Main Menu

Recent posts

#51
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 27-11-2023, 19:40:40
Colonel's Bequest - Color and monochrome mode. Very long and good looking intro. Originally on 4 floppies.

Spirit of Adventure - Updated with new version, after suggestions of Mark Keeling because of problems at one stage. Game is mostly in German.

Kiktris - Blockout and Tetris, with diverse settings. Color and monochrome mode - that's not usual. Well done.

Police Quest - In Pursuit of the Death Angel, color and monochrome mode . Early Sierra adv. Not so spread.
#52
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by TheNameOfTheGame - 18-11-2023, 04:58:34
The following games have been updated to include game instructions that I typed/OCRed in.  All of my HAGA conversions now contain gameplay texts. Thanks Peter for updating the zips with the next text files!  Redownload for the new files.

Chuckie Egg
Chuckie Egg 2
Cybernoid
Frenetic
Gemini Wing
Magic Land Dizzy
Prince of the Yolkfolk Dizzy
Saint Dragon
Street Fighter 2
#53
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 11-11-2023, 20:00:52
Rana Rama , HAGA v. with trainer options done by Jeffrey Young .
Rana Rama YT

Championship Manager Italia '95  2 videos:
With usual HAG2 
With new HAG2
May see that with new HAG2 it works much faster, without fading during player transfers - because much more direct hard disk/Flash card access from game.
#54
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 05-11-2023, 17:56:13
Updated Space Harrier 20 level edition.
Space Harrier 20 levels

 Floppy v. :
Space Harrier all 20 levels on 1 floppy  Unlim lives opt.
#55
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 29-10-2023, 10:33:43
Less known games:
Firestorm - avoid, rescue type g.
Dames Simulator - Francais
Lucky Luke - French v. There is German v. too. Needed to combine good files from diverse sources to have all uncorrupted files (corruption everywhere now  :(  ) . It seems that shooting is final level ?
Sunny Shine - only German v. was done. And is really hard to find. Will add ST images of this and Lucky Luke on my site soon.
Centurian - shooting, collecting in some desert like area.
Willys Brother - short (30 KB) game. Better play it with joystick, otherwise diagonal move (needed a lot) will be pretty hard. GFA source included - chance to improve game  :D
#56
News / Re: How to be useless
Last post by Petari - 27-10-2023, 11:23:00
And this about writing on Atari ST floppies comes up again and again ...
AF thread
What seems as typical is that those who ask for help have some serious problems with attitude. Lot of it is answered on my WEBsite, on pages linked at FloImg page.  Obviously reading it all is too much for some. But not too much to read all answers on forums, from which 95% is really not useful - may see mentioning of Mint,
"I use a greaseweazle"   :)  - that's for sure right answer . What's next - letting adverts in replies in forums ?
If those forums would be administrated by responsible people there would be for long time already FAQ section. But those who lead it have no good technical knowledge, can not judge which WEB sites are good, with reliable content, experience ... Not to mention lazyness, don't care attitude.
So much time wasted on things which are clarified over decade ago.  There are no floppy controllers on new PC motherboards right about so long time. And then FloImg is culprit - does not work with USB drives  :)
I really 'like' way of shallowness, and that often becomes insulting. But who cares if I'm insulted. Nothing and nobody from Eastern Eu. Luckily there is people who prefer e-mail way of communication. That can say even word 'thanx' - unlike smartheads on forums.
#57
News / Re: How to be useless
Last post by Petari - 21-10-2023, 10:14:23
 I could start new thread with what's following, but in some way it fits here.
So, let's see atariage and what is welcome there, what is not. What cretenism can read on some sites, and what is reason for that ...
 AA admin Albert posted thread about his cousin's retro stuff collecting - in ST section. While it belongs in general section, since there is most of it not Atari ST related. But of course nobody dared to ask him to move it in other section. Or at least I did not see such post :-) Was my little ironic reply there reason for my ban or not - not really relevant. Surely there were others who asked for it - like C.J. , Tillek ...
Ban self was not by rules. I did not get any explanation. Plus, I did not see on other forums that after ban under member's nick writes 'banned'. So, they banned member, but their posts remain there - while the reason for ban is certainly something written in them. Did not see that any of my posts was deleted there. It seems that marking people makes some feeling good ... New McCarthy time ?

Let see examples of blatant lies:
The only CDs worth their space
LOL - even tag for page is insult - so all others are worthless ?  Morons.
On page 'Extras', near to bottom can read "Note: There is a program called FloImg that claims to be working perfectly and can read/write disks on the PC. D-Bug strongly discourages the use of this program, as it is known to wipe out whole Windows partitions without any sort of recovery!!!  "
Big words, 3 exclamation marks . While what writes is not only insulting, lie, but just impossible. This is floppy SW, not accessing any hard disk related Windows function, therefore it can not damage any hard disk partition. Everyone with little better computer knowledge is aware of that. And yet, whole bullshit is there over 10-15 years. Do Atari forum admins care ? Of course not. They are same as D-Bug - care only about own fame, momental interests. So, how many people was discouraged from usage of FloImg because this bullshit ? Will never know.  What can know that it comes up, and is recommended. Surely now, 17 years after I started with it is little harder to find PC, motherboard with built in floppy drive, controller for it on MBO . But there is still millions of them in good condition. Other way is to have some Flash card adapter for Atari ST, copy Atari ST floppy image files on SD card, then write it on floppies with Atari self.
Or now: do not use floppies at all with Atari - some are right about it, because their drive or HW part for it in Atari ST is not functional.  In any case I have solutions for all this cases. And guess what ? Nobody reported any data loss to me.  What is btw. possible with SD cards - in most cases right because low quality ones on 'market' .
Other D-Bug, or better C.J. nonsense:  ULS related. He wrote right at atariage that I 'copied ULS byte by byte ...' for my hard disk 'patching' system. Huahahahaha ... Another case of big words, and 0 truth.
Of course, moron admin did not react on it, not moderators - are they at all present at AA ? That would be right proper reason for ban.
So much. All what happens is so low, shallow, and shows that ego, vanity, selfishness, not thinking ahead is what prevails more and more this years. Not only in Atari forums. I see ridiculous cases of e-mail rejecting by some really big e-mail servers/SMTPs :  just because file extension IMG e-mail will be rejected. Regardless from content of file. I usually sent it ZIPped. So, all what checking SW does is that opens ZIP, and if finds there file with extension ZIP, or ASF (couple days ago e-mail with it was rejected, and I even don't know where it is used with modern computers - I just used it for 'Atari screen format' :-) ) And even funnier case:  ZIP was rejected because there was one file what was very good packable  ;D
Sure it was, because most of content was zeros, and my intention was to be good packable, because it was hard disk partition with only few files, so most of it was empty, so with same bytes .
Everyone with little better .... repeating self - yes, this filters are done so lazy, unprofessional that it is pathetic. So, I can send to someone virus, just need to take care about file extension ? Or there is check for know viruses, but as they are not sure that it will detect all them they added extra measures ?
File extension ? Sooo stoopid. And they are paid for it.  While viruses being spread with more efficient ways.
Then, marking some sites as harmful, just because some reported them, asked for it ? Without any proof. Again, McCarthy time . This is not democracy but rather anarchy.
#58
News / Re: How to be useless
Last post by Petari - 21-10-2023, 08:32:11
And new thread at atariage: "Net to floppy"
At moment last post there says: "Usually complaining about how "stoopid" people at AtariAge are. :) "
That would be me, of course.
Let's see what is the reality:  First of all, I started this thread not with goal to call people stoopid, shallow. Goal is to give proper answers to questions. To point on mistakes, wrong claims. And yes, when you see something very stupid may happen that you say it openly. Why people tend to write things in them when self are not sure ? I mean, can see lot of post where says: "I think ..." . Maybe to not write in that thread ? There is already enough confusion about all it.
So, here are my answers about questioned in that thread, but first I need to correct thread title:
It is called not 'convert', conversion . And not "programs from the net" . Distribution of SW originally on floppies started before Internet era. Yes, first way was to send copies to customers. But little later BBS way was used too - and that needed image files of floppies (their content) . Or some archiver what contained all files on floppy.  So, the proper question would be: how to write files, floppy images for usage on Atari ST with PC ?
Of course, that's old thing, need for it was present from beginning, and especially since Internet era.
ColecoGamer got useful answer very soon: link to my FloImg page. There is lot of things explained - so the reasons why USB floppy drives are not good, with details on linked page: Floppy Mistery.
But ColecoGamer obviously did not read it at all. He went with his USB drive. 
So, I need to write it again:  USB floppy drives are not useful, or better said not usable for Atari ST usual formats. They have limited geometry support - will not work with very common 800 KB format. Some work only with 1440 KB format (not used with Atari ST(E), only with Mega STE, in very rare cases) .
Later answers in thread were about how to transfer files on floppies, with PC. That's useful, but I think that in most cases it will be floppy image files what people can DL on Internet - that's the usual way of preserving Atari ST SW , and that's good. In some cases it must be in that format to work at all.

If just writing files on floppies is goal: format DD (720KB) floppy on PC, or with my formatting program for Atari ST, set to PC compatible format (DL on FloImg page). Then copy files on it. It will work with Atari, any TOS version. Better said, will be readable with any TOS version. Work may be TOS version dependant.
Well, it may be that some SW will not fit on 720 KB. Because needs 800 KB floppy. That's the case when you need FloImg. And that's the reason why I went in hard work of making it - did not say 'programmed' because there is much more in all it - research, plenty of tests, doing WEB pages, etc ...  Yet, some people don't care about all time and effort, they care only about own ego, and to solve something with minimal effort. Well, not everything is possible to solve simple and in short time. Trying it may be just waste of time.
I know that people likes simple explanations, but there is no such in this case. Ad no in many cases. Simple explanation is just not enough, and will cause more confusion than help. That's what I want to prevent - and then may come some 'insulting' words:  'shallow', 'stoopid' . I do that not often, usually when it is really over the line. Of course, there are such ones who will remember it for whole life, and pull it over and over again - because they care only about own ego, not about how to be useful, how to solve technical problems.  Surely, banning is one of the solutions - to make those with good knowledge, experience with Atari ST, SW, HW for it away from forum - all problems solved ! Now forum will be so nice, polite and like ... and that's most important ! Not efficiency, getting proper answers in short time, being able to solve things. No, those like PLM are doing only harm. They think that just because made some SW they can write everything ! No, they should not correct people, saying that what wrote was shallow ! That's worst thing. Not wasting lot of time because of stoopid answers ! Yes, efficiency is evil ! I'm evil persona, because I wrote all that SW for Atari ST, supporting SW for PC. That's pure evil ! I should instead it waste my time in old lady fashioned sweet talk on forums. Much more useful spending of time. Thank you for your time reading this.
#59
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 18-10-2023, 19:35:32
And finally:
Utopia - was pretty hard case, floppy code is strange, so needed lot of tracing and thinking about how to solve code what redirects it to hard disk/cache.
And needed some IKBD code fix too.  In any case, pretty good game.
#60
Hardware / Re: 16mhz mod for ST/STE
Last post by DarkLord - 18-10-2023, 07:55:39
My understanding is that for a 16mhz accelerator to work efficiently, it really needs a good cache.

I have an AdSpeed in my Mega ST and it runs at 16mhz with a cache. The documentation included with the AdSpeed is emphatic about what the cache does. It's very significant.

When you read posts from people experimenting with accelerators over the years, and look at their benchmarks, no cache consistently seems to show a big performance "hit".

Hope this helps.  :)