Emulation central - recommendations in 1st post

[KeighnMcDeath]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttt???????

 

[Just Locus]

Installed Morrowind (base) on Xemu. Runs like a dream. Pleasantly surprised with how well it plays on console.

 

[Puukko]

Does it accurately emulate the console being rebooted while loading?

 

[Just Locus]

I'm still bewildered by the fact that Bethesda fixed the issue with the Brotherhood Assassin coming in randomly to kill you on the GOTY edition of Morrowind but never bothered to fix it for the PC version.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Playstation 1 emulator "Duckstation" developer changes project license from GPL to PolyForm​

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/1ffscdp/playstation_1_emulator_duckstation_developer/

 

[Vorark]

Modders and emulator developers never disappoint in the drama department.

 

[Just Locus]

Playstation 1 emulator "Duckstation" developer changes project license from GPL to PolyForm

So DuckStation is no longer open-source but the source code is still viewable. What's the point of having the source code available to the public if it can't be edited?

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Playstation 1 emulator "Duckstation" developer changes project license from GPL to PolyForm

So DuckStation is no longer open-source but the source code is still viewable. What's the point of having the source code available to the public if it can't be edited?

trust that the program will not install crypto miner or the program will not nuke your computer if you are russian (some freeware did this during early Russo-Ukro war)

 

[Hirato]

And he switched it to CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0, a license that is grossly unsuitable for open source works.

A curious comment he put in the commit though, that's got me laughing.

Packaging is still **not** permitted, since it is effectively a
modified/derived work.

I guess he's super butthurt about having unofficial builds floating about and his work being packaged up by Linux distros and the like.
But he's also wrong and retarded, because you're now depending on the government to define "derivative work".
Building the code as intended, or distros making minor patches to fit their packaging system (i.e. to store the resources in /usr/share/) does not a derivative make in this case.
It is what copyright law instead defines as a "change of format".

For example, let's say I have an EBook in epub format that with a CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0 license.
If I was to convert this into a PDF document, make substantial changes to the formatting so it looks nice as a PDF, as well as fix up some spelling issues I spot along the way, and add a credit to myself for doing this format change...
Were I to then release it to the public, I wouldn't be in violation of the license, because I had done here is primarily a change of format, not a derivative nor adaptation.

Likewise, compiling code into an executable is the same; a change of format.
Packaging that up, is again just a change of format.

When I release my work under a CC license in one format (e.g., .pdf), can I restrict licensees from changing it to or using it in other formats?​

No. CC licenses grant permission to use the licensed material in any media or format regardless of the format in which it has been made available. This is true even if you have applied a NoDerivatives license to your work. Once a CC license is applied to a work in one format or medium, a licensee may use the same work in any other format or medium without violating the licensor’s copyright.

Can I take a CC-licensed work and use it in a different format?​

Yes. When any of the six CC licenses is applied to material, licensees are granted permission to use the material as the license allows, whatever the media or format chosen by the user when it is used or distributed further. This is true even in our NoDerivatives licenses. This is one of a very few default rules established in our licenses, to harmonize what may be different outcomes depending on where CC-licensed material is reused and what jurisdiction’s copyright law applies.

This means, for example, that even if a creator distributes a work in digital format, you have permission to print and share a hard copy of the same work.

How do I know if a low-resolution photo and a high-resolution photo are the same work?​

As with most copyright questions, it will depend on applicable law. Generally, to be different works under copyright law, there must be expressive or original choices made that make one work a separate and distinct work from another. The determination depends on the standards for copyright in the relevant jurisdiction.

Under U.S. copyright law, for example, mechanical reproduction of a work into a different format is unlikely to create a separate, new work. Consequently, digitally enhancing or changing the format of a work absent some originality, such as expressive choices made in the enhancement or encoding, will not likely create a separate work for copyright purposes. The creative bar is low, but it is not non-existent. Accordingly, in some jurisdictions releasing a photograph under a CC license will give the public permission to reuse the photograph in a different resolution.

EDIT: Just to emphasize how stupid the ND clause is for code and projects like this...
You're still allowed to fork the repo, but you're going to be extremely limited in what you can do in that repo beyond trivial fixes.
Even if your goal is ultimately to upstream your changes or the communal good, the licence prohibits you from authoring those in the first place; even sending a merge request is in violation.
The only way around this is to beg stenzek and everyone else that qualifies as a copyright holder for permission to do this before you delve in.

I genuinely have no idea if he's even asked those others if they're okay with their work being re-licensed, so they could conceivably cause him massive headaches if he did this on a whim and they're feeling petty and vindictive about it.
This is a big a reason the large companies make you sign a "Contributor License Agreement" to reassign copyright of your contributions to them; it's precisely to avoid headaches like this when relicensing, and so there's only one source to ask for an exception, and not 114 people as is the case here.

 

[gooseman]

trust that the program will not install crypto miner or the program will not nuke your computer if you are russian (some freeware did this during early Russo-Ukro war)

It was a popular NPM package (of course a javascript retard did this). Naturally, being a feeble-minded faggot, he simply targeted Belarusian and Russian IPs... in a world where anyone could have a server in those countries. There was definitely collateral damage. I remember claims that some human rights org or dissidents got hit by it too, though, can't confirm this. He also cheated on his wife with a tranny.
This is more of a problem with NPM being retarded by design, where you have projects made up of a billion tiny faggages that no one is going to check every time they update, even if they are all open source, as this was, so any of them could be altered to load in malware. It's a supply chain attack. And then there are also permissions, which could prevent or limit the data wipe it attempted. This is why they always say "Don't run shit as sudo".

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Playstation 1 emulator "Duckstation" developer changes project license from GPL to PolyForm

So DuckStation is no longer open-source but the source code is still viewable. What's the point of having the source code available to the public if it can't be edited?

To disincentive people that want to genuinely contribute to the project and share it respecting the proper licence, while incentiving people who don't give a damn and just want to profit by stealing the code.

 

[banana]

IIRC the Retro Arch (or was it the other all-emulator system?) fags would pester him endlessly and autistically about stupid shit, hence why he quit for a while. There was also some drama about either a for-profit mobile build or something on one of those chink handhelds, which didn't push their changes back.

I have no doubt this is due to Apple allowing emulators, and some gay shit regarding jeets, chinks, or spics making a buck off his code.

If I had the extra 3 standard deviations in intelligence needed to make an emulator, I'd dodge the issue by calling it NIggerStation, add the GPLv3+Nigger license, and include it in my NiggerLinux distro (and provide a Windows build).

 

[soutaiseiriron]

IIRC the Retro Arch (or was it the other all-emulator system?) fags would pester him endlessly and autistically about stupid shit

Yes, Stenzek is a sperg and gets very easily upset and he had petty drama with one of the main Libretro devs. He asked Libretro to change the name of the Duckstation core so he didn't get pestered with LR specific issues, which they did. But that was 2 years ago at this point.

There was also some drama about either a for-profit mobile build or something on one of those chink handhelds, which didn't push their changes back.

Chink handhelds do exactly zero emulator development. I assume you're thinking of DamonPS2, which, I think, predated his involvement in PCSX2.

This specific drama was because a company making arcade cabinets (Arcade1UP) modified Duckstation to make it run with a Simpsons arcade game, but it didn't release source for it until they got a lot of shit for that. Stenzek was understandably upset about them profiting from the emulator but without contributing their modifications, which is the basic bare minimum expectation, and which legitimate companies (such as Sony, with the PSX Classic) always comply with.

 

[Hirato]

He's still retarded.

Duckstation was initially GPLv3, so not sharing your changes back is a giant and blatant violation with a tried and tested code license.
Duckstation in libretro is arguably a trademark violation (even if de-facto), so stenzek is perfectly in his right to ask them to not call their derived core "duckstation" or even reference duckstation in anyway.

That is to say he has remedies for both cases without needing to knee-jerk use a license utterly inappropriate for code like CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0.
Which he doesn't have the right to do unless the 114 (I didn't count how many are bots) or so others who have contributed to the codebase have signed off on it (since I doubt he does Community License Agreement stuff like e.g. Ubuntu).

I'm not sure what CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0 will do to the lib retro core though; would glue it to the GPL version if you follow the spirit of the license.
But it's not a code license, so that's kind of up in the air, and for those who understand the legal shit better than me.

And the legalese says stuff like this:

2(a)(4) Media and formats; technical modifications allowed. The Licensor authorizes You to exercise the Licensed Rights in all media and formats whether now known or hereafter created, and to make technical modifications necessary to do so. The Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any right or authority to forbid You from making technical modifications necessary to exercise the Licensed Rights, including technical modifications necessary to circumvent Effective Technological Measures. For purposes of this Public License, simply making modifications authorized by this Section2(a)(4)never produces Adapted Material.

IMO you could argue that libretro are "making technical modifications necessary to exercise the Licensed Rights"

 

[spekkio]

BROS, tested these "N64 recompilations" some fags were babbling about some time ago.

Verdict: interesting.

1) Ocarina of Time - The Ship of Harkinian

Works fine:



Just make sure you switch from Three-Point filtering (borked fonts):



To linear filering:



Main reason to use: 60 FPS without gameplay problems (supposedly):



Other reason to use: plenty of enhancements, tweaks, QoL improvements:



Main page (guides & shit)
GitHub (releases, rom verification, etc.)

2) Majora's Mask - 2 Ship 2 Harkinian

Less advanced than the OoT port, but still nice, with some interesting tweaks:





GitHub (releases, rom verification, etc.)

 

[soutaiseiriron]

those are reverse engineered decompilations, not recompilations. the point of recompilations was to get some/most of the benefits of a decompilation without the years of effort involved in actual reverse engineering, which only the most popular games will ever receive, and fewer ever get finished. then again, that didn't work out because the majora's mask recompilation is the only one i know of.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

What is the most compatible emulator for Iphone? I want to play some old c64 games. I think ACS would work fantastic on the phone.

 

[Ezekiel]

I finally 100% completed Ocarina of Time two years ago, using Ship of Harkinian. When I go back to my game now, it crashes in some areas. Will go back to playing the N64 version emulated in the future. The decompilation adds nothing.

Widescreen basically worthless because the pre-rendered backgrounds and Lens of Truth are in 4:3 and Epona keeps galloping while stationary outside of the original aspect ratio in the ending. The cutscenes were composed for 4:3.

Harkinian uses the Gamecube version, in which the Fire Temple theme was replaced because Muslims were apparently offended.

Emulators have no audio hiccups with Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask anymore. There is no benefit in a decompilation. The Super Mario 64 one was much better in its simplicity.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Ok, I need some apple ios emulation help & opinions. Here are a few:

I bet the free psp one has ads.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

OH FUCK YEAH! I learned to fastload. Change discs etc. I just beed to figure save states. And my disks are NOT corrupted and have all my alts from when I made the disks.

And the sound is just like the sid chip. FUCK YEAH!

 

[Vorark]

shadPS4 keeps improving. The emulator seems to be real light on resources because, as unoptimized as it is, there are videos of people running Bloodborne even on modest hardware. Lots of glitches of course, but it is impressive how far it has come in such short time.

At this pace the game will be fully playable in 2025.

 

[Puukko]

I've seen people hype up the game being playable this year. Must be their first rodeo, because that would be unprecedented progress for a modern emulator. I fully expect it to get stuck in a state where it could be playable sans minor visual issues but with game breaking crashes or hardlocks for at least a year. People forget that it's easy to make progress when starting from scratch.

 

[Taxnomore]

Don't play games on your phone.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

When it is all you have but sticks and rocks and farm/garden equipment the phone becomes a very valid option.

 

[soutaiseiriron]

I prefer a dedicated SBC handheld for emulation, personally. I have a Trimui Smart Pro. Controllers like the Gamesir X2 might be decent (I like my Gamesir Nova Lite, imo a lot better than 8bitdo), but between modern phones having really wide aspect ratios instead of being 16:9, and between bluetooth controllers having bad latency on Android, it's nicer to just have the handheld.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1irg60f9qsZOkhp0cwOU7Cy4rJQeyusEUzTNQzhoTYTU