openMSX 16.0 released

Awesome work Guys
Much Appreciation!

Super! Litter Box works perfect on this version!

Nice that python 2 is not needed anymore!

I must cry seeing how choppy video display is in openMSX. I could be due to integrated video card on my laptop but comparing full screen openMSX and WebMSX performance WebMSX is way better - not as a real hardware but ok.
Are there any settings that provide the fastest video performance ?
Right now it looks like someone is pressing pause button or frames are being dropped big time

Congrats, lot of work!

@mzoran: I believe enabling vysnc should give you performance/results similar to 0.15 SDL1, but it's not the same & YMMV. Have you tried togglin' that? (Should be enabled by default though.) SDLGL-PP renderer required. You could try the SDL renderer as an alternative.

You're on Windows (10)? What's your GPU hw? Do you have display drivers that allow for tuning/tweaking application 3D settings?

Anyway make sure your display is @ 60 Hz for NTSC or 50 Hz for PAL machines/content (exact frequencies as reported by Manuel a while back: https://www.msx.org/news/en/openmsx-0101-released#comment-23...)

Question @ team: when using a FreeSync panel/monitor, would openMSX play nicely with that?
So when going to 50 Hz from 60 Hz, the panel would switch to 50 Hz. This would only work in FS mode I think? (Would be (very) nice if it could also work when using openMSX windowed though.)

Did some quick searching. FreeSync seems to work best (and for a while exclusively?) w/ DirectX, however: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Variable_Refresh_Rate

And this:

Shuck up and use openMSX!

mzoran - feel free to experiment with the video settings till you find a setting that works for you. You can also set it to SDL instead of the SDL GL variant.

ToughkidCST Kim: openMSX 16.0 released - Useful feature -1- short preview.

Works like a charm... Thanks, OpenMSX team!

A great thank you to all contributors! It's really true that it aims for perfection

So I did a bit more testing using the same laptop and the desktop with a proper graphics card.
My first mistake was emulating a 50Hz machine. Without having monitor set to 50Hz or using technologies such as AMD's FreeSync with the appropriate monitor this will never be fluid.
Next I switched to C-BIOS JP machine which runs on 60Hz and my monitor is also at 60Hz. This setup does give occasional fluidity but again with stutter. This is visible in info panel where frame rate drops to 55. I can't explain this since CPU was at 3% utilized and GPU was also doing nothing.
Back to laptop with the same machine and refresh rate with openmsx 0.12. This version performs better. If I switch to SDL renderer in openmsx 16 I still think 0.12 looks better.
WebMSX is nearly flawless with only an occasional tear or stutter.
Bottom line is that one should probably get a newer GPU + monitor that can adapt refresh rates so both PAL and NTSC machines have a chance of running smoothly.
However there is still this strange stutter in openmsx compared to webmsx.
Are you able to somehow profile execution to determine what causes frame drops (is it SDL calls) ?
Thanks and sorry for bitching

I was just downloading the new MSI file.. and without reading it i did the install.. (i had different version installed)
But afterwards my Icons are not working anymore ... let's read the manual now

Edit...: It seems OpenMSX was updated but Catapult was removed but not reinstalled somehow.. Running the setup second time and choose option repair was solving the issue.

@ren: I'll switch to the other thread, thanks

@Takamichi: you need to put the .rom image (with the correct sha1) in a system_rom file pool, trying to load it via a cartridge slot won't work.

Thank you so much for the continuous effort! This software, and this version is great, and: invaluable!

As ren explained: in openMSX you have extensions which define which ROMs they need. So when an extension is used, openMSX wil find and load the ROM(s) needed for it, no need to insert it manually. Put the ROM in the system roms folder where you also put all your other system roms.

It's unfortunate you didn't report this before (or maybe I missed it?). I understand this is not what you would expect to happen when pressing this key. But, and please don't take things wrong, what would you expect to happen when pressing it?

Furthermore the following data is useful to know;
- which MSX are you emulating when seeing this phenomenon?
- what happens on another MSX type, e.g. European vs Japanese?
- did this also happen with openMSX 0.15.0, or were you talking about developer builds?
- which keyboard mode are you using? See Menu -> Misc settings -> Keyboard mapping mode
- to debug in detail (none of the developers have a Japanese keyboard...) you can do this:
1. open the console with F10
2. type the command: set kbd_trace_key_presses on
3. press F10 to close the console
4. hit the hankaku/zenkaku key. After 10 seconds, hit it again.
5. there should be output logging on the cmd prompt like window. If not, please start openMSX from the command prompt.
6. paste the output logging here. Or wherever we can find it :)

Thanks!
- to debug what's going on,

ToughkidCST Kim: How much different openMSX v16.0 vs v0.15.0 YM2413 emulation - Comparison

Yes, downloaded from openmsx.org and works fine. Now to find a usable launcher...

Thanks to all openMSX developers and collaborators.
openMSX is essential for my MSX projects.

BUG:

"- added copy/paste functionality: with CTRL+Win+V (Cmd+V on Mac) or the middle mouse button, the clipboard text will be pasted into the MSX and with CTRL+Win+C (Cmd+C on Mac), the current MSX text screen will be copied to the clipboard"

CTRL+Win+C doesn't works!

Gdx what macOS version are you on then? Would be handy to specify . I'm on 10.15 Catalina.

I'm so busy on Freedom Fighter that I had no time to try it until now! I'll do it tomorrow. Anyway I know it will be great, as always! Thanks to all that gave their contribute.

I threw the rom hunter mkii rom into the share -> systemroms folder, chose Rom Hunter Mk2 extensions, started Sanyo MPC-10, Rom Hunter mk2 menu showed, I inserted a 16k game rom (ASCII Moon Landing) to Cart B. I chose [2] and hit a key but nothing seems to be happening. I hear tape noise if I hit the PLAY button on Catapult. Am I doing everything right?

About autotyping issue, firstly it wasn't [ but ] that is autotyped most of the cases (see below). The issue has been at least since 0.15.0 but I noticed only recently when my friend told me about it. The hankaku/zenkaku key is VERY frequently accessed and it's very likely you hit it with openmsx thinking you're working with some other application.

This happen with any MSX type, as far as I tried.
Gradiente Expert DD Plus displays C with cedilla below, instead of ].
In case of CF-1200 and A1GT, when I keep the real ] key down, openMSX keeps displaying [][][] instead of ]]]. If I push [ down, openMSX displays @]@]@]@. Note on real keyboard @ is left next to [ and [ is right above ].
In case of Gradiente Expert DD Plus, pushing ] results in c]c]c]

I said pushing hankaku/zenkaku again ends the autotyping but actually I have to consecutively push the h/z key then ]. In many cases even that doesn't solve.
Gradiente Expert DD Plus never stops even by doing that. Upon attempting so, it displays ccc] OR ccc[ then continues cccing. I also noticed [ key types ' which isn't auto repeated even if the key is pushed down. Is it ` the "backquote"? (see below)
Under any MSX type, switching to other Windows application causes openMSX to stop autotyping. When that happens "Key released, keyCode: 0x400060, keyName: BACKQUOTE,RELEASE" is displayed as the key trace.
Where is " Menu -> Misc settings -> Keyboard mapping mode"? I can't find it on catapult.

The test result from Status Info screen;
Key released, keyCode: 0x400123, keyName: F10,RELEASE
Key pressed, unicode: 0x0000, keyCode: 0x00060, keyName: BACKQUOTE
Key released, keyCode: 0x400060, keyName: BACKQUOTE,RELEASE
Key pressed, unicode: 0x0000, keyCode: 0x00060, keyName: BACKQUOTE
Key pressed, unicode: 0x005d, keyCode: 0x0005d, keyName: RIGHTBRACKET
Key released, keyCode: 0x40005d, keyName: RIGHTBRACKET,RELEASE

F10 is me pushing F10 to hide the commandline Third line appeared after I've pushed h/z key after 10 seconds. ` backquote is probably the character I get by typing @ key (right next to P on my keyboard) with Gradiente Expert DD Plus. It might be a clue.
For your information, when I type real backquote on CF-1200 msx type, I push shift and @, and the trace is;
Key released, keyCode: 0x420040, keyName: AT+SHIFT,RELEASE
Key released, keyCode: 0x400130, keyName: LSHIFT,RELEASE

Manuel, can't mount a DMG image on my Mac with SO El Capitan 10.11.6, the error says "openmsx-16.0-mac-x86_64-bin.dmg file system that cannot be mounted"

Any idea??

Gdx you’re also on macOS 10.11? I asked before but you didn’t answer. I’m trying to look for information on the internet about this issue.

openMSX has had disk support for ages. Please check http://openmsx.org/manual/faq.html#rundiskstapes

Great, I replaced the file on GitHub with the new binary. @knm1983 please download again and try again.

This option is to record the ROM to tape, so for that you need to insert a new tape in the MSX. In Catapult you can press the Record button and browse for a location for a new tape image. E.g. call it moon.wav. After that, press the key and the ROM Hunter program will save the cartridge to tape (this takes a LONG time!). When it's done, it will get back to the menu.

After that, you can start an MSX with the ROM Hunter Mk 2 again and choose option 1. Insert the tape moon.wav in the cassetteplayer and it will be loaded and run.

How do you think this key should be mapped to the MSX?

It's not in Catapult, it's in the openMSX menu. When openMSX runs, move to the top left corner of the screen and a menu button will appear. Click or tap it and you open the menu in which you can find the setting above.

Try to change the setting to POSITIONAL and see if it makes any difference. (This mode will not do its best to map keyboard mappings of host PC to MSX, but just uses a positional (hence the name) concept: you can type with your PC keyboard without looking at what's on the keys, just pretend you're behind the MSX keyboard.

As for the kdb_tracing you pasted: thanks a lot, that is very useful. I'll study it in more detail later, but I already have some questions:
- Can you confirm thatpressing the h/z key generates keyCode 0x00060 (which is a BACKQUOTE, according to the logging)
- Can you try to type only the h/z key on the CF-1200 and tell me what that outputs in the tracing? (The @ stuff is a bit confusing for me.)
- I wonder what generates the RIGHTBRACKET key. Can you check that out? (So what is the simplest thing you do to get RIGHTBRACKET keyName logging, without actually pressing the ] key.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks Grauw and Manuel , later I try , this weekend I’m out from my house, when return I can try.
Thanks a lot guys.

One more key glitch that happens with any MSX type; when I push the CAPS LOCK of the PC keyboard the Caps led of the Catapult flashes on and off, and when I hold down a character key, say A, the emulated MSX displays aAaAaA... To achieve the normal caps lock state I have to push CAPS LOCK with a SHIFT key held. Both right and left SHIFT works. Key trace when only CAPS LOCK is pushed:
Key pressed, unicode: 0x0000, keyCode: 0x0012d, keyName: CAPSLOCK
Changing CAPS lock state according to SDL request
CAPSLOCK,RELEASE is absent. When CAPS LOCK + left SHIFT are pushed:
Key pressed, unicode: 0x0000, keyCode: 0x00130, keyName: LSHIFT
Key pressed, unicode: 0x0000, keyCode: 0x2012d, keyName: CAPSLOCK+SHIFT
Changing CAPS lock state according to SDL request
Key released, keyCode: 0x400130, keyName: LSHIFT,RELEASE
Key released, keyCode: 0x40012d, keyName: CAPSLOCK,RELEASE
Changing CAPS lock state according to SDL request
Note pushing CAPS LOCK on Japanese windows activates two byte zenkaku entry mode, while SHIFT+CAPS LOCK causes 1 byte entry mode to remain and capitalize all subsequent entries, like CAPS LOCK alone does in other countries. Pushing CAPS LOCK alone is key code = 240 event.key = Alphanumeric while SHIFT+CAPS LOCK is key code = 20 event.key=CapsLocK.

Side note: Pushing hankaku/zenkaku key wit MSX type = NMS8255 causes ` to be autotyped and no key combination can stop that.

I don´t know if it´s an issue but in order to use my computer keyboard I always have to type a character into the Input Text field within Catapult.

If I forget this no keyboard input nor other interaction is possible.

Well. as I wrote I use OpenMSX under Wine and Linux Mint, which is an Ubuntu derivate. I usually start OpenMSX via Catapult and have to write a charakter into that field "Input Text" field before I can write within the emulator or even use another key in there. Don´t know if a video is neccesary. Same raection if I start via OpenMSX.exe directly.

I will compile it later and see if the behaviour is another. Then I give a reply.

Do OpenMSX and Catapult have to be compiled separatly?

Manuel, DMG work ok on my Mac with 10.11.6 El Capitan , and OpenMsx too.
Thanks Manuel and Grauw

No, it cannot. Please try to compile 16.0 and run it on your Linux system to see if it still occurs.

Wanted to post that copy didn't work in the console, but then I read:

So, I guess only paste is implemented. I believe I can use "save_to_file"-script instead when in absolute need. But is copy from the console on any roadmap?

Bengalack: you can also output any console command to stderr and copy it from the terminal/cmdprompt (when openMSX runs from one) or from the Catapult last tab like this:
puts stderr [command]

That's what I always do when I need output.

I have updated my fork with TSX based on NataliaPC's to version 16, for now only windows

can be downloaded from

https://github.com/imulilla/openMSX_TSXadv/releases/tag/16.0951

Apart from TSX support, it has been added to be able to choose the block to load from the tape. In the case of
The .CAS you can choose any block, and in the case of .TSX you can choose the blocks
preceded by a "Group start" block (ID21).

To show the list of blocks, use the command "cassetteplayer listsections" and to choose
the "cassetteplayer section" block plus the block number (eg: "cassetteplayer section 2").

It also includes support for IPS patches within a "Custom Information Block" (ID35) block.
which will be applied to the next block, for now it cannot be deactivated

Charakter-input required to write within emulation:

Hello Manuel, I now tested this behaviour with different combinations. It only occurs when using the bin.zip-files.
When using the msi or a linux installation, all works fine and typing in charakters works from the start.

As far as I tested, yes.

Well, I'm very surprised someone would be using openMSX with Wine, whilst that is totally unnecessary I think you're the very first and only one (Well, I hope so. I don't think we should spend time on supporting this use case, if you don't mind...)

The last thing is partly implemented in a newer version of Catapult that was written in Python wth Qt, but never properly finished or released. Some people use it though. It runs in Python 3 with the Qt5 library. I have no idea how to set it up in Windows, though... Source code here: https://github.com/openMSX/catapult

The 'normal' Catapult isn't under active development anymore, only some maintenance is done. We focus mostly on the OSD menu nowadays.