...
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Lethargeek
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Lethargeek »

Pegaz wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 1:01 pm No, I had no problems in either single or dual mode, no matter which display is primary.
I just changed the resolution in graphics card settings to 720p 50Hz, to achieve perfect sync with the TV screen and everything works very well...
and you're starting the emulator on the TV display, right? or were both displays 50Hz?
btw it should also sync properly with 100Hz and 144Hz (in that case you get 48fps which is actually closer to pentagon)
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Pegaz »

Lethargeek wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 1:45 pm
Pegaz wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 1:01 pm No, I had no problems in either single or dual mode, no matter which display is primary.
I just changed the resolution in graphics card settings to 720p 50Hz, to achieve perfect sync with the TV screen and everything works very well...
and you're starting the emulator on the TV display, right? or were both displays 50Hz?
btw it should also sync properly with 100Hz and 144Hz (in that case you get 48fps which is actually closer to pentagon)
Yes, I start the emulator in single mode on the TV as the primary display and the refresh rate is 50Hz on the TV.
If I use dual clone mode, then the refresh rate on TV is 50Hz and on the monitor 60Hz (my laptop does not support any other frequency).
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Lethargeek
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Lethargeek »

Pegaz wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 4:53 pm Yes, I start the emulator in single mode on the TV as the primary display and the refresh rate is 50Hz on the TV.
If I use dual clone mode, then the refresh rate on TV is 50Hz and on the monitor 60Hz (my laptop does not support any other frequency).
hmm, looks like the TV in the clone mode is being treated as the primary too, that's unexpected (not that i'm complaining) :)

anyway, just keep an eye on everything suspicious, esp the sound breaking or lagging more and more behind the picture

i need to test more things...
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Gvan »

Lethargeek wrote: Sun May 10, 2020 12:57 am a wip dux driver for the recent The Lost Treasures of Tulum
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2656
if anybody wants it without the color clash

it's so small i put it here just as a text:

Code: Select all

; tile
105F84	C088 0131 0113
105F8B	C888

; sbuf2scr
10131C	0111 0 0111

; hero
1013AC	C006
1013B0	0131 0530 0 0330 0113
1013BC	C888
; attr
101343	01F1 C333 001F
801344	0 FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF
; enemy
101AE6	C006
101AE9	1013B0	5
101AF2	C888


;;;; tags

809B2F	FFFD 8001 8000
-5	FFFD -7A1116 8000
809B31	809B2F	-1A
809B56	809B2F	-1C
Hello.
How can I "apply" this code ?
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Lethargeek
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Lethargeek »

Gvan wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 3:21 am How can I "apply" this code ?
make it an ascii text file with ".dux" extension, then use it as the other dux files in the game pack (english readme for instructions)

but hey, now it's already included in the game pack :)
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double update

Post by Lethargeek »

public beta 18 - fixed old stupid bug of drag&drop events ignored while on pause :x

added 2 parts of Corsarios (+3 hack tr-dos version) in the game pack
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game pack update

Post by Lethargeek »

this time just one game, but it's one of these great games from Slovakia - Kliatba noci :twisted:

Image

really like games from these guys, one of the best spectrum gfx examples, no doubt
but it doesn't mean it can't be improved further a bit ;)

the only downside for me is it becoming too easy if you know what to do
(i think it needs another chained skeleton behind the "bloody key" door)

the snapshot was made from the disked english version, but i think it should work with any one
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Re: game pack update

Post by Sokurah »

Lethargeek wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 7:58 am 3 new games - black&white, dingo and gimmick! yumetaro odyssey

(for the last one the colorization also fixes some gfx glitches of the original)
What was done to Dingo?
Website: Tardis Remakes / Mostly remakes of Arcade and ZX Spectrum games.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation & Sqij.
Twitter: Sokurah
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Re: game pack update

Post by Lethargeek »

Sokurah wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 1:14 pm What was done to Dingo?
colour clash removed, most xor effects removed, each sprite given its own colour (only one per sprite though, i was feeling lazy)
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Re: game pack update

Post by Sokurah »

Lethargeek wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 1:43 pm
Sokurah wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 1:14 pm What was done to Dingo?
colour clash removed, most xor effects removed, each sprite given its own colour (only one per sprite though, i was feeling lazy)
Interresting. Is there a video showing the result?
Website: Tardis Remakes / Mostly remakes of Arcade and ZX Spectrum games.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation & Sqij.
Twitter: Sokurah
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Lethargeek
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Re: game pack update

Post by Lethargeek »

Sokurah wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 2:51 pm Is there a video showing the result?
no, we stopped making videos when the emulator became public (and it wasn't me making them btw)

anyway, why don't you just run the damn thing and see yourself? :?

are you not on windows? i know there may be sound problems under wine, still you can check the graphics
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Re: game pack update

Post by Sokurah »

Lethargeek wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 3:07 pm anyway, why don't you just run the damn thing and see yourself? :?
How charming :roll:

Tried it. It's pretty neat. Pretty ****ing impossible to figure out how to load a game in that emulator though :o

Oh, and a bug report: The game no longer shows in the status area which fruit gives the bonus :?
... and also too bad that it's an old version of Dingo where the controls hasn't been fixed yet.

But I'm definitely going to check out some of the other games included :)
Website: Tardis Remakes / Mostly remakes of Arcade and ZX Spectrum games.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation & Sqij.
Twitter: Sokurah
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Lethargeek
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Re: game pack update

Post by Lethargeek »

Sokurah wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 3:49 pm Tried it. It's pretty neat. Pretty ****ing impossible to figure out how to load a game in that emulator though :o
but it's thoroughly described in the accompanying readmes
i'm really at a loss for what else might people need :?
Sokurah wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 3:49 pm Oh, and a bug report: The game no longer shows in the status area which fruit gives the bonus :?
... and also too bad that it's an old version of Dingo where the controls hasn't been fixed yet.
not a bug, but a feature of the 1.1 (somehow i overlooked the 1.3) :oops:
there was a different bug though (i forgot to suppress the yellow attrs for the flying 1000pts)
will fix it when updating the game version, if only because of the controls (the old ones really were a pain)
Sokurah wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 3:49 pm But I'm definitely going to check out some of the other games included
just try to do everything according to TFM, ok? ;)
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Re: game pack update

Post by Sokurah »

Lethargeek wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 4:56 pm
not a bug, but a feature of the 1.1 (somehow i overlooked the 1.3) :oops:
Haha, you're right. I just compiled v1.1 and the bonus fruit isn't shown there.
I'd completely forgotten that I must have added that later.

... well, it has been a while ;) :lol:
Website: Tardis Remakes / Mostly remakes of Arcade and ZX Spectrum games.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation & Sqij.
Twitter: Sokurah
akeley
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Re: game pack update

Post by akeley »

Lethargeek wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 4:56 pm but it's thoroughly described in the accompanying readmes
i'm really at a loss for what else might people need :?
Perhaps an example? I've just spent half an hour trying and didn't get a single game to run.

The readme says to run "emuL.exe <filenames>", trying "emul.exe addams.dux" (or addams.sna or addams.dux addams.sna) just starts the emu window.

I've also tried to drag and drop various files from dux directory on the emu window and on the emul.exe file itself, again, jsut end up in the emu window. I've also tried some normal .tap files.
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Lethargeek »

akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 6:02 pm Perhaps an example? I've just spent half an hour trying and didn't get a single game to run.

The readme says to run "emuL.exe <filenames>", trying "emul.exe addams.dux" (or addams.sna or addams.dux addams.sna) just starts the emu window.

I've also tried to drag and drop various files from dux directory on the emu window and on the emul.exe file itself, again, jsut end up in the emu window. I've also tried some normal .tap files.
Ouch, this forum really needs a facepalm ideogram. :x Seriously, what's wrong with people nowadays? Why they refuse to spend just 5 minutes reading a very short text till its end but are spending much longer time in vain exactly because didn't read it? I'm really, really at a loss here :( do i need to write every other line of the readme "THIS IS NOT THE END YET, PLEASE READ THE REST OF THE TEXT!" :roll: Why, oh why did you stop reading there when the very next few lines of the readme clearly describe the keys you need to press to actually load and run a game:
- Load the game in the emulator as usual with tape loader (F4 key to run/stop tape) or TR-DOS; or use End key to load sna. Then right after press PgDn to load the dux code (for snapshots, you may press both End then PgDn when the emulator is paused). If it doesn't work or gives strange results, try pressing PgDn in this game's menu (especially when there was a few seconds delay before the menu, most likely because of decompression). When dropping new names onto the working window, you still need to press End and/or PgDn keys to actually load a corresponding file at the right moment.
...and worse yet, why didn't you return to the readme when you got stuck? :?

sorry if i'm overreacting, but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! :)

oh, maybe i really need to add an example for some actual game with all the steps numbered...
but then again, there's no warranty that somebody won't stop reading right before the said example :(
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by PeterJ »

You are right about the instructions [mention]Lethargeek[/mention]. Its just very different to anything that most people have ever used. generally (and I know there are exceptions, before someone shouts!) people expect menus of some kind. There is a saying in Britain, which I don't know if you have too, that men don't read instruction manuals.

However, it is well worth the perseverance and brings a joy to my eyes to see the modifications you have made. One day (and no rush), would you be able to put the programming guide in English. I promise I will read it from start to finish.

Best wishes

Peter

Image
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by akeley »

Lethargeek wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 6:38 pm Ouch, this forum really needs a facepalm ideogram.
Oh, boy, you are so right about that.

Unfortunately it's the only thing you are right about. Because I've read this sorry excuse of a readme/instruction till the very end, several times. And I had some jolly time pressing F4/End too.

But guess what - it still looked very much like several different methods of loading a game! Surprise, eh, but maybe because that's how things have been done/written up since time immemorial? I wonder...

Now, really mate, if you expect a normal user (that's a person who is not you), and has no telephatic link to your brain, to suss it all out then kudos to you. Maybe I'm just a dumdum (who hasn't spent last 30 years dealing with computers, part of it in servicing) but judging by replies in this thread, not the only one. So no, I didn't just wade in expecting commercial-grade shiny menus and mind-reading interfaces. In fact the reason I gave it a whirl was the previous exchange on this page- I thought, surely it can't be as complicated as Sokurah says? Well...I was wrong :)


Overall, I have zero problems with following esoteric instructions and don't expect hobbyist WIP projects to be insta-approachable, and matrix-processing devs to be perfectly clear in their docs. Been around too long and I'm well used to that, it's fine, it can be worked out. But what I do have a problem with is people throwing unjustified hissy fits and acting all high and mighty over a banally simple question. All this pointless posturing could be instead substituted by a clear explanation (no, buddy, your readme really, really isn't one, before you start huffin' and puffin' about that again).

So, um, yeah...guess that was my brief adventure with "ZX ULAX Emulator". I'm sure it's great 'n all, but I'm too old to put up with some primadonna dev and his silly outbursts. Oh, well :)
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Lethargeek »

akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm Unfortunately it's the only thing you are right about. Because I've read this sorry excuse of a readme/instruction till the very end, several times. And I had some jolly time pressing F4/End too.
Unfortunately i don't believe you. Otherwise you weren't stopping your complaints right at the moment when you "just end up in the emu window" in your previous message.
akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm But guess what - it still looked very much like several different methods of loading a game! Surprise, eh, but maybe because that's how things have been done/written up since time immemorial? I wonder...
Guess what - this stands true for ANY emulator out there. ALL of them use different methods to run games in different source formats. Surprise, you need to type LOAD "" and start a tape with on-screen button or a hotkey to load from tape image! Surprise, you need to check the directory and to type LOAD/RUN "name" to run a game from a disk image! SOME emulators might have disk/tape autostart but not all and it doesn't work properly every time. Okay, most (if not all) other emulators run a snapshot immediately as the name is selected but there are use cases when it's not desired or inconvenient so i decided to actually run it with a hotkey at the right moment. Same about running a corresponding dux driver. Deal with it. And on top of that, it's actually faster and less hassle than usual method of going through slow dialog windows every time.
akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm Now, really mate, if you expect a normal user (that's a person who is not you), and has no telephatic link to your brain, to suss it all out then kudos to you.
I expect normal user above 12 years old to be able to read and understand about damn 2KB (that's ONE printed page approximately) of simple instructions. And if he's able but decides not to go through it then i expect him to not blame ME for HIS decision!

Also mate, do YOU expect me to have a telepathic link to YOUR brain to know you actually read about the proper hotkeys and actually pressed some (which ones? and at what time? after giving/dragging what filenames?) when you were telling anything EXCEPT about pressing them?
akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm Maybe I'm just a dumdum (who hasn't spent last 30 years dealing with computers, part of it in servicing) but judging by replies in this thread, not the only one.
found only two such replies in the whole thread and in the 1st one the cause was the same - user not following the instructions, and in the 2nd one the problem was already solved without my assistance
akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm Overall, I have zero problems with following esoteric instructions and don't expect hobbyist WIP projects to be insta-approachable, and matrix-processing devs to be perfectly clear in their docs. Been around too long and I'm well used to that, it's fine, it can be worked out. But what I do have a problem with is people throwing unjustified hissy fits and acting all high and mighty over a banally simple question
...which has a banally simple answer - RTFM (all those mighty 2KB of the said FM in total) :roll:
I can understand it might be harder to do something less obvious, but definitely not something as simple as giving a name and then pressing a hotkey, with all of it clearly described in a few lines. Especially not for a person boasting he has zero problems following esoteric instructions :roll:
akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm All this pointless posturing could be instead substituted by a clear explanation (no, buddy, your readme really, really isn't one, before you start huffin' and puffin' about that again).
What a "clear explanation" do you want? What in the world could be any more clear than telling what hotkeys to press and when??
Especially for a person who can't clearly explain his own situation in the first place (judging by your previous message)

And it's actually very easy to tell who's right here: you describe exactly every action you made trying to run a game and i will point when you didn't follow the instructions to the word.
akeley wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:25 pm So, um, yeah...guess that was my brief adventure with "ZX ULAX Emulator". I'm sure it's great 'n all, but I'm too old to put up with some primadonna dev and his silly outbursts. Oh, well
Or it's me being to old to put up with some primadonna users running crying and complaining left and right in public places immediately when something doesn't work on the first try (when the clear answer was just a few mouseclicks away) :(
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by PeterJ »

[mention]akeley[/mention],

May I work with you to get one game working? In this case 'Slightly Magic'? I do note that you have worked with computers as long as myself (I started as a computer technician when the College I was at still had a BBC Micro network!), and I also had problems to start with.

This guide tries to cover every mouse click. I'm using Windows 10 Pro. I set-up explorer so I have file types showing.

So without further ado....
  • Start by downloading 'ULAX-emuL.zip' and 'ULAX-games.zip'
  • When you have unzipped both files you should have two folders. 'ULAX-emuL' and 'ULAX-games'. Open up each folder in its own explorer window. Resize both windows so they are both visible. I put one below the other.
  • In the 'ULAX-emuL' explorer window change to the 'exe' folder
  • In the 'ULAX-games' explorer window change to the 'dux' folder
  • Scroll down the 'dux' folder until you see 'slimagic.dux' and 'slimagic.sna'
  • Left click on one of the above files, then hold down the left Ctrl key and click on the second file, so both files are selected. Release the Ctrl key.
  • With the left mouse button drag both selected files so they are on-top of emul.exe in the other window, then release the mouse button. See example below - Make sure two files are being moved:
Image
  • The emulator will now open with the '128 TR-DOS' menu
  • Make sure that the emulator is in-focus by clicking on it's top border with the left mouse key. Next we need the keys from the instructions (This is why show file extensions is important - we know this is a .sna file):

    Image
  • Now press the 'End' key and the game will appear
  • Finally press 'PgDn' to load the multi-colour dux
Image

I'm happy to try any other games if anyone else is struggling
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by Lethargeek »

Thanks, [mention]PeterJ[/mention]! I'm not so patient to explain everything down to standard windows interface level or Spectrum basics besides the emulator itself (and i hate preparing and editing illustrations). Only a few things in addition:

- starting the emulator by dragging files on it works in standard explorer, but not necessarily in other apps like commanders

- but that's not a problem as it's possible to drag&drop source files onto the working emulator window any time
⠀ (the only ones accepted exclusively at the startup are "extra ini" name and a log name)

- you don't have to drag both (or more) files at once, the emulator remembers the last filename of the each type (snapshot, tape, dux, etc)
⠀ (and in case of disk images, it inserts a given image in drive A shifting previous images to other drives, losing the one located in drive D)

- same about command-line parameters - the last one of the each type will be used (if it's a disk - inserted in the drive A)

- types are recognized by the file extension, order of the different types dragged (or given in a command line) is not important

- control keys, especially alt-combos, might not work as expected (or at all) when alternative keyboard layout is being used
⠀ (this is how windows and/or SDL works, with unpredictable results, couldn't do anything with it, so always use the english one) ;)

- and of course when pressing some control key (well, any key) the emulator must be in-focus, like any other windows app
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by PeterJ »

Thanks [mention]Lethargeek[/mention],

Preparing documentation is part of my work job. There are many ways of doing things in Windows :-)

I'm doing everything on a standard windows vanilla install with a UK English keyboard layout.
Lethargeek wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 10:18 am I hate preparing and editing illustrations.
The Windows Snipping Tool is the best application Microsoft ever built!
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by RMartins »

From my view, the problem seem to lay on the assumptions that each type of user makes (developer, regular user, power user, etc...).

Instead of relaying on any assumption (and I know this is difficult to do, because we do not realise easily that we are assuming stuff, because they are so obvious to the person assuming them), a manual or README file should not, i.e. MUST not assume any prior knowledge, and simply list every single step required, no matter how obvious it is, to do some specific action.

This way, that manual will work for any user, without problems.

As a developer myself, I find that sometimes I do these assumptions unwillingly too, even when I'm trying to be as thorough as possible.
Usually the real test, is to grab someone completely unrelated with the project or even computers in general, hand them the manual and a goal.
Then lay back and watch, without intervention and see where and how they struggle.
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Re: ZX ULAX emulator

Post by PeterJ »

Hopefully my tutorial covered that [mention]RMartins[/mention].
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