Difference between revisions of "Plus"

Revision as of 05:08, 5 May 2007

Introduction

In 1990 Amstrad introduced the "Plus" series which tweaked the hardware in many ways and added a cartridge slot to all models. Most improvements were to the video display which saw an increase in palette to 4096 colours and gained a capacity for hardware sprites. Splitting the display into two separate windows and pixel scrolling both became full supported hardware features although both were possible on the non-"Plus" hardware using clever programming of the existing Motorola 6845.

An automatic DMA transfer system for feeding the sound chip was also added but the sound chip itself remained unchanged. Additionally, the BASIC command set for disc access was improved.

A cut down CPC+ without the keyboard nor support for non-cartridge media was released simultaneously as the GX4000 video game console.

These models did not do very well in the marketplace, failing to attract any substantial third party support. The 8-bit technology behind the CPC was starting to look a little out of date by 1990 and users resented the substantial price hike for cartridge games compared to their tape and disc counterparts. It's often forgotten that Europe had a large CPC following well supplied by Amstrad it's said the plus machines sold best in France.

(Taken from Wikipedia.org)

The CPC Plus

CPC Plus can use cartridges released for the GX4000, but specific software can be created using the extra features without the need of hardware (contrary as it was claimed by Amstrad in 1991). The extra features are not locked by an hardware mechanism but only by a special 17 bytes-lenght sequence send to the CRTC. So, it's possible for everyone to create his own software on the cpc plus, using the extra features available through a 16kb ASIC I/O page. See Programming ASIC Excepted the extra-features, the Cpc Plus is almost full compatible with the old generation. We can notice some minor differences in emulated components (PPI, CRTC, Gate Array) and in the interruption mechanism in vectorised mode.

The GX4000 Games Console

The GX4000 is a game console based on a CPC 464+ without a floppy controller or keyboard (although it is actually possible to modify one, add a floppy controller and a keyboard and use it as a CPC+). It was delivered with two game paddles (as the ones delivered with the CPC+ models) and Burning Rubber on cartidge (without basic).

The GX400 was Amstrad's attempt to gain some share in the home game console market, then dominated by the likes of Nintendo and Sega. Like others before it, and like others after it, it failed abysmally in its goal. Despite the fact that the hardware was decent (after all the CPC+ series were some of the very best 8-bit computers ever designed), it was a case of 'too little, too late'. Lack of CPC+ specific software, lack of marketing effort and bad timing meant that Amstrad's adventure in the home market was about to end.

Specific Software for CPC+/GX4000

Graphic utilities

• Bmp Converter (Snn of Futur's)
• Claudia, a Bmp Converter (Eliot)
• GraphOS (Iron)
• Kit 4096 (OffseT)
• Sprite Editor (Blue Impuls)
• SMARTplus (Radical Software)
• SymPlay (Prodatron)
• SymSee (Prodatron)

To complete... See Applications for exact words

Music software

• Soundtracker DMA by Zik of Futur's

To complete with software able to use dma sound playlist... See Applications for exact words

Libraries

• B-ASIC (Logon System)

Demos

Pure CPC Plus demos

• 4096 Preview (Kevin Thacker)
• ASM Intro 1 by Roudoudou of Flower corp
• Basic Demo 3 by Roudoudou of Flower corp
• CPC+ Desktop by Odiesoft
• Demo Plus (GPA)
• Diamonds (ZilogMonkey)
• DMA music demo (Cadjo Clan)
• Fantasy by Semilanceata
• It was so nice before the crash of the mir station by Eliot
• Black Sabbath by Iron
• Sappy by Semilanceata
• Simply The Bests by Eliot
• Seminoisin by Semilanceata
• Walking On A Scroll by Iron
• Wulf/Ratz unreleased part of Palatine
• Ze Meeting 2000 Demo by Iron

Demos with Plus features

• 20, 21,22 February 1999 meeting Demo by Benediction
• A Step Beyond by Dirty Minds
• Genesis demo (unreleased ? - STS)
• Heat Demo by Odiesoft
• Fire Engine demo (attributed to Roo-dolph but unreleased?)
• System Party 97 by Eliot
• Texture Mapping Plus by Odiesoft

• to complete

Slide Shows

• Fatal Beauties by (FaTaLiTy, 2007)
• Ghostbuster plus (fast-made slide-show by Ninxpe in 2007)
• Models by Da Boxon team
• Sexy Slideshow by Demoniak
• Samantha Fox Slideshow by Demoniak
• The 7th guest slideshow by Snn

Games

Non-cartridge games

• Burger Party (Futur's) - horizontal shoot'em up
• Call &BD10'n'oeuf (Fenyx Kell) - released for the Amstrad Expo 2005 Contest
• Fluff (Radical Software)
• Jet Set Willy Plus - Manic Miner 3 Plus (Andy Cadley) - remakes of 3 CPC classics for the CPC Plus
• Prehistorik 2 (Titus Software)
• Space Gun (Ocean)
• Stryker and the Crypts of Trogan (Codemasters) - enhanced for Plus

Cartridges released for the GX4000

• Barbarian 2 ( Cartridge )
• Batman The Movie
• Burnin' Rubber
• Chase HQ 2 ( Cartridge )
• Copter 271 ( Cartridge )
• Crazy Cars II
• Dick Tracy ( Cartridge )
• Enforcer (With Phazer) ( Cartridge )
• Fire and Forget 2 ( Cartridge )
• Gazza II ( Cartridge )
• Klax ( Cartridge )
• Mystical ( Cartridge )
• Navy Seals ( Cartridge )
• No Exit ( Cartridge )
• Operation Thunderbolt ( Cartridge )
• Pang ( Cartridge )
• Panza kickboxing ( Cartridge )
• Plotting ( Cartridge )
• Pro Tennis Tour ( Cartridge )
• Robocop 2 ( Cartridge )
• Skeet Shoot (With Phazer) ( Cartridge )
• Super Pinball Magic ( Cartridge )
• Switchblade ( Cartridge )
• Tennis Cup 2 ( Cartridge )
• Tintin On the Moon ( Cartridge )
• Wild Streets ( Cartridge )
• World Of Sports ( Cartridge )

Included in Delivery

464plus

• The computer itself, incl. built-in Datacorder
• System Cartridge with AMSDOS(the Plus series were actyakky the first Amstrad machines to have the OS on a removable medium, as opposed to on-chop built-in OSes; nevertheless, this was not that bad as cartidge loading is instantaneous), Locomotive BASIC 1.1 and the game Burnin' Rubber
• 1 Paddle
• CPC464plus/CPC6128plus manual
• Game manual
• Either an Amstrad MM12 Monochrome Monitor or an Amstrad CM14 Colour Monitor

6128plus

• The computer itself, incl. built-in 3" disk drive
• System Cartridge with AMSDOS (the Plus series were actually the first Amstrad machines to have the OS on a removable medium, as opposed to on-chop built-in OSes; nevertheless, this was not that bad as cartidge loading is instantaneous, Locomotive BASIC 1.1 and the game Burnin' Rubber
• System Disk with CP/M Plus and utilities, identical disk for all countries
• 1 Paddle
• 464plus/6128plus manual
• Game manual
• Either an Amstrad MM12 Monochrome Monitor or an Amstrad CM14 Colour Monitor

GX4000

• The console itself
• System Cartridge with the game Burnin' Rubber
• 2 Paddles
• Console manual
• Game manual
• Power supply
• Optional: Amstrad MM12 Monochrome Monitor or Amstrad CM14 Colour Monitor

Weblinks

• Listing and pictures of Amstrad GX4000 games
• Complete list of GX 4000 games