1) Normal one file games, or multiload disk transfers are directly available from the PLAY GAME button. Any original transfers (TAPs, CARTs etc) are linked into the EXTRAS button. This follows the pattern used by Gamebase64 (which I'm also a part of) so it's partly historic heh. Blame them
2) If you have a game file and it's not already in there, by all means PM or email me about it. Work is a constant progress to add new things in for the next release. Likewise if you know who published a game, when a game was release or who programmed a game if it's missing. So don't feel like you're pestering me... if anything I've not had ENOUGH feedback since to provide new material!
Mayhem wrote:Welcome... comments are always appreciated
1) Normal one file games, or multiload disk transfers are directly available from the PLAY GAME button. Any original transfers (TAPs, CARTs etc) are linked into the EXTRAS button. This follows the pattern used by Gamebase64 (which I'm also a part of) so it's partly historic heh. Blame them
Hmm...I don't understand. What does 'original transfers' mean?? Does 'multiload disk transfers' refer to games that load in multiple parts. I'm confused I guess.
Ignoring cartridges, 99.99% of other Vic20 games were released on tape only. We've found one original disk so far in our travels, although there might be more. With this in mind...
A one-file dump of the game is usually contained as a PRG. If a game is multiload on tape, some enterprising people have altered the code so that the parts could be transferred to disk and load from there instead. This is what I meant by "multiload disk transfer". Both these types are what are available to play through the PLAY GAME button.
Original transfers refer to exact, uncracked dumps of the media in question. For cartridges this means a dump of the chips put in a format that emulators can understand (usually CRT). For tapes this means a transfer into TAP format via such programs as MTAP or TAPSERV. These are what are available to play through the EXTRAS button.
Part of that EXTRA inclusion is "service" to people who wish to play games as they were originally released, plus they can transfer the dumps back to media in case their own has deteriorated. Many of the tapes available to play are ONLY available in TAP format because no one has sought to extract them from the original dump and make them to a standard as noted above in the second paragraph.
Hope that explains why there is a divide between the two sides. If people wish to rip TAPs into PRGs or multiload disks, then I will add them to the project whenever... I don't really have the tech nous to do that most of the time.
Mayhem wrote:Ignoring cartridges, 99.99% of other Vic20 games were released on tape only. We've found one original disk so far in our travels, although there might be more. With this in mind...
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Got it. Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like they would have had to actually modifiy the source code of the multi load tape game to get it to load from disk instead of tape. Enterprising indeed! But thats so awesome people would take the time to do that, and the gamebase20 tool as well.
I love this forum and community. I have finally found my people. I feel like the bee girl at the end of the 'no rain' video
Currently on the to-do list, if anyone can assist, that would be good...
- fix Defenda TAP to work in Vice 2.x
- fix King's Ransom TAP to work in Vice 2.x
- produce a 100% PRG version of Defenda (current version corrupts the landscape until you lose a life)
I guess I'm still confused about how to get a game on the 'play game' button, and out of the 'extras' button. Do you need to load the TAP and then maybe mount a d64 file and save it to the disk? I'm guessing thats it. Maybe a howto on just how to do this might be useful, because I see there are lots of games on the 'extras' button that I would be glad to help volunteer some time to move out.
