SpeXtrum v0.01 Alpha -------------------- *** Disclaimer *** This is the first release and as such should be considered in the alpha stages of development. Please bear this in mind, as it may or may not work as expected. *** End Disclaimer *** SpeXtrum is a ZX Spectrum emulator written from scratch for the XBOX. Current Features: * Spectrum 48K, 128K and Plus 2 emulation. * AY-8912 Sound emulation. * Snapshot support (both .SNA and .Z80 formats) - loading only. * TAP file support. * Joystick emulation (Sinclair and Kempston). * ZIP file support (loads first compatible file found in a zip). * Virtual Keyboard for those who don't have a USB one. * Advance MAME graphics filter. Notes: The emulation is far from perfect, compatibility is probably fairly low. I've had varying degress of success with snapshots and tape images that I've tried. Some seem to work fine, others don't work at all. I will be working on improving this as the project progresses, so please report any problems to me at the contact details below. AY-8912 emulation is quite spot on, music plays ok but any speech that used the AY chip doesn't work yet (see Robocop for an example). There is currently no autoloading of TAP files, if you select a TAP file you will then have to use the normal Spectrum loading procedure to make it run (ie choose 'Tape Loader' or type 'Load ""') The user interface is currently shocking - I know it! I'm planning on adding a proper one sometime in the future. For now it is just enough to get things running. If anyone can come up with any nice Spectrum related artwork that I could use in the final UI, please let me know. There are lots of things that I am planning to add in the future for example, more graphics filters (although I think Advance MAME makes things look pretty cool), TZX file support to name but two. Please feel free to suggest any other enhancements. I am very keen to receive reports of bugs/problems as they will help me fix things and improve the overall application. Hope you enjoy! Carcharius NB: No that isn't a typo in the name SpeXtrum, it really is meant to be an X there! ;-) Contact Details --------------- As usual, either drop me a line via e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected] or drop by the Emulators forum at www.xbox-scene.com Controls -------- The controls aren't redefinable yet so for now you're stuck with these I'm afraid! First off the UI controls * When the emulator is running: [] = keyboard controls - Click Right Thumbstick [F12] - show list of files to load. - Click Left Thumbstick [F11] - change emulated machine type - White button [F10] - reset emulation - Y button [no keyb equiv] - toggle Advance MAME filter on/off (is on by default) - Hold Right Trigger - show virtual keyboard * When selecting a file or machine type: - D-Pad Up/Down [Cursor up/down]- change selection - A button [Enter] - make selection - B button [Escape] - cancel * When displaying the Virtual Keyboard: - D-Pad Up/Down/Left/Right - choose key - A button - press/toggle key - X button - clear toggled keys (caps shift, symbol shift) - Release the right trigger to hide the virtual keyboard again. Spectrum Key Mappings The letter, number and cursor keys on the keyboard map directly to the spectrum keyboard. The other main key mappings are as follows: - Caps Shift - either Shift key - Symbol Shift - either CTRL key - Space - Space - Delete - Backspace - Break - Escape Joystick mapping - Up/Down/Left/Right - D-Pad Up/Down/Left/Right - Button A - Fire Both Kempston and Sinclair (port 1) joysticks are emulated, moset games have an option to choose which type you have. Just choose the option and the rest should be taken care of automatically. If you find any games where this seems to cause issues, please let me know