Author Archives: Obliterator918

GameBase 64 Reorganizer 4.0.2.1 released

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A minor update to Gamebase 64 Reorganizer has been uploaded. The new version is 4.0.2.1.

In previous versions, the program would fail to extract the archives if there were 251 or more items in the Z folder. The most archives present in the Z folder up through GB v14 was less than 250, so nobody ever came across this until some recent testing and made me aware of it. It was a simple bugfix. Upgrading to this version is strongly recommended. You can download the new version or read the full changelog here.

Compatibility status of Gamebase Reorganizer SD 4.0.1.1

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Nothing major here, just a post confirming that (as far as my testing shows) GB Reorganizer SD 4.0.1.1 works correctly with Gamebase v14 and runs properly on Windows 10. I have not bothered to update the documentation in Reorganizer to reflect this information but wanted to post it somewhere.

I do not test in virtual setups that don’t use Windows drive volumes so I can’t comment on compatibility with something other than NTFS or ReFS file systems and Windows emulators or VMs.

 

GameBase 64 Reorganizer SD version 4 released

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GB Reorganizer has had quite an update today. I’ve posted version 4.0 with some important improvements and fixes. Don’t know what this is? Read about it here.

Someone pointed out to me that the Reorganizer was creating empty (no disk) output on archives with .TAP or .G64 images in them. Well, when I originally coded this utility for use with my 1541 Ultimate, the only image formats supported were .T64 and .D64. But that has changed and GameBase 64 is now using quite a few different image formats — .TAP, .T64, .G64, .D81, as well as the ubiquitous .D64. So now these are all recognized and extracted. (Whether or not your chosen device will support the images is a different matter — my 1541-U Mark 1 unit, with my custom firmware, can handle .D64, .G64, .CRT, and .T64 images, but not .TAP or .D81.) Still, it is better to include the files in the output for possible future support by your device.

Another important change for 1541-U users is how filename case is handled. Again, way back in the days of pre-2.0 1541-U firmware, the sorting and searching in the file browser were all case-sensitive, so it was necessary to upper-case all of the output for more useful browsing behavior. Somewhere along the line Gideon fixed all of the sorting and searching to be case-insensitive so this is no longer necessary. But if you are using a really old firmware, such as what was flashed in the old mark-1 units, you will want to restore the previous behavior with the “Ancient 1541-U Uppercase Mode” option. Or better yet, use my custom firmware so you don’t need to. (1541 Ultimate II users shouldn’t need to worry about it.)

I’ve also added a way to save and load your settings. This makes it easier to deal with different output configurations you want to have.

There’s a test mode now, too, which writes out the GameList.csv file but doesn’t build the folder structure or extract the archives.

There are some other changes. Download it here. sd2iec device users shouldn’t feel left out. There are bug fixes in here that affect output for the sd2iec optimized folders as well, so everybody should upgrade.

4.0.1.1:

  • Improved GameList.csv output includes error messages on each folder/game (if any).
  • Recognize and extract .D81, .CRT, .G64, and .TAP files from archives (in addition to .D64 and .T64 files).
  • Change 1541-U folder name case to be mixed instead of forced upper-case. Added “Ancient 1541-U Uppercase Mode” for 1541-U file optimization (uses the previous behavior for file case naming). Use this option if you prefer the old way or if you have a really old firmware and you need it for proper sorting/searching on the 1541-U.
  • Added Test Mode. THIS STILL DELETES ANY PREVIOUS REORGANIZER OUTPUT IN THE DESTINATION FOLDER. This mode does everything except create the folders and extract the files, and you can review the GameList.csv file for results.
  • Added Load/Save Settings function.
  • Some cosmetic changes such as an improved icon design and changes to the faux-C64 status screen, just because.

Commodore: The Amiga Years appears to be back on track!

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A few years ago, Brian Bagnall, author of On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore, and Commodore: a Company on the Edge announced that his followup book, Commodore: The Amiga Years was officially cancelled.

Now it seems to be back on.  I was not able to find any official word from Bagnall, either at his publishing website or on his Twitter account, but Amazon is showing The Amiga Years to be scheduled for release in November of 2015.

Get your pre-order in. 🙂 UPDATE June 7, 2015: Looks like Brian has announced a Kickstarter to get this published. It was listed for pre-order on Amazon before that announcement, and if you made a pre-order you may want to see if any of the perks make it worthwhile to cancel and fund the campaign instead.

If you don’t know: The original book, On the Edge, is a single volume history of Commodore which goes all the way to 1994. This is an excellent book and well worth a read, though now out of print.

Bagnall had so much information that he could not squeeze into a single volume that he decided to release a new two-volume history of Commodore. He published Commodore: a Company on the Edge which, essentially, is the first half of On The Edge but much expanded. This is also a great read and should be in your library if you are a computer history buff.

But things did not go well for the second volume (The Amiga Years) and for a long time it looked like we would never see it. But now it looks like we will finally get the “long version” of the definitive history of the fall of Commodore.

Bagnall’s history is great. He sets the record straight about what really happened with Apple and Commodore, showing conclusively that a lot of the “revisionist history” proffered by Apple fans is a lot of nonsense. The reality is that Commodore did more to introduce computing “to the masses” than any other company during its time, and Bagnall’s research and writing does an excellent job reminding us what was going on, and what was so special about Commodore.

And 30 years later, I coded up an intro…

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30 years (ish) ago, I got my first computer: a Commodore 64.

I learned to program with it. But I stuck with BASIC while I had the C64. I always wanted to learn assembler and write super-fast and fancy games, but I just never did. I didn’t have a monitor cartridge or even know what books to use.

Anyway, I decided that late is better than never. And since OVGE is coming up in less than two months, I decided to make an “OVGE Intro” on my C64.

You can download the prg file here: ovge 2013.prg. Hopefully you have real NTSC Commodore hardware you can run it on. If not, load it up in VICE, and be sure to set the video emulation to NTSC (it defaults to PAL). Update! I did a proper PAL fix, so it will run on NTSC or PAL machines just fine! (I also corrected the music attribution; I had text from previous song I did not use.)

It’s by no means a modern-quality demo, but it has some effects I always wanted to achieve way back in the day.

Developing for the C64 today is so much easier than it was in the 80s. Using cross-development tools, all of the work was done on my Windows PC (I just used Notepad++ to write the assembler code and ACME to build it) and testing was done in VICE. Of course, I put it on a real C64 for viewing the best results.

Here is a quick capture I did and uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunatly, it is not smooth in this video, though it runs perfectly on the real thing.

C64C Gold: uIEC/SD, JiffyDOS, Reset Switch Commodore mod

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The C64C was an update to the C64 that brought a more modern look (for its time) to the Commodore 64. After Commodore finished off its stock of motherboards, it also got a new updated “short board” that cost a lot less to produce. By the time the Commodore 64 was discontinued, they were able to make them at about $20 a pop. Pretty good for something that retailed for about $100.

These short boards were not actually 100% compatible with the older version.  Many of the parts were not interchangeable with older boards, and the famous SID chip was actually changed. (If you’re curious, you can test this with a C64C by playing Impossible Mission. If you can’t hear “stay awhile…. staaaaay forever!” then you have the updated SID chip.) Compatibility with the older C64 approached 100% but didn’t quite get there.

Anyway, this particular model has one great advantage: lots of empty space under the keyboard for modifications! So below is what I did with mine, in video and in higher resolution pictures.

  • Added a reset switch.
  • Replaced the KERNAL ROM with JiffyDOS. (My board did not have socketed chips, so I had to remove the old ROM and install a socket.)
  • Internally mounted a uIEC/SD — a great sd2iec-based device for mass storage from Retro Innovations. Easily the most gratifying part of this project!
  • Installed all four control switches for the uIEC/SD, too, and
  • Gave it a gold paint job with a shiny clear coat.

Video and Pictures follow.

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