Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-07-21
10:13:37
 |  Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Does anyone know what might be wrong with the +4 version (64k version) of Soccer Boss? After a few matches it crashes with the following error message "Illegal Quantity Error In 3716". I have tried on original hardware and Yape emulator with the same result  . Hoping that someone might know something that I don't in how to get this to work  .
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Posted By
Luca
on 2017-07-22
01:58:56
 | Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Which game are you talking about? There's The Boss as original C16 release, its cracked version and the C64 conversion called Soccer Boss.
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2017-07-22
12:31:11
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Luca - Soccer Boss, the C64 conversion.
Soccer Boss
JimmyCoupe - the error in line 3716 masks another error in line 3718. But there are so many other problems in this simulation, that I don't mind my "fix" not being truly accurate. 
Add the highlighted bit to line 3715:
3715 Y=Y+1 : IF Y = 400 THEN E = INT ( RND(0) * 20 + 1 ) : Y9 = E : GOTO 3718
Add the highlighted bit to line 3718:
3718 AH=0: GOSUB830: A=AS: B=INT(RND(0)*5): XS=B: E = Y9 : X$=T$(DV,E): GOTO3750
The logic behind my "fix":
The code at lines 3690 - 3718 read a data index stored in the "protected" memory of the C64 (the 49152 block) to determine which opponent is being played. However, the 49152 block is not protected on the Plus/4, it's entirely possible that the data stored there is corrupted by other code within the program.
Additionally, there is no test in the code to determine when the end of the data index is reached. This is what causes JimmyCoupe's error at line 3716; Y continues to count upward until we eventually try to PEEK(65536) ... an invalid memory location.
My change to line 3715 limits the search of the data index. If we don't find what we're looking for, we randomly assign an opponent so that gameplay can continue. Additionally, we copy opponent number E to a new variable Y9.
My change to line 3718 is due to E is being pushed over 20 at some other point. Hence the Y9 variable , to restore the previous value of E.
If anyone else wants to dig into this, and possibly come up with a proper fix, these are the variables in question:
X and Y are count indexes
E is the team number of the opponent for this matchup
WK is the week number
AH is the at home flag, 0 for away or 1 for a home game
DV is the division. No matter which team I select, I am always in division 4, so this may contribute to the problem
T$( DV , E ) is the opposing team's name
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-07-24
05:27:19
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Luca - Soccer Boss C64 conversion.
Top work JamesC. I will give your possible fix a try and I will let you know if it fixes the error .
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-07-24
06:58:02
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
I'm currently testing the fix, my current findings:
The fix fixes the "Illegal Quantity Error In 3716" error and allows the game to now be played. I have currently played 8 league matches plus a cup game. The game would always crash after the third league game with the illegal quantity error. The fix has created a couple of off side affects. 1) The first league game you play is against a blank team name.
2) After the third league game and any further game there is now a small hang before each match (I'm guessing this is the fix in play).
3) When the league results are shown after each match it is only showing between 1-3 of the potential 10 league fixture results.
Maybe useful information for anyone that has the knowledge .
Good work JamesC .
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-07-24
07:37:21
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Another bug after applying the fix is that the league table isn't working due to teams not playing every week. My team has played 9 games but many of the teams in the league have only played 1-3 games. This must be due to the weekly league results no longer working correctly.
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2017-07-24
11:39:10
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
JimmyCoupe - I warned, in my initial response, that this game has other problems.
1) This is a side effect of my changes. Including your own, there are 20 teams in your division -- occasionally a random number between 1 and 20 (as I did in line 3715) will match to your own team.
However, playing yourself gives you double counts on the league table. You record two games played that week, winning one and losing one (or drawing two), etc.
So, the fix in line 3718 assigns a team name (as a text value) to your opponent ... because for some silly reason, the game looks at a team name when compiling the weekly results; it doesn't look at the team number.
You might consider the "blank" team name as a matchup in which the other team concedes, or the game is called due to weather. You still receive ticket income, you still have weekly payroll expenses and other effects. This is more accurate to real life than when the game gives you an "off week" (even though you have a matchup on your schedule) -- in the game's implementation of an "off week", your players don't receive pay, they don't get injured during practice, no equipment needs replacement, etc.
2) If you recall, the yellow screen before each match is when line 3716 would give its error. This hang is irritating but at least it is a consistent length now. Before, the game would make up to 16k comparisons before giving an error; now, we make only 400 comparisons before forcing a matchup.
3) and your follow up post (weekly matchup results and the league table) are connected issues.
The weekly matchup result is calculated after your team plays, and if you watch closely another team may show two or three matchups on this screen. Yes, this list gets shorter as you continue gameplay.
The league table screen (black screen) has its own set of calculations, and you are correct in that many teams are not updated.
However, if you play long enough (during my testing, it was around week 41), everything will catch up! You will get a loooooooong list of matchup results, and the table screen will reflect the "just now reported" games. From here forward, the game works as expected.
While this long list of matchups, and the resulting update of the league table, are not accurate to reality ... they aren't caused by my code changes. It's a different bug.
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Posted By
KiCHY
on 2017-07-25
06:13:51
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Does the C64 version have the same issues? If no, we can convert that for a working version.
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-07-25
06:52:41
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
And then maybe Football Director
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Posted By
KiCHY
on 2017-07-27
08:14:50
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
@JimmyCoupe, please be so kind and test this file:
https://file.io/N867FS
I converted the C64 version, the old conversion had several problems, as the others said.
- Not protecting memory area after $C000, so basic variables could overwrite it
- Several POKEs overwrite memory locations in $D800-$DBFF area (screen color memory in C64)
- Another POKEs overwrite memory locations in $D400-$D41F area (SID registers in C64)
I "borrowed" the audio part from the old +4 version.
[EDIT]
For some reason the link above doesn't work anymore (I swear I tried it out). Here is another:
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00137042897648722385
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2017-07-27
14:29:37
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
I have been working on some of the other bugs, and an improvement or two, as I find time.
Kichy, I will get in touch with you in a few hours (24h max) once I finish merging my changes into your conversion.
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Posted By
MMS
on 2017-07-27
16:41:08
 | Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
Ah, so the steange bugs came from the fact, that some C64 color POKEs remained in the PRG and overwrite some essential information or part of the program.
Nice catch! And nice solutions by James and Kichy too!
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Posted By
gc841
on 2017-07-28
08:43:29
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
@JimmyCoupe: And then maybe Football Director
I did a conversion of Football Director for plus/4 some time ago, but never released it as I didn't think there was any demand for these old basic conversions. I'll release it but would like to get permission from whoever owns the rights first.
My plus/4 time is very limited at the moment so if someone could help to track down the rights holder that would be great, as I'm not on social media. The company was called D&H games, the developers were Tony Huggard and John de Salis.
The gameplay is unchanged but a little quicker during the matches. I fixed a few typos, bugs etc. C64 basic only games are generally fairly straightforward to convert.
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-08-01
04:08:38
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
OMG this is just amazing, is it my Birthday today or something . Apologies for not coming back sooner to the thread but I have just come back from a very enjoyable fishing trip.
Kichy & JamesC, you guys are awesome and I can't thank you enough for this. I will get straight onto testing now and I will report back later today.
gc841, if you could release Football Director it would be really awesome and I'm sure more people other than me would be very thankful. I will wait with anticipation. Out of interest did you convert it from the C64 or ZX Spectrum? If memory serves me well, I think the Spectrum was a more complete version of the game.
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-08-01
04:45:03
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
There is also Anthony Huggard, probably the brother of Tony. He also worked at D&H games. He has a linkedin account, sadly I don't do social media since getting a female stalker about 15 years ago. I thought only famous people got stalkers hehe.
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Posted By
JimmyCoupe
on 2017-08-01
09:42:29
| Re: Issue with Soccer Boss +4
I have been busy testing Soccer Boss v2 and I can not find any fault with the game now at all. I have completed a full season and played 10 games into season 2. I have tried every option and everything appears to be working as it should be. I took Portsmouth from Div4 to Div3 in their first season .
I will hopefully get time over the weekend to try it out on real hardware but I don't imagine any issues would appear as it runs flawlessly in Yape.1.1.3.
Top work all round and a big pat on the back.
Now lets hunt down D&H games and see if they will allow a release for Football Director.
When I received my Plus4 for Christmas all those years ago I didn't imagine in my wildest dreams that I would be playing all these cracking games all these years on, totally outstanding. I'm now pleased that my mum and dad confused the C64 for the Plus/4, I so wasn't then hehe.
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