Hottest 6/Hottest 6 (1996)(PDSoft)[!].iso/software/emulators/magic64/magic64.doc

Text File | 1978-11-24 | 27KB | 824 lines

    I    Introduction

    1.1    What´s MagiC64 ?
    1.2    A C64-Emulator in 1995 ?
    1.3    System Requirements


    II    Quick Start

    2.1    Fast Introduction


    III    The Emulator

    3.1    Copyright and Registration
    3.2    Save
    3.3    Graphics
    3.4    Cpu & Rom
    3.5    Video
    3.6    Sprites
    3.7    Sound
    3.8    Joysticks
    3.9    Keyboard
    3.10    Floppy
    3.11    D64-Disks
    3.12    T64-Tapes
    3.13    P00-Files
    3.14    Disk State
    3.15    Start
    3.16    Quit


    IV    Floppy Emulation

    4.1
    4.2    Supported Functions
    4.3    Non supported Functions


    V    Frequently Asked Questions

    5.1    How to speed up things ?
    5.2    Programs which won´t work
    5.3    No feedback of the emulator ?


    VI    Greetings and Thanks



    I    Introduction


    1.1    What´s MagiC64 ?

    MagiC64 is a C64 emulator for the Amiga, which tries to emulate
    a real C64 in an exact manner. The emulator has the following
    properties:

        - Complete emulation of the 6510-CPU
          (including illegal opcodes)

        - Line-by-line VIC emulation

            - All graphics modes
            - Horizontal and vertical scrolling

        - Complete sprite emulation

            - Sprite-sprite collisions
            - Sprite-background collisions

        - Sound emulation with 6581sid.library
          (only available in the registered version of MagiC64)

        - ROM emulation, you can also use the original Roms

        - Keyboard and joystick input

        - Floppy 1541 emulation

            - Fastload and fastsave for all programs
            - Nearly all 1541 commands are supported

        - Support for the following formats: D64, T64 and P00

        - Conversion between all formats possible

        - Bitplane optimized graphics functions, on fast
          Amigas original C64 speed is possible.

        - The emulator is programmed OS-friendly, it runs
          in a fully multitasking environment


    1.2    A C64-Emulator in 1995 ?

    This emulator was written in a time, when -in my opinion- there
    were no reasonable C64-Emulators for the Amiga. Prototype for
    MagiC64 also were the C64-Emulators for the PC, which have
    reached an impressive level today. As a consequence of that,
    MagiC64 supports the most common PC formats, because nearly all
    C64 programs are available in one of these formats. Another
    goal during the development of MagiC64 was a good speed of the
    emulation. That is why MagiC64 has very fast bitplane optimized
    graphic functions. There is no conversion from chunky to planar,
    which results in a dramatically improved graphics performance.

    Now Amiga owners have once again the possibility of using all
    the games and programs of a C64. Although these games and
    programs do not convince anymore for today´s sound and graphic
    standards, they often possess an amazing level of fun and
    excitement.

    Furthermore MagiC64 has the common features only emulators can
    offer e.g. Fastload, Fastsave and the possibility of freezing
    and continuing programs at any time.


    1.3    System Requirements

    A C64 emulation is, if it works line-orientated like MagiC64,
    quite CPU intensive. MagiC64 needs at least a 68020 CPU, a
    fast 68030 or 68040 is recommended. The graphic functions are
    in need of some memory for lookup tables, there must be 1,7
    MB of free memory available, a high Fastram access speed has
    a positive effect. Using an A4000 or an Amiga with a 68030-
    turboboard should guarantee full pleasure during the use of
    MagiC64. On the software side one should have Kickstart 2.04
    or higher, the special features of Kickstart 3.0 with regard
    to screen double-buffering are used, too. Summarized:

        - 68020 or higher
        - 1,7 MB free memory
        - Kickstart 2.04 or higher

    Of course the emulator can also be used on Amigas without
    AGA chipset.



    II    Quick Start


    2.1    Fast Introduction

    The emulator can be started from CLI or Workbench. In the
    unregistered version there will be popped up a window, showing
    the copyright and registration conditions. It can be closed by
    clicking the OK button. After that you can see a window with
    several selection buttons. You can reach the C64 mode by
    clicking the START button, return to the emulator window by
    pressing the ESC key. By doing this the actual state of the
    emulation is frozen. To load and start a program the right
    format must be chosen under the point DISK & TAPE. At the same
    time D64 files, which are images of a 1541 disc, and T64 files,
    which contain several C64 programs, are supported. Finally the
    P00 files, which represent a single C64 program, are supported,
    too. Is T64 or P00 chosen all files in the actual T64 or P00
    directory are scanned and the C64 names of the programs appear
    in a requester. Double clicking on the name of a program loads
    and starts it, contemporary you return to the C64 mode. If you
    see an empty requester you can determine the directory in which
    the files reside by clicking on T64-DIRECTORY or P00-DIRECTORY.
    The requester will be actualized automatically. If you want to
    use D64 files, then you should first click LOAD D64. Select a
    D64 file now. The directory of this disk file will appear in
    the requester, again you can load and start a program by double
    cklicking it. In the C64 mode you can cause a reset by pressing
    F9, which is followed by a module check, so that module programs
    are started again. If you press F10 a hard reset is done, which
    always leads to the initial message of the emulator. Has a
    program been started the joystick port can be changed after
    clicking JOYSTICKS. If in your opinion the emulator is running
    too slowly, you can type in a value greater than 1 under VIDEO
    in the requester "DISPLAY EVERY (N)TH FRAME". On an A4000 you
    should gain full speed for every program with a value of 3.
    Changing this value also helps when music sounds strangely. The
    most important keys:

        - ESC  Return to emulator window
        - F9   Reset with module check
        - F10  Reset without module check



    III    The Emulator


    3.1    Copyright and Registration

    There are two versions of MagiC64:

    - The unregistered version, in which some options are disabled.
      You can copy and distribute the unregistered version without
      any restrictions. In this version you don´t have sound, you
      can´t save anything, too.

    - The registered version with all options enabled. Copying or
      distributing this version is forbidden. Registered users get
      the first update for free.

    Copyright for both versions:

      Michael Kramer
      Im Hirschfeld 28
      52222 Stolberg
      Germany

      E-Mail: [e-mail]

    You can register at the above address or by E-Mail. The
    registration fee is $25 US or 40 DM, payable cash or as
    euro cheque. If you send the money or the euro cheque,
    I´ll send you the registered full version.

    Please note: For sound you will need the 6581sid.library too,
             which is NOT part of MagiC64. This library is
             part of A64. A demo version of A64, which contains
             this library, is available on AMINET.


    3.2    Save

    Save all settings and paths in the MagiC64.prefs file. This
    option is only available in the registered version.


    3.3    Graphics

    - Show Video

      If you turn off this option, only a window will pop up when
      clicking the START button. The emulation is running in
      background mode now. Use this, if you run programs which
      have no or only some visual output. Emulation speed is very
      fast in this mode.

    - Screen Mode

      By clicking on "SELECT ..." a standard screenmode requester
      will appear where you can select the screen mode for the
      C64 mode. The emulation is running in 320x200, so you should
      select a mode like PAL or DBLPAL. In other modes e.g. EURO72
      you have a higher frequency, but only a quarter of the screen
      is used. You need Kickstart 2.1 for changing the screen mode,
      as standard mode you have PAL or DBLPAL.

    - Screen Type

      In this cycle gadget you can choose between Amiga-View and
      Amiga-Screen. Because screen doublebuffering is supported
      first in Kickstart 3.0 with special operating system functions,
      you should use Amiga-View in lower Kickstart versions for
      optimum performance. Using Amiga-View you can´t use Amiga M
      for screen flipping. The multitasking is not impaired in
      other terms.


    3.4    Cpu & Rom

    - Warning at crash opcode

      When the emulation executes a crash opcode e.g. $02, normally
      the C64 mode is left and a warning is given. A real C64 could
      only be restarted by Reset. As a consequence the warning
      requester gives the possibility of a Reset or a continuation
      of the emulation. Pressing the F10 key is the only action
      making sense in this case, when back in C64 mode.

    - Warning at break opcode

      The execution of the opcode $00 (BRK) is normally no action
      of a C64 program making any sense. You should switch off these
      warnings if you want to use monitor programs in the C64 mode.

    - Skip Ramtest

      Normally the RAM of the C64 is checked during a C64 reset.
      This test is switched off by a ROM patch, which speeds up the
      Reset remarkably.

    - ROM emulation / Original ROM

      Because of copyright reasons the original roms are not included,
      instead a ROM emulation is used. Who wants can also use
      the original roms. They must reside in the Roms directory, named
      BASIC.ROM, CHAR.ROM and KERNAL.ROM.


    3.5    Video

    - Display every (n)th frame

      With this value you determine which frames of the emulation
      are really calculated and displayed on screen. The higher this
      value is the faster C64 programs will run because fewer
      processing time for the graphics is required. On values
      greater than 1 it may possibly happen that sprite collisions
      are later recognized. This is no severe effect for most
      programs. Recommendable values are in range 1 to 5. Also raise
      this value if music and sound effects are to slow. In this
      case the emulation can´t deliver the sound data for the
      sound library fast enough.

    - Rasterline Cycles

      This is a value for the VIC emulation determining how many
      cycles one rasterline will consume. You may change this value
      slightly (!) when raster interrupts cause flickering on
      screen. Recommendable values are in the range 60 to 66.

    - Badline Cycles

      This determines the number of cycles a badline is consuming.
      Badlines are rasterlines in which the CPU has fewer cycles
      available because these cycles are required by the VIC.
      Change only slightly. Recommendable values are in the range
      20 to 24.

    - Start Cycle

      Determines the cycle in which the VIC will begin to fetch
      char data. For vertical scrolling it is important whether
      the scroll register is written before or after this cycle.
      Change this value when vertical scrolling doesn´t work
      properly. Recommendable values are in the range 10 to 14.

    - PAL / NTSC

      Determines how many lines the emulation is internally using.
      A few games only work in one of the two modes. If you use
      NTSC the emulation will run somewhat faster because fewer
      lines have to be calculated. On the other side the C64 CPU
      has fewer cycles per frame available.


    3.6    Sprites

    - Display Sprites

      Turn on sprites. Turning off sprites speeds up the graphics,
      but makes no sense for most games.

    - Sprite-Sprite Collisions

      Turn on sprite-sprite collisions. If you turn off this option,
      graphics may speed up a little bit. Many games use their own
      collision detection instead of the hardware detection, so
      turning off this collisions can make sense.

    - Sprite-Background Collisions

      Turn on sprite-background collisions. Only few games use
      hardware sprite-background collision detection, so turning
      off these collisions may be helpful. Graphics performance
      is improved in this case.

    The above options act for all sprites together. In the single
    settings options you can do the above settings for single
    sprites. You can construct trainer versions of games by turning
    off the collisions for the sprite the player is driving. This
    only works if games use hardware collision detection.


    3.7    Sound

    Sound is only available in the registered version of MagiC64.
    For sound the 6581sid.library is required. This library is
    NOT part of MagiC64. A demo version of A64, another C64 emu-
    lator for the Amiga, contains this library. A64 is available
    in the Aminet, too.

    - Sound on

      Turn on music and sound effects. Turning off maybe useful
      in games with bad music.

    - Channels

      Turn on the three channels individually.

    - Loudness

      With this slider gadget you can regulate the maximum
      loudness for all three channels.


    3.8    Joysticks

    Amiga and C64 both have two digital joystick ports. Because
    the Amiga uses port 0 for the mouse, you can direct the input of
    port 1 to the virtual ports 0 and 1 of the C64. It´s possible to
    direct one Amiga port to two C64 ports at the same time. If you
    choose these settings every game should work, independent of
    which port is used. There can be some strange effects if a game
    uses the C64 port 0 and the keyboard at the same time because at
    the C64 port 1 is connected parallel to the keyboard. Of course
    for games with a two-player mode the Amiga port 2 can also be
    used, but then the mouse must be taken off.


    3.9     Keyboard

    - Original / National

    While the original mode is running there is the try to copy
    a C64 keyboard physically in a nearly exact way. In this mode
    are e.g. in German Y and Z exchanged, the #-key is covered
    with = ect. This mode makes sense for games, which depend
    upon a certain location of the keys on the keyboard. On the
    contrary in the national mode every key is treated corresponding
    to the national location of the keys and the key is translated
    into the adequate C64 key press. If you type very fast there can
    appear the problem of the keyboard being blocked while the
    national mode is used. This blockade can be abolished by using
    the left Amiga key.


    In both modes some keys have a special meaning:

    - ESC. The emulation is frozen and returns from C64 mode to
      the main window of the emulator. There you can change some
      settings, after that press START to continue in C64 mode.

    - F9. Reset of C64 emulation. A module check for a module at
      $8000 is done. If there is a module, the module program
      will be started, otherwise the initial C64 message will
      appear on the screen.

    - F10 Hard reset of the C64 emulation. There is no module check,
      the emulation always returns to power-up message.

    - Enter stops the emulation without leaving the C64 mode. After
      pressing the enter key for a second time the emulation is
      continued. This key is useful if you want to look carefully
      at a situation during a game. It is also possible to save the
      actual status of the screen with a screengrabber program.

    - Ctrl corresponds to the RUN/STOP key of the C64.

    - Help corresponds to the RESTORE key of the C64.

    - Tab corresponds to the Ctrl key of the C64.

    - Del corresponds to the CLR/HOME key of the C64.

    - The left Alt key corresponds to the Commodore key of the C64.

    - The right Alt key corresponds to the @ of the C64.

    - The right Amiga key corresponds to the ´ of the C64.

    - The left Amiga key starts a keyboard reset in the national
      mode. Press this key when the keyboard is blocked in national
      mode.

    - All four Cursor keys of the Amiga cause the equivalent C64
      function.


    3.10      Floppy

    Under this point adjustments are put on, which concern the
    emulation of a 1541 floppy. The 1541 emulation always works on
    D64 files. More about D64 files in chapter D64 disks.

    - Floppy on

      Here the 1541 emulation can be switched off; subsequently
      the C64 emulation assumes that there is no floppy. If you
      enter e.g. LOAD"$",8 the computer will announce DEVICE NOT
      PRESENT. Switching off the floppy can be senseful when P00
      or T64 files, which always have only one part, try to load
      some data again e.g. highscore lists.

    - Writeprotection

      Effects a writeprotection for the actual D64 file. Then this D64
      file will not be changed in the memory. This option will be
      useful if you want to prevent that files are written or changed.

    - Warning at non-supported commands

      A real 1541 normally represents an independent computer
      including a processor, Ram and an operating system. Never-
      theless the 1541 emulation only emulates a 1541 on the
      commanding level. Therefore some commands, e.g. M-E
      (Memory-Execute), which execute some own programs in the
      Ram of a 1541, are not supported. Unfortunately because
      of that some programs, which use fastloader or execute
      other complex actions (copy protection) in the floppy,
      do not function. If you try to execute such commands, the
      C64 mode is left and a warning is given. With this switch
      you can turn off these warnings.

    - Write on protected Disk

      A warning is given, if you try to write on a writeprotected
      D64 disc. Turn off these warnings here.


    3.11    D64 Disks

    D64 Diskfiles are files which represent one side of a 1541
    disk. This format was introduced with C64S, a C64 emulator
    for the PC. In the mean time it developed to one of the
    standard formats for C64 emulators. You can get nearly all
    C64 programs as a D64 file. MagiC64 loads the whole D64 file
    into memory, the 1541 emulation is doing all commands in
    memory, too. If you want to become write operations permanent,
    you have to save the D64 file explicitly. This Save option
    is only available in the registered version of MagiC64.

    - Selection Requester

      Here you will see the directory of a D64 file which was
      loaded into memory with "LOAD D64". The first line in
      the requester shows the name of the disk, followed by its
      ID and format sign. Clicking the first line makes no sense.
      The following lines show the single programs contained in
      the D64 file. The number on the left side of the name gives
      you the size of the program in blocks of 256 bytes. On the
      right side the type of the program is given. Doubleclicking
      one of these lines will lead to a reset in the background,
      next the C64 mode is entered and the program will be loaded
      and started. The last line of the requester gives information
      about the free blocks of the D64 file.

    - Load

      Loads a program from a D64 file into the memory. There is
      NO reset into the background and there is no automatic
      return to the C64 mode. Loading is very fast, even very
      big files (bigger than 200 blocks) will be loaded in few
      seconds. All data is loaded in the C64 memory, the I/O
      range is not touched during loading. Because of that it´s
      possible to load programs bigger than 202 blocks, on a
      real C64 you can´t do this without special loading
      functions.

    - Load+Run

      Same action like doubleclicking a program name in the
      selection requester. Contrary to "LOAD" a reset in the
      background is forced and there is automatic return to
      the C64 mode.

    - Load D64

      After clicking this button you can select a D64 file
      in a standard requester. The directory of this D64 file
      will appear in the selection requester. This is the
      same action like inserting a disk in a 1541, so use
      this if a C64 program asks you to change the disk.

    - Save D64

      A D64 file is saved. Click this button if you wish to
      make changes to a D64 file permanently, because the
      1541 emulation will only work in memory. "SAVE D64"
      is only available in the registered version of MagiC64.

    - Save

      A C64 program is written to the actual D64 file in
      memory. The file is only changed in memory. To make
      the changes permanently you have to click "SAVE D64",
      too. Saving has the same properties like loading:
      High speed and it´s possible to save programs bigger
      than 202 blocks.

    - Format

      Formats a D64 file in memory. After klicking this button
      you have to enter the disk name and the disk ID. This is
      equivalent to the NEW command of the 1541. If you want to
      create an empty disk, load a D64 file with "LOAD D64",
      click "FORMAT" and save the file with "SAVE D64" under a
      DIFFERENT name.

    - Delete

      After queryback a program in a D64 file is deleted in
      memory. This is equivalent to the SCRATCH command of the
      1541.

    - Rename

      After queryback a program in a D64 file is renamed in
      memory. This is equivalent to the RENAME command of the
      1541.

    - Initialize

      After queryback a D64 file is initialized in memory. The
      BAM of the disk is read into memory, so it´s possible
      to distinct disks with the same ID. This is equivalent
      to the INITIALIZE command of the 1541.

    - Validate

      After queryback a D64 file is validated in memory. All
      files still open are closed, the BAM is actualized.
      This is equivalent to the VALIDATE command of the 1541.


    3.12    T64 Tapes

    The T64 format was introduced with C64S, too. There can
    be more than one program in a T64 file.

    - Selection Requester

      The contents of ALL T64 files are displayed. Double-
      cklicking selects the related T64 file, then the selected
      program is loaded in memory and started.

    - Load

      Loads a selected program from a T64 file into the C64
      memory. NO reset in the background is done and there is
      no automatic return to C64 mode.

    - Load+Run

      Same as doubleclicking a name in the selection requester:
      Reset in the background, return to C64 mode, loading
      and starting of the program.

    - Save

      After queryback a program is saved from C64 memory into
      a T64 file. The name you enter will appear in the selection
      requester. The range given in memory locations $2B/$2C and
      $2D/$2E is saved. It´s possible to save programs with an end
      address bigger than $CFFF. The T64 file written is new,
      existing files are overwritten. "SAVE" is only available in
      the registered version of MagiC64.

    - T64 Directory

      A standard requester will appear where you can select the
      new T64 directory. If you click "OK" all files in this
      directory are scanned. This can take a while when the
      directory contains many files. The contents of the T64 files
      will appear in the selection requester.


    3.13    P00 Files

    The P00 format was introduced with the C64 emulator PC64.
    Every P00 file represents a single C64 program.

    - Selection Requester

      The contents of ALL P00 files are displayed. Double-
      cklicking selects the related P00 file, then the selected
      program is loaded in memory and started.

    - Load

      Loads a selected program from a P00 file into the C64
      memory. NO reset in the background is done and there is
      no automatic return to C64 mode.

    - Load+Run

      Same as doubleclicking a name in the selection requester:
      Reset in the background, return to C64 mode, loading
      and starting of the program.

    - Save

      After queryback a program is saved from C64 memory into
      a P00 file. The name you enter will appear in the selection
      requester. The range given in memory locations $2B/$2C and
      $2D/$2E is saved. It´s possible to save programs with an end
      address bigger than $CFFF. The P00 file written is new,
      existing files are overwritten. "SAVE" is only available in
      the registered version of MagiC64.

    - P00 Directory

      A standard requester will appear where you can select the
      new P00 directory. If you click "OK" all files in this
      directory are scanned. This can take a while when the
      directory contains many files. The contents of the P00 files
      will appear in the selection requester.


    3.14     Disk State

    The actual state of the 1541 emulation is displayed. The
    message contains number, text, track and sector.

    - Read State

      Read the state and reset back to OK state.


    3.15    Start

    Guess what ? The emulation is started or continued at the
    point it was frozen.


    3.16    Quit

    Simply quit the emulation.



    IV    Floppy Emulation


    4.1

    The 1541 floppy is emulated on file and buffer level. The 6502
    CPU and the special hardware is NOT emulated. The only file
    type supported at the moment is PRG, sequential or random access
    files are not supported, but will be displayed in the directory.


    4.2    Supported Functions

    - LOAD and SAVE of programs. The wildcards * and ? are possible.

      Saving to a D64 file is also possible in the unregistered
      version of MagiC64, but you can´t the save D64 file itself.
      Overwriting a file with a @ at the beginning of the name
      works always correct unlike to a real 1541.

    - Directory

      All file types, protected (<) and not closed (*) files are
      displayed. Wildcard and filetype selection while loading
      a directory is possible.

    - Direct Access

      It´s possible to reserve buffers in the floppy with #, some
      floppy commands will utilize these buffers.

    - Error Channel

      All error and state messages are supported.

    - Floppy Commands

      Scratch, Rename, Initialize, New and Validate are supported.
      The Copy command can´t append data to existing files, it´s
      only possible to duplicate files with this command. Block-
      Read, Block-Write, Block-Allocate and Block-Free are possible,
      the equivalent User commands are supported, too. The buffer
      pointer can be set with the Buffer-Pointer command. Memory
      commands will work in the buffer range.


    4.3    Not Supported Functions

    All commands which execute their own code in the 1541 wont work,
    e.g. Block-Execute, Memory-Execute, the User commands 3 to 8,
    and the & command. So programs using their own fast loaders
    will run erroneous.



    V    Frequently Asked Questions


    5.1    How to speed up things ?

    The most important tuning facility is raising the value of
    "Display every (n)th frame" in the "Video" menue. If you switch
    from PAL to NTSC, internally only 256 instead of 312 lines
    are calculated, so the emulation will speed up. Many programs
    using sprites don´t use hardware detection for sprite-sprite
    or sprite-background collisions, so just turn them off in the
    "Sprites" menue !


    5.2    Programs that don´t run with MagiC64

    All programs using their own fast loaders wont run with
    MagiC64. Border sprites will not be displayed, the sound
    emulation has problems with complex sound effects. In-Line
    graphics effects are not displayed correctly.


    5.3    No feedback of the emulator ?

    Maybe you have pressed ENTER. Just press ENTER again and there
    you go. In national keyboard mode the keyboard sometimes is
    blocked, in this case press the left Amiga key. Some games
    require the joystick in the other port, you can change the
    joystick port in the "JOYSTICK" menue. In any case it should
    be possible to leave the C64 mode by pressing ESC, if not
    this would be an error in the emulator.



    VI    Greetings and Thanks


    Thanks to:

      Jochen Wiedmann for Flexcat.

      Helmut Neumann for Beta-Testing.

      My sister Katja for help with the translation of the docs.

      My brother Markus who supported this product at any time :-)


    Greetings to:

      Amiga Technologies for re-releasing the AMIGA and offering
      this hightec product at unbelievable low prices. Sure
      everybody wants to spend $3000 for emulating a C64 =:-(