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#1
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 16-06-2025, 16:56:37
Thanks Peter. I've always been intrigued by "Advanced Destroyer Simulator".

Another one of those titles I've not managed to get around to playing yet
but it's on my list.  :)

#2
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 16-06-2025, 12:25:29
Found more interesting/quality games. So far done these:

2 in 1 Bar  2 games: The Pools Predictor and  Turf-Form
5 Intelligent Strategy Games
ABZoo
Advanced Destroyer Simulator
Superstars Ice Hockey   aka   American Ice Hockey
Arena
Art de la Guerre
Atari ST Tour - includes Ranarama
Brian Cloughs Football Fortunes
Count and Add
Deep Space Operation
Demenage Man
Ferme les Cris des Animaux
Football Director 2
Francais CE1
Gambler
Geometrie Debutant
Grey Seas Grey Skies
Hlava Kasandry
J'Apprends I Heure
Killer Chess
Las Vegas
Magazin, Das
Objectif Europe
Petits Coloriages Malins
Power Cut
Premier Manager
Soccer King





#3
FAQ / Which e-mail service/provider ...
Last post by Petari - 15-06-2025, 09:22:16
 Lately more and more problems with gmail - when sending attachment with image files - like floppy image, TOS image , shorter hard disk/SD card image files.

 Please use some other e-mail provider/service than gmail. Especially if
ordering some SW/driver, image files. Because it rejects whole e-mails just because file extensions
(and there is some 40 listed by them). And does it without any check of file content.
Decent e-mail providers check content of attachments, mostly for viruses and other harmful content.
What of course needs little more code and CPU load. But all it is
not big deal with today computer power.     I recommend  Proton Mail
https://go.getproton.me/aff_c?offer_id=7&aff_id=11851 
It is free and safe.     

 Additionally gmail wrote in e-mail rejection reply that my site has bad reputation .  Huh !
Surely has it by morons mostly active at atariage - who wrote diverse nonsenses about my SW causing damages like hard disk content lose, even damaging some HW - like UltraSatan and similar.
 What times are this ? Big Internet companies just accept such claims without any proof ? Welcome back Stalin era ! 
Rule number one: before declare someone as guilty listen to both sides. Think about what you heard. Use your knowledge about computers in cases like this - or if have no it - just don't judge.
 Surely, most of those false accusations - it they can be called so at all, as they were really not serious. Instead it big words, mentioning big damages - most popular is losing hard disk content, without 'any chance to recover' .  That happens when some can not admit that some can do it better than them.
And what to expect from cracking crews who write all time in style: "we are the best ..." .
 C.J. even wrote at great atariage about I stole his ULS code 'byte by byte' - well, so his code is that was caused damages !  Arrest him !
 Seriously: ULS has no any support for games using TOS functions, is only for games not using TOS, so not floppy file functions of TOS . And majority of Atari ST games using TOS calls (like 65%).
 If I would not developed support for them - like TOS 1.04 in RAM, special launchers - and all it needed lot of time. I would be not able to do over 2600 game's hard disk (now rather SD card) adaptations. Yeah, adapts (in short) - this are not cracks, patches. Sure, there may be copy protection 'crack' by need, some changes in code, and they may be simple one - like correction only few bytes, or may be replacement of whole  code parts.  Then there are fixes to make it work under all TOS versions.
 Lot of time is needed, especially now when dealing with less known games to find proper floppy images of them. I needed to make some fixes because of errors in images. Or combine from multiple sources.

Back to e-mail providers:  if you can recommend some good one, free, and without bad filters, good for attachment sending and receiving, please write here.

#4
Hardware / Re: Issue when duplicating dat...
Last post by Patrick_d - 14-06-2025, 18:23:40
Sorry if I was not enough clear.

Yes, I can extract the files with your sotfware. Hard drive is an IDE drive
#5
Hardware / Re: Issue when duplicating dat...
Last post by Petari - 12-06-2025, 18:39:08
Sorry, but not enough details to judge reliably what is real problem.
Extract files where, with what SW ?
What could work is to do image with PC. But that depends from what kind of drive is in Falcon. If it is SCSI you need SCSI card in PC (what is now barely used).
Image to CF - that may be problem with IDE port in Falcon .
#6
Hardware / Re: Atari 520 STFM - Issue 4x ...
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 12-06-2025, 16:13:37
Quote from: DigitalSkunk on 12-06-2025, 05:46:09It really is a shame more software didn't use it. I think maybe I saw a forum somewhere about someone doing adaptations of games to make use of it, since it is such a wasted opportunity. Or maybe mentioning starting a project around that.

I get that a lot of thew time commercial software is made for "the lowest common denominator" but... you could even put a Blitter in most the earlier models with a manageable amount of effort. In fact, I feel like the ST was made for modding and upgrading. lol

Would be interesting to explore how manageable a task that would be. Would imagine that would be getting pretty deep in assembly, etc though....

Also that is amazing on the STacy!  Sounds like it was fun to assemble also haha (I really enjoy that sort of thing)

I've had so much fun with my STacy. It's currently apart, where I've been doing a bunch of upgrades. I'm wanting to get it right before I put it back together (they are notoriously fun to take apart).

I've got a few short Youtube videos where you can see some of the things I'm doing with it, and it in action. :)

Some great Spectrum pictures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbHhlOskuc8

Music to drive off the Monday blues:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1JI0sADi1A

STDOOM at 40mhz:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcOMiAHXenM
#7
Hardware / Re: Atari 520 STFM - Issue 4x ...
Last post by DigitalSkunk - 12-06-2025, 05:46:09
It really is a shame more software didn't use it. I think maybe I saw a forum somewhere about someone doing adaptations of games to make use of it, since it is such a wasted opportunity. Or maybe mentioning starting a project around that.

I get that a lot of thew time commercial software is made for "the lowest common denominator" but... you could even put a Blitter in most the earlier models with a manageable amount of effort. In fact, I feel like the ST was made for modding and upgrading. lol

Would be interesting to explore how manageable a task that would be. Would imagine that would be getting pretty deep in assembly, etc though....

Also that is amazing on the STacey!  Sounds like it was fun to assemble also haha (I really enjoy that sort of thing)
#8
Hardware / Re: Atari 520 STFM - Issue 4x ...
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 11-06-2025, 16:39:53
Quote from: DigitalSkunk on 11-06-2025, 07:32:52Quite the collection you have there! How did you manage to get a hold of a STacy?

I always loved the aesthetic of the ST line, especially the Megas.

I want to start doing homebrew on my 520 ST once I graduate. Thinking Petari's TOS 1.04 Improved + the TOS 2.06 GUI will be the perfect combo.

Plus I can switch easily to stock 1.04 and 2.06 to test compatibility while having all of Petari's quality of life improvement on my older ST, and HD drivers right in ROM.

Also there a Blitter in there now... curious if I can find clever ways to leverage it for games.

 <img src="https://forum.8bitchip.info/Smileys/default/cool.gif" alt="8)" title="Cool" class="smiley">

I got lucky on the STacy. A guy I know that lived a couple of hours away had one that he was working on (he actually had more than one) and let me have it for $400.00. He even let me make payments on it. The catch is, when I got it and opened the box, it was in pieces. He didn't take the time to put it back together. So, never having taken a STacy apart, I had to figure out how everything went back together. That was entertaining. (this was probably 15 years ago or more). Of course, I've done crazy things to it now, including a Pak 68/3 board running at 40mhz, the RGB2HDMI mod for a color screen and more.

That dual combination of TOS should work well for you and your efforts.

I wish more games had taken advantage of the blitter. I mean, it's been around since the Mega ST's came out but a lot of software ignores it. It seemed like it wasn't really taken seriously until the STe came out.
#9
Hardware / Re: Atari 520 STFM - Issue 4x ...
Last post by DigitalSkunk - 11-06-2025, 07:32:52
Quite the collection you have there! How did you manage to get a hold of a STacy?

I always loved the aesthetic of the ST line, especially the Megas.

I want to start doing homebrew on my 520 ST once I graduate. Thinking Petari's TOS 1.04 Improved + the TOS 2.06 GUI will be the perfect combo.

Plus I can switch easily to stock 1.04 and 2.06 to test compatibility while having all of Petari's quality of life improvement on my older ST, and HD drivers right in ROM.

Also there a Blitter in there now... curious if I can find clever ways to leverage it for games.

 8)
#10
Hardware / Re: Atari 520 STFM - Issue 4x ...
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 10-06-2025, 02:01:39
I love the later TOS versions. So many features and I love
the single-key keyboard shortcuts.

I've got TOS v2.06 in my Mega ST4, TOS v2.06 in my Mega STe,
and TOS v3.06 in my STacy.