divIDE +3e: How can I put games into hard disk?
I've got a +3, a divIDE and the +3e ROMs. I want to copy some games in the CF card so my +3e could execute them from BASIC ("disabled" divIDE, loading games without NMI button). I've put some games, but they need to comply with these restrictions:
- They must work in the +3. It seems obvious, but some games like Parapshock (Microhobby) won't work in 128k mode.
- They have to use standard BASIC loader (no turbo, no loading from machine code).
- They must fit in RAM (so they won't load anything after starting). Chase H.Q. would qualify (in 128k mode it won't load anything), Afterburner won't (it loads levels even in 128k mode).
So long, I've put some games that came unprotected in Microhobby magazine (i.e.: Spyhunter), using tapedisc (Microhobby) to copy the files to a floppy and then copying the files from the floppy to hard disk. The next steps would be copying protected games, and then copying 128k games.
My plan is using a transfer in an emulator and copy the game to tape and then convert it to disk with some utility (or convert a z80 to tape or disk). I've seen that the only transfers supported in emulators are Multiface... but they need the transfer to load back the games. Also, there is an utility (pasadisk, from Microhobby) that can copy some backups from transfers to floppy.
Some questions:
- What do you think about this? How would you transfer protected / 128k games to hard disk?
- There is any utility that could convert a z80 to BASIC loadable blocks (snap2tzx can convert, but it uses a machine code loader so I could not copy it directly to disk)? A utility that could copy that to disk? If they exists... do they work with 128k snapshots? I know that +3e could load some snapshots with SPECTRUM command, and that there are some utilities also can load snapshots, but I would like to copy the programs back to floppy or tape so they can be used with any 128k (i.e.: with or without +3e ROMS or floppy).
- There are any utilities that can copy protected programs directly to floppy?
- I think there is an utility that could convert Multiface 3 snapshots to snapshots that don't need Multiface 3 to run... anyone knows its name?
- Does pasadisk work with 128k transfers? Can it store two or more programs in the same floppy? Converted programs work in C:?
And some other (somewhat related) questions:
- Are there any +3(e) programa that navigates directories and execute programs like Norton Commander? I think some magazines published that kind of programs, but I'm unable to find them.
- I've tried to load Amaurote (128k) in emulated +2A and +3e, but it resets. If I tried to load it in +2, it works... are there any fix to allow it to work in +2A/+3?
- Microhobby published some programs from Imagine (Shao Lin's Road, Star Raiders II) that seemed to have been copied using some kind of unknown transfer (they loaded the whole RAM, showed some screen corruption, that kind of things). Do anyone knows what kind of transfer was used?
- They must work in the +3. It seems obvious, but some games like Parapshock (Microhobby) won't work in 128k mode.
- They have to use standard BASIC loader (no turbo, no loading from machine code).
- They must fit in RAM (so they won't load anything after starting). Chase H.Q. would qualify (in 128k mode it won't load anything), Afterburner won't (it loads levels even in 128k mode).
So long, I've put some games that came unprotected in Microhobby magazine (i.e.: Spyhunter), using tapedisc (Microhobby) to copy the files to a floppy and then copying the files from the floppy to hard disk. The next steps would be copying protected games, and then copying 128k games.
My plan is using a transfer in an emulator and copy the game to tape and then convert it to disk with some utility (or convert a z80 to tape or disk). I've seen that the only transfers supported in emulators are Multiface... but they need the transfer to load back the games. Also, there is an utility (pasadisk, from Microhobby) that can copy some backups from transfers to floppy.
Some questions:
- What do you think about this? How would you transfer protected / 128k games to hard disk?
- There is any utility that could convert a z80 to BASIC loadable blocks (snap2tzx can convert, but it uses a machine code loader so I could not copy it directly to disk)? A utility that could copy that to disk? If they exists... do they work with 128k snapshots? I know that +3e could load some snapshots with SPECTRUM command, and that there are some utilities also can load snapshots, but I would like to copy the programs back to floppy or tape so they can be used with any 128k (i.e.: with or without +3e ROMS or floppy).
- There are any utilities that can copy protected programs directly to floppy?
- I think there is an utility that could convert Multiface 3 snapshots to snapshots that don't need Multiface 3 to run... anyone knows its name?
- Does pasadisk work with 128k transfers? Can it store two or more programs in the same floppy? Converted programs work in C:?
And some other (somewhat related) questions:
- Are there any +3(e) programa that navigates directories and execute programs like Norton Commander? I think some magazines published that kind of programs, but I'm unable to find them.
- I've tried to load Amaurote (128k) in emulated +2A and +3e, but it resets. If I tried to load it in +2, it works... are there any fix to allow it to work in +2A/+3?
- Microhobby published some programs from Imagine (Shao Lin's Road, Star Raiders II) that seemed to have been copied using some kind of unknown transfer (they loaded the whole RAM, showed some screen corruption, that kind of things). Do anyone knows what kind of transfer was used?
Post edited by Zup on
I was there, too
An' you know what they said?
Well, some of it was true!
An' you know what they said?
Well, some of it was true!
Comments
You feed it a 48K snapshot and it spits out a tap file with either a basic loader you can adjust with disk commands or a code block and it gives you the randomize command you need to launch the snapshot. So you can load it, save back to disk and write your own loader for it.
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33547
Don't know how much that helps!
Edit just spotted this:
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/showthread.php?p=596915#post596915
so 128k snapshots are also possible (I didn't know that!)
Neither of these programs give you a machine code loader so you should be able to transfer the tap files to a real spectrum and save them back to the divide hard drive pretty easily.
Generally speaking though you're best just making a snapshot of any 48k game and putting the z80 on the disk. It's so much simpler than hacking loaders about :)
Is this the same process used in Pera Putnik's starter pack? Some games doesn't load (I don't know if that's because game incompatibilities or excessive RAM usage).
That would imply using a +3e (or a divIDE in "enabled" mode), so the games won't be executables in +2A or +3 without modifications (through tape or floppy).
BTW, Pasadisk only works with 48k snapshots, and it does allow multiple programs in the same floppy. Also, the programs have no custom loaders, so they can be moved to tape/floppy/hard disk easily. The drawback is that it produces screen corruption (heavy screen corruption with Multiface One).
An' you know what they said?
Well, some of it was true!
Amaurote was released commercially on two different +3 disk compilations so those versions must work on the +3. There's no original 128k version on WoS, but the 48k TAP and TZX versions load & run OK on ZXSpin in +2A/+3 emulation in 128k mode. What file were you using?
The first version listed in Infoseek works OK, but...
The difference is that in that version, and in every disk version I've tried, after loading, the ony sound you get is a tac-tac corresponding to the steps in the starting screen; if you load the "1.0 version" or the Dro Soft release you will get a nice tune.
BTW, I've adapted the Knight Tyme loader to work with Amaurote, and now it works even when loading from disk. Also, someone told me that Velesoft already had made his own corrected version.
An' you know what they said?
Well, some of it was true!