[Advice] Missing TAP files Just a little reminder for all the contributors out there. If you have a tape collection and can contribute to the site, have a look to the missing tapes: some are very rare, some other not and probably you've got one in your room right now
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Yes anyone with the original 10 game tapes that Commodore gave away with the UK Plus/4 aka Plus4 Plus Pack that are in clamshell cases please have a look at your tapes. I have Fire Ant & Invaders/Space Sweep in clamshell cases and both are long loaders and were NOT saved with Novaload.
It would be nice to know if any of the other clamshell releases from Commodore of these original 10 tapes that came with the UK Plus/4 are long loaders. I'm sure some where down the line people have swapped the tapes over for shorter versions but have a look at your collections if you have any just in case.
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files I have Treasure Island in a clamshell release and as far as I can recall it had a nova loader. But I am not sure and the TAP's linked in here are all originating from 2000 whereas I have purchased mine around 2003 on E-bay. So I guess I'd have to double check again? For long, the spirit used to be: don't bother with "long loaders".
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Good chance it was originally Novaload being 32K and more suited to the Plus/4 when released like the label shows, more so Icicle Works as it would of taken 30mins to load like Ace+4 without a turbo. Treasure Island is 1985 but Fire Ant, Invaders & Space Sweep 1984 so that could be a pointer as to which one's may not of had turbo's.
Must have a closer look at the instructions of them all in Novaload release for clues. Fire Ant has an Auto Run and that's without a turbo! However Invaders, Space Sweep you have to type RUN and the instructions were never updated in the later Novaload release!
I will try and make .taps of these 3 at some point.
Cheers for having a look Gaia. I know long loading is lame but interesting all the same.
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Oh, I'm all for long loaders, remember It's part of history just as much as any other loader, what more, I hereby demand equality for all poor long-loaders!
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files I've found this table with 10 of the Commodore games that should have been released in normal/clamshell deck with/without Novaload: only Exorcist have both on the site, of the remaining 9 we only have the turbo version. This means (reminding that my advice concerns any missing tape however...) that we need the non-turboloading versions.
Does this double release concern even other Commodore releases, like, dunno...Pancho, for example?
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Not 100% sure... I don't have a copy of Pancho, have some others I can check like UXB and that.
Took ages sorting out what might be needed from my stash and I came up with this lot below. I'll get on to making .taps ASAP so this lot is on the list. Hoping all goes well.
The Wizard and Princess I might just run the whole tape out as one .tap file with fingers crossed it works beyond the first part that loads as I have never seriously played it. Unless some one out there will be willing to take that challenge up once I've copied it to .tap...
As for The Mirror, it's not a game. It's a Utility to allow you to make cracks of a handful of commercial games.
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Heebie Jeebies has a Turbo, might be Half Wave... I'll check before doing it. Very nice game.
EDIT: Luca if you have access to the Plus4 World uploader side I have uploaded p4world_tappack1.zip & p4world_tappack2.zip All files tested and working beautifully. ;)
p4_world_tappack1.zip has: Chopper War Corman Fire Ant Longloader Heebie Jeebies Invaders Longloader Jetset Willy 2 Ping Pong Pizza Pete Raider
Notes: Fire Ant takes 7mins 46secs to load in YAPE Invaders 3mins 58secs Pizza Pete 7mins 5secs Raider - Type RUN at READY to start the Turbo Loader
Jetset Willy 2, to load Levels 2 and then 3 & 4 they must be done in turn. Load Level 1 and do a soft reset in Yape F11. Type LOAD and press RETURN quickly and LEVEL 2 will now load, do the same with the other Levels.
p4world_tappack2.zip has: Skelby Slippery Sid Space Sweep Longloader Sqij The Mirror The Wizard & the Princess Willamsburg Adventure 3 Xargon's Revenge Omnibus II
Notes: Skelby takes 7mins 2secs to load in Yape Slippery Sid 7mins 13secs Space Sweep Longloader 6mins 50secs Sqij - LOAD"",1,1 - 6mins 56secs Williamsburg Adv3 5mins 16secs The Mirror 3mins 23secs - I will try and follow up at some point instructions which I have on a sheet. It allows you to back-up some commercial tape games to tape.
The Wizard & the Princess says in the instructions that each part can be loaded individually and played on it's own! If you do the same trick like Jetset Willy 2 you can load part 1, soft reset F11, load part2 ect... ALL tested and running perfectly! Here are the file names of each of the 5 parts and loading times in Yape starting from 00:00 Wizard, 00:00 to 4mins 43secs TWO, 4mins 43secs to 9mins 15secs THREE, 9mins 15secs to 12mins 4secs FOUR, 12mins 4secs to 16mins 6secs FIVE, 16mins 6secs to 20mins 9secs
Don't forget Xargon's Revenge Omnibus II works but is a broken game as there is nothing to shoot at. Keep firing to score points and dodge the enemies that you can't see to last longer haha! ;)
Meteorite is the only one that has not worked. Crap head alignment of the actual recording, not my fault. Will try again at some point see what I can do.
Enjoy!
EDIT2:
8 pictures uploaded via Plus4 World Uploader which are, the_mirror_cover.jpg the_mirror_docs1.jpg the_mirror_docs2.jpg saboteur_cover_plus4.jpg saboteur_docs_plus4.jpg bridgehead_plus4_cover.jpg bridgehead_plus4_docs.jpg mercenary_disk_backcover.jpg
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Mayhem, Harbour Attack & Crazy Golf all have instructions that say type: RUN So that's a good give away there!
Amazing how Commodore never updated the instructions on the bundle release copies! Even worse, I've had these games all these years and never properly looked at the instructions to read them word for word until now - ha!
Edit: UXB, Purple Turtles, Stellar Wars & Blitz are long loaders, were only released like that and in clamshells only. All are 1984. Locomotion is Novaload, released 1985 same years as Treasure Island, Icicle Works, Number Builder & Number Chaser.
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files I don't have Stellar Wars and Blitz either in the collection.
There are other none turbo releases, and a good number... like Solar Software Ltd 1st released games originally without turbos! Where possible the tap makers that have supported have mostly made taps of the quicker loading versions including me.
Without looking at the .tap as it's been a long time... Blagger 1st released without a turbo on it's Alligata Software Limited label. It was when it released later under the Gremlin Graphics label the turbo was added. Many more like that. Turbo versions of .tap were done to save time of course.
Starting from the bottom being Commodore and looking at the long loaders is a step in the right direction of something we have chosen to forget about. It's not being without as you have copies of the games on tap already, it was just time saving for everyone to do the turbo versions and the turbo versions would be the ones you would use mostly under emulation. Why do people use 1551 drives over 1541, same thing.
But in the rare case like Fire Ant there was a small difference in the original being that white screen to select Keys or Joystick.
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Ah, hence the two different covers for the games from Solar Software also mean they're saved in different ways? I guess they should be archived both and tagged Of course, Blagger with no fastload is "WANTED" too
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files Should of waited a couple of days as you only added the HVTC Update May 2013 one day ago. Not fair to knock it down so quick.
Busy, busy, busy you work fast! wow that Learner Pack Software is a new one for sure!
As for Solar Software, some were released with the same covers with no change like Mission Mars which 1st came as a non-turbo and then later Novaload. The cover remained the same so not true of all titles. I think Galaxions was the only one that saw a cover update change of the single cassette case artwork. I think...
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files I have checked upon my clamshell version of Treasure Island a few weeks ago. Bad news is that my Panasonic walkman went bust and my wife's old ITT Nokia (wow!) walkman picks up too much noise so I could not load the resulting WAV into any emualtor but judging from the tape length and the "melody" it is definitely Nova turbo.
And then I dreamed of the ultimate +4 nerd contest where you have to identify turbo loaders just by listening to them. Wohaaaa.... could you tell the difference between HER turbo and ACE turbo? The next wild compo on Arok perhaps?
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files AAAh I wanna join it! I've become an ace in that! I'm used to dump tapes with a fantastic datassette clone which have an audio output.
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files I could not do it by sound... However I can spot a halfwav by purely looking at the raster bars in motion when something is loading. Useful skill to have if making .taps lol
It's kinda strange but I knew what a halfwav was before .tap files came about just from pure tape loading experience over the many years. You get to know your tapes very well at a personal level, that's the only way I can put it haha!
Re: [Advice] Missing TAP files I can only speak from the UK side. The ones from Anirog including the Favourite 4 have Turbo's. I have a couple of official copies with the AR logo on the side and they have Turbo's. Also a couple of Favourite 4, again Turbo's.
Funny thing is that Out On A Limb also has the AR logo and they have all been numbered on the inside of the cover while Moon Buggy does not making me think Moon Buggy was released later? That would mean if an early game has a turbo they all would there after such as Mastertronic & even Solar Software...
If you have one without a turbo check the code the see if it's not a crack...
[Advice] Missing TAP files
