stella2023/README-GP2X.txt

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Stella 2.3.5 
Ported to GP2X by Alex Zaballa
Contact: azaballa@users.sourceforge.net
Homepage: http://stella.sourceforge.net
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Changes:
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>From 2.3
* All menus are now available through the Options button in the
	Launcher.
* Pause function has been removed, pressing a menu button serves
	the same function.
* Vertical Centering during gameplay is now implemented.
* UI Color Schemes are now implemented. At the moment there's only
	Classic and GP2X. More are coming in the future. ;)
>From 2.2-rv1
* Moved away from using joymouse emulation, which was frustrating
	many users, to a more effective GUI button control scheme.
* PAL ROMs are now playable thanks to Paeryn's scaling libs. ;)
* Paddle games like 'Tac-scan,' 'Demons to Diamonds,' 'Video 
	Olympics,' and others are now playable thanks to Steve.
* Made '/mnt/sd' the default ROM and Snapshot directory this way
        Stella doesn't look anywhere it shouldn't.
* Changed button mapping.
* Various performance tweaks.

>From 2.2
* Ms. Pacman sound issue resolved.

>From 2.1-rv3
* Added Rom Browser mode and enabled it by default.

>From 2.1-rv2
* Scroll bug fixed (finally).

>From 2.1-rv1
* Warlords graphics bug fixed.

>From 2.1
* Joystick fixed.
* Phosphor effect enabled.

>From 2.0.1:
* Stopped using the ROM Script (No more ROM limit. 'Single binary'
	zip support available.).
* Opened up the Native GUI for use through Joymouse Emulation.
* SOUND!
* Diagonals.
* Snapshots.
* Some button mapping (but still comfortably familiar).

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Known Bugs:
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None reported.
Please report all bugs to me at azaballa@users.sourceforge.net.

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Known GP2X Performance Issues:
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Pitfall 2 runs slow due to the need for extra hardware emulation.
Steve foresees this being fixed in the future.

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Installation to GP2X:
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Note: Stella for the GP2X does not need external SDL libraries.

Place files 'stella' and 'stella.gpe' into its own directory.
Stella defaults to '/mnt/sd' for the ROM and Snapshot directory.
This can be changed by using the 'Options' button in the Launcher
menu. If you are having issues with getting Stella to run after
an older install, delete the 'stellarc' file located in the root
Stella install folder.

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Navigation:
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The joystick selects item by item in a list. In menu mode, VOL+ and
VOL- highlight the next and previous GUI elements respectively.
Pressing B activates the highlighted GUI element. Pressing START
or X is equivalent to clicking Cancel or Close. Pressing SELECT is
equivalent to clicking OK. To move to the previous directory without
the 'Go Up' button, just use the '[..]' item at the top of the ROM
Browser list. For complete button mapping, check below.

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GP2X Mapping:
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Navigating Menus:
  A      = Previous Tab
  B      = Select GUI Item
  X      = Menu Cancel
  Y      = Next Tab
  L      = Page Up
  R	 = Page Down
  START  = Menu Cancel
  SELECT = Menu OK
  VOL+	 = Navigate to Next GUI Button (or other GUI element)
  VOL-	 = Navigate to Previous GUI Button (or other GUI element)
During Emulation:
  A	 = Command Menu
  B	 = Fire
  X	 = <Not Used>
  Y	 = Settings Menu
  L	 = Console Reset
  R	 = Console Select
  START	 = Launcher Menu
  SELECT = Snapshot

Caution: Changing video and audio settings could lead to a non-working Stella
setup. If you do feel the need to change the settings (as we all do) and happen
to cause a crash or hang, delete the 'stellarc' file and that should clear up
the problem. If anyone finds any settings that give better performance in
sound and gameplay, let me know and I might incorporate them into the next
version. Happy tinkering.

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Other:
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For user friendly ROM names, try out Cowering's Good2600. It is a reliable
and easy to use ROM renamer. It has a nifty Windows frontend and will also
work under Linux when used with Wine (wineconsole). Check accompanying 
documentation for further details.

GoodTools is available from Cowering's homepage and at http://archive.gp2x.de/.

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Compile Info:
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Since the GP2X branch was so graciously added to Stella, GP2X compilation is
now built in. If you plan on doing a compile yourself, you need the GP2X devkit
pro and SDL Open2X libs with zlib support. I recommend theoddbot's Open2X
libraries which work very nicely for this. Paeryn's are also a must (combine
them with theoddbot's). Any questions, email me.

Make sure your path includes your arm-linux compilers and tools:
export PATH=<your arm-linux compiler path>:$PATH

This is what my configure line looks like:
./configure
  --enable-cheats
  --disable-debugger
  --host=gp2x
  --with-zlib-prefix=<your gp2x zlib path>
  --with-sdl-prefix=<your sdl config path>
  --x-libraries=<your X11 libraries path>

Then:
make

Then strip the exec:
make gp2x-strip

You should get an exec ~2MB in size. Much better than 7MB right?

To gather all necessary files into directory './stella/gp2x' for easy
access, type:
make gp2x-organize

Note: stella/gp2x directory created in the main stella source directory
(next to configure, Makefile, etc.).

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Special Thanks:
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... to Steve Anthony for the major improvements in the port and incorporating
    the GP2X. Not to mention the wealth of information and help... did I
    mention patience? ;-)
... to Eckhard Stolberg for making me known to the Stella Team.
... to the Stella Team for the excellent emulator and the hospitality.
... to theoddbot for the excellent Open2X toolchain libs.
... to paeryn for the wonderful scaling libs.
... to TelcoLou for his hardwork, playtesting ad infinitum.
... to the community for all of the interest.