ARS-emu version 0.9.3-beta

This is the first beta version that can be considered functional on all target platforms. Full changes:

• The Windows version can load Game Archives now.
• The Mac version no longer hangs forever on machines with more than 2 hardware threads. (Thanks @ndryden!)
• The Linux version no longer corrupts the screen on machines with more than 2 hardware threads.
• A -j option, allowing you to choose how many hardware threads are used, was added.
• SimpleConfig is now in the Game Folder format instead of the "legacy" ROM format, and is therefore possible to use again.
• Info.plist for Mac version updated:
  • Now fully specifies Game Folders and Game Archives, and uses UTIs in accordance with Apple guidelines.
  • Role changed from Viewer to Shell. This should let you treat ARS games as if they were applications.
  • Application marked as high-DPI aware. (The code was already high-DPI aware, but macOS doesn't believe you unless you tell it so in your Info.plist)

ARS-emu version 0.9.2-beta

This version fixes a bug that prevented expansion devices like the config port from working at all.

Please note that there is still a major bug on at least the Windows version, which prevents zipped Game Folders from working correctly, and the Mac version, which prevents the emulator from working at all. I'm working on a fix.

ARS-emu version 0.9.1-beta

This release fixes a minor issue regarding rom/ram tags with empty IDs.

ARS-emu version 0.9-beta

There are only two significant things about this release.

1. I no longer consider this to be alpha software. Minor features are still missing, and polish is still needed all around, but it's beta now, baby!
2. The old, 16-byte-header-based ROM format is gone forever. In its place is a higan-style Game Folder system. If you like your ROMs old-style, zip the Game Folder and voila. If you prefer the higan way, unzip instead. Meanwhile, any ARS game can take advantage of the flexible new manifest.bml. Hurray!

This second thing means that compatibility with all existing ROM images is broken. As far as I know, everyone who has produced any ARS software was prepared for this. (That's not exactly a long list.)

ARS-emu version 0.8-alpha

The main new feature of this release is better video code, including optional scanline and NTSC artifact simulation.

Other changes:

• Major internal restructuring. The code is more maintainable now.
• Finalized clock speeds after extensive testing with real hardware.
• Minor usability improvements to the debug core.

ARS-emu version 0.7-alpha

This release mainly fixes some bugs in the PPU emulation. Full changes:

• BGFG actually works correctly now.
• CRAM index #0 is no longer treated as transparent in sprites.
• Added a slightly spiffy, super slow VRAM visualizer to aid debugging.
• Improved sound quality a little bit by restoring the missing lowpass filter.
• Closed a hole that would allow nonstandard configuration code to run if the programmer was crafty enough.

ARS-emu version 0.6-alpha

The last expected hardware change has been made: stereo! And, when you give a mouse a cookie...

• Basic controller support has been added. @AdmiralPotato tricked me into doing it (by asking very nicely for it).
• Stereo mixing. APU voices may now be panned center/left/right/"boosted". Believe it or not, the ability to boost triangle waves was the killer app for this feature, not the stereo mixing per se...
• The sound code no longer requires SDL 2.0.4 or later. ARS-emu will now work back as far as 2.0.2. The change comes with a new, super spiffy automatic clock skew compensator.
• Specific support for headphones, quadraphonic sound, and 3.1/4.0/5.1/7.1 surround sound has been added. The quadraphonic and surround modes are untested.
• The Audio submenu of the configuration screen is now functional. (Next stop, video!)
• ROMs that embed SimpleConfig may now use it to configure the emulator without requiring that pesky -C option. (-C is still required to run nonstandard configuration code, though, just to be properly paranoid.)

ARS-emu version 0.5-alpha

The hardware is pretty stable, and the emulator seems to lack any exciting bugs, so it's time for the first release. Lots of quality-of-life features are missing (including audio/video configuration!) but it's usable for playing games now.