Best SDL for SL6000L?

[amdonati]

Hi,
I have just received my 6000 and I started palying around with it.
And, strangely (?) my biggest problem is finding a good working version of the SDL libraries.

I tried the Zport version in Bryandeluca feed, the 1.2.6 version I used on the 5500, the 1.2.5 version currently used on the Cxxx models, but all of them have some problems.
When non magnified, Scummvm 0.6 displays but has the lower right part of the screen not painted and the game menu cannot be shown, 0.6.1 works but in a 230x340 screen, Crimson skies and exult freezes and all of them have problems in refreshing at the start screen anyway.
Crimson also starts with the wrong rotation, and therefore the commands are mixed up.
When running magnified, apart of the glitches in the start screen (and the rotation issue in Crimson), the games seem to run, but we lose all the beauty of the Z's great screen!

Did someone have more success than me with SDL games on the 6000?

Shouldn't it be the time to finally have a single usable (and maybe more optimized) SDL library for all the Zauruses?

Ciao,
Adalberto

[_Psycho]

Try the zports from the web site, zports.sf.net

Version 5 or something and scmumvm is there, should work fine on your 6000L

[amdonati]

I tried to install the lib sdl in zports site, but the problems remain:
Scummvm starts and work (I only tried with my vga Secret of monkey Island at 320x240), but the initial screen is compeltely messed up (you have to move the cursor around to have it redrawn correctly).

Crimson and Exult does not start at all in non-magnified mode and freeze the Z.
I have to start them in magnified mode and even there I have the startup screen not correctly drawn.

And I also have the pad orientation inverted. ie, the sdl rotates the screen counterclockwise, but then the pad has inverted keys (right moves the cursor left, up moves it down etc...).

Am I the only one having these problems?

Regards,
Adalberto

[ken]

as a rule of thumb, I always hold my stylus on the icon first, then uncheck the box for magnification, and try to run it in non-magnification mode.  That will let me see if the software is capable of running in 480x640.

[el_borak]

I installed the zports SDL, MAD, and ScummVM yesterday.  Work great.

I do note that it is pretty messed up if you don't change your screen orientation to landscape before starting.  Also, turn off magnification if it's on.  Other than that it was effortless.  My daughter was playing Monkey Island 1 on the way home today.  I've also loaded and tried MI2 and Sam & Max.

One quick question (having only used ScummVM previously on Windows).  How do you save & restore?

[amdonati]

Today I tried the Externe.net SDL library, compiled specifically for the SL6000 (it is not a IPK, so you gave to copy it directly in the  /lib directory (my suggestion is to install an SDL IPK and then overwrite the library, in order to have all the symlinks correctly created) ) and it works perfectly.
I have all games I tried (Scummvm, crimson, exult) in high resolution, with no glitches and with the cursor moving correctly.
I can also play them without rotating the screen!
For me, this is for now the best SDL implementation for the 6000.
 

For Saving/restoring in scumm, in the default and per/game otpions, you can define a save folder.
During the game, press the Zaurus menu buttom (in Zport Scumm 0.6.0) or the q key on the keyboard (for Scummvm 0.6.1), and a menu will appear, just choose save or load!  

There are also some shortcuts, but I do not know them on the Z without Function keys.

Adalberto

[_Psycho]

I tried to install the lib sdl in zports site, but the problems remain:
Scummvm starts and work (I only tried with my vga Secret of monkey Island at 320x240), but the initial screen is compeltely messed up (you have to move the cursor around to have it redrawn correctly).

Sound like you didnt had the lastest version for sure, these were old bugs in older versions. I believe externe.net use the sdl with framebuffer on, this might get you rotation problem. (If you ever had some). But a greater speed. Especially if you plan to play Monkey Island 3 (the only 640x480 game). Its very slow since we have no hardware acceleration. (no w100 chip drivers etc).

[amdonati]

Sound like you didnt had the lastest version for sure

I was using libSDL_1.2.6-zports-5_arm.ipk.
The problem I had with rotation was that the pad movements were inverted (pressing left would move the cursor right etc.).
And of course the non-magnified issue.

With the externe.net library everything seem to work, but I admit that exult at 640x480 is way too slow.
I could not check with the zpart version for the problems above.
I would be more than happy to have a quicker SDL, but probably the main problem here is the imageon HW accelleration...    

Adalberto

[_Psycho]

I doubt you will find anything faster, since im pretty sure the externe.net version already use FB and the fast stuff.

Good guess someone has to compile exult in 320x240 if possible

[fierywater]

Exult works in 320x240 (have to edit its config file, and if you want, tell the program to run in a magnified screen), but if it's in a magnified screen, it runs upsidedown for me. Also, a few seconds after it magifies, the program loses focus and I have to repeatedly hit cancel to get it back. This is with the Externe lib, by the way.

I've been using the Zports lib; however, it does not allow me to use the App buttons. Still, it works better for me than the Externe one.

[amdonati]

Fierywater, do you manage to have exult at 320x240 fullscreen?
I can only have it running in a window, it works, but it is quite small.
I use externe version, but as said, I cannot run it magnified.

I should maybe try to enter in the config file the 480x640 resolution and see what happens!
Adalberto

Update: I tried 480x640 but exult does not like it and even if it says in its output that it is using it in fact it dispalys at 320x200.  
640x480 rotates the screen but then I have again the inverted pad keys problem....
Adalberto

[guylhem]

Hi

Please let me know any problem with externe.net libsdl - I'll be happy to fix them if I can. A detailed bugreport on how it performs differently from zports sdl would be fine too.

Regarding the rotation problem : with externe.net libsdl, you can manually override any rotation. Just use the OVERRIDE (QTE, SDL...) export options. Try various combinations of numbers to find the one that works for you.

[Ok it's not manual but all I wanted was playing 320x240 games on snes9x without having to rotate the screen or go to qvga mode]

[fierywater]

I was able to run Exult at 240x320 magnified; I had rotation problems with 320x240, but as guylhem said, those can be overridden. All I had to do was change the Exult configuration file to 320 width 240 height, and click/hold the desktop icon to set the magnification.

The main problem with the externe.net libsdl was that about 5-10 seconds after booting any SDL program magnified was that the taskbar at the bottom began flashing, and the game window lost focus. The Zports SDL did not do this. I had to tap Cancel repeatedly to regain focus; otherwise, I would have to reset the PDA.

The Zports SDL did not have this problem; however, it did not allow me to use the application buttons. If I tried to use one, it would open the program associated with that button, causing the game to lose focus and often causing a soft reset to be necessary.

What Snes9x build did you use, guylhem?, All versions I tried resulted in sound with no picture, despite the settings. I tried your configuration too; still no dice.

I also tried prboom (Doom). With it, I had the rotation problem (which can be fixed), and in magnified mode, I also had the same taskbar focus problem as with Exult.

Overall, your libSDL worked the best out of any, guylhem. I'm not sure if my problem is common to all SL-6000Ls or not. I'm using the stock Sharp ROM.

Thanks for offering support.

[amdonati]

Fierywater, I tried to set the resolution to 320x240 and then set the magnified flag, but what happens to me is that the exult screen appears, but I have a white border on top and on bottom of the game window. Then the cursor is not aligned with the tap (I must tap 1-2 cm around the point I want to reach). Finally, when I tap on the screen, 2 smaller copies of the exult screen appear on top of the screen (seem like 320x240 screens at VGA resolution) with wrong colors and the game loses focus.
I can kill the application, but it is unusable.
I also use the stock Sharp rom.
I did not try to correct the rotation issue.

I am sure the problem can be solved, but I also wanted to thank  guylhem, your SDl library is really good.

Adalberto

[guylhem]

fierywater, amdonati - thanks a lot.

With this detailed bug report I will try to fix the problem - could you just please tell me which ipks/files you run doom with? Ideally, a link or a copy of the ipks by email would be great, so I could work with the problematic binaries.

I will post an update on externe.net/zaurus, and try to make an .ipk for the 6000 libSDL this time.