Hey Folks,
Now I have a IIgs I was looking around for games. I noticed all the dedicated IIgs games I could easily find were in 800k disk format. Am I correct in thinking all IIgs games were issues in 800k format?
I have a BMOW FloppyEmu on the way, so this issue will be moot, but at the moment I'm limited to 5¼ disks (DuoDisk) so I guess no Apple IIgs games for me :-)
Chesh
I think the IIgs version of Tetris was on the B-side of the IIe disk.
I don't think so ;-)
Tetris sticker
Tetrie 3.5 disk
I heard there was a very small bit of software available on CD-rom for the IIgs.
Ah, you are right. It's the 48k version that's on the b-side, and I appear to be missing my IIgs disk. Oh well, I can't stand Tetris anyway. XD
It was more clever than that. Both 'versions' of Tetris use the same game code the same code, with some //gs detection built in. If it detected a //gs, it ran the //gs code with enhanced gfx and sound; otherwise it ran the //c-//e version. As much of the code was identical, only the rubroutines for gfx and sound needed to be called differently. All of the game logic was identical.
Tetris was also one of the few titles that adjusted itself to run in the same way with multiple CPU clock cycles. It should run the same on a //gs, //c+, or earlier Apple ][ machine, based on some clever detection mechanics. I can test this on my //c+ if someone wishes.
No //gs specific software shipped on 5.25 diskettes, that I have ever seen.
You've confirmed my suspicion.
Guess I'll wait for my EmuFloppy before I can use the IIgs in native mode :-)
Chesh
Do you mean FloppyEmu, or is an EmuFloppy something new?
The //gs version of Tetris does not fit on a 5.25 disk because the additional synth music takes up too much space. I wish that I could be of more help, but post to Australia is expensive from any other continent. I can have both versions of Tetris sent to you, but you also said that you hate the game. :shrug:
FWIW, The Apple II version of Tetris suffers from early-version block drop. That is, you cann;t speed up block fall, only cause blocks to instantly fall. The original Japanese BPS version was the same. This was not changed until the Gameboy, and the Atari versions of the game. There is a very good ColecoVision port too, but I have not seen a good Apple II port that has the speedup, but not instant drop, feature, which IMO is critical to the game.
That said, I can play the BPS and early computer renditions, but it slows the pace of the game substantially. I may not be Woz level at Tetris, but I was an extremely excellent competitive player in the 1980s and 1990s. I had more than one regional title for it. I also enjoy similar gamesa such as DeBlock and Welltris. In fact, Welltris is an often overlooked gem.
As an extra note, even with a floppy emulator, you will probably want at least one 800K drive in the future. Quite a lot of disk swapping is required otherwise. I would suggest some form of mass sotrage, be it a ZIP drive on a SCSI controller (mod needed for Apple SCSI boards), or a modern device such as the ReActive Micro Drive. The //gs honestly performs poorly without either two disk drives and GS/OS 4.x, or a mass storage device and GS/OS 5.x (or above).
20201102_213719.jpg
That is my development setup. Note a few things here: I have an extended ADB KB on it as I am repairing my smaller KBs. I have a SuperDrive controller and two 1.44MB drives, two 5.25 drives, one 800K drive, and a Floppy Emu; and a SCSI controller (Apple Super SCSI with DMA, modified), with a ZIP 100. This is a 10MHz TransWarp system.
I use this to develop software and hardware, so I need all of this kit, but you can see the general suntanning from it being in our old company office for years You can also see the hand-written FDHD labels on the drive mechs, as we replaced the 51W with 75W mechs internally.
Don't worry about the boardsa laying out. Those all tested bad and are sitting there until I can repair them. You can also see a suntanned Mac monitor (from an LC or Quadra/Centris) above. That is literally how bad many of our office systems yellowed over thirty years. This //gs is somewhere in-between, with some parts affected less than others. The one stand out part is the 5.25 drive from our old Platinum //e.
That //gs is a ROM 01 system with 4MB of RAM, should anyone care. My ROM 03 was stolen, but IMo the ROM 01 is more solid and compatible. I could upgrade to 8MB+, but I have never seen the need to do that. It has a stereo sound card, the super SCSI card, the SuperDrive card and an AE RAM card, and an internal Fan. I used to have a //gs cooler unit (System Saver //gs), but it was damaged and I need to replace it. It is still running on a stock, original PSU, with no issues in 34 years. :)
This IIgs is really only going to be used for games. I haven't even upgraded the stock memory. No plans to run anything business app on it.
And, yes It's a BMOW FloppyEmu. No idea where I got EmuFloppy from. (I have too many different computers, these days. I might have been thinking of a Gotek solution for the BBC master system)
Cheers!
Chesh
Once you have a FloppyEmu, you should be able to do far more, but you willl still want mass storage, in the long term.
My advivce is to get a Reactive Microdrive, in (slot 7), then install 6.0.4, and finally run your games.
Why would you need a Microdrive if you have a FloppyEmu? The FE can emulate a 32MB bootable smartport harddrive. Infact, I believe you can mount up to 4 harddrive images at once. Can't you just use CiderPress to "install" the 3.5" floppies onto a hard drive image with GSOS on it and then boot the image and launch the games from there? Of course, only aquring my IIgs earlier this year, I'm fairly new to to it. And I may be missing something here.
Thats a pretty obvious answer, If he is using the Floppy EMU as a smartport 32mb hard drive he cant use it for a floppy drive anymore. So the microdrive gives him a hard drive while the floppy emu remains his floppy drive. ITs a valid configuration.
I never said it wasn't valid. But if you copy the 3.5s to the hard drive, that greatly reduces if not eliminates the need for a FE in 3.5 mode (or a real 3.5) while you use the hard drive.
He may not know how to do that. Im not sure i know how to modify a 32MB smartport hdd partition.. Ciderpress? Either way he cannot do it from the device while using it. And having a IIgs with NO 3.5" drive will be too limited. He is better off using the Floppy EMU as a floppy drive.
Ill be honest I have only used the smart port option of my floppy EMU a couple times. Its just not useful for me between my Apple II, LISA, and MAC things. Maybe I will more when I get a floppy Emy model C, Which I have wanted since they started releasing new items like the daisy chainer, etc.
I want to play the occasional Apple II game. If some are also Apple IIgs games, great!
I can't see myself spending too much more on Apple additions, when I could be spending them on either more systems (Looking at an Amstrad CPC464 next) or peripherals for said systems.
To be blunt, peripherals for Apple systems are significantly more expensive than for other systems. I may buy a mockingboard or clone, just so I can have nicer sound, but I can't see myself buying an additional storage solution. It may seem heretical, but I'm aiming for breadth of collection, not depth.
Once I have a CPC and an Archimedes and a nice array of peripherals for them, I might revisit options for the IIgs. Until then, I'll prioritise the things that get me the most "fun" bang for buck.
Cheers!
Chesh
There is absolutely no way to do this without a physical 2.5 drive, without a lot of nonsense using emulators. The FloppyEMu boots up in one of three modes: SmartPort HDD (hardcoded to use specific filenames), 3.5 drive more, or 5.25 drive mode. You can not shift its operational type without powering off the //gs. THis means that you cannot boot into a //gs GS/OS image on the FloppyEMy, then load a disk image. It is simply not a capability of the device!!!
So, with only a floppy emu, no real disk drives, no real HDD (or simulated HDD), it is a mess. Further, SmartPort HDD mode is painfully slow compared to pretty much anything else. The Vulcan is faster, SCSI is faster than that, and the MicroDrive is faster still. As the //gs was intentionally crippled, every performance gain counts.