DCStella: playing Atari 2600 VCS games on your Dreamcast

Long ago I decided to stoped development of DCStella, but forgot to mention it on this page. The cause is quite simple: the Dreamcast does not provide enough processorpower to run the emulation at 100%. The design of the original Stella got more CPU-consuming so that all updates from my side would make the system maybe better but definately slower. So I lost interest... sorry. Maybe if someone finds a way on homebrewing on Wii (and not just the GC emulation mode), I might start a WiiStella port...

The domain svolli.de got hijacked by a domainshark, so I moved this page to http://svolli.org/software/dcstella/. So, again, please update your bookmarks and links.

I'm changing the server. This also includes that DCStella moves to a new URL, from http://our-arca.de/DCstella/ to http://svolli.de/software/dcstella/. Please update your bookmarks and links.

My diploma thesis paper is finally handed in, so now I can spend some time again on this little baby.
New release (v0.2f): Chester Kelly found a bug in the paddle code. This one is fixed now.
Sourcecode is one big package now, containing also a shell script to build your own toolchain.
There now is a DCStella mailing list for annoncements and discussion: send a mail to minimalist@svolli.dynxs.de with the subject "subscribe dcstella" and you're in.

New release (V0.2e) with a new cool feature: cheats! and a monitor to find them. :)
A new theme done by Christopher A. Haslage is available for download and can also be viewed at the images section.
(Did you know that the DCStella project already is one year old?)

New stella-theme.zip at download area with a fixed dcstella.ini (properties.dir instead of profiles.dir).
Updated readme section about music during rom selection menu.

New release (V0.2d) with new features:
DCStella is now based on Stella 1.2, so it now works with more games like Pitfall 2.
Basic paddle support (try up/down on d-pad for diffrent modes).
Left trigger and right trigger are now also mapped to buttons C and Z for the arcade stick.
Swapping of joyports for Raiders Of The Lost Ark and others (use left trigger to swap after activating in the menu).
Thanks to a hint from Dan Potter, the author of KOS, sound now works like intended.
Note that the option "profiles.dir" in dcstella.ini has been renamed to "properties.dir" to match Stella's naming.
New and exciting features are already in the pipe, so stay tuned.

The next release (V0.2c) is in the download section with five new features:
A new option that enables you to "simulate" power off/on on the VCS by doing a hard reset.
There's been some rewriting on the loading rountines. A nice side effect of it is a swap trick, so you can replace the DCStella-CD with one containing the ROMs. For further details look in the readme section.
If you open the lid outside of the swap trick DCStella jumps to the Dreamcast menu just like a commercial game.
A patch for the emulation itself: the illegal opcode LAX is handled correctly now. Finally you can enjoy Qb with no need for the Stella-version. If you use the NTSC version instead, the score will be displayed correctly.
Hooks for some background music (see yesterday's post), the bgm-kit will follow.
New PD-ROM image based on V0.2c.

After spending several hours of analysing problems, I've finally got two music players that run in the aica alone. First one is s3mplay thats only included as binary in several libdream and kos examples. Second one is dxm which is available in source at http://www.ludd.luth.se/~jlo/dc/. But both were far from bullet proof when I tried playing other mods than the ones that came as examples with these players. So I decided to keep in the hooks needed for playing some background music in the menu, but I won't put in any music with the default theme, as originally planned. There will be the release of some kind of bgm-kit on which you can try to include your own music there.

Anyone here wants to submit an s3m module for inclusion on the next DCStella? I need one as background music for the ROM selection menu. If you've got something_nice.s3m lying around somewhere feel free to mail it to svolli at svolli dot de. All submitted music will go in the "Images / Music" section. It needs to be playable with Dan Potter's s3mplay. If you know of another free music player that runs in the AICA alone, let me know.
Once I've got background music, DCStella V0.2c will be released.

Claims to fame: I just had the 15 minutes of fame Andy Warhol promised to me. The first fourteen minutes are here and the final one is here.

New PD ROMs zip and new Nero image in the download section.
The Nero "Qb single ROM autostart" image has been taken from the download section to encurage more voting on new releases (see 2002-02-28).

Today Syngori and myself started a poll on consolevision's message boards to find three PD roms that will make it to a single ROM nero image release.

Turning 30 today, so since nobody of you gave me any presents I decided to throw a tiny present out myself: release V0.2b with two new features
As already shown in the qb-preview you are now able to build a one ROM file version that autostarts that rom.
There's a new option in the pause menu that lets you know a little bit more about the cartridge.
Also a new charset has been added in the images/artwork section.
The online docs got a little bit more verbose.

Added the project on freshmeat.net.
Added a new link (http://our-arca.de/DCstella/dindex.html ) for external references of the download page.
New PD ROM collection.
Fixed PD ROM link in download section.
Added a Nero image in download section.
By public demand, a single ROM autostart mode will be in the next version (docs for that and an example in form of a nero-image are up already)
Next version will be released when the next feature is included. If I do a release for every little feature included I might run out of letters ;-). Download the source, hack in something useful, send me the patch and a there will be a new release.

Modified the site design a bit (now using frames).
Stella version V0.2a is released: after reviving the sources from the dead, I decided to hack in Joypad (there was one guy eager to play Star Raiders again) and Booster Grip controllers to justify the step from V0.2 to V0.2a.
Today's the big day: source code release!

...older news have been delete or move into their proper sections...