Spectaculator - ZX Spectrum Emulator for iOS (un-official thread)

[neonbible]

If you go back a page, a guy suggests it can still be done.

[yellowknife]

Originally Posted by PrinceGaz

Yes! The same way as with the version a year ago, by sticking them in the app's
/Library/PrivateDocuments/Purchased Games
folder Worked on my new iPod touch running iOS 6.0.1. It's not like he can highlight that fact in the app's description for obvious reasons

I've only tried running three games so far (out of my 350 or so) but they worked fine.

Yes has anyone else tried this yet?

[yelever]

Got it to work. Thanks guys. Now to get the joystick to show up lol. Is there a standard config.plist that could be used for most games and just change certain things for the game you want. Sorry for the question as new to all this.

[drelbs]

Originally Posted by yelever

Got it to work. Thanks guys. Now to get the joystick to show up lol. Is there a standard config.plist that could be used for most games and just change certain things for the game you want. Sorry for the question as new to all this.

This post should have the information you need.

[yelever]

Tried that and still can't get the joystick to show up. Totally confusing lol

[yelever]

OK managed to get the joystick to show up and the fire button to work but nothing else. Here's my config

<key>gameTitle</key>
<string>Bomb Jack</string>
<key>authors</key>
<string>Paul Holmes</string>
<key>originalPublisher</key>
<string>Design Design Software</string>
<key>dateReleased</key>
<integer>1986</integer>
<key>infoseekId</key>
<integer>1263</integer>
<key>prerenderedIcon</key>
<true/>
<key>instructions</key>
<string>Instructions.html</string>
<key>addendum</key>
<string>Addendum.html</string>
<key>model</key>
<integer>2</integer>
<key>joystickType</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>mirrorYAxis</key>
<false/>
<key>rotateThumbPad</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>axesLock</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>transparentKeyboard</key>
<false/>
<key>useSystemKeyboard</key>
<false/>
<key>stickyShiftKeys</key>
<false/>
<key>rowWhenKeyboardVisible</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>keyJoyMappings</key>
<string>O,K,Z,X,BREAK SPACE</string>
<key>additionalButtons</key>
<string>A,Q,1</string>
<key>analogueThumbPad</key>
<true/>
<key>allowNormalLoading</key>
<false/>
<key>fastLoadingSpeed</key>
<integer>3</integer>
<key>controls</key>
<dict>
<key>joystickTypeOverride</key>
<string>Kempston</string>
<key>thumbPad</key>
<string>Up, down, left, right</string>
<key>redButton</key>
<string>Jump</string>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>

[yelever]

Got it working I changed <key>analogueThumbPad</key>
<true/> to false and all is good

[Gwarmaxx]

Originally Posted by yellowknife

Yes has anyone else tried this yet?

got it working too, in my iPhone 4 with iOS 6.0.1

[PrinceGaz]

Originally Posted by Gwarmaxx

got it working too, in my iPhone 4 with iOS 6.0.1

Good to hear that it worked for others too. It was just trial and error really. I could no longer drop games into where I had been putting them, so I looked at the other folders for somewhere which might be more receptive

Unfortunately there is no way (on unjailbroken devices) I know of to remove the games still under the Spectaculator.app folder.

Originally Posted by yelever

Got it working I changed <key>analogueThumbPad</key>
<true/> to false and all is good

Note that the setting

<key>analogueThumbPad</key>
<true/>

should only be used with games specifically designed for an analogue joystick. No original games that I know of will work with this. The versions of Dark Star and Forbidden Planet originally published by Design Design included with Spectaculator 3.0.0 are recently re-compiled versions using the original source-code modified to accept analogue joystick input. Unless you have something explicitly designed to use it, set it to 'false' (or omit the 'analogueThumbPad' key altogether).

Also note that

<key>joystickTypeOverride</key>
<string>Play with your stick</string>

found in the

<key>Controls</key>
<dict>
...
</dict>

section, has no effect on the input controls used by the emulator. All it does when specified is replace the text shown above the list of controls in the game info.

So if you were using

<key>joystickType</key>
<integer>1</integer>

that would change the normally displayed
Controls: Kempston Joystick
to
Play with your stick


Might be useful when using the Cursor joystick option as with the dot-matrix printer-paper effect wasting space at the side of the screen, the default 'Controls: Cursor (AGF or Protek)' no longer fits Presumably that will be named something shorter in v3.0.1 whenever that is released. Also handy if you would prefer the name displayed to match exactly what the game calls it (such as 'Controls: Sinclair Port 1' or 'Controls: Protek joystick', for instance).

[Gwarmaxx]

Originally Posted by PrinceGaz

Good to hear that it worked for others too. It was just trial and error really. I could no longer drop games into where I had been putting them, so I looked at the other folders for somewhere which might be more receptive

Unfortunately there is no way (on unjailbroken devices) I know of to remove the games still under the Spectaculator.app folder.

have you tried to drop them in /Library/PrivateDocuments/Purchased Games... folder?