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TypeError
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Initial DS Port -- Help Wanted!
« on: April 05, 2008, 02:14:52 am »

Hi folks!  I've started poking around a bit on a port of UQM to the Nintendo DS platform.  I'm happy to report that I've gotten the code to compile and run, and I've hit my first "out of memory" error.  I'm less happy to report that it happens during the allocation of the buffers for the screen, which is rather sooner than I'd hoped.  Wink  I'll be checking things out myself, but I thought I'd ask if anybody knows of any fat that can be trimmed from the init sequence.

Also, I was poking around in the graphics resources and noticed that lots (all?) of the graphics are 8-bit.  Are these generally converted to 24-bit at load-time?  I'm using a 15-bit mode on the DS and contemplating how to handle graphics resources.

Anyhow, if anybody wants to help out I'd be happy to share my patches.  Note that you don't even have to *own* a DS to help out -- I'm using the desmume emulator for most of my work at this point.  If anybody's interested I can tell you how to set this stuff up.  C'mon folks, you *know* it would be awesome to get uqm running in under 4MB@66MHz... Smiley

FYI, there was a previous attempt to start a port, described in these threads.  I'm using the threading library OOPMan ported to the DS but otherwise I haven't used any code from that port (assuming there was code):

http://forum.uqm.stack.nl/index.php?topic=3205.0
http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=11074&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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Re: Initial DS Port -- Help Wanted!
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2008, 11:12:31 pm »

I would more then happy to test, unfdortunetally I am not much of a coder.
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Mr Brian
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Re: Initial DS Port -- Help Wanted!
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2008, 08:19:35 am »

SC2 on the DS would be awesome (even tho I dont have one) :p
I cant really help you but I wish you luck   : )
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Re: Initial DS Port -- Help Wanted!
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2008, 09:17:49 am »

Also, I was poking around in the graphics resources and noticed that lots (all?) of the graphics are 8-bit.  Are these generally converted to 24-bit at load-time?

Most of UQM graphics are 8bpp paletted and are loaded and kept in memory at 8bpp. Some graphics are 24bpp and are loaded into 32bpp SDL surfaces. The internal screen buffers are forced 32bpp for RGB/RGBA arithmetic efficiency.
At least one port out there (Nokia 770, ISTR) is successfully using 16bpp screen buffers, but it will ultimately depend on the efficiency of SDL for your platform, or your own implementation if not SDL.

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C'mon folks, you *know* it would be awesome to get uqm running in under 4MB@66MHz...
I regret to tell you that fitting UQM in its current incarnation into 4MB of memory is not feasible. At last count, UQM required an absolute minimum of 16MB. A lot of the current code is written for modern systems and assumes memory is not an issue.
It's certainly possible to fit UQM into 4MB, but it will require major rewrites and replacements of sizable chunks of code, removal of features, and possibly also some graphics conversion.

For reference, in the last test we did, the lowest-end PC that ran UQM OK was P-MMX 200MHz, 48MB RAM, Win95.
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Anthony
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Re: Initial DS Port -- Help Wanted!
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2008, 03:08:11 pm »

Note that you don't even have to *own* a DS to help out -- I'm using the desmume emulator for most of my work at this point.  If anybody's interested I can tell you how to set this stuff up.  C'mon folks, you *know* it would be awesome to get uqm running in under 4MB@66MHz... Smiley

Interesting... I have a Nintendo DS with a CycloDS Evolution cartridge, so I can run homebrew code, so I'd be glad to beta test stuff.  I don't consider myself an expert coder, but I am willing to do what I can in order to help out.  It's a really cool idea. Cheesy
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