dlindsle@afit.af.mil (David T. Lindsley) (03/23/91)
I've got a Commodore 64 that is beginning to seriously show its age. I really love it, though. And while I can easily find equivalent (or better) "serious" application software if I upgrade, the games will be hard to replace. I'll miss GEOS, too :-( Besides the 64, I own a PC clone, which I can't get rid of -- yet, anyway. (In fact, I need to upgrade.) I like the 64 for its sound and graphics (I know there's lots of Amiga users will tell me they're primitive, but that's by *today's* standards). I don't think it's going to be (long-term) cost-effective to repair/replace the 64. So I'm looking for a computer with good sound and graphics to replace my 64, and naturally was drawn to the Amiga. (I know I can get an Amiga with a bridge card and let the PC go too. I might. I'm also looking to shift my programming efforts to another platform; here, too, under either AmigaDOS or *ix, the Amiga looks good. But that's another story.) My question is this. I understand that there is at least one c64 emulator available for the Amiga. How good is it/are they? Will it/they run the 64 programs? I'm mostly concerned about the games, since I will probably begin using Amiga "serious" software sooner than later. I guess what I'm asking is, If I buy an Amiga, how much of my 64 software do I need to scrap? Or, put another way, how gracefully can this migration be done? Remember, we're talking games, graphics, and sound. (I saw one earlier posting which suggested that there is no sound on c64 emulators. Is this true?) Comments, questions, replies, and (constructive) critisism, feel free. But by Email; I'll summarize (if appropriate). Thanks. I apologize if this is an FAQ, but we've had problems with news recently (bad disk), and I need to make a decision fairly quickly. -- Dave Lindsley #24601# dlindsle@blackbird.afit.af.mil OPINIONS. MINE. (Sorry but the words don't come no smaller.) "If you don't succeed at first -- transform your data!" (me)
c9037544@cc.newcastle.edu.au (David Williams) (03/25/91)
In article <1991Mar22.185447.4533@afit.af.mil>, dlindsle@afit.af.mil (David T. Lindsley) writes: > > I've got a Commodore 64 that is beginning to seriously show its age. > I really love it, though. And while I can easily find equivalent (or > better) "serious" application software if I upgrade, the games will > be hard to replace. I'll miss GEOS, too :-( > > Besides the 64, I own a PC clone, which I can't get rid of -- yet, > anyway. (In fact, I need to upgrade.) > > I like the 64 for its sound and graphics (I know there's lots of > Amiga users will tell me they're primitive, but that's by *today's* > standards). I don't think it's going to be (long-term) cost-effective > to repair/replace the 64. > So I'm looking for a computer with good sound and graphics to replace > my 64, and naturally was drawn to the Amiga. > (I know I can get an Amiga with a bridge card and let the PC go too. > I might. I'm also looking to shift my programming efforts to another > platform; here, too, under either AmigaDOS or *ix, the Amiga looks > good. But that's another story.) > > My question is this. I understand that there is at least one c64 > emulator available for the Amiga. How good is it/are they? Will > it/they run the 64 programs? I'm mostly concerned about the games, > since I will probably begin using Amiga "serious" software sooner > than later. > > I guess what I'm asking is, If I buy an Amiga, how much of my 64 > software do I need to scrap? Or, put another way, how gracefully > can this migration be done? Remember, we're talking games, graphics, > and sound. (I saw one earlier posting which suggested that there > is no sound on c64 emulators. Is this true?) There are at present two Commodore 64 emulators. One is GO64 (the name deriving from the fact that on a Commodore 128, to go into 64 mode, the command GO64 is used), and the other is The 64 Emulator (or some highly original name along those lines). Unfortunately, all this is from memory, and I am not sure which one is which, but here goes : One of them has no sound, that is true, but the other does. However, both run very slowly, or at least depending upon the program. SpeedScript and other such small programs like those, that use no fancy features work perfectly. The trouble is, that the way an emulator works is to read in the 6502 instruction and then convert it into 68000 and so on, ie: the speed advantage of the Amiga is lost. Overall, the only real use for an Emulator is to port over text files and such things. The way one of them works is to just basically emulate a 64, ie: after you type something in, or whatever, the Emulator then tries to interpret it. The other one uses a different principle, having 'parameter files' (like the way Fast Hack' Em operates) for various programs, such as GEOS. The company was planning to keep producing these, but this seems to be not happening. Unfortuanately, all this is very vague, but hopefully I have given you some idea. I will try and find the article I had concerning these, and get back to you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | David Williams | University of Newcastle, Australia | | c9037544@cc.newcastle.edu.au | Computer Science student | | c9037544@jupiter.newcastle.edu.au | | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | "The decision of Random Numbers is too important to be left to chance !" | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
faheyr@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Bob Fahey) (03/25/91)
c9037544@cc.newcastle.edu.au (David Williams) writes: >In article <1991Mar22.185447.4533@afit.af.mil>, dlindsle@afit.af.mil >(David T. Lindsley) writes: >> >> My question is this. I understand that there is at least one c64 >> emulator available for the Amiga. How good is it/are they? Will >> it/they run the 64 programs? I'm mostly concerned about the games, >> since I will probably begin using Amiga "serious" software sooner >> than later. >> >> I guess what I'm asking is, If I buy an Amiga, how much of my 64 >> software do I need to scrap? Or, put another way, how gracefully >> can this migration be done? Remember, we're talking games, graphics, >> and sound. (I saw one earlier posting which suggested that there >> is no sound on c64 emulators. Is this true?) >There are at present two Commodore 64 emulators. One is GO64 (the name >deriving from the fact that on a Commodore 128, to go into 64 mode, the >command GO64 is used), and the other is The 64 Emulator (or some highly >original name along those lines). There is also another emulator available called A64. This is probably the best of all three emulators, IMHO. I haven't really played with it much, since I haven't had a 64 in a number of years, but it appears to function quite well, and it multitasks, too. It's available at your favorite FTP site, and is shareware. For $25 (? I believe), you get an adaptor that allows you to hook up a 1541... | ///| a.k.a. NECR0SIS faheyr@cssun.cs.indiana.edu -or- | | \\\///_| faheyr@silver.ucs.indiana.edu -or- | | \XX/ | M I G A faheyr@rose.ucs.indiana.edu | | "'Ere long done do does did..." - The Smiths | | "...life is seen through the eyes of a dog..." - Skinny Puppy |
technews@iitmax.iit.edu (Tech News Account) (03/26/91)
Considering that a C64 costs around $125-$150 (one C64 and one 1541) if you
REALLY like your 64 games, hold onto the basic machine, and buy an AMIGA in
addition.
Personally, I've decided to divest myself of ALL my 64 stuff and make a fresh
start, but this is probably due to the fact that I spend 90% of my computer
time on my IBM, or this UNIX system...
Anybody interested in a RS-232 adapter for $25?
--
Technology News- IIT`s weekly student newspaper. Subscriptions available.
kadokev@iitvax.bitnet technews@iitmax.edu
My employer disagrees. JBK4@psuvm.psu.edu (03/26/91)
With regards to the A64 prg, does anyone know when or if a 3000 compatible vers ion will be released? Jason Koszarsky, JBK4@PSUVM
kpfister@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Karen Pfister) (03/28/91)
Hmmmmm I have a question. What if you have 64 programs on a 3.5 disk (or
any disk that is), is there a way to load and run them? Like you said about
Speedscript, how would you load that (I think I know how but not sure)?
-Nate Boanon@rouge.usl.edu (Anonymous NNTP Posting) (03/28/91)
In article <1991Mar28.002443.13036@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> kpfister@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Karen Pfister) writes: > > Hmmmmm I have a question. What if you have 64 programs on a 3.5 disk (or >any disk that is), is there a way to load and run them? Like you said about >Speedscript, how would you load that (I think I know how but not sure)? > > -Nate Bo You cannot read Commodore 1541/1581 format disks on Amiga drives. However, the Emulators come with an interface that let you plug in your 1541 or other serial device to the amiga. (In the case of the shareware emulator you get the interface when you register with the author. In the case of the two commercial emulators, the interface comes with the package.) Another option would be to transfer the programs with a modem over the amiga. Once the emulator is running it can read the programs form the amiga side. Once you have transfered all the files to the emulator, you can save them to the amiga drives. That way, the next time you need to run the program you just read it from an amiga drive, instead of doing the transfer. -chris =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Christian Castor - cac5961@usl.edu or chris@usl.edu - CIS: 73030,2734 Plink: ChrisC - (318)232-2045 - Snail: PO Box 43402,Lafayette LA 70504 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-