ZodTTD: Home Of Homebrew

I’m really interested in how I should rework virtual controls for my emulators. I am in the process of re-doing them completely. I’d like to make a separate image for each button, and have them placed on the screen, at very least, by a default configuration. Possibly adding an option to the settings screen where skins are selected to preview and move the buttons on the screen and save the setting. It should work on the iPad really well this way too. Sound good?

Ask me anything related to my software development!

I am. I have a PS3 SixAxis controller in hand due to a kind donator. PS3 controllers are able to be implemented, I just need to make a Win32 & Mac friendly desktop application for pairing the device to the Apple iDevice. So yes, it will require pairing the controller to a desktop before being able to be used, which I consider a huge usage limitation. What do you think? Still worth prioritizing?

Ask me anything related to my software development!

There is definitely a Nintendo DS emulator in the works, with the intent of having an ARM dynamic recompiler for higher performance on supported devices. It’s not easy to emulate, and the author is working hard on writing this from the ground up. Expect it to only run decently, if that, on 3rd and 4th gen Apple hardware. It’s not going to come soon, but it might come in due time. Thanks.

Ask me anything related to my software development!

Yes. There’s been a few updates that have come out, but they’ve been difficult to get working on the iPhone platform due to some subtle differences. I plan on having an iPad specific “n64ipad” version roll out after “psx4ipad” as well.

Ask me anything related to my software development!

As you may know I ported the open source project OpenTTD, based on Transport Tycoon Deluxe by Chris Sawyer, to Apple’s iPhone & iPod Touch then to the iPad. Both versions were placed on App Store. Both of them we’re pulled by request of Rubidium of the OpenTTD team. The latest blow, the removal of OpenTTD for iPad hurt the most. It was very fun, and was doing very well – Top 20 of all iPad games! I even had a short $500/day ad campaign pre-paid to AdMob to help support it’s movement up the rankings, made right before it was pulled.

Why was it pulled though? Simple answer is “no good reason”. Both were released for free. OpenTTD is GPL licensed, and I have the entire source code for the project place in my public GitHub source repository which I linked to within the iTunes product page to comply. I also made sure to place the license in the splash screen of the game to comply. The product page has a contact link, but I was never contacted before the two pull requests. Instead I found out by Apple that Rubidium had made the request. Odd thing is I was in their IRC channel (internet chat) the entire time and was never spoken to there either.

When OpenTTD for iPad was pulled, I contacted Rubidium again. He expressed his concerns about a lack of license and source, as to which I pointed him to both. I was very surprised by the negativity I was receiving by the OpenTTD team. I was trying very hard to comply with their requests, and being as polite as possible. When I finally asked Rubidium whether he has any intent to let Apple know they should stop the pull request, even if it means I must do some odd unrequired tasks they requested, he wouldn’t reply.

All in all it’s been very much an uphill battle to place this open source project up on Apple’s App Store even though it’s free and in compliance. Let it be known they have no intention to bring OpenTTD officially to App Store, as they have expressed that to me when explaining they lost their Mac OS X developer. When I spoke up and explained that I can bring my iPhoneOS version of OpenTTD to Mac OS X with ease they expressed no interest.

I love OpenTTD. I love Apple products. I want to see OpenTTD on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Mac OS X.

So what will it take? Simply having Rubidium write to Apple to let them know this issue has been resolved and I can continue to update and release OpenTTD on the App Store.

How can you help? Easy!

Send the OpenTTD Team a donation of any amount directly via my ChipIn campaign here: http://openttd.chipin.com/openttd-for-ipad-and-iphone

No matter what the amount, whether $1 or $100, by sending a donation via my campaign it will signal to them very quickly that we want OpenTTD by way of a note and your full donation to their PayPal.

Can’t donate? S’ok! Please sign the petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/ttd4all/petition.html

I made the first donation of a large $100 to start things off. I hope the OpenTTD team sees just how much we want their support, and how far we’ll go to see this project maintain their openness to new platforms.

Thanks so much,

ZodTTD

Hello all,

I missed you! Yes, it really has been over four months since we last spoke. But I’m back and ready to go!

So what have I been doing these past few months? Truthfully I’ve been trying to get outside more and enjoy the world. I spent nearly two years straight programming all day and night. It really ruined my social life. I took the time to find balance in my life. I didn’t post here for so long in hopes things calmed down. People were posting very nasty things, and I just couldn’t handle it at the time.

No worries though, as I have been working hard, in spurts, on many projects for not only the iPhone & iPod Touch, but the iPad as well! I made sure to fund comex with an iPad so he could work on the iPad jailbreak. I also have been keeping close tabs on geohot’s work. The good news is, we’re just in a waiting state. The jailbreaks are prepped to go. So whether it’s 3.1.3 on the iPod Touch 3rd Gen, 3.2 on the iPad, or 4.0 on the iPhone…it’s prepped.

This all has me very excited to bring my emulators on to the iPad. As you can see, I have released some videos of the iPhone versions of snes4iphone and n64iphone running on the iPad during the iPad’s release. They are available on my blip.tv video host here: http://zodttd.blip.tv. The WiiMote is already supported and tested to work on the jailbroken iPad as well! I’m working on iPad specific emulators that take advantage of the extra resolution to allow for better full screen controls that don’t get in the way of the action. I have friends such as westbaer ready to work on a general frontend/launcher for all my emulators. This can allow for easy updating of the user interface. I also want to add per game configurations.

I also am working on a few iPad specific App Store titles. I released OpenTTD for iPad which was a huge success, making the top 20 iPad games! But OpenTTD’s team sent a pull request to Apple and it was taken down nearly instantly. I will be making a post to see if I can get some support in getting it back up. Stay tuned for that.

In non-Apple related news, I have released Card Drop Deluxe on Intel’s AppUp store for netbooks. I am working on psx4pandora on the OpenPandora handheld. I might get a Nokia N900 to help support the port of my psx4all project’s port to that device. But most impressive of all is the 1300+ signatures received for me to support Android developments of VLC and some higher end emulators. It can be seen and supported here (http://www.petitiononline.com/ZodAndro) I’m working on getting a new Nexus One (as my previous one is on loan to a friend) so I can start developing on it.

As for this site, I plan to keep things very simple here. I will blog, and maintain a wiki for my projects. I really want to keep things friendly without the need to moderate much. So please be kind to others.

So I welcome you back with open arms and I’m glad to be back.

Thanks,

ZodTTD

P.S. Be sure to use the contact form to reach me directly. If you didn’t receive a response to your previous contacts I may not have received them. Please resend.

Update: I have released heavily updated versions of n64iphone. Current version 0.7.0 improves performance and sound quality. – ZodTTD

It is finally out as of 22nd of December. This is an early release version however so not everything is finished. Everything is included except save states and landscape screen modes. You can still save games via the memory card.

This emulator is currently only compatible on the iPhone 3gs and iPod Touch 3rd Gen. No first or second gen devices will run this emulator due to requiring a newer version of OpenGL ES.

Controls work either by onscreen display controls + accelerometer or by connecting via BlueTooth a Nintendo WiiMote controls and it’s own accelerometer, just like the nes4iphone release.

read more

I would like some constructive user feedback from nes4iphone users on ways to improve the software. I’d like to avoid the flame wars that have occurred over this software.

That being said, I am working on bringing both snes4iphone and nes4iphone to Cydia so that it will no longer be exclusive to RockApp. So the hardcore Cydia fans will get what has been highly requested assuming all goes well.

From what I gather, there is still room for compatibility. I’ve heard reports of games like Punchout having issues though I haven’t confirmed whether it’s a “hacked ROM” issue. There is also the issue that the WiiMote control system, while it works fine, does take up more CPU processing power than it seemingly should. I am planning on working on performance of nes4iphone so that it runs 100% smoothly even with WiiMote on the slower 1st gen iPhone and iPod Touch.

I am purchasing a PS3 controller in the morning thanks to two very kind donators. It seems PS3 controllers for use with my emulators will become a reality like WiiMote is. This is all thanks to the BTstack project!

Thanks and eagerly awaiting feedback,

ZodTTD

read more

I just got back from my vacation. I was speaking to Craig “Craigix” Rothwell who is leading the OpenPandora homebrew gaming handheld just now. He showed me a picture his partner Michael Weston took of a fully manufactured Pandora.

After contacting “MWeston” I found out he just uploaded this video of the Pandora on YouTube:

For more information on this awesome gadget making it’s way into the hands of many very soon, check out these links:

Pandora Homepage

Pandora Wikipedia Entry

I am eagerly awaiting a fully assembled Pandora to continue my work with psx4pandora, the Sony Playstation 1 emulator for it. My Pandora MK2 (second generation test board) is somewhere around Michael Weston’s place. In the meantime I can just stare at this lovely picture:

And now I go back to work on the iPhone sort…whipcrack anyone?

- ZodTTD

P.S. Anyone else find MWeston’s name familiar? It could be due to watching the USA TV series show Burn Notice. So while some may think of MWeston as a hardware hacker, I think of him as a super spy. Perhaps the TV series’ writers are avid OpenPandora fans. If not, they should be.

Hi everyone! Just a quick note that I’m currently taking a much needed vacation and will be back into the full swing of things by December 7th. I have limited internet connectivity, but feel free to use the contact page to reach me.

Thanks so much!
ZodTTD