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VCC Emulator issues


Stevaside

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Hello

 

Have posted here a while back asking about how to save COCO games & eventually gave up trying to deal with VCC at all. Decided to get things going again & now I can't seem to remember how to even load cartridge based games, although looks like disk drive is working. I tried both Super Pitfall + Clowns & Balloons, both I downloaded in .DSK format & from what i saw in a tutorial, apparently VCC can't even read that format for those & it must be renamed to .ROM? I have the MPI interface set up in the cart slot & left Slot 1 empty to insert cartridge games. When I added either one of those files in there it shows they are in the drive, but nothing happens (Checked that slot is on position 1, I have tried resetting as well) The options to "autostart emulation" & "autostart cart" are both checked as well. Typing RUN & hitting enter just says "OK", typing DIR gives an error message & selecting RUN from the drop down does nothing either so I just can't figure out what else to do

 

Another thing is I couldn't for the life of me ever figure out how to save COCO games. Believe I was told alot of games aren't even possible to save? Some might be to disk, others might be able to save to tape? The thing is I have ZERO experience with floppy disks or cassette decks for any kind of computers. I had a COCO3 when I was very young, but just a few carts. I guess save states like most emulators have are completely out of the question, but would be very convienient if they did exist

 

IDK if their might be a save capable game list out there that shows what format is used or if anyone can offer any insight from personal experience, but it's mainly alot of the adventure games I'm curious about trying that I'll list below. There is no WAY I would have the patience nowadays to spend hours on the games & have to start from scratch all over due to no save capability so hoping a few of them have that option. Would be nice to save progress in some of those later titles as well such as Thelda & keep track of high scores on the arcade titles. Anyway here are some of the main titles I'm hoping allow saving & I could give a try. Thanks in advance 

 

Blackbeard's Island

Calixto Island

The Interbank Incident

King's Quest Series

Leisue Suit Larry

Madness & the Minotaur

Marooned

Maui Vice

Nuke the Love Boat

Planetfall

Police Quest

Sands of Egypt

The Black Cauldron

The Dallas Quest

V

 

 

 

 

Edited by Stevaside
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Your experience is not known to me. I can give you some ideas...

 

Make sure that the .dsk files are loaded into "FD-502 Drive 0" or any drive that is labelled with "FD-502 Drive ", from the <Cartridge> menu. If loaded into any drive other than 0, Make sure you type "Drive 1" or "Drive 2" or "Drive 3" so that you are loading from the matching disk drive. Drive 0 is defaulted on bootup. 

 

Secondly, where did you get your disk images? Disk images from https://colorcomputerarchive.com/ will work with VCC. I just verified that my copy of Blackbeard's Island, works on VCC 2.02. I just looked at https://github.com/VCCE/VCC and VCC 2.1 has been released. But, I haven't downloaded it yet. 

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I just downloaded and installed VCC 2.1. 

 

Here's What I did to get set up:

Click on <Cartridge> from the menu, then <Cartridge> <Load Cartridge> and select "mpi.dll". The MPI is now loaded.

Click on <Cartridge> from the menu, then <MPI Slot 4> <Insert> and then select "FD502.dll. You should now have access to your virtual floppy drives. From here, you will load disk images from the archive. After you have loaded a disk image, the functionality of the the CoCo disk system is just like the real thing. 

 

 

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9 hours ago, Michael Kline said:

I just downloaded and installed VCC 2.1. 

 

Here's What I did to get set up:

Click on <Cartridge> from the menu, then <Cartridge> <Load Cartridge> and select "mpi.dll". The MPI is now loaded.

Click on <Cartridge> from the menu, then <MPI Slot 4> <Insert> and then select "FD502.dll. You should now have access to your virtual floppy drives. From here, you will load disk images from the archive. After you have loaded a disk image, the functionality of the the CoCo disk system is just like the real thing. 

 

 

Yea I was saying I didn't have a problem loading games that were on disk format so far, but cartridge games like Super Pitfall & Clowns & Balloons I can't get to work. [EDIT]: I just loaded Super Pitfall in the FD502 drive as if it was a floppy disk, typed DIR, then RUN + filename & it started up. What threw me off was I know for a fact that game came on cartridge + StevieStrows tutorial said to rename the cartidge game extensions as .rom. That did not work, but apparently treating a cartidge based game as a floppy does??

 

Anyways I STILL have no idea how I can save any of these games, and which ones actually are capable of saving for that matter

 

 

Edited by Stevaside
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Ok, I understand now.

 

Loading cartridges into VCC is a little different. You'll need to go back to the archive and download the game cartridges instead. https://colorcomputerarchive.com/repo/Cartridges/

 

To load a cartridge from the menu, goto: <Cartridge> choose an available <MPI Slot >, then choose the .ccc cartridge you want to "insert" into an available MPI slot. 

Then click on <Cartridge> from the menu, choose <MPI Config>, then change the slot selector to match the slot you loaded the cartridge/programme pak from. Click <OK>. The cartridge will then auto start. 

 

To get control back to the FD-502, go back to the <MPI Config> and change the slot selection back to the FD-502. Then hit F9 to reset.

 

If you then choose, you can go back to the <MPI Slot #>, you can eject the the cartridge, you can load another cartridge in the same slot, and/or load a cartridge into a different slot. 

Edited by Michael Kline
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My subsequent question is about your question; "saving games". Are you referring to games that has a save game option, within the game? If this is the case, it depends on how the game is written and where it is saving "data". As far as a Cassette Save option within VCC, I've never tried it. If it's a Disk based game, and the programme has a Save Game option, you should be able to save your game on the same disk that the game is running from. If you are wanting to use a blank disk, then (depending on how the game is designed), when the game ask to select a filename, add a ":1" after the filename. For example, "filename:1". If you need a blank disk image, they are in the Archive. 

The actual answer to your question, greatly depends on the game itself. So, if you can provide an example of a game that you want to save, I would be able to answer your question better.

Edited by Michael Kline
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37 minutes ago, Michael Kline said:

Ok, I understand now.

 

Loading cartridges into VCC is a little different. You'll need to go back to the archive and download the game cartridges instead. https://colorcomputerarchive.com/repo/Cartridges/

 

To load a cartridge from the menu, goto: <Cartridge> choose an available <MPI Slot >, then choose the .ccc cartridge you want to "insert" into an available MPI slot. 

Then click on <Cartridge> from the menu, choose <MPI Config>, then change the slot selector to match the slot you loaded the cartridge/programme pak from. Click <OK>. The cartridge will then auto start. 

 

To get control back to the FD-502, go back to the <MPI Config> and change the slot selection back to the FD-502. Then hit F9 to reset.

 

If you then choose, you can go back to the <MPI Slot #>, you can eject the the cartridge, you can load another cartridge in the same slot, and/or load a cartridge into a different slot. 

Thanks! OK now I know to get the .CCC files for cartridge games & see that they do autostart, it worked with Super pitfall. Weird though, I had .DSK of Super Pitfall as well & it still started after typing DIR & RUN "Pitfall, but it didn't autostart & I was wondering why. Makes sense now. Only thing is the music isn't working on either Super Pitfall version for some reason.

 

 

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39 minutes ago, Michael Kline said:

My subsequent question is about your question; "saving games". Are you referring to games that has a save game option, within the game? If this is the case, it depends on how the game is written and where it is saving "data". As far as a Cassette Save option within VCC, I've never tried it. If it's a Disk based game, and the programme has a Save Game option, you should be able to save your game on the same disk that the game is running from. If you are wanting to use a blank disk, then (depending on how the game is designed), when the game ask to select a filename, add a ":1" after the filename. For example, "filename:1". If you need a blank disk image, they are in the Archive. 

The actual answer to your question, greatly depends on the game itself. So, if you can provide an example of a game that you want to save, I would be able to answer your question better.

I made a list in my original post of some of the adventure games I'd like to try, but am unsure save is even possible on or if so, how. I'm mainly hoping to play some of those, but don't have the patience to spend hours on them & not be able to save. Also, be cool to save high scores on the arcade titles, but I'm mainly concerned with these:

 

Blackbeard's Island

Calixto Island

The Interbank Incident

King's Quest Series

Leisue Suit Larry

Madness & the Minotaur

Marooned

Maui Vice

Nuke the Love Boat

Planetfall

Police Quest

Sands of Egypt

The Black Cauldron

The Dallas Quest

V

 

& EDIT: Scolling down the cartridge game list, there's a few others I could see myself getting into if I could save. Not sure if saves to disk from cart games were even possible but:

Dungeons of Daggorath

Castle of Tharoggad

Wildcatting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Stevaside
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Typically, cartridge games that had a way to save games, were designed to save to cassette. On VCC, I've never experimented with how to perform this function. You would have to look at each game and see what your options were. I believe that all of the cartridge based games have been converted to disk images. However, you would have to experiment with how this version would save their games. If they were modified to save to disk instead of cassette, it would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. You can check for the game manuals in the Document section of the archive. See if the game offered a save function, then experiment with both the disk version and the cartridge version of the game. And if their save routine was cassette based, then you'll have to experiment with how to do that with VCC. 

 

Good Luck

Michael

 

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3 hours ago, Michael Kline said:

Typically, cartridge games that had a way to save games, were designed to save to cassette. On VCC, I've never experimented with how to perform this function. You would have to look at each game and see what your options were. I believe that all of the cartridge based games have been converted to disk images. However, you would have to experiment with how this version would save their games. If they were modified to save to disk instead of cassette, it would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. You can check for the game manuals in the Document section of the archive. See if the game offered a save function, then experiment with both the disk version and the cartridge version of the game. And if their save routine was cassette based, then you'll have to experiment with how to do that with VCC. 

 

Good Luck

Michael

 

Ok yea, was thinking I'd have to just go over all the manuals. I do have the .PDFs for nearly eveyy game I mentioned. 

 

Thanks alot for offering your advice, appreciate it!

 

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I'd have to look but does VCC have save states? That way you could take a "snap shot" of what the emulated CoCo was doing and then reload that save state and be back where you were.

 

Out of your list, here's what I know from experience

 

Interbank Incident-saves to disk

Dungeons of Daggorath-saves to tape

 

The Sierra games (Leisure Suit Larry, King's Quest, etc) should save to disk as they are disk based. I looked up Sands of Egypt and that does save to disk as it is a disk based game.

 

UPDATE: VCC does not have save states, unfortunately. You are at the mercy of the programmers of those games.

 

Edited by Gamemoose
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2 hours ago, Gamemoose said:

I'd have to look but does VCC have save states? That way you could take a "snap shot" of what the emulated CoCo was doing and then reload that save state and be back where you were.

 

Out of your list, here's what I know from experience

 

Interbank Incident-saves to disk

Dungeons of Daggorath-saves to tape

 

The Sierra games (Leisure Suit Larry, King's Quest, etc) should save to disk as they are disk based. I looked up Sands of Egypt and that does save to disk as it is a disk based game.

 

UPDATE: VCC does not have save states, unfortunately. You are at the mercy of the programmers of those games.

 

Yea VCC doesn't have save states which really sucks. I don't really know any other emulator that doesn't, would make things so much more convienient

 

Thanks, good to know those titles do. Going to have to check the manuals for the rest soon. Any idea the steps I would have to do in VCC to save , let's say Sands of Egypt to disk & Dungeons of Daggorath to tape?

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Stevaside said:

Yea VCC doesn't have save states which really sucks. I don't really know any other emulator that doesn't, would make things so much more convienient

 

Thanks, good to know those titles do. Going to have to check the manuals for the rest soon. Any idea the steps I would have to do in VCC to save , let's say Sands of Egypt to disk & Dungeons of Daggorath to tape?

 

 

 

Sands of Egypt use "Save" followed by a number 1-9. Then to load, type "load" followed by the number.

 

To save to tape on Dungeons of Daggorath: on VCC click on "Configuration" followed by "config". Click on the "Tape" tab and press REC. You'll be prompted for a location and file name. Go to where you want to save the file and then type in the name you want next to "File name" on the "Insert Tape Image" window. Click Open and the file will be created. Click Ok 

 

Now in the game type ZSAVE"<insert name>" and press Enter. You won't see the quotes but do it anyway. The game will save. To load, go back to your Configuration->config->Tape and load your cassette file. Once loaded, press the Play button and click OK. Then type ZLOAD "<file name>" snd press enter.  

 

Note that when you use the tape, it stops the counter at the end of your loaded CoCo file. If you need to reload that same save, go back to that Tape window and click Rewind to set counter to zero.

 

I tested this doing a "hello world" program and CSAVING it. Even though it's dead simple, man that felt good-I haven't programmed in years. Now that VCC supports copying and pasting text, I can finish my Dad's text adventure in Notepad and copy it over!

 

 

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On 12/28/2020 at 9:14 PM, Stevaside said:

Madness & the Minotaur

Dungeons of Daggorath

Wildcatting

 

Madness & the Minotaur is a cassette-based game. It does not have the ability to save to disk. I do not remember if it can save to cassette. Given the length and complexity of the game, presumably it can. 

 

Dungeons of Daggorath is a cartridge game. It has the capacity to save to cassette. The command is .zsave <filename>. The related command is .zload <filename>.

 

Wildcatting is also a cartridge game. It does not have any save capability. That said, single-player games tend to be really short. 

 

As far as I know, no cartridge (or cassette) games included the native ability to save to disk. Even cartridge software like EDASM+ and Micropainter saved to cassette (though there were hacks to make them work with a disk drive). 

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On 12/29/2020 at 3:36 PM, Gamemoose said:

Sands of Egypt use "Save" followed by a number 1-9. Then to load, type "load" followed by the number.

 

To save to tape on Dungeons of Daggorath: on VCC click on "Configuration" followed by "config". Click on the "Tape" tab and press REC. You'll be prompted for a location and file name. Go to where you want to save the file and then type in the name you want next to "File name" on the "Insert Tape Image" window. Click Open and the file will be created. Click Ok 

 

Now in the game type ZSAVE"<insert name>" and press Enter. You won't see the quotes but do it anyway. The game will save. To load, go back to your Configuration->config->Tape and load your cassette file. Once loaded, press the Play button and click OK. Then type ZLOAD "<file name>" snd press enter.  

 

Note that when you use the tape, it stops the counter at the end of your loaded CoCo file. If you need to reload that same save, go back to that Tape window and click Rewind to set counter to zero.

 

I tested this doing a "hello world" program and CSAVING it. Even though it's dead simple, man that felt good-I haven't programmed in years. Now that VCC supports copying and pasting text, I can finish my Dad's text adventure in Notepad and copy it over!

 

 

Thanks alot. Saving disk based games was alot easier than I thought. I tested Sands of Egypt, followed what you said & it worked right away, sure most others will be just as straightforward

 

As far as saving games to cassette I could not figure that out. Kept trying to test it on Dungeons of Daggorath & when I went to load file I saved I just heard sound effect repeat over & over like it was stuck in a loop

 

The tape counter thing is confusing to me also, let's say i wanted to have a couple saves for the same game. I wouldn't just make 2 diff filenames to save to from the tape menu? Don't get how the cassette counter plays in or the whole rewinding thing

 

I also tried Madness & the Minotaur...as someone said below it was originally a cassette game? Looks like all the games I downloaded are .ccc or .dsk..this one I have is a .dsk. According to the manual saving is possible to cassette & involves pulling out the game & inserting a blank tape?? CLUELESS how this would work, let alone how to accomplish it in VCC. I tried the tape menu, created a file called mino.cas to test it. Went back into the game, typed ZSAVE"mino" & just got  "I don't understand that"

 

Anyways it appears most of the games I wanted to try were disk based so don't think I'd have much trouble saving those, but all the cassette stuff I'm just stumped by. Never used cassettes for anything other than listening to music lol Would still really like to try some of those titles though & be able to save. Be real if Super Pitfall had save capabilities also, but apparently it doesn't

 

 

 

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In my experience, most Coco hobbyists used cassette-based systems for most of the system's active life. Here in Canada, a single disk system cost more than the Coco itself! Most commercial software was released on cassette -- there were only a very few third-party cartridge's. Personally, I abandoned my Coco for a PC in 1988 without ever having purchased the disk system. 

 

Until the Multi-Pak Interface (a rare and expensive piece of gear) was developed, there was no way to physically connect a disk drive and a cartridge simultaneously. Therefore no cartridge software would be capable of saving to disk. Some cartridges have been hacked or modified, but the only examples that I have seen are not games.

 

With a game like Madness & the Minotaur, you should really locate a copy of the original manual. That game has some weird commands  and "magic words", and it is going to be near impossible to play without knowing them. If memory serves, I only ever made it through Level 1 and a small part of Level 2 (there are four levels altogether). 

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On 12/31/2020 at 5:59 PM, jhd said:

In my experience, most Coco hobbyists used cassette-based systems for most of the system's active life. Here in Canada, a single disk system cost more than the Coco itself! Most commercial software was released on cassette -- there were only a very few third-party cartridge's. Personally, I abandoned my Coco for a PC in 1988 without ever having purchased the disk system. 

 

Until the Multi-Pak Interface (a rare and expensive piece of gear) was developed, there was no way to physically connect a disk drive and a cartridge simultaneously. Therefore no cartridge software would be capable of saving to disk. Some cartridges have been hacked or modified, but the only examples that I have seen are not games.

 

With a game like Madness & the Minotaur, you should really locate a copy of the original manual. That game has some weird commands  and "magic words", and it is going to be near impossible to play without knowing them. If memory serves, I only ever made it through Level 1 and a small part of Level 2 (there are four levels altogether). 

I believe my Grandfather saw the COCO3 on sale at Radio Shack in 1988 or 1989 & bought it for us. We only had a handful of games & they were just cartridges so I'm clueless with any of the other formats or saving games

 

Makes perfect sense about carts not being able to save

 

I do have the manual scan for Madness & the Minotaur, but still can't figure out how to save my games lol

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