README.ds

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Simple DirectMedia Layer for Nintendo DS
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-Requirements-
* The devkitpro SDK available at http://devkitpro.org.
  Read the information at http://devkitpro.org/wiki/Getting_Started/devkitARM
  The necessary packages are devkitARM, libnds, libfat and default arm7.
* Optionally, use a DS emulator, such as desmume (http://desmume.org/)
  to program and debug.

-Building SDL-

After setting the devkitpro environment, cd into your SDL directory and type:
  make -f Makefile.ds

This will compile and install the library and headers into the
devkitpro's portlibs directory (../portlibs/arm/lib/ and
../portlibs/arm/include/). Additionally it will compile several tests
that you can run either on the DS or with desmume. For instance:
  desmume --cflash-path=test/ test/nds-test-progs/testsprite2/testsprite2.nds
  desmume --cflash-path=test/ test/nds-test-progs/testspriteminimal/testspriteminimal.nds
  desmume --cflash-path=test/ test/nds-test-progs/testscale/testscale.nds 
  desmume test/nds-test-progs/general/general.nds

-Notes-
* The renderer code is based on the gl like engine. It's not using the sprite engine.
* The hardware renderer is using the parts of the libgl2d abstraction library that can be found at:
    http://rel.phatcode.net/junk.php?id=117
  Used with the author's permission.
* The port is very basic and incomplete:
  - SDL currently has to be compiled for either framebuffer mode or renderer mode.
     See USE_HW_RENDERER in Makefile.ds.
  - some optional renderer functions are not implemented.
  - no sound

-Limitations-
* in hardware renderer mode, don't load too many textures. The internal format is
  2 bytes per pixel. And there is only 256KB reserved for the textures. For instance,
  testscale won't display sample.bmp, unless it's resized to a smaller picture.
* the screen size is 256 x 384. Anything else won't work.
* there is no 8 bits/pixel mode because SDL 2.0 doesn't support palettes.

-Joystick mapping-
The Joystick presented to SDL has 2 axes and 8 buttons

 KEY      | Code
  A       |   0
  B       |   1
  X       |   2
  Y       |   3
  L       |   4
  R       |   5
  select  |   6
  start   |   7

 Left-right is axe 0.
 Up-down is axe 1.

-Mouse mapping-
todo

-Examples-
Due to memory limitations, to be able to successfully run the testscale example, sample.bmp must be resized to 256x105.