DeSmuME 0.9 released

[Robert]

DS emulator

 

This new release is the product of hundreds of new code improvements: We now have an almost 100% reworked 3D core, which is shared amongst all ports for the first time, and have better save states. Compatibility has been improved across the board. The huge number of reworked systems and small fixes is noticeable on some games and homebrew games are running better–or even running at all for the first time.

 

 

0.8 -> 0.9

There have been so many changes that this list can hardly be considered complete.

For this release, we have formatted the list into a high level overview of big changes and bad bugs relative to the previous release. Hopefully what you're interested in.

This list does not include items which are solely performance boosts, for let us just say that virtually every system has been speeded up.

 

* The savestate system is totally changed and incompatible with old savestates.

* The 3d system should be considered rewritten.

 

General/Core:

enh: Convert to c++

enh: Add functions for a lid open/close. Holding key (default "Backspace" in Windows port) while game is freeze/non freeze. [CrazyMax]

enh: Add secure area decryption from ndstool [zeromus]

enh: Change savestate code to support loosely bound chunks and more easily other parts of the emu (GE, GPU).

The savestate format is changed, but from now on it is in principle more resilient (though it will continue to break as we tinker with the internals) [zeromus]

enh: Added SSE2 optimizations for matrices. Since we now make an SSE2 build, more optimizations can be made. [CrazyMax]

enh: Add a preliminary GUI hud system [CrazyMax,zeromus]

 

CPU/MMU:

bug: Many fixes in IPC and GE FIFOs. Fixes freezes in NSMB, dsracing, and others. [CrazyMax,luigi__,shash]

bug: Fix ARM instructions SBC and RSC (likewise SBC in thumb) [normatt]

bug: Fixed Thumb LDMIA (fixes ingame Dead'n'Furious) [shash]

bug: Fix repeating DMA (fixes NSMB parallax BG) [zeromus]

bug: Proper handling for unaligned CPU accesses [luigi__]

bug: Proper handling for undefined instruction exceptions [salva Peir�]

bug: correctly return vram control register values (fixes homebrew 3d games) [zeromus]

enh: Remove 16MB of WRAM at 0x01****** from arm9. Mapped to unused instead. Nobody knows what this was. [zeromus]

enh: Changed instruction execution to 16 at a time blocks (tested and stable) [shash]

 

Hardware:

bug: Newer and better sqrt and div emulation; makes SM64DS playable [luigi__,shash,zeromus]

bug: Add preliminary RTC implementations [CrazyMax]

enh: Add cosine interpolation in the SPU (conditionally compiled) [zeromus,luigi__]

enh: Experimental: always one silent non-mixing SPU core at 44.1khz synched with emu, for more precision.

The audible core runs with the host, causing music to slow down but not tear or pitch bend. [zeromus]

 

Graphics:

- Overhaul 3d:

. Move entire GE to core emu.

. Move OpenGL renderer to emu core for optional use by platforms, removing ogl_collector. Now every platform shares the same 3d code.

. Reorganize 3d code to defer rendering to after 3d vblank. Eliminates tearing, and texturing artifacts. [zeromus]

. Move lighting model to software instead of using opengl's fixed function model [zeromus]

. Render shadow volumes; toon shading and highlight table [zeromus, luigi__]

. Added texture caching! big speed up. [CrazyMax]

 

bug: Many assorted tweaks and improvements to 3d and 2d precision [zeromus,CrazyMax,luigi__]

bug: Fixes to GE: command unpacking, projection and pos-vector mode matrix handling, mult and load commands [zeromus]

bug: Fix a bug in texture transformation mode 1 [zeromus]

bug: Fixed GPU rendering bugs in sprites and BG [CrazyMax]

bug: Fixes to texture conversion [CrazyMax,zeromus]

bug: Fixes in capture display (no blinking in many games with dual 3D) [CrazyMax]

bug: Fixes in master brightness (this fixes some games with black screens) [CrazyMax]

bug: Fixes in screen, backdrop, and sprite blending [luigi__]

bug: Changed clear depths and how depth initial values are calculated (fixes SM64DS skybox, Castlevania) [shash,lugi__]

bug: Add 3d layer h-scrolling [zeromus]

bug: Added transparency and fixed material alpha support and alpha testing on the 3D core [shash]

bug: Rewrite VRAM mapping control and rendering (more accurate) [CrazyMax,luigi__]

bug: convert colors to opengl better to prevent alpha=31 polys from being ever so slightly transparent [zeromus]

enh: Add MMU->GPU signal for when vram mappings change to function as a texture cache invalidate signal [zeromus]

enh: Make matrix 4x4 multiply routines use W-coordinate; carry w coord through pipeline [zeromus]

 

Mac OS X port:

bug: Fixed: Filenames and paths with unicode characters now work. [Jeff]

bug: Fixed: Load state from file button works again. [Jeff]

enh: Save State panel now pauses emulation while the file selection box is open. [Jeff]

bug: Fixed: Frozen video output (and/or messed 3d emulation) after loading a state. [Jeff]

bug: Added option to load the most recent file upon launching the program. [Jeff]

enh: Added French translation (thanks to Pierre Rudloff). [Jeff]

enh: Added basic key mapping configuration to application preferences (thanks to Julio Gorg�). [Jeff]

enh: Added keyboard shortcuts for Execute, Pause and Reset command (thanks to Julio Gorg�). [Jeff]

enh: Default key mappings are no longer case sensitive. [Jeff]

enh: Added ability to limit speed. [Jeff]

enh: Fixed: Video output should work on software-only 3D renderers. [Jeff]

 

Windows port:

bug: Fix a race condition in NDS_3D_Reset and NDS_glInit [zeromus]

bug: Fix the buggy auto frameskip logic which made the emu slow to a crawl. Now it runs fast! [zeromus]

bug: Fix resizing, rotate & aspect ration of main window. [CrazyMax,_zeromus]

bug: Remove multithreading from user interface after finding several synchronization issues [zeromus]

enh: recent roms menu [luigi_]

enh: Changed graphics render core to DirectDraw (work faster) [CrazyMax]

enh: Add an arm9 cpu load average calculator similar to no$. but I dont think it works right. [zeromus]

enh: Rewrite all debug tools (autoupdate works now) [CrazyMax]

enh: Rewrite input core & replace config input dialog [CrazyMax]

enh: Add AVI output [zeromus]

enh: Add pause toggle and frame advance hotkeys [adelikat]

enh: Add frame counter display and hud messages framework [adelikat]

enh: Main window remembers position, size, and a few other emu preferences [adelikat]

enh: Removed directx sdk dependency for easier building. [zeromus]

enh: Savestate doesnt unpause emu if it is already paused [adelikat]

>> Get it HERE.