xjas

I certainly could! I had to take the ISO down due to lack of hosting space, and I don't have the bandwidth available to re-up it right now. Give me a few days and I'll see what I can do.

^^ looked through the manual for the retail and I didn't see any info on how to access it, other than "Note: the game may prompt you to free up NVRAM for high scores." I realize this thread is kind of useless without further info - I'll definitely upload the ISO somewhere eventually, just gonna sit on it a bit while I seek out some expertise. Actual beta releases tend to blow up & I don't want to spread BS or misinformation around. For now, here are some "screen" shots that show the "beta" running on Phoenix (note presence of those extra TGA files.) ...and even some gameplay video of it in action (sorry for the low quality!) Honestly, to my eyes it plays and looks exactly like the retail. The videos are there, all the options are there, all tracks & cars accounted for. I thought the voiceover at the end was different, but I double-checked and I might have been thinking of the PC version.

The extra images are apparently menu screens for a memory manager - I can't figure out how to access this; maybe it only appears if the memory is full?

Okay, I got it to boot in Phoenix using a hacked FZ-10 BIOS that disables the RSA check. First time I've seen this version in action! I don't know why it won't run on my Testing Station - all I can think of is it can't handle an encrypted disc that isn't code signed as a retail release?? Does that make sense? I got the disc WITH the testing station so I would've thought it would be able to play it. It seems like it's pretty much complete, I didn't notice any differences from retail in a casual playthrough. This disc is either dated March 1994 or November 1994, depending on which way they wrote the date, placing it either several months before or after(!) the retail release in August 1994. Here's a comparison of the two file systems, there are definitely some differences (for some reason '--ignore-file-name-case' didn't seem to do anything) : diff NFS_3DO_Beta NFS_3DO_retail --ignore-file-name-case -r -x ".*" Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/FrontEnd/Display: bg.tga Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/FrontEnd/Display: bgnd.tga Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/FrontEnd/Display: bold.tga Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/FrontEnd/Display/nvram.3sh and NFS_3DO_retail/FrontEnd/Display/nvram.3sh differ Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/FrontEnd/Display: Pausegame.3sh.old Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/frontovl and NFS_3DO_retail/frontovl differ Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/LaunchMe and NFS_3DO_retail/LaunchMe differ Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/rom_tags and NFS_3DO_retail/rom_tags differ Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/signatures and NFS_3DO_retail/signatures differ Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Drivers: BLINK.ROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Drivers: blink.rom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Drivers: CPORT1.ROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Drivers: cport1.rom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Drivers: CPORT41.ROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Drivers: cport41.rom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Drivers: CPORT49.ROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Drivers: cport49.rom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Drivers: CPORT4D.ROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Drivers: cport4D.rom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Folios: AUDIOFOLIO Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Folios: audiofolio Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Folios: GRAFMATH Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Folios: grafmath Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Kernel/boot_code and NFS_3DO_retail/System/Kernel/boot_code differ Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Kernel/misc_code and NFS_3DO_retail/System/Kernel/misc_code differ Binary files NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Kernel/os_code and NFS_3DO_retail/System/Kernel/os_code differ Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: ALLOCATE Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: allocate Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: BANGON Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: bangon Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: CDROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: cdrom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: CERTIFY Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: certify Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: CHKNVRAM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: chknvram Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: COPY Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: copy Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: CPDUMP Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: cpdump Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: DELETE Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: delete Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: DISMOUNT Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: dismount Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: DUMPFILE Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: dumpfile Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: EEPROM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: eeprom Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: FOCUS Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: focus Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: FORMAT Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: format Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: GDBUG Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: gdbug Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: GENERIC Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: generic Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: HELLO Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: hello Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: INSTALLHWCONTROLDRIVER Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: InstallHWControlDriver Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: ITEMS Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: items Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: LAUNCH Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: launch Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: LMADM Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: lmadm Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: MOUNT Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: mount Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Programs: WALKER Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Programs: Walker Only in NFS_3DO_retail/System/Scripts: STARTOPERA Only in NFS_3DO_Beta/System/Scripts: startopera

Hey all! I have what looks to be a beta disc of the original Need for Speed. It's on an "official" EA CD-R and dated several months before the game's commercial release. Unfortunately I can't get it to boot on anything. My dev system (testing station) just sits there at a black screen when it's in unencrypted mode. If set to encrypted, it just spits the disc straight back out, same as a retail console. I imaged it on a PC and decrypted the filesystem (the disc is encrypted) - it reads fine, but I can't get it to work in an emulator either. It has lots of file-level differences with my retail NFS disc, so something's changed. It does look like most of the game is there. There are some images and sound effects that confirm it definitely is NFS. EA Canada (DSI)'s offices aren't far from where I live, so I have no reason to doubt the disc is real. Do any of you have experience hacking around with 3DO games? I'd love to get this thing to boot & see what's on it, but I don't even know where to start. (I.e. where is the boot code or executable I should look for?) If someone here is an expert on 3DO stuff or knows who I should hit up, I'd love to hear from you. I don't want to spread this out into the wild until I know exactly what it is. Any of you guys have a testing station? Because people on the internet are weird and like to make things up, I've attached a pic.

Wow. I haven't really been following the TI scene since we released the demo but I popped back in to find this. Jaw is on the floor. Yeah I know it's F18A but still mind-bogglingly impressive all the same. I wish I were good at ASM so I could even try to puzzle out how you did this. As it is I don't have a hope in hell. Nice job.

Cool, I'll send you a PM

Thanks for the reply. The music is already formatted for the Atari & respects its limitations. The tracker I use is specifically a VCS one and outputs Paul Slocum Music Kit code. I just need someone who has a compiler set up to build it for me. (I'm learning Python for my job & working on Unity for a project - not really relevant for Atari stuff, but extremely relevant at taking all of my free time.)

Hey all, I have a small piece of music I made with SvOlli's APEFAT tracker. It's in "psmk" (Paul Slocum Music Kit) format. I'm wondering if somebody has time to turn it into an executable cartridge image for me? It doesn't need any visuals or anything fancy. Just boot and play the tune. I don't think it'd be too hard to do, but I'm really no great shakes as a coder. I'm trying to learn two different dev environments right now and just don't have time to add a third one to that list. PM me if you want to help! Or post here. Thanks!

Hey all, time to dust off my account here. I'm a demoscene musician and was Orbitaldecay's collaborator on this demo among other things; I'm one of the poeple he mentioned in the first post about discussing doing something on the TI. I haven't gone through the whole thread yet but it looks like some great ideas here, will read through better when I have more time. FYI I did some musical experiments last year with DefleMask in VGM format. It's a great little tracker and I'd love to work in that if possible but could easily switch to something else if easier. I also call myself an artist and have done pixel gfx / ASCII/ANSI stuff for various projects before so I'm happy to get involved on the art side of things too. For hardware, I have a badly under-used complete "dev" system including a silver console, RS232-type NanoPEB, several cart PCBs including a 512kB Ubergrom board, an EPROM burner, and an original E/A cart for running stuff. So there's that! The TI isn't the most graphical or musical oldschool system out there but I really think we can make something cool on it. Should be fun.

...and also there's this, which is cool as hell: , but just about the only TI part left in it is the case.

^^ Didn't think to check the web archive. Shame the pictures are MIA. I found a video of a later iteration of the system here: Pretty cool stuff. (Note: if you don't like glitchy techno you're not gonna like this.) Wonder how he's driving the soundchip - is it just continuous tones being distorted by the patch panel/outboard effects or is he playing a sequence?

I found this pic on Google Images - looks like a circuit-bent "TI-synth." There are some brief articles e.g. here and here from 2005~ish but they all link back to the creator's site for more info which is long gone. A few more odd photos show up on Flickr, etc. but that seems to be it. Anyone know anything about this machine? Who built it & what could it do?

Found this looking for spinning cubes for the other thread - Atari VCS: Mole, I think your 8x2 version looks pretty damn good all considering. I definitely think the fluidity wins over the higher resolution version. Not so sure about the colour choice but nice job making something that seems very playable.

Impressive work on this! I'd be really surprised if there isn't more speed to be found. I've seen a spinning cube on just about every other 8-bit-era system so far. It's kind of a demoscene in-joke as to who will be the first to implement it on any given platform (Rasmus, I believe you've just claimed yourself a title here...) Is the TI really this sluggish? Here's one on Atari VCS for example: http://youtu.be/wcCJM7b9EMU?t=2m58s I know I've seen VIC-20 & ZX Spectrum examples before too. And of course approx. a million on C64.

Ksarul thanks a lot for the rundown! Just ordered a black, red & ubergrom board. And some multicart EPROMS. Should be enough to play with for a while. Now I need to find some junk carts for shells...

I was avoiding posting in this thread because, well, a plain silverbox with nothing interesting attached... you've all seen that already. So lately I've gotten some STUFF. Granted just a few things, but... DEV MODE ACTIVATE. ^^ NanoPEB v1 from the latest batch, original E/A cart, plus bonus Shamus cart which is the *only* TI thing I've been able to find scouring likely local shops & online classifieds other than the console itself. (Shamus was a pretty cool thing to stumble on in itself, I played the HELL out of it on my C64 as a kid! I remember being SUPER impressed with how quickly it loaded back then, compared to my other favourite games which were disk-based, not really understanding the difference at the time.) Anyway you might notice the NanoPEB is unplugged. Well I have this perfect little regulated switching adapter that should run it fine: ...and in order to run THAT, since I am now in North America, I was intending to use this cheap outlet adapter from the dollar store: ...except that it literally shorts & trips the breakers in my house just by plugging it in! WTF? How can they sell this trash in shops? Yeah, so DONT USE JUNK OUTLET ADAPTERS. I'm glad nothing was actually plugged into it when I noticed this lovely little problem. My NanoPEB arrived like five days ago and I haven't even been able to power it on because I haven't had time to go out and get a decent adapter. (Also I *hate* trying to run Europlugs with the "short" contacts & black plastic shanks on those stupid universal plugs - they never stay in contact! Go Shucko or go home!) Sorry that rant is getting a little off topic. Back to pics. I was trying to use this adorable tiny mp3 player as my 'cassette deck' but I haven't gotten it to work no matter what I do. Basic always gives me a 'no data found' error after a few seconds. Anyone had any luck with something like this? A few older pics from my other thread... Here's my monitor for the TI - just a cute little 13" TV/VHS, currently at 'oh god my neck' elevation above the console (will rearrange that soon.) Works great though, impressively good picture from RF: I'll build a composite cable later, is fine for now. ...Aaaaaand I've even got the box & docs, as mentioned: ^^ with strangely-shaped styrofoam clamshell still intact! That's it for now! Will be a fun setup now that I've got enough accessories to do interesting things with it!

Will someone in Ontario please grab these? http://www.kijiji.ca/v-electronics/kingston-on/old-computer/1041814512?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Nothing rare, but... Two consoles + RF modulator + Parsec for only ten bucks?! Get them before I have to depress myself by looking up shipping quotes. Of course whoever gets them could always send me the Parsec cart as gratitude for showing them the advert. You all have a copy of this by now right?

So I'm about to order an Ubergrom board from Arcadeshopper. I figured I'd throw another couple PCBs in to save on shipping. I see they have a 512kB board or a 64kB board & aside from the EPROM itself all the components would be pretty easy to obtain. Is there a distinct advantage of one over the other? Compatability issues with the 512k or is the 64k EPROM easier to source/program? Should I get one of each? (Will probably get two boards in any case.) Is there a more advanced option that uses EEPROMs or flash memory? I'm mostly interested in running my own binaries (my E/A cart arrived!), but I might order some pre-programmed multicarts chips from AS as well - I assume these will plug into an assembled board and work straight away? Sorry for the really basic questions - I have zero experience with EPROM programming as of yet but it's something I've wanted to be able to do for some time.

Just typing 'limited BASIC' from the command line. Don't have much software yet. It's a standard silverbox 4a with a switch-style keyboard (just popped a keycap off to confirm.) Yeah the 1 & P keys are definitely some of the problematic ones but other ones seem to do it intermittently too. '10 print' often comes out like '1010 prprint'. Edit: just found this older thread about fixing the kbd; seems like I have a bit of work ahead of me.

Hey all, my keyboard likes to register 'double hits' as I'm trying to touch type, which is extremely annoying. It seems to be more prevalent on the left side but that might just be how I press on the keys with either hand. Is there a known fix for this? Also, [really dumb question] - is there anyway to type a "backspace & delete previous character" (like on just about any other PC) or do you just use the arrows and overtype?

Okay, threw some scans up in this thread. Hope this helps someone out. @OLD_CS1: I was monumentally surprised to find it there as well. It's more of a pawn/junk/estate/surplus/whatever shop who often have a ton of video games and accessories, but still, this thing in its original box with RF switch, original PSU, docs, etc. was pretty surprising. It was buried on a shelf behind some dusty old music gear they had on 30% off & had clearly been there for several months if not who knows how long. The guy gave me a huge discount off the already-marked-down-several-times price; think he didn't really expect it to sell. I'm in a kind of crazy town for thrift shops, surplus, 2nd-hand shops, etc. They are amazing. Yesterday I wandered into a different place and in after rummaging through a bin of suitable looking things managed to find a cartridge of Shamus (the only TI-related thing in the entire place)... I remember playing this on C64 back in the day. Works fine! Unfortunately my original joysticks don't work. The buttons are extremely sticky and feel like they've been almost rusted in place. I'm gonna have to take them apart and see if I can free them up. Also on that note, the keyboard really likes to double-tap keys as I'm trying to type... is there a known fix for this? Dirty contacts? As I absolutely intend to use this thing as a development/hacking/whatever platform I've just ordered a NanoPEB. I am a musician and want to poke with MIDI on this machine so the serial interface is interesting to me. I'm curious about that Extended Basic 2.7 cart - seems to have all the useful stuff I want but it looks like they are not easily available & I have to wait for another run to be produced? That's kind of a pain, but nice to see some new dev tools being made either way. Is it possible to run the original editor/assembler from a disk image?

Hey guys, as promised in my other thread I scanned a bunch of the loose registration/reference/addenda/misc material I had. I know some of this has been done already but I didn't have time to look through the whole thread. figured a few more decent scans wouldn't hurt. I even tried to preserve the color of the yellow-y paper. Filenames should be self-explanetory. Feel free to grab these and repost them up wherever. If you want the jpg images I compiled these pdfs from or the original 300 dpi pngs of anything, just ask! Hopefully I've done some small amount of good for the community. ti99-addenda.pdf ti99-now-would-be-a-good-time-to-fill-in-your-registration-card.pdf ti99-basic-quick-ref.pdf ti99-rf-switch-man.pdf

No problem! I'll scan what I have and post it up shortly. Ya, this is my first experience with a TI... I've always been more into the C64 for 8-bit stuff but I saw this one at a pawn shop and figured I could have some fun with it. it followed me home. @am1933: as I said on another forum, I bet whoever hired Cosby to endorse the hell out of this thing regrets it now. In hindsight, Shatner or John Cleese were *way* better choices. Here's my console itself, in nice tidy shape:

Hello all, I just picked up a boxed 99/4A with a ton of original documentation , sales lit. & addenda in pristine shape: I was wondering if all of these docs had been released 'into the wild' in the community yet. I'm more than happy to scan any/everything and make nice hi-res pdfs for historical purposes. But I don't wanna duplicate a whole bunch of work that's already been done. Let me know what is needed