New AGA SDL Development

[AmigaClassicRule]

And now for some Amiga news....

I'm currently working on a  new SDL library which is a cut-down version specifically made for good old AGA Amiga's (like mine!).

As people know I've ported a few games now and usually I have to rip out all of the SDL code and replace it with my own Amiga AGA code. This can be a very time consuming process so I decide to give an SDL library port one more try.

I've managed to knock together a working AGA SDL library which I'm using it to port Descent Rebirth to AGA.

[youtube]hhRxSw6IMa8[/youtube]


Restrictions:

   1. Only AGA 8 bit full-screen modes supported (320x200 -> 640x480).
   2. No CDROM support
   3. No OpenGL (obviously)
   4. No hardware accelerated graphics (again, kind of obvious)


This library is already being used to port NetSurf to AGA

If I can get this working properly it should make it much easier to port a lot of new stuff to AGA quickly.

This is great news!!!! Hey man, can you please try to see if this game works with this new AGA SDL: http://aminet.net/package/game/role/Zelda3T-68k-US and can you make a youtube video of it?? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!! Oh...one more...please!!

[AmigaClassicRule]

@AmigaClassicRule

It's a linklib, not a system library. Those Zelda games are highly portable though (I did a few myself), so recompiling shouldnt be difficult if youre interested in it. If memory serves correctly though they use Timidity, so a bit of work might be required there.

Fishy_fiz..please...is there anyway you can recompile it for AGA please??!!

Pleeeeeasse!? I will donate you for your work!!

[AmigaClassicRule]

Kalms is Mr TBL

I don't think this new SDL library will be much slower than just doing the same thing in straight C, it should only slow a 68k port by a couple of percent.

It will only support what AGA can do so I'm currently removing features that will slow it down too much.

NovaCoder, like lighting and shading for example? Hey NovaCoder...can I donate a petition to port that Zelda game to AGA the one Fishy_fis replied to my post?

[AmigaClassicRule]

my A1200 has 80MB of RAM. do I need to figure out a way to add more? any idea how much RAM it will need?

You have way more than I do or could ever imagine! I need to cough up 300 bucks to get an additional 32 MB to maximize to 64 MB. Oh...I am going to save up so much money to make my A1200 have 64 MB..I will finally be able to play Quake 2

[AmigaClassicRule]

Just thinking about this some more, this is a really cool thing to have for AGA machines. I understand that at the moment Novacoders motivation in doing this AGA SDL version is to make it easier for doing other software ports, but it really has potential to develop over time.
Im not the worlds greatest amiga os "native" coder, but I do have a fair bit of experience with porting SDL apps to AmgaOS/AROS, and Im sure Im not the only one with the knowledge to do the same. If even a handful of people are interested enough to give Novacoder feedback that he decides is worthwhile looking into (or even anyone else with the skills to work on the "core" AGA SDL), we have a potential inroad to quite a bit of new software.
Granted there's a lot of "average" SDL software out there, and hardware requirements would also need to be considered, but it still opens up a nice selection of potential "new" games and apps for AGA machines.

@AmigaClassicRule
I'm busy with DGen (megadrive emu) at the moment, but I'll try to find some time later tonight to have a look at least.

Thank you Fishy_fiz. That is all I am asking. I swear I will donate you money when you manage to port that Zelda (from aminet) to AGA!

[AmigaClassicRule]

I have quickly compiled Zelda 3T as I already have sources because I've released it for RTG.
So far opens black screen only, need to look more.

Thank you apj. I really appreciate the effort in converting it to AGA!

[AmigaClassicRule]

as this sdl lib is particularly meant for genuine hardware (why port sdl programs to aga to run them under winuae that provides rtg by default?) leaving out sound is mostly neccessary as it is anyway too heavy a load for hardware in question.

That is for people who own the real Amiga and does not desire WinUAE! You know not everyone and I mean not EVERYONE likes using emulators. I know we had this discussion earlier about how good WinUAE is and how you cannot tell the difference between it and the real thing and so on and so on...STILL for people who desire the obsession and need to use the real thing...people like me who prefer the real hardware over emulation...even if it means cluttering my desk with additional hardware and so on.

[AmigaClassicRule]

Sorry but I'm waaaay to lazy to do that

This was only meant to be a quick hack to help me to port stuff to AGA but it turns out there are other projects that want to use it.

I'm now going to try and make it a little more flexible for other projects but this library will always be a bit of a hack I'm afraid

I'll see how I go, my priority at the moment is just to get NetSurf AGA working faster with this library, after that I'll try and add some kind of sound module to it.

I still haven't decided which way to go with the sound support.  I'm thinking I might attempt to do two versions.   One version would not support Timers or Threading and would use the Quake 2 sound engine (TM), the other slower version would be like the usual SDL with Timers and Threaded sound.

You know what your NetSurf will do to the Amiga classic community??  Especially for AGA? It will open abundance of NEW GAME libraries like no tomorrow and even applications. All these HTML 5 games or Apps that run on browser can finally run in the classic Amiga. NO more worry about porting..we can even have our very own MMORPG game in the classic Amiga. Maybe 95% of to 98% of them will not work on AGA Amiga...but if even 2% does work.....IT IS UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME!! Also it means for us Amiga classic users may need to seriously consider porting our Amiga hardware to RTG Amiga classic thus Amiga 4000 may sound way more appealing now...with that...we can have the 80% of the apps and games that comes from browser.

Am I wrong? If I am not wrong and you can confirm to me that it is possible and if I see it in youtube running as I was expecting, html games and apps in A4000 using RTG...Amiga classic...then when I see all of that...I will start hunting down an Amiga 4000 and sell my A1200 instead. I will try my A1200 for an A4000 with the following specs, a 68060 @ 80 Mhz Amiga 4000 or at least 70 Mhz with 128 Mb of RAM and RTG for my Amiga 1200 with internet support of course. If not trade when I sell my Amiga 1200 I will pay the difference to get that machine! Otherwise if FPGAReplay Arcade can compete over the A4000 and do better I will go for that...either way I am seeking the MOST fastest classical Amiga hardware with the highest of specs possible for classic Amiga to enjoy: Movies, Browsing (NetSurf with all the perks that comes with it such as Javascript, CSS, HTML 5 support with it's games), games of course and SDL applications and games. This to me would be the alternative to Windows and finally possible...or at least my second choice of most common used OS.

[AmigaClassicRule]

Yes you are wrong.

* sigh * Oh well.

[AmigaClassicRule]

Maybe I am blind, but where is the download link for the new SDL aga?

I think it is not released yet.

[AmigaClassicRule]

Well, actually I am not so focused now on the browser's javascript or html5 or css3 ....I am really just hoping Zelda will be ported

[AmigaClassicRule]

Man, just when I thought we were close to Netsurf AGA for classics...  Surely a bounty would inspire someone to do this?

Actually I was hoping for Zelda for classic Amiga AGA but I guess I am dreaming here too.

[AmigaClassicRule]

First NetSurf AGA BETA released which uses this new SDL library  

BETA Thread

I cannot get it from that website specified and I cannot find it in aminet.

[AmigaClassicRule]

http://eab.abime.net/index.php

I do not have rights to The Zone.

[AmigaClassicRule]

You need to create an account and log in.  Kamelito

You do not get it...I already have account. It just these files are located in The Zone and The Zone have special privileges that I do not have with my current account. In the end I just need to wait until NovaCoder releases it into Aminet that is all.