Changes

The practise of some GX4000 cartridge game developers was to put an almost unchanged game from the CPC into a cartridge for the Plus/GX4000.A game which had small changes (often just using the Plus's palette) was called a "Almost Direct Disk to Cartridge Port".

== The most common size of [[Cartridge|cartridge]] used was only 128KB which had less capacity compared to a 3" disk. The standard DATA format had 178K of useable storage and later (1990) disc games had around 210KB of usable storage on each disc.This meant that a direct Disk Vs to Cartridge ==port would need to have something removed so that it would fit into the cartridge space.(It is worth noting that 256KB ROM and 512KB ROM (maximum capacity for a rom) can be used with cartridges but probably because of cost reasons most used 128KB ROMs.)

Sometimes such games had some features removed because the most common size A small number of [[Cartridge|cartridge]] used was only 128KB which had less capacity compared to a 3" disk (178K with standard DATA format - the usable storage size. Later disc games had around 210KB of usable storage on each tape/disc(e. Compare this g. Bloodwych) used tape/disc to 128KB used for most cartridge gamesstore game state (so play could continue after) and in addition , but there was no way to store game state on Cartridge games. (i.e. the cartridge contained an EPROM and the ACID protection chip only, no EEPROM or RAM). It is worth noting that 256KB and 512KB (max capacity) can be used with cartridges but most used 128KB ROMs.

Of course this practise direct disk to cartridge didn't help the [[Plus]] range at all and was almost as shameful as the [[Speccy Port]] technique, but it was done because it was a cheap and fast way to quickly release games.

It was a cheap Another problem came from the fact that both the 464Plus and fast way GX4000 (essentially a cut down 464Plus) had 64KB ram. As a result using the Plus features to the full was not so simple if the game was to quickly release gamesrun on these systems.

Another problem came from the fact that both the 464Plus and GX4000 (essentially a cut down 464Plus) had 64KB ram. As a result using the Plus features to the full was not so simple if the game was to run on these systems. If 128KB ram was had been the minimum then this would have allowed more flexibility for graphical data, sampled sound etc and would have easily enhanced a 64KB only game.

*[[Batman The Movie (Cartridge)]]

*[[Barbarian 2 (Cartridge)]]

*[[Mystical (Cartridge)]]

A number of unofficial cartridge games have been made this way and some have been even been sold in nice packaging and sold on Ebay . (Iznogoud, SaboteurSee [[Bootleg Cartridges]]).

Now that the operation of the ACID protection chip is known, and the development of various home brew cartridge hardware solutions may lead to Direct Disk to Cartridge Port applied to any kind of software or new cartridge games that make fuller use of Plus features(See [[Converted_GX4000_games]]). Since the release of '''[[C4CPC]]''' hardware it is now easy to make a cartridge that can be run on GX4000 or Plus.