New Genesis/CD/Saturn Docs Released

Discussion in 'Discussion & Q&A' started by Devon, May 9, 2019.

  1. Devon

    Devon Down you're going... down you're going... Member

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    https://twitter.com/forestillusion/status/1126321691775229954
    https://archive.org/details/SegaManuals

    I took a look at the docs, and I saw that there were previously missing tech docs and other good stuff in there, including an official doc for the SSF2 mapper, and missing tech bulletins for Genesis and CD. Well, at least, I haven't seen them elsewhere before.

    Reading through there, it seems that it was possible that SMPS was actually called just the SEGA sound driver (considering that music/SFX data format is referred to as the SEGA music format)
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2019
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  2. MarkeyJester

    MarkeyJester ♡ ! Member

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    Reading through the Genesis Software Manual and the Technical Bulletins was so weird. Having read the original leaked document for almost a decade now, seeing this almost replica version but cleaner is quite the mind screw, it's almost dizzy ensuing.

    What I am interested in though, is the specific naming of library routines they supplied, and the music player you mentioned (ala, SMPS), where exactly did you see this information? I'd like to have a good look at that for clarity.
     
  3. Devon

    Devon Down you're going... down you're going... Member

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    I found that information in "MEGA CD TECHNICAL BULLETIN #3" (found in the Sega CD technical bulletins PDF in the new release). There is a whole section dedicated to describing sound development, where they mention converting a sequence/MIDI to "Sega music format data".

    [​IMG]
    (page 46 in PDF)

    [​IMG]
    (page 50 in PDF)

    From speculation alone, I think it makes sense, considering that SMPS is pretty much SEGA's official sound driver, that SMPS is just the SEGA sound driver or something like that. The only other "official" SEGA sound driver I know of is GEMS and that doesn't have a version for the SEGA CD's PCM chip, unlike the one described in the docs, in which SMPS does have a version for.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2019
  4. MarkeyJester

    MarkeyJester ♡ ! Member

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    Yeah, I see what you mean, it's quite borderline, and just barely doesn't 100% confirm.

    This is such a huge annoyance...

    Assuming we have hard enough evidence, I am not sure how difficult it would be to rename all SMPS instances to SMF (for the driver) and SMFD (for the music/sfx), SMPS might be too far embedded considering it spans decades of Sonic hacking history.
     
  5. StephenUK

    StephenUK Working on a Quackshot disassembly Member

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    For the sake of making things semi-accurate and keeping the current abbreviation, we could always change the meaning from Sample Music Playback System to Sega Music Playback System. That way it still references Sega Music, but also removes the issue of trying to alter all aspects of SMPS throughout all the related sites and documentation in the Sonic hacking history. Most places refer to the system using the abbreviation so there'll be minimal cleanup required. Just a thought anyway.
     
  6. Devon

    Devon Down you're going... down you're going... Member

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    Y'know, I've always wondered why it was called "Sample Music Playback System". I understand the last 3 words, but "sample"? Where did that come from?
     
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  7. AURORA☆FIELDS

    AURORA☆FIELDS so uh yes Exiled

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    I always assumed it to be kind of equivalent in meaning to 'Example', which would make sense, given a lot of custom drivers were designed (and some similar to SMPS)
     
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  8. MarkeyJester

    MarkeyJester ♡ ! Member

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    The name apparently came from a floppy disk which happened to contain resources/development kit for SMPS, and the name was amongst that, thus, "Sample", really meant Sample (as Natsumi elegantly put it "Example" software/kit), but the naming was theorised to be the kit itself, and not the engine.

    Unfortunately, I only recall reading these over a decade ago and am unable to find the source material, nor do I have a copy of this supposed floppy disk, so the above information is now only speculation, the original post I read this information from (which I am also unable to recall from) is also "just another persons' word" so again, just useless speculation. Assuming there was a floppy as mentioned, someone in the scene must have it somewhere.
     
  9. Clownacy

    Clownacy Retired Staff lolololo Member

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    ...Does anyone still have these?
     
  10. Devon

    Devon Down you're going... down you're going... Member

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  11. Clownacy

    Clownacy Retired Staff lolololo Member

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    Oh, so this is the origin of the Sega Ozisoft-branded documents? Nice, that's good to know.

    Thanks, I was worried that Nemesis' site was never updated to include these.