How to start .prg files in VICE
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vicassembly
- Vic 20 Devotee
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:40 pm
Re: How to start .prg files in VICE
That worked PERFECTLY. Thank you.
Re: How to start .prg files in VICE
Thanks Mike, yes it does work after doing that. Would be nice if it worked with default settings though [IMO].
Implementing a drag-modifier something like Ctrl+drag to disable auto-start would be nice.
Implementing a drag-modifier something like Ctrl+drag to disable auto-start would be nice.
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Mike
- Herr VC
- Posts: 4841
- Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:57 pm
- Location: Munich, Germany
- Occupation: electrical engineer
Re: How to start .prg files in VICE
The default settings of VICE - unexpanded, TDE on, 1540(!) - are probably 'tuned' so the casual viewer/user of *.d64s gets a working start.
As for defaulting to 1540, that one was only introduced fairly recently. I almost immediately reverted this to 1541 with my setup; for TDE on, that is. Also, my standard RAM size is full RAM expansion, but excluding I/O space: only when programs require +3K or unexpanded, I temporarily change this or use a boot loader on the VIC-20 side to de-activate RAM expansions.
One other two-sided sword is the default ",8,1" autostart behaviour of VICE. Granted, it eases the load of (small) machine code routines or cartridge dumps. You'll have to use NEW afterwards like on real hardware, if you're going to continue in BASIC, to correct the BASIC pointers. However, exactly that feature hinders an autostart load of most BASIC programs, when the current RAM configuration has a different start of BASIC than the program was saved with. Then, (part of) the program either ends up in the screen, producing ?SYNTAX errors or too low or too high in memory to even being recognized by the BASIC relinker - i.e. "nothing's there".
For my 2013 games collection I did my best to guard the boot procedure against the VICE autostart feature. Take a look at the file "BOOT" and see what happens when you load it ",8" or ",8,1".
A related nuisance is the quasi non-support of the display routine embedded in MINIGRAFIK pictures. As a matter of fact, these files have the (rather uncommon) load address of $10F1. That is the correct address, when they're supposed to be loaded back by MINIGRAFIK. Without MG, a load with ",8" loads them to $1201 (with a +8K RAM expansion, or more), which then exposes a BASIC stub that starts the built-in display routine with RUN. Thus, those pictures can be looked at even without MINIGRAFIK! Sadly, the default autostart action of VICE with ",8,1" bars that feature.
Edit: the thread 'Starting addr for .prgs' and, linked to from there, Boray's PRG Starter, are surely worth a look (it even solves the MG file issue for VICE).
As for defaulting to 1540, that one was only introduced fairly recently. I almost immediately reverted this to 1541 with my setup; for TDE on, that is. Also, my standard RAM size is full RAM expansion, but excluding I/O space: only when programs require +3K or unexpanded, I temporarily change this or use a boot loader on the VIC-20 side to de-activate RAM expansions.
One other two-sided sword is the default ",8,1" autostart behaviour of VICE. Granted, it eases the load of (small) machine code routines or cartridge dumps. You'll have to use NEW afterwards like on real hardware, if you're going to continue in BASIC, to correct the BASIC pointers. However, exactly that feature hinders an autostart load of most BASIC programs, when the current RAM configuration has a different start of BASIC than the program was saved with. Then, (part of) the program either ends up in the screen, producing ?SYNTAX errors or too low or too high in memory to even being recognized by the BASIC relinker - i.e. "nothing's there".
For my 2013 games collection I did my best to guard the boot procedure against the VICE autostart feature. Take a look at the file "BOOT" and see what happens when you load it ",8" or ",8,1".
A related nuisance is the quasi non-support of the display routine embedded in MINIGRAFIK pictures. As a matter of fact, these files have the (rather uncommon) load address of $10F1. That is the correct address, when they're supposed to be loaded back by MINIGRAFIK. Without MG, a load with ",8" loads them to $1201 (with a +8K RAM expansion, or more), which then exposes a BASIC stub that starts the built-in display routine with RUN. Thus, those pictures can be looked at even without MINIGRAFIK! Sadly, the default autostart action of VICE with ",8,1" bars that feature.
Edit: the thread 'Starting addr for .prgs' and, linked to from there, Boray's PRG Starter, are surely worth a look (it even solves the MG file issue for VICE).