From 43562cbebee24a5ff09054fa7ff36c03365c21cc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Abdessamad Derraz <3028866+Abdess@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2026 05:23:56 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] docs: explain bios_used and the offline rejudge The tools page lists the load and fallback lines each core's BIOS is read from, and core_probe rejudge. The method page says a game can work on the emulator's own BIOS. --- wiki/measurements.md | 1 + wiki/tools.md | 29 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 30 insertions(+) diff --git a/wiki/measurements.md b/wiki/measurements.md index b350163c9..113b26b25 100644 --- a/wiki/measurements.md +++ b/wiki/measurements.md @@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ RetroBat, then start a game. The setup's page shows the result under **Tested**. | Result | Meaning | |--------|---------| | works | the game reached a screen it shows when it works | +| works on its built-in BIOS | it worked, but the emulator refused the file and ran its own BIOS | | BIOS error | the emulator said a BIOS is missing or wrong | | crash | the emulator stopped | | hang | the screen stayed blank, or the run never ended | diff --git a/wiki/tools.md b/wiki/tools.md index 12533ba86..feaab591a 100644 --- a/wiki/tools.md +++ b/wiki/tools.md @@ -920,6 +920,35 @@ it keeps the console's BIOS: it adds the `bios` stage for a core that hides the BIOS screens by default (PCSX-ReARMed). Frames that differ from another run never make a boot. +**The BIOS a run used.** Beetle PSX, SwanStation, PCSX-ReARMed and Flycast run +a built-in BIOS (OpenBIOS, HLE, reios) when they refuse or miss the file they +want, and the game boots. Each repetition and variant therefore names the BIOS +it ran in `bios_used` (record version 5), read from the core's log: + +| `bios_used` | When | +|-------------|------| +| `staged:` | a load pattern of the core names the file (Beetle `Firmware found: ...`, PCSX-ReARMed `Loaded BIOS "..."`, SwanStation `Using BIOS '...'`) | +| `builtin` | a fallback pattern says the core ran its own BIOS (Beetle `Firmware is missing`, PCSX-ReARMed `No BIOS files found.`, SwanStation `No BIOS image found for ... region`, Flycast `Did not load BIOS, using reios`) | +| `unknown` | the log says neither. A file the core opened is no proof: Beetle hashes every file of the folder before it decides | + +The last such line of the log decides, and every pattern carries the +`source_ref` it was read from. A boot on `builtin` reads "boots on its built-in +BIOS" on every page, and a boot is said to be another region's BIOS only when +`bios_used` names that file. + +`core_probe.py rejudge` judges recorded runs again with the oracle as it stands, +offline: no core runs. For each live record of `core_probe` (another probe's +records are left to it) whose verdicts or `bios_used` come out otherwise, it +appends the same runs judged again, which `supersedes` the record and carries +`judged_at` and `judged_by` beside the unchanged `recorded_at`. `--emulator` +narrows it, `--dry-run` prints what would be appended. The campaign reads a +superseded record as its successor. + +```bash +python scripts/core_probe.py rejudge --dry-run +python scripts/core_probe.py rejudge --emulator beetle_psx +``` + | Option | Effect | |--------|--------| | `--system-file DEST=SRC` | copy SRC into a staged system directory as DEST |