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High Score Enabled Games on apps.irata.online


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This thread is for high score enabled games, as we bring them online.

 

All the magic for enabling a game for high score enabled is in the ATR header, so anyone can post these or other ATRs with High Score Enabled on their servers, and the high score enabled web code is available too, on github.

 

What is High Score Enabled?

 

By using unused bytes in the ATR file format, we can specify that a certain range of sectors on a disk be marked as read/write. If a write happens to one of these sectors, the file is quickly opened read/write by the FujiNet, the sector is written, the file is then closed. This allows for the game to be mounted as read-only, and only opened for read-write when allowed, such as posting a high score. When coupled with a public server, this allows for public posting and viewing of high scores, and friendly competition. :)

 

All of this happens transparently, with no intervention needed on the user's part, and this will work with any TNFS (and web) server, allowing this to be deployed at parties.

 

Current set of high score enabled games:

TNFS: apps.irata.online/Atari 8-bit/Games/High Score Enabled/

Web: http://scores.irata.online/

 

as I bring more games online, I will post them here.

 

If there are any that should be posted, let's get them enabled!

 

-Thom

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FYI. Currently, scores are not saving if the game is loaded in Read Only mode. Found out that games have to be loaded in Write mode for them to save High Score. 
 

In fact, Flak won’t even load in Read Only mode. 
 

I understood that we should not be loading these in Write mode but when seeing nothing was saving in Read Only mode, I tested with Write and it works. 
 

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1 minute ago, chad5200 said:

FYI. Currently, scores are not saving if the game is loaded in Read Only mode. Found out that games have to be loaded in Write mode for them to save High Score. 
 

In fact, Flak won’t even load in Read Only mode. 
 

I understood that we should not be loading these in Write mode but when seeing nothing was saving in Read Only mode, I tested with Write and it works. 
 

*deeeeep-breath* did you update your firmware to the latest version?

 

-Thom

 

Please do not open games in read-write mode. They will prevent others from opening them.

 

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22 hours ago, chad5200 said:

In fact, Flak won’t even load in Read Only mode. 

Just checked, and with the current firmware (0.5.7eb55adb) installed, I can't get Flak to load in either RO or RW mode.  Solid red screen, followed by the, "One moment, please..." message, followed by the title screen.  At this point, pressing START causes it to loop the boot process again.

 

This is on a 600XL with internal 64K and Rev. C BASIC upgrades; otherwise stock.

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46 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Just checked, and with the current firmware (0.5.7eb55adb) installed, I can't get Flak to load in either RO or RW mode.  Solid red screen, followed by the, "One moment, please..." message, followed by the title screen.  At this point, pressing START causes it to loop the boot process again.

 

This is on a 600XL with internal 64K and Rev. C BASIC upgrades; otherwise stock.

The loader on Flak is _VERY_ strange. It reads sectors from the disk in a most non-linear order, and every read requires a seek, slowing things down a ton.

It is also extra masochistic when you press console keys during the load, causing a reboot. Don't do that. It will load, and the screen will change.

 

Also please. please please please please please. DO NOT MOUNT ANYTHING ON APPS READ WRITE. This imposes a lock on the file, and nobody else can open it until you unmount it.

 

-Thom

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2 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

followed by the title screen.  At this point, pressing START causes it to loop the boot process again.

This is NOT the title screen:

image.png.0a3d4cae700f2c07f04ff9c013687941.png

 

This is the title screen:

image.png.3bd973ec78b9c3449da15a280c9ad090.png

 

And as Thom already wrote:
Every press of any of the console keys during load triggers an immediate reboot.

(I guess that you already know that the disk MUST be write-enabled to run (which is automatically done by Fujinet WITH high-score-supporting firmware for the high-score-enabled image from Thom and only for this image.))

Edited by DjayBee
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9 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Deleted.  Cranky today and really don't want to take it out on any one else.

Oops, sorry, I did not even remotely wanted to sound negative. I only wanted to make clear all the weird constraints of this title. 

Must have chosen the wrong words. 

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7 minutes ago, DjayBee said:

Oops, sorry, I did not even remotely wanted to sound negative. I only wanted to make clear all the weird constraints of this title. 

Must have chosen the wrong words. 

It's fine; nothing you did was wrong.  This is purely down to physical stuff beyond my control right now.  You're good :-D

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Loving the High Score ability.

 

I am curious about Lode Runner.  The High Score Enabled version is showing maroon/white graphics like this:

 

LR-1.thumb.jpg.1ea4c1d8e14d403df3a52d38b74c5462.jpg

 

While the regular Lode Runner version in the Homesoft directory on atari-apps.irata.online is showing normal colors like this:

 

LR-2.thumb.jpg.fa2931393bf0ab4024a9f3305e9c92a2.jpg

 

Maybe I am missing a setting or configuration option?

 

 

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No. You're confusing an after-market modification. :)

 

The original version was done in high resolution ANTIC MODE F, and relies on artifacted colors that present themselves on an NTSC display. If you're displaying on a video output that seperates out the chroma and luma signals (or in an emulator that does not render the artifacts) you will not see the color.

 

This is normal.

 

The second screen you've posted, is from the Homesoft version, which patched the game to render in Mode E instead, half the horizontal resolution, and up to 4 colors per line. 

 

-Thom

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Ok thanks.

 

Was playing at my friends house over the weekend and his was looking the same as mine.  My friend is using S-Video and I am using Sophia 2 now for best picture quality but unfortunately there are some games out there that actually look worse with these options.

 

 

 

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Am almost done with adding high scores to the Roklan Pac-Man (working on an obvious bug as you can see in the pic):

938930588_Screenshotfrom2022-10-2322-21-52.thumb.png.46c12aa0389307c55a15f92046df6fec.png

I would like to see if we can convert some of the other games, e.g. those who have been graphics upgraded via @TIX, @playsoft @darryl1970 and others. I could either work with you guys to add high scores, or we could pool source code together to make it happen?

 

-Thom

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