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Darksoft

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I have a project idea in mind, which is porting Lindbergh games to another platform. For that we need a REAL EXPERT in Linux as this is a very complex project. Is there anyone there with that knowledge? Do you know of someone that could help for a price?

Please post your thoughts here.

Thanks!
 
I was a linux admin and redhat certified for a while. Not much of a dev though. If you think I can help, ping me. I still work with a few hundred very skilled linux folks.
 
Just brainstorming here but my 1st (probably soon to be crushed) theory is docker containers prebuilt with the right distro and kernel. Not really a port but might make the game able to be run in modern distros.
 
Basically the goal is to run Any of the Lindbergh games in another computer like i.e. any off the shelf PC or even better a TX2 which is commonly available and has a reasonable price.

Problem is that the kernel of the Lindbergh is compiled and we don't have the sources for i.e. the Baseboard (JVS that goes inside the Lindbergh).

So the first step would be to get that Montavista running in i.e. a TX2 without JVS driver and then get that Baseboard driver out of the kernel and put it somehow again in the newly generated kernel for the TX2. I say TX2 because most of them have a common configuration.

I'm not sure about calls to the graphic card, but if games call the graphic card in a neutral way, it would accept another graphic card as soon as the kernel supports it. Worst case, it would require to modify the game executable in order to call the new graphic card in the way it's needed.

Why all the hassle? Because Lindberghs are getting harder to get and tend to fail A LOT compared to a TX2 or a ringedge,etc. so we want to make sure we can play them further on a newer platform.

Summarizing, we need someone that can get that montavista or compatible running on a new platform, remove and inject kernal drivers and if necessary modify binaries.

To be the closest possible to the original the solution requires to have a JVS PCI card in the TX2, although ideally it could use the existing JVS in the TX2.

Now, let's find the talent with the knowledge to do this! :thumbup:

P.S. Probably a TX2 won't be very powerful to run some games in HD, so we'll be looking at either a TX3 or a Ringedge I think.
 
Would the games run any different? More specifically, would they be able to run in higher resolutions?
 
It can be done. For example Outrun has a version already to run in HD.
 
Given (as mentioned) the hardware is getting harder to find, and I seem to recall @Mitsurugi-w saying multi kits are infrequently sold at this point, I ask very humbly @Darksoft does it make sense to release details of the PIC / CF used to make the multi kit possible?

I completely understand if for whatever reason that cannot happen, but I feel it's worth asking. I think if that info were to become accessible, many very smart people would be looking quite quickly whether we ask them to or not.
 
Getting a Ringedge to run Lindbergh games....fascinating if it is at all possible.

Is there still money in Lindbergh games either from multis being sold or the companies who made the games? I do wonder if more public info on the multi could help development/improvements.
 
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If this happens and we get all Lindbergh games running properly working on ringedge I will probably consider it although this is still running at the arcades....
 
My thing is it's harder for me to begin looking at the kernel and such, or point skilled devs to it, without that info. This could be irrelevant and my current multi might have the info I need, but not knowing the specifics that are already known by some would be a hurdle.

It is tough that it is still new enough to be of concern but totally understandable.
 
Yeah I think Hummer and ID5 were the last games released for it which were 2009, so the Lindbergh is reaching 10 years since end of Production.

Does Sega still consider these games within their Service window?
 
My thing is it's harder for me to begin looking at the kernel and such, or point skilled devs to it, without that info. This could be irrelevant and my current multi might have the info I need, but not knowing the specifics that are already known by some would be a hurdle.

It is tough that it is still new enough to be of concern but totally understandable.
The kernel is already available. There are several original CF available in mame.
 
Yeah I think Hummer and ID5 were the last games released for it which were 2009, so the Lindbergh is reaching 10 years since end of Production.

Does Sega still consider these games within their Service window?
I'd say 15 years is safer. There are still at least in Europe and Middle East many Lindberghs in Operation.
 
Oh I'm sure there will be many Lindberghs in service for many more years.

However, I think I a good test is Sega's own service window. After so many years Sega refuses to service (fix/supply parts for) these units. I think once Sega stops doing that, it makes for a reasonable point to start releasing information about these systems so that people can fix/replace it themselves. Maybe that's 15 years? maybe that's 5? I don't know.
 
Oh I'm sure there will be many Lindberghs in service for many more years.

However, I think I a good test is Sega's own service window. After so many years Sega refuses to service (fix/supply parts for) these units. I think once Sega stops doing that, it makes for a reasonable point to start releasing information about these systems so that people can fix/replace it themselves. Maybe that's 15 years? maybe that's 5? I don't know.
That also might cover it legally a bit. Part of the gray area with rom distribution was it's OK now (as far as I know, don't take this as legal advice) to supply software for machines that are no longer serviced or in production.

My high overview of the lindy may be wrong but my understanding is this... Primary boot IDE device is the CF, and the HDD is slave device/unencrypted (is this only for the multi?). My guess is the CF is what's secured by the PIC? Are the CF dumps in MAME unencrypted? Just trying to itemize assets here.
 
It would probably be better to write a loader of sorts for the games that is completely independent.

Kernel modules are built against a specific kernel version so creating a new image on different hardware would require us to use the same kernel as what was used on the Lindbergh. This might be ok for now, but could potentially cause issues 10 years down the road.

I'll see what I can get running.
 
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