Saturn and Netlink Info - Help Needed

Warp2063 · Post by **Warp2063** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 6:21 am

Well, just another update to show that this project isn't dead. I'm just about ready to build some test circuits, and if all goes well with those, a prototype telephone line simulator. I'll compile the new parts list this week and order the components on Friday.

If all goes well with this, this circuit will make it possible to directly connect two Saturns and Netlinks and play a multiplayer game in the same room. Once I have that working, I can start working on the over-the-internet part.

XL2K5 · Post by **XL2K5** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:43 pm

Awesome news! Good job! This summer, I worked on the program for like on week. I didn't have much free time since then, so I've put it on hold waiting for you to complete your simulator. I came to the conclusion that it's unlikely we could make a program to allow people to play online unless they have excellent internet connection, but that it should be ok for lan games (Like, if your 2 Saturns aren't in the same room, we can route the data from one computer to the other). Good luck!

grolt · Post by **grolt** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:56 pm

This news is really awesome, thank you both so much for working on these. If I knew a lick about hardware I'd certainly be trying something like this too. I really hope an online version comes to surface - imagine all the gaming, competitions and stats we could log. Man, it would be great!

Post by **Xranger60** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:08 am

Had to chime in again- this is awesome. I'm glad you are really close to accomplishing LAN style play between 2 saturns. This is a huge first step and something that will be appreciated by anyone who has wanted to play with 2 saturns and NetLinks in one house- me included.

HoboJoe · Post by **HoboJoe** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:35 pm

Warp if you ever wanna test it over a kind of local internet connection, if you get it working, tell me, and I'll bring my saturn up when I go home again (which isnt often)

Warp2063 · Post by **Warp2063** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:36 pm

Yup, I've still got your offer in mind. Thanks!

Silence the Fallen · Post by **Silence the Fallen** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 7:09 am

This is awesome! I have been wondering if something like this would be possible for quite some time, but I certainly had no idea of how to go about it. I'm somewhat technically inclined...

I have 2 saturns, 2 netlinks and doubles of some of the Netlink games but because most people I know have switched their phone service to VOIP, I have been unsuccessful at connecting a Netlink game.

If you all manage to pull this off it's going to be incredible. I know it has to be a lot of work and very time consuming, but at least this gives me hope that I will eventually put my netlink stuff to use!

XL2K5 · Post by **XL2K5** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 12:02 pm

I just played my first Netlink game yesterday.
I use a conventionnal phone line now, while my brother uses voip phone.
It lagged if he dialed me (so he was the host) but when I dialed him it worked flawlessly
Duke Nukem was quite fun, except that you cannot chat ingame, which is weird in a coop game. Deathmatch wasn't too fun, the maps are too huge for only 2 players.
Oh, and btw, for those wondering, I confirm it : If you don't own an original game, just do the swaptrick like usual, and you can play easily after. If it connects fine, your Saturn won't reset, so no need to do double-swap trick (we tried with Bomberman, it worked fine)

Now, about the Online Netlink, to play on internet we have to find a solution. Like, which one would be faster : "Translated" the Netlink's data into tcp/ip data, send it by internet, then convert it back to sound for the Netlink or just stream the sound online?

Streaming would be easier, but any lag would just kill the connection (the Netlinks would loose their sync), while translating would give you a bigger margin of errors, but it's more complicated and the double-translation process would cause extra delay, maybe way too much for the Netlink.

Warp2063 · Post by **Warp2063** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:48 pm

I have my ideas on how to accomplish the internet part; but I'm not ready to talk about them yet. I want to see if there's any chance that they'd work first.

There have been a few hitches on the hardware part so far; I ordered the parts for the main circuit, and hopefully I ordered everything I'll need... but I'm utilizing a microcontroller in the circuit to make it much simpler to build. I bought and received the parts to build a programmer for the microcontroller... but only found out afterwards that it doesn't support the microcontroller that I chose. So, I either have to switch to a different microcontroller, see if I can modify the programmer so that it works with my chip, or buy an official programmer (which comes with really nice official software, which would be really nice). If I go for the last option, I have to make another choice: do I order the current version now, or wait for January, when they're releasing a newer model...

Fun times. Back to researching the programmer issue!

XL2K5 · Post by **XL2K5** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 11:18 pm

Good luck for all that.
The hardware part seems pretty complicated.
Any idea if we should translate the Netlink code or streaming the sound?
and any idea how to translate the code?

Post by **Xranger60** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:31 am

Warp, it seems like the choice is influenced by what will be in the new version of that programmer. If it really offers useful things for this purpose, then wait. But if not, you would be justified with buying it now.

Warp2063 · Post by **Warp2063** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:36 pm

Well, I went ahead and ordered a microcontroller flasher. I don't think I will need the additional features (or extra software) from the newer version coming out in January.

I hope it arrives soon... but I'll probably have to wait until next week... after all the other stuff gets here. Oh well.

Post by **Xranger60** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:20 pm

Very cool. I can't wait to see how this all comes together.

Warp2063 · Post by **Warp2063** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:45 pm

Well, yesterday in the mailbox I found a delivery failure notice - the mail person came by and tried to deliver the box, but because it required a signature and no one was there, they couldn't leave it. So... I went to the post office and picked it up. Later that evening I hooked it up and tried it out... but I found out that it was only half of what I needed. Fortunately, since the second half's simplest form is a bunch of wires... I was able to build the rest of the device from the parts I'd already bought trying to build this thing in the first place. It also seems that in attempting to test my original programmer circuit (the one I tried to build in the first place), I must have fried the microcontroller. But that's why I bought a spare! And now I know I can write to/read from these chips.

Onto writing its program!

Post by **Xranger60** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:52 pm

Thanks for the progress update Warp. Awesome that you have all the equipment you need now, and may that program be finished quickly.

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Saturn and Netlink Info - Help Needed