TL;DR
Get the latest gadgets delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
The developers of SEEDS say the space game runs an emulated 64-bit RISC-V computer that boots Alpine Linux and powers in-game tools. Their in-house emulator, PasRISCV, is available as open-source software under the zlib license; the developers describe its architecture and capabilities, but provide no independent performance testing in the report.
The developers of the space game SEEDS have described how it runs an Alpine Linux system on an emulated 64-bit RISC-V computer to provide tools inside the game. Their in-house emulator, PasRISCV, is written in Object Pascal and released as free, open-source software under the permissive zlib license, according to a report published October 3.
The Linux system runs programs that players can access through the computer in the game’s home base, including apps for viewing planetary information and statistics. The developers say the programs are native Linux executables, and that the emulator runs them even when the game itself is played on a Windows machine. They describe the virtual computer as a complete machine, rather than an emulator limited to Linux user-space programs: it includes emulated processors, storage and display devices, and interrupts.
PasRISCV supports the RV64GC instruction set and several extensions, including the RISC-V hypervisor and vector extensions, the developers say. Its CPU emulation combines an interpreter with a tracing just-in-time compiler. The report says the JIT currently supports x86-64 host systems and handles about 99% of the instructions the developers encounter; it does not give a test methodology or broader performance results.
The game uses a modified Alpine Linux 3.23.6 installation and a custom kernel, according to the report. The developers say the emulator can also boot a recent stock Alpine image. Its virtual storage supports disk images and read-only drives, which the team says lets game updates replace the system partition while keeping player data on a separate partition. PasRISCV also offers multiple virtual graphics and audio devices, although SEEDS uses a framebuffer display whose output the game can process with visual effects.
Linux Tools Inside the Game
The project puts a functioning Linux environment inside a commercial-style game world, with the virtual computer serving a practical role: running the game’s own in-game tools. It also gives the developers a way to use ordinary Linux programs and a custom operating system without requiring a Linux host. Players encounter the tools through the game interface, rather than needing to run the guest system separately.
Making the emulator open source gives other developers access to its implementation and potential uses beyond SEEDS. The report’s technical details may interest people working on emulation, RISC-V software, or game interfaces. However, the developers’ description is not an independent evaluation: it does not establish how PasRISCV performs across different host computers, or how broadly compatible it is with RISC-V software.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How SEEDS Uses PasRISCV
The developers say the emulator starts booting when a player begins or loads a game. Their preferred boot sequence uses OpenSBI followed by U-Boot, which then loads the Linux kernel. This lets the system use a disk image instead of requiring the system’s files to reside in the initial RAM filesystem.
For the game display, SEEDS uses a simple framebuffer backed by a custom memory-mapped buffer. The developers say this arrangement is fast enough for the game to apply effects such as scanlines and phosphor glow. PasRISCV also supports other virtual graphics options, including VirtIO GPU, but the report says an X server with Motif ran too slowly to be practical on most machines.
The project’s open ISA is part of the technical rationale: the developers describe RISC-V as an open standard that can be used without paying royalties for the instruction set itself. PasRISCV and its frontend companion, pasriscvemu, are released under the zlib license, according to the report.
““For PasRISCV we chose the latter and emulate a machine including display and storage devices, interrupts, everything down to the last thing.””
— The SEEDS developers
Performance and Compatibility Questions
The report does not provide independent testing, benchmark figures, or details about performance on particular host hardware. Its estimate that the JIT supports about 99% of encountered instructions is tied to the developers’ own experience; the report does not specify the workloads or how that figure was calculated. It is also not clear how many players use the Linux tools, whether the emulator is planned for release as a separate product, or what development and maintenance plans the team has for PasRISCV.
The article describes support for several virtual devices and instruction extensions, but does not establish compatibility with every RISC-V operating system or application. The developers direct readers to the PasRISCV repository for a full feature listing.
Repository and Future Development
The developers invite readers to inspect PasRISCV’s source code and make use of the emulator under its zlib license. The report points to the project repository for the full list of emulated features, but does not announce a release timetable or specific upcoming milestones. Further information about compatibility, performance, and future maintenance will depend on project documentation and updates from the team.
Key Questions
What is PasRISCV?
PasRISCV is an emulator written in Object Pascal that the SEEDS developers use to run a RISC-V virtual computer inside the game. They say it is available as free, open-source software under the zlib license.
What does Linux do inside SEEDS?
The game’s emulated Alpine Linux system runs native Linux programs used for in-game tools, including planetary information and statistics. The developers say this works even when the game is running on Windows.
Does PasRISCV emulate a whole computer?
According to the developers, yes. PasRISCV emulates a complete machine, including the processor, display and storage devices, and interrupts, rather than only translating Linux user-space programs.
How fast is the emulator?
The report gives no independent benchmarks. The developers say the x86-64-host JIT supports about 99% of the instructions they encounter, but do not identify the workloads or provide a broader performance comparison.
Where can readers find the source code?
The developers direct readers to the PasRISCV repository for its source code and full feature list. The report also names pasriscvemu as a companion frontend and says both projects use the zlib license.
Source: hn
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
