But that's the thing. These things only seem to come about because it is the only way to get the emulation working, i.e. emulation is the first class citizen. Nobody seems to care about analog simulations until it impedes the emulation. LaserDisc games? Emulation works in theory but we can't make progress because LaserDiscs aren't digital. And so all those emulators are in limbo. Someone, somewhere, has to tackle this problem, and it's a problem that's very much out of the scope of what most of the current devs generally do.
MAME should be more than just emulations of digital chips. People agree: PONG et al should be in MAME. If MAME is really about preservation and not just being able to play video games, then devs would treat simulations as first class citizens just like the emulations. I'm not saying the devs have to do the simulations, but it needs to be something on the todo. I have heard Vas say that we need someone to make a model for incandescent lamps. Yes! That is a good first step. We need to admit these things need to be done, but not because it is something that is required to get the emulation working, but because it is something that is a fundamental characteristic of the system we are trying to preserve.
It is a nuanced difference but I think it is a difference worth understanding.
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