TAP files for DivIDE/DivMMC

[Alessandro]

Exactly. So snapshots in this case would be perfectly useless as well when trying to make them work on other systems.

The list is about software not targeted exclusively at clones like the Pentagon anyway.

[SpeccyKev]

Has anyone got a working TAP of Chase HQ which works with the DivMMC?

[zup]

I got a dsk made for +3e so it loads everything from BASIC. It can be (easily) converted to a tap file, but it will only run on 128k models.

[SpeccyKev]

Ok, I managed to sort it out myself (My programming knowledge is no better now than it was 35 years ago!)

Posting what I did here for any other similarly useless Specie users - It was quite simple in the end - I opened the file on Fuse on my Mac and then saved it as a snapshot. When you do this it gives you a couple of options, I chose the z80 option and it works fine...

PS Chase HQ is a pretty monster game! I gave up all things Speccy around 1988 when I went to university and some of those later games I missed out on blow my mind.

PS I also managed to sort out the issue where MacOS creates duplicate files on your DivMMC SD card starting with ._ (really annoying when you have to scroll through pages of duplicates to get to your games....) This video is a pretty simple explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVWJMdFeUbU

[patters]

For multiload games it's often better just to get a .TRD disk image of the game from HTTPS://vtrd.in as they don't often play nice with the TAP emulation. Often a game will allow you to progress through levels the first time around, then when you start a new game and need to load level 1 again it will fail. R-Type is like this. It's not obvious, but DIVMMC supports TRD and SCL disk images even on a 48K - it uses some RAM in the cartridge to do this.

PS I also managed to sort out the issue where MacOS creates duplicate files on your DivMMC SD card starting with ._ (really annoying when you have to scroll through pages of duplicates to get to your games....) This video is a pretty simple explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVWJMdFeUbU

That info is a bit outdated. There's a tool to do it nowadays:

Code: Select all

dot_clean /Volumes/mysdcard

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Sorry for the slightly off-topic question... but what do you think of the .SLT format? There are some multi-level games that only have this kind of files (Blood Brothers by Gremlin, for example)

[flatduckrecords]

PS I also managed to sort out the issue where MacOS creates duplicate files on your DivMMC SD card starting with ._ (really annoying when you have to scroll through pages of duplicates to get to your games....) This video is a pretty simple explanation:

There's also a handy menubar app from Macpaw that I use for that, called Clean My Drive 2 (it's free). If/when those files get recreated, it automatically removes them again when you eject. (Or click "clean" to do it right away).

[SpeccyKev]

Cool - will try those.

Another DivMMC question - How do you save your game as a snapshot using the device?

[Alessandro]

Update: Down To Earth was added.

https://www.spectrumcomputing.co.uk/ent ... n_to_Earth

The TAP file on the archive is unusable on emulators as well, it seems to be a simple TAP rendering of the Bleepload TZX file and won't work at all. I am going to send it to the archive so that it can be replaced.

I also made a snapshot of the hidden content shown when pressing the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 keys together before the game is loaded. My desktop PC is equipped with a multi-key rollover keyboard, i.e. one that can detect multiple keypresses, and I took a snapshot when such content was triggered:

http://disegnareconlaluce.altervista.or ... terEgg.zip

Edit: on a second check, the TAP file on the archive will load with the DivIDE but not on some emulators like Spectaculator. I'll leave the new file in the TAP.zip file for your convenience anyway

[Alessandro]

@SpeccyKev : You can also try this TR-DOS file of Chase HQ (128K-only): http://disegnareconlaluce.altervista.or ... HQ-128.zip

Also, with ESXDOS you can save a SNA snapshot file on the SD card. Push the NMI button and then press S when the browser appears.

@Juan F. Ramirez : The SLT (Super Loader Level Trap) file format was devised for use with early emulators. It is a sort of container including a Z80 snapshot of the main program, plus level data and a table to load them in the correct order. It was developed by Damien Burke in order to avoid having to load levels as separate files and with each game's custom loading routine/addresses etc.

[TomD]

My Z80onTAP utility (part of the Z80on series) is useful for converting Z80 and SNA snapshots to TAP files for loading on SD card solutions. Latest version completely removes screen corruption on loading as well. Lots of other options such as adding a custom loading screen, pausing on loading, poking memory for infy lives etc... Works fine with 48k & 128k snapshots and with 48k it disables bank switching to get Ultimate titles working etc...

Grab it at http://tomdalby.com/other/z80onmdr.html

TomD

[azesmbog]

My Z80onTAP utility (part of the Z80on series) is useful for converting Z80 and SNA snapshots to TAP files for loading on SD card solutions.

Good Z80Stealth emulator, but apparently it has its own .Z80 snapshot format

[TomD]

My Z80onTAP utility (part of the Z80on series) is useful for converting Z80 and SNA snapshots to TAP files for loading on SD card solutions.

Good Z80Stealth emulator, but apparently it has its own .Z80 snapshot format

That is a very large Z80 snapshot for 48k @ 162kB? Even 128kB shouldn’t be that large? especially compressed?

I would go as far to say that probably isn't a standard Z80 snapshot. Quick look at the emulator page and it says enhanced version. Still 162kB for a 48kB snapshot, wonder what extra it is storing?

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Hi, @Alessandro ! Just a question: some games like Future Knight or I, Ball, for example, have a TAP in SC that work ok in my ZXUNO... maybe they had been already uploaded to SC from your zip?

[Alessandro]

Hi @Juan F. Ramirez - I don't know, maybe they can work with the ZX-Uno but not with a stand-alone DivMMC interface. You could compare the files with an utility like Tapir and see if they are the same.

[Raoh_hokuto_shinken]

Has anyone got a working TAP of Chase HQ which works with the DivMMC?

.tap file. Works fine with divMMC.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1ifpjwihvik2 ... ..tap?dl=0

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Hi @Alessandro , I can't find Deathwish3.tap in your TAP.ZIP in spite of it's mentioned in your list... did you forgot to upload it?

[Alessandro]

Hi @Alessandro , I can't find Deathwish3.tap in your TAP.ZIP in spite of it's mentioned in your list... did you forgot to upload it?

Hola @Juan F. Ramirez, desculpe por contestarte tan tarde.

I had dropped all Gremlin games from the archive back then - namely Death Wish 3, Future Knight, Mask II and The Muncher - as I understood their distribution had been denied, and forgot to remove their names from the web page too. After reading your post, I checked their status and found that it was no more the case, so the four titles have been reinstated.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Thanks, @Alessandro , y no te preocupes, no es problema!

[Alessandro]

New file: Exolon, from the fixed version by Ast. A. Moore (the game no longer crashes when the player jumps up from a platform near the top of the screen).

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Parsec:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... rum/Parsec

The available TAP doesn't work on my ZXUNO+ (black screen after loading)... as it has a DivMMc device, I'd like to know if yo have any problems as well.

EDIT: I just downloaded a TAP file from the author's site and it works ok... I thought both files were the same!

[Bolton80]

I, Ball isn't working in DIVMMC Future on +2a. When you start the game it goes directly to the congratulations screen!

I haven't found a version of I, Ball that works yet. Some freeze on loading and a couple of hack's work but with severe graphical glitches that make it unplayable.

Any ideas?

[Alessandro]

I, Ball isn't working in DIVMMC Future on +2a. When you start the game it goes directly to the congratulations screen!

All the files are tested and working, by the way I own two +2As. The I, Ball TAP file in particular was made by extracting the game code bypassing the Firebird Bleepload loader. My interface is a DivMMC EnJoy, maybe there is some issue with the Future?

When I have some spare time (i.e. not soon, alas) I will try the file again.

[goodboy]

I send `clear` TAP to Bolton and made an unexpected discovery - the game exists in several versions.
original slightly differs (in code) from rerelease of Prism

[porga]

Hello,

can you please check "The Last Ninja 2" and "Last Ninja Remix".
I played them on Just Nano SD and loading next level works great till Level4.

But after level 4 (offices) on LN2 it will not load level5 (Mansion) because it is on "side B", i suppose.
LN Remix skips loading level 4 (offices) and loads level 5 (mansion) instead.

This game is System 3 master piece, if would be great if we could get it to work fully with DivMMC.

P.S. I use "Just SD Nano" from Zaxon.