DS Lua Preview Build for Nintendo DS

(Not *exactly* PSP related, but this means that, to some extent, homebrew for both platforms can be compatible :) -Auri)

The famous LUA language which has been the driving force behind many PSP homebrew developments, has now found its way to the Nintendo DS. Here's to hopefully, many great new LUA DS developments.

DSLua version 0.1 Preview Release

I was surfing the web one day and found Lua Player on the PSP (http://www.luaplayer.org). It prompted me to look into LUA and how it works. I was a bit surprised at how easy it is to incorporate LUA into my own code and how simple it is to write scripts in Lua. This is the reason I started writing a Nintendo DS version of Lua.

This release contains some very basic functions to give you a taste of DSLua. You have access to functions to display texts, read the controls and access stylus information. It's about enough to build a simple text based games (like the good ol' days of DOS)! Check out the Examples directory for examples on how to use the functions.

Supported Hardware

Well, you need a Nintendo DS first. None of the emulator supports a media card at this point, so DSLua can't run off them for now.

If you don't know how to run home brew softwares on your Nintendo DS, then check out GBADev's Flash Equipment forum (www.gbadev.org). DSLinux (www.dslinux.org/) forum also have some instructions.

DSLua depends on the ability to execute a script that is external to the engine. For that matter, DSLua currently only supports file accessible by Chishm's FAT driver (compact flash card using the GBA Movie Player or M3 devices only). Adding more media support on my To Do List.

I have a flashed DS and M3 with Compact Flash. So, that will be the platform that gets most testing. ;)

Files/Instructions

To start DSLua, simply select from one of the binaries that suits your hardware and copy it to your media. Also copy the lua scripts that you want to run onto the same media (you can try the scripts in the Examples directory). On the M3 for example, you can press START button to run DSLUA.NDS or press A button to run DSLUA.SC.NDS. Once the program is running, you should see a directory listing of what is on your disk. Press up and down on dpad to select the script you want to run, and press A to start the script. When the script is finished, you can press START button to return to the directory listing menu. Enjoy!

It is simple to write a script for Lua. Just use your favorite editor (Notepad for example. My favorite is SlickEdit). And then copy your scripts to your media card. Run DSLua binary on your NDS and select your script to run it.

Please have a way to exit your lua script, that way the users can exit your program and be returned to DSLua's menu to run other programs/games.

Download: here

Official Website: dslua.com

Source: MaxConsole
posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 9:49 PM by Auri

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