Friday, March 04, 2005

Sounds Promising

It looks like the Z80 sound program for Task Force Harrier, which is the only known game predating the introductionof the NMK004, uses a data format which is very similar to the one used by the NMK004.

The main command table and the sample tables are slightly different, and the music tables look very similar if not identical.

It would probably be possible to modify the Z80 program to use the different tables, but I think I'll take the longer route and rewrite the program in C - so I'll learn how a program like that works in detail, which can always be useful knowledge :)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

w00t

Anonymous said...

Good luck Nicola.
-Jackie

Anonymous said...

Nicola,

I noticed you honored my request to have a look at Great Swordsman and I greatly appreciate it, However still no mention about why the colors are flagged as incorrect. :/
Is this because of missing proms?
I wish someone could give an explanation as to what is the issue making the colors flagged.

Again THANK YOU!!!
Everything you do is appreciated. :)

Anonymous said...

I have a GS board I can send to GURU, would this help fix the color issue?

Nicola said...

Yes having a board would help enormously (maybe Guru could dump the 8741s as well if they are not protected).

The colors are marked incorrect because the sprite palette is hand made, it doesn't come from any ROM.

Anonymous said...

Ah... this is the same issue that affects later Toaplan games, isn't it? Will this work fix them as well? They use the same sound chip, I beleive.

Anonymous said...

Nicola Salmoria said...
>Yes having a board would help enormously
>(maybe Guru could dump the 8741s
>as well if they are not protected).

Sure, shouldn't be difficult.
To the anonymous person who offered, please contact me via the mame message boards. See my site for contact info. Thanks!

Guru

Anonymous said...

No, the toaplan games don't have the same CPU, nor do they have an external data rom with the music patterns. Unless they get uploaded somewhere by the 68k (and it doesn't look like it) simulation of the music in Toaplan is impossible, not difficult, but impossible.

Anonymous said...

Guru,

I can't get in touch thru the MAME boards as I can no longer log in for some odd reason and when I request my password I never receive an email.

I mailed you once about this but never sent as I didn't really see much interest in it, Now that Nicola has mentioned that the board will definately help the emulation I will ship.

I was ninjakid on the boards is the old shipping address you gave me still valid?

Anonymous said...

Guru,

Please email me shipping info at justaninjakid@hotmail

I will be more than happy to donate this board to get that driver finished you can keep it for resale or whatever!

BTW: My board is the one pictured on system16.com