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#1
Software / Re: Interesting HDDriver discu...
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 11-03-2025, 19:15:40I had a TT once. Really nice machines but I ended
up selling it.
I could kick myself - really wish I'd kept it now.
up selling it.
I could kick myself - really wish I'd kept it now.
#2
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 11-03-2025, 19:13:27Thanks Peter. 
#3
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 11-03-2025, 13:51:32And another case with some bad ST image dumps online: Herewith the Clues !
There are ST image files at atarimania and at emu-land.net . In both cases there are 4 corrupted files (1 on first, 3 on second floppy) . Luckily STX images at atarimania are OK, so I was able to convert them to good ST images - there is no copy protection.
Did hard disk adapt. Soon will put it on site, and good ST images too .
Did some educational games too - by Micro-C - yep, French . Need yet to do couple, test and add usual screen, box shots converted for ST(E) . Hardest part was pretty unusual copy prot.
There are ST image files at atarimania and at emu-land.net . In both cases there are 4 corrupted files (1 on first, 3 on second floppy) . Luckily STX images at atarimania are OK, so I was able to convert them to good ST images - there is no copy protection.
Did hard disk adapt. Soon will put it on site, and good ST images too .
Did some educational games too - by Micro-C - yep, French . Need yet to do couple, test and add usual screen, box shots converted for ST(E) . Hardest part was pretty unusual copy prot.
#4
Software / Re: Interesting HDDriver discu...
Last post by Petari - 11-03-2025, 13:32:44Indeed interesting discussion. But I never had some CT60 and like accelerator. So, can not say anything about driver requirements for it. What I made was fast RAM support for TT . It was long time ago, with TT what I got for some months for SW development, test.
As remember ACSI driver for TT needs to perform disk transfers only with ST RAM, and that's because DMA chip is same as in Atari STs (I even tested speed, and it is same too, despite TT has much faster RAM) . So, if SW asks some transfers with Fast RAM it needs to use some little ST RAM there will data loaded from disk (or saved to disk from), and it needs to be loaded with current content for next section transfer before DMA transfer to disk, or needs to be saved after loading from disk to Fast RAM. Something similar is needed when loading/saving to/from odd RAM address .
It was tested by me and users, and I did not receive any complains from TT users.
As remember ACSI driver for TT needs to perform disk transfers only with ST RAM, and that's because DMA chip is same as in Atari STs (I even tested speed, and it is same too, despite TT has much faster RAM) . So, if SW asks some transfers with Fast RAM it needs to use some little ST RAM there will data loaded from disk (or saved to disk from), and it needs to be loaded with current content for next section transfer before DMA transfer to disk, or needs to be saved after loading from disk to Fast RAM. Something similar is needed when loading/saving to/from odd RAM address .
It was tested by me and users, and I did not receive any complains from TT users.
#5
News / Re: How to be useless
Last post by Petari - 26-02-2025, 19:01:34And of course it just go on at AA - thread started in 2021 - and no proper explanation, solution. While I solved it somewhere 10-15 years ago. 5.25 drive on ST
I wrote about danger of damaging PSG chip in ST when connect directly 5.25 inch drive - as some of them load some control lines much more than 3.5 inch drives, and that results in breaking of PSG chip, after what no floppy work. No word about it in AA thread.
Well, if there is no problem with PSG line overload there is still problem of slower seek rate of 5.25 drives. And of course it has nothing relevant with 40/80 track switch. Seek rate in 80 track mode is simply higher because larger disk size, so need bigger movement. And I write this according to my experience. I tested with number of 5.25 inch drives, and all needed 6 ms seek rate .
And yes, there is TOS function to set it to it, but only in later TOS versions.
Seek rate setting program by TGB1718 is not well written. For write to very low RAM, what needs supervisor mode XBIOS #26 is better - only one TOS call instead 2 . But that address depends from TOS version, so better to use XBIOS call for step rate set - present in later TOS versions.
Of course, best is to just not mess with floppy drives now - too much risk for already fragile old Atari STs .
Why I messed with 5.25 drives on Atari ST ? It was long time ago, before 2000 . Needed to transfer some SW, data with such floppies. Now I'm happy if see some 3.5 inch drive working.
I wrote about danger of damaging PSG chip in ST when connect directly 5.25 inch drive - as some of them load some control lines much more than 3.5 inch drives, and that results in breaking of PSG chip, after what no floppy work. No word about it in AA thread.
Well, if there is no problem with PSG line overload there is still problem of slower seek rate of 5.25 drives. And of course it has nothing relevant with 40/80 track switch. Seek rate in 80 track mode is simply higher because larger disk size, so need bigger movement. And I write this according to my experience. I tested with number of 5.25 inch drives, and all needed 6 ms seek rate .
And yes, there is TOS function to set it to it, but only in later TOS versions.
Seek rate setting program by TGB1718 is not well written. For write to very low RAM, what needs supervisor mode XBIOS #26 is better - only one TOS call instead 2 . But that address depends from TOS version, so better to use XBIOS call for step rate set - present in later TOS versions.
Of course, best is to just not mess with floppy drives now - too much risk for already fragile old Atari STs .
Why I messed with 5.25 drives on Atari ST ? It was long time ago, before 2000 . Needed to transfer some SW, data with such floppies. Now I'm happy if see some 3.5 inch drive working.
#6
Software / Re: Puffy's Saga
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 11-02-2025, 18:54:12Thanks Peter...! This game reminds me of Gauntlet II in places.
#7
Software / Re: Puffy's Saga
Last post by Petari - 11-02-2025, 17:14:29Solved work of blitter version with 1 MB RAM only (from floppy) - it needed some 50 corrections in code.
Hard disk v. with it needs 2 MB RAM min (as usual) - and there are state saves, as usual
Unlimited health opt. too.
Page with DLs
Hard disk v. with it needs 2 MB RAM min (as usual) - and there are state saves, as usual
Unlimited health opt. too.
Page with DLs
#8
Software / Puffy's Saga
Last post by Petari - 10-02-2025, 14:06:13 I made some corrections with 2 versions of Puffy's Saga .
https://atari.8bitchip.info/ASTGA/P/puffyss.php
https://atari.8bitchip.info/ASTGA/P/puffyss.php
#9
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Ronald J. Hall - 07-02-2025, 17:33:20I know the text adventure games aren't for everyone but
there are some really great games there.
I played Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Zork to
death, back in the day.
Thanks for doing them Peter.
there are some really great games there.
I played Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Zork to
death, back in the day.
Thanks for doing them Peter.
#10
Software / Re: New game adaptations
Last post by Petari - 07-02-2025, 15:08:11Did remaining Infocom adventures:
Border Zone
Bureaucracy
Cutthroats
Deadline
Enchanter
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hollywood Hijinx
Infidel
Nord and Bert
Planetfall
Plundered Hearts
Seastalker
Sherlock the Riddle of the Crown Jewels
Spellbreaker
Starcross
Stationfall
Suspect
Suspended
Trinity
Wishbringer
Witness
Zork Trilogy (1-3)
All they work in color and monochrome mode .
Hardest part was finding floppy images of all them, cover scan pictures.
At atarimania are 2 more: Mines of Titan and Shogun . I searched, and by all signs no Atari ST versions of them made.
Border Zone
Bureaucracy
Cutthroats
Deadline
Enchanter
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hollywood Hijinx
Infidel
Nord and Bert
Planetfall
Plundered Hearts
Seastalker
Sherlock the Riddle of the Crown Jewels
Spellbreaker
Starcross
Stationfall
Suspect
Suspended
Trinity
Wishbringer
Witness
Zork Trilogy (1-3)
All they work in color and monochrome mode .
Hardest part was finding floppy images of all them, cover scan pictures.
At atarimania are 2 more: Mines of Titan and Shogun . I searched, and by all signs no Atari ST versions of them made.