readme.txt

FB Alpha  - http://fba.emuunlim.com
	  - http://www.barryharris.me.uk
----------------------------------------

FB Alpha is an arcade emulator supporting the following hardware platforms;

 - Capcom CPS-1
 - Capcom CPS-2
 - Cave
 - Neo Geo
 - Toaplan
 - Taito Rainbow Islands/Operation Wolf/Rastan
 - Psikyo 68EC020 based hardware
 - misc stuff we like


What's New?
-----------

v0.2.96.71
   This is still an alpha release!

   Note that, if compiled with GCC, you will need to use version 3.3.x, and
   the experimental DirectX 9 blitter is not built.

- Added driver for Galaxy Force 2 (gforce2, gforce2j)
- Added driver for G-LOC (gloc, glocr360)
- Added driver for Line of Fire (loffire, loffirej, loffireu)
- Added driver for Major League (mjleague)
- Added driver for Power Drift (pdrift, pdrifta, pdrifte, pdriftj)
- Added driver for Rail Chase (rchase)
- Added driver for Strike Fighter (strkgftr)
- Fixed sprite flip in Sonic Boom
- Added some unicode titles [BisonSAS]
- Matched sets to MAME 0.114u1

v0.2.96.70
- Datfiles should be sorted properly now - thanks to LogiqX for pointing out the errors again

v0.2.96.69
- Optimised the FD1094 routines resulting in a big speedup for those games
- Fixed some minor dat file issues - thanks to LogiqX for pointing them out

v0.2.96.68
- Added driver for Bullet using Aaron's preliminary FD1094 key (bullet)
- Added driver for Enduro Racer (enduror, enduror1, endurobl)
- Added driver for Final Tetris (finalttr)
- Added driver for Hang-On (hangon)
- Added driver for SDI (sdi, sdib, sdibl, defense)
- Added driver for Space Harrier (sharrier, sharrir1)
- Added driver for Sukeban Jansi Ryuko (sjryuko, sjryuko1)
- Added driver for Twin Adventure (twinadv, twinadvk)
- Emulated the NVRAM for X-Board, Out Run, System 16B and System 16A drivers, although Out Run games don't seem to
  use it
- Emulated the PPI I/O Chip and hooked it up for the System 16A and Out Run drivers
- Fixed a bug in the System 16 Tilemap rendering (fixes Golden Axe, Wrestle War and some others)
- Optimisations to the graphics rendering in the System 16, Out Run and X-Board drivers
- Added an interface to the YM2203 FM sound core
- Added mahjong controls to the default assignment routine and updated the mahjong games to use it
- Fixed savestate support in some Cave drivers [BisonSAS]
- Various driver cleanups [BisonSAS]
- Improved the rom verify feature and moved the define to the makefile
- Updated some unicode titles [BisonSAS]
- Updated sets to match MAME 0.114

v0.2.96.67
- Added driver for AB Cop (abcop)
- Added driver for After Burner (aburner2, aburner)
- Added driver for Dunk Shot (dunkshot)
- Added driver for E-Swat (eswat, eswatj, eswatu)
- Added driver for Golden Axe (goldnaxe, goldnaxj, goldnaxu, goldnax1, goldnax2, goldnax3)
- Added driver for GP Rider (gprider, gprider1)
- Added driver for Heavyweight Champ (hwchamp)
- Added driver for Racing Hero (rachero)
- Added driver for RyuKyu (ryukyu)
- Added driver for Super Monaco GP (smgp, smgp5, smgp6, smgpj, smgpu, smgpu1, smgpu2, smgpu3)
- Added driver for Thunder Blade (thndrbld, thndrbd1)
- Added Jan's preliminary driver for Madgear in debug builds only (madgear)
- Added Kev's preliminary driver for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in debug builds only (tmnt, tmntu, tmntua, tmht,
  tmntj, tmht2p, tmnt2pj, tmnt2po)
- Rewrite of the Bombjack driver [kev]
- Fixed a crash in some FD-1094 encrypted games
- Fixed the reset function for FD-1094 encrypted games
- Cleanups to the Taito 68K drivers [BisonSAS]
- Fixed bug in the preview cycling code for the Game Select dialog [Captain CPS-X]


v0.2.96.66
- Added driver for Cotton (cotton, cottonj, cottonu)
- Added driver for Out Run (outrun, outrun1, outrun2, outrunb)
- Added driver for Passing Shot (passshot, passshta, passshtj)
- Added driver for Super Hang-On (shangon, shangon2, shangon3, shangnle)
- Added driver for Turbo Out Run (toutrun, toutrun2)
- Fixed a bug in the System 16 Sprite rendering [kev]
- Fixed a problem with memory card support
- Updated the region dips in the Battle Bakraid and Batrider drivers [BisonSAS]
- Forced the Battle Bakraid driver to use the Musashi 68K core [BisonSAS]
- Updated some unicode titles [BisonSAS]

v0.2.96.65
- Corrected the rom size of the v4 rom in lastbldh and lastsold
- Finally beat the bug that sometimes hides the license dialog (hopefully!)
- Updated the load dialog based on code from Captain CPS-X, should be the last change as I'm really happy with it
- Updated sets to match MAME 0.112u4

v0.2.96.64
- Big update to the System 16 drivers - these drivers are still preliminary and thus still have issues (major issues
  only listed);
- Dynamic memory maps for System 16B are not emulated
- Row and Column scroll not emulated for System 16A and B
- Alernate tilemap select for System 16B not emulated
- Some of the FD1094 encrypted games require a driver reset after loading before they boot
- There are plenty of other small issues as well but most games are running well
- Added driver for Biomechanical Toy (biomtoy) [kev, cleanup by BisonSAS]
- Fixed blank tile bug in the Prehistoric Isle driver
- Fixed bad tiles in The King of Fighters 99 driver [BisonSAS, Ryo, Robert, Yuri, Takuma)
- Updated the CPS-1 drivers to allow brightness control in the palette
- Removed the XOR from spf2ta now the decryption key is known
- Cleanup to the Bombjack driver [BisonSAS]
- Fixed issues with savestates in several drivers
- Changed the game selection dialog again
- Added/fixed several non-Latin titles [doomking, BisonSAS]
- Updated several romsets to match MAME 0.112u3
- Fixed the perl script that generates the driver list so that sets can be assigned to debug builds only again

v0.2.96.63
- Added garoubl to the Garou driver

v0.2.96.62
- Added driver for Choko (choko)
- Added driver for Jyangokushi: Haoh no Saihai (jyangoku)
- Added various CPS-2 clones now the decryption keys are known
- Added rastsag1 to the Rastan driver
- Fixed bug with EEPROM on startup in CPS games
- Fixed crash bug in Q-Sound games with sound disabled
- Enabled the "Tournament" mode in the tournament versions of Super Street Fighter 2 - now they try to connect to
  other terminals (if you just want to play the games then change the setup in the "Test Menu", access using F2)
- Fixed bug in datfile generation module
- Various rom changes to match MAME 0.112u2 (with the exception of the XOR for spf2ta)

v0.2.96.61
- Fixed bug in System 16 sound - won't test with volume down in future!

v0.2.96.60
- Added Sega System 16A driver supporting Action Fighter, Alex Kidd, Fantasy Zone, Quartet, Shinobi and Time Scanner
- Added various clones to the CPS-2 driver as the keys are now known
- Added driver for Street Fighter Alpha CPS-Changer
- Various renames and XOR removals to match MAME 0.111u5
- Improved save state support in numerous drivers
- Dropped the "(BH)" monikor from the App title

v0.2.96.59
- Fixed issues with sound in irrmaze, joyjoy, mahretsu, pspikes2 and socbrawl
- Added sf2m2 to the Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition driver
- Amended the game selection dialog and separated CPS-1/CPS-2 games
- Widened the dip switch dialog


System requirements
-------------------

OS:	You need Windows 98 or higher, preferably Windows 2000 or higher.
	DirectX7 or higher must be installed, some features require DirectX 9.
	Normal (unicode) builds will run only on Windows 2000/XP (or higher).
	non-unicode builds will run on Windows 98/Me as well.
CPU:	CPU speed should be at least equivalent to a Pentium 233MHz, to play
        all games at reasonable	framerates at least 366MHz is required. Exact
        requirements can vary by system or game, as well as video and audio
        settings.
	Normal builds require a Pentium II or higher, or an Athlon or higher.
	A seperate build is available for Pentium and K6 CPUs (MMX is not
	required, although some effects will not work without).
	The about box and the version info both show what CPU your build was
	optimised for (you can check the version info by right-clicking
	fba.exe	in the explorer and selecting properties, then the version
	tab on the window that appears). i586 optimised builds run on
	Pentium/K6 CPUs.
RAM:	192MB or more is recommended. At least 128MB is needed to run all
	games, 64MB should be considered the bare minimum.
VIDEO:	15/16/24/32bpp displays are supported.
	Basic blitter: DirectDraw7 support is required.
	The Basic blitter will work with any videocard that supports
	the minimum requirements.

	Enhanced blitter: DirectDraw7 + Direct3D7 support is required.
	The Enhanced blitter will not work with every video card available,
	specifically older Voodoo cards (up Voodoo 3000) will not work.
	Experimental blitter: DirectX Graphics 9 support is required.

	The Experimental blitter has limited functionality with DirectX 8.1
	compatible hardware, but needs DirectX 9 for full functionality.
	For optimal results, Geforce FX 5900 series or Radeon 9800 series
	(or faster) graphics cards are required. For these cards, select
	the appropriate filter version from the Advanced options submenu.
	For all other compatible cards (e.g. Geforce FX series or Radeon 8500
	and higher), select the high-performance option.

SOUND:	Any sound hardware supporting DirectSound3 should work.
	Sound is optional.
INPUT:	The keyboard and system mouse will always work. There is preliminary
	support for additional mice, and devices such as the X Arcade joystick
	which act as a keyboard are supported. All standard or DirectInput7
	compatible joysticks/joypads, and mice should work.


How to use FB Alpha
-------------------

Make sure your ROMs are zipped and correct for use with FB Alpha (it can
write out dat files for ClrMame pro and Romcenter). Make sure FB Alpha knows
where to find your ROMs by specifying them in the ROM dirs dialog (accessible
from via the "Load Game" option). When adding new games, use the Rescan Roms
button, again accessible via the "Load Game" option. When viewing the "Load
Game" dialog, if a game doesn't appear as available, you do not have a
compatible or complete ROMset for that game. If you are missing only some
non-default optional files (e.g. alternative Neo Geo BIOSes), the game will
be faintly hightlighted. Uncheck the "Show available only" option to show
unavailable (they will show up highlighted).

Do NOT ask us where to get the ROMs for any game.

Select the game you want to play and click "OK". When the game is loaded, you
can set up inputs for it by selecting "Map game inputs" from the Game menu.
Double-click an input to assign it, or choose a preset for each player using
the drop-down boxes, and click the "Use preset" button to use that preset for
just this game or session, or click "Make default" to make that preset the
default for all games.

You can also play against people on the internet by selecting the "Play via
Kaillera" option from the Game menu instead of "Load game".


Commandline interface
---------------------

FB Alpha can also be invoked with command line options. When invoked this
way, FB Alpha will automatically switch to fullscreen mode when a game is
loaded, and the Escape key quits FB Alpha. The options are as follows;

fba <game> [-listinfo|-w|-a|-r <width>x<height>x<depth>]

<game>      = The game's romname. You can specify the filename of
              a savestate or input recording instead.
-w          = Run in a window instead of fullscreen.
-a          = Use the same resolution as the original arcade game.
-r          = Specify a resolution. Depth is optional.

If neither -a nor -r are specified, the default fullscreen resolution is
used.

Examples:

fba sfa3 -r 800x600x32

fba awesome_sfzch_recording.fr -w

fba vsav2 -a

For front-ends, you can also do fba -listinfo which will output information
about the supported games to stdout, and the ROM files they need in a MAME
compatible format.


Creating your own input presets
-------------------------------

You can add to the included presets by creating a .ini file in the
config\presets folder. A file example.ini is provided already as an example.
The preset name will be the filename without the ".ini", eg, example.ini is
displayed as example. In the .ini file it is possible to use specific names
such as "P1 Low Punch" or generic names such as "P1 Fire 1". When a game is
allocating inputs it will look for the specific names first, and then the
generic ones. The example provided has generic inputs only (unzip
"preset-example.zip" in the FB Alpha directory).


Usage/optimisation tips
-----------------------

Video

 - If the Enhanced blitter works on your system, use it, esp. for 32-bit
   screenmodes. Try to switch off the "Use DirectX texture management",
   as this can sometimes result in better speed, esp. if you have an nVidia
   card.
 - If the Enhanced blitter is very slow in windowed mode, hit alt-enter
   twice, going into full-screen mode and back. This will force DirectX to
   reorganise the memory on your video card.
 - If you have a monitor that can be rotated to a vertical orientation,
   uncheck "Rotate vertically aligned games" in the video menu. If vertical
   games don't have the correct orientation, check "Mirrored vertical
   alignment" in the "Monitor Properties" submenu as well.
 - Use "Double size", "Triple size", etc. options to control the window size
   and the resolution used for fullscreen mode. This will ensure all games
   will look similar without per-system or per-game settings.
   Note that: To view some games at 4x zoom requires a resolution higher than
	      1600x1200. If you can add custom resolutions to your videocard,
	      1712x1284 is a good choice.
	    - At high resolutions, RGB effects and triple-buffering require
	      large amounts of video memory. You may not be able to use them
	      both at the same time for all games if your videocard has less
	      then 64MB video RAM.
 - If you can add custom resolutions to your videocard, you can instruct
   FB Alpha to try to use the exact same resolutions the original game uses.
   To do this, select "Arcade" from the fullscreen resolution submenu. Then
   load a game and hit Alt-Enter to go to fullscreen mode. When this fails,
   FB Alpha will report the exact resolution you need to add to display this
   particular game so the image fits the screen without stretching (it will
   also take into account rotation for vertical games).

Sound

 - For the best sound sound quality, enable 4-point interpolation and
   FM interpolation.
 - If you have a really slow PC, set the sound samplerate at 22050 or 11025
   Hz, and make sure FM interpolation is disabled.

Input

 - If the mouse sensitivity is not to your liking, it can be changed for each
   game individually in the corresponding .ini file in the config\games
   directory. The label is "analog" and the default is 0x0100 (256 in decimal
   notation). Use higher values for faster movement, lower values result in
   slower movement.
 - If you turn off Auto-save input mapping, all games will have their input
   mapped according to the currently selected preset.

Misc

 - There are 4 directories that FB Alpha will search for ROMs available via
   the GUI, but there are a total of 8, the last 4 of which are accessible
   via editing the config\fba.ini file.
 - For Neo Geo games, FB Alpha can read\write (though not create) MAME memory
   cards.
 - You can replace the F logo image used for the blitter preview with your
   own image. Create a 32bpp .bmp image, in a resolution similar to the games
   FB Alpha supports (e.g. 304x224), and edit the szPlaceHolder in
   config\fba.ini
 - You can use multiple versions of FB Alpha from the same directory. Just
   rename one of the two fba.exe files. If you name the second .exe file
   fba2.exe, the application settings wil be stored in config\fba2.ini. Note
   that there might be problems if you use both versions to play the same
   game; the game's settings, but not control assignments, can be lost.
 - Should you ever want to return to the initial, default settings, delete
   the config subdirectory in your FB Alpha directory.
 - To hide the menu, right-click on the window. A second right mouse-click
   will restore it. While the menu is hidden in windowed mode, drag anywhere
   on the window to move it, and left-click to show the menu. Alternatively,
   you can use Ctrl + Enter to hide/show the menu.
 - If you select "associate with .fs and .fr extensions" from the Misc menu,
   FB Alpha will add some registry keys so that your savestates and input
   recordings can be started by simply double-clicking them in the explorer
   or on the desktop. Select "disassociate from .fs and .fr extensions" to
   remove the created registry keys completely.
 - You can still load the savestates created using savestate slots normally
   via the dialog or by double-clicking them.
 - There are some shortcut keys not listed in the menu. They are:
   Escape	Return to Windowed mode (from full-screen mode)
   F1		When in pause mode, run emulation for one frame
		When not in pause mode, unthrottle emulation while held down
   ALT + -	Sound volume down
   ALT + +	Sound volume up
   backspace	Toggle Frames per Second indicator
   T		On-Screen chat (during netplay only)


Acknowledgements
----------------

Thanks to: Dave, ElSemi, Gangta, OG, Razoola, Logiqx, TRAC, CrashTest,
           Andrea Mazzoleni, Derek Liauw Kie Fa, Dirk Stevens, Maxim Stepin,
           the MAME team, Shawn and Craig at XGaming.

Thanks also to everyone who has made suggestions, submitted code, or helped
in any other way.