Posted By
Csabo
on 2009-11-12
22:59:57
|  Re: There is no 16k only support
Hi there!
Your post boils down to this question: "WHY are there no C16k-friendly versions as PRG files of games?" The simple answer is: no-one bothered creating them (yet). 
As you pointed out, TAP files will work, those are what you should be using. They are the originals, the real intended way for those games to be preserved. The PRG files exist, because someone (illegally) cracked the games. This will get a little technical: these games do a lot of "funny" things in order to maximize the available memory, such as loading routines to the "low" memory areas. That's problematic for PRG files, since they normally load to address $1001 (anything below that is what we consider low). The easiest way to "crack" the games is to put that extra code above $4000, which is where the C16's memory and the games end, and write a little copy routine that restores them, then starts the game. Voila, a Plus/4 only (but working!) crack of the C16 game. The mentality is: EVERYONE has a Plus/4, or an extended C16, don't they? (And of course everyone uses only PAL, don't get me started on that one  )
Keep in mind though how old those games are. The PRG files are from that era. Of course, with the tools we have available today, it's possible to create better cracks. Mostly it just boils down to compression, something as awesome as Exomizer was unimaginable in the good old days. Funny you should bring this up, one of my many hobbies is to create "proper" C16 cracks. I've made a few which may be worth checking out: Sun Star and Splitz. Both are actually better than the original, because they include the title screen plus the game all in one
But creating those take time and effort... Plus some would argue that they are not "real", they are hacks. Well, the current PRGs are hacks as well, but they are closer to the original than the compressed files. Second, it's difficult to keep track of the newer versions. We control our site at least, but if everyone else has a different PRG, the new one needs to be marked and catalogued separately. Is it worth it?
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