"Alternate Reality - The City" on the Coco 3 - newbie question

[Zzalg_Repus]

Hello there!

 

Ok, I'm very, very new to the Coco. They were never sold over here in Germany (AFAIK), and I got mine only recently from ebay.com.

 

Here's my setup:

 

- Coco 3 (stock - with a 512K RAM expansion and Joystick adapters on the way)

- RE-FD502 disk controller connected to an HxC

- Disk files converted from .dsk (renamed to .jvc) to .hfe

 

So far so good. All 158K disk images seem to be working.

 

BUT: It's the images bigger than 158K that give me a headache - remember: I'm a newbie!

 

Case in question: "Alternate Reality - The City", which I downloaded from the TRS-80 Color Computer Archive. (GREAT site! )

 

The read-me says:

 

This game must be started from a VDG screen/window. Since most
advanced OS-9 users probably boot into an 80 column term, you
must either have a vdg descriptor module in memory or know how
to convert a standard window into a vdg screen.
Conversion is simple, for example:
xmode /w1 type=1 pag=16
shell i=/w1&
and press CLEAR to access the new window
NOTE: On NitrOS-9 type: xmode /w1 par=1 col=20 row=10

 

Of course I have to clue just what this means.

 

I barely managed to get one of the many OS9 images to work with the HxC, but what now? All I get are various errors #s (216 and so on).

 

It's probably a piece of cake for all you Coco lovers out there, but I'm really struggling with the various Operating Systems and disk formats. Maybe someone could give me some general help (remember, I'm using a HxC), and, especially, provide with some newbie-proof directions (or even .hfe images) of "Alternate Reality".

 

Anyway, the Coco (3) seems to be a lovely machine.

 

Thanks for all your help (hopefully),

Frank

 

 

 

[Briza1]

Hello there!

 

Ok, I'm very, very new to the Coco. They were never sold over here in Germany (AFAIK), and I got mine only recently from ebay.com.

 

Here's my setup:

 

- Coco 3 (stock - with a 512K RAM expansion and Joystick adapters on the way)

- RE-FD502 disk controller connected to an HxC

- Disk files converted from .dsk (renamed to .jvc) to .hfe

 

So far so good. All 158K disk images seem to be working.

 

BUT: It's the images bigger than 158K that give me a headache - remember: I'm a newbie!

 

Case in question: "Alternate Reality - The City", which I downloaded from the TRS-80 Color Computer Archive. (GREAT site! )

 

The read-me says:

 

This game must be started from a VDG screen/window. Since most

advanced OS-9 users probably boot into an 80 column term, you

must either have a vdg descriptor module in memory or know how

to convert a standard window into a vdg screen.

Conversion is simple, for example:

xmode /w1 type=1 pag=16

shell i=/w1&

and press CLEAR to access the new window

NOTE: On NitrOS-9 type: xmode /w1 par=1 col=20 row=10

 

Of course I have to clue just what this means.

 

I barely managed to get one of the many OS9 images to work with the HxC, but what now? All I get are various errors #s (216 and so on).

 

It's probably a piece of cake for all you Coco lovers out there, but I'm really struggling with the various Operating Systems and disk formats. Maybe someone could give me some general help (remember, I'm using a HxC), and, especially, provide with some newbie-proof directions (or even .hfe images) of "Alternate Reality".

 

Anyway, the Coco (3) seems to be a lovely machine.

 

Thanks for all your help (hopefully),

Frank

 

 

Gidday Frank.

 

216 error I think is File not found, once you follow the instructions and activate the correct shell screen, look for a file called CITY, this is the executable file and I think you may have to change the OS to point to the directory of the CITY bin file

 

laters

 

Briza