How about OpenTTD for Nintendo DS?

[Merri]

I did some thinking and I think this would be very possible, if somebody just started out with the project. In case you don't know, NDS features two screens at resolution 256 x 192 of which lower one is a touch screen, making it possible to create strategy games such as TTD

The ideas I've had:
- screen 1 reserved for information (the menu and the windows that normally popup on the screen)
- screen 2 reserved exclusively for the landscape
- select button can switch the screens so screen 1 can be used with the stylus as well when the player wants to
- menu split to two parts (to save space on screen 1): information and building
- right shoulder button and up left down right reserved for top screen, left shoulder button and A B X Y buttons reserved for bottom screen
- shoulder button for screen 1 allows switching between menu
- shoulder button for screen 2 allows building (you don't have second button with a stylus)
- the cross for screen 1 allows moving within the items
- the cross for screen 2 allows moving the landscape
- start button changes screen 1 to settings menu and pauses the game

Uh, I thought too much. Anyways it would be nice to see this happening some day I don't have the skills (atleast atm) or the time myself

[aequitas]

nice idea. I don't know the processor type nor operating system of the ds yet. But i think it is something where you could built stuff on easily.

I think i heard that the ds was possible for office type application's like it was a pda. And since this game is open-source all would be possible, right

[Mek]

nice idea. I don't know the processor type nor operating system of the ds yet. But i think it is something where you could built stuff on easily.

I don't know much of the DS either, but i do know it has two ARM processors

I think i heard that the ds was possible for office type application's like it was a pda. And since this game is open-source all would be possible, right

Well.. this game is open source, but as far is i know there is no publicly available SDK yet (and probably there won't be an official one), so unless someone will write one it will be quite difficult... For development you'll probably also need an emulator (to be able to debug, because nintendo will surely not give one of those nice development ds's), and emulators aren't available (yet) also.
So it might be a good idea, but it is completely impossible.

[henrik]

Early emulators (though still VERY incomplete) are available (Dualis, DSemu) and a way to run custom code has been devised, it's called a PassMe (http://www.dspassme.com http://www.kraln.com ), it sits between the DS and any DS game and patches the ARM7 start address to read code from a GBA flashcart in the DS' GBA port.

DevKitARM can be used and a project has been started to create free system libraries (NDSlib). It can already read the touchscreen and throw a rotating cube on the screen.

But, the DS only has 4MB of RAM. Squeezing OpenTTD in there might be difficult...

[Merri]

These might be of interest:
http://auia.net/ds/
http://www.drunkencoders.com/
http://forum.gbadev.org/viewforum.php?f=18

I don't think it is impossible, but it would require a lot of time and interest. And the code is so much different that it would be almost entirely a project of its own, or so I believe (I don't know what it is like to port code from a completely different machine to another).

In the future, say two-three years from now, it is likely to be able to buy DS Flash cartridges where you can save stuff and then boot to the machine directly. If you're interested, there are all kinds of nice stuff done for GBA: Flash cartridges, emulators (NES, SNES, GB/GBC, PC-Engine, Spectrum, Supervision...) and even a movie player (custom lightweight format) on which you can plug a standard CompactFlash which can be used as a store for various media.

[Merri]

Some faked screenshots on what it could look like:

[lucaspiller]

It could be a good idea, but the technical limitations of the device could dawn a challenge. I haven't seen any clear specs on the processors, the memory could be a bit of a limit as well - a smaller map size will overcome this though. I should think the main problem would be the lack of suitable game storage. 256x256 games take up around 80kb at the moment, which I am not really sure how would be stored. A copy of Sim City was released for the GBA, so it probably wouldn't be impossible - but would be quite a challenge.

On a slightly unrelated question, do DS's have a GBA connector port?

[Merri]

Some specs on NDS:

- processors: ARM9 66MHz + ARM7 33MHz
- memory: 4MB of RAM (GBA had 256 kB) - the cartridges can be accessed really fast (writing there is slow) - cartridges can have many megabytes of data
- graphics: slightly better than on N64 with up to 260 000 colors
- sound: stereo, 16 channels, no dedicated chip (audio handled by ARM7)
- you can use two different cartridges: GBA and NDS ones
- there is no support for GBA multiplay because there is no link port
- multiplayer is possible by wireless connection using IEEE 802.11 or Nintendo's proprietary format; wireless range is 30 to 100 feet - only one cart required to play on multiple systems


For comparison, TTD does run on a 66 MHz 486 with 8 MB of memory. On NDS, I think you can always get graphics data directly from the game cart instead of loading everything to the 4MB RAM so that ought to ease a lot?

[lucaspiller]

Thanks for those specs Merri. It probably would be doable - but with a lot of work. Also SDL will have to be ported.

I am sure the dev's wouldn't mind if somebody was to make a donation (of a DS) though.

[Leviath.NL]

it will be very sweet if someone could make a port

[Thalass]

On a slightly unrelated question, do DS's have a GBA connector port?

I belive the DS can play GBA games, but not the older, larger cardriges. I think it has two slots? (don't have one so I'm not sure)

and even a movie player (custom lightweight format) on which you can plug a standard CompactFlash which can be used as a store for various media.

Do you mean this? (wantonewantonewantone!)


It would be pretty nifty, but since I don't have a DS it doesn't bother me either way. I'd be more likely to buy a PDA of some sort and play emulator games or something. (I already have a Micro, so not going to buy another gameboy for a few years)

[Leviath.NL]

I have a ds and it indeed has 2 ports, one for GBS-like cardriges and one for the ds games

[CobraA1]

The biggest ptoblem is finding somebody wit a LOT of time on their hands to do a port - including a port of SDL.

Good luck trying to find such a somebody.