Subject: COMP.EMULATORS.CBM: Emulation FAQ for Commodore 8bit Computers (4/4)
8. Credits.
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If anyone has a better description for any of these emulators then send me a copy, also if you know of any other emulators or ftp sites then send me them as well so that I can update the information.
Is any one out there thinking of making an emulator for a machine other than a C64. (eg C128, VIC20, Plus4, C16, PET) I will add this to the list also.
Thanks to:
All the emulator authors
- For writing your emulator;
All the utility authors
- For writing your utility! :)
frodo, lennon, funet, etc.
- For keeping the emulators and stuff online!
Jim Sloan : jsloan@u.washington.edu
- For posting the rom extraction routines on
comp.sys.cbm.
Jouko Valta : jopi@stekt.oulu.fi
- For sending me some documentation on the ATARI-ST
emulator, the rom extraction routines, and comments.
- For pointing out some German ftp sites & c64alive emu.
Eli Mackenzie : eli.mackenzie@fleming.edu
Fredrik Ekman : D91FE@rby.hk-r.se
Eric Brown : brown@sme.siemens.com
- For info on Pet emulators
Caronni : caronni@tik.ethz.ch
- For SX-64 rom information.
Per Olofsson : cl3polof@cling.gu.se
- For info on A64 emulator.
Marko Samuli Makela : Marko.Makela@hut.fi
- For PET 64 aka 4064 aka Educator 64 kernel rom
differences
- For writing the C64 Kernal ROM revision section.
Wolfgang Lorenz
- For the program and description of emulator detection.
- For answering so many questions.
Paul David Doherty (h0142kdd@fx2800.rz.hu-berlin.de)
- For posting the detection program and suggestions for
standard file formats for the emulators.
Guntram Blohm (blohm@mathematik.uni-ulm.de)
- For description of the P00 file format and converting
it.
Kevin Brisley (kbrisley@tsegw.tse.com)
- For description of the T64 file format and converting
it.
Michael Schwendt (3schwend@informatik.uni-hamburg.de)
- For the excellant new intro to SID emulators.
And extra special thanks to:
Peter Weighill - stuce@csv.warwick.ac.uk
- For all the hard work he put into getting this FAQ
going.
- For all the hard work he puts in to providing updates
to the information presented here. :)
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Appendices:
The things that don't really belong in the body of the faq, such as:
A. Reviews:
Lengthier comments about particular emulators, as they come to
hand.
These may, or may not, be "biased"! You are invited to add to or
correct what is here.
1. PC64
2. A64 V3
3. C64S (commercial)
4. PlaySID V3.0
5. PC64 vs C64S
6. AXF-64.a16
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1. PC64
This review was deleted at the request of the emulator author, as it contained outdated information. He has, however, provided some additional information for the Q&A section. A "new" review would be most welcome!
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2. A64 V3.
Review 1:
Review by:
James O. Shank Jr. HEE! v131p9t3@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
AKA: Ninstar Cybermage I or shank@acsu.buffalo.edu
Black Phoenix Rising... A or aa247@freenet.acsu.buffalo.edu
as posted in comp.sys.cbm, 16 Jun 1994.
I've recently had the opportunity to play around with a copy of A64 V3.
I've found that alot of programs run. Not necessarily as well as on a c64, and slow, but alot more programs work than under version 2. On the other hand, some programs which worked fine under version 2 (times of lore, for example) do not work under version 3 because the graphics emulation, though faster, does not handle multiple graphics banks very well. Those of you who know alot about graphics are going "Uh-Oh" right now, but the problem doesn't seem to appear in all that many programs. One thing I've noticed is that the graphics Emulation runs a bit slower than the rest of the emulator at times, which means that if you play something very complicated, like a flight simulator, the input will be processed faster than the graphics, meaning that you can make a 90 degree angle turn between two frames.
The convert software can solve alot of these problems by skipping the middle man where processing is concerned, and speeding up things by letting the Amiga do the work without the emulations help. It basically looks for the densest blocks of code and converts them into Amiga assembly language.
Whenever the program tries to emulate a block that was translated, it executes the Amiga block instead. Under V2, this was a long and complicated process that most people lacked the expertise to perform, as you had to search through the assembly language yourself and tell the computer which blocks it had to convert. Under version 3, the entire process is automated, allowing you to load a memory map, tell the computer to convert it, and watch it go. I like the results I've had thus far, though I lack the memory(stock amiga 600) to do any large programs. The code files tend to be large.
The sound emulation is much better. Under version 2, you needed an accelerated machine to get decent sound and often the sound was horrible anyway. Under V3, the sound is still distorted by speed at times, but the tones and sounds are mostly right on the money. If the program doesn't do a great deal of other processing, the sound is nearly perfect. Sidplayer, for example, was great, running almost up to speed with graphics and at speed without. Sidplayer can run at speed with graphics on if you boost the CIA rate, but occasionally the graphics will cause timing problems which make a note last a little too long or too short, etc.
Advice: Run A64 on an accelerated machine if possible. Though it is possible to get enjoyment from games on a slower machine if you fiddle with the settings long enough and use convert, having an accelerated machine will make your life easier. If you're going to be using C64 roms and converting alot, then you may want to pick up an extra Meg of Memory. 2 Meg should be enough, though you can emulate the ram expanders if you have 3 or four 8-). (one Meg ram disk on a C64, who would have thought 8-) ).
The A64 Package is a hardware and software product. The hardware consists of a small box which has a male DB25 and 8 pin DIN connectors along with some special circuitry. This box connects to your parallel port and allows you to connect Commodore 8-bit serial peripherals such as the 15XX series disk drives and printers.
NEVER PLUG THE INTERFACE INTO YOUR AMIGA WHILE THE AMIGA IS TURNED ON.
You could damage your Amiga and peripherals by doing so. If you have an Amiga 1000 you will require an additional cable specifically made to connect A500/2000 devices to an A1000 parallel port.
The hardware interface can stay plugged in at all times without interfering with any programs on your Amiga as long as they do not use the parallel port. If you want to use your parallel port with some other pieces of hardware like a printer or digitizer, you must either remove the hardware interface and install the other device or use an A-B switch box (Centronics parallel with female connectors).
The software is a collection of Amiga programs which lets you access and run C64 software. The main program, A64, is the Commodore 64 emulator.
The other programs allow you to transfer files between the C64 and Amiga disks (with 15XX disk drives).
After you install The A64 Package and run the A64 program, you will notice that the BASIC startup screen is different from that of a real C64. This is because the Commodore 64 ROMs (two computer chips located inside a real C64 which contain the operating system) are not present in A64. The C64 ROMs are not included because they are copyrighted by Commodore. The A64 contains a complete C64 ROM emulation which allows A64 to run most C64 programs. A64 ROM emulation is very compatible with the C64 ROMs, but there may be some C64 programs that will not run because of the lack of real C64 ROMs. The A64 Package utilities includes a C64 BASIC program which can be transferred to a real C64 via a 15XX disk drive connected to the A64 hardware interface. This program when run on the C64 will dump the C64 ROMs to a file which can then be transferred back to the Amiga and used in the A64 emulation.
A64 is a complete Commodore 64 emulator. Sound, graphics, BASIC and machine language are all emulated. A64 fully integrates with the Amiga by allowing you to use Amiga disk drives, hard drives, ram drives, printers and modems.
A64 operates in two modes: Pause Mode and C64 Mode. When in Pause Mode, you have access to the A64 Prefs (preferences) and A64Mon (machine language monitor). The current C64 program that A64 is running will be paused. Pause Mode gives you complete access to the Amiga system, and multitasking is completely functional. The C64 Mode runs the C64 program. In C64 mode you do not have access to the Amiga system. Multitasking is not disabled, but A64 controls a majority of the Amiga system. To enter Pause mode from C64 Mode, press the two ALT keys simultaneously.
A64 emulation speed will depend on the program you are running and the type of microprocessor that your Amiga uses. On 68000 based Amigas, A64 is not capable of running all programs at usable speed. Accelerated Amigas can see emulation speeds over 300%. Most games will not run over 100% no matter how fast your Amiga is.
I've done most of my evaluation of A64 with public domain software. I have been able to run everything I can throw at it. I do enjoy browsing the ABCUG user group monthly C64 public domain program disk.
A great deal of effort was spent trying to make the A64 as compatible as possible. The biggest problem with compatibility is related to disk I/O and custom disk drive routines. Custom disk drive routines "Fast Loaders" are extremely time critical and must run at exactly 100% speed in order to function properly. "Fast Loaders" vary from program to program. The only way to emulate "Fast Loaders" is to write a custom loader for each program which is impossible since there are hundreds of variations. A64 V3.0 supports some "Fast Loaders" using Patch Files. There are Patch Files for ISEPICed archived programs, SID/PIC V3.4, SIDPlayer, and GEOS. (GEOS is supported only on 68000 Amigas and 1541/1571 disk drives because of the time-critical nature of the GEOS operating system.)
One method of speeding up A64 emulation is to convert the C64 program from 6510 opcodes to 68000 opcodes. This has the potential to double your emulation speed. This is accomplished with a utility called "CONVERT".
The CONVERT utility converts C64 machine language into Amiga machine language. This conversion process eliminates a lot of work the A64 has do while running the emulation.
A64Tools is the file transfer and file conversion utility. It allows you to copy, convert and print files using any combination of Amiga and C64 disk drives and printers. Text files can easily be converted between PetASCII and ASCII. Amiga drives only support PRG and SEQ files under A64 emulation. ":" and "/" are illegal characters for Amiga filenames. When A64Tools encounters on of these characters in a filename, the character will automatically be changed to a "-".
As an original A64 V2.0 registered user, I am impressed with the enhanced SID chip support, increased speed and compatibility. I also welcome the addition of Patch Files for "Fast Loader" support along with support for GEOS. It was worth the $25 upgrade fee.
DOCUMENTATION
Documentations consists of a professionally printed softbound manual. It has an extensive index and table of contents. The manual assumes that you are familiar with the basic operation of the Amiga and the terms used to describe it. The manual also assumes you are familiar with the basic use of the Commodore 64.
LIKES AND DISLIKES
I like the professionally bound manual.
I like the patch file support.
I like the improved SID support.
I dislike the software not working in native AGA graphic mode.
I would like to see 1581 emulation using native Amiga disk drives.
CONCLUSIONS
I enjoy the ability to emulate other computers. As Newsletter Editor the ABCUG user group which supports the Amiga and Commodore 64/128 computer users, I find A64 a valuable tool for reviewing C64 public domain software and writing tutorials for the monthly newsletter. Understanding the limitations of software emulation, I give this product **** (4 out of 5 stars).
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright 1994 Joseph F. Korczynski. All rights reserved.
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3. C64S commercial.
Reviews by:
1. Paul David Doherty (h0142kdd@fx2800.rz.hu-berlin.de)
As posted in comp.emulators.cbm,4 Jul 1994.
2. Robert Rusbasan (rrusbasa@nyx10.cs.du.edu)
As posted in comp.emulators.cbm, 20 Jun 1994.
Review 1. by Paul David Doherty.
I have spent an hour testing software which didn't work with the 0.9x versions of C64S, and none of them works with the 1.0c demo version, so I'd say that compatibility has not improved much. There are lots of cosmetic changes, but the emulator core seems to be the same as in the 0.9 versions.
Some games I have tested:
- Fahrenheit 451 (with copy protection AND fastloader removed)
= doesn't work
- Critical Mass (adventure) = the graphics are still messed up, no
matter whether I chose NTSC or PAL mode
- Masquerade = still doesn't show the pictures
A new feature (?) seems to be a requester "CPU JAM AT ... : PRESS ANY KEY" which pops up with some games (Mask of the Sun, Amnesia) instead of crashing the emulator. However, C64S still crashes pretty often (and this means that neither will CTRL-ALT-INS reset the emulator, nor will you be able to leave it with CTRL-PAUSE, nor will you be able to reset your PC with CTRL-ALT-DEL! The only way out is the reset button.)
This never happens with MC64/C64NEU, and it's a shame that Miha wasn't able to fix it. (As a rule of thumb, whenever "DISK IO" appears in the lower right corner of the screen you can press the reset button :-)
Games which crashed totally in the above described way:
- Infocom games (only if you use the fastloader)
- Buckaroo Banzai
- Fantastic Four (if you use the fastloader)
- Lane Mastodon (and the other InfoComics)
To put it straight, I don't expect C64S to support fastloaders (yet), but it shouldn't crash and lock up the PC. Besides, some of the games that don't work run flawlessly on MC64 (Lane Mastodon, Fahrenheit 451), so it's not just a fast loader issue.
All in all, I'm not terribly impressed. If others found significant compatibility improvements, maybe they could post their experiences.
Review 2. by Robert Rusbasan.
Although I have generally preferred the C64NEU emulator, I got my tax return today and thought I'd call Seattle Lab and give them a chance to talk me into getting their commercial version of C64S.
I was generally pleased with what I heard.
The person I talked with seemed competent enough. When I told him that I had been impressed but also frustrated by the public version of C64S that Miha had released, he assured me that they have made a *lot* of changes. He said the pre-beta releases and the commercial release were "like night and day".
I told him that I couldn't get my analog joystick to work, and the keyboard
