Foebane

I've tried Altirra 2.80, recently, but I've noticed a flaw in the audio that wasn't there at all in 2.70, namely random clicking every now and then. What could be the cause of that?

I've just left a few messages over on the Atari Forum about Steem SSE, about how it seems to have degraded in sound support for Atari STE PCM audio, compared to the older Steem last updated in 2004. I don't know what Stevel Seagal is up to, but I sure would like to hear from him.

I've tried to run Steem 3.2 with mostly default settings, but one demo with a full overscan effect that goes beyond the borders of the ST screen appears all collapsed and distorted, mainly because I think Steem is not set to allow graphics beyond display borders. What graphics settings should be set to allow me to do this for overscan demos and games?

ParanoidLittleMan, see my thread about STE PCM Audio about sound issues in Steem SSE - I cite four examples there.

I always figured that Steem Engine supported the original ST, as no options came up in the menus for STE, and that Steem SSE was an updated version with STE support. I'll try Steem again sometime today, see if the problems clear up. EDIT: By the way, does every Atari user have the STE only? Are there no compatibility issues with ST software? Also, do I only need one ROM file? If so, which one is best?

These are links to demos used on real hardware (as far as I know) and how they should sound, followed by what happens when I run them in Steem SSE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oarR61SeY8E On Steem SSE, the sound of the lapping waves and seagulls suddenly cuts in, and then cuts out - no volume changes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA50pe1EjEE On Steem SSE, at the beginning with the footsteps and polaroids, there is a click at the start and end of every footstep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpF_u4mYVAI On Steem SSE, the music has lots of additional clicking added. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srPy8IhAtQo On Steem SSE, the music with the robotic voice suddenly cuts out, rather than fades out as it should. These are some examples of how sound emulation is poor in this software, with no PCM volume control and annoying clicking when PCM is used.

I tried the original Steem Engine, but it lacked support for the STE. I tried Steem SSE, but the audio emulation is exceedingly poor, and with annoying clicks when it comes to the PCM audio. SainT looked promising, but doesn't seem to support hard drives. I've had a look at Hatari, but it seems really slow on loading disk images. Also, I'm having issues with the 8.3 limitation imposed on the Windows filenames, which seems different to Steem SSE's hard disk mode. Winston is unavailable to me. I need a good all-round emulator for the STE - which is best?

I've been comparing YouTube demoscene videos of real hardware of an Atari STE with Steem SSE emulation, and I've noticed that the PCM samples in the videos sometimes fade in and out, but on Steam, the sample is either on or off, no volume changes. Does a real STE have volume control for the PCM audio or is it just editing by the video author? If it's the latter, why is audio on Steem SSE so poor?

Are those docs from the USA, by any chance? Cos that's the status quo over there in Yankland, even then. Over here in Europe, it was FAR more culturally diverse.

Oh, I do beg your pardon, didn't catch that it was the mid-90s when you bought it. In that case, I agree that it was rather late for the A500, and by then the A1200 had superceded it anyway, and frankly, only the Falcon could compete with the AGA chipset and beat it in some areas (the STE had no chance whatsoever). I appreciate what your experience was, but in my case, it was Doom on the PC and the death of Commodore that convinced me that the time to upgrade to a new platform entirely (the PC) was nigh.

Really? All I see in the gaming press about retro gaming in the 1980s and 1990s is Nintendo THIS and Sega THAT and other Japanese crap.

Wow, the sheer ARROGANCE of the OP is outstandingly outrageous in its offensiveness! Do they have a massive inferiority complex? Then again, I know how they feel, as I too have to endure the sheer lack of coverage of the Atari 8-Bit line on YouTube videos. The Amiga may be Jay Miner's ultimate achievement, but I still have a massively soft spot for the A8s.

Tell me, does anyone on this site go by the real name of Stephen Kitely? He was the guy I mentioned in my previous posts who berated me about my "crappy Amiga".

Extremely pathetic reason to stop using THE multimedia machine of the late 1980s, bar none whatsoever.

I don't know, I didn't own an Amiga until December 1990.

Woooaaaaarrgh, look at that sexy GUI with pre-emptive multitasking that kicks both Mac and Windows into a cocked hat! Isn't it SEXY!? Honestly, "Mum" would've hated GEM more.

Better than that GEM crap.

Your opinion. Where's the proof that it was a "horrible design"? That's YOUR opinion. In MY opinion the AY chip IS actually that bad, and my ears bleed if I listen to it too much. I can only tolerate it with sample playback, and even then it's bad. Where does this BLASPHEMY come from, Oky2000?

No, the games in order are: Doom, Half-Life, Quake 3 Arena.

If you can find a Falcon, that is. Also, that is Half-Life above, not Quake (regardless whether or not it's GoldSrc).

Hmm, didn't know that. Guess Falcon trumps AGA there once again (audio aside). But does Falcon have a proper Chunky mode? Was Doom ever attempted on it satisfactorily?

You sure that wasn't me? I've asked Toni why some demos won't run on WinUAE, and he's either given me various tips or I've submitted logs to him to help him track down problems. In either case we got those demos to run eventually.

I use PAL for everything I emulate, as I've always been a UK resident, and it seems PAL is dominant in the Demoscene.

I finally got it working, and it wasn't a corrupted set of ATRs. Simply autodetecting the OS and enabling the drive with accurate sector timing made it work properly - those were things I hadn't tried before. Thank you all for this advice, should help with other problem ATRs too!

So what settings do I need in Altirra (the latest)?