DICE
| |
| Developer(s) | Adam Bousley and DICE Team |
|---|---|
| Latest version | 0.9 |
| Active | No |
| Platform(s) | Windows Linux macOS |
| Architecture(s) | x86_64 |
| Emulates | Discrete Circuitry-Based Arcade Games |
| Compatibility | 21 games out of 30 |
| Accuracy | Circuit level |
| Website | adam's emulation wip |
| Support ($) | PayPal |
| Programmed in | C++ |
| License | GPLv3 |
| Source code | SourceForge |
DICE (Discrete Integrated Circuit Emulator) emulates old arcade machines from the early 1970's at a very high level of accuracy. Since these machines had no CPU, the emulator instead emulates discrete logic components in the circuit board. This method is very system-intensive, and getting full speed requires at least a mid-range gaming PC along with the 64-bit version of the emulator.
Contents
Download[edit]
|
Latest Stable builds |
|
ArchLinux AUR |
Overview[edit]
DICE is open-source and multi-platform. Currently no one is working on the project and it was last updated in early 2014, with the release of version 0.9. Prior to the first release of DICE in early 2008 the possibility to create a working emulator for discrete circuitry-based arcade games was under strong doubt. Since then MAME has started supporting a few boards such as Pong, but not nearly as many as DICE.
Usage[edit]
By default, the DICE executable will launch in GUI mode, which allows the user to configure the emulator and load a circuit. Additionally, DICE can be run from the command line, which by default will launch the emulator in fullscreen mode without the GUI and start a game immediately. When launching from the command line, press the Exit key to exit the emulator.
Launching DICE from the command line can be accomplished by navigating to the directory where DICE is installed and typing:
dice gamename [parameters]
Where "gamename" is the name of the game to be run:
- antiaircraft
- attack
- breakout
- cleansweep
- crashnscore
- crossfire
- gotcha
- jetfighter
- hiway
- indy4
- pinpong
- pong
- pongdoubles
- quadrapong
- rebound
- sharkjaws
- spacerace
- steeplechase
- stuntcycle
- tvbasketball
- wipeout
And parameters is any optional combination of the following:
- -window : Start the emulator in a window instead of fullscreen mode.
- -fullscreen : Force fullscreen
- -mouse : Use mouse for Player 1
ROM files should be placed in a subfolder named "roms" in the directory where
the DICE executable is located. Please do not attempt to contact the DICE team
to request ROM files.
Issues[edit]
When attempting to run a game, the emulator would crash due to compatibility issues with the newest versions of Windows. To solve this, the program will need to be run in compatibility mode for Windows 8 or under.
Compiling[edit]
DICE makes use of some C++11 features, so GCC 4.7 or newer is needed to compile. The SDL headers are also required, available at http://www.libsdl.org.
Currently DICE supports Windows (using MinGW to compile), Linux, and OS X (preliminarily).
