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News Archive: August 2000

Thursday, August 31, 2000

more info re: cdr disc swapping Posted by CyRUS64 @ 15:03
This was kindly sent in by Mike from GameFreax:
"yo!

Just to let you know that there's no need to wait 6 minutes for the disc to stop spinning. we know it from the beginning when we started playing importgames I offered a modification on the dreamcast, well just a small one. I added a motorswitch to the GD-Drive by just cutting the red wire of the cd-drive which is responsible to support the GD-Rom Drive's motor with tension and soldered a switch in a row. you can now open the lid while the small black button (lid-switch) is pressed anyhow (you can also solder a switch to the lid-switch), switch off the motor, wait till the lens stops bumping up and down and then insert the CD.

damn... a lot of swiches up there ;-)"

Tuesday, August 29, 2000

gleem address.... Posted by intrnal @ 20:57
I did not give the web site last time because it was still listed on the page and I thought people could see it. Yet, not every one could find the gleem site so here is the address Gleem.

Gleem release! Posted by intrnal @ 3:42
Gleem, the nes emu, has been released. Only mappers 1,2,3 are working. There is no sound support yet, but so what. We can play nes on our dreamcast.

Monday, August 28, 2000

MP3 player Posted by CyRUS64 @ 11:13
A standalone MP3 player can be download from here
This has been coded by strat76...

MP3's Posted by CyRUS64 @ 9:42
I've put up a doc on how to play mp3's on the dreamcast using the latest internet browser disc...
The documentation page is down at the moment but you can view the mp3 doc here. The doc was kindly written by Kilson955.

Saturday, August 26, 2000

Boob!boy update... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 21:05
directx graphics are working on the pc version fine now, i just need to test it on the dc version aswell. btw:ill post a features list about this forthcoming gb emu tomorrow stating what will and wont be included in the first release and also features that will be included in subsequent releases...

Boob!boy news Posted by CyRUS64 @ 18:56
I've been away for a couple of days... but ive just spent a couple of more hours on the emu. Sound is now working perfectly. I now have to fix some directx problems, due to the fact that the gui uses different surface sizes to the actual emulation part... hopefully ill work it out soon.

Unofficial Dreamcast FAQ Posted by CyRUS64 @ 16:23
I've added an unofficial dreamcast faq to the documentation section... this was written by Number Six. An interesting read imo...

Friday, August 25, 2000

Status report... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 0:33
Now that i've got a basic gui working, i will be attempting to put this together with the already-ported emulator code... hopefully ill start getting results soon.

Thursday, August 24, 2000

GD-Viewer Posted by CyRUS64 @ 20:51
I've uploaded the gd-viewer utility. You will need to read the readme file which explains what files you need and how to run the gd-viewer...
just one note - sorry about the small size of the text but it is hopefully legible anyway! (i havent taken a look at changing the font but it seems like a bit too much work at the moment :-) - if someone wants to send me a fontsize function it would be great)
Anyhow, the files you'll need for the util can be found here:
Boobcast
GD Viewer
Thats all the work i can handle for today - its been a long one...

utility... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 14:25
the utility which i will release later is a gd-rom viewer... you burn the util onto a cdr, run it, insert a gd-rom, and it'll then display the list of files on the gd-rom. this is not supposed to be anything great, but it might give you guys an idea on how to do something the dc public have wanted to do, which only a few elite groups know how to... as you will see when you try this util out, the splash screens/gui are obviously part of the boob!boy gui, and i thought i might as well release something interesting while you are all patiently waiting for Boob!boy - essentially i just added gd-rom swapping support to the original gui and removed the file extension filters.

Gleem Posted by CyRUS64 @ 10:10
Glue Sniffin' Ed sent in a nero (.nrg) image of Gleem, especially for Squidney :-)
It can be downloaded from here.

nice... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 2:01
off to bed now, but directory displaying routines are all working fine... pics/videos tomorrow : i promise!

cdr disc swapping... (by Squidney) Posted by CyRUS64 @ 1:17
this was posted on the boob message board regarding disc swapping with no mod chip...

"Quite easy really, just open your dreamcast up and tape the button back( The one that tells it the lid is closed). Load up Gyplay as usual but do not atempt to play any mpegs, wait for about nine mins and the disc will stop spinning. Open the lid and place in the VCD etc... close press a and it will play. If any is grateful for this info could you please do a nero image of the DCGLEAM as my writer is not compatable with CDClone.

Cheers

Squidney!"

*UPDATE*
I also received this email today:
"the button is inside of the dreamcast..... you have to take it apart to reach it.... not really a button. its a little black lever that gets pulled when the lid closes.. so unless you run the dc w/ the case off you cant do it.... guess sega was alot smarter than sony when designing the lid"

Gui work... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 1:09
I mentioned earlier that i was planning to do some work on the Boob!boy gui. Although I havent had time to work before 12:30 am each day, i have now tested my work on the gui on the dreamcast and it works perfectly. Thus far it displays a boob splash screen, then a boobboy splash screen, then the menu screen. The menu screen allows you to move up and down on a list of games and select one... i tried to take a video of this all working but my camcorder batteries have run out. ill post some pics and maybe even a video tomorrow. I might also release a nice little utility for you all soon, which will have been created through my work on Boob!boy but you will all also find it quite interesting to try out.
I havent had a chance to mention someone who has been amazingly useful in helping out with Boob!boy... this person is Lowlife who has created some cool splash screens / logos. He has also created an extremely nice looking rotating gameboy cart video with his boob logo as the game picture on the cart. I again would like to thank the many of you have sent in logos etc... i promise your work will not go to waste, and i will allow you to choose which logo to use in the final product.
I recommend you Boob! supporters keep checking this site out over the next few days, because hopefully we will have lots to keep you occupied :-) - Boob!boy is being solely coded by me but other Boob! members have some interesting projects going on... if you yourself are a developer and would like to join Boob! and post updates on your projects / release them on Boob!, feel free to email me.
Boob! will also serve as a news source for the dc developing world / dc emulators, and the 2 new updaters are doing a great job thus far at this.
cya tomorrow...

Wednesday, August 23, 2000

Sintendo update Posted by worldrave @ 23:58
BTW- On the newest currant beta of Sintendo (SNES9X for Dreamcast). It
rotates through about 5-6 or so pictures of the possible screens he may use in the final for the background or main screen. I just burned it and tried it out. (Wanted to note for those who are limited on CD's.)

Gleam! Progress Posted by worldrave @ 23:09
Great news on Gleam! So far he has managed to get ROM's loadable off of a separate CD. Now you can burn your ROMS's collection on a disc,load the Gleam! disc, then swap out and put in the ROM's CD. (Yes, you must own the original game in order to be able to use the ROM) :-) Great progress so far!!

gleem updated Posted by intrnal @ 13:31
Dcgleem has updated its page with a clonecd build of its last beta. I know some people were having problems getting the other version to work. This one should be easier.

Boob!boy update... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 2:57
I've taken a break from actually coding the emulator (although i must also admit to just having taken a 2-day break from dc developing altogether), and have at present seperately started building the Boob!boy gui. With just a couple of hours work, it happily displays 2 splash screens and a primitive menu... controller support is also included. The menu will display a list of all the gameboy roms on the cd and allow you to choose which one to play. Hopefully i might also have an interesting utility out for you guys soon... (please dont ask what this will be)

Tuesday, August 22, 2000

Posted by worldrave @ 17:21
Hey everyone. It looks like a new beta of Sintendo came out. Which is a early WIP version of SNES9x EMU for the Dreamcast. Below is the link to the site to pick it up.
http://server36.hypermart.net/sintendo/index.htm

New updater here. Posted by worldrave @ 3:24
BTW- I'd like to introduce myself. My name is WorldRave, i will be updating some news on this site about new DC Stuff whether hardware related or the progress of current EMU's either coming out or ones already out.

Gleam! NEW demo out! Posted by worldrave @ 3:20
A new Gleam! demo has came out on the Gleam! site. It so far only plays a demo rom that he built in. IT will not load other roms. Just grab the demo and burn it on CD or use an upload cable hookup to the PC. Check out there website!!
http://emu.devildog.org/dcgleam!/

Monday, August 21, 2000

Boob!boy logos / splash screens... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 20:35
A lot of people have sent in possible logos / splash screens for Boob!boy - they are all very much appreciated, and when i have time ill put up a poll where you guys can select which logo will be the default! In the final version you will also be able to select which logo you want to use... To all the people who've worked hard on these logos/screens they are all great and i'll credit you all on the site soon.
I myself haven't had a chance to do any coding for the last couple of days, but hopefully will do soon.

a few new sites Posted by intrnal @ 18:52
Hello, this is my first update. I have recently joined the site as a roving reporter. There are a few new dc emu sites popping up around and I just thought i would mention them to the boob readers. The first site today is Tempest.
They are a group who are attempting to create a Sega Saturn emu for the dreamcast. Another site is dcGleem, which is a attempting to create a nes emulator also. The last one on this site seeing tour is Sintendo, the home of a super nes emulator in progress. Well dont worry there will be more posts from me, but this is all for now. enjoy.

Archive Posted by CyRUS64 @ 0:58
I've added a news archive page... the link to this can be found above!

Sunday, August 20, 2000

GypPlay FAQ by Ez Posted by CyRUS64 @ 10:58
I've put up a FAQ for GypPlay. This was extremely kindly sent in by Ez, and can be found on the documentation page. Please read this before emailing us about how getting it to work.

a bit longer... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 1:22
Recently I've been working on porting a GameBoy emulator. After quite a few days of coding and headaches it now compiles happily on the pc and dreamcast. I was thus hoping to bring you some screenshots / videos of it working on the dreamcast tonight, but although it is working fine on the pc for some reason it is still displaying just a black screen on the dreamcast. (I expect this is due to some problems with the dinput, which is obviously dc specific). My stock of cdrs is also running perilously low, but will hopefully be replenished soon, and as soon as i fix the problems i will post some screens/videos - at this stage i will then need to put together a simple gui for selecting which game on the cd to play. Please don't ask when the emulator is likely to be released, because i just don't know - but what i do promise is that i will keep you guys updated.

The emulator is a port of the Windows gameboy emulator Virtual Boy, so if you want to see what is in store go check it out at http://www.emuhq.com/vboy/ - i kindly thank the author for sending me the source code and allowing me to attempt a port of it. It truly is a great emulator!

If anyone wants to make a logo / splash screen for this emulator, to be called "Boob!boy", please send it in - it would be much appreciated.

Saturday, August 19, 2000

Posted by CyRUS64 @ 11:54
soon...

Thursday, August 17, 2000

Emulators... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 11:43
The NES Emu from which I recently posted some pics was a port of an emulator called Emuschool, which can be found at http://emuschool.vintagegaming.com
Many people have asked me "If you have a working Nes emulator, why has it not been released?" The answer is that the compatiblity and speed of my port is exactly the same as the final windows version. If you go to the above site, and download the final windows version and try it out, you will see that almost all games DO NOT WORK, and of those that do, only a few display more than a couple of screens. Demos do work, but the emu itself is extremely slow (<1fps!). For this reason I am not planning on releasing this emu. Firstly I would receive a lot of complaints such as, "This game doesn't work..." and secondly it wouldn't be fair to have you guys wasting cdr after cdr on something which is essentially "useless".
You might then ask, "Why did you port this emulator?"
The answer to that question is that the emulator as its name suggests is there to teach others about emulator programming, more of which is highly needed. It allowed me to learn much about porting an emu, and it'll hopefully put me in good stead for the future.

I am at present attempting to port another emu, but I won't give any more information until the "fruits of my labour" begin to show... hopefully it won't be too long :-)

Wednesday, August 16, 2000

Good news for you modchip owners... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 20:40
I've put up a doc in the Documentation section which describes how you can play VCDs or swap cds using GypPlay. ie:you can have 1 cdr with GypPlay on it, and another with the videos on... however you do require a modchip for this to work, and not all modchips allow this. This doc was written by The Gypsy.

GypPlay 1.1 Posted by CyRUS64 @ 2:18
I've replaced the original GypPlay 1.0 files with GypPlay 1.1
These can be downloaded from the Tools page.
GypPlay v1.1 is slightly faster and should have less
frame drops/jitter. The "Toggle Info" option that
displays the name of the file had to be removed, but the time elapsed/remaining is still there...

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

Multisession cds... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 21:42
It seems that you can use multisession cds with GypPlay (ie:add movies on to different sessions) but the Utopia BootCD is NOT compatible with multisession cdrs. This update was again sent in by Phantasm and here it is in detail:

"I tried burning some samples from the katana devkit
for the first time tonight and it seems that my
earlier statement about multi-session is not quite
accurate.

I burnt the teapot example onto a cdr and it booted
and ran fine, however when I added another session
with one of the other examples it still booted the
teapot demo. It seems that even though GypPlay
supports multi-session as I previously stated the
utopia boot cd however does not.

This is a rather dissapointing discovery for me as it
means unless there is an update to the utopia boot cd
released we will not be able to use the technique I
described earlier for development."

Bad news, but still much appreciated... looks like it might be worth looking for that screwdriver again.

Updates... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 12:40
I've updated the Docs page with better pics of getting cdrws to work (which were kindly sent in by ^POPS^) and some info on multisession cdrs which are an easier alternative to physically opening up the dc. (this info was sent in by Phantasm).
On top of this I've updated the Tools page with info about GypPlay and added a page with features / information on how to use it.
If u have anything to send in that others might find useful feel free to! We really do appreciate the info that gets passed on to us.
Also i will soon update the Emulators page with information about dc emus that are "work-in-progress".
We are also on the lookout for someone who is interested in joining Boob! as an updater... particularly concerning extra-boob (ie:non-boob) developments / emulators.

Monday, August 14, 2000

GypPlay help Posted by CyRUS64 @ 23:48
I've put up some instructions on using GypPlay...
They can be found here

Video player features... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 14:15
These are the features of the just-released GypPlay video player:

- Will play multiple movies from one disc. It walks through the entire
disc searching for anything ending in .mpg, .mpeg, or .avi and plays
them.

- Has common controls: Pause/Rewind/Fast-Forward

- Has nifty control: Variable-speed REW/FF based on analog stick!

- Time display (time elapsed, time remaining for current movie)

- Skip movie (move on to the next on the disc, if any)

- Allows swapping of real GDs only... wince provides routines for swapping gds but these do not work with cds... if anyone has been able to swap cds in wince please email me.

New Video Player: GypPlay 1.0 Posted by CyRUS64 @ 11:37
I'd like to announce the release of a new video player. There are 2 versions:
The first version will have to be used in the same way as Boob!Play and use a Midway rip (you must legally own the original) and can be found here: GypPlay 1.0 (60kb)

The second version is an all-in-one version and contains the necessary files to burn the video player. It can be downloaded from here: GypPlay Full 1.0 (1.7mb)

Once you have unzipped one of the 2 versions (gypplay.zip+midway or gypplayfull.zip) you can then name the videos whatever you want
as long as they end with .mpg, .mpeg, or .avi - please remember that divx-avi is different, and will not work!
If you get confused and don't know how to get this to work, there are lots of sites out there which give instructions on how to get Boob!play to work. This is the same method (minus the midway stuff for GypPlay full), so just follow them.

This video player has been coded by The Gypsy, so all credit goes out to him... expect more great Boob! releases soon :-)
Please email The Gypsy with comments/suggestions.

Saturday, August 12, 2000

NES Emu... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 18:36
I'll be updating the Emulators page with more pics regularly, so if u want the latest updates on my progress they will be mostly found there.
Also, i've fixed the 1/4 screen bug :-)

*Update* - a pic of Tennis can now be found in the emulator section. This is running full screen.

First emu for the dc? not quite... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 16:24
Anyway here's a pic of a nes emu port ive been working on. This is still running on a pc though. The reason is that the best way to write dc stuff at the moment is to code for both the pc and the dc at the same time. However i have coded the directx stuff and other functions so that they should compile happily and run on the dreamcast when the time comes. I have also coded a shitty debugger which uses directx to display the current status of the registers and other relevant information... the file io routines had to obviously be rewritten aswell.
At the moment as you can see from the pic of Super Mario Brothers, it only takes up a 1/4 of the screen and is running in 8bit color... ill fix these soon.
The emu ive ported/rewritten is itself in a very basic state so dont expect anything much in the next couple of days. But i will from now on start posting regular updates and pics.
I will give due credit to the original emu author when i get it running a bit more stuff.

Super Mario Brothers

Friday, August 11, 2000

Current Status Posted by CyRUS64 @ 2:17
I apologize about the fact that there have been no more releases of Boob!play. The main goal of this is to "quieten down" the Boob! development scene. My personal aim for Boob! is to be able to document in detail my ongoing projects and hopefully both be taught by and teach others. If i feel there is the required support and the people who take a part in Boob! are interested and imaginative developers, rather than lamers wanting things for themselves, then eventually my projects will all become opensource, so you guys too can enhance them.
I myself haven't worked on Boob!play since the original release but others (they'll be named when the time comes) have been doing some work on a "sequel"... (which will be the FIRST proper release) I myself am working on a simple directx debugger for the dc which can be used in the development of emus, as well as doing some work on a NES emulator. You guys must remember that this sort of work does take time, but you should be able to expect some great releases soon.
I'd also like to thank Lowlife who has made a great intro pic for Boob!, and the other Boob! members who have been doing some great DC research too.
The majority of you guys have been great, but as always in life the minority can sadly have a more damaging effect... keep supporting Boob! and hopefully we'll be able to reward you in return.

btw guys, if u happen to come across Numbski, be nice, cuz it seems he was right all along about cd-rws being able to work :-)

Wednesday, August 9, 2000

Promised util Posted by garpster @ 6:19
Howdy Boob fans.

Here is the util I promised.

After your binary is created, use this utility to convert it to
S-Record format for uploading via the serial slave.


DC S-Record Util

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

DC and R's, RW's and GD's Posted by garpster @ 23:54
Ok, I thought it was a bunch of horse manure.

I adjusted the indicated potentiameter, until I got a reading of .455 (DMM set to 2k).

DC now reads RW's, R's and GD's.

Anyone know if this is harmful for the laser?

(Can you read resistors in circuit?)

Somebody else reported that their setting was 544.

So take that as you will....

CD-RWs Posted by CyRUS64 @ 23:48
This cd-rw thing DOES work. Various people have tried it and have it working...
SteddyMan sent in a bit more info:
"Just thought I'd let you know that I have adjusted the pot and have it working.
Use 544 Ohms for the reading across the pot."
Thanks guys for all these extremely useful emails, keep them coming in :-)

CD-RW pics Posted by CyRUS64 @ 16:38
Here are a couple of pics to show how to make your dc read cd-rws!
These were kindly sent in by z100_man:
Pic 1
Pic 2

Note: Do remember that this will violate your Dreamcast warranty. Boob! takes no responsibility to any damage you might do to your dc. Remember this catchy phrase: "If in doubt leave any modification out."

Each pic is about 50k, and i apologise for the messed up colours.

CD-RWs again... Posted by CyRUS64 @ 12:32
I read this on a message board at a great Sega site called Eidolon's Inn
This was posted x15jq:
"Hello,
Today I decided to install a blue led in my dc. I became curious why the dc didnt read rw's. So i took apart the gd assembly (mine is samsung)and there is a bias screw under the ribbon. After playing with it for an hour, i found that when u turn it clockwise, the laser power increases and lets u have the dc read rw's. I have screenshots of doing the procedure if you need them."
Naflign if u read this could you please get in touch so we can publish the exact details...

Monday, August 7, 2000

Katana/serial Posted by garpster @ 19:29
Ok, it's now official. Katana SDK demos can be uploaded via serial cable. Here's how to do it.

1. Ensure you have latest Serial-Slave (V103 or later). Get it here: http://marcus.mangakai.org/dc

2. Build serial cable.

3. Hook serial cable to DC and PC.

4. In makefiles, BIN=TRUE, GNU=FALSE, DEBUG=FALSE

5. Use objcopy to convert this to SREC, or else wait until I post the 'Rad-vert' util.

6. Have fun.

Saturday, August 5, 2000

CD-RWs do NOT work Posted by CyRUS64 @ 23:15
Its pretty clear now that the information sent to me earlier by Numbski was utter rubbish... i dont really understand what purpose it served. If it were to be true that cd-rws were usable it would have made dc development so much easier but due to emails from various people it is almost certainly true that the dc cannot read cd-rws - btw: thanks John and Sacha! It seems that the only affordable way of developing will now be via the serial cable.

CD-RWs Posted by CyRUS64 @ 11:19
I got a useful email from Numbski which may well help all you prospective dc developers:
"This won't help your speed any, but it'll help your pocketbook. The DC can read cdrw's just fine, and if you burn a "coaster", just pop it into Nero, erase it and try again. Trust me on this. :)"

*UPDATE*: Apparently this is actually false information... Tubooboo posted this on the message board:

burnt: Namco Museum on following media:

Intenso CDRW (noname) --> doesnt work
TDK CD-RW 650 --> doesnt work
Yamaha CRWM74R4X --> doesnt work
B-W-E CD-RW 74 --> doesnt work
SONY CD-RW 74 --> doesnt work

I heard from somebody Kodaks would work, but i start
to doubt that. They didnt even spin up really in the
bootloader, the DC just tries to read the TOC or so
it seems, fails, and stops the drive again (all brands
I tried same result).

Any light on this issue? Plz try Kodak CDRWs... i am
fed up for now... ;-)

If Numbski reads this, feel free to email me what brand actually works!

Thursday, August 3, 2000

I'd like to apologise Posted by CyRUS64 @ 23:54
I've been really confused. Basically i haven't been working on Boob!play cuz i thought Quicksilv was doing some work on it. I have only just managed to contact him, and found out that he hasn't been.
I myself have been looking into porting some emus to the DC, but this in itself is going to take a lot of work. There are just so many things I want to do, but the scene moves so fast that it is difficult to do it in adequate time.
Therefore if anyone is interested in helping out and coding for Boob! do email me asap.
Also the other problem i've been having is in testing : i code something -> it compiles fine -> i burn a cd -> it doesnt work
Therefore is it an error in my coding or a badly burnt cd? Its gonna be difficult to code anything nice with the huge expense required :-(

DC Demo Scene Posted by garpster @ 20:50
Lots of action going on in the DC Demo Scene. Nothing that can be released as of yet, but lots of testing with all the new toys that can be found around the net.

TS_Garp has managed to get a static screen (bmp) to display in 640x480 resolution, simply by modifying the video.s assembly source found at http://marcus.mangakai.org/dc

Using the serial cable takes a long time, but it's cheaper than having to burn a CD-R for every test.

Wednesday, August 2, 2000

files Posted by CyRUS64 @ 17:26
Since we have moved servers Boob!play can now be downloaded here (its the same version as before)...

Sorry Posted by CyRUS64 @ 12:21
I'd like to apologise for the lack of updates lately, but we have only just got Newspro up and running on the new servers. Jandaman has set up some great message boards so do go and check them out.
Expect frequent updates from now on...

Also if there are any dead links please email me the problem.

New Host Posted by jandaman @ 7:29
Just like to mention Boob is hosted by www.dcwarez.com If you would like the latest news in the DC scene, feel free to visit. The Boob site can be accessed using www.boob.co.uk