+wood_jl Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Almost 450 of the 500 in the production run of CFFA3000 have been sold. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this list: http://dreher.net/?s...orderStatus.php So if any Apple II freaks are thinking of getting one, better get one before they're gone, and scalpers do like they're doing with the recently-sold-out Cuttle Cart 3 for Intellivision (which was $150 new): eBay Auction -- Item Number: 200839063235 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 IMHO, you should run ROBOTRON. That port is awesome! I play it regularly. Pretty impressive for the Apple ][ Great discussion. I too would enjoy a sub-forum as I've been into Apple lately, taking a little break from A8 / CoCo 3. I'll go back, but right now I'm really enjoying the Apple. That CFFA 3000 card is excellent. I got the remote board and it makes multi-disk games really easy. Currently running mine from a thumb drive. Honestly, that kind of rocks. I can put it on the PC, run CiderPress to manage things, then connect it back to the Apple ][ and go. I used a USB extension cable so that the port is right there next to the machine. Apple gaming has a specific flavor like most classic gaming does. IMHO, the VCS really does have some basic advantages in terms of twitch games, color, sound, but the Apple had just enough colors in Hi-Res to do pretty much any game. Wouldn't always do it well, but that's a side discussion. I really like the analog joystick. On games like "Choplifter" it makes for a great experience that is missing from the digital input versions. Don't have a Mockingboard yet. Might not get one as there isn't a lot of support out there. Do have the usual serial, disk, 128Kb memory. I'm running a //e enhanced, my favorite model. Thought about a GS, and might actually do that someday, but the //e really is where the best experiences are. Re: No new games. Yeah, notable. IMHO, it comes down to the difficulty and low expectations. I've noted a lot of new projects come down to hacks of one sort or other and there is the demoscene connection too. The result of that is a fairly consistent stream of new tricks, productions, etc... Those are largely missing from the Apple ][, though there are some tricks to be done mixing the screens. They would be difficult, and would limit on-screen action, but still. Nobody has tried them. I'm thinking about it. There are lots of interesting projects surrounding utilities, higher level programming environments and such. Honestly, somebody needs to make a card that takes the ][ video, overlays it with some spiffy options and start a scene that way. Kind of thinking about that too, but it's a serious project. Of course, the other way to go is adding some CPU oomph to better leverage Double Hi-Res. IMHO, that mode is actually quite nice, but at 1Mhz, tough to put to good use. One of the things I want to do is network the machine. I don't have Ethernet for it yet. Missed out on the last round. Maybe next time. So far, my favorites have been writing, some games, particularly text adventure games and a few arcade titles I enjoy. I've one joystick, but kind of want the official beige Apple one with the two buttons in the corner. Just gotta get off my arse and buy one. As for running the machine vs emulation. I think emulation is the way to go for development, like it is on a lot of computers. My setup is good there. For gaming and or just having some quality time, running the real deal is recommended. Need a mouse too. Of all the old machines, the Apple feels the most PC like. Kind of strange vibe, and of course it's simple design really shines after all these years. It's a great machine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Thanks all for the replies. Huge help. Couple questions. First I can't find a DSK of Pole Position. I read it was never released officially. Can it be found on the net? Second is King's Quest. I love this game and want to play it on the Apple II if I can. However I can not find a DSK version. Only NIB and NIB can't be written properly with the ADT over serial. Is there a DSK version out there? Also can a //c even play it? What are the system requirments for King's Quest? Also, I have to say I played Pooyan on the //c today and it has to be one of the coolest versions of this game. It plays really fast and is a lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Bump. No help with Kings Quest? Can't play anyway, no power since Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) I've gone looking for Pole Position too, to no avail. Far as I know, it's not out there. If it is, somebody is hoarding it. I've played most if not all of the AtariSoft games. The best by far are Moon Patrol and Mario Bros. (officially unreleased, but very easily found). Dig Dug and Gremlins are also good. Defender is insane, but in a good way; I like the C-64 version better, but the Apple II version probably comes closest to duplicating the mayhem of the arcade game. Stargate isn't as good as Defender, I think, but it's still all right. Robotron 2084 is good, but the controls take some getting used to. Ms. Pac-Man is well done, though the sound is a little grating. Galaxian and Pac-Man are both decent, if skimpy. Donkey Kong and Joust have quirks that keep them from being "great," but they're still playable. Track and Field is all right, though the effort required to play it is better spent setting up a C-64 to play instead. Centipede is as disappointing as it is on other 8-bit computers, and for the same reasons. Jungle Hunt is actually better on the Apple than on most other computers, but still not what I would call excellent. I haven't played Crystal Castles (also officially unreleased, but still available) enough to have a justifiable opinion, but at the time I remember thinking the Commodore version was better. You can compare Apple II screenshots and audio bits of these games with the C-64 and Atari 8-bit versions on my web site, if you're interested. As for games from other companies, you pretty much can't go wrong with any Broderbund title. Classics like Choplifter, David's Midnight Magic, Lode Runner and Karateka all got their start on the Apple II. Stay away from Mindscape's ports of Atari Games' arcade titles. They're the best they possibly could be, but the poor Apple just isn't capable of a game like Paperboy or Gauntlet. Edited November 1, 2012 by FujiSkunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 According to an internal Atari document I have, Donkey Kong Jr. was finished (or at least going through QA) but never released. I wonder if the code is on a hard drive somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfalkirk Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Bump. No help with Kings Quest? Can't play anyway, no power since Monday. I've checked through all the disk images I've downloaded from Asimov, Ground and other Apple II sites on the web and the only King's Quest that I come up with that is .dsk image is King's Quest 4. Wish I could have helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 They say Joe Holt did a better port of Defender than Atarisoft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I've checked through all the disk images I've downloaded from Asimov, Ground and other Apple II sites on the web and the only King's Quest that I come up with that is .dsk image is King's Quest 4. Wish I could have helped. Thanks for looking. Also thanks to all for the suggestions. I haven't had power since Monday afternoon. We borrowed a generator for a few hours Tuesday and I made sure to play some Apple II games while the power was on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 I've gone looking for Pole Position too, to no avail. Far as I know, it's not out there. If it is, somebody is hoarding it. I've not put full effort into cracking it. And due to the rarity I'm cautious with it. If I can ever make a copy then I', more than happy to pass it along to someone with greater skills then myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 I've gone looking for Pole Position too, to no avail. Far as I know, it's not out there. If it is, somebody is hoarding it. I've not gone full out cracking it. I need to get a copy or two as a safety net before I try more tricks. Eventually I'll get around to it I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I've not put full effort into cracking it. And due to the rarity I'm cautious with it. If I can ever make a copy then I', more than happy to pass it along to someone with greater skills then myself. Wait, are you saying that you actually have a copy of Pole Position? Is it a retail disk or a copy? Can you post a picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 It is not a retail disk. I don't ever recall seeing it anywhere, now or back in the day. The label is handwritten, probably mine from years and years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 It is not a retail disk. I don't ever recall seeing it anywhere, now or back in the day. The label is handwritten, probably mine from years and years ago. Screenshots please! Also you should post something about this over on comp.sys.apple2, I'm sure someone over there can help you. If it's just a copy then you can use any copying program to copy it. Copy II Plus is a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 I seem to recall we used some sort of parameters. I do not remember if it was for locksmith or CII+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 I have hopes that there's some software from brutal-deluxe that uses the old EDD card to make perfect copies. The original EDD software that came with the card (EDD 4.1) wasn't all that spectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanrunomad Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I was going to say Antoine Vignau from Brutal Deluxe is your man! He can crack anything and is a really cool guy. Even without shipping it to him, I'm sure he could send you instructions on what to do (or maybe skype with him or something). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanrunomad Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I love rare prototypes like this. There's quite a few Apple IIGS ones that were created, but never released like Renegade and The Universal Military Simulator. I actually spoke with the guy who wrote the port for the latter and he said he sold 5 pilot copies before the game was cancelled, so yes, there's 5 copies out there... somewhere. I know a guy who knew a guy that owned Renegade for the IIGS as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Antoine Vignau is a cracking GENIUS. Several of the programs in my Apple Crunch collections are derived from his cracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfalkirk Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have hopes that there's some software from brutal-deluxe that uses the old EDD card to make perfect copies. The original EDD software that came with the card (EDD 4.1) wasn't all that spectacular. Here's a link to a discussion on CSA2 about new copying software from Brutal Deluxe that is EDD compatible: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups=#!topic/comp.sys.apple2/u4vh5O6jcpU failing that you could also contact Hot Rod, he's on csa2 and could probably crack the disk for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELance Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Well the Apple II is pretty old by today's standards. That said, if you like thinking games without sound, you can't beat it. Its library of wargames, text adventures, and complex RPGs is unrivalled. If you're a serious gamer, you could play Apple II games your whole life and never run out of things to play. The Wizardry trilogy alone could probably take a thousand hours. Then theres Might and Magic, which is a solid 200-300 hours, and Wizard's Crown, where each battle can take up to 30 minutes, and the original Computer Ambush, where the computer takes 25 minutes to finish its turn. That said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Any computer from the 1970's is old by today's standards And the Apple II had its beginnings in 1974-1975, when Woz started messing around with optimizing circuits for his hobby and job. A lot of this philosophy and methodology went into the 2 series design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 What is error #8. There are some images I write to disk using ADT Pro over serial cable that no matter what disk I put them on give me error #8 when starting and fail to the ] prompt. Some times it will boot fine, but mostly it gives the error. I'm guessing the drive in my //c is not working all that great. I greased the rails and cleaned the drive head. It did not seem to make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I think error 8 is a general I/O error. It's probably either a bad disk or bad drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 These are universal across Dos 3.3, Pro-Dos Basic.System, Pronto-Dos, David-Dos, Diversi-Dos, Hyper-Dos. Some Dos' will print an error verbosely and some will just show a number. Back in the day we'd eliminate the verbose descriptions to make room for other new commands. 1 - LANGUAGE NOT AVAILABLE 2 - RANGE ERROR 3 - RANGE ERROR 4 - WRITE PROTECTED 5 - END OF DATA 6 - FILE NOT FOUND 7 - VOLUME MISMATCH 8 - I/O ERROR 9 - DISK FULL 10 - FILE LOCKED 11 - SYNTAX ERROR 12 - NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE 13 - FILE TYPE MISMATCH 14 - PROGRAM TOO LARGE 15 - NOT DIRECT COMMAND Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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