Elkulator v0.6
==============

Elkulator is an Acorn Electron emulator for DOS and Windows.

Changes since last version
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Much improved disc emulation - 2 drives, plus writing and DFS support
- Fixed bug with config saving in Windows
- Fixed crash bug in Windows XP


Features
~~~~~~~~

- Emulates basic 32k Electron
- Emulation of all modes + line-by-line effects
- Tape emulation
- Plus 3 emulation
- ROM cartridges
- Sound through SoundBlaster/WaveOut/DirectSound/PC Speaker
- Blur and Super 2xSaI filters


Requirements (DOS)
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minimum spec :

386+
some RAM (2 megs should do it)
VGA graphics

Recommended spec :

P-120+
some RAM (2 megs should do it)
VESA 2 supporting 400x300
SoundBlaster or compatible


Status
~~~~~~

6502   - Enough to run all games AFAIK.
ULA    - Fairly accurate graphics emulation. Firetrack a little buggy though.
         Also Hewson train sims don't work.
Sound  - Through SoundBlaster/DirectSound and PC Speaker. Plays back samples 
         correctly.
Tape   - Works with UEF and HQ-UEF files. Loading is accelerated (nothing that
         can break compatibility though). Read only.
Plus 3 - Two drives, ADFS + DFS, Read/Write


Menu
~~~~

Press F11 to bring up the menu.

The menu options are:

File -
    Return        - return to emulator.
    Reset         - hard-resets the Electron
    Load snapshot - loads a snapshot file
    Save snapshot - saves a snapshot file
    Exit          - exit to DOS/Windoze/OS2/Linux/Desqview/whatever.
Disc -
    Plus 3 enable - toggles Plus 3 emulation.
    ADFS enable   - toggles the presence of the ADFS ROM
    DFS enable    - toggles the presence of the DFS ROM
    Load disc 0/2 - loads a new disc into drives 0/2.
    Load disc 1/3 - loads a new disc into drives 1/3.
Tape -
    Load tape   - loads a new UEF tape image file.
    Rewind tape - rewinds tape to beginning.
    Fast load   - toggles fast loading on/off
Video -
    Resolution  - select between 400x300, 800x600, 800x600 with scanlines, and 
		  800x600 with 2xSaI. The former should be fastest, but may not 
	          display on all machines. The last is by far the slowest, but 
		  should be usable on any <3 year old machine (not mine then).
    Fullscreen  - toggles between windowed and fullscreen
    Blur filter - toggles the blur filter on and off. Doesn't do anything when
                  2xSaI is enabled.
    Monochrome  - toggles between colour and monochrome display.
    Save screenshot - saves screenshot in .BMP format only at the moment
Sound -
    Sound enable - toggles sound on and off.
    PC speaker   - toggles PC speaker sound on and off (DOS only)


FAQ
~~~

Q : How do I run a game?
A : Load the UEF file through the tape menu. Then, at the > prompt, type
    CHAIN"" (for most games. A few will need *RUN).

Q : Why doesn't Elkulator look right on my monitor in 400x300?
A : Not all monitors support this mode correctly. If it is off center, try
    playing with the positioning controls.

Q : Why have I got no sound?
A : Elkulator should work with 100% SoundBlaster compatibles, ESS Audiodrive,
    Ensoniq Soundscape and Windoze $ound System. It will not work with cards
    not in that list (such as Creative's newer SoundBlasters, which aren't
    really compatible, or sadly the GUS), it will not work with non-100%
    compatibles with crappy drivers (such as the ones found in laptops) and it
    will not work if you have a bad BLASTER enviroment label.
    In Windows, Elkulator should work fine as long as the correct drivers are
    installed.

Q : Why is the 2xSaI filter so slow?
A : The code itself isn't terribly fast to start with, but due to my lazyness,
    the screen rendering code is still in 8-bit, so Elkulator has to perform
    an 8-bit to 16-bit conversion every frame.


Compatibility list
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Games that work :

4th Dimension    E-Type

A & F            Chuckie Egg

Aardvark         Frak
Aardvark         Zalaga

Acornsoft        Arcadians
Acornsoft        Crazy Tracer
Acornsoft        Elite             (HQ-UEF)
Acornsoft        Hopper            (+ cartridge version)
Acornsoft        Magic Mushrooms
Acornsoft        Maze
Acornsoft        Meteors
Acornsoft        Monsters
Acornsoft        Planetoid
Acornsoft        Snapper           (+ cartridge version)
Acornsoft        Starship Command  (HQ-UEF + cartridge version)

Addictive        Boffin 2
Addictive        Drain Mania

Audiogenic       Last of The Free
Audiogenic       Omega Orb
Audiogenic       Psycastria
Audiogenic       Sphere of Destiny

Bug Byte         Dunjunz
Bug Byte         Jack Attack

Durrell          Mineshaft         (HQ-UEF)

Firebird         Star Drifter      (HQ-UEF)

Icon Software    Bug Eyes
Icon Software    Caveman Capers
Icon Software    Drain Mania

Lothlorien       Battlezone 2000   (HQ-UEF)

Melbourne House  Gyroscope

Micro Power      Adventure         (HQ-UEF)
Micro Power      Bumble Bee
Micro Power      Electron Invaders
Micro Power      Gauntlet
Micro Power      Ghouls
Micro Power      Imogen
Micro Power      Killer Gorilla

Players          Joe Blade

Postern          Pengwyn           (HQ-UEF)

Software Inv     Chip Buster       (HQ-UEF)
Software Inv     Stairway To Hell  (HQ-UEF)

Superior         Ballistix
Superior         Bonecruncher      (HQ-UEF)
Superior         Citadel
Superior         Crazee Rider
Superior         Death Star
Superior         Exile
Superior         Galaforce
Superior         Galaforce 2
Superior         Last Ninja
Superior         Mr. Wiz
Superior         Overdrive
Superior         Quest
Superior         Ravenskull
Superior         Repton
Superior         Repton 2
Superior         Repton 3
Superior         Stryker's Run
Superior         Thrust

Tynesoft         Commonwealth Games
Tynesoft         Jet Set Willy
Tynesoft         Jet Set Willy 2
Tynesoft         Saigon
Tynesoft         Spy Vs Spy        (HQ-UEF)

US Gold          Impossible Mission

Visions          Dare Devil Dennis (HQ-UEF)


Games that have problems :

Hewson        Southern Belle (black screen)

Superior      Firetrack      (junk gfx in blanking area sometimes, score jumpy)


Other stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~

There is only one other Electron emulator - Electrem, by Thomas Harte. It's
very accurate, and runs almost all (if not all) Electron games (although it is
a bit slower than Elkulator). Get it at http://electrem.acornelectron.co.uk

The Elkulator site is at http://elkulator.acornelectron.co.uk (thanks to Dave 
Moore for arranging this).
My main site is http://tommmowalker.cjb.net. It has details about every
emulator I've written (way too many).


Tom Walker

elkulator@acornelectron.co.uk
