Changes

Games

1,584 bytes added, 09:44, 23 March 2009
== Software Houses ==
*[[Activision|Activision]]
*[[Alligata Software|Alligata Software]]
*[[AMSOFT|AMSOFT]]
*[[Zeppelin Games|Zeppelin Games]]
*[[Zigurat|Zigurat]]
 
<br>
 
== Loading music ==
 
=== Cassette ===
 
Loading from cassette effectively uses all the CPU's time because you have to keep checking the cassette signal to see if it has changed, and you use a CPU timing loop to calculate length of signal.
 
So to do music and other things during loading requires precise timing. The C64 effectively had interrupt driven loading music and the serial chip handled clocking in of the data bits and signalled an interrupt when the byte of data was ready.
 
<br>
 
I think only Firebird games had loading music on cassette. The music was composed by Melvyn Wright ([http://www.melright.com www.melright.com]). The music data was embeded into the data on cassette. The data was read as a group of 3 bits and 8 data bits. The 3 bits determined if the 8 data bits were for data&nbsp;or for music.
 
<br>
 
This list is not complete, please add more. Will upload YM&nbsp;of the loading music soon.
 
<br>
 
Booty
 
Harvey Headbanger
 
Thrust
 
<br>
 
=== Disc ===
 
The disc system on the Amstrad is "polled" which means the CPU&nbsp;has to keep checking if the FDC&nbsp;(NEC765)&nbsp;has more data to read/write. On the C64 the disc system is interrupt driven.
 
So to do music while loading requires careful timing and often the use of very small sectors (128bytes).
 
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ZapTBalls
 
The Demo
 
5KB&nbsp;Demo 3
 
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<br>
== Games Which use hardware tricks (on old generation cpcs) ==
{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| ''Title''| ''Year''| ''Vertical''| ''Horizontal''| ''R3''| ''R5''
| ''Confirmed''
|-
| [[Action Force|Action Force]]| 1988| No| Yes| No| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Anarchy|Anarchy]]| 1988| No| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Axys|Axys]]| 1991| Yes| No| No| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Bob Morane Science Fiction|Bob Morane Science Fiction]]| 1987| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Builderland|Builderland]]| 1991| No| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[FlySpy|FlySpy]]| 1986| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Fusion 2|Fusion 2]]| 1988| No| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Gothic|Gothic]]| 1988| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Ghosts 'n' Goblins|Ghosts 'n' Goblins]]| 1986| No| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Jinks|Jinks]]| 1988| No| Yes| Yes| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Killer Cobra|Killer Cobra]]| 1987| No| Yes| Yes| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Led Storm|Led Storm]]| 1988| Yes| No| No| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Legend of Kage|Legend of Kage]]| 1986| Yes| Yes| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Leviathan|Leviathan]]| 1987| Diagonal| scroll!| No| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Le 5eme Axe|Le 5eme Axe]]| 1985| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Mission Genocide|Mission Genocide]]| 1987| Yes| No| No| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Monty Python's Flying Circus|Monty Python's Flying Circus]]| 1990| Yes| Yes| No| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Octoplex|Octoplex]]| 1989| Yes| Yes| No| Yes(?)
| Yes
|-
| [[Out Of This World|Out Of This World]]| 1987| No| Yes| Yes| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Paraplane|Paraplane]]| 1992| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Prehistorik 2|Prehistorik 2]]| 1992| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Prohibition|Prohibition]]| 1987| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Rick Dangerous 2|Rick Dangerous 2]]| 1990| No| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Roland On the Ropes|Roland On the Ropes]]| 1984| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Sentinel (The)|Sentinel (The)]]| 1987| Yes| Yes| No| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Skate Ball|Skate Ball]]| 1989| No| Yes| No| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Skate Rock|Skate Rock]]| 1987| No| Yes| No| No
| Yes
|-
| [[Skate Wars|Skate Wars]]| 1990| No| Yes| No| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Star Avenger|Star Avenger]]| 1984| No| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Stryker In The Crypt Of Trogan|Stryker In The Crypt Of Trogan]]| 1992| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Super Cauldron|Super Cauldron]]| 1992| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Titan|Titan]]| 1988| Yes| Yes| No
| No
|-
| [[Ultima Ratio|Ultima Ratio]]| 1987| Yes| No| No| Yes
| Yes
|-
| [[Warhawk|Warhawk]]| 1987| Yes| No| No| Yes
| Yes
|}
{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| ''Title''| ''Year''
| ''Confirmed''
|-
| [[Action Force|Action Force]]| 1988
| Yes
|-
| [[Axys|Axys]]| 1991
| Yes
|-
| [[Dynamic Duo|Dynamic Duo]]
|
|
|-
| [[Enlightenment: Druid 2|Enlightenment: Druid 2]]
|
|
|-
| [[Grell and Falla|Grell and Falla]]
|
|
|-
| [[Mission Genocide|Mission Genocide]]| 1987
| Yes
|-
| [[Octoplex|Octoplex]]| 1989
| Yes
|-
| [[Prehistorik 2|Prehistorik 2]]| 1992
| Yes
|-
| [[Skate Ball|Skate Ball]]| 1989
| Yes
|-
| [[Skatewars|Skatewars]]| 1989
|
|-
| [[Snowstrike|Snowstrike]]
|
|
|-
| [[Super Cauldron|Super Cauldron]]| 1992
| Yes
|-
| [[Turrican|Turrican]]| 1990
| Yes
|-
| [[Ultima Ratio|Ultima Ratio]]| 1987
| Yes
|-
| [[Usagi Yojimbo|Usagi Yojimbo]]
|
|
|-
| [[Xyphoes Fantasy|Xyphoes Fantasy]]
|
|
|-
| [[Sol Negro(opera)|Sol Negro(opera)]]
|
|
|-
| [[Warhawk|Warhawk]]| 1987
| Yes
|}
[[Category:Games|*]]
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