Updates

Note 1: Only revisions since the latest full release are listed here. These revisions are cumulative, i.e., they contain all previous bug fixes (and fixes for them J) and enhancements.
Note 2: Unlike the full distribution packages these patches are not self-installing and not 'officially' available on any ftp site besides ftp.void.jump.org. You will have to use software that handles ZIP files to decompress them in a temporary folder and follow installation instructions in the included ReadMe file.

	2.00.04.04 (BETA)
	(size: 260,646 bytes \| date: April 4, 2000)

NEW FEATURES
This version can approximate the color bleed effect of the TV display. Although this is an anti-aliasing method, the impact on drawing speed should be neglible on most display adapters since zx32 is using pixel-doubling in fullscreen mode anyway.
Note: It is highly recommended that you restart zx32 after turning color bleed on or off, in order to avoid blitter slowdowns.
As I'm currently playing with the Intel C/C++ compiler, I've used it to build this version. This isn't a permanent compiler switch but keep it mind and send me a report if you notice anything that worked in the previous version and is broken now.
The refresh rate option had to go but I guess no one will miss it. You can still use the dwDDrawFS registry value to set it manually. You can also enable color bleed without scanlines by setting bScanLines and bAntiAlias options to appropriate values but it is not recommended.

	2.00.03.22 (BETA)
	(size: 257,495 bytes \| date: March 22, 2000)

Note: If the default download link above is too slow for you, then try downloading this package from ftp.void.jump.org.

NEW FEATURES
Contented memory effects for the +2A/+3 are now emulated in accordance with the guidelines in the comp.sys.sinclair FAQ.
All 24- and 32-bit color depths are now supported indirectly (i.e. you're missing the 'direct' bit of DirectX when you use them J). Screen update speed for these color modes should be relative to your video adapter's general 2D performance and about 10 times slower than 8-bit color updates.

	1.03.98.0622 (BETA)
	(size: 256,567 bytes \| date: June 22, 1998)

Note: If the default download link above is too slow for you, then try downloading this package from ftp.void.jump.org.

NOTES
This is probably (although it was never meant to be) the most widely used zx32 version today. It's just a glimpse at things to come now J.
Click here for some additional notes that haven't made it to the ReadMe file.

	1.03.98.0211
	(size: 242,959 bytes \| date: February 11, 1998)

Note: If the default download link above is too slow for you, then try downloading this package from ftp.void.jump.org.

BUG FIXES
Numerous small bugs are fixed. They were not much to talk about in the first place and no one spotted them, so I'm not going to list them here.
On rare (or not so J) occasions, AY envelope and noise generator timings were wrong, so I've fixed them in this version. Some sampletracks were not detected too, and I've improved the relevant algorithm therefore. Hopefully no 'normal' sounds will be detected as 'samples' from now on, but if this happens let me know.

NEW FEATURES
As I said back in September, I was experimenting with a tick counting scheme that would allow for exact emulation of the contended (slow) RAM effect. For various reasons I could not work on it any further then, and as it turned out something a lot more complex is required. Nonetheless, I did some modifications (based mainly on information provided by Pera "Mr. Oscilloscope" Putnik) and I've used it for this version. Here are some specific details:

The new Z80 emulation code is 20-50% slower on average (only if the Slow RAM Emulation option is enabled, of course) and can be more than a 486 CPU can handle at times.
As long as the code doesn't execute in slow memory then most effects will be emulated accurately. This means that demos like Overscan, Shock and Song In Lines 5 (the TZX version) display more or less correctly.
The emulator makes a copy of each screen line every 224|228 T though, so some pixels in each line may be off, and if the code does execute in slow memory things are far from ideal. For these reasons I've modified the Fun with ULA ([Alt]+[U]) dialog to allow you to achieve (hopefully J) perfect results.

Non-standard ROMs can be used in this version. They have to be named: ROM0480.BIN, ROM1280.BIN, ROM1281.BIN, ROMP2_0.BIN, ROMP2_1.BIN, ROMP3_0.BIN, ROMP3_1.BIN, ROMP3_2.BIN and ROMP3_3.BIN. The emulator will search for them in the folder from which you start it; the current folder; Windows and System folders; and any folder in your PATH (yes, this means you can have different ROMs lying all over the place J). If a ROM can't be found then the default one will be used.
This was specifically requested by Pera Putnik, but other people hinted at it in the past, as far as I remember. There's no way to generate an NMI currently, but this will be addressed in a future release.
You can now choose whether you want [CAPS SHIFT] pressed when the cursor keys emulate a Cursor joystick from the Keyboard tab in Options. In addition if [CAPS SHIFT] (i.e., the [Left Shift] key) is held down then the cursor keys will always act as Cursor joystick. I hope this pleases Bengt Ekberg, Stuart Michie, Graham Young and all other old hacks out there, as it's my final word on this subject J.
If you add a bVBlankSync option in the registry and set it to TRUE, then zx32 will try to synchronize with the display adapter's vertical blank timing. This means that, in average, 25% of CPU time will be spent doing nothing but most of the flicker that wasn't present on a real Spectrum will be eliminated.
Bengt Ekberg, Stuart Michie, Paul Monaghan and all other scanline anti-fans will be pleased to know that a FALSE bScanLines registry option will disable scanlines in fullscreen mode. This is a quick hack and currently requires 2Mb of video memory and display hardware support (transparent BLTs) to work without a performance penalty. If people keep on complaining though, I'll try to optimize the relevant routines.
If you got a Russian demo or two that don't behave correctly on true Spectrum hardware, then create a bModelX registry key and set it to TRUE. This will let you choose an additional hardware model: a Spectrum 128 that uses Pentagon timings. If you are using a 486 CPU and choose this option as the default, then you may disable Slow RAM Emulation (but keep High Color Synchronization enabled) as it just wastes CPU cycles, since the Pentagon has no slow memory.
As a direct result of the above feature, all ULA timings (T states per interrupt, video line, left and right border, etc.) can be customized and Spectrum 48K models are now emulated correctly. I was too lazy to put in a DIY Speccy option though (since I haven't managed to find any demo that requires any other Russian clone), but I will if it's requested.

NOTES
Most new features intentionally require a basic level of expertise and peeks to the Technical Notes section of the help file. I just can't keep up with the amount of 'problem' reports that report only problems with reading Tips of the Day and the Frequently Asked Questions or just trying common ways of doing things in Windows J.
Moreover and although they may seem insignificant, I've spent a lot of time on the new tick counting scheme and the variable ULA timings. Many things have changed underneath the surface to support them so it's possible that code that worked in previous versions is broken now. In any case, these features are mostly experimental so please try to not waste my time when reporting bugs or suggesting improvements for them.

Updates

2.00.04.04 (BETA)

(size: 260,646 bytes | date: April 4, 2000)

2.00.03.22 (BETA)

(size: 257,495 bytes | date: March 22, 2000)

1.03.98.0622 (BETA)

(size: 256,567 bytes | date: June 22, 1998)

1.03.98.0211

(size: 242,959 bytes | date: February 11, 1998)

Last Revised: April 4, 2000.
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Home

Updates

2.00.04.04 (BETA)

(size: 260,646 bytes | date: April 4, 2000)

2.00.03.22 (BETA)

(size: 257,495 bytes | date: March 22, 2000)

1.03.98.0622 (BETA)

(size: 256,567 bytes | date: June 22, 1998)

1.03.98.0211

(size: 242,959 bytes | date: February 11, 1998)

Last Revised: April 4, 2000. Hosted by GeoCities. Get your own Free Home Page.

Home

Last Revised: April 4, 2000.
Hosted by GeoCities. Get your own Free Home Page.