MEKA 0.72 - Documentation =========================== Multi machine emulator for MS-DOS, MS-Windows and GNU/Linux. (c) in 1998-2007 by MEKA team (Omar Cornut and contributors, list below). ========================================================================== Homepage: http://www.smspower.org/meka ========================================================================== This documentation is best viewed with a fixed width font. Please forgive my sometimes flaky english. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 0 : I am a busy guy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are looking for how to donate to the MEKA project, press Up, Down, Right, Left and start directly at Level 7. However I strongly recommend reading the whole documentation, if only to make me think I haven't wrote it for nothing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 1 : Introduction ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEKA is a multi machine emulator, originally started as a Sega Master System emulator, and generally very oriented toward Z80-based Sega 8-bit systems. MEKA officially emulates the following systems: - Sega Game 1000 / SG-1000 / Japan, Oceania - Sega Computer 3000 / SC-3000 / Japan, Oceania, Europe - Super Control Station / SF-7000 / Japan, Oceania, Europe - Sega Mark III / MK3 / Japan + FM Unit Extension / MK3+FM / Japan - Sega Master System / SMS / World Wide - Sega Game Gear / GG / World Wide - ColecoVision / COLECO / America, Europe - Othello Multivision / OMV / Japan You can play other systems on it only if you are smart enough to figure how. And if you are, I doubt you will want to play Nintendo games. So forget it. MEKA is developped and coordinated by: > Omar Cornut / Bock Project manager, machine emulation, tools, graphical user interface, sound interface, graphics, miscellaneous stuff. E-mail: omar -AT- miracleworld.net (replace -AT- by @). And include invaluable contributions from the following handsome people: > Hiromitsu Shioya / Hiro-shi Original sound engine. OPL-based Yamaha 2413 emulator. > Marat Fayzullin / RST38H Zilog Z80 CPU emulation core. Implemented with modifications/fixes in MEKA. > Mitsutaka Okazaki Software Yamaha 2413 emulator (EMU2413). > Maxim Software PSG emulator. > Ulrich Cordes FDC765 emulator for SF-7000. Implemented with modifications in MEKA. > Valerie Tching / Kittie Original Memory Editor. > Johan Euphrosine / Proppy GNU/Linux tweaks, initial MacOSX port. > DJRobX Blitters and video improvements, HQ2X interface. > Maxim Stephin / MaxSt HQ2X graphics filter. > Dirk Stevens Eagle graphics filter. MEKA in its original flavor, is for MS-DOS and compatible systems. MEKAW is the codename for the MS-Windows version of MEKA. MEKANIX is the codename for the GNU/Linux version of MEKA. Generally speaking, people mentionned above are not directly involved in MEKA and may or may not want to be contacted about it. That is why I did not include their e-mail addresses. Please refer to credits at the end of this document to find web sites, or feel free to contact me if you're interested in obtaining someone's e-mail address. Now let me tell you more about the cool systems that MEKA emulates: -- on the Sega side -- The SG-1000, for "Sega Game 1000", was released in Japan in July 1983. Heavily based on the MSX hardware, it is the first known Sega home console system. It was later distributed by Grandstand in New Zealand. The SC-3000, for "Sega Computer 3000", is a variation of the SG-1000 (still compatible with it) with a keyboard, and some optional peripherals such as a printer (SP-400), a tape recorder (SR-1000), or that big extension called the Super Control Station (SF-7000), providing a 3" floppy disk drive, a Centronics printer port, and more available memory. The SC-3000 was released in November 1983 in Japan, and then was sold in certain countries around the world (Oceania and Europe), usually shipped with a BASIC programming cart. Later, Sega released some updates to these systems, including, but not limited to the SC-3000h (a re-release of the SC-3000 with a hard keyboard), and the SG-1000-II (also called Mark II). The SK-1100, for "Sega Keyboard" was an upgrade to the SG-1000 and SG-1000-II to be able to use keyboard software such as the BASIC or the Music Editor. The Mark III, released in 1985, is the first Master System compatible system. It still have the necessary ports to plug the keyboard. A FM extension was made available later, providing with a better sound hardware. FM sound is supported by most games released in Japan between 1986 and 1988, Out Run being the first game featuring FM. The Mark III is backward compatible with SG-1000/SC-3000 games, although it has a darker, slighty incorrect palette (compared to an original SG-1000 or SC-3000). In 1986 came the Sega Master System, two years after Nintendo released their crappy gray box. It was sold just about everywhere, but the Japanese version had the FM extension embedded and profited from it because of better music. Other differences with the Mark III are the 3-D Glasses mini jack port and the embedded rapid fire unit, none of them being available on non-Japanese units. The Master System is also backward compatible with the older systems, with the same palette problem as the Mark III. The Master System had an interesting success in Brazil, where Tec Toy, the official distributor, released plenty of ports from Game Gear, unreleased games and sometimes even original games of their own, up to 1997. Tec Toy released a Master System 3 for the Brazilian market, although it is in fact just a renamed Master System 2. They then later released the Master System Super Compact, and a pink colored version called the Master System Girl. Both fits in hands and allows playing a few meters away from the TV, with no direct connection. Tec Toy is still around and continuing its work on Sega systems. In early December 2002, a new and surprising package was released in Brazil, called the "Master System 3 Collection". It contains about fifty games emddedded in a white colored, SMS 2 shaped console. In July 2004, Tec Toy released its latest variation of the Master System, called the "Master System Handy". This Dreamcast controller alike shaped console fits in hands (like the Super Compact models) and embed 8 games. The Sega Game Gear was released in 1991. It is basically a portable Master System with a smaller screen, a communication port (for dual player gaming) and a bigger palette (4096 colors available instead of 64). Although old SG-1000/SC-3000 video modes are still supported, their default palette was removed so most SG-1000/SC-3000 software have wrong colors on a Game Gear (software modification is possible to fix that). -- on the other side -- There was a machine called the Othello Multivision, released in Japan, which is in fact a SG-1000 with a new shape (pretty small, and embed an incomplete keyboard) and an Othello game in ROM. Eight game cartridges were specifically released for it. They are fully compatible with SG-1000. (following text by Tincho DJ) In 1982, Coleco (COnnecticut LEather COmpany) released the ColecoVision. In those years, Atari led the home video games market with Atari 2600, a 8-bit console released in 1978. Coleco wanted to release ColecoVision with Donkey Kong, the Nintendo's arcade smash hit. But it wasn't possible; Mattel (the Intellivision manufacturer) and Atari released this game first. Anyway, Coleco could release Donkey Kong four months later, acquiring KING KONG's rights from Universal Studios (Nintendo had been demanded by Universal, due to suspicious similarities between Donkey Kong and King Kong. Some months later, Nintendo won). This wasn't the last controversy in which Coleco was involved. In 1983, a cartridge adaptor was released by Coleco. This adaptor would let you use Atari 2600 cartridge on the ColecoVision. Of course, Atari demanded Coleco; but Coleco won. Later, Coleco released Adam, a computer based on Colecovision hardware. It wasn't very successful. Colecovision's time was running out, and production was stopped in 1984. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 2 : Features ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Graphics -------- Original VDP (Video Display Processor) functionnalities were implemented as accurately as possible (within my given time and brain ressources), including some obscure features, so most games should be displaying accurately. MEKA emulates the following display modes: - TMS9918 mode 0 (Graphics) - TMS9918 mode 1 (Text) - TMS9918 mode 2 (Graphics) - TMS9918 mode 3 (Multicolor) - SMS/GG mode 4 - SMS PAL extended 224-lines mode Including proper scrolling, line-based raster effect and sprite collision, sprite flickering (optional), and some VDP variation emulation. If your computer is slower and cannot cope with MEKA (<300 Mhz), you may want to try using Massage or BrSMS. Both of those MS-DOS based emulators are faster, although not as compatible. Sound ----- MEKA emulates both sound hardware featured in the suppor...
majeron