I am now planning a new stable release. There is too much good stuff in 1.3.x which is not available in 1.2.x – especially the launcher, since this is very useful for casual setup and especially for beginners. The reason I’m thinking of bumping the version number to 2.0 instead of 1.4 is because I feel the inclusion of the launcher represents a great leap in functionality (for those interested).

I’m quite happy with the state of FS-UAE itself for 2.0, but I think the launcher needs some more work and polish before it should be heavily promoted to newcomers to FS-UAE.

I have assembled a list of stuff I think should be done before 2.0 can be released. I would very much like feedback if you know something of else which should be fixed or implemented first.

Please remember that you shouldn’t just suggest all favorite wish-list items (development will continue on the 2.1.x branch). Instead, try to think if there is some important function missing which could put off new users when they try out FS-UAE 2.0 for the first time (esp. with the Launcher since I assume I will direct new users towards it).

FS-UAE

• New official option to enable RTG video card (“uaegfx_card”)
• (Perhaps) new official option to enable JIT where available (“jit_compiler”)

FS-UAE Launcher

• Automatically scan/check kickstarts on startup (no “Scan” needed).
• Automatically scan/check .fs-uae configurations. (from Documents/FS-UAE/Configurations) on startup.
• Saving configurations.
• When saving configuration, save with portable paths (if possible) if the Launcher is run in portable mode.
• Support specifying the number of floppy drives.
• Floppy drive volume setting.
• Floppy drive speed override.
• Automatically add images in drives to swap list (if not already present).
• GUI for Memory options.
• GUI to enable RTG graphics, bsdsocket.library (and perhaps JIT).
• GUI for video sync mode and method settings.
• Replace configuration list view with a new custom list view (the current one has buggy rendering on some platforms).
• Temporarily remove (unused) favorite button.
• Temporarily remove (unused) verified button.
• Remove net play tab, but perhaps include checkbox in settings to enable (“Enable experimental support for net play”) -since the net play GUI is not 100% newbie friendly yet.
• Support selecting “Preferred” or “Primary” / “Secondary” joysticks in joystick port selectors, especially useful when saving configuration so the joystick device name is not hardcoded into the config file.
• Implement support for upgrading the scan database (when the schema is updated) instead of creating a new empty database.
• New icon for the launcher to make it visually distinct from FS-UAE.
• (Perhaps) FS-UAE Launcher can download and use updated AROS roms on demand.

Deferred to 2.1.x or later:

• Merge updated WinUAE code.
• Enable CD-ROM eject function.
• (Launcher) Improved game database support.
• … and other new features.

Documentation

I would also like to improve the documentation, especially with some tutorials to help newcomers use and discover features of FS-UAE (and Amiga emulation in general). Of course the getting started-guide must be updated with a launcher guide, and other documentation must be reviewed to make sure the information is correct for 2.0.

New Topics:

• Virtual Hard Drives – explaining how mounted folders work, with some details concerning the implementation.
• Networking Support
• Enabling RTG Graphics (Picasso96) – How to enable it, link to tutorial for installing drives, and explain a bit how to configure it for best performance.
• Adding covers and screenshots to the Launcher.

Suggested Tutorials:

• Installing Amiga Forever Files (ROMs and the AF HD setup).
• Installing Workbench 3.11 (on a Virtual HD).
• Installing the Picasso96 Driver.
• Installing ClassicWB / AmigaSYS / AmiKit in FS-UAE.
• Installing the 1080X Ambermoon Bezel Theme.
• Using Shaders for Special Effects.
• Using WHDLoad Games with a High-end Amiga Setup.
• Creating a Portable Cross-platform FS-UAE Installation (put FS-UAE, Launcher, Games / Amiga HDs on a portable device and run stuff from there)
• Creating Self-contained App Bundles for OS X.