2.5 KiB
level, order, group, terms
| level | order | group | terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| reference | 70 | Data | measurement, benchmark, tested, core probe, real conditions, method |
How emulators are tested
Some pages say what an emulator does with a file. Where we ran it to check, the emulator's page shows a Tested block. Every result is on the Measurements page.
What a test does
- A script runs the emulator with no window and no sound.
- It starts a game and runs it for a set time.
- Each run starts fresh and runs at least twice.
- Each run gets one result, by comparing its screens with ones we checked by eye.
Packs
Packs are tested the way you install them, one platform at a time. A maintainer starts the run. The script puts a pack in an empty BIOS folder, from the archive and with the installer, then starts a game with that folder. Each platform's page shows the result under Tested, with any file the emulator looked for and did not find.
What a result says
- boots: the game reached a screen it shows when it works.
- 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.
- unknown: none of these could be shown.
- measured: a speed test, given as time per frame.
- no verdict: an older test that only compared screens.
How a file is proven
The game runs with no BIOS, with the BIOS alone, and with a wrong file under its name: zeros, half the file, or another region's BIOS.
- Required: no BIOS fails, the BIOS alone boots.
- Built-in stand-in: no BIOS still boots.
- Checked: a wrong file is refused.
When tests run
A maintainer starts a test run. A clear result updates the emulator's page and names the test as proof. Anything else waits on the Measurements page for someone to read the code.
What a result keeps
Each result names its method, the computer it ran on and the exact build of the emulator. Its inputs are kept by fingerprint. A result holds for that build and those inputs only.
A speed figure depends on the computer and how busy it was. It is never shown without them.
Where results are kept
Each result is a full record in the
measurements/
folder of this project. A record is never changed once added. A new run is
added beside it, and a correction names the record it replaces.
The results so far ran on these computers: