danwinslow

Hrmmm...sounds like the hardware equivalent to hard-coding stuff in a program. Well, that explains the lack of overclocked Atari 8bits.

Xebec - ok, thank you. Now I understand why you feel so strongly about AR. What I still don't get is why you feel that gives you the desire to control how other people should play. What it boils down to is that you are objecting to the lack of perma-death, not just for yourself, but FOR OTHERS too. Not only is it sort of egomaniacal of you, but it's impractical too. If people want to hack up the game such that its easier to play, well then they just will anyways, and actually already HAVE. In fact, I think I'll patch in Barney bitmaps just to annoy you! But seriously, I understand your objection to a beloved thing being changed...but you cannot prevent it, and shouldn't try. It is not your private territory, and never was.

Xebec - it's a *game*, man, not a religious experience.

Draco has a new OS up and running for this. http://drac030.krap.pl/en-pliki.php

Well, *you* think its a good thing. That doesn't mean its a good thing to everybody. Not everyone feels the same as you do about these matters, is all I am saying. If you are saying, "well, they should", then I guess I don't know what to say to that.

Well, make it all optional. That way, if you want to play hardcore, you can. If you don't, you don't have to. Forcing a particular playstyle on other people because you think its the best way, or even the original way, doesn't seem like the thing to do. Not every body is going to feel the same way you do about backups.

Ah, I see there are schematics embedded in all that Polish. It really does look simple. Anybody feel like making one of these? http://hardware.atari8.info/65816/65816.gif

Well, I cannot read polish yet, so not sure whats going on on that page, but it looks like it might be good. If you really do make an upgrade board to put a 65c816 into an 8bit, I sure would buy one. The software I can write myself.

http://drac030.krap.pl/ Is there any more information on this? Specifically, are there schematics and so forth?

Well, thats basically what I am working on. Its not a cart, its integrated into the SIO bus, but the idea is the same.

Well, to be clear, I am looking for a way to get a simple connect out across TCP to a server. Its most likely going to have to be via APE or an emulator. Trying to jam an actual IP stack on an 8bit is problematic.

How was that run?

Lets imagine that someone has written a multi-player game on an 8bit, that has a ethernet card and a TCP stack integrated into it. Lets further imagine that there is a client program on some 8bit machines that want to connect into the game. What are the available options to try and get that TCP-IP connectivity? I know that there is a R: handler hack that will allow a incoming TCP socket connection to be made....and I know that APE supports that kind of thing as well. The Atari just thinks its talking to a modem. So you can have a single user 'modem' BBS that people can telnet into, presumably from a non-atari client. IIRC, you just do something like 'open #1.4,0,"R:www.telnet.com:25"' and the handler turns that into a TCP listen on that port....and the handler maps an incoming connect to the RI modem line, raises CD, etc., and off it goes. What I am looking for is how to get client Atari software to be able to make a TCP connect call out. Thats is, some way to map a R: serial connect to a TCP connect to a specified URL. So that 'open #1.12,0,"R:www.telnet.com:25"' would result in a connect socket call to that address and port. I realize that a standard Atari wouldn't be able to do this very easily, but I was thinking that maybe using APE and/or an emulator like Atari800win might help. Any ideas on this?

I think that book is good for somebody new to the scene, but it's too general in scope to appeal imo to serious programmers for any specific system.

These things ROCK. Very nice and kudos to Mr. Atari and Steve. Now all we need is a combo cartridge that combines this interface *and* the USB interface cartridge.

There *is* no box.

That's correct, it does not happen unless I am in a multi tasking mode. I do need to pop the RAM out and try it then though.

Hmm. Interesting. Well, an online game is a very hard thing to do. Anybody want to help do one?

lol yep thats handy. Thanks Bry

While we are on the subject, could someone give me a rundown on the graphics modes employed in this game? Not looking for anything detailed, just a general description. I've really never played it, but the SS's look cool.

AR online? Now THAT is interesting. Any further info or linkage?

I am comfortable with Wrath charging for this work. If I buy one of these, it will be that work I will be paying for, not really the ability to obtain the game, which I can do any number of other ways. He is merely repackaging it in a more convenient way. Yes, it will need to be changed, but it isn't being hacked to change its nature at all, or to represent it as the sole creation of Wrathchild. Its being hacked to fit inside a new medium. I also don't agree with the sentiment 'if you aren't doing it for free and for love then don't do it'. Some things are harder than others. Some things take serious time and effort. If there is no possible payback then some things just won't get done. If he were looking to make some kind of substantial profit, then I might agree with you, but unless he's nuts he knows that at best he will get some compensation for time and effort, but no real profit. And the game itself should probably be considered public domain at this point. There is no real market to lose, its widely available for free, and the production company no longer exists. PP himself liekly does not have the rights to it in any case.

Yes, I woudl expect a read too on a disk check. Thats an interesting suggestion about writing internal buffers, a bogus sector would be a good way to do that. It tries the write twice because my response confused it I think. The checksum error I am not sure about....it could be because if it really trying to write an internal command buffer I may not be pulling the right count off of the bus. I accepted the command on purpose to see what would happen in order to get debugging data points. Certainly a stock 810/1050 would NAK this...

Please, to be explaining his use in this device. I wish to gratify self with many downloadings and ROM heatings.

I have a TT that has a 32MB Mighty MIC ram upgrade into. I notice that when I go into multitasking mode via MULTI-TOS or Mint or Geneva, I get some very bad distortion on the video monitor. There's some faint ghosting and a lot of fuzzy and staticy looking diagonal stripes. The picture itself is basically intact, but overlaid with what looks like a bunch of interference. Could the MMU be emitting too much RF, or perhaps the massive ( and unshielded except for the case ) RAM of the Mighty MIC be causing this? Any suggestions welcome.