HINTS FOR ATARI 5200/800 EMULATION ON DREAMCAST!

[NE146]

Ok. I'm not sure how many of you knew this, but it was news to me.

 

I went through a lot of time and effort a couple of weeks ago creating an Atari 5200/800 CD with literally THOUSANDS of disk images for the atari 8-bit and 5200. Now the 5200 games worked great. But I couldn't get the majority of the 8-bit games to run (I was looking forward to Donkey Kong), but alas they didn't work. I chucked it up to the DC emu being incompatible at this stage and went on my merry way.

 

That is, until someone told me "the trick"! DISABLE BASIC!!! This is an option in the configuration screen and is necessary for most games. Apparently, most Atari 800 owners knew of this intuitively (you hold "start" on an actual machine while booting to do it). But for those of us who only had 5200's, it's one of those "little things" you'd never know until you try it.

 

Well I did it, and sure enough I was playing Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Ultima, Agent USA, Jumpman, and loads of other 8-bit games in all their glory! ALLELUJIAH!!!!!!!1

 

Here's another hint: Usualy the games take a while to load (just like they did on a real atari computer). However, there is an option within the same menu as well for "fast disk access" (I think is the name.. something like that). Well that takes off the load time completely! I hear some games check disk-speed access as a means of copy protection, but I have yet to see one that doesn't run as a result of it being enabled. Anyway, it's easy to disable should you find one that does.

 

So here's the full steps to playing all those 8-bit games in their full glory (thanks to http://members.chello.nl/~m.schuitemaker/atari/):

 

• Disable Basic

Enable Fast Disk Access

Select "Disk Management" and press A

Press A again

You see all your disk images, choose the one you want to play and pres A

The game is now loaded as Disk 1

Press the right trigger

Select "Reboot (Cold Start)" and press A , this will load the game and unloads any game that was in the virtual drive

To exit a game press the left trigger

To select another game, just follow these steps again.

[oesii]

Ok. I'm not sure how many of you knew this, but it was news to me.  

 

That is, until someone told me "the trick"! DISABLE BASIC!!!  This is an option in the configuration screen and is necessary for most games. Apparently, most Atari 800 owners knew of this intuitively (you hold "start" on an actual machine while booting to do it). But for those of us who only had 5200's, it's one of those "little things" you'd never know until you try it.  

 

 

Actually, you have to hold down 'Option' to disable Basic on the real deal. Just didn't want you to be embarassed at the next Atari Users group you attend

[NE146]

Ok. I'm not sure how many of you knew this, but it was news to me.  

 

That is, until someone told me "the trick"! DISABLE BASIC!!!  This is an option in the configuration screen and is necessary for most games. Apparently, most Atari 800 owners knew of this intuitively (you hold "start" on an actual machine while booting to do it). But for those of us who only had 5200's, it's one of those "little things" you'd never know until you try it.  

 

 

Actually, you have to hold down 'Option' to disable Basic on the real deal. Just didn't want you to be embarassed at the next Atari Users group you attend

 

Nah if you know me I NEVER get embarrased about anything Anyway, I owned an Apple II so I got a good excuse