From Texas to MSX

[mäsäxi]

Hello again!

 

Yes, I have dreamed for a long time to have possibility to play Texas Instruments TI-99/4A games on my MSX. Yes, I know that although MSX shares Texas Instruments´ graphics chip, TI-99/4A has a different CPU. But thinking of the fact, that with nowadays technology and knowledge, almost "everything" is possible, I wanted to ask, if it is possible to "port" TI-99/4A game to MSX. IF it is possible at all, it wouldn´t be as "easy" as Colecovision to MSX porting is (that´s why I wrote "port").

 

And if you say that it is possible, in theory at least, I am not expecting anyone porting games for me, as I understand that you are busy already with your own TI-99/4A projects. But I can still dream, can I?

 

Anyway, I just wanted to get my fantasy discussed here.

 

 

Kind Regards,

MäSäXi

=)

Edited April 23, 2011 by mäsäxi

[+retroclouds]

It's a manual task. You'r basically rewriting the game from scratch. Ofcourse you can "use" the graphics and probably the sound data, not sure about that.

The MSX doesn't have the TI sound chip as the Colecovision has.

 

I'd rather play MSX games on the TI as the other way around though

 

Have to admit that if I ever do some work for the Colecovision it'll be a port of Munchman.

[+retroclouds]

Just out of curiousity, what TI games would you wanna play on the MSX ?

[Tursi]

Probably easier to go from TI to MSX than the other way (at least for cartridges), just in terms of memory usage. The easiest way to do it would be to write a cross-compiler from 9900 to Z80 that understands the memory map, but it would not be perfect. The main obstacle is automatically telling hardware access apart from memory access, since you often need to know the contents of a register on the TI side, and the VDP and sound chip are both memory-mapped devices, while on the MSX (the VDP at least) uses ports.

 

The MSX sound chip is fairly compatible.. I've ported music from the MSX back to the ColecoVision. Some small tweaks would be needed.

 

But, the TI assembly code should compile down smaller on the Z80 in most cases, plus the MSX runs slightly faster on average, and has more RAM available, so it should work if those hurdles were overcome.

 

Agreed, though, I'd rather play MSX games on the TI.

Edited April 24, 2011 by Tursi

[+retroclouds]

Yeah, a cross-compiler from Z80 to 9900 would be very cool. But in order for this to work. I think that bigger "chunks" of Z80 code should be mapped to corresponding TMS9900 code.

So the compiler would need some kind of "lookahead" feature.

Thinking more about this, some kind of "template" feature would be possible.

 

What I mean by that is that many of the software producers had their own library and ways of implementhing things.

At least I know that was the case for the MSX1 games done by Konami.

So a compiler targetting Konami games could have a pattern of how some of the routines were done in Z80 code

and then a "matching" TMS9900 block could be predefined.

 

Ofcourse you could also go the Z80 emulator way. Then again speed would be so slow you might as well forget about that one.

Rumour has it that there was an emulator for the TI-99/4A running colecovision games.

One game reported to party working was Artic Adventure. However, I think it must have been so slow that the game was unplayable

[Tursi]

Ofcourse you could also go the Z80 emulator way. Then again speed would be so slow you might as well forget about that one. Rumour has it that there was an emulator for the TI-99/4A running colecovision games.

One game reported to party working was Artic Adventure. However, I think it must have been so slow that the game was unplayable

 

Yeah, I thought I'd heard that even that was on the Geneve, where they had 4 times the clock.

[mäsäxi]

You'r basically rewriting the game from scratch. Ofcourse you can "use" the graphics and probably the sound data, not sure about that.

The MSX doesn't have the TI sound chip as the Colecovision has.

 

Yes, I thought about that.

 

The easiest way to do it would be to write a cross-compiler from 9900 to Z80 that understands the memory map

The main obstacle is automatically telling hardware access apart from memory access

 

And same here. It wouldn´t be an easy task.

 

 

I, personally don´t like MSX games that much anymore, have played them too much ages ago. You are fancying MSX games, as your TI didn´t have them, and part of your reasons is probably the fact that MSX games were made years later, so you can find "better" and more "advanced" games on MSX.

 

And then there are many interesting titles on TI-99/4A which were never converted to MSX. :sad:

 

First of all, the One and Only

MINER 2049ER

 

If I could have just one TI-99/4A game converted to MSX and get it as cartridge form, it would be Miner 2049er!!!! I like TI version much, it also has a proper title screen, almost the same what Atari original had! Colecovision conversion is not bad either, but it´s a bit different. I just like MINER 2049er game so much!!!! How I wish MSX had Bounty Bob too!! (or that TI had it...

 

I have "grown up" with a chance to play Commodore 64 games sometimes, so there are lots of Commodore 64 titles which are missing on MSX.... :sad:

 

POLE POSITION graphically it´s almost the same as Commodore 64 conversion, water puddles and some other things are missing though and cars seem to "JUMP" instead of softer movement what I remember from Commodore 64. But I still like TI-99/4A Pole Position a much!!

 

POPEYE It´s much better looking than Coleco´s monochrome Popeye sprite, sadly it misses ingame music, I guess it´s because of lack of memory, I think, short tunes are there though and they are really good!! I just like Popeye music, that´s why it feels a bit odd to play it without music, but it´s still very good game!! And graphics are hellishly better looking than on Commodore 64!

 

SHAMUS Yeah, I miss multicolour sprites for hero, (and maybe multicolour robots, made in SCREEN 2) but otherwise I like it!!

 

There are others too...

 

ANTEATER Yes, I Like This Game!!

 

BURGERTIME that "music-starts-again-everytime-you-do-something" can get irritating, otherwise it looks fantastic!!

 

CAR WARS Simple and fun!!

 

CHISHOLM TRAIL Good oldies shooter!!

 

DEFENDER Hmmm... I do hope it had multicolour sprites, but otherwise it looks good and sound effects are really gooooood!!

 

DIG-DUG I like this better than MSX conversion (by Namco, by the way) as this has multicolour hero!!

 

DONKEY KONG Looks a way better than a bit improved Spectrum port on MSX (yes, Multicolour Mario looks hellishly good, but otherwise... it´s very playable though!)

 

HENHOUSE haven´t played, but looks fun! (and GOOD looking too!)

 

MS. PAC-MAN misses interludes, but looks way better than MSX Pac-Man because of multicolour sprites!! (same about TI Pac-Man!!)

 

MUNCHMOBILE Haven´t played this on TI, but I have seen and probably played it at arcades in the mid-eighties. I would like to enjoy this game once more!!

 

PROTECTOR II This was one of my favourites on Commodore 64, and I was really happy to hear that TI-99/4A conversion had that original music too!!!! Sadly flickering multicolour sprites were not used on TI... and it misses something else too, like volcano can´t erupt to the top of the screen, you can fly past erupting volcano on TI.. and sprites move somewhat jumpy way... but it still is Protector II.

 

There are many other good games too, but I just wanted to mention some which I STILL want to play (=haven´t bored at least yet;))

 

I haven´t played any TI-99/4A cassette games... so I can´t say anything about them.... is there any site which has screenshots of TI-99/4A cassette games? (or disk games?)

Edited April 24, 2011 by mäsäxi

[1980gamer]

Porting TI to Coleco....

Wish list for me would be

1. Star Runner

2. Parsec!

3. Moon Patrol

 

Yup... I know this is way off topic.... But I loved these games on the TI.

[+retroclouds]

4. Munchman

5. TI-Invaders

 

[mäsäxi]

I wanted to say Munchman too, but I must confess that I felt it a bit too easy game. :/ Otherwise I like it!! But probably in the eighties it would have been hard enough. I have always liked Pac-Man style games!!!!

 

And please do not get me wrong, when I said that I would have liked some TI games to have multicolour sprites. This is because I had always felt sad and angry because of many MSX games in the past were not made to look as good as they could have been looked like. I like single colour sprites too. Especially those TI-99/4A Donkey Kong´s fireballs! They are really Llovely Llooking!! And yeah, Moon Patrol looks and sounds good too!!

[+Vorticon]

I haven´t played any TI-99/4A cassette games... so I can´t say anything about them.... is there any site which has screenshots of TI-99/4A cassette games? (or disk games?)

tigameshelf.net

[mäsäxi]

tigamesshelf is familiar for me already, it has many really good looking BASIC games!! But I meant Commercial cassette (and disk) games screenshots. :)

 

(oh, I just found out that "assembly" section and that it has screenshots which say likes of "1981", "1982" and so on in their title screens, so I guess those are old (maybe even commercial) cassette games)

Edited April 29, 2011 by mäsäxi