ijor Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Anyone have an idea what the FDC does with a sector length field value of $0A? The FDC ignores the unused bits on the length field. Just AND the value with $03. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijor Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Yes, it is! Whatever sector ordering used, it is a historical artifact, too. Besides, you'll never know if it isn't a part of some copy protection, the software measuring load times and breaking in a non-obvious way. Agree 100%. See: http://vapi.fxatari.com/docs/Microprose-skew.html Even without an intentional copy protection, but just by mistake, some software might depend on the loading time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DjayBee Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Some more findings: Quest of the Space Beagle, The (1984)(Avalon Hill)(US)(Disk 1 of 2 Side A)[bASIC][OS-B]empty ATX file with no sectors Rampage (1987)(Activision)(GB)PAL only My First Alphabet (1981)(Atari)(US)[bASIC]wrong name: in reality Ships Ahoy by Unicorn Software and needs NATO Commander (1983)(MicroProse Software)(US)[bASIC]NO basic needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Some more findings: Quest of the Space Beagle, The (1984)(Avalon Hill)(US)(Disk 1 of 2 Side A)[bASIC][OS-B]empty ATX file with no sectors Rampage (1987)(Activision)(GB)PAL only My First Alphabet (1981)(Atari)(US)[bASIC]wrong name: in reality Ships Ahoy by Unicorn Software and needs NATO Commander (1983)(MicroProse Software)(US)[bASIC]NO basic needed Thanks, Djaybee. I had already pulled Space Beagle from the torrent (it won't be in the next one) and I'll correct the others. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon375 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Any idea when a new torrent will be created? Still seeding the 3/26 one, but it seems to have dried up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 Probably still a few weeks out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DjayBee Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Find attached some "Frankendisks" for games I found (cracked versions) on Atarimania which currently do not have an ATX dump. Also I added repaired versions of four bad dumps with gone-bad sectors on them. Since all of these use exactly the same protection as existing dumps, I was able to "uncrack" and integrate them into existing ATXs. Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, The Rev 387 (1984)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)[p] Torrent has Rev 397 atx taken from this version Eidolon, The v1.1 (1985)(Epyx)(US)[!][req 64K] Torrent has v2.0 atx taken from this version S.A.G.A. 02 - Pirate Adventure v5.0-408 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)[p]S.A.G.A. 02 - Pirate Adventure v5.0-408 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side B)[p] "uncracked" Atarimania's atr atx from S.A.G.A. 03 S.A.G.A. 04 - Voodoo Castle v5.1-119 (1983)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)[p] S.A.G.A. 04 - Voodoo Castle v5.1-119 (1983)(Adventure International)(US)(Side B)[p] "uncracked" Atarimania's atr atx from S.A.G.A. 13 S.A.G.A. 01 - Adventureland v5.0-416 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)[p]S.A.G.A. 03 - Mission Impossible v5.0-306 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)[p] removed BAD-CRC-flag of gone-bad sector in original atx missing sector data from Atarimania's atr S.A.G.A. 05 - The Count v5.1-115 (1983)(Adventure International)(US)(Side B)[p] copied (only) track 40 from SAGA 13's atx to the original atx (due to "extended data" for the gone-bad sector which I could not remove from the image) missing sector data from Atarimania's atr S.A.G.A. 06 - Strange Odyssey (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side B)[p] copied (only) track 12 from SAGA 3's atx to the original atx (due to "extended data" for the gone-bad sector which I could not remove from the image) missing sector data from Atarimania's atr Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, The Rev 387 (1984)(Adventure International)(US)p.zip Eidolon, The v1.1 (1985)(Epyx)(US)!req 64K.atx.zip S.A.G.A. 02 - Pirate Adventure v5.0-408 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)p.atx.zip S.A.G.A. 04 - Voodoo Castle v5.1-119 (1983)(Adventure International)(US)p.atx.zip S.A.G.A. 01 - Adventureland v5.0-416 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)p.atx.zip S.A.G.A. 03 - Mission Impossible v5.0-306 (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side A)p.atx.zip S.A.G.A. 05 - The Count v5.1-115 (1983)(Adventure International)(US)(Side B)p.atx.zip S.A.G.A. 06 - Strange Odyssey (1982)(Adventure International)(US)(Side B)p.atx.zip 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted July 16, 2016 Author Share Posted July 16, 2016 I've finally put together a new torrent. There are still a lot more titles coming but it's going to take time to analyze them all and get things updated. As always, a big thanks to: 1. advfan, djmat56, DjayBee and Betrand (Atarimania) for their numerous dump contributions 2. Kr0tki, Ijor, Zarxx and DjayBee for helping to confirm dumps (and correct ones that had problems) 3. k1w1 for his numerous cartridge contributions 4. All of the above and everyone else who has contacted me about inaccuracies Here's what's new: 747 Flight Simulator (DACC) 747 Flug Simulator (Atari) Adventure on a Boat! (subLOGIC) - corrected dump Adventures of Robin Hood (English Software) AdventureWriter (CodeWriter) Agent USA (Scholastic) - dump from shrinkwrapped copy Algicalc (APX) cassette Aliants! (TDC Distributors) - new verified dump Alternate Reality: The City (Datasoft) - corrected dump Alternate Reality: The City (Datasoft) - alternate dump Amaurote (Mastertronic) American Road Race (Firebird) Aquatron (Main Street Publishing) Arcade Fruit Machine (Zeppelin Games) Baseball (Sears) BASIC Compiler, The (Datasoft) Beyond Castle Wolfenstein - verified dump Bowling I (PDI) Bridge 4.0 (Artworx) Car Costs (Creative Software) Colony 7 (System 3) Coloring Series II (Koala Technologies) - verified dump Conan (Datasoft) - verified Cosmic Tunnels (Datamost) - cartridge prototype Crossfire! (Sierra On-Line) - verified cassette Crypts of Terror (Inhome Software) cassette Cycle Knight (Artworx) Dambusters (A1) Darts (Blue Ribbon) Deluxe Invaders (Roklan) - corrected dump Division Drill (Atari) Draconus (Cognito) Drelbs (Synapse) cassette Druid (Firebird) Electric Starfish (A1) Eternal Dagger (SSI) - corrected dump F-15 Strike Eagle (MicroProse) GB release Family Finances (Atari) File Protector! (CSS) - corrected dump Floyd of the Jungle (MicroProse) - alternate dump Genetic Drift (Broderbund) - corrected dump Gettysburg: The Turning Point (SSI) - corrected dump Ghost Hunter (Arcade Plus) - verified cassette dump Hacker (Activision) GB release Hardhat Willy (Inhome Software) - prototype cartridge Hi-Res Adventure #4 - Ulysses and the Golden Fleece - verfied Disk 1 Side B dump JumpJet (Anirog Software) Kennedy Approach (MicroProse Software) - dump from shrinkwrapped copy Knights of the Desert (SSI) Labyrinth of Crete (Adventure International) Lifespan (Roklan) - prototype cartridge Lode Runner (Broderbund) - alternate dump Lunar Landing (A1) Mad Netter (Computer Magic) - verified dump Magic Window (Quicksilva) Memory Builder + Concentration (PDI) Mercenary: Escape from Targ (Novagen) Mickey in the Great Outdoors (Atari) Montezuma's Revenge (Parker Bros) - prototype cartridge Moon Shuttle (Datasoft) - verified cassette dump My First Alphabet (Atari) - corrected dump Other Venture #2: Curse of Crowley Manor (A1) Other Venture #4: Earthquake San Francisco 1906 (A1) Pie Man (Penguin Software) Pogoman (Computer Magic Ltd) - corrected disk dump Quest of the Space Beagle (Avalon Hill) - corrected dump Questprobe #1: The Hulk (Americana) Questprobe #1: The Hulk (Main Street Publishing) Questprobe #2: Spider-Man (Adventure International) GB release Racing Destruction Set (Electronic Arts) - corrected dump Raid Over Moscow (Access Software) Risk (Parker Bros.) - prototype cartridge S.A.G.A. 5 - The Count (Adventure International) - corrected dump Space Eggs (Sirius Software) - alternate dump Spelling Builder (PDI) - corrected dump Star Flite (A1) Star Trux (Atari) - prototype cartridge SynCalc (Synapse) - verified dump Tigers in the Snow (SSI) Treasure Quest (A1) Up Up and Away (Ringblack Software) - prototype cartridge Atari 8bit Preserved Software 2016-07-16.torrent.zip 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon375 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Thanks for the update Farb! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 (edited) No seeds? Pulled? Edit, just as I send that there's a seed Edited July 17, 2016 by Mclaneinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon375 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Ermm.. I have been seeding it since last night.. so there should be at least one.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Pass Dragon, slow net here it seems...Typical of the UK net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon375 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 It's all good Just happy to see a new torrent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 I'm showing 4 seeds at the moment, including myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DjayBee Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 (edited) Some findings I made about the latest torrent: Space Eggs (1981)(Sirius Software)(US)[!]vs.Space Eggs (1981)(Sirius Software)(US)[a1] dumps are identical except the filler byte for unused sectors: [!] has $1a and [a1] has $00 Mercenary - The Second City (1985)(Datasoft)(US) not a dump of Second City, but a bad dump of Mercenary - Escape from TargUnited States Adventure (1984)(First Star Software)(US) rename: needs [bASIC] FileManager+ (1981)(Synapse Software)(US) rename to FileManager 800+ Floyd of the Jungle (1982)(MicroProse Software)(US)[a1] rename: needs [bASIC][OS-B] Free Trader (1983)(Avalon Hill)(US).atr rename (only ATR): needs [bASIC] I suspect these to be (technically) bad dumps with gone-bad sectors in unused areas of the disk: Blue Max (1983)(Synapse Software)(US)[OS-B] Factory, The (1982)(HesWare)(US)[bASIC] M-ss-ng L-nks (1984)(HesWare)(US)[bASIC][OS-B] Picnic Paranoia (1982)(Synapse Software)(US) Protector II (1982)(Synapse Software)(US)[OS-B] Spy vs. Spy II - The Island Caper (1985)(First Star Software)(US) Survivor (1982)(Synapse Software)(US) The bad sector of these dumps contains data but is not read during initial loading of the game: Blue Max 2001 (1984)(Synapse Software)(US) 33/$21 Drelbs (1983)(Synapse Software)(US) 693/$2b5 I believe that the bad sector actually contains data (which can be retrieved from/compared to Atarimania's (cracked) dump): Sands of Egypt, The (1982)(Datasoft)(US)[OS-B] 489/$1e9 Edited August 26, 2016 by DjayBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 Thanks for the corrections, DjayBee. I'll update the database so the changes will be in the next torrent. Factory and M-ss-ng L-nks are right from Atarimania and Sands of Egypt was contributed in ATX format so there isn't much to be done about those. Hopefully we'll get access to original disks or raw dumps of them in the future. The others titles we have raw dumps for and Ijor has offered to analyze them in more detail. We'll see if some of them can be fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 (edited) Yes, Clay has generously contributed a ton of new SuperCard Pro disk dumps which I've been slowly going through and adding to the preservation list/torrent. Here's what I've incorporated so far: valFORTH (Valpar Industries) Hi Farb, I'm interested in the dumps of valForth. I see that 2 of the 8 disks have been successfully dumped. Are the others in the process of being dumped, or are they either not available or damaged? I see this post you made about them was from back in January, so that's why I'm curious about the status. Thanks. Edited August 30, 2016 by MrFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hi, MrFish. Unfortunately, I only received dumps of the two disks you saw. I don't have access to any others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hi, MrFish. Unfortunately, I only received dumps of the two disks you saw. I don't have access to any others. Alright, thanks for the info. I'll try and contact Clay through PM, although it looks like he hasn't been on AA June 20th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Cowgill Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Alright, thanks for the info. I'll try and contact Clay through PM, although it looks like he hasn't been on AA June 20th. I got your PM, but I'll just reply here for the sake of future (searching) generations. (I do lurk here, I just don't log in often.) Those were the only two disks I had from back in the day-- they were originals, but were a gift from someone that bought valFORTH and then didn't take to it, so he gave it to me. (Possible the other libraries were optional add-ons that cost more and "Gene" didn't buy them at the same time?) I have since managed to get an original manual (never did find mine) as well which I scanned in and gave to Kevin (dragonstomper) for archiving, but maybe they should be included in the manual archive to go with the preservation disks? If anyone wants them, they're here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13050091/valFORTH_Documentation.zip ("everything" including a ~110MByte high res scan) https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13050091/valFORTH%20Manual%20Set%20%28smaller%29.pdf (compression cranked up for a ~12Mbyte file) -Clay 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 (edited) I got your PM, but I'll just reply here for the sake of future (searching) generations. (I do lurk here, I just don't log in often.) Those were the only two disks I had from back in the day-- they were originals, but were a gift from someone that bought valFORTH and then didn't take to it, so he gave it to me. (Possible the other libraries were optional add-ons that cost more and "Gene" didn't buy them at the same time?) I have since managed to get an original manual (never did find mine) as well which I scanned in and gave to Kevin (dragonstomper) for archiving, but maybe they should be included in the manual archive to go with the preservation disks? If anyone wants them, they're here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13050091/valFORTH_Documentation.zip ("everything" including a ~110MByte high res scan) https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13050091/valFORTH%20Manual%20Set%20%28smaller%29.pdf (compression cranked up for a ~12Mbyte file) -Clay Thanks for the scans. These parts of the manual were not included in the scans done by Kevin Savetz (on archive.org), so it's really good to see them. His scans do cover the other extension disks. Yours also has more reference cards than what he had available. Together it should be getting near complete, if not complete. I'll have to go over everything. You're probably right about there being a basic package with the just the system, system utils, and newer editor. Most of the other disks (I think seven of the eight) are on the Atari Wiki site, but the 1.1 editor wasn't working on that disk, and some of the other disks are supposedly questionable. I'll have to talk with LuckyBuck and see what the situation is there. Thanks for all work here, though; it's nice to have all this extra printed material and a disk with a working v1.1 editor. Edited August 30, 2016 by MrFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckybuck Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hi to all, valFORTH: https://atariwiki.org/wiki/Wiki.jsp?page=ValFORTH did we miss something? I have never used FORTH, so I don't know. @Farb: Do you have the original disk of SynFile+ in the 130XE version else 128K version and have made an atr or atx of that? Please see attached graphics. I have something in mind with that version... Thanks to all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 valFORTH: https://atariwiki.org/wiki/Wiki.jsp?page=ValFORTH did we miss something? I have never used FORTH, so I don't know. For sure the v1.1 Editor on the "General Utilities & Video Editor" ATR on the Wiki is not functioning correctly. The Editor functions fine on the Clay/Farb ATR/ATX. I've emailed you some details and other information/questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 (edited) I have since managed to get an original manual (never did find mine) as well which I scanned in and gave to Kevin (dragonstomper) for archiving, but maybe they should be included in the manual archive to go with the preservation disks? I was able compare your manual scans with Kevin Savetz's and produce a merged version this afternoon. As it turned out, your scans had everything that Savetz's did except for valDOS. It's either complete at this point or near complete. I haven't taken the time to determine whether or not the Graphics Editor disk is covered in one of the other sections or not (it doesn't have it's own full section). I added some preliminary bookmarks for the main sections so it's a little easier to navigate; eventually, I'll fully bookmark it. I also plan to clean up all the reference card scans. I've put the two disks plus all the PDF's on my website. The other disks at Atari Wiki will be added once we can verify the dumps a little better. I also recently added some quality Forth programming instruction books to the Resource section of my website -- in preparation for adding valForth and Extended fig-Forth. Edited August 30, 2016 by MrFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 As a side note to this and another recent thread here on AA, apparently Omnitrend's Universe was developed using valForth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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