Dream CPC 1.0 Alpha 3

Dream CPC is a Amstrad CPC 6128 emulator for Dreamcast.
It's a port of PC-CPC (ex Win-CPC) by Ludovic Deplanque

Features :

- Full speed emulation with sound

- DC Keyboard support

- Amstrad Disk file and zip file support

- Auto launch file

- Auto or manual screen stretch

- User PAD button/cpc key mapping (no save)

Dream CPC is freely distributable as soon as the original readme file is in the distribution.

About AmsDOS & CPC Firmware :

The binary include the copyrighted but distributable firmware files. Here is the original Copyright text :

You can redistribute copies of these copyrighted code as long as

a) copyright messages are not changed

b) either in the program or the documentation you acknowledge that "Amstrad has kindly given it's permission for it's copyrighted material to be redistributed but Amstrad retains it's copyright."

More details at :http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cliff.lawson/cpchomec.htm
CPC BASIC is copyright Locomotive software.

ScreenShots :

Title screen with Chankast

BAsic + Virtual KB with Chankast

History :

13/10/2005 : alpha 3 version

- Correct the the key mapping bug

- Recode the file browser

- recode the auto screen size

- add the border color

- correct some sound pbm : add speed + sound better

- Change timing main loop : add speed

12/06/2005 : alpha 2 version

- Correct the sound render pbm that made it sound so bad : should be better ;)

- Change the timing method : now the synchro isn’t each frame but every xx frames : a longer frame won’t slow down the emulator as before ? the emu back fullspeed for most of the games

- Add a variable sound quality and auto frame skip : if the emu can’t ‘still in time’, it down sound rendering quality and add frame skip to try keep a constant frame rate. Not really perfect because most game doesn’t need this trick to be full speed and game with pbm (Robocop …) near more than the time gained with this trick …. Best than nothing: /.

- Update the Z80 core with the latest PC-CPC core.

- Add a lot of statistics

- Lot of code improvement

- Game now launch without the CPC file extension (ex : toto.bin will launch with run"toto )

28/05/2005 : 1st Release date (alpha version)

How use it:

In the menu, you can move the cursor with the D-Pad and use A button for selection.
You can select the options/text in the windows by click (A button) on it.

On the top right, there is 4 icons to change the Menu Windows :

- the disk : open the Amstrad disk file load and auto launch games

- the Keyboard : open the key mapping windows

- The Dreamcast : Open the options

- The ? : open the about and reset windows

- The Joystick : back to emulation

Launch a game:

In the disk windows, you can explore the CD (cd), the Ramdisk (rd) or the PC (if the emu run with a coder cable). When you choose a .dsk or .zip file, the disk is inserted and the Amstrad CPC files are automatically listed. If you select a file, the emulator will reset and autos launch the file. You can also back to the emulation, without reset the Amstrad with the joystick icon.

Map a Dreamcast PAD :

In the Pad mapping windows, you can change the default key mapping of the emulator. Select the PAD to change on the top of the windows (the edited one is in red). Click on the key of the PAD you want to change: the key will show ‘???’. Then select an Amstrad key to associate on the virtual keyboard.

Options:

You can change the localisation of the Amstrad CPC rom (UK, French and Spain are included). You must reset the emulator if you want the rom change. Keep virtual KB open : in the emulation mode, you use the left trigger to open the Virtual KB. With this open, you don’t need to keep the trigger pressed to show the KB (try it, you will understand ;) Sound: on/off (easy) Show statistic: show few things on the screen like the frame rate Hardware graphic filter: the PVR filter is add when the screen is draw on the screen. It can be useful when the screen is stretched. Screen auto size: automatically choose the best stretch for the Amstrad CPC mode. You can also choose a stretch manually.

Reset the CPC:

You can reset the cpc in the about windows

In emulation:

Show the virtual KB with the Left trigger and move the cursor with the Digital PAD. To select a key, use the right trigger. Press Start when the virtual KB is open to back to the menu.

Few Amstrad CPC commands:

To list the file on the disk, you must type CAT. To run the games, there is 2 mode: run"name of the game" (that’s what the auto launch do) or the |CPM mode (you have to type |CPM to launch the game) In general, only the bas and bin files are executable. The files can be hidden

Know bugs :

- The |CPC games don’t auto launch. You must launch yourself.

- Sometime, the auto launch don’t launch the right file : You must launch it yourself.

Downloads :

- Dream CPC Alpha 3 - Plain Binary (13/10/2005)

- Dream CPC Alpha 3 - SBI (13/10/2005)

Links :

You can find information and resources about the CPC here:

- AMSTRAD.CPC (French)

- CPC-Zone (English)

- The Amstrad CPC Game resource (English)

- Phenix Informatique (French)

- Genesis 8 (fr/eng)

Credits :

PC-CPC : Ludovic Deplanque

Dreamcast Port : JMD

Thanks to : BlackAura, Phantom, GPF, Ender, Quzar, Fox68k, Ron , Wraggster, Sizious, Oggy, doragasu, The KOS team, Goat Store