MSX Core - Disk Game Save Help Needed

[tomtom808]

Hello, I'm new to using the msx core and have never used the real hardware before. I'm trying to play the translated english version of the Final Fantasy 1 port. I was able to get the core up and running with the Sofarun interface and also managed to patch the FF disk game with the english patch and get it onto my sd card. I also transferred over FF disk 2 for game saves. So far I've been able to get the game running and the english patch was set up correctly. Unfortunately I'm stuck trying to save my game when I go to the inn. The game is asking me to swap the disk. I presume it's asking me to swap to disk 2. I've tried different keys like F1, F7, spacebar, etc but no dice. Can anyone impart some knowledge my way? Is there some steps I'm missing or can I just save my game to the sd card via a simpler method like save states. I also see disk games has an overall setting options and each individual game has setting options but I'm not sure what to do. I appreciate any assistance. Mahalo!

[akeley]

Try this topic: viewtopic.php?t=1338

This method seems to be working for some people, though I recall trying it with one of the Ys games and failing. I was probably doing something wrong, but overall it's one of the reasons a more OG hardware-like MSX core would be very welcome. MSX1 is kind of it, but I'm not sure if it supports floppies yet? (the latest version of the test core hangs my MiSTer for some reason).

[tomtom808]

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at this thread earlier but was hoping there may be a simpler option available currently as that thread was dated from 2020. I''l try the instructions from TheMrAwesomeness, hopefully I can follow the steps correctly, then report back.

[colonel panic]

The easiest way using SofaRun is to merge the disks into one big file using the command prompt in Windows, launch that with SofaRun, and then use a keyboard shortcut to swap disks when needed. See this thread from the MSX forums:

better to concat in a windows pc's cmd using the copy command instead.

copy /b disk1.dsk+disk2.dsk+disk3.dsk disk.dsk

the result contains all the disk images. When the game asks for disk 2 and press space just keep the 2 pressed and press space and sofarun will load the disk 2 part of the big file.

But an even easier way would be to set up the MSX2 test core and just use that. In that core you can just swap disks from the MiSTer menu.

One thing to note about that core though is that it hasn't been updated in a while, so if you're planning on using it on a CRT with the new 24-bit I/O board (like the one that comes with the MiSTer Pi) it won't display properly. If you're using it over HDMI or with an older I/O board there shouldn't be any problems

[tomtom808]

Are there any instructions to set up the MSX2 test core, I'm such a nube with these cpu cores. I did download the files though. Do I just transfer the most recent MSX1 test.rbf file to the _Computer folder on my mister sd card and delete the old MSX1 ref file? I plan on using via hdmi only

[colonel panic]

Sure. There used to be a guide over at vampier.net/MSX/ but it looks like he took it down for some reason. An archived copy is still available here but unfortunately the links to the BIOS files weren't saved.

Anyway the way I set mine up is to make a new folder in the "root" folder of the SD card (/media/fat/ if you're accessing your MiSTer remotely) called "_Experimental", and put the file from the "releases" folder from GitHub called "MSX1_20230702_test.rbf" in there. You can put this file somewhere else if you want, but I like to keep it in a separate folder so I don't get it confused with the official MSX1 core that gets put in the computer folder by update_all.

Put your ROMs and disk images in the /games/MSX1/ folder. You will also need a BIOS file (called a "ROM PACK" in the menu). The one I use is called "Sony_HB-F1XDmk2 (256KB main ram).MSX" and has a MD5 hash of "4ba3beabbc2398a4e2aad8fc2be1de13". If you have trouble finding it there may be something in your PMs. There's also an option to load a firmware pack. I don't remember if this is necessary, but I have one loaded called "CART_FW_EN.MSX", MD5: "e809151211d4d5621f820df4662dc9f8". Again, if you can't find it, there might be something in your PMs. I got these files from the vampier.net page while it was still up, but unfortunately it's gone now.

So, put those two files in /games/MSX1/ as well. Boot up your MiSTer, go to the new "Experimental" folder on there, and launch the MSX1 core from there. From the menu that pops up, load your ROM pack (BIOS) and your firmware file (you only have to do all that the first time), and you should be good to go after that. Mount a disk image and hit "reset and close OSD" to make the machine boot from the disk.

Also, for Final Fantasy specifically, that game has an optional enhanced FM soundtrack when using the FM-PAC add-on. So set Slot B to FM-PAC in the menu if you want to play the game with the enhanced soundtrack. A lot of MSX2 games were like that, so it's worth it to toggle the FM-PAC on and off when starting a new game to see if it makes a difference

[tomtom808]

Colonel, thanks for the detailed guide! I was trying to set this up last night but so far not having any success. I used release "MSX1_20230702_test.rbf" from the Github link and put it into an "Experimental" folder but was not able to see the folder on the root drive when my sd card was in the MiSTer. So I just put the file directly into the _Computer folder with the other rbf files. I did put the bios files ROM PACK and firmware pack you specified into the games/MSX1/folder along with my final fantasy disk game as well as a few other games. Question? The games/MSX1/folder already had a bios file "boot.rom" in it. Do I leave than file in there along with files you specified? I booted up the MSX1 core using the test release rbf file but just got a black screen. I tried this with both the "boot.rom" left in the games/MSX1/folder as well as removed but kept getting a black screen with no ability to pull up the core menu.

I'm not quite sure but I suspect my issue may have to do with changing out my "MSX.CONFIG" file when I was setting up the other MSX core with SofaRun earlier in the day.

I'm thinking of trying with a fresh SD card with the initial MiSTer files and giving it another go with your instructions tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to troubleshoot this. I'm not very savvy when it comes to these CPU cores but I'm gonna stay persistent and persevere. Thanks again for your assistance!

[colonel panic]

No problem. You need to add an underscore to a folder name in order to see from the MiSTer Menu. So "_Experimental" in my case. I don't think the boot.rom file from the official MSX1 core is necessary but it doesn't break anything so I leave it in there. Once you launch the test core, are you able to get to the menu by pressing the menu button on a controller/keyboard? It may not do that automatically like I assumed in my last post

Edit: sorry, misread the part about not being able to bring up the menu. That's strange. Seems like the same issue akeley is having. I don't think I forgot any steps but then again it's been a year and a half since I set it up. If you want to go through the trouble of setting up a fresh install, I guess that could eliminate some variables with hidden config files or whatever. If it solves your issue it might work for akeley too

[tomtom808]

Ok, added the underscore to the Experimental folder and can now see it on the sd card in the MiSTer, thanks for that tip. I launched the test core from the Experimental folder but still booting into a black screen and not able to get to menu using my keyboard or a controller. Heading out to work now, but I'll revisit again tonight.

[akeley]

Yes, this seems the same as my problem. Tomtom808, are you connecting via HDMI to a modern TV/monitor?

[tomtom808]

akeley, yes I've got my MiSTer going through HDMI to a retrotink 4K scaler and LG OLED. Really want to play Final Fantasy on my TV. Tested the english translation on the BlueMSX emulator on my laptop and was able to figure disk swapping on that platform. I'm a pretty stubborn guy, so I'm gonna keep on it. If I find a fix I'll be sure to report back with process that works.

[tomtom808]

Alright success finally! Created fresh install on a new sd and followed the colonel's instructions above using the "MSX1_20230702_test.rbf" file.
After I initially loaded the rom pack and fw files I booted up my disk game of final fantasy with the sweet fm-pac tunes!
I wrote down my steps after I booted in the test core:
1) go into msx core menu
2)scroll down to “mount drive a: *dsk” and choose your desired disk game to load
3)go back into the core menu and "reset and close OSD"
4)When the msx core reboots hold down control on your keyboard this should boot up your game
5)when you get to an in game save option you will be asked to “Insert User disk”
6)go into msx core menu and scroll down to “mount drive a: *.dsk” and choose your user disk (save disk) and press spacebar on the keyboard
7)the game will save then will ask you to “insert game disk”
8)go back into the msx core menu and scroll down to “mount drive a: *.dsk” and choose your game disk and press spacebar on the keyboard

Thanks again colonel for your instructions and patience! Good luck akeley, hope you can get's yours up and running!

[akeley]

Thanks, glad you got it sorted...but this only adds to my confusion Since a fresh install cured your core it means it's something in the software setup, but I'm quite lost as to what can I possibly change on the MiSTer SD to make it work. I've already deleted my MSX config and there really isn't much else left to tweak.

[tomtom808]

I went back to my original sd card and deleted all the old msx config files and core folders and just copied over the msx files and core folders from my new sd card install and everything worked without issue. I'd give that a try, not a quick solution but should do the trick. Goodluck!

[colonel panic]

That's great that you got it working! If you like the FM soundtrack, something you may want to do is to boot up the core, and before you mount any disks or anything, set Slot B to FM-PAC and then hit "save settings" on the second page of the menu. This will make the core boot with the FM-PAC inserted by default. That makes it behave more like my real MSX2+, which came with the FM chip built in from the factory and uses FM by default on compatible games.

Akeley, when you were deleting config files, did you also delete everything associated with MSX1 in the /config/inputs/ folder? Since we sort of narrowed it down to a settings issue, maybe one of those controller config files got corrupted and that's making the core freeze up?

[tomtom808]

Thanks again for the FM sound tips! The FF MSX soundtrack sounds great, looking forward to my playthrough! Love learning about the MiSTer cpu cores.

[akeley]

Ok, got it working finally. Big thanks for your help, especially Colnel Panic. But, it turns out that indeed my CRT didn't like the garbled signal which comes out when the core doesn't have a machine bios rom loaded from OSD. So all I had to do was check out the HDMI connection first and would save myself a lot of headache.

The core seems fabulous now, what with the disk support...it really feels much more like the real machine, and makes me want to use it more. Much as I do appreciate SofaRun, especially on my real MSXs, using it here feels a bit like a chore.

I saw one potential problem though: the NTSC mode seems to be letterboxed (on my CRT at elast) - less then PAL, but still much more than on real hardware. Colonel panic, could you please check this on your CRT?

[laurens]

Ok, got it working finally. Big thanks for your help, especially Colnel Panic. But, it turns out that indeed my CRT didn't like the garbled signal which comes out when the core doesn't have a machine bios rom loaded from OSD. So all I had to do was check out the HDMI connection first and would save myself a lot of headache.

I'm also having quite the headache - I never used the core before - at least not successfully - and ONLY have HDMI out.

I believe I have all the correct files, but whenever I load the core, my (again, LCD, HDMI-connected) monitor goes blank without a signal.

Does anyone have any clues as to how to get it to display something? I never have connected anything other than HDMI.

[colonel panic]

I'm not sure what the issue could be regarding HDMI output. If you have your vsync_adjust set to 2 in the .ini file maybe your monitor doesn't like the refresh rate that the core is giving it?

As for analog output, a few days ago there was a slight update to the core which added 24 bit DAC support. With this new update the analog output from the core looks the same on my PVM as my real MSX2+. My real MSX is NTSC, and I compared the output by hooking the MiSTer up through RGB and the real MSX through S-Video into my PVM and flipping the input back and forth. There's no letterboxing on my end. The only difference I noticed is that image from the real MSX is slightly shifted to the right by like a pixel or two compared to the MiSTer, but that could just be the way my monitor handles S-video compared to RGB

Edit: Akeley, it may have something to do with your video settings in the core. "Vertical Crop" should be set to "No" and "Border" should be set to "Yes" in order to make everything look correct on a CRT. These settings may be different by default because it makes things look better over HDMI when they're set the other way

[akeley]

Thanks for checking. The Border setting in OSD should indeed be on, it helps with the look of some games (and OS) although it doesn't really change the active display size. Vertical Crop doesn't do anything on analogue.

I'm living away from my real MSXs at the moment, so I'm basing this on the photos from my collection. In fact, most are ok (though I don't seem to be able to run Xevious nohow, using RomHunter's files), but one game that threw me off is Hydlide. It really looks letterboxed still, even with the Border on. Could you check this one when you have a moment?

[colonel panic]

I just did the same A/B test with the MSX2 disk version of Hydlide. The aspect ratio looks the same between real hardware and the MSX1test core, and it fills most of the screen like in your Trinitron pic. Maybe you're running the version of the game meant for the original MSX instead of the MSX2 version? I did that at first and then noticed the logo in the top right looked different than your pic.

As for Xevious, it works, but you have to manually set the mapper type to ASCII16 in the menu when loading the ROM. For some reason this core has a lot of trouble auto-detecting that mapper in particular. I think they're working on a database file like the N64 core uses to fix this issue in the next release.

By the way, the vertical crop option does affect the analog output, it just may not be noticeable depending on the overscan on your CRT. On both my Commodore 1702 and my PVM I see a few lines on the top and bottom of the image turn black when I have vertical crop turned on, and turn back to normal when I turn it off. YMMV

[akeley]

Great tips, it's all good now - thank you. It's good to meet somebody with in-depth MSX experience, as these machines are probably the trickiest of all micros (at least for me).

[laurens]

I'm not sure what the issue could be regarding HDMI output. If you have your vsync_adjust set to 2 in the .ini file maybe your monitor doesn't like the refresh rate that the core is giving it?

Up until now, I only had vsync_adjust set to 0, so that can't have been it. I also tried it on multiple monitors, (again, with vsync_adjust=0). I have removed the config file as well. Not sure what else it can be? I believe I'm running pretty much a stock mister.ini.

I might if I find time dig up another SD card, and spin up a new pristine installation and see if that cures it, and then start diffing.

THank you for your help!