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2020/06/24
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MEKA 0.80 Thread

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MEKA GitHub releases & changelog

2011/08/21
MEKA 0.80 is in the horizon.. with a new sound engine rewritten from scratch and lots of other improvements!
It is still a bit early to release a stable build, but please check out the Meka 0.80 with new sound engine thread to download the latest build! (latest builds are at the END of the thread). Feedback are welcome!

2011.03.09
Just a quick note to say that the SVN codebase and project have been updated today to support Visual Studio 2008 Express. Various thing in the build pipeline have been fixed so hopefully it should be a tad easier to build MEKA from scratch (not great yet! but we're improving). You can use the 'allegro-msvc9-4.2.3' binary package to compile it. Happy hacking!

2010.05.30
Hello! Unexpected? A new version of MEKA is up today :)
Below are listed new WIP change for today's build. The final MEKA 0.73 include those and the changes from WIP 20080619.
The main changes are support of mappers for new Korean games which dump will be released shortly. I also fixed various bugs.
And as usual spent huge time working on the general database associated to the SMS Power! project (hence the unberaable list below of corrected names). Now that the new website is up, it is expected that the website slowly becomes the source references for regional and variations releases and naming.
 MEKA 0.73 WIP 20100530
 ----------------------
  - Updated MEKA license, data are now licensed under the same term as sources.
    The license is now unrestrictive BSD-like. [Omar]
  - Removed "k" and associated donation rambling from the documentation.
    Donations are still welcome, at your own discretion.
  - Emulation:
    - Added support for "no bank switching" mapper. Used by Korean games such 
      as "FA Tetris" and "Flash Point" which write to $fffe-$ffff range for 
      its RAM usage but do not expect bank-switching. [Omar]
    - Added support for Korean 8KB banks mapper. Used by Korean games ported
      from MSX such as "Penguin Adventure", "Street Master" or "Won-Si-In". [Omar]
  - GUI:
    - Fixed Light Phaser and Terebi Oekaki cursor shape when switching from
      32-bits GUI mode to 16-bits game only mode. [Omar]
    - File browser: fixed positionning of BAD and HACK icons, which aren't
      overlays anymore. [Omar]
    - Added Canadian flag (for DB and File Browser). [Omar]
    - Fixed crash when empty gradient range are specified in theme file. [Omar]
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists. [Omar]
    Some particular renaming includes:
          SMS - b3768a7a - Bonkers Wax Up! (BR)                 --> Bonkers Wax Up! (Disney's) (BR)
          SMS - 1b10a951 - Bram Stoker's Dracula                --> Dracula (Bram Stoker's)
          SMS - c0e25d62 - California Games II                  --> California Games II [50 Hz]
          SMS - 46340c41 - Cheese Cat-astrophe                  --> Cheese Cat-Astrophe - Starring Speedy Gonzales
          SMS - 89b79e77 - Dodgeball King (KR)                  --> Dallyeora Pigu-Wang (KR)
          SMS - b8b141f9 - Fantasy Zone II                      --> Fantasy Zone II - The Tears of Opa-Opa
          SMS - c722fb42 - Fantasy Zone II (JP)                 --> Fantasy Zone II - Opa-Opa no Namida (JP)
          SMS - 45c50294 - Jogos de Verão II                    --> California Games II [50-60 Hz] (also found in Korea).
          SMS - 5b5f9106 - Nekyuu Kousien (JP)                  --> Nekkyuu Koushien (JP)
          SMS - 0e333b6e - Miracle Warriors - Seal of the Dar.. --> Miracle Warriors - Seal of The Dark Lord (casing on 'The')
          SMS - be57a9a5 - Pacmania                             --> Pac-Mania (the other way, sorry! It seems like the official name of the game)
          SMS - 294e0759 - Paperboy                             --> Paperboy [v0] (scoring bug)
          SMS - 327a0b4c - Paperboy (US)                        --> Paperboy [v1] (also found in Brasil)
          SMS - 97d03541 - Sangokushi 3 (KR)                    --> Samgukji III (KR), Japanese Name "Sangokushi III".
          SMS - e1fff1bb - Shinobi (JP)                         --> Shinobi [v0] (also found in Brasil in Game Box Serie Lutas compilation)
          SMS - 0c6fac4e - Shinobi                              --> Shinobi [v1]
          SMS - c93bd0e9 - Slap Shot [B]                        --> Slap Shot [v0]
          SMS - d33b296a - Slap Shot [A]                        --> Slap Shot [v1]
          SMS - 702c3e98 - Slap Shot (US)                       --> Slap Shot [v2] (US)
          SMS - 93ca8152 - T2 - The Arcade Game                 --> T2: The Arcade Game
          SMS - 11ce074c - Taz in Escape From Mars              --> Taz in Escape from Mars
          SMS - ac56104f - Terminator 2 - Judgment Day          --> Terminator 2: Judgment Day
          SMS - bf7b7285 - Tom and Jerry - The Movie            --> Tom and Jerry: The Movie
          SMS - 0c2fc2de - Tom and Jerry - The Movie [Proto]    --> Tom and Jerry: The Movie [Proto]
          SMS - 20f40cae - Vampire                              --> Master of Darkness / Vampire [Proto]
          GG  - f85a8ce8 - 5 in 1 Fun Pak                       --> 5-in-1 FunPak
          GG  - 8d8bfdc4 - Baku Baku Animal (US)                --> Baku Baku (US)
          GG  - 10ac9374 - Baku Baku Animal (EU)                --> Baku Baku (EU)
          GG  - a6bf865e - Beavis and Butt-head                 --> Beavis and Butt-head (MTV's)
          GG  - 325b1797 - Berlin no Kabe - The Berlin Wall (JP)--> Berlin no Kabe - The BerlinWall (JP) (clearly spelled without space)
          GG  - bfceba5f - Bonkers Wax Up!                      --> Bonkers Wax Up! (Disney's)
          GG  - 69ebe5fa - Bram Stoker's Dracula                --> Dracula (Bram Stoker's)
          GG  - 2c758fc8 - Cool Spot                            --> Cool Spot (US)
          GG  - 03d28eab - Crayon Shin Chan - Taiketsu! T.. (JP)--> Crayon Shin-chan - Taiketsu! Tankam Panic!!
          GG  - 4457e7c0 - Donald Duck no Yottsu no Himitsu (JP)--> Donald Duck no Yottsu no Hihou (JP)
          GG  - 19e1cf2b - Dragon Crystal - Tsurani no M.. (JP) --> Dragon Crystal - Tsurani no Meikyuu (JP)
          GG  - 152f0dcc - Drop Zone                            --> Dropzone (Archer MacLean's)
          GG  - 5d3f23a9 - Earthworm Jim                        --> Earthworm Jim (US)
          GG  - 2b60873e - Ecco the Dolphin                     --> Ecco the Dolphin [BAD]
          GG  - d0a93e00 - F1                                   --> Formula One / F1 (alternative names)
          GG  - d69097e8 - Fantasy Zone Gear                    --> Fantasy Zone / Fantasy Zone Gear - Opa Opa Jr. no Bouken
          GG  - 449787e2 - Fatal Fury Special                   --> Fatal Fury Special (US)
          GG  - 751dad4c - From TV animation - Slam Dunk.. (JP) --> Slam Dunk - Shouri-e no Starting 5 (From TV animation) (JP)
          GG  - 695cc120 - GG Portrait - Pai Chan (JP)          --> GG Portrait - Pai Chen (JP)
          GG  - 4cf97801 - Godzilla - Kaiju Dai-Shingeki (JP)   --> Godzilla - Kaijuu Daishingeki (JP)
          GG  - 398f2358 - Kuni Chan's Game Paradise (JP)       --> Kuni Chan no Game Tengoku (JP)
          GG  - f3774c65 - Kuni Chan's Game Paradise 2 (JP)     --> Kuni Chan no Game Tengoku Part 2 (JP)
          GG  - 42389270 - Hyokkori Hyoutan Jima (JP)           --> Hyokkori Hyoutan Jima - Hyoutan Jima no Daikouka (JP)
          GG  - 9fb5c155 - James Pond II - Codename: Robocod    --> James Pond II - Codename: Robocod (US)
          GG  - 30c09f31 - Jungle Book, The (Walt Disney'..(US) --> Jungle Book, The (Walt Disney's) (US)
                                                                    (US version do not mention 'Classic'. Alternate name have only 'Disney's').
          GG  - 87b8b612 - McDonald's - Donald no Magical World --> Donald no Magical World (Ronald in the Magical World) (JP) 
                                                                    (Japanese only release, Western name is unused)
          GG  - 75c71ebf - Madden NFL '95                       --> Madden NFL 95
          GG  - 00c34d94 - Madoh Monogatari I - Mittsu no..(JP) --> Madoh Monogatari I - Mittsu no Madoukyuu (JP)
          GG  - 0a634d79 - Madoh Monogatari III - K.. [v0] (JP) --> Madoh Monogatari III - Kyuukyoku Joou-sama [v0] (JP)
          GG  - 568f4825 - Madoh Monogatari III - K.. [v1] (JP) --> Madoh Monogatari III - Kyuukyoku Joou-sama [v1] (JP)
          GG  - 7ec95282 - Madoh Monogatari A - Dokidoki.. (JP) --> Madoh Monogatari A - Doki Doki Bake~shon (JP)
          GG  - 8f82a6b9 - Magic Knight Ray Earth (JP)          --> Magic Knight Rayearth (JP)
          GG  - 1c2c2b04 - Magic Knight Ray Earth 2 ~mak.. (JP) --> Magic Knight Rayearth 2 ~making of magic knight~
          GG  - 6e1cc23c - Magical Taruruto-kun (JP)            --> Magical Taruruuto-kun (JP)
          GG  - 2e4ec17b - Megami Tensei Gaiden Last Bible (JP) --> Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible (JP)
          GG  - 4ec30806 - Megami Tensei Gaiden Last Bibl..(JP) --> Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible Special (JP)
          GG  - 4d5d15fb - Moldorian (JP)                       --> Moldorian ~Hikari to Yami no Shisutaa~ (JP)
          GG  - dbff0461 - Mortal Kombat (JP)                   --> Mortal Kombat - Shinken Kourin Densetsu (JP)
          GG  - 54ab42a4 - Nazo Puyo Aruru no Ru (JP)           --> Nazo Puyo Aruru no Ruu (JP)
          GG  - 4c874466 - Nazo Puyo Aruru no Ru [Editor.. (JP) --> Nazo Puyo Aruru no Ruu [Editor Proto] (JP)
          GG  - 3679be80 - Neko Daisuki! (JP)                   --> Neko Dai Suki! (JP)
          GG  - c3056e15 - Ninku (JP)                           --> Ninkuu (JP)
          GG  - 06247dd2 - Ninku 2 ~Tenkuryu-e no Michi~ (JP)   --> Ninkuu 2 ~Tenkuuryuu-e no Michi~ (JP)
          GG  - 9140f239 - Ninku Gaiden - Hiroyuki Daika.. (JP) --> Ninkuu Gaiden - Hiroyuki Daikatsugeki
          GG  - 19030108 - NBA Action                           --> NBA Action - Starring David Robinson
          GG  - 4680c7aa - NHL All Stars                        --> NHL All-Star Hockey
          GG  - a2f9c7af - Olympic Gold [SMS-GG] [B]            --> Olympic Gold [v0] [SMS-GG]
          GG  - 1d93246e - Olympic Gold [SMS-GG] [A]            --> Olympic Gold [v1] [SMS-GG]
          GG  - d58cb27c - Out Run                              --> Out Run (JP)
          GG  - f037ec00 - Out Run Europa [SMS-GG]              --> Out Run Europa [SMS-GG] (US)
          GG  - a16c5e58 - Pac-Man                              --> Pac-Man (JP)
          GG  - b42d8430 - Pet Club Inu Daisuki! (JP)           --> Pet Club Inu Dai Suki! (JP) (coherent with Neko Dai Suki!)
          GG  - 3ef66810 - Popeye's Beach Volleyball (JP)       --> Popeye Beach Volley Ball (JP)
          GG  - d173a06f - Puzlow Kids / Puyo Puyo              --> Puyo Puyo (Puzle Kids) (JP) (Japanese only release, Western name is unused)
          GG  - 96045f76 - Road Rash                            --> Road Rash (US)
          GG  - 445d7cd2 - Royal Stone ~Hikarishi Toki n.. (JP) --> Royal Stone ~Hirakareshi Toki no Tobira~ (JP)
          GG  - fe7374d2 - Sailor Moon S (JP)                   --> Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S (JP)
          GG  - 2ae8c75f - Shanghai II (JP)                     --> Shanghai II [v0] (JP)
          GG  - 9c5c7f53 - Shikinjou (JP)                       --> Shikinjo (JP) (official transcription)
          GG  - 0f3e3840 - Sokoban World (JP)                   --> Soukoban (JP)
          GG  - d23a2a93 - Sonic Triple Trouble                 --> Sonic The Hedgehog Triple Trouble
          GG  - 80156323 - Star Trek The Next Generation - Th.. --> Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Advanced Holodeck Tutorial
          GG  - 1ebfa5ca - Strider Returns                      --> Strider Returns (Journey from Darkness)
          GG  - 2ea26930 - Surf Ninjas                          --> Surf Ninjas [BAD] (confirmed correct dump)
          GG  - 9479c83a - T2 - The Arcade Game                 --> T2: The Arcade Game
          GG  - cf9c607c - Taisen Mahjong HaoPai (JP)           --> Taisen Mahjong Hao-Pai (JP)
          GG  - 20527530 - Taisen Mahjong HaoPai 2 (JP)         --> Taisen Mahjong Hao-Pai 2 (JP)
          GG  - dd1d2ebf - Tama & Friends - 3chome Koen.. (JP)  --> Tama & Friends - 3 Choume Kouen Tamalympic (JP)
          GG  - eebad66b - Taz in Escape From Mars              --> Taz in Escape from Mars
          GG  - 1bd15773 - Terminator 2 - Judgment Day          --> Terminator 2: Judgment Day
          GG  - a1453efa - Tom and Jerry - The Movie (JP)       --> Tom and Jerry: The Movie
          GG  - 5cd33ff2 - Tom and Jerry - The Movie            --> Tom and Jerry: The Movie (US)
          GG  - 7ec64025 - Vampire - Master of Darkness         --> Vampire - Master of Darkness (US)
          GG  - 9977fcb3 - Wonder Boy                           --> Wonder Boy (JP)
          GG  - d9ce3f4c - Yaiba Adventures (JP)                --> Kenyuu Densetsu Yaiba (JP)
          GG  - 88ebbf9e - Yuu Yuu Hakusho (JP)                 --> Yu Yu Hakusho - Horobishi Mono no Gyakushuu (JP)
          GG  - 46ae9159 - Yuu Yuu Hakusho II (JP)              --> Yu Yu Hakusho II - Gekitou! Nanakyou no Tatakai (JP)
          SG  - 37fca2eb - Pitfall II [A]                       --> Pitfall II ~The Lost Caverns~ [A]
          SG  - 3db74761 - Pitfall II [B]                       --> Pitfall II ~The Lost Caverns~ [B]
          SG  - 5a917e06 - Shinnyushain Tooru Kun (Konami no)   --> Shinnyuushain Tooru-Kun (Konami no)
          OMV - 77db4704 - Q*Bert                               --> Q*bert

Link: MEKA Homepage
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Sukeban Deka II in English


2008.06.19
Hello! Some news from the MEKA development front. I've been asked to make a newer build since I fixed some bugs, and I took the opportunity to code in new debugging features, in particular the new RMAP command which should be of great use to all programmers and hackers.
 MEKA 0.73 WIP 20080619
 ----------------------
  - Localization:
    - Updated Dutch localization [Mark van Tilburg]
  - SC-3000:
    - Fixed the ;/+/RAD key not working on Sega Keyboard emulation under
      certain host keyboard/OS configuration. Thanks Jacko. [Omar]
    - Fixed crash in the X86 assembly implementation of the 32KB RAM mapper
      writer when the upper 16 bits were not cleared by the Z80 emulator. [Omar]
  - Debugger:
    - Added "SYM @addr" command to search for symbols given an address. [Omar]
    - Added "RMAP addr" command to reverse map of a Z80 address and display
      the source of data based on machine state (mapper registers, etc). 
      eg:
        RMAP $8001      ; eg: print 'ROM $14001 (Page 5 +0001)'
        RMAP $E001      ; eg: print 'RAM $C001'
      The feature doesn't work 100% in all mappers & bus mirroring cases, 
      but should be ok with the standard SMS/GG mapper. [Omar]
    - Duplicate commands are automatically removed from history. [Omar]
    - Increased default height of the debugger. [Omar]
    - Changed watch point per-frame flood limit from 100 to 50. Will expose in 
      configuration file if requested. [Omar]
    - Fixed crash when loading symbols with debugger disabled. [Djbass,Omar]
    - Fixed labels showing one instruction early in "DASM" command. [Omar]
    - Added breakpoint '!' mark in disassembly window. [Omar]
  - GUI:
    - File browser: country flag now displayed even on BIOS, Prototypes
      or Homebrew images. [Omar]
    - Inputs configuration: right-click on input source selection goes 
      backward, in addition to regular left-click to go forward. [Omar]
  - Miscellaenous:
    - Added "Capture" menu with screen capture menu access and options. [Maxim]
    - Added "Capture All" mode, capturing all emulation frames to disk. [Maxim]
    - Added "Include GUI" capture option. Disable to only capture game screen 
      when MEKA GUI is enabled. [Maxim]
    - Renamed "Automatically crop and align screen captures" option to
      more explicit "Crop and align screen captures to 8x8 boundaries".
      Previous name was sounding too "cool" and was sometimes activated
      by innocent users who then got their capture all cropped. [Omar]
    - Added "screenshots_crop_scrolling_column" option in configuration
      file (default to enabled), to disable cropping the empty left-most 
      column in horizontally scrolling games. [Omar]
  - Project:
    - (Win32) Fixed standard libraries used by debug builds (using unusual
      combination led to various problems). Fixed various link warnings.
      Fixed shared directories between DLL and No DLL builds. [Omar]
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists. [Omar]
    Some particular renaming includes:
          SMS - d91b340d - Action Fighter (JP)                  --> Action Fighter [v1] (also released in Germany and Italia)
          SMS - 3658f3e0 - Action Fighter                       --> Action Fighetr [v2]
          SMS - f4b3a7bd - Ariel - The Little Mermaid (BR)      --> Ariel - The Little Mermaid (Disney's) (BR)
          SMS - e2fcb6f3 - Super Wonder Boy (JP)                --> Wonder Boy [v0] (also released in Italia)
          SMS - 73705c02 - Wonder Boy                           --> Wonder Boy [v1]
          GG  - 3e549b7a - Aerial Assault                       --> Aerial Assault [v0]
          GG  - ffe4ed47 - Alien Syndrome                       --> Alien Syndrome (JP)
          GG  - 97e3a18c - Ariel - The Little Mermaid           --> Ariel - The Little Mermaid (Disney's)
          GG  - e123d9b8 - Fray (JP)                            --> Fray ~Shugyou hen~ (JP)
          GG  - a93e8b0f - Griffin                              --> Griffin (JP)
          GG  - 75e273eb - Madden '96                           --> Madden 96 [BAD]
          GG  - 36ebcd6d - Majors Pro Baseball                  --> Majors Pro Baseball, The
          GG  - f1732ffe - TaleSpin                             --> TaleSpin (Disney's)
          GG  - 7ec64025 - Vampire: Master of Darkness          --> Vampire - Master of Darkness

Snapshot: meka-2008-06-19-win32.zip (Win32, 802.016 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2008-06-19-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.532.974 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: SMS FM Sound Expansion Boards


2007.07.17
MEKA 0.72 is out, including all changes from WIP versions 2005.10.31 to 2007.05.07, and that's a lot of them (see changes.txt), plus a few last minute tweaks/bug fixes. Visit the homepage for download and a summary of all changes. Back on the main line!

Link: MEKA Homepage


2007.05.08
Great news: I finally took the time and fixed all leftover blitters problems that were introduced when switching to hi-color mode. Meaning that I should now be able to release an official 0.72 version! - It's not lacking features compared to 0.71. This WIP version should be the last, consider this as a Release Candidate for MEKA 0.72. Please report any problem you may find with it.
The new video settings are located in the .cfg file, they don't have an interface as of yet but things should work pretty well without tweaking them.
 MEKA 0.72 WIP 20070508
 ----------------------
  - Ports:
    - Preliminary MacOSX port. [Proppy]
      Compile and run under a x86-based MacOSX system. Missing sound (due 
      to Seal) and debugger (unknown problem to resolve).
      Looking for someone who wish to improve and maintain this port.
  - Blitter/Video:
    - Fixed HQ2X stretched blitter when target output was not 16-bits. [Omar]
    - Fixed TV Mode blitters broken since since switching to hi-color.
      Implementation is slower than previously, but it works well. [Omar]
    - Removed obsolete "scanlines" blitter, in favor of "tvmode". [Omar]
    - Stretching works on all blitters. [Omar]
    - Video depth, Vsync, Triple Buffering and Page flipping are now global 
      video settings, removed from each specific blitter. Greatly simplify 
      configuration and tweaking. [Omar]
    - Triple buffering doesn't interfere with the refresh is not supported
      by the current settings (eg: windowed mode), making it safe and more
      simple to always leave it enabled. [Omar]
  - CPU:
    - Z80: Fixed RETI behavior (same as RETN, copying IFF2 to IFF1). 
      Fixes pausing in SMS Robocop 3 during legal screens/introduction, 
      probably other infrequent cases. [FluBBa, Omar]
    - Z80: Accepting NMI doesn't copy IFF1 over IFF2, as suggested
      by Sean Young's "The Undocumented Z80 Documented". [Omar]
  - ColecoVision:
    - Fixed emulation of pending NMI, pending flag is cleared when
      reading VDP status. Fixes "Rock 'N Bolt" among other. 
      Thanks to the anonymous poster on SMS Power! forums. [Omar]
    - Note that the compatibility list for ColecoVision titles is
      severly outdated. At some point, James Carter worked on a new,
      more accurate list, but I lost all contact with him.
  - NES:
    - Fixed video rendering, broken when switching to hi-color modes. [Omar]
    - Added PRAM support in Memory Editor. [Omar]
    - Added 8 palette switching in Tile Viewer. [Omar]
    - Note: NES emulation is humor legacy code and won't be supported.
  - GUI:
    - Sorted default themes, removed non Sega 8-bit related themes.
    - Now embedding background pictures in regular binary distribution. 
    - CALL FOR NEW OR IMPROVED THEMES SUBMISSION! Please contribute.

Snapshot: meka-2007-05-08-win32.zip (Win32, 796.711 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2007-05-08-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.562.886 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Chinese/HongKong/Taiwan (?) Master System games


2007.04.26
Hello all! New build with small changes made since december. Not included yet, but Proppy submitted a first working version of the MacOS-X port (without Debugger and Sound yet), so hopefully we'll be able to release a beta MacOS-X build along with 0.72.

  - CPU:
    - Z80: Fixed cases were address arithmetic would not wrap in the 
      16-bit address space, effectively crashing the emulator (those cases
      were mostly happening on corrupted data, but it also legit Z80 code, 
      and in any case we don't want the emulator to crash). [Omar]
  - Tilemap viewer:
    - Fixed leftover of white rectangle when mouse hover last line. [Omar]
  - Debugger:
    - Added "B nopnop" shortcut to break on two successives NOP instructions.
      This is basically equivalent to "B x =0,0". [Omar]
  - Miscellaenous:
    - Increased max length of directory/filenames. [Musuruan]
    - Added "Automatically crop and align screen captures" option.
      This option aligns screen captures on the nearest visible tile, 
      helping to simplify the process of creating game maps by pasting 
      captures next to each other. [Omar]
      Note: May not work properly on game using scanline based effects.
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists. [Omar]
    Some particular renaming includes:
          SMS - 65d7e4e0 - Fantasy Zone                         --> Fantasy Zone [v2]
          SMS - 60c19645 - Zillion                              --> Zillion [v0]
          SMS - 5718762c - Zillion (US)                         --> Zillion [v1] (US)
          GG  - 7a41c1dc - Aladdin                              --> Aladdin (Disney's)
          GG  - 770e95e1 - Aladdin (JP)                         --> Aladdin (Disney's) (JP)
          GG  - 4457e7c0 - Deep Duck Trouble / Donald Duck no.. --> Donald Duck no Yottsu no Himitsu (JP) (was Japanese dump)
          GG  - 36aaf536 - Evander Holyfield Boxing             --> Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing
          GG  - 8c048325 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade   --> Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [BAD]
          GG  - 4a98678b - Joe Montana Football                 --> Joe Montana Football (JP)
          GG  - 00c34d94 - Madou Monogatari I - Mittsu no.. (JP)--> Madoh Monogatari I - Mittsu no Madokyuu (JP)
          GG  - 12eb2287 - Madou Monogatari II - Aruru 16.. (JP)--> Madou Monogatari II - Aruru 16-sai (JP)
          GG  - 0a634d79 - Madou Monogatari III - Kyukyok.. (JP)--> Madou Monogatari III - Kyuukyoku Joo-sama [v0] (JP)
          GG  - 7ec95282 - Madou Monogatari A - Dokidoki-.. (JP)--> Madoh Monogatari A - Dokidoki-Bake Shon
          GG  - afcc7828 - Psychic World                        --> Psychic World (JP)
          GG  - 2ae8c75f - Shanghai 2 (JP)                      --> Shanghai II (JP)
          GG  - 4d1f4699 - Shining Force Gaiden (JP)            --> Shining Force Gaiden ~Ensei Jashin no Kuni e~ (JP)
          GG  - 30374681 - Shining Force Gaiden II (JP)         --> Shining Force Gaiden II ~Jashin no Mezame~ (JP)
          GG  - 6019fe5e - Shining Force Gaiden Final Con.. (JP)--> Shining Force Gaiden ~Final Conflict~ (JP)
          GG  - 742a372b - Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade'..--> Spider-Man / X-Men: Arcade's Revenge
          GG  - f1732ffe - Tale Spin                            --> TaleSpin
          SG1 - 545fc9bb - Ashizawa Hachidan no Tsumeshogi (JP) --> Serizawa Hachidan no Tsumeshogi (JP)
          SG1 - 6d909857 - Sega Mah-Jong (JP)                   --> Mahjong (Sega) (JP)
          SG1 - e7e0f0e3 - Home Mah-Jong (JP)                   --> Home Mahjong [v1] (JP)

Snapshot: meka-2007-04-26-win32.zip (Win32, 732.761 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2007-04-26-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.542.270 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Unreleased/Rumoured SMS Games


2006.12.17
Finally a build. I should feel ashamed for being that sluggish. Not many changes since last year, but we're back on track!
(Uncle proppy, self-procclaimed Mac expert since his purchase of last week, is commited to provide us with a Mac port pretty soon.)

Snapshot: meka-2006-12-17-win32.zip (Win32, 729.754 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2006-12-17-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.535.196 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Unreleased game gear box-art - We're back and Beethoven


2006.11.30
Don't worry I haven't disappeared, and MEKA is still in development. :)
We have installed an official SMS Power Subversion (SVN) server and development moved there. Improvement in the Win32 project made it easier to compile MEKA with a precompiled Allegro package, so you developers have one less excuse not to try compiling MEKA by yourself and tweak it.

  SVN server: https://svn.smspower.org/svn/meka/trunk/meka
  Web viewer: http://svn.smspower.org/
  Web viewer, Log: http://svn.smspower.org/log.php?repname=MEKA&path=%2Ftrunk%2F&rev=0&sc=0&isdir=1

As for MEKA development, not much but here it is:
  - Updated k.
  - Emulation:
    - Fixed data corruption/overflow in VDP emulation when seeking and
      writing to an invalid palette address. Thanks Maxim. [Omar]
    - VDP palette write do not mask out current VDP address, so performing
      the (unprobable) set address/access palette/access VRAM sequence will
      keep address in the full 16KB range. [Omar]
    - Fixed VDP line interrupts not properly running in overscan area in 
      224 lines mode. Fixes bottom of the screen in Charles Mac Donald's 
      BB2K6 demo. [Omar]
  - Video:
    - Changed default fullscreen blitter configuration in the hope of getting 
      something more compatible (640x480 by default), as so many people have 
      problems with fullscreen modes.
    - Got rid of "parallel" blitter that displayed both odd and even frame
      next to each other. Seems useless now. Could be brought back if some
      four-eyed person request it. [Omar]
  - Debugger:
    - Added "CLOCK" command, to display/reset a Z80 cycle counter.
      Very simple but can be helpful to time Z80 routines. [Omar]
    - (Win32) Forward debugging log to Windows debugging stream via
      OutputDebugString(), so running MEKA from Microsoft Visual studio 
      will display log in the 'Output' window. [Omar]
  - Project:
    - (Win32) Added new targets supporting shared standard libraries. [Omar]
    - Updated SOURCES.TXT documentation. [Omar]
  - GUI:
    - Fixed background picture not loading on startup. [Omar]
    - Removed closing fadeout since the current implementation is way 
      inefficient and cannot garantee proper speed. [Omar]
    - Fixed bug with window closing button widget. [Omar]
    - Fixed bug when quitting using the menu, configuration files were 
      not saved. Thanks Jacko. (Omar)
    - (Un*x) Fixed bug where menus would not clear themselves. [Omar]
      (This was due to Allegro.h defining TRUE as -1 and a 1 value being
      hardcoded in some part of the code).
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists. [Omar]
Database update available for download below.

Snapshot: meka.nam (Last updated 2006/11/18, 126.817 bytes)


2006.02.26
Did not get around to release 0.72 as of yet, so I'm making a MEKA database (meka.nam) update available. As usual, this is mostly aimed at maniacs. Some particular renaming includes:
      SMS - e5ff50d8 - Back to the Future II                --> Back to the Future Part II
      SMS - 2d48c1d3 - Back to the Future III               --> Back to the Future Part III
      SMS - 953f42e1 - Castle of Illusion                   --> Castle of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse
      SMS - b9db4282 - Castle of Illusion (US)              --> Castle of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse (US)
      SMS - 59840fd6 - Castle of Illusion [SMS-GG]          --> Castle of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse [SMS-GG]
      SMS - 9942b69b - Castle of Illusion [SMS-GG] (JP)     --> Castle of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse [SMS-GG] (JP)
      SMS - 695a9a15 - Jungle Book, The                     --> Jungle Book, The (Walt Disney's Classic)
      SMS - 24e97200 - Land of Illusion                     --> Land of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse
      SMS - 6350e649 - Legend of Illusion (BR)              --> Legend of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse (BR)
      SMS - c352c7eb - Lion King, The                       --> Lion King, The (Disney's)
      SMS - 1de2c2d0 - Strategic Defense Initiative (JP)    --> SDI (JP)
      GG  - 423803a7 - Gambler Jikochuushin Ha (JP)         --> Gyuwanburaa Jikochuushin Ha (JP)
      GG  - 90100884 - Jungle Book, The                     --> Jungle Book, The (Walt Disney's Classic)
      GG  - 30c09f31 - Jungle Book, The (US)                --> Jungle Book, The (Walt Disney's Classic) (US)
      GG  - 52dbf3e1 - Land of Illusion                     --> Land of Illusion - Starring Mickey Mouse
      GG  - 0117c3df - Land of Illusion (JP)                --> Mickey Mouse no Mahou no Crystal (JP)
      SG1 - 545fc9bb - Ashizawa's Hatchidan Tsumeshogi (JP) --> Ashizawa Hachidan no Tsumeshogi (JP)
      SC3 - ae4f92cf - Uranai Angel Cuty (JP)               --> Uranai Angel Cutie (JP)
Otherwise, the update mainly consists in entries being converted to the new database format and verifications/fixes going along with each conversion.

Snapshot: meka.nam (Last updated 2006/02/26, 121.434 bytes)


2005.11.20
Here we are! Everything that has been done since 0.71, now available in a fresh build. The primary target of 0.72 was to let down old paletted video modes and switch to 16/32 bits rendering, which is now done (except a few things such as blitter not all converted yet). Added support for VGM 1.10 (affecting SG-1000/SC-3000/SF-7000 and Colecovision VGM dumps), rewrote theming system, tweaks and more tweaks. And again, I added more stuff for beloved hackers who are digging into SMS history: a full featured tile-viewer, conditionnal breakpoint, VDP line based breakpoint, a register SET command, command history, you name it, etc.

I'd be interested in you guys testing two things:
- How does video perform for you? Many things have been rewritten, generally for the better, but I expect bugs to show up so your tests and reports are welcome.
- Testing of new developer features (if you are one of those crazy Sega 8-bit hacker/developer).
Please report in MEKA forum.

Exemple of new working debugger commands:

    BREAK r C000.. =01,02,03,04   ; break on read of 01020304 in RAM
    BREAK x =C9                   ; break on CPU execution of RET
    BREAK x =0,0                  ; break on CPU execution of NOP NOP
    BREAK w pram 0 =03            ; break on PRAM write of color 0 as red
    BREAK line #13                ; break on display line 13
    PRINT AF',BC',DE',HL'         ; print Z80 shadow registers
    SET BC=$1234                  ; set BC register to $1234
    SET DE=HL,HL=0                ; set DE=HL, then zero HL
    HISTORY blah                  ; search history for command involving 'blah'

A sexy screenshot in good old Bloodlust software glory:

Changelog below:

 MEKA 0.72 WIP 20051120
 ----------------------
  - (Win32) Updated Allegro library from WIP 4.1.18 to 4.2.0, including
    various fixes/improvements (hopefully not new bugs):
        http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/onlinedocs/en/changes.html
  - Video:
    - Upgraded everything to hi-color video modes and got rid of old, 
      8-bit indexed video modes. This is a major change in MEKA core.
      Some of the benefits are:
      - No more snow and/or color flickering on video card drivers 
        which disliked palette changes.
      - Better integration with desktop (usually run faster).
      - Getting possible to use various kind of graphics filters.
      - No more hassle with color limitation for the programmer
        (meaning more features implemented for the end-user).
      - Finally possible to show all Game Gear colors at once, 
        and to implement LCD screen persistence (not yet done).
      Some of the features above goes hand to hand with the blitter
      system, which will be improved soon. [Omar]
  - Sound:
    - Added support for VGM 1.10 header type. [Omar]
  - GUI:
    - KeyPad Enter key now works on input boxes. [Omar]
    - Added shortcut CTRL-F4: closes current window. [Omar]
    - Added shortcut CTRL-TAB: cycles thru windows taking inputs. [Omar]
    - Reworked theme (skin) system from stratch: [Omar]
      - Changed MEKA.THM file format.
      - Using explicit names for variables.
      - Added more variables, making the skin system a little more 
        complicated but also more configurable.
      - Using de-facto standard of specifying colors in #RRGGBB format.
      - Rewrote most code since it was all legacy from old MEKA 0.10. 
    - Added link to debugger documentation in HELP menu. [Omar]
  - Development:
    - Debugger:
      - Fixed various command-line parsing bugs. [Omar]
      - Added line history. Navigate history by pressing Up/Down. 
        List or search in history using HISTORY (HI) command. [Omar]
      - Added conditionnal breakpoints. [Omar]
        eg:
          BREAK r C000.. =01,02,03,04   ; break on read of 01020304 in RAM
          BREAK x =C9                   ; break on CPU execution of RET
          BREAK x =0,0                  ; break on CPU execution of NOP NOP
          BREAK w pram 0 =03            ; break on PRAM write of color 0 as red
      - Added display line event breakpoints/watchpoints. [Omar]
        Useful for debugging line interrupts.
        eg: 
          BREAK line #13                ; break on display line 13
      - REGS (R) command in debugger now display shadow registers as well. [Omar]
      - Added cursor before current instruction in disassembly. [Omar]
      - Added access to shadow registers in expression evaluator. [Omar]
        eg: 
          PRINT AF',BC',DE',HL'
      - Added SET command to modify Z80 registers. [Omar]
        eg:
          SET BC=$1234    ; set BC register to $1234
          SET DE=HL,HL=0  ; set DE=HL, then zero HL
      - Added MEMEDIT command to spawn a new memory editor. [Omar]
    - Memory Editor:
      - Added viewing and editing of VDP registers (VREG). [Omar]
      - Added configuration file directive for resizing window. [Omar]
      - Fixed cursor position when inputing an address on last page. [Omar]
    - Tilemap viewer:
      - Added tilemap viewer. [Omar]
        Shows tilemap, hovering or clicking a tile shows specific info 
        about it, allows filtering BG/FG, disabling tile flipping, tile 
        flipping, display of scrolling box, with or without raster effects.
    - Made '$' default prefix for hexadecimal values in various places. [Omar]
    - Datadump: [Ambil, Omar]
      - Fixed "palette" dumping. Blue and green components were inverted. 
        Replaced dumping of target host RGB values by actual SMS/GG components. 
      - Added sprite pattern base address in "sprites" dumping.
    - Cleaned Technical Information Viewer content, renamed a few fields
      to their official names, removed redundant information. It's not
      yet all clean. [Omar]
  - Miscellaenous:
    - Various fixes.
    - Updated various tidbits in the configuration file. [Omar]
    - (Win32) Removed flickering from initialization message console. [Maxim]
    - (UN*X) Renamed main executable to 'meka' (instead of 'meka.exe').
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists. [Omar]
    Some particular renaming includes:
      SMS - 0e21e6cf - Astro Flash (JP)                     --> Astro Flash [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 5d08e823 - Fushigi no Oshiro Pit Pot (JP)       --> Fushigi no Oshiro Pit Pot [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - a4ac35d8 - Galaxy Force [50 / 60 Hz]            --> Galaxy Force
      SMS - 6c827520 - Galaxy Force [60 Hz]                 --> Galaxy Force (US)
      SMS - dabcc054 - Ghost house (JP)                     --> Ghost House [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - c1e699db - Great Baseball [JP] (JP)             --> Great Baseball [JP] [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 84665648 - Great Soccer (JP)                    --> Great Soccer [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 87b9ecb8 - Satellite 7 (JP)                     --> Satellite 7 [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - bcd91d78 - Seishun Scandal (JP)                 --> Seishun Scandal [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - a71bc542 - Spy vs Spy (JP)                      --> Spy vs Spy [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 95cbf3dd - Super Tennis (JP)                    --> Great Tennis / Super Tennis (JP) 
      (note: this one is tricky. Official game name is "Great Tennis" but title screen says "Super Tennis").
      SMS - 9dfa67ee - Teddy Boy Blues (JP)                 --> Teddy Boy Blues [Hack] (JP)
      GG  - f6af4b6b - Dynamite Headdy                      --> Dynamite Headdy (JP) (note: US/EU version is another dump)
      GG  - 9f64c2bb - Ichidanto-R (JP)                     --> Ichidant~R (Puzzle & Action)
      GG  - 09151743 - Tanto-R (JP)                         --> Tant~R (Puzzle & Action)
      GG  - 3d8d0dd6 - World Series Baseball [A]            --> World Series Baseball [v0]
      GG  - bb38cfd7 - World Series Baseball [B]            --> World Series Baseball [v1]

  - Sources/Project
    - (Win32) Now linking to zlib.lib instead of zlibs.lib (name for standard
       static build of ZLIB). [Omar]
    - Removed password encryption from MEKA datafile (became useless). [Omar]
    - Fixed a bunch of warnings on higher warning levels. [Omar]
    - Hacked a lot of old GUI code (box, widgets, menus among others), cleaned
      and renamed various structures, replaced several usage of indexes by 
      pointers, added const qualifiers, rewrote parts of various applets, 
      got rid of some old obsolete code, etc. Hopefully broke nothing. [Omar]
    - (Win32) Fixed MSVC project to reference LIBPNGDIR.
    - (Win32) Including statically compiled libpng.lib in package. [Omar]
    - (UN*X) No more need to manually edit .ASM files to compile. [Omar]

Snapshot: meka-2005-11-20-win32.zip (Win32, 771.376 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-11-20-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.729.101 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Who Made What: Sanritsu/SIMS


2005.10.31
Heya, long time without news. I've been working on MEKA but haven't updated this page. You can find builds and information about latest WIP in the MEKA forum, and I am planning to release an official stable release shortly sometimes.

In the meanwhile, since I'm doing regular work on the MEKA database, I made the latest version available. Most players may not need that, but if you're into ROM sorting or downloaded latest SMS Power releases, you may want to have the latest database entries to go with them.

Some particular renaming includes:
      SMS - 0e21e6cf - Astro Flash (JP)               --> Astro Flash [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 5d08e823 - Fushigi no Oshiro Pit Pot (JP) --> Fushigi no Oshiro Pit Pot [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - a4ac35d8 - Galaxy Force [50 / 60 Hz]      --> Galaxy Force
      SMS - 6c827520 - Galaxy Force [60 Hz]           --> Galaxy Force (US)
      SMS - dabcc054 - Ghost house (JP)               --> Ghost House [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - c1e699db - Great Baseball [JP] (JP)       --> Great Baseball [JP] [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 84665648 - Great Soccer (JP)              --> Great Soccer [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 87b9ecb8 - Satellite 7 (JP)               --> Satellite 7 [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - bcd91d78 - Seishun Scandal (JP)           --> Seishun Scandal [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - a71bc542 - Spy vs Spy (JP)                --> Spy vs Spy [Hack] (JP)
      SMS - 95cbf3dd - Super Tennis (JP)              --> Great Tennis / Super Tennis (JP)
      SMS - 9dfa67ee - Teddy Boy Blues (JP)           --> Teddy Boy Blues [Hack] (JP)
      GG  - f6af4b6b - Dynamite Headdy                --> Dynamite Headdy (JP) (note: US/EU version is another dump)
      GG  - 9f64c2bb - Ichidanto-R (JP)               --> Ichidant~R (Puzzle & Action)
      GG  - 09151743 - Tanto-R (JP)                   --> Tant~R (Puzzle & Action)
      GG  - 3d8d0dd6 - World Series Baseball [A]      --> World Series Baseball [v0]
      GG  - bb38cfd7 - World Series Baseball [B]      --> World Series Baseball [v1]
As it turned out, almost all already available Japanese Mark III cards dumps were slighty incorrect (and not from SMS Power ;). Please make sure to get the correct dumps and eradicate the hacks.

Snapshot: meka.nam (Last updated 2005/10/30, 117.190 bytes)


2005.06.25
MEKA 0.71 is out, including all changes from WIP versions 2005.04.13 to 2005.06.24, plus a few last minute tweaks/bug fixes. Visit the homepage for download and a summary of all changes.

Link: MEKA Homepage


2005.06.24
Video improvements! Welcome contributors! This should be more or less 0.71 once I finalize a few things.
  - Now that MEKA is open-source, welcoming other developpers!
    - New contributor: Robert Raper (DjRobX)
    - New contributor: Maxim Stephin (MaxSt)
    Names between brackets refers to the person(s) involved in a change.
  - Blitter/Video:
    - Added triple buffering support on fullscreen blitters. [DjRobX]
      Made triple buffering the default for appliable video modes. It might
      or not work on all configuration. Please report if any problem arise.
    - Added max stretch support on fullscreen blitters. [DjRobX]
      This is currently only available on normal and HQ2X filter.
      Integer/ratio stretch not yet supported, so it is recommended to use
      a resolution multiple of the emulated system screen size.
    - Added support for internally converting the 8-bit video buffer to
      another video depth and blitting that. [DjRobX]
    - Integrated Maxim Stephin's HQ2X graphics filter, and added a dedicated
      blitter. Only 16-bits output is supported as of yet. [MaxSt,DjRobX]
  - Updated various tidbits of documentation. [Omar]
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists. [Omar]
    Some particular renaming includes:
      GG  - 7b7717b8 - Big War / Daisenryaku G (JP)         --> Taisen-gata Daisenryaku G (JP)

  Note that DjRobX's video/blitter changes were integrated but some features 
  may not be compatible with all others, and some need improvements. You are
  welcome to experiment different configuration settings in MEKA.BLT but not
  everything may work properly. The preset "HQ2X" blitter should works, though.
  
  The current blitter system makes it not trivial to do everything we want,
  it is too limited in configuration, and was first made with MS-DOS and low
  end computers in mind. As of next versions, I will work on reoverhauling the
  system, trying to better fits needs of the 21st century (resizing, multiple
  depth, hi-color, windowed modes without borders, non 4:3 ratio screens, 
  different refresh rates...) and improve ease of setupping. 
  Expect many changes in this area (hopefully). [Omar]

Snapshot: meka-2005-06-24-win32.zip (Win32, 750.195 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-06-24-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.311.395 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: GBA VGM Player


2005.05.02
Not a major update, mainly debugger addition/fixes and Linux compilation fixes.
  - GUI:
     - Fixed text input widget insert mode, could not insert any character,
       and it broke memory editor (bug added in a 0.71 WIP)
  - Development:
     - Fixed replacement of 8-bit CPU registers variables (low and high 
       nibbles were inverted) [contributed by Proppy]
     - Fixed display of CPU flags (only bit 0 was properly interpreted,
       because of a typo). Added display of undocumented flags bits 3 
       and 5 (partially emulated).
     - Made it that debugger log to file is immediately flushed. This 
       allows reading the log file in live while the debugger is running.
     - Added REGS (R) command to dump Z80 registers to the log console.
     - Added display of weither CPU is running or not.
     - Fixed behavior of step/step over/continue when executing while being
       located on a breakpoint. Fixed behavior of step over an infinite loop.
  - Fixed loading of corrupted or incorrectly sized ROM images that would
    sometimes made the engine crash.
  - Sources
     - (Linux) Updated Makefile and some sources tidbits for proper 
       compilation (thanks Proppy, Belegdol).
     - (Linux,DOS) Object directories are now created automatically.
     - (Linux,DOS) Removed "smscheck" tool from project. Has nothing to do with MEKA.
     - (Win32) Make it that build date/time stamp in build.c is updated when 
       rebuilding the solution. Removed buildupd.exe executable from sources.
     - (DOS) I'm stopping to maintain the MS-DOS port. A maintener is welcome.

Snapshot: meka-2005-05-02-win32.zip (Win32, (740.832 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-05-02-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.297.827 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Development Documentation Wiki open


2005.04.18
Hi.
  - Fixed input box widget missing keys on skipped frames.
    This made key inputs very annoying on certain configuration, and
    especially with 3-D glasses auto-frame-skipping enabled.
  - Fixed MEKA.MSG parsing bug (introduced in WIP 20050413).
  - Palette viewer now shows color entry data while hovering colors.
  - Development:
     - Updated debugger documentation.
     - Expression evaluator:
       - Added handling of lower priority for + and - operators.
     - Relative offsets are now resolved in Z80 disassembly window.
     - Added contextual command line completion. Press TAB to complete
       current input with matching command/symbols.
Completion:
 b[tab]        ; -> BREAK
 b[tab]la[tab] ; -> BREAK label

Snapshot: meka-2005-04-18-win32.zip (Win32, (742.297 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-04-18-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.331.337 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: SMS - Self Check 3-in-1 from Tokyo Marine and Fire Insurance Co. LTD


2005.04.17
A worthy saturday afternoon of work. SMS/GG programmers will appreciate symbol support and the expression evaluator.
  - Fixed a problem losing focus while dragging GUI windows with certain
    kind of widgets (happened on tile viewer & memory editor, among other).
  - Development:
     - Added symbol loading in No$Gmb format, as generated by the WLA-DX 
       linker (-s parameter). Read DEBUGGER.TXT for more information.
     - Added label/symbol viewing in Z80 disassembly window.
     - Added expression evaluator. 
       Supports integer operators +,-,*,/, binary operators &,|,^, 
       parenthesis, symbols and CPU registers replacement.
       Yet missing: unary operators -,!,~ and proper operators priority,
       so uses parenthesis in complex expressions to avoid ambiguity.
       All commands uses the expression evaluator to get their numeric 
       parameters, so you can use it everywhere.
     - Added PRINT (P) command to evaluate and print expressions.
     - Added SYMBOLS (SYM) command to list and search for a symbol.
     - Changed breakpoint/watchpoint range syntax to '..' to avoid any
       syntaxical ambiguity with the substraction (eg: B 1000..2000).
     - Added "B ENABLE/DISABLE ALL" shortcuts to enable/disable all breakpoints
       at once, and "B CLEAR DISABLED" shortchut to clear disabled breakpoints.
     - Added "Reload ROM" functionnality in the debug menu, for quicker reload.
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists.
    Some particular renaming includes:
      SMS - a1710f13 - Lucky Dime Caper, The  --> Lucky Dime Caper, The - Starring Donald Duck
Developpers now have some very nifty features here. Some things you can do:
 B function                 ; break at given 'function' symbol
 W r data_start..data_end   ; watch read access to data block
 P IX,IY                    ; print IX and IY registers
 P 1200+34                  ; print $1234
 P %00101010                ; print 42
 P HL+(BC*4)                ; print HL+BC*4
 P label                    ; print label
 SYM var                    ; search for symbol matching 'var'
 M my_data                  ; memory dump from 'my_data' symbol
 M HL BC                    ; memory dump of BC bytes from HL
I'm working on expression source tracking, so that in the future "label+4" can be stored as a raw address while keeping track of being based on "label". Useful for display purpose (no confusion with trying to detect the nearest label), and if reloading a recompiled ROM with different symbols you will be able to keep all breakpoints up to date.

Suggestions/fixes/reports from my zero users are always welcome.
No more excuse not to develop for Sega 8-bit systems!

Snapshot: meka-2005-04-17-win32.zip (Win32, (737.457 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-04-17-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.325.636 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: SPACE ODDITY (vegetating)


2005.04.13
Nothing very exciting yet:
  - [WIN] Added a "setup.bat" command file to run the interactive setup.
    Seems like few people were aware of this feature.
  - [WIN] The interactive setup now offers to enable/disable the debugger,
    so you don't have to manually enable it.
  - [WIN] Updated Allegro library from WIP 4.1.12 to 4.1.18, which includes
    various fixes/improvements:
        http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/onlinedocs/en/changes.html
  - [WIN] Fixed crash on early aborting (eg: command line error) due to
    non properly stopping joystick polling thread.
  - Development:
     - Early work on debugger PRINT (P) command.
       (eg: "P 0042", "P %00101010", "P BC").
  - Updated various tidbits of documentation.
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists.
    Some particular renaming includes:
      SMS - 60c19645 - Akai Koudan Zillion (JP)             --> Zillion / Akai Koudan Zillion
        (note: this ROM was released in both Japan and Europe)
      SMS - 5718762c - Zillion                              --> Zillion (US)
The "PRINT" command in the debugger is yet very primitive - I started hacking it without a proper plan and I'll probably end doing it better from stratch. Proper variable replacement and expression evaluators are needed, and once they'll be written should be usable from other commands. This is also the base to implement symbol support, a much required feature for Sega 8-bit programmers.

Snapshot: meka-2005-04-13-win32 (Win32, 733.262 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-04-13-srcs.zip (Sources, 1.317.974 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: What Will You Be Playing This Christmas? (1987)


2005.04.03
MEKA 6th anniversary!
  - Released source code.
    Added SOURCES.TXT file with some information for programmers.
  - Registration key is a thing of the past. It never served a real purpose
    other than identifying donators. All donators are publicly listed at:
        http://www.smspower.org/contrib.htm
    Big thanks to all of them for their great and useful support!
    I'll keep sending news/e-mails to donators.
    MEKA is now officially not having a registration procedure anymore, but
    your donations are still greatly welcome and are helping me to cover a 
    part of my never-ending Sega 8-bit expenses, including buying cartridges
    for dumping and preservation purpose.
    I updated documentation to reflect this, and changed occurences of the
    "registration" word by "donation", as it was always meant to be anyway.
  - Disabling background display now shows a yellow-ish color instead of the
    black/border color, to help sprite ripping. Sorry it's not FF00FF pink,
    but I am currently lacking free palette entries, and anyway, a screen full
    of FF00FF pink would damage your eyes in a matter of seconds. :)
  - Development:
    - Fixed a bug using the memory editor to write to RAM in Coleco Vision mode.
    - Hacked a way so that you can affect controller inputs data while debugging
      (press a direction, it immediately apply on the emulated system state).
Snapshot: mekaw070.zip (Win32, 712.427 bytes)
Snapshot: meka070.zip (MS-DOS, 761.890 bytes)
Snapshot: meka-2005-04-03-srcs-v070.zip (Sources, 1.315.283 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: SG-1000 Best Game/Worst Game?
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Happy birthday SMS Power!

2005.03.12
Haven't touched the code since a few weeks, but I thought I could make a build available with the few changes I did back then:
  - In SMS mode, fixed color filling when VDP rendering is disabled. 
    Previously disabled parts where filled with black, instead of the current 
    border color. No commercial game exhibited the problem. Chris Cowell's 
    port of Aleste 2 from GG to SMS did.
  - Development:
    - Tile viewer now display tile starting address.
    - Tile viewer now update information while mouse hovering.
  - When used in the interface, analog peripherals supported by the mouse now
    only perform their action if the mouse has focus on the game window. 
    This prevent accidental in-game shooting when using tools or debugging.
    Of course, you should not use the interface if you only intend to play.
Snapshot: meka-2005-03-12-win32.zip (Win32, 711.971 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: SMS Power! Sega 8-bit Music Competition 2005
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: Mod2PSG2 public beta (Sega 8-bit tracker)

2005.02.03
Those few days were the most productive I had since a long time!
This is only of interest to hackers, but, I am finally fairly happy with what I got. There's more features to add, but even as is, I don't think many console debugger offer this.
  - Development:
    - Added new full-featured breakpoints and watchpoints!
      - Manage multiple breakpoints/watchpoints. Add/remove/enable/disable.
      - Break and watch on CPU (rwx), IO (rw), VRAM (rw) and PRAM (w) buses.
      - Break and watch on specific access (read/write/execute).
      - Break and watch on single address or whole range.
      - Previous "B" command changed to "S" (step over).
      - Previous "B xxxx" command (one-time breakpoint) is still accessible
        using the "C" (continue) command.
    - Added detailed help for each command.
      (eg: "HELP B" to get help on breakpoints).  
    - Added debugger session logging to file "debug/debuglog.txt".
      Can be disabled by clearing "debugger_log" in configuration file.
  - Fixed /LOG command line parameter (broken recently).
See some of the things you can do now:
  B 0038             ; break when CPU access 38h
  B x 0038           ; break when CPU execute 38h
  B w io 7f          ; break on IO write to 7Fh (PSG)
  B rx e000-ffff     ; break on CPU read/exec from E000h+
  B w vram 3f00-3fff ; break on VRAM write to SAT
  B r vram 0-        ; break on any VRAM read
  B pal 0            ; break on PALETTE write of color 0
  W r io 7e-7f       ; watch IO read from port 7Eh-7Fh (scanline counter)
  W r io dd          ; watch IO read from port DDh
  W w io 00-05       ; watch IO write to ports 00h-05h (gear-to-gear)
To get full help, type HELP B or HELP W.
Note that to enable the debugger, edit MEKAW.CFG and change "debug_mode" to 1.
This is one less excuse not to hack, translate or port games!

Snapshot: meka-2005-02-03-win32.zip (Win32, 710.924 bytes)
Selected SMS Power! thread to read: GameGear-TV

2005.01.29
Working on some features for developers... more to come.
  - Development:
    - ROM edition in the memory viewer was not taken into account without
      a hard reset in region 0x0400-0x3FFF. Fixed.
    - Fixed savestate saving/loading which didn't restore scanline number
      properly, affecting debugging using those features.
    - Instruction flow disassembly now attempt to display instructions before
      the current one, based on some magical voodoo technique of mine.
      Don't expect it to work in all cases - it is theorically impossible to 
      do with variable-sized instructions anyway - but it can be improved.
      This feature helps figuring out what's being executed contextually.
    - The current instruction is now highlighted.
    - Added optional length parameter to M and D commands.
    - Fixed ASCII display of memory in M command.
    - Added "debugger_console_lines" and "debugger_disassembly_lines" 
      variables in configuration file, allowing to change debugger size.
      Combine with a high-resolution MEKA desktop, and you can't be unhappy.
  - Added and modified entries in the checksum and compatibility lists.
    To avoid certain confusion, all Game Gear games originally running 
    in Master System mode were moved back in the Game Gear section. 
    This makes the list consistant with actual cartridge releases.
    Some particular renaming includes:
      SG  - 922c5468 - Souko Ban (JP)                       --> Soukoban (JP)
      GG  - fe12a92f - Densetsu no Houguku (JP)             --> Mickey Mouse Densetsu no Oukoku (JP) (terrible typo)
      GG  - 937fd52b - Kaito Saint Tail (JP)                --> Kaitou Saint Tail (JP)
      GG  - dfa805a0 - Hanou no Toukyuuji Dodge Danpei (JP) --> Honoo no Toukyuuji Dodge Danpei (JP)
Snapshot: meka-2005-01-29-win32.zip (Win32, 708.651 bytes)
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Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear, SG-1000, SC-3000, SF-7000, Emulator
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