Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-15
15:17:48
|  Translate
Hi everyone, It’s Sam here,
I would like to ask some questions
I got an old game .tap I would like
To convert the tap on a Prg file
I need to translate a C16 plus4 game
I remember I’ve done it 20 years ago simply
Editing the file using a tool for NES rom
I remember it was very easy translated from
German to italian, at the moment I don’t
remember if it was a Tap file or a Prg
I tried again but I can’t find any text string
But if I go to monitor when is running
I can see the all the text.
Any suggestion ?
Thanks Sam
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2018-11-15
16:08:21
| Re: Translate
You probably edited a PRG file. To directly edit a TAP file is much harder (though possible with the right tools).
I think the easiest way to convert TAP -> PRG:
- Start your emulator (if you don't have one, download YAPE)
- Load your TAP file
- File / Save as PRG
Done! Feel free to ask for clarification if something doesn't work out. Good luck.
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Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-15
17:03:03
| Re: Translate
Hello Csabo,
Thank for replying
I tried doing it with yape
Minus4 and artiflex after tap is
Loaded and game is running,
He ask me something about the
Part I want to save as prg
I tried all the option and i never worked
I can put the offset manually as well
But I don’t actually not what to put.
I tried editing another prg file just to see
if I could as in the past
From yape monitor / m I can see
All the text of the game, but when I go
To open with any tool I can’t see the
Parts that I can see on monitor.
What am I missing... too much probably
Thanks for assisting
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Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-15
17:59:20
| Re: Translate
I tried again with yape last release
when I go to save as Prg it asks me offset start end
I have not idea what to put
thanks
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2018-11-15
18:52:40
| Re: Translate
The start and end address in YAPE should be automatically pre-filled from the BASIC vectors. ($2B/$2C points to the start of the program, $2D/$2E points to the end.) Unless the TAP file you loaded overwrote those addresses, this should work out of the box, without you having to do anything!
Let's assume that your TAP file overwrote those bytes... You'll have to manually find out where your program ends. Under normal circumstances, it will start from $1001. If you have a C16 program, you can just save it until $4000. Otherwise, use monitor, and look where the program "ends". Basically, after a while, the memory should be untouched, depending on YAPE's "powerup pattern" configuration (you can find this in Machine / Configuration). So, if you can see that let's say after $2800, there's nothing else, you can use $1001 / $2800 as your start/end addresses.
If you don't want to guess, you could try $1000/$FD00, that will save the entire ROM. See if your program file starts when saved like that. If it does not - you probably have a program that modifies itself during initialization - but let's leave that for later.
Let me know if this helps 
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Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-15
19:47:43
| Re: Translate
I tried some of your options, they did't work,
on machine setup
I got "custom machine" 64 kB ram
powerup pattern is set as default $00 $00 F$FF $FF
is that right? when tap is loading says 16/msx
when I ask to save as prg address start is set as 1001 end at 1003
they never move...
when I go to monitor i can see memory from 3a up to 4000 then
it's all @@ from 4000 to 7eee
I located the first page of the game (after tape is loaded and I can see the title)
at 0c0e
do I have to be exact on the byte?
thanks
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Posted By
Mad
on 2018-11-16
15:16:20
| Re: Translate
Hello Sam! I have no clue at all about this tap stuff.. I know that there are special prg conversions of many tap games done by the people of plus4world.. Seems there is some coding involved to get them from tap to prg, I have no clue here :)..
Most probably you can save all the memory the game occupies.. It's not needed to be exact on the ending address you can save more of the memory, if you want to. I don't know if saving to more than $8000 is a good idea, but I think even that should work, too! :)
The start address however should be more correct.. Some areas below $1001 contain system stuff, if your tap file did load starting below $1001.. I have no clue what happens when you save the a prg with a starting adress below $1000.. I think other people here know much more about this..
If your game starts !!without!! actually typing "run", then it's most probably loading with a startaddress from below $1001 and perhaps it will get more complicated to do a propper prg file out of it, the other people of plus4world surely know more about that!
However the data of the prg is differently encoded than your average (windows/linux/macos) text editor.
Commodore uses Petscii ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PETSCII ) and not Ascii ( http://www.asciitable.com ), perhaps you know this already.. So perhaps some of your letters differ in a normal text/hex editor (from that what is shown in the plus4 monitor).. I think you know that already, so crossing fingers, that you get your stuff done..
I hope you get your problem fixed! All the best!
Edit: Ok seems Petscii and Ascii have just upper and lower case reversed :)..
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Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-16
04:25:15
| Re: Translate
Thanks Mad,
Yes I know that about petscii
I remember that I use a tool with
a button called “pet” and I was
Able to see all the Text of the game
I tried again with different prg
Downloaded from this website but it
Seams impossible nowaday
The file tap I was trying to convert is from
This website too, is colled gospel.tap
Which is the italian version of The
Ghost Town by Kingsoft.
I got another question
As I got a Nintendo 2ds I bought a R4 card
To run the roms, I was wondering if I would
Be able to run this game on frodo
But frodo is for 64 not 16/+4
Is there any way to do it?
Thanks
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Posted By
Luca
on 2018-11-16
06:00:13
 | Re: Translate
Gospel
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Posted By
samblu
on 2018-11-16
07:25:35
| Re: Translate
Grazie Luca,
ho gia' gospel.tap scaricato dal sito era quello che avrei voluto convertire
e riedittare.
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2018-11-16
09:06:17
| Re: Translate
Okay, so everything I said above still stands, but it was written assuming that you're trying to load/save a "regular" program. Ghost Town (and it's Italian hack, Gospel) are not regular in the sense that they are recorded with autostart which serves as copy protection. (It's a C16 game so it ends at $4000 as I indicated above.)
It's still doable, but you need a clear understanding of assembly and some good debugging skills, neither of which can be easily taught in a single forum post.
Here's what you do:
- Start loading the TAP file, wait until you see that the game is loading (colored streaks on the border)
- In the emulator monitor, set a breakpoint to $0185 (type "b 185"). Why this address? I looked at the turbo and saw that this is where the loading ends and it's attempting to start the game.
- Wait until the breakpoint triggers
- File / Save as prg, $1000 - $4000, filename should be "gospel_g3AB3.prg"
Voila, you have a PRG file saved which can autostart in YAPE. ($3AB3 is the start address of the program.)
Hope this helps!
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Posted By
samblu
on 2018-11-16
09:36:45
| Re: Translate
That's awesome mate
done exactly what you suggested and voila'
I'm thrilled
many thanks Csabo
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Posted By
samblu
on 2018-11-16
09:44:22
| Re: Translate
I can open my Prg with a hex editor and I can see all the text
simply with an ANSI table.
that's great exactly what I needed
 thanks thanks thanks
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Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-18
12:06:40
| Re: Translate
Hello Csabo it’s me again.
As you said I can start the prg
On yape, I just realised it only works on yape
I didn’t think about that
(I don’t know much as you can see)
If think is about tha original tap I have to work on
Is there anything else I could do to
make a prg for other emulators?
Opening the tap I can see it says
“C64 raw tap” does that mean It can
be loaded on a 64 emulator?
My goal was to run the game on frodo
On a nintendo ds
Maybe I’m asking silly questions
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Posted By
Luca
on 2018-11-18
12:49:19
| Re: Translate
For what I know, Frodo is a C64 emulator, not a Plus/4 one...
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Posted By
Samblu
on 2018-11-18
13:37:40
| Re: Translate
Yes Luca,
I know that thanks, I don’t understand how come
When I open the Tap with an hex editor
On the first bytes it says 64 Raw Tap
I just thought it was compatible somehow.
I’m still waiting for a R4 for the Ds
So I can’t try just yet.
Thanks
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