Gunstar Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Has all the client software ever been found for GCP? Mainly the games? I think it would be cool if the software could be hacked to run on a local area network, maybe even a home-brew LAN through joystick ports or SIO like Gamelink II* or cartridge network like Eightlink* just between 8-bits or the new "Dragon II"ethernet devices. *excerpt from The Serious Computerist's Atari 8-bit FAQ PDF, downloadable here: https://seriouscomputerist.atariverse.com/media/pdf/book/Atari%208-Bit%20FAQ%20(Letter).pdf ==> GameLink and GameLink-II Two hardware designs by Chuck Steinman of DataQue support the linking of two or more Atari computers. Each supports multiple user head-to-head gaming where each player uses a separate computer (each with separate TV/monitor). (GameLink and GameLink-II descriptions by Andreas Koch) a) GameLink: This hardware was developed in 1989/90. It links two computers together via the joystick ports. It is limited to a maximum of 2 computers and thus 2 or 6 players, meaning one free port per XL/XE computer and 3 free ports per 400/800 computer. However, the few existing games for this hardware merely support 2 players. b) GameLink-II: This hardware was developed in 1991/92. It links 2 to 8 computers together via the SIO ports. One computer will then act as the master and has to boot up the software (from tape, disk, hard disk, etc.) first. Then all other "slave" computers connect to it and boot off of this master computer (one after another of course). In Europe we call this device "Multilink", mostly because of the games written by Bewesoft (Jiri Bernasek) called Multi-Dash, Multi-Race, Multi-Worms. A two computer network can easily be done with one SIO cable, just open the end of the SIO cable and exchange cables number 3 and 5. You now have an easy two computer (2-4 players) network cable. For some available software for hardware such as GameLink and GameLink-II please another section of this FAQ list, "What programs support Atari computer networking?" ==> AT-Link (Alphasys) Arianne Slaager writes: I was actually surprised to read about the GameLink, as I made a similar cable myself, called the AT-Link. This cable could also be used to communicate with Commodore 64 computers, and I made driver software for both systems at the time. There were 2 drivers. One as relocatable machine code, and another as device driver. Also in the package was a 2 player Battleships type game where Side A had the Atari version, and Side B the Commodore 64 version. ...wasn't more than two old joystick cables in a crosslink configuration, (Pin 1 and 2 linked to pin 3 and 4 of the other cable respectively) ==> EightLink (Alphasys) Arianne Slaager writes: I also made a special high speed Atari to Atari cable, called the EightLink. This one was cartridge based system, with a PIA inside, which boasted a 8 bit bidirectional, parallel databus, and a 4 bit crosslinked control bus. Transfer speeds were such that two Ataris on opposite ends of a large hall could transfer disk data faster than it could be read or written. The actual cable connecting the two was a flatcable with 33 leads, alternating ground and a dataline across the width to minimise crossover disruption of data. Also for this link system, I made drivers both in relocatable code, as well as a device driver. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_x Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Necro thread revival - but with the "success" of PLATO reversing and also with somewhat of a resurgence of 8 bit BBS'ing, networking, etc.. I thought I would go ahead and drop a reply and see if the parties who gave VERY intelligent comments here might still have an interest in resurrecting GCP? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilmoo Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Somehow I neglected to post my github repository for this. 99% of the brains on the client were in term.com, so that's what I focused on disassembling: https://github.com/jduerstock/gcp.term 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamm Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Seems like a prime candidate for FujiNet reworking 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_x Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 welp.... i dont do machine code - about all im good for dev wise is basic, visualbasic.net, asp, js, etc... What i *could* do though is put some money towards one of those freelancer accounts that everyone is using these days to help fund this along with others... I would very much like to see this come to frution - and possibly even be expanded into a "new graphical online world for your network enhanced atari computer" lol... And i'm serious.. I didnt get to experience this or the atari 2600 based cartridge game delivery system (of which I have one in my display case)... So to see someone pull this off and get to experience what I missed PLUS anything new someone might write for it - maybe an adaptation of a game door, etc... It would definitely be worth a few hundred bucks out of my pocket at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gambler172 Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Anybody get Space Lords to run on altirra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilmoo Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 15 minutes ago, gambler172 said: Anybody get Space Lords to run on altirra? It's never going to work without the corresponding server back end. We need a substitute GCP server first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Lange Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 (edited) @evilmoo Do you have a good understanding of the codes that the GCP client and server are sending back and forth? gcp_server_0001.mp4 Edited December 9, 2020 by Bill Lange 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 I just uploaded a scan of a multi-page pamphlet for Games Computers Play. https://archive.org/details/games-computers-play-inc-pamphlet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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