Emulation: look from the inside

First, let me ask you one question: you generally know what a computer is? No, this is far from a joke, it is a tie of a big and serious conversation. Talking about computers and games created for them, about games and computers created for them. So please answer … So, say, you know? Accordingly, and the experience of communication with these computational devices you have. And now, so to speak, a key phrase: why did personal computing machines be created? That’s right, to simplify human labor, that is, for work. And believe me, when in the middle of the 20th century scientists managed to gather something that was hardly reminiscent of the current Pentium, Macintosh, none of them even suggested that after some twenty years people would use the computing power of this creation not to calculate the flight path of the ballistic missile, but to create all kinds of fantastic worlds. And certainly, not one of the fathers of computers, even in the very nightmare of the very nightmare, could have imagined that in the early eighties there would appear computers created exclusively for games.

But what to do, you can’t say against the laws of marketing – demand gives birth to a proposal. And so, in the late seventies, the first computers appeared, intended exclusively for the entertainment of a person. This industry of the computer industry is called Video Gaming. Over the twenty years of their existence, video games have experienced both stunning bursts of popularity and dizzying failures. Moreover, this branch of computer technology was completely dissociated from its ancestor – a computer, chose its own development path and almost eradicated computer games themselves. However, this did not happen. Did not happen for many reasons. And the main among them is the ability of comparates to improve. Game platforms have a short life – a maximum of 8 years, and this is an absolute record. As soon as the prefix is ​​obsolete, it is being removed from production, the developer recalls patents from the manufacturers of games, and the machine begins to slowly plunge into the non-existence of oblivion. Already now it is almost impossible to find cartridges for Lynx or compact disk for Sega-CD, and in ten years they will all forget in the same way that there were once such masterpieces as Final Fantasy and Lunar.

On PC everything is different, since the modernization and improvement of iron occurs gradually, and compatibility is observed with all previous models. Even now you can turn off the processor cache, run 15 copies of Quake, download the Windows 95 on the most and start on Digger’s dying car. And not only run, but also go through two or three levels, shake the antiquity.

But this is not about this. This material tells about the milestones of the development of game platforms, about the most significant events of the era of the 16-bit Gaming’a. So that those who remembered those who do not play, so that the jaws from the skeptics are not forgotten and tears of tenderness in the eyes. After all, despite all its shortcomings, PC has one undeniable advantages – multifunctionality. He does not have a clearly formulated duty, and therefore he can do everything. PC can even replace the failed console, or play the role of a large arcade machine. And although you will not peer into the vague picture of an old TV, but in a clear image issued by a video monster, but there will be your favorite characters of your past on the screen. Because now the conversation will go about the phenomenon that uninitiated people consider it a miracle, fans call for grace, and I will use the scientific term “emulation”.

Creation: Video games – unconscious descendants of Pinbole

Before I move on to the main topic of the article (and, in fact, I will give it a suitable definition), it is necessary to make a short excursion into the history of the video game, since in this narrative there will be many links to all kinds of game platforms, and the reader will not interfere, even if in brief, to get acquainted with the history of their development.

The date of birth of a personal computer is considered the moment of the appearance of the first processor of the Intel X86 family (Macintosh and everything else appeared later). But video games lead their pedigree from the gaming … pinbox apparatus. Remember, the same, with two buttons, control bits and a ball, which with these bit should be driven around the field, earning glasses. The first devices appeared in the mid-70s and firmly occupied their dusty corner in all kinds of cafes and eatery. It was then that the term Arcade Video Gaming was born, and the first “Arcade”, in the representation of the players of that time, was Pinbol.

Progress does not stand still. And now, in the late seventies, the first slot machines appear that use a certain computing device-not a processor yet (so, two or three microcircuits, such as a multivibrator), but already something is already something. Such cars were not particularly popular, but it was they who served as a supporting step for the next leap in development. And this day has come. In 1980, the small company Atari Corporation launched one of the first slot machines, with a processor that processed a software code. Game program code. The first game, which has gained frenzied popularity, underwent a record number of reprints, which was the ancestor of the new genre, was named Galaxian. Arcade space shooter, where the player controlled a small boat, shooting hordes of aliens. Where the animation of springs was absent as a class, and the starship was moving only to the right and to the left, but the levels were distinguished only by the number of monsters. To top it off the picture – a monochrome green screen and a two -channel sound. And the game itself occupied 4 kilobytes. But the people played. He played bored. People crowded around the machine guns, gambling jerking a naughty joystick, and almost cried when an alien invader dragged the last boat. Galaxian marked the beginning of a new era – the era of video games.

And it rushed. Slot machines moved in all places of the crowd of people. Teenagers seated quarters in cinemas, played on school changes, crowded at the coveted screen, simultaneously absorbing hamburgers in the eatery. And the uncles mature, observing the excitement of youth, made appropriate conclusions about how and where you can quickly earn money. Soon, video authorities from other companies got up to appear. The library of games grew by day, but by the hour. Such masterpieces such as Gauntlet (everyone who saw this machine, just fainted after the outgoing video, with a real digitized speech), Gyruss, Ghost & Ghouls came out. Arcade gaming rooms appeared and began to rapidly gain momentum, which became the place of parties of progressive gamers. The market grew up and developed.

It is worth making a small remark here. 1980 was still alarmed by the appearance of the first model of the personal computer Sinclair. And although it is in no way attributed to purely gaming platforms (after all, it was created for work), but also forget about the huge library of games, 90% of which were written by ordinary users, also do not cost. And, undoubtedly, it should be noted the fact that Sinclair was the first truly home computer. Before that, you could only enjoy games only in the halls of arcade machines.

Golden Age: every player on a video setting!

The rapid development of the video game industry continued until 1984. To be more accurate – before the appearance of Nintendo console on the American market. In those times, Nintendo has not yet received a skeptical nickname (which expressed all the contempt of small offices for this giant industry, which establishes laws in all areas in which it had an interest) “Big N”, but was only a middle Japanese firm that released an 8-bit game console in 1982-FAMICOM (which is in MOMEMinaccurate translation from Japanese Sounds like a “home computer”). Nothing extraordinary, with the exception of the very fact of the appearance of a purely gaming computer, did not happen. But the correct marketing policy and persistent advertising made an incredible one – by the time of entry into the US market, Famicom (also known as Nintendo Entertainment System) gained frenzied popularity in the Land of the Rising Sun, and by 1985 I fought on the spot and Yankee. The opportunity to play your favorite games, sitting in your favorite chair in front of the TV, in their favorite slippers … In general, the dignity of NES were obvious. Add here the largest library of games in the history of the existence of the prefixes and … hmm … I think you will immediately understand that the happy owners of Famicom have come to a fair conclusion: why go to gaming rooms if there is their own arcade device at home. This fact was not slow to affect the well -being of these very gaming halls. After all, those distant times most arcade machines were 8-bit, playing the prefix from Nintendo in all respects. Something urgently needed to be undertaken. And there was a transition to a new qualitative level-the era of 16-bit arcade video games began. Of the most interesting specimens of the mid-80s, it is worth noting the Sega System 16, with the famous Golden Ax platform arcade, and Robocop from Irem Corpotion. It is also necessary to mention the appearance of the Motorola M68000 processor, which, thanks to its cheapness, has become the heart of almost all 16-bit machines of that time.

The transition to a 16-bit architecture made it possible to make a qualitative leap in the field of graphic and sound special effects, return the main contingent of gamers to the arcade halls and recover from the blow from Nintendo. Although many devices of that time had a very limited architecture (that is, by buying Hardware, the owner could launch two or three games on it), the qualitative level and Playability of the games of that time were extremely high. That is why the mid-80s is considered a golden era of video game industry.

Silver Age: Sonic vs. Videoslots Casino Mario

In the yard was 1989. The free time of the players divided Nintendo at home and Taito-1 in arcade halls. Such masterpieces as Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda and Mario Brothers have already been published, and it seemed that now nothing could shift “Big N” from the position of leader. However, attempts were still. In this noble business, the SEGA corporation was noted by releasing the 8-bit SEGA Master System and its pocket version of Sega Game Gear to the public. And although the NES was somewhat superior in terms of technical specifications, the poor marketing policy of the Sega and the lack of support from the game developers did not allow this prefix to take at least any decent place in the sun.

So, 1989, everything is calm in Baghdad. Calmly until the Sega announces its new development – Genesis (known outside Japan under the Megadrive brand). Teached by bitter experience, the developers realized that in order to attack the giant, the video market needs to take a really big step forward. And Sega made it-Genesis became the first 16-bit bailiff in the world. Immediately after its release, the developers announced several gaming projects under the miracle of the late 80s. But SEGA wanted to create a game that everyone had to have and was associated with their brainchild, like, sorry for comparison, coolness with ice cream. And then they came up with Sonic’a – a hedgehog running faster than a bullet and fighting against the evil Doctor Robotnik. A giant advertising campaign began, where Sega compared its Genesis C Nes, and, of course, the comparison was not in favor of the latter. But, despite all the advantages of Megadrive, Nes had a strong trump card – a huge library of games in all genres. Only because of this, Nintendo could afford to “not scratch” until 1991.

In 1991, Genesis slowly began to squeeze Nes with her outdated architecture. And then “Big N” took up (together with Sony) the development of her own 16-bit console, which appeared on the American market in the early 90s. In order to maintain the continuity of the brand, Nintendo did not suffer about the inventing of a beautiful name, but used the Super prefix. Super Famicom after half a year, thanks to its strong hardware and support from developers, almost completely replaced Megadrive in Japan, leaving the Sega only a small part of the European market. And it is not at all surprising that the snes symbol chose the good old Mario-the hero of the first 8-bit arcades. At the end of 1994, Snes firmly established herself in the classroom in the class of 16-bit consoles, once again proving: the best marketers work in N. The 90s arcade video business still remembered the collapse associated with the coming of NES, and prepared to repel attacks of 16-bit in advance. There were devices such as Neo-GEO, CPS-1 and CPS-2, MIDWAY FRCADE BOOARD and NAMCO-1. The developers have learned one truth for themselves: so that slot machines make a profit, they should always ahead of home video setups one step. As a result, the following scheme appeared: at first the game came out on the apparatus, where for six months they squeezed the maximum monetary benefit from it, after which it was reprinted for home consoles. And this state of affairs lasted until the first 32-bit platform appeared-3DO.

The era of sunset: more, more, more.

In 1993-94, the provision in the video processing market more or less stabilized. There was a leader-Snes, there was a competitor-Genesis, there were outsiders-Neo-GEO and PC-ENGINE. The people admired Mortal Kombat in the gaming halls, was bored with the third Final Fantasy, praising the developers from Square Soft, and took with them on the road Game Boy, Game Gear or Lynx. To shake this sleepy kingdom, something was truly powerful – for example, a jump to the level of arcade devices. And according to the laws of marketing, if a free niche is created on the market, then someone occupies it immediately. This time, this time was the 3DO company, which developed specifications for the production of the first 32-bit console-3DO. The most interesting thing is that the developers themselves did not collect consoles, but instead sold licenses for their production to firms such as Panasonic and Goldstar. In terms of technical characteristics, by the time of its release, 3DO left far behind all existing prefixes, with the exception of Neo-GEO (I still do not stop admiring the graphic chipset of this platform). The use of CDs gave impetus to the emergence of a new genre-interactive video. 32-bit RISC processor allowed the first time to work seriously with 3D graphics. Only now the new games were not so hot.

The “bad” example is contagious. After a serious conflict and the gap of Nintendo followed by Nintendo, the Sony Corporation has seriously processed the SNES32 project and released its 32-bit PlayStation console. Most consider PSX the most successful platform in their class. And not surprising-after all, support for PS by all famous developers something means. Over the four years of the existence of PSX, she acquired a huge collection of games. Moreover, even now, real masterpieces continue to appear at PlayStation, which were not heard on PC and heard. In addition, the cheapness (at that time: D) the prefixes (and the games too) contributed to its distribution in Russia, and to such an extent that it is possible to say with confidence: PSX has become a folk console here :).

Since the appearance of the first 32-bit SEGA set-top box, having lost faith in its Genesis and throwing it to the mercy of fate, urgently began to rivet “Our response to Simber-Lena”-the video setup Saturn. And so in a hurry that she even managed to jump to the market exactly to the appearance of PSX. And although Saturn was stuffed with processors, like a Christmas tree with candles, it did not save him. SEGA -Slave support from the game offices -lowered Saturn in second place, forcing him to weave on the heels of the PSX and collect the capacity of the favorite. Nevertheless, almost the best RPG, including the re -release of the unforgettable Lunar: The Eternal Blue, were published for Saturn’a. But several good games have not saved anyone from poor marketing policy.

The only large office, not marked on the market of 32-bit consoles, was, surprisingly, “Big N”. Some explain this fact by its extreme slowness, others – by the hope of “maybe”, they say, “our SNES will give everyone”. Nevertheless, Nintendo has become one of the first to engage in the development of a 64-bit console. And although Jaguar from Atari Sogr. He appeared a little earlier (and, frankly, like all the first pancakes, he went out lumpy), Nintendo64 (in Japan Ultra64), until recently was considered the most powerful game platform.

Well, it’s time to finish our “small” excursion – after all, oddly enough, the era of video games almost ends on Ultra64 ..

«How so?!” – you exclaim,“ But what about Dreamcast? A PlayStation 2?». I have to upset you: with the advent of the Sega DC console, more and more in architecture and hardware filling are approaching PC. For example, the operating system for DC was written by the notorious Microsoft, and the 3D chipset was developed by NEC. The emergence of accessories such as a modem with the possibility of entering a special network suggests that the prefixes have become more and more multifunctional. And the games have not been the same lately. In pursuit of Grafon, developers trampled a thing like Game-Play. And for game platforms, this is the most important ..

Emulation – the embodiment of nostalgia

The first impression is the most persistent. A person will always remember that first game he saw in his youth. The game with which his gaming path began. Developers can create new games for a long time, embody the latest graphic achievements, with the most I do not want a plot and excellent sound design, but a person will compare all these unlimited landfills in the soul with 4 color graphics of his pet and come to the conclusion that the same game is still better. And no masterpieces of composer thought will lead from his head a few notes of that unpretentious melody, sometimes very annoying, but always so close and native. Nostalgia is a great thing. And in the case of emulation, we can say: nostalgia is a progress engine.

Say, a simple person who grew up on the first Mario, who knew all the charms of the RPG genre, having passed Final Fantasy, is perfectly studying all the charms of programming on assembler. And now, years later, he drinks beer together with a friend and recalls what good games used to be. A friend by chance drops: “It would not be a hilo to play Nes’v games on a computer”. And the programmer shakes on the mustache. The next day, he comes to work, climbs on the network and seeks information about his favorite console. There is little information, catastrophically little, but the craving for an unknown one prevails, and our hero begins to tear off an hour or two per day to solve the problem of transferring games from the prefix to the X8B platform. Everything that he knows about this very platform is the processor brand and its discharge. The rest is hidden by a secret and plastic case. The latter urgently flies into a pile of rubbish, and now the best Debugger is already involved, in a flare called a screwdriver. The idea requires sacrifice, after five minutes the most expensive thing, Nintendo, carefully stinging from an early age, dismantled for small pieces. Some of them are equipped with all kinds of identification inscriptions, others are incomprehensible pieces of metal with several legs. And then the most interesting begins. If, by marking M6502, you can find out that we have a private example of one of the 8-bit Motorola processors, get into the network and find a description of his commands, then what to do, say, with a graphic chip? Specifications are unknown, the amount of memory is unknown … nothing is known at all. And the programmer has to solve the method of scientific poke an equation with several unknown.

Most likely, the sequence of his reasoning looks as follows: “Text. If this figurine is a processor, then this figurine can be a graphic chip. And it can also process the audio signal … So, if we assume that it is nevertheless related to graphics, then by measuring the voltage at these two contacts at the time of inclusion of the prefix, we will notice the moment when the CPU will initialize PPU (Picture Processing Unit). And what will it give us. »

Such a process, comparable in complexity and probability of success with fortune -telling by stars, is called Reverse Engineering. It is based on the fact that if a certain device is designated as a “black box” in the diagram, and the input and output signals are known, then we can assume which transformations occur in the desired microcircuit. Briefly speaking! All this is difficult, wildly difficult. And to everyone who set out to make some console to become a pioneer in this ungrateful business, had to learn about the contents of his prefix, using the above method, since all technologies were patented and classified.

The first emulators appeared at the end of 1993. At the same time, I do not take into account the emulators of Sinclair’a, since the programs are spectrum-> PC interpreters in the late 80s. So, the first of the samulated prefixes was, oddly enough, Gameboy. At that time, the Warez scene of the video game was just violently blossomed. Couriers poured the latest Rom’s according to BBS.: Read Only Memory – DUMP cartridge, made with a copywriter), and the user, of course, downloaded and played for pleasure. Then the emulation was young, pink and fluffy, and absolutely no one was interested (except for a handful of fans). All amicably admired the stunning successes of VGB, who managed to download the software ROM and even show the outgoing picture! An unprecedented achievement, is it not true?

Time passed, the speed of PC grew. Old game platforms were dying, the release of games for NES and SMS stopped. And at some point everyone realized that the good old Mario, the best friend of childhood, irrevocably goes into the past. And you can’t return the past, but you really want. And at the end of 1996 the second round of emulating began. By that time, at least some working versions of emulators for Nes, Gameboy and RS-ENGINE had already appeared. The formation of a party of fans began, which could sit at IRC at night: Discussing the advantages of MMSZ in comparison with MMS2, and rejoiced at any, even the most insignificant improvement of the code of their favorite program. These people seduced in emulation not the opportunity to play games without wasting on expensive cartridges, but the opportunity to return for themselves a joyful moment of acquaintance with Pacmanom’s, with Sonic’om. These were real, to the core, adherents of the idea. These were the old people ..

The first violent surge in the history of emulation is considered to be April 1997. It was then that Bloodlust Software (from games, offhand that Time T Slaughter was remembered in the gaming market), the NESSTICE emulator, written by a very talented programmer known on the network of Sardu, has released a Nesticle emulator. Before the NOLI, the Nesticle phenomenon existed only two other NES emulators – Ines (written by our Coll domesticity who left for the States), whose dignity was compatibility with 70% of all existing games, and heft the price of $ 35 for a raw to an unfinished product, and Pasofami – a Japanese program, terribly glitching, using an unconventionalROM’s format, but absolutely freeware. The creation of Bloodlust appeared like snow on the head, and for the fans it was semolina. Unusually high emulation rate (all the code is an ASM), support for sound special effects and high compatibility, plus an intuitive interface. It would seem that it could be better?

But the appearance of Nesticle fundamentally changed the face of the stage. If earlier there were only true fans who, by heart, knew the brand of the Snes sound accompaniment and could list all 256 Oppodes 65s502 at two hours, now the first ordinary users began to appear. Who, of course, liked to play NES Games, but they would never buy a prefix. The moral level of the scene began to slowly crawl down.

1997 was stormy for emulation. Almost 100% emulators Genesis and PC-ENGINE appeared, it was possible to make a sound chip to make a sound chip, and no one laughed, clutching at the stomach, with the phrase “PSX emulation”. This is about good events. Now about the bad: in 1997, the opinion of all game offices producing video games, about emulation, has radically changed. If before, no one just noticed her, now for most it has become associated with the word “Warez”. Warez’niki themselves, more precisely, those who wanted to show themselves cool Warez Dude played a notant role here. There are many pages where a person promised a giant Leach on a fast FTP site if he goes to a couple of porn pages. And then those in power thought: Roms = Warez. Duc, why are we sitting idle. In 1997, many game sites that belonged to true fans of the idea of ​​emulation died. Their pages were trampled in the war between games manufacturers and those who illegally distributed these games. And the parish of 1998 further enhanced confrontation between manufacturers and consumers. And no one was worried about the idea of ​​returning forgotten games, everyone shouted: “We are losing money!». Because of what? No, tell me, who will now buy a platform of 15 years ago? And where is this someone will find her? In an antique store?

On the other hand, the emulation of PSX and Nintendo 64 is already too much. But the true fans are played in SNES’s RPG’Ki, and they have their old kind Snes at home at home. Well, the prefix has broken, and that, because of this, you need to look for a new? And where you will find it, in the 99th year? Of course, the lawyers are hiding behind a stupid formulation that, they say, suddenly, about 50 years old, Microsoft’s corporation wants to reprint, say, Galaxian. And because of some Freeware emulator, no one will buy this Galaxian. Now think about who will look at the 4th color schedule after fifty years and enjoy it? Be that as it may, one thing is known: nothing is known here. Emulation – the gray area of ​​the law.

But let’s not talk about sad. It’s time to tell about the main emulators for the most famous platforms, and indeed, to give, in the end, the definition of emulation. So, as it were easier to put it: an emulator -program that is engaged in the conversion of codes of one platform into codes that are understandable to another. That is, when you launch, say, SNES9X, the program reads the commands of the M65S502 processor and converts them into the code that is understandable to the Intel processor. It seems to be nothing complicated. But it only seems so at first glance.

In fact, when writing an emulator, the author is faced with many difficulties, such as the ignorance of the subject of emulation (the algorithm of “black: box”), the processing of commands for which there is no analogue (say, the SEGA graphic chipset works with tiles 16×16 pixels, and the video card is incapable of this), the synchronization of all processes (SNES uses up to four differentchips, and the same: Saturn’a – 7 processors) and, finally, optimization of the final code. Wild optimization – the emulator NES, written on C.The second Pentium will be required. Why P133 operates at a frequency of 133MHz, M68000 operates at a frequency of 7.5 mhz, and the emulator still slows down? In fact, in 90% of cases, the team of the emulated processor has to replace 3-4 teams of the worker. Hence the large amount of calculations.

Loaded? I hope not very much: 3 of the necessary minimum of knowledge I set out, now it’s only for you. And, I hope, no matter how avid RShnik you are, learning about the emulation and familiarizing yourself with the classics of games for NES, SNES, GENESIS and Neo-GEO, you will never shout (contemptuously lowering the finger of the big hand down): “The prefixes are complete complete!». After all, nothing insults as groundless criticism.

P.WITH. I deliberately do not affect the topic of emulation of 32-bit consoles. And if you respected video games, you definitely should buy a prefix. The main goal of this article is to tell about the possibility of returning to the screen of the computer of the game of your youth. And nothing. There can be no question of any instructions for violation of copyright.