Project update 2 of 8
Hi all!
First, I would like to thank everyone who has supported this project. We are over half way to our funding goal, and I very much appreciate the trust you’ve placed in me. And I can’t wait to send you your very own microByte!
Now for the campaign update…
This is a major update that I’ve been working on for a while. Version 0.6 of the microByte firmware includes some general improvements, a few bug fixes, rewritten comments that better document the code, and various GUI features. But the two most interesting additions are:
1. Savable game state, which allows you to save—and instantly resume—your progress on the GameBoy, GameBoy Color, Sega Master System, and Game Gear platforms.
2. A non-volatile configuration system that allows you to save your configuration to flash memory so that it will stick around when you turn off the device. This allows microByte to return to its previous state (without showing a boot animation, for example) if it is turned off and then back on again.
You can see the full update log here.
Together, these two features provide some pretty cool functionality. While playing a game, your progress will auto-saved every 30 seconds, just in case, but you will rarely need to rely on that save because turning microByte on brings you right back to where you were the last time you turned it off. Even better? "Off" means truly off—not some battery-draining suspend state.
I also want to introduce our new Byte-Mix Lab website, http://www.bytemixlab.com/, which aims to provide a place where you can find everything related to this project, including:
I’m still working on the tutorials, but they’ll be up soon!
I don’t want to spoil it, but…below are a few of the things I’m likely to include in next week’s update:
That’s all for this week, but please drop me a line using the Ask a technical question form if you have any questions. I’ll be happy to provide answers!