Development Update
Added 2022-10-28 18:10:40 +0000 UTCThings have not been going as planned lately. First, the electrical installation in the office needed major works and we have been having an electrician breaking the walls to pass cables through and causing all sorts of havoc. This has been quite a distraction.
Secondly, ramping up our new hire is proving more time consuming than expected. We had to abort trying to improve the FOSS tool for coverage. The task was just too much for his current abilities and while I tried to guide and help him, it was quite frustrating to me too. So for this week, I went for a different approach and ask him to work on a more constrained and simpler task. And we managed to produce something useful for the community. We now have a version of the M68000 CPU verilog code that runs on FOSS tools (see branch fix6). This will allow other FPGA developers to simulate their designs using the fast and open-source Verilator simulator. I had tried to get the original author of the M68000 core to do the job on a generous fee, but he refused to. The Verilator team also refused to implement the required changes. So eventually I decided to make a fork for simulations. Anyway, I hope this helps bringing more cores to our FPGA platforms from the whole community, not just me.
Work on the CPS3 schematics progressed well. For those daring to load the schematics in KiCAD, all the work is being done in public in the “sch” branch of the JTCPS repository in GitHub. So you can see daily progress there.
I spent time on Out Run too and although I got improvements, I still have a problem with the road lines disappearing that prevented today’s release. This should be a small thing, easy to fix and I feel bad about not having it ready for today. People have been complaining about having fewer releases lately. It makes me wonder whether the idea of having a larger team was good or not. But I am sure that some things would take forever if I work alone, or will simply never get done. So please bear with me while the team ramps up on their skills.
Español
Las cosas no han ido según lo planeado últimamente. Primero, la instalación eléctrica en la oficina necesitaba obras importantes y hemos tenido un electricista rompiendo las paredes para pasar los cables y causando todo tipo de estragos. Esto ha sido toda una distracción.
En segundo lugar, entrenar al nuevo desarrollador está llevando más tiempo de lo esperado. Tuvimos que abortar el intento de mejorar la herramienta FOSS para cobertura. Sencillamente era demasiado para sus habilidades actuales y, aunque traté de guiarlo y ayudarlo, también fue bastante frustrante para mí.
Asi que, para esta semana, opté por un enfoque diferente y le pedí que trabajara en una tarea más simple y limitada. Y logramos producir algo útil para la comunidad. Ahora tenemos una versión del código verilog de la CPU M68000 que se ejecuta en las herramientas FOSS (en la rama fix6). Esto permitirá que otros desarrolladores de FPGA simulen sus diseños utilizando el simulador Verilator: rápido y de código abierto.
Intenté que el autor original del codigo del M68000 hiciera el trabajo por una tarifa generosa, pero se negó. Como he dicho muchas veces, los desarrolladores de código abierto normalmente no están interesados
en mantener su trabajo. Espero que esta versión del M68000 ayude a traer más núcleos a nuestras plataformas FPGA de parte de toda la comunidad, no solo de mí.
El trabajo en los esquemas de CPS3 progresó bien. Para aquellos que se atrevan a cargar los esquemas en KiCAD, todo el trabajo se está haciendo en público en la rama "sch" del repositorio JTCPS en GitHub. Se puede ver el progreso diario allí.
También pasé tiempo en Out Run y, aunque obtuve mejoras, todavía tengo un problema con la desaparición de las líneas de la carretera que impidió el lanzamiento de hoy. Esto debería ser algo pequeño, fácil de arreglar y me siento mal por no tenerlo listo para hoy. La gente se ha estado quejando de tener menos lanzamientos últimamente. Me hace cuestionarme si la idea de tener un equipo más grande era buena o no. Pero estoy seguro de que algunas cosas tomarían una eternidad si trabajo solo, o simplemente nunca se harían. Así que pido un poco de paciencia conmigo mientras el equipo se pone a punto.
Comments
3 months late, but plz send the new hire some pizza for me! Keep up awesome work!
Andrew Kaczrowski
2023-01-28 01:20:00 +0000 UTCTake your time and keep on keeping on! Your work is extremely appreciated! My humble advice would be to focus on Mister more instead of the Pocket (which isn’t even accessible to most…) but hey that’s just me!
Tannis_root
2022-11-01 23:30:00 +0000 UTCOut Run will take as long as it takes. Keep up the good work.
Bald Lion
2022-11-01 18:00:16 +0000 UTCThanks for the transparency, and keep up the good work!
Gonzalo López
2022-10-31 10:06:05 +0000 UTCThanks for the update 🙂
Salvador Perugorria Lorente
2022-10-30 19:54:11 +0000 UTCAgreeing with most of people here. Indeed, getting new people and a team to ramp up can be a long and frustrating process which must be conducted in an "adaptative" manner. Keep up the good work.
sourdille
2022-10-30 10:43:49 +0000 UTCPreaching with the choir here, but as long as you have a team and are giving us updates, I’m happy to keep paying. As someone who has suffered through burnout, I have to agree that growing the team and passing on your skills - no matter how long it takes - *will* pay off in the long-run. Regardless of whether it pays off through this work, social connections, future opportunities, or the often unseen impact of you creating a job that feeds/clothes/houses a family, you are doing a noble thing. In I.T. the smartest people are sometimes the ones that silo information, in an effort to stay on top, stay “valuable”, and give themselves a sense of job security. Not only does this lock in a single point of failure, but it stifles development, limits creativity, and bakes bias into work they create or maintain. The true rockstars are the folks that grow others, share information, enable and encourage innovative approaches, and calmly consider both positive and negative user and peer feedback. Thank you for doing the right thing \m/
Ben Cooper
2022-10-30 00:34:55 +0000 UTCI’m going to echo the rest of the sentiments here. It’s OK if things take time. I agree with most everyone here in that I support you on Patreon because of your diligence to accuracy, not for speeding through work to push things out the door quickly. You have a well-proven track record of delivering solid releases and providing transparent updates on you and your team’s progress. When things like this happen, it’s OK to slow down a little and take a breath. Speaking only for myself, as much as I’m eager for a NGPC core, it’s far more important to me that you and your team are working in a healthy manner. There are going to be times where lots of things aren’t going well and/or tensions are rising quickly. I’d much rather hear that you and the team took a couple days off to relax and regroup as opposed to everyone crunching to force your way through it. I was happy to read that when you and the new hire were both getting frustrated, you switched gears to work on something else. It takes a while for someone new to get up to speed, and investing in helping someone else grow their skills helps everyone out in the long run. There’s no sense in burning both of you out trying to force some progress out the door. Sorry, I’m rambling. Please don’t put extra pressure on yourself or your team. There’s absolutely no shortage of games for all of us to play. Regardless of how excited we all are for new releases, it doesn’t have to come at the expense of you and your team’s well being. Just keep working at a pace that supports you and your team’s health and the quality of your releases, and we’ll enjoy the results whenever it’s ready to share.
Tatton Partington
2022-10-29 18:13:39 +0000 UTCNot to worry about the Outrun core, we know it's coming, I can't imagine how much work goes into creating a core, it's great that you're making progress. I'm sure the frustration of training up the new hire will reduce as they get used to things. Having trained people up in my job I understand how sometimes it can get so frustrating that you just want to do it yourself as it's quicker but I'm sure given time they'll get there and hopefully ease the load you have. :-)
Rob Beard
2022-10-29 18:11:03 +0000 UTCdear jotego, even if you never released another core, i would remain your patron forever, in thanks for what youve already done. you've made miracles happen for all of us. what you make is more than code, its art, and a labor of love. stay strong!
Hentai Joe
2022-10-29 17:47:02 +0000 UTCThe growing pains will pass. I think you're doing the right thing in growing the team.
Per Almered
2022-10-29 16:33:22 +0000 UTCI absolutely agree with the above comments. I will always be a supporter of your efforts to preserve and entertain. I really don't track releases... I know that good things are in the works and hope that the preponderance of the community will continue to support the long term goals irrespective of frequency/infrequency of releases. Thank you for all the gifts you have given us so far, and for those still to come. Demon Front, baby!!! ;-)
John Figueroa
2022-10-29 12:46:32 +0000 UTCGood things take time. The vast majority of your supporters will be patient about it. I’m excited about what the future holds from your team.
Michael Deutsch
2022-10-29 12:28:16 +0000 UTCPlease don't feel bad about slow releases, you have already released so much, there is no rush, take the time you need to get the team running.
Todd Lemons
2022-10-29 10:19:10 +0000 UTCHi joe don't panic cores come out when your ready and happy to release them Roame was not built in a day,im glad your'e doin'g this at all.
Nathan
2022-10-29 09:53:20 +0000 UTCCertainly. It looks like I didn't express myself correctly so I have edited the post.
JOTEGO
2022-10-29 09:08:32 +0000 UTC👍
Themistocles
2022-10-29 09:07:11 +0000 UTCI am sorry about that.
JOTEGO
2022-10-29 09:05:28 +0000 UTCI agree, yes. October has been a bad month despite all the effort.
JOTEGO
2022-10-29 09:03:09 +0000 UTCWise words :-)
JOTEGO
2022-10-29 08:48:01 +0000 UTCI fail to see the misrespect to Ijor. We are in excellent terms and we have collaborated often but he is just not interested in making his code compatible with Verilator and the Verilator team is not interested in fixing the tool either. Even though I offered to pay for the development. I am not proposing a replacement for his work, but a way around running simulations. The reference design is his. What we did is just a dirty hack to make simulations work assuming that the core developer will use the module as a black box in simulation. I hope people will compile with the original version and use the hacked one for simulation with verilator or iverilog.
JOTEGO
2022-10-29 08:47:04 +0000 UTCSounds like you and the team should go out and have a dinner or something. Having fun is the ultimate driver. No need to stress anything. Take your time what's the hurry? You guys are doing amazing work! Please just slow down and relax. Things are done when they're ready. If it just happens to be on a Friday or not that doesn't matter. Don't give people expectations upfront, it will just burn you out. Instead, drop teaser videos of the progress like you do, but do not commit to release dates. Your work over the last years have given us more than anyone could have dreamt for. Take care, and have fun! 😀
Richard Eng
2022-10-29 05:47:05 +0000 UTCWe have a lot of time. Just breathing and going on. It will be good. thanks.
추리하다
2022-10-29 05:35:17 +0000 UTCI've been a Patreon from the start but this update is slightly disturbing. It is not very nice to Ijor the developer of FX68k verilog. I've looked at the changes to FX68k in branch fix6 and they are the worst kind of Lint fix hack bodge. The kind of changes stop a tool giving warnings but breaks functionality. If it was submitted as pull request here it would be rejected. There is a distinct lack of respect in this post. I hope it's just that you were having a bad day
Alexander Holland
2022-10-29 05:27:22 +0000 UTCThankyou for the update Jose.patience is much easier to have when you are kept updated and in the loop, not knowing is always worse, and from what you described, your situation has been chaotic and very tricky to micro manage..good luck with the near future and we are grateful for all you do amigo.
Lee Turner
2022-10-29 00:39:50 +0000 UTCI understand we can't have new stuff all the time and the team needs to learn the necessary skills. I appreciate the communication around all of the projects. You are free to give us a MAME port of CPS3 while we wait though ^_^
Steven
2022-10-28 23:44:47 +0000 UTCPlease, please, please take your time onboarding your team. We can wait.😊
AdrienAG
2022-10-28 23:37:19 +0000 UTCThanks for taking the time to set a good foundation for future development! The team is still developing their skills but only good things will come from these changes!
PolloLoco
2022-10-28 23:02:51 +0000 UTCtakes as long as it takes, its daunting enough hiring new staff let alone then moving office straight after. it will all settle down. Keep going :)
Mark Saunders
2022-10-28 22:22:31 +0000 UTCOnboarding people take time do not worry. On the other side no one expect a perfect release of outrun. See the core improve is as good as playing it in a perfect state. Going to spend the evening with the new saturn alfa, just to make an example. Keep up the good work, and to the new hires, DO NOT FRUSTRATE YOURSELF
Andrea Bogazzi
2022-10-28 21:39:00 +0000 UTCIt is time to growth. So, don't worry, It will worth it, no doubt ;)
Luis Miguel Lobo
2022-10-28 21:12:45 +0000 UTCBigger team will pay on the long term. It was the right choice 👍🏻
Fed
2022-10-28 20:28:25 +0000 UTCI wouldn't sweat the delays .Once you have the office and the tools in place I am sure some amazing things will happen .The work you have done to this point still amazes me and see something like Outrun progressing is astonishing .Designing cores and software are not easy otherwise everyone would be doing it .Never feel bad about not releasing .Release when it's ready and when your happy with stuff .The best to you and your staff
Mary Marshall
2022-10-28 20:23:50 +0000 UTCTao of Programming 3.4: A manager went to the Master Programmer and showed him the requirements document for a new application. The manager asked the Master: "How long will it take to design this system if I assign five programmers to it?" "It will take one year," said the Master promptly. "But we need this system immediately or even sooner! How long will it take if I assign ten programmers to it?" The Master Programmer frowned. "In that case, it will take two years." "And what if I assign a hundred programmers to it?" The Master Programmer shrugged. "Then the design will never be completed," he said.
Muriel Melvin
2022-10-28 20:11:02 +0000 UTCI started being a Patreon (for the first time) to support the huge amount of cores you were releasing, but I’m staying because these very honest updates and insight in the development process. Growing is difficult, but you’ll eventually get there, and are learning incredible lessons on the way. Just keep up the good work that is being done! Kudos to all the team.
SuperKeeks
2022-10-28 20:10:17 +0000 UTCWay I see it this is a marathon not a race
LiteUp X
2022-10-28 19:50:15 +0000 UTCYay for the M68000 work. In the long run that will prove to be much more important than the exact releasedate of a 35 year old game imho :)
fierman
2022-10-28 19:44:49 +0000 UTCIt takes time to do what you’re doing, people need to understand this and be patient. You’ve completed some awesome stuff for us and I’m looking forward to future core releases. Stay the course and keep up the good work👍
LiteUp X
2022-10-28 19:40:56 +0000 UTCBuilding a team takes patience and time. It's OK. I support what you're trying to do.
Ronan Amicel
2022-10-28 19:22:16 +0000 UTCNo worries Jotego, making miracles takes time. Happy birthday also!!
Jose Luis Sánchez
2022-10-28 19:17:22 +0000 UTCRamping up new developers is really hard. Patience is key. Don't get discouraged. Take your time.
Kevin Clough
2022-10-28 19:14:35 +0000 UTCIt'll always takes time to bring up a new/fresh team until everybody find their marks, but it will give amazing end results as long as everybody is motivated!
Thorias
2022-10-28 19:12:09 +0000 UTCThank you for the update and I think it's totally understandable to have some extra time adapting to a bigger team and difficulties around that. It will be for the best long term and there's no expectation of releases or no releases
Jeremy W
2022-10-28 19:11:22 +0000 UTCJosé, you have been doing a great job these last three years. However, I think you might be losing focus with you moving, and the whole "analogue pocket" thing. I will continue to support you, but please consider going back to the way you were working before.
lamarax
2022-10-28 18:58:33 +0000 UTCSometimes you have to go slower to go faster
HissingMonkey
2022-10-28 18:53:45 +0000 UTCGrowing pains are normal and you can not expect juniors to have experience and alot of field hands on real knowledge. It takes 3-6 months to get somebody (if base knowledge is there) on track to be usable.
Filip Kindt
2022-10-28 18:50:04 +0000 UTCJust take your time. This is just for entertainment and not life and death. Thanks for your hard work though. Can't believe people complaining about not having more releases!
Shen mue
2022-10-28 18:49:08 +0000 UTCThanks for the update! You're doing a great job, I'm sure expanding the team is the right decision in the long run! Outrun just seems to be extra difficult but you can do it! No problem with less releases because we know how hard you're working for everything!
Lukas Schaper
2022-10-28 18:38:32 +0000 UTCThat... Was not a nice comment about the new hire. No need for that.
Themistocles
2022-10-28 18:38:27 +0000 UTCSiempre es de agradecer la sinceridad y la explicaciones que das (cuando realmente no tienes por qué darlas). Simplemente ánimo y tranquilo, ya saldrán las cosas cuando tengan que salir.
Jawler
2022-10-28 18:38:12 +0000 UTCHey JT, not a problem, happy to support your work and look forward to new cores whenever they arrive.
Pixel Cherry Ninja
2022-10-28 18:37:35 +0000 UTCAnyone complaining about honest development doesn't deserve the final product.
Brendan Eddy
2022-10-28 18:32:39 +0000 UTCI appreciate the update. Things happen and progress is never instantaneous, so no worries about recent releases. Things are ready when they're ready. It's not like we can't play Outrun through MAME while we wait for your FPGA version. I do think that you may be showing some selection bias in your opinion about open source software authors. So, so many maintain their projects diligently and quietly for a very long time with little or no fanfare. This is why I usually try to thank those developers and let them know how their projects have helped me. I just did so with the author of the excellent remote desktop application Remmina last week. Everyone has their own motivations for publishing their code. There are certainly those that offer their code for others to build upon because they're tired of working on it and no reasonable amount of money will change that. The fact that you release so much of your work to the public is the chief reason that I continue to support your efforts through this platform. Preservation is very important to me. Your efforts result in excellent preservation, and I thank you for that.
Phil Stevenson
2022-10-28 18:31:12 +0000 UTCCarry on mate, you and your guys have all our support!
Carlo Pedrazzini
2022-10-28 18:31:12 +0000 UTCI admire your open, honest, and frequent communications. I always have and will feel like my donations from Patreon are to provide an un-beholden and unconstrained opportunity for you and team to put honest work into fpga and retro gaming. I speak for myself only but any expectations of deadlines and a release cadence seem directly counter to what I've always wanted and expected from your work on this. Good luck and I still feel very confident in your decision to grow the team, change, teach, and learn in this space.
Andrew Boudreau
2022-10-28 18:29:35 +0000 UTCYo no soy Patreon únicamente por los resultados. Soy Patreon por los progresos. Lo que hoy se ve como desgracia, mañana pueden ser tres pasos adelante que, de otra manera, no se habrían podido dar. Desde aquí os envío mi fuerza y mi apoyo. Así que, ánimo José, Esperanza y Samuel, ya que los otros Patreon y yo estamos con vosotros y sabemos que no defraudaréis, nunca lo habéis hecho
Dr. Manga
2022-10-28 18:29:33 +0000 UTCYou are doing great things that take time...don't listen to the "outside" noise and keep pushing forward with the team...only later we will enjoy the results! We stand fully behind you!
Lucian
2022-10-28 18:28:06 +0000 UTCGracias por vuestro gran trabajo, la paciencia es una virtud y sabemos que vas a darnos grandes cosas. Ánimo y gracias
José Antonio cano regajo
2022-10-28 18:27:01 +0000 UTCGracias a ti y a tu equipo. Las cosas que salgan cuando sea y mucho ánimo con la mudanza, que las carga el diablo
Francisco Blazquez
2022-10-28 18:25:03 +0000 UTC"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
Mike V.
2022-10-28 18:21:00 +0000 UTCI'm confused, who is complaining that it's taking too long to release converted titles to this MiSTer platform? As a software engineer and game developer myself, I find it very odd anyone seriously engaged in this hobby would make such a complaint. That said, if those complaints are coming in, I'd suggest not giving them any credence: Take as much time as you need, Jotego!
Kasim English
2022-10-28 18:19:29 +0000 UTCI believe you are continuing to make the right decisions, and some things just take time, especially big changes like this. But I truly do think they’re for the best, I mean you can’t do it all alone. And I personally will continue to support your work while displaying patience and gratitude. Thank you to everyone at the JT Team and everyone who contributes!!!
Magus Incognito
2022-10-28 18:19:02 +0000 UTCI agree your cores are amazing better than mame keep up the good work things happen but the team will get there in end
Daniel Cortes
2022-10-28 18:17:27 +0000 UTCAs a software engineer I totally understand that things not always turn out to be as easy or straigthforward as we thought they could. With that said, I enjoy having a tiny window , so to speak, to see what's going on with current developments. Regarding OutRun, I know it will be a blast.. so patiently waiting :) Have a good weekend !
Christian Diego
2022-10-28 18:16:49 +0000 UTCThe work on the Saturn core has been amazing, so we may just get 60Hz Outrun via this method first. Do what you need to do, you have proven yourself in history and deserve to have any time needed. Yes it’s frustrating, but we are not doing any work!
Turboman UK
2022-10-28 18:15:53 +0000 UTCTranquilo hermano, las cosas buenas toman tiempo.
Pedro Santiago
2022-10-28 18:15:28 +0000 UTCYour attention to detail and accuracy is NOT a liability. It has already resulted in several improvements to emulation in MAME, so not only do players of your cores benefit but all across the landscape of retro gaming people are better off for your scrupulousness! You're documenting the undocumented, and sometimes there will be more roadblocks than you predicted. This happens in every engineering field. Please don't get too discouraged.
emceebois
2022-10-28 18:15:06 +0000 UTCThanks for the update and please dont feel bad for less frequent releases. I expect the complaints come mostly from a place of misplaced excitement. Many thanks as always for your work
8PercentAndroid
2022-10-28 18:15:04 +0000 UTCHow one can complain about your work? You are a fantastic source for all pfga enthusiasts, keep up the good work!
bemol73
2022-10-28 18:15:02 +0000 UTC
