mz700 games i wanted to see converted to Aquarius

[nitrofurano]

recently i found this interesting link showing some sharp mz700 games, in text mode, which i believe Aquarius can provide very similar games - if someone here is skilled enough on helping it, please do!

 

http://web700.marukun.com

(it seems to be emulation of mz700 on java)

[jaybird3rd]

I couldn't get the emulator to work, but I do like the screenshots (especially Space Bluster SG and GX, which seem to make good use of the character graphics):

 

 

I looked up the specifications of the MZ-700, and it sounds almost exactly like the Aquarius: Z80 processor, 40x25 character graphics, one-channel speaker, and so forth (although the MZ-700 does seem to have had more RAM). Depending on the differences in the operating system (assuming these games even use it), it might be possible to modify them to run on the Aquarius directly.

[nitrofurano]

I couldn't get the emulator to work, but I do like the screenshots (especially Space Bluster SG and GX, which seem to make good use of the character graphics).

 

I looked up the specifications of the MZ-700, and it sounds almost exactly like the Aquarius: Z80 processor, 40x25 character graphics, one-channel speaker, and so forth (although the MZ-700 does seem to have had more RAM). Depending on the differences in the operating system (assuming these games even use it), it might be possible to modify them to run on the Aquarius directly.

 

yes, seeing this seems not so hard is really great - recently i found some people could downgrade Konami's Kings Valley from msx1 to zx-spectrum, and i can imagine games can be ported from mz700 to aquarius with even less effort

 

well, on that webpage, these games are running on java applet - if you can run zx-spectrum games from http://www.worldofspectrum.org/games/index.html (online, clicking on the java icon of each game webpage) or coco2 games from http://members.cox.net/javacoco/ , you will run these mz700 games easily as well

 

anyway, people here may found mz700 interesting ports of Space Harrier and Xevious (easy to find on youtube)

[+thegoldenband]

I think this is still a great idea (and jaybird3rd, you might give that emulator another go -- it works for me on my MacBook Pro). It's pretty amazing what people managed to eke out of the MZ-700! I've played Eugea a bit and it seems like a nifty little game.

[jaybird3rd]

I think this is still a great idea (and jaybird3rd, you might give that emulator another go -- it works for me on my MacBook Pro). It's pretty amazing what people managed to eke out of the MZ-700! I've played Eugea a bit and it seems like a nifty little game.

I'm still more interested in creating original games in the long term, but I'll try it again within the next few months. In the meantime, since my earlier post, I've acquired a real MZ-700 and a few games. Very interesting machine. It's a PAL unit, however, so I still need to pick up a power adapter and a PAL-compatible TV before I can use it here in the States.

[Aquaman]

If porting these games proves to be easy enough, it would be worth some effort. However I would always prefer games originally being programmed for the Aquarius itself.

[Aquaman]

I couldn't get the emulator to work, but I do like the screenshots (especially Space Bluster SG and GX, which seem to make good use of the character graphics):

 

 

I looked up the specifications of the MZ-700, and it sounds almost exactly like the Aquarius: Z80 processor, 40x25 character graphics, one-channel speaker, and so forth (although the MZ-700 does seem to have had more RAM). Depending on the differences in the operating system (assuming these gamesI even use it), it might be possible to modify them to run on the Aquarius directly.

. It seems Lab Laboratory also saw the graphical limitations and made something like your Superfont idea for the MZ-700 http://www.sharpmz.org/mz-700/pcg700_02.htm.

[jaybird3rd]

If porting these games proves to be easy enough, it would be worth some effort. However I would always prefer games originally being programmed for the Aquarius itself.

It might be relatively easy to port the games from the MZ-700 to the Aquarius. Since they're both Z80 machines, the first step would be to disassemble the MZ-700 games and then reassemble them for the Aquarius, similar to what I'll be doing for the Aquaricart II cassette games. Two possible difficulties that I can foresee are: MZ-700 games which require more RAM than the Aquarius's available ~2K, and differences in the character sets between the two machines.

[jaybird3rd]

. It seems Lab Laboratory also saw the graphical limitations and made something like your Superfont idea for the MZ-700 http://www.sharpmz.o...0/pcg700_02.htm.

That's very interesting! Thanks for pointing that out; that does indeed look very much like what I was thinking of for "SuperFont". Do you notice the 24-pin ribbon cable in the picture, with the DIP socket connector on the end of it? That plugs into the MZ-700's character ROM socket, and that's just how I originally intended to install the "SuperFont" upgrade also. It's the most straightforward approach, but it would require the user to desolder the old ROM, which would be tough for a lot of Aquarius owners. I've since thought of a much simpler way to do it (just two wires!), but I won't get to designing it until I'm ready to begin working on a new Mini Expander, since "SuperFont" will probably become a part of that project instead of a standalone upgrade.

[Aquaman]

Two possible difficulties that I can foresee are: MZ-700 games which require more RAM than the Aquarius's available ~2K, and differences in the character sets between the two machines.

The RAM issue can be solved of course by having an extended RAM cartridge. Most Aquarius owners will probably have these or can obtain one fairly easily(The 4K versions at least). The differences between character sets will be more of a challenge I can imagine.

[+thegoldenband]

This might be a silly question, but is it possible to simply (and temporarily) replace the Aquarius character set with the MZ-700's, using the SuperFont and/or two-wire solution? In other words, are the size, encoding, and internal resolution of the character sets the same?

[jaybird3rd]

This might be a silly question, but is it possible to simply (and temporarily) replace the Aquarius character set with the MZ-700's, using the SuperFont and/or two-wire solution? In other words, are the size, encoding, and internal resolution of the character sets the same?

Certainly. Judging from the screenshots, the MZ-700 characters appear to be 8x8 bitmaps, so with a SuperFont-like upgrade, it should be possible to dump its character ROM and use it in the Aquarius (I've already used the character set from the IBM PC and other vintage computers on my Aquarius, just for testing). I was hoping to make versions of these games that would work with a stock Aquarius first, but depending on the RAM requirements and the differences in the character sets, that may not be feasible. I'll worry about that when I get to it, though; it will probably be a while, unless someone else wants to try it first.

[Aquaman]

The RAM issue can be solved of course by having an extended RAM cartridge. Most Aquarius owners will probably have these or can obtain one fairly easily(The 4K versions at least). The differences between character sets will be more of a challenge I can imagine.

In fact there is even a 32K RAM expansion on sale right now eBay Auction -- Item Number: 310704997779

[jaybird3rd]

In fact there is even a 32K RAM expansion on sale right now eBay Auction -- Item Number: 310704997779

I noticed that! You certainly don't see one of those every day. I thought about bidding on it, but I already have a good picture of the board inside that cartridge, along with a design for a new (and much smaller) 32K RAM module which uses about $4 worth of parts. I was going to release it as a standalone product, but now I think I'll make it a part of my new Mini Expander, along with SuperFont and a few other goodies I have in mind.

[+thegoldenband]

Certainly. Judging from the screenshots, the MZ-700 characters appear to be 8x8 bitmaps, so with a SuperFont-like upgrade, it should be possible to dump its character ROM and use it in the Aquarius (I've already used the character set from the IBM PC and other vintage computers on my Aquarius, just for testing).

 

Great! Jeez, if there's any way to provide multiple switchable character sets with the new Mini Expander (i.e. to toggle between various sets), it sounds like practically the whole MZ-700 library could potentially be ported.

 

BTW don't get me wrong, I'm not volunteering you for the job. But being able to access another console's library -- especially one that's not available in the US -- is a real boon for a system, as has been seen with the recent popularity of SG-1000 to CV ports. And there's just something ineffably cool about the MZ-700, somehow.

[jaybird3rd]

Great! Jeez, if there's any way to provide multiple switchable character sets with the new Mini Expander (i.e. to toggle between various sets), it sounds like practically the whole MZ-700 library could potentially be ported.

 

BTW don't get me wrong, I'm not volunteering you for the job. But being able to access another console's library -- especially one that's not available in the US -- is a real boon for a system, as has been seen with the recent popularity of SG-1000 to CV ports. And there's just something ineffably cool about the MZ-700, somehow.

Oh, absolutely. Converting existing games is certainly faster than creating new ones from scratch, and it's especially fun to introduce games that aren't well-known to a new audience at the same time. It's probably something I'll tinker with someday (if nobody else has already done it at that point), but it's just hard to do it when I have so many of my own ideas percolating.

[Aquaman]

I noticed that! You certainly don't see one of those every day. I thought about bidding on it, but I already have a good picture of the board inside that cartridge, along with a design for a new (and much smaller) 32K RAM module which uses about $4 worth of parts.

I already own one myself, so this time I also like to give someone else the opportunity to buy it.

[Aquaman]

The RAM issue can be solved of course by having an extended RAM cartridge. Most Aquarius owners will probably have these or can obtain one fairly easily(The 4K versions at least). The differences between character sets will be more of a challenge I can imagine.

Graphic wise these Philips P2000 games should make an easier entry level of conversions. Also Z80 based and because of the P2000 teletext graphics resolution being 80x72 it already uses the bloxel resolution of the Aquarius.

 

http://community.for...7/emup2000.html

Edited July 23, 2013 by Aquaman

[+Gemintronic]

How close to version 1.0 is the ZX Basic port nitrofurano? That would GREATLY increase the chance of MZ-700 ports