+Lee Stewart Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 You should copy the disks with a sector copy - I don't think a file by file will work. Forth Gurus - please chime in on this. Wondering whether you noticed my response in post #18... ...lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Lee Yes sir , I did. Not being a programmer at all, I have never really looked into any flavor of Forth. Probably should, huh? I remember one member of VAST was deep into it - Rene' LeBlanc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 etownandy, Might I suggest using BOOT with an Extended Basic as the module in the slot. You can load 24 games and they can either be E/A option 5 or Extended Basic. BUT,,, I have found a few games/utilities that do not like BOOT. Thankfully, there are not many. BOOT is powerful! I have it as the opening menu on ALL my systems, including nanoPEB when plugged in. I love BOOT. Only problem is that it's about 48 sectors (24 each for files BOOT and BOOU). My LOAD program is 10 sectors. The first collection has 19 sectors free, so I'd have to drop a game to make BOOT fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 Here ya go...in e/a 5 it's « DSK1.WZ2 » (in XB the autoload kicks - or just delete it)... mini rant: damned Windows 10 anniversary update killed my left ALT key making entering int'l characters (like Ω or « » ) via alt codes a real friggin pain! ARRRRGGGHHH! I hate Windows more every single day! Microsoft hasn't had a completely useable os since XP (hell, DOS 6.0 beats Win10!) Well, then I suppose there's something about WZ2 that MAME doesn't like. WZ1 plays just fine, but WZ2 hangs after the title screen. And yeah, Win10 killed compatibility with most of my GOG games. And it's a pain in the neck to have to roll back the update every time (because even though I've hacked my registry, the Content Creator update still gets downloaded). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lee Stewart Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Lee Yes sir , I did. Not being a programmer at all, I have never really looked into any flavor of Forth. Probably should, huh? I remember one member of VAST was deep into it - Rene' LeBlanc. Well, I am a bit prejudiced when it comes to programming languages on the TI-99/4A. I think you would enjoy it. And, with no programming experience, it should be easier to learn than for folks used to other high-level languages. ...lee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeBo Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Sparkdrummer, once again you've helped me get something working that I had simply written off as unplayable using the nanoPEB ! « □PHETA□□□□ » mounted perfectly to a CF volume and loaded/played without a hitch!. etownandy is probably better to stick with the Jeff Bunting version for his custom disks projects, but thanks for making this dedicated disk image available. This version2 of the game, with very nice character animation certainly makes it easier not to die accidentally... Pressing "jump" sends you jumping in the last direction you were facing, so in the Jeff Bunting and earlier T&T versions you had to be careful to remember what direction you were last facing since the character was in a locked position, giving the player no visual queues. The clock is still too fast for a puzzle game, so Jeff's version is still preferred in that regard, but if T&T set out to make more of an action arcade game, speeding up the clock was probably the right decision. I also prefer Jeff's level designs. They just seem more clever, and his decision to a new puzzle element to each level, meant you never know what the next screen will introduce. Most disappointing on this T&T version though, is that it does not save high score as it's predecessor did. Once you've made it to higher levels, it is quite easy to have spent an hour or more playing, and not having even a single high score saved it just unforgivable on a disk based game (high scores saves were a major consideration to my upgrading to a disk drive decades ago (along with faster and non-sequential loading and saving of data of course)). BUT, I had tried every copy I could find of the T&T versions without success, so your post of a working copy of one of my favourite TI platformers is VERY appreciated, and as I said, this is not the first time you've been helpful to me getting things working (or working as well as can be on my recently very wonky nanoPEB (think I need a new power adapter - or maybe I'll just wait for the expected next iteration of the nano itself). And Lee, you are absolutely correct! I have been absolutely blown away by the speed and capabilities of the various Forths on the TI (I acquired a turboforth eprom just so I could play Darkstar!), but have found that my knowledge of BASIC and C really got in my way when trying to teach myself (old dog/new tricks syndrome). Retirement is fast approaching, affording more time for such things, and learning Forth is one of those deferred projects that I'd like to tackle before the old synapses give out completely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 PeBo I kept mum about the superior walking animation so you would have a suprise if the disks worked for you. So, in fact, we have 3 versions of SSP - 1.1, 2.2 in Forth and the version in E/A. I am glad that you were pleasantly surprised. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeBo Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Good surprise! I also bitched too soon. Version 2.1 would not save my high score, because I had not beaten the default high score (stupid me did not see it hiding in plain sight on the title screen). Once I beat that, it did indeed ask me to enter my name, and a reboot confirmed that it saved. It also has a much more lengthy string for high scores than most games of the time allowing me to enter PEBO 18.09.17 with several characters to spare (that would of course be PEBO 09.18.17 in the U.S. (which I admit works much better when date stamping folders)) So that's two great games - the disk version of Warzone II and the T&T versions of SSPheta with permanent high scores! Can anyone think of others? (I guess ALL the Moonbeam games could be easily tweaked to save out to disk (or cassette if you make sure not to rewind after loading a game)) I've thought about adding a saved leaderboard to Par Fore Golf after finding any type of ending sequence absent in that otherwise great golf game (the game literally just ends.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 I just found yet another Wycove Forth version of Spacestation Pheta. It came with 2 disk sides - side one was the game and side two was how to play - both load and run in Forth. I think this could have been the first release - there is no version noted. PHETAGAME.DSK You will need to sector copy this disk. PHETAINSTS.DSK This disk didn't seem to give a shit if it was sector copied or not. PhetaDoc.pdf This was the d/v80 file on the disk - I converted to pdf. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 was just an idea, but: I am able to convert the protected disk/DSK to HFE, but if I reconvert this HFE back to DSK/V9T9 then the "HxCFloppyEmulator.exe´-tool crashes (sry, I have no time at the moment to check wether the HFE-file works) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Well, then I suppose there's something about WZ2 that MAME doesn't like. Runs for me. I just tried, and I could select all functions with the joystick and also start the game. Are you sure that the game does not just wait for you to move the joystick up? (Remember to release Alpha Lock.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 PHETAGAME.DSK You will need to sector copy this disk. This image is broken. It says SSDD (single-sided, double density) but offers only 360 sectors, which would mean SSSD. This confuses the image loader in MAME. I fixed this with TIMT's sector editor. phetagame_fixed.dsk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 (edited) Runs for me. I just tried, and I could select all functions with the joystick and also start the game. Are you sure that the game does not just wait for you to move the joystick up? (Remember to release Alpha Lock.) Yeah...I get the black title screen, disk activity, then the screen clears (to black) with a flash of a blue bar in the bottom third or so of the screen and nothing beyond. Other games work fine (as does my joystick emulation from the keyboard, including "up"). I hadn't updated MAME since the changes with the ioport. So I did that, and (of course) now I can't figure out how to get my disk drives to show up. BWG is inserted in slot 8, but the drop downs for the drives no longer appear in QMC2. Is there a command line you could send me so I can check against that? Edited September 20, 2017 by etownandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 mame64 ti99_4a -cart exbasic -ioport peb -ioport:peb:slot8 bwg -flop1 Warzone2.dsk You have to use the internal 32K mem expansion, not the peripheral card 32K mem. I don't know why it fails with the external memory. To activate the internal mod, press ScrlLock, Tab, go to "Machine configuration" and activate the internal memory. Remove the external 32kmem in command lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 mame64 ti99_4a -cart exbasic -ioport peb -ioport:peb:slot8 bwg -flop1 Warzone2.dsk You have to use the internal 32K mem expansion, not the peripheral card 32K mem. I don't know why it fails with the external memory. To activate the internal mod, press ScrlLock, Tab, go to "Machine configuration" and activate the internal memory. Remove the external 32kmem in command lines. OK, that worked. Must have been a problem in an older version of MAME. I've got a ticket opened with the QMC folks on the missing disk drive drop-downs (ahhh...alliteration....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 (edited) Schmitzi,The easiest way to convert back from .HFE format is to just copy the disk image to the PC using DSK2PC with the HDX. On arrival it'll be in the proper .DSK format. ** EDITED ** - Originally sent from my cellphone and had errors. Edited September 28, 2017 by --- Ω --- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 I've got a ticket opened with the QMC folks on the missing disk drive drop-downs (ahhh...alliteration....) Hmm ... it seems to me as if QMC2 does not update its slot list when a slot selection has been done. In particular, by plugging in the PEB you should get seven more slots. I posted a comment on the QMC2 forum; let's see what they make of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 Hmm ... it seems to me as if QMC2 does not update its slot list when a slot selection has been done. In particular, by plugging in the PEB you should get seven more slots. I posted a comment on the QMC2 forum; let's see what they make of it. On the Mac version, at least, I get the 8 slots, but not the "sub slots" for the disk drives. Weird. Sorry...I should have sent this to a new thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 Getting back to the subject...a few of the suggestions for a "second volume" would actually span several disks (maybe two games per...so it enters "what's the point" territory for me). Miner 2049er is a great fit - 3 EA 5 files. The Comprodine stuff is all fantastic - Warzone, Backstein, Living Tomb - but they look to be too big. I'll poke around my collection for other EA5 titles, but keep suggestions coming. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 If you add Towers of Hanoi you will have a disk of games with a game of disks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digdugnate Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 i couldn't resist- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 etownandy- Here is a dsk of 29 E/A 5 games that are only one file - 33 sectors or less - might help you fit your maximum on the disk you are building. SINGLEFILE.DSK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etownandy Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 etownandy- Here is a dsk of 29 E/A 5 games that are only one file - 33 sectors or less - might help you fit your maximum on the disk you are building. SINGLEFILE.DSK Nice! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notwhoyouthink Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 etownandy- Here is a dsk of 29 E/A 5 games that are only one file - 33 sectors or less - might help you fit your maximum on the disk you are building. SINGLEFILE.DSK Neat collection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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