drichard@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (David Richards) (05/12/91)
I bought an Amiga 3000 about three weeks ago and I love it to death. Even thought I knew going in that many games were not going to work I still miss them and I can't help but think that if I knew more about what I was doing I could get more of them to work. About the only trick I know is rebooting under kickstart 1.3 and trying from the old OS. This helps sometimes, but games like Seven Tiles (on ab20) say you need to remove fast mem. This can't mean prying the chips out, but the game is DMS'ed onto a non DOS disk that must be booted from. How can you turn off fast mem and have it stay off in a reeboot? This is just one question and I am sure there are others, so how about if everybody who knows some clever trick to make a program work on the 3000 posts the details here. I'll even start to keep a list and periodically publish summaries. I know that some of this is accomplished by the software compatibility list that has been going around, but I think there are more tricks than are listed there. Thanks, Dave drichards@hmcvax.claremont.edu
sschaem@starnet.uucp (Stephan Schaem) (05/13/91)
To replace a boot block make your own that will load the old one. Then load the original one that you have somewhere on the disk, if no space left you could try track 80.... This is to install whatever fix you need, nocache, nofast, nodrive, nocolor, nosound, nothing:-) Stephan.
colas@lemur.inria.fr (Colas Nahaboo) (05/13/91)
In article <12097@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>, drichard@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (David Richards) writes: > This helps > sometimes, but games like Seven Tiles (on ab20) say you need to remove > fast mem. This can't mean prying the chips out, Sorry, I wasn't clear enough (I uploaded seven tiles). Get the disk WARPed as /amiga/utils/system/opsys/palboot4.wrp on ab20, it contains a bunch of utilties to reboot your amiga in different memory configs. I use bootmenu by J.Davis on it, very convenient. Don't know if it works on a 3000, but since nobody complained on the net, it should... -- Colas Nahaboo, colas@sa.inria.fr, Bull Research, Koala Project, GWM X11 WM Phone:(33) 93.65.77.70(.66 Fax), INRIA, B.P.109 - 06561 Valbonne Cedex, FRANCE.
bombadil@diku.dk (Kristian Nielsen) (05/13/91)
drichard@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (David Richards) writes: >I bought an Amiga 3000 about three weeks ago and I love it to death. >Even thought I knew going in that many games were not going to work I still >miss them and I can't help but think that if I knew more about what I was >doing I could get more of them to work. About the only trick I know is >rebooting under kickstart 1.3 and trying from the old OS. This helps Though I haven't the knowledge to state it as a fact, I find that the majority of problems with running games on accelerated machines are not with the game itself (especially if you disable the cache), but rather with the loader and copy-protection breaking if the machine is the least bit different from a stock A500. So, a good way to make the game run is to REMOVE the copy-protection, and put the game into a DOS-file, that is, 'crack' the game. Consider the legal and moral issues involved: isn't it hard to blame someone for unprotecting the game if it is the only way to make it run, and if in the process the game is actually improved in that it becomes hd-installable? And how about the user who has to choose between a $50 copy-protected original and a free, hd-installable pirated copy? I think the lesson is that ALL programmers of amiga software should start programming for the AMIGA as a concept, not as in an A500. Or go buy an IBM clone. I realise that this is a bit more technical that the intend of the original letter, but since this relates to a recent trend in this group, I went for it all the same. - Kristian
sschaem@starnet.uucp (Stephan Schaem) (05/14/91)
If you have a cracked version of a game and play it and like it, at LEAST by the original!! And you are totally right, already 2 of my friends quit the amiga market.One now making IBM games, the other one back to MAC aplication programing... And beleive me its not that they didn't like the amiga! Stephan.
hamilton@intersil.uucp (05/17/91)
In article <12097@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>, drichard@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (David Richards) writes: > This is just one question and I am sure there are others, so how about if > everybody who knows some clever trick to make a program work on the 3000 > posts the details here. 1) Run "NoFastMem" before launching the game (insert it into the disk's startup-sequence if possible). Eliminating fast ram accomplishes two things: It makes the computer run MUCH slower (which most games like), and all the memory locations are in the bottom $200000 ram locations, which other games like. 2) Get the latest version of kickstart 2.0 you can legally obtain. Compatibility with some productivity software and many games has been increased lately. 3) Cross your fingers. I can play Project D's unprotected version of Populous for between 5 - 60 minutes before it goes berserk. Most of the games I like do OK on the 3000, though. -- Fred Hamilton "Unlike most of you, Harris Semiconductor I am not a nut..." Santa Clara, CA -Homer Simpson