Past-O-Rama another Sega systems emulator
=========================================

version 0.05

by Pascal Bosquet

mail : pastorama@hotmail.com
url  : http://www.system16.com/pastorama

I) Introduction :
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Past-O-Rama is an free Windows9X/DirectX based emulator supporting the
following systems :
- SG1000
- MasterSystem / Mark3
- GameGear

Past-O-Rama is freeware but i'll be pleased having a postal card from you
if you like it , thanks :)
my street address is :
Pascal Bosquet
134 rue du fort
4621 LIEGE (BELGIUM)

it requires at least DirectX5
all work fine with my config (p3 450 with RivaTNT2)
the lowest machine that i've tried is a P2 266 and all was working,but i've
to disabled the FM chip.

Any test report on lowest machine appreciated :)


II) Hey how does it works ?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Nearly simply, start the emulator itself or, passing the name and path of
a ROM to start up with.

the keys are by default (qwerty) :

          player 1                    player 2

      up            UP            up            Y
      down          DOWN          down          H
      left          LEFT          left          G
      right         RIGHT         right         J
      button A      L SHIFT       button A      K
      button B      R CTRL        button B      L
      pause/start   SPACE         pause/start   SPACE


III) History
=-=-=-=-=-=-

v.0.05 (21/03/2001)
------

* SG1000:

- improved the SG1000 support (can run now 99,99% of the games)
- rewrite the TMS9918 code and implentation of a tile caching engine
  ( great speed gain )
- changed the saves states format (for the use of the new comment feature)
  warning old save states won't work anymore !
- games fixed : Rock'n Bolt, Safari Hunt

* MasterSystem / Mark3 / GameGear

- Add MasterSystem support
- Add GameGear support
- SMSVDP support for Mode 4, Mode 5 and Mode 2 using a tile caching engine
  i've follow the great docs from Charles MacDonald (F16 fighter is working)
- 3D glasses support
- FM chip support
- Voices support (thanks to Steph)
- country selection for SMS and GG

* Emu / User interface

- Total recoding with a implementation of a driver way architecture
- Inputs fully redifinable using a cool joypad picture done by Alexandre Dumur (Tohtori Paha)
- Add resolution selection for fullscreen mode
- add a feature allowing to add comments to the save states and displaying then in the UI
- change the Sizex1,Sizex2,.. to Size + and Size - so can scale the window to your needs.
- add frame skip support
- add the possibility to use the video memory , it can be speedier on most video card
- can choose at the same time vsync and speed throttle
- 50/60hz selection
- can disabling sprites or background
- Sprites limit
- Hardware pause and reset
- Remove the roms path options replaced by the last directory of the last opened roms
- Zip files support
- Saving the directory of the SRAM and STATES path
- 15,16,32 bpp support
- can swith to full screen mode using the ESC key
- possibility to switch fullscreen after a rom load
- possibility to load a rom in fullscreen mode
- remove the sound rate selection as it was not useful

v.0.02 (13/08/2000)
------

- code mainly rewritten (ddraw,dinput,dsound,program logic)
- added the load and save of multiple states
- Player two is emulated (keyboard and joypad)
- save states and roms paths are saved
- possibility to choose the sound rate (warning : game is reset)
- can enable or not the sound
- automatic detection of the RGB format (565 or 555)
- configuration is saved to an ini file
- added keyboard shortcuts (thanks to Stef)
- can use or not the backdrop color for the borders in fullscreen mode
- add on screen messages
- changed the speed limiter, now the emu runs really at about 60 fps
  This can give a great speed improvement on older video cards
- Title of the roms'll appears in the title bar
- some other things that i can not remember

v.0.01 (21/06/2000)
------

- initial release


IV) Know issues
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

- Past-O-Rama WON'T RUNS in a windows desktop set to 24 bpp !
- Windows NT is not supported

V) Shortscuts
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Open Rom                                        CTRL + O
Selecting the saves states slot                 0..9
Frame skip                                      F1..F4
Save state                                      F5
Commenting state                                F6
Load state                                      F7
Switching to video mode (windowed/fullscreen)   ESC
                                                ALT + RETURN
Quit                                            END
Software reset                                  TAB
Hardware reset                                  SHIFT + TAB
Hardware pause                                  PAUSE/BREAK
Windows size increase                           + (numpad)
Windows size decrease                           - (numpad)
Strech screen in fullscreen                     F9
Vsync                                           F10
Speed throttle                                  F11


VI) Credits & aknowledgments
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

This emu'd never exists without the work from :
Charles Mac Donald
Zoop and all the people on S8-Dev board
Sean young
Marat Fayzullin
The Mame Team
Ricardo Bittencourt
Richard Mitton
Jason Starr (polestar)
Jon
Leonard Silva de Oliveira

Special thanks goes to :
Thierry Lescot (Shinobiz)
Alexandre Dumur (Tohtori Paha)
Stephane Dallongeville (Stef)
Dave
Atani
Francois Claessens (F4rnz)
Sixtoe

and people that have submitted logo,icon,..
     
* Unzip code by Gilles Vollant
* ZLIB by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler
* Software implementation of FM sound generator and PSG by Tatsuyuki Satoh
* YM2413 (OPLL) emulator and smsvdp doc by Charles Mac Donald (http://cgfm2.emuviews.com)
* RAZE Z80 core, by Richard Mitton (richard.mitton@bigfoot.com)

VII) Legal :
=-=-=-=-=-=-

Past-O-Rama is Copyright (C) 2000/2001 Pascal Bosquet / NeoZeed
Sega, Sega SG1000, MasterSystem,Mark3 and GameGear are trademarks of
Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The author is neither affiliated with Sega in any way, nor endorses piracy
of Sega products.    
Windows,Windows9x,Windows NT and DirectX are trademarks of Microsoft corp.
                                                                        
Past-O-Rama is freeware, and you can distribute it freely, so long as it is
not modified, no copyrighted ROMs are packaged with the program, and nothing
is charged for distribution except for the media.

You use this software at your own risk, the author is not responsible for any
loss or damage resulting from the use of this software.
If you do not agree with these terms do not use this software.

