DOSBox-SVN libretro

Upstream port of DOSBox-SVN to libretro.

Requirements

• SDL 1.2
• SDL net 1.2

Setting up a build environment on Windows

To build on Windows we recommend MSYS2 (https://www.msys2.org/). Install MSYS2, and follow these instructions:

Update Environment

Start the MSYS2 shell and run:

pacman --noconfirm -Sy
pacman --needed --noconfirm -S bash pacman pacman-mirrors msys2-runtime

Restart MSYS2 and run:

pacman --noconfirm -Su

Install the Toolchain

For 32-bit builds run:

pacman -S --noconfirm --needed wget git make mingw-w64-i686-toolchain mingw-w64-i686-ntldd mingw-w64-i686-zlib mingw-w64-i686-pkg-config mingw-w64-i686-SDL2 mingw-w64-i686-SDL mingw-w64-i686-SDL_net

For 64-bit builds run:

pacman -S --noconfirm --needed wget git make mingw-w64-x86_64-toolchain mingw-w64-x86_64-ntldd mingw-w64-x86_64-zlib mingw-w64-x86_64-pkg-config mingw-w64-x86_64-SDL2 mingw-w64-x86_64-SDL mingw-w64-x86_64-SDL_net

Setting up a build environment on Linux

You need to install the libsdl1.2 and libsdlnet1.2 development headers, refer to your distribution documentation for reference. Alternatively you can build with WITH_FAKE_SDL=1

Compilation

Clone the repository and update submodules

git clone git@git.retromods.org:dev/dosbox-svn.git
git submodule update --init
git fetch libretro
git checkout libretro

Now enter the repo directory and build:

cd dosbox-svn
cd libretro
make -j8

If you want to enable the dynarec:

make -j8 WITH_DYNAREC=$ABI

The valid ABI choices are arm, oldarm, x86_64, x86, ppc

Features

• Up-to-date with the latest DOSBox-SVN trunk.
• Configure everything on the fly without relying on configuration files.
• Different timing methods to suit your usecase. Play your games at perfect sync without tearing on variable refresh rate monitors on supported frontends (RetroArch).
• DOSBox-SVN upstream file system overlay support (VOGONS thread).
• Portability, DOSBox-SVN libretro is currently available on:
  • Android (with dynarec support)
  • Linux (with dynarec support)
  • Mac OSX (with dynarec support on x86/x64 hardware)
  • Switch (with dynarec support) (RetroArch)
  • Wii U (RetroArch)
  • Windows (with dynarec support)
• External MIDI support (Windows, Linux) (RetroArch)
• Mouse emulation via gamepad
• Emulate keyboard and gamepad with a single physical device (RetroArch)

Future Ideas

• CD-ROM image automount
• IPX

Usage

You can load exe, bat, iso, cue, and conf files directly

Notes:

• Standalone DOSBox hotkeys do not work, you need to use libretro core options. Check your libretro frontend documentation for more information.

• You can also insert disk media at runtime by using the libretro disk control interface. Check your libretro frontend documentation for more information.

• The SDL keymapper is not available, you can remap keyboard and gamepad buttons using the libretro controllers API. Check your libretro frontend documentation for more information.

• To use the overlay filesystem functionality enable it under core options. Once that is enabled, data changed on the session will be saved under your frontend's save directory, named after the parent directory name of your game.

For example assuming you load: C:\Games\DOS\Commander Keen 5 - The Armageddon Machine (1991)\CKEEN5.exe, your data will be saved in RETROARCH SAVE DIRECTORY\Commander Keen 5 - The Armageddon Machine (1991). In this particular case the following files were created on that dir:

CONFIG.CK5 SAVEGAM0.CK5 SAVEGAM1.CK5

The overlay filesystem allows you to have portability for your save data, but it may have issues with some games so it's disabled by default.

Features marked (RetroArch) are features not currently tested or available on other libretro frontends