All Model 3 Region Codes!

[Bart]

I just pushed an update that puts all the region codes into section 10 of README.txt. View it on GitHub here. Did I miss anything or is anything there incorrect?

[rokfpoewrkcpoqwkcp]

It's looking a lot better.
A few things that stood out for me,

Section 2 - The list of included files is now out of date.

Section 5 - Says the aspect ratio can't be changed, but of course it now has wide, stretch etc.

Section 10 - The 'Virtua' games seem muddled...
Virtua 'Fighter' 2 '98 should be 'Striker'.
I don't think the Virtua Striker 2 '99 code ever worked?
AFAIK, only the '98 games can be unlocked, other Strikers have separate Jap or English dumps?

Section 12 - The list of command line options is obviously longer now, but how much info do you want to include?
If you listed everything, including net stuff, the readme would be the biggest file in the project.

It also needs a quick spell check, there's a few old typos.

[Bart]

It's looking a lot better.
A few things that stood out for me,

Section 2 - The list of included files is now out of date.

Section 5 - Says the aspect ratio can't be changed, but of course it now has wide, stretch etc.

Section 10 - The 'Virtua' games seem muddled...
Virtua 'Fighter' 2 '98 should be 'Striker'.
I don't think the Virtua Striker 2 '99 code ever worked?
AFAIK, only the '98 games can be unlocked, other Strikers have separate Jap or English dumps?

Section 12 - The list of command line options is obviously longer now, but how much info do you want to include?
If you listed everything, including net stuff, the readme would be the biggest file in the project.

It also needs a quick spell check, there's a few old typos.

Thanks! Do you want to do a PR? I just made some of these changes. I would really love to update the documentation and, yes, I think *all* command line options and config settings should be described in detail. I am a bit anal about formatting and spelling conventions.

This raises a broader question: how should documentation and the web site be handled going forward? I'd like to simplify the Supermodel web site. Not sure the help section has been all that useful. I think people just watch video tutorials now. I'd also like to determine whether README.txt should continue to exist or whether all of that information should be placed into README.md. Feels a bit odd to me to have end users turning to GitHub for documentation, though. README.md does have some advantages, including the ability to include images. If we go this route, the web site should become more bare-boned as well and simply direct people to GitHub, which will become the de-facto home page. Right now, there is too much stuff in different places to maintain. I want to streamline. Personally, I like having well-written README.txt documents (and the format is so delightfully retro) but if nobody else is reading it, what's the point?

[rokfpoewrkcpoqwkcp]

Thanks! Do you want to do a PR?

Yeah, sure.

I'd also like to determine whether README.txt should continue to exist or whether all of that information should be placed into README.md. Feels a bit odd to me to have end users turning to GitHub for documentation, though.

Not sure the help section has been all that useful.

Maybe have a brief overview/quick start guide with slightly expanded FAQ on GitHub, pointing people to the Readme.txt for full info?
(Usual forum questions: why does my super expensive AMD card slow down, why doesn't the gun sight move in 'Lost World', DPI/scaling, blah blah blah)

the web site should become more bare-boned as well and simply direct people to GitHub, which will become the de-facto home page.

I agree. I think most emus are doing this, people kind of expect it now. If you can get the GitHub auto build action working, people will be drawn there.

I think people just watch video tutorials now.

This is depressing. I don't think people realise how easy Supermodel can be. (Most options best left at default.)
Many of these 'helpful' tutorials instruct people to go to foreign sites, and download some sort of bundle of 'Supermodel' and 'Sega Model 3 UI'.
Bundles with old/mismatched Games.xml and Supermodel.ini files, with a newer Supermodel.exe. This causes its own problems.
Maybe Supermodel should have a message or URL in its game launch post, encouraging where to download latest builds. Or perhaps the log should mention something like , 'Please ensure you are using official builds before posting bug reports"?

Hopefully if you can establish GitHub as an official home page, the foreign web site problem would go away.

[k_rollo]

This raises a broader question: how should documentation and the web site be handled going forward? I'd like to simplify the Supermodel web site. Not sure the help section has been all that useful. I think people just watch video tutorials now.

For the record, I rely on official documentation of the emulator and arcade cabinet manuals when creating video tutorials. The Help page has been immensely useful to make sure the correct information is being shared in these videos and remains greatly helpful for tutorial creators to spread the correct usage of the emulator around. The reception to the videos have been great, simply because they were based on official documentation.

I'd also like to determine whether README.txt should continue to exist or whether all of that information should be placed into README.md. Feels a bit odd to me to have end users turning to GitHub for documentation, though. README.md does have some advantages, including the ability to include images.

It's quite defacto now for devs to do:

• README.md - Quick Start Guide/FAQ (core information needed by users to get up and running)
• Wiki - Advanced Guide (in-depth pages for advanced configuration), game-specific quirks, etc

Users will land on the README.md if the GitHub is set as the main site (and they've been used to it for a while now). GitHub also has a Discussions tab that functions as a forum-like interaction.

[Bart]

This raises a broader question: how should documentation and the web site be handled going forward? I'd like to simplify the Supermodel web site. Not sure the help section has been all that useful. I think people just watch video tutorials now.

For the record, I rely on official documentation of the emulator and arcade cabinet manuals when creating video tutorials. The Help page has been immensely useful to make sure the correct information is being shared in these videos and remains greatly helpful for tutorial creators to spread the correct usage of the emulator around. The reception to the videos have been great, simply because they were based on official documentation.

I'd also like to determine whether README.txt should continue to exist or whether all of that information should be placed into README.md. Feels a bit odd to me to have end users turning to GitHub for documentation, though. README.md does have some advantages, including the ability to include images.

It's quite defacto now for devs to do:

• README.md - Quick Start Guide/FAQ (core information needed by users to get up and running)
• Wiki - Advanced Guide (in-depth pages for advanced configuration), game-specific quirks, etc

Users will land on the README.md if the GitHub is set as the main site (and they've been used to it for a while now). GitHub also has a Discussions tab that functions as a forum-like interaction.

Thanks for this feedback. What about quick-start in README.md and the rest in README.txt?

[k_rollo]

Thanks for this feedback. What about quick-start in README.md and the rest in README.txt?

Hey Bart,

It's unlikely people open README.txt, they barely want to touch the Supermodel.ini. The wealth of information there will have much greater chances of being read if they were on a Wiki (which you can link to in the README.md).

People would ask me how I knew what I knew, and I will point them to the README.txt. They're always surprised and say they never even bothered opening it. Classic RTFM

[k_rollo]

Hey Bart,

Another quick change for the README.txt is to update (or remove) the Revision History? It does give the impression it hasn't been updated since Sep 2011 further lessening the chances of people reading it. Some might just immediately dismiss it as obsolete.