¢ o=o=o=o=o=¢¢ Atari 8-Bit Emulators -- Part II¢¢ By Alan Sharkis¢ Editor, OHAUG Newsletter¢¢ I was sitting at a demonstration of¢ Kodak's digital photography. People¢ attending the demonstration asked all¢ kinds of questions, but some of those¢ questions weren't really (pardon the¢ pun) focused. Somebody asked the¢ demonstrator what the quality of the¢ digital images is like when printed¢ out on an inkjet printer. The¢ reaction of the more savvy people in¢ the audience was immediate. They¢ recognized that the question was too¢ general. The demonstrator wisely¢ responded by saying that it really¢ depended on what you wanted to do¢ with the printout. And so it goes¢ with total machine emulators.¢¢ It's an exercise in futility to be¢ totally fair and objective about the¢ products I'm going to describe. The¢ instruments used in this examination¢ must be characterized as unique. My¢ system is not your system. I'll¢ describe it below, but I have to warn¢ you that subtle differences can¢ affect the way your experience with¢ emulation varies from mine. My¢ interest in emulators and needs for¢ them are different from what I sense¢ is the overall majority of those who¢ will use them. In short, I'm not a¢ game-player. I see the value of¢ preserving the riches of Atari 8-bit¢ software through another platform (in¢ my case, DOS/Windows/Windows 95) but¢ I probably won't carry my emulated 8-¢ bit around on a notebook computer. ¢ Nevertheless, the subject of¢ emulation is so interesting to me,¢ that I'll take the risk and invite¢ your comments, rebuttal, etc.¢¢ I'm running my emulators on a Pentium¢ 100 with a very ordinary 1-meg video¢ card. My resolution and color depth¢ are 640 x 480, 256 colors. I can get¢ better with my current equipment, but¢ I like what I see here, and it is a¢ kind of common denominator. My sound¢ card is a SoundBlaster AWE-32 (non¢ plug-and-play, memory raised to 8Mb.)¢ which, while an excellent sound card,¢ doesn't seem to work well with the¢ sound emulation developed for more¢ standard SoundBlasters. I have 16¢ megabytes of RAM, a 256-byte pipeline¢ cache, a 4X CD-ROM drive, a USR¢ Sportster 28.8 kbps internal fax¢ modem, and two printers - an Okidata¢ 320 9-pin dot matrix that I keep in¢ IBM emulation when it's working with¢ my clone, and a Hewlett-Packard¢ Deskjet 660c. I've recently¢ increased my hard drive capacity from¢ 1.2 gigabytes to 2.0 gigabytes. COM¢ 2 on my clone is connected to my¢ Atari system via a switchbox that¢ enables me to select a null-modem¢ connection or a two-chip SIO2PC¢ connection. My mouse is an Agiler 3-¢ button mouse that works through a COM¢ 5 card at IRQ 10. I've recently¢ added an inexpensive analog joystick¢ to the system so that I can test that¢ feature in some of the emulators.¢¢ The very first 8-bit emulator that I¢ was aware of was Darek Mihocka's ST¢ Xformer. I'd seen demonstrations of¢ it many years ago, and I recently got¢ to try it again. When Darek formed¢ Branch Only Software and produced the¢ Gemulator, it didn't seem to impress¢ many of the ST users I knew. So it¢ was interesting to me that years¢ after the ST Xformer's release that¢ Darek would attempt a PC version. I¢ never ran his first PC Xformer, the¢ 2.0, because when it came out I was¢ still working on a '286 with EGA, But¢ 2.5 was the first of his series that¢ I was able to run after purchasing¢ the system described above. I was¢ impressed. I went out and bought¢ 3.0a, a commercial version with more¢ features. The version I'll describe¢ for you, however, was a later one,¢ though not the latest. It's version¢ 3.31, not 3.5. I'm aware that 3.5¢ has a few more features, including¢ the ability to hook up an Atari drive¢ to your IBM's parallel port (with a¢ cable identical to the ST Xformer¢ cable). But, 3.31 is quite capable¢ and I frankly haven't felt the need¢ to upgrade at this time. My 3.31¢ relies on the excellent printed¢ manual written for 3.0A by Bill¢ Kendrick. On order, but not received¢ by the time of this writing, is the¢ new version 4.0. The freeware 2.5, I¢ understand, is still popular. It's¢ archive contains a documentation file¢ that must be printed out. Whether you¢ use the freeware or the commercial¢ version, you should read the¢ documentation carefully. Many of the¢ features of the emulators are not¢ obvious.¢¢ Commercial PC Xformer will run under¢ DOS, Windows 3.x, and Windows 95. It¢ is supposed to run under OS/2, but I¢ have no way to check that. It will¢ emulate a 130XE and is the only¢ emulator that does that at this time.¢ (In all fairness, the freeware¢ versions of Xformer don't go beyond¢ the 800XL, nor do any of the other¢ freeware emulators as I write this¢ article. Just watch! The day after¢ the article is written, one such¢ emulator will come out!) It is¢ supposed to display all ANTIC text¢ and graphic modes, and all GTIA modes¢ and be capable of displaying 256¢ colors. I will have more to say¢ about that later. It does Player-¢ Missile graphics with full collision¢ detection. It reads and writes to¢ both .ATR and .XFD disk images. It¢ can read MS-DOS files and convert¢ them to .XFD images. It will switch¢ BASIC on and off easily, and will¢ toggle between 800, 800XL and 130XE¢ modes. It will support a PC joystick¢ or do keyboard joystick emulation¢ with a simple command line switch. ¢ It will support the PC's modem and¢ printer, though not always¢ satisfactorily. It achieves full 8-¢ bit speed on a 386/33, and speed can¢ be toggled.¢ I have tried PC Xformer with a wide¢ variety of programs. I can state¢ that it will not run reliably with¢ copy-protected software that has been¢ "cracked." This, I believe, is¢ intentional on Mr. Mihocka's part. ¢ He has been very careful to include¢ only AtariDos 2.5 and MyDos among the¢ operating systems he includes with¢ the package. He doesn't guarantee¢ that all software will run under the¢ emulator, and has specifically stated¢ that copy-protected software will not¢ run under the emulator. He's a man¢ who makes his living producing¢ software, and I can understand his¢ position.¢¢ The joystick support seems to be¢ spotty. The PC's stick works with¢ this emulator, as long as you're¢ running a BASIC game or application. ¢ It even works from non-BASIC, non-¢ copy-protected applications. I've¢ found graphic representation under¢ this emulator to be somewhat weak in¢ some areas. For example, an .ATR I¢ made of Xlent Word Processor shows a¢ difference in color at bottom of the¢ screen that is distracting. No other¢ full-machine emulator I've tried does¢ that. However, PC Xformer WILL print¢ from this word-processor, and I¢ believe others, whereas no other¢ emulator to date will support the¢ PC's printer. Here's one of those¢ "what you're using it for"¢ situations. If running classic Atari¢ games is what you want, and you have¢ no need for printing, don't use PC¢ Xformer. PC Xformer also has some¢ limited modem support for the PC's¢ modem, which I didn't find¢ satisfactory because of baud-rate¢ restrictions and other problems, yet¢ it's a start in that direction which¢ no other full-machine emulator has¢ made.¢¢ Sound in PC Xformer definitely didn't¢ get along well with my AWE-32. I¢ was losing channels, and sometimes¢ getting extraneous sounds (high-¢ pitched whistles!) that didn't quit¢ until I exited the program. One¢ sound didn't quit until I rebooted my¢ clone! But in it's own way, PC¢ Xformer sets a standard for other¢ emulators to follow.¢¢ The next full machine emulator to¢ come to my attention is XL-it! by¢ Markus Gietzen. Although the program¢ is freeware, the author will accept¢ donations. He does reserve the right¢ to stop anyone from using the¢ emulator. He also prohibits its use¢ in a commercial manner. The version¢ I'm describing is 0.16. I had¢ earlier versions, and I think that¢ 0.16 has significant improvements¢ over them. It has features that¢ aren't incorporated into PC Xformer,¢ but their usefulness varies from user¢ to user.¢¢ For example, a machine-language¢ monitor is included. In the¢ documentation, the author shows how¢ to use this monitor to change the¢ number of lives a character has in¢ Boulder Dash. He does state that the¢ technique doesn't work in every game.¢ In XL-it! the number of emulated 1050¢ drives is four; in PC Xformer the¢ number and nature of the drives¢ depends on the DOS image that you're¢ using to a maximum of eight. Sound¢ support in XL-it! 0.15 required your¢ SoundBlaster to play samples that the¢ author provided with the emulator. ¢ Although he stated that these samples¢ were pure tones, they did sound a bit¢ ragged to me. Version 0.16 improved¢ the sound by using samples provided¢ by Mike Hill, the author of another¢ emulator described below. In any¢ event, this sampled sound system does¢ provide more reliable sound than PC¢ Xformer. If I give the emulator¢ sound commands from BASIC, all four¢ channels are clearly supported. I've¢ never heard extraneous sounds with¢ XL-it!, and they end when they're¢ supposed to. The author states that¢ sound should be turned off if it¢ slows the program down too much. ¢ Actually, I had the opposite problem;¢ the program ran too quickly and¢ sometimes had to be put in its¢ "modex" (320x240 pixels) mode to slow¢ it down for normal Atari speed. Both¢ NTSC and PAL video emulation are¢ built in and selectable. There is¢ now some limited PC joystick support¢ in XL-it!, but there is simulated¢ support using the cursor keys on your¢ PC's keyboard for directional control¢ and the "ALT" keys for the fire¢ button. This mode can be switched on¢ and off from the keyboard. It's also¢ possible to have the program run this¢ emulated joystick as stick 2 for¢ those programs that require it.¢¢ In any emulator, you'll get a curious¢ mix of what in the Atari operating¢ systems is supported and what isn't.¢ I emulated BASIC in PC Xformer and¢ many of the pokes worked well. I¢ didn't get the upside-down text when¢ I poked for it in XL-it!, and I¢ didn't really want to test further. ¢ When I tried Xlent Word Processor, I¢ got a very good emulation, including¢ the use of the emulated fire button¢ to open the icon menu and select¢ items from it. XL-it! has no printer¢ support, but I was delighted to see¢ the program give me an I/O error when¢ I asked it to print to a printer¢ without having the program crash. In¢ addition to using the command line¢ switches so common with emulators,¢ Markus has added a DOS-based user¢ interface screen with pull-down¢ settings for just about everything. ¢ A menu allows disk and ROM images to¢ be loaded at any point.¢¢ I guess that the biggest advantage of¢ using this emulator over PC Xformer¢ is one that we in user groups find¢ difficult to support. XL-it! will¢ run disk and cart images of programs¢ that were originally copy-protected. ¢ I will, of course, address this¢ matter in Part IV of this article, as¢ promised (sorry, no previews!) XL-¢ it! cannot run without ROM images of¢ the 800 and/or XL operating systems;¢ nor will it run without the Atari¢ BASIC ROM image. But those three¢ ROM images must be downloaded ¢ separately from the executable file¢ and its other support files, since¢ Markus isn't sure of their ownership.¢ He has the ROM images on his Web¢ site. You must also set up XL-it!'s¢ files with a specific directory¢ structure before you run it. Clear¢ directions are given in the program's¢ well-written documentation.¢¢ The preview version of Chris Lam's¢ Rainbow '95 is just a start on what¢ promises to be a very fine emulator. ¢ Unfortunately, between the time that¢ this preview version was released and¢ the time I'm writing this, there have¢ been no further upgrades. Meantime,¢ Chris has done some further work on¢ his Rainbow for Macintosh. The¢ Macintosh version was his first, and¢ he has provided several upgrades to¢ that one.¢¢ Rainbow '95 will run under Windows¢ '95 and current versions of Windows¢ NT. However, few of the promised¢ features are implemented in the¢ preview. The preview version is¢ freeware, but subsequent versions¢ will be shareware. The preview will¢ only run in a small window, but the¢ graphics and colors are well done¢ except for fine vertical¢ scrolling(full screen display, at¢ full speed, is promised for the¢ shareware versions.) All graphics¢ and GTIA modes are supported, and¢ there is player-missile graphics with¢ collision detection. There is no¢ sound as yet. Right now, the machine¢ can emulate a 400/800, and an 800xl¢ to some extent (there is no support¢ for the 16K RAM under the ROM.) ¢ Full 800xl, 130xe and 5200 support¢ are promised. The emulator promises¢ to accept 8K and 16K cartridge¢ images in the computer modes, and¢ 16K and 32K images in the 5200. It¢ should also run Super Cartridges when¢ completed. There will be two virtual¢ disks in the full version, and each¢ will be able to read single- and¢ enhanced-density disk images. Right¢ now, only single density is supported¢ on one disk. There will be joystick¢ support for four joysticks through¢ the PC's keypad, and four paddles via¢ the mouse. Like XL-It, and for the¢ same reason, the program does not¢ come with the required OS and BASIC¢ ROM files. Once you get them, you¢ must rename them according to the¢ instructions. I really look forward¢ seeing and using the full version,¢ because Chris wrote his documentation¢ with the real thing in mind, and put¢ full pull-down menus in the preview¢ version. Unlike other versions that¢ require command-line options and¢ switches to be spelled out,¢ Everything can be done from Rainbow¢ 95's menu system. Under the System¢ pulldown, you can choose which Atari¢ 8-bit (or 5200) you wish to emulate.¢ There is a provision for inserting¢ and removing ROM and SuperRom carts,¢ I guess for the 5200, an "about"¢ feature and an exit selection. The¢ TV selection gives you a choice of¢ normal and several slower speeds, as¢ well as NTSC or PAL emulation. The¢ Extra pulldown allows you to import¢ or export files, select the size of¢ the view, put the emulator in cheat¢ mode, show frames per second in the¢ display, or pause in the 5200 mode. ¢ There are two identical pulldowns for¢ D1: and D2:, both of which allow¢ inserting a disk, saving an image,¢ selecting single or enhanced density,¢ and a choice called "protected" which¢ Chris doesn't explain. The Reboot¢ pulldown allows you to either reboot¢ or reinitialize. However, there are¢ boxes that pop up on the preview¢ version when you select an¢ unsupported feature, informing you¢ that you have to wait for the full¢ version. C'mon, Chris! I want to¢ see that shareware version come out!¢¢ Mike Hill's Pokey emulator has also¢ gone through several versions in the¢ short time it's been out. What's¢ more, although Mike's sound samples¢ have gone into Markus's emulator,¢ Mike has also come up with a design¢ for a board that should come closest¢ to emulating real Atari sound. The¢ board fits into the parallel port on¢ the back of the clone, and has an¢ external cable that plugs into your¢ sound card. On the board are three¢ chips and some assorted small parts. ¢ And one of those chips is a genuine¢ Pokey sound chip! If demand is high¢ enough, Mike is going to produce¢ cards that can go into an internal¢ slot in the clone. Furthermore, he's¢ hard at work incorporating¢ SoundBlaster compatibility into¢ Pokey, as well as printer support. A¢ new version should be out as you read¢ this.¢¢ The performance of Pokey on the¢ screen has to be seen to be believed.¢ The action is smooth and the¢ resolution is almost as sharp as that¢ in Rainbow '95, but Pokey runs full-¢ screen and Rainbow 795, at least in¢ the preview, only runs in a small¢ window. Joystick support is solid. ¢ However, in order to get these¢ results, Mike has had to do something¢ to the BASIC and Atari Dos screens¢ that some of us might not consider¢ absolutely pure. He has the familiar¢ blue background, but the text is in¢ an interesting, if clashing, bright¢ green. Get used to it. The rest of¢ the emulator's performance is worth¢ well the slight departure from¢ authenticity.¢¢ I regret that I won't be able to¢ write about Rainbow for Mac at this¢ time. Perhaps I can add a small note¢ about it in the next installment,¢ which should describe SIO2PC and¢ A.P.E. You see, I have this great¢ friend with a Mac, but his wife likes¢ to travel ...¢¢¢ o=o=o=o=o=¢¢¢¢
