Technical Information website

[Magic Knight]

Hi folks,

I've knocked up a quick website with details of the X68000's hardware. I mostly did it because I couldn't find any details regarding how to format hard disks, so I figured I could do it myself for others.

For the moment it's obviously incomplete and I want to add more, so if you have suggestions as to what you would like to see with regards to either hardware or software, please let me know. Email address is on the site.

Also, if someone can verify that the hard disk format process is correct that would be great.

Kind regards

[Lawrence]

A lot of what you've got was already listed on my X68000 page:

http://nfggames.com/games/x68k/

I like the game list, that's a great idea. 

At the risk of sounding grabby, I think what you've got would be a great wiki project, so more people could add to it.  It just so happens I've got a wiki... 

[Lawrence]

AUGH FUCK I just lost an hour's worth of edits 'cause I'm some sort of idiot.  <cries>

[Lawrence]

Here's what I've got so far:

http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000

^ that's the 2nd attempt.  I think the first had more stuff, but...  Fucked if I remember what it was.

I do have some stuff to add to it: comparisons of X68 ports vs other systems (Galaga, GnG, Strider).  I think a good thing to add to your games list is 15/31kHz options for a game.  It's nice to know what it boots into, and whether you can change it.

Nearly 1am.  Time for bed.

[SteveP25]

The HD format info is useful, wish I would of had that when I got my SASI drive.  It took me several tries to get it to format 

[Magic Knight]

Here's what I've got so far:

http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000

^ that's the 2nd attempt.  I think the first had more stuff, but...  Fucked if I remember what it was.

I do have some stuff to add to it: comparisons of X68 ports vs other systems (Galaga, GnG, Strider).  I think a good thing to add to your games list is 15/31kHz options for a game.  It's nice to know what it boots into, and whether you can change it.

Nearly 1am.  Time for bed.

Thanks for the suggestions, if you like you can copy my stuff into your wiki, it's easiest for me to update my own site and then you can take what you like. Many thanks for your site, by the way, it helped me in choosing which machine to go for (nearly bought a Compact model, oops).

I working on a big game spreadsheet, which gives the names of the games in Japanese and
English (translation can be tricky, as you know) and the publisher name. Because I can't confirm other details without owning the games, I haven't put them up. When I have a substantial number of games translated I might add that too. I'm up to about 370 games right now. My list of games I own is obviously verified.

I'll get started on the 15/24/31kHz and resolution options for each game now. Later today I have to collect a Cyberstick and some more games from the post office. Happy days...

[Lawrence]

370 X68 games?  You must be buying ALL of them.  I stuck to the action games.  I'm only missing like 3 now.  =)

A lot of what you're trying to do has already been complied by the TOSEC crew.  Here's a tip for you: It's CUEB Runner, not CUBE Runner.

Oh, and the controller adaptor in Street Fighter II' does not support SNES controllers, just MegaDrive and the CPS.  Afterburner also supports the CyberStick and the Micomsoft analogue pad.  Gempai Toumaden did not ALL have the flag.  Also, some Dragon Spirits had a flag, and AfterBurner came with a foam-rubber mousepad.

[Magic Knight]

Oh, I don't have 370 games, that's just the list of translations I've done. The only games I have are the ones mentioned on the site now, my idea was to just compile a list of Japanese to English translations to help people if looking on Yahoo! Auctions etc., but I probably could leave out hundreds of them, i.e. the ones people wouldn't be interested in.

Yeah, Cueb Runner is a great name, it's a bit like in Marble Madness where marble is repeatedly spely mable and muncher has become munchr.

I'll update the site with the corrections you've listed, many thanks for them, most of them were oversights as I was in a hurry.

Thanks,
Magic Knight

[Magic Knight]

I've finally got around to updating my list of games on my site.

I've added in more games that I have bought to the list. It now includes details regarding the default video mode plus extra available modes and how to use them (if not through a menu). As far as I can tell, the only games on the list that don't use 31kHz are Space Harrier and Code Zero, but if anyone knows differently, please let me know.

Thanks Lawrence for your suggestions, I think I've added them all. You say you've bought all of the action games, how many are there by your reckoning? I'm only interested in action games (mostly arcade conversions) too, except maybe Maison Ikkoku, though prices on Yahoo! Auctions seem very high. Which three games are you missing?

Kind regards,
David

[Lawrence]

The only games I think I'm missing that I still want to buy are...

Code Zero
Star Trader
Fairyland Story
Mid Garts ( I always thought this was an RPG, heh)

There are some games on your list I don't have, for one reason or another:

Some games I kinda want.  Either had them and sold them, or don't want them enough to really try:
Naious (had it, sold it)
Bosconian (had it, sold it)

Action titles I've owned, sold, and don't ever want to see again, but noticed on your list:
Ajax (3 button game, 2 button controller, sucks!)
Gemini Wing (Wow, it's so bad)

Not sure if I still have Scorpius, New Zealand Story or not.  I've also owned most of the early SPS games released by Sharp, like Syvalion, Vollyball etc.  They're pretty asstastic.  Not sure if I still own Salamander either...

Some games I have that you don't:
Final Zone
Atomic Robo Kid
Bomberman
Nectaris (not action, but still awesome)
Ys III
Tetris
Star Force
Return of Ishtar
Quarth
Queen of Duellists
Pinball Pinball
Flappy 2
Dynamite Duke



Games I wish I still had:
Carat
Cyber Block Metal Orange EX

Games that suck:
Barusa's Revenge (shittiest castlevania-alike ever made)

[Magic Knight]

I think Star Trader was Takeru only, from looking at some Japanese websites, though maybe I'm wrong.

Code Zero is pretty good, only got it today! Fairyland Story is pretty much exactly the same as the arcade pcb, though the sound is a bit out (I have the pcb here).

Mid Garts drives me crazy though, because it takes so long to start a game, especially after ending a previous game. Lots of loading, intro and speech to get through. There's no installing to hard disk either. The box is enormous, as is the 96-page manual. Probably the biggest game box I've ever seen.

I'll eventually buy most of the games you have that I don't from Yahoo! Auctions and the like, I'm getting married soon so I have to buy a few at a time and sneak them in gradually. When I bought my X68000 with monitor, games and everything else, I told her I wasn't sure how much it had cost, maybe 10,000 yen or something like that... she likes it now though, maybe because it's a real computer and not just a console.

I saw Barusa's Revenge for 3000 yen somewhere, guess I won't waste my time on it.

David

[Lawrence]

Star Trader is Takeru-only.  I've half a mind to get the PC98 box and slap an X68000 sticker on it.  =)

Code Zero's a really average Raiden ripoff, IMO.  Never got very far, but the completist in me wants a copy anyway.

And yeah, Barusa's complete shit.  In the first level, the very first SCREEN, you're on a boat, right?  It's rapidly rising and falling with the water, but...  The characters on the boat don't move with it.  They somehow stay completely still while the boat rapidly rocks around them.  Tragic.

[Magic Knight]

>>Star Trader is Takeru-only.  I've half a mind to get the PC98 box and slap an X68000 sticker
>>on it.  =)

That's actually what Wolf Team did with Mid-Garts! They took the PC98 box, put an X68000 sticker on it and inside inserted a sheet of paper with the extra details for the X68000 "Gold" version. The main manual does't mention the X68000, only the PC88, PC98 and MSX2 versions.
The PC88 and MSX2 boxes are different though, they're a lot smaller.

[Lawrence]

It's actually pretty common practice.  They did it with the Atari 800/Commodore 64/Apple II/etc, they did it with the ST/Amiga...  It's why I figure it's OK to do it with Star Trader.  =)

[Magic Knight]

Yes, I remember most of my games in the eighties used generic covers for all formats, the companies used to squeeze in instructions for every machine, sometimes in a few languages, onto just the cassette inlay. Indeed I have games which have more than one format included on the cassette. I guess that's one reason why I like the X68000, it works just like the PC I had at the time but a lot better.

[Computolio]

    In the hard drive instructions, it mentions that you have to change the machine's SCSI ID to the same ID the hard drive uses. This can't be right, can it? I've never seen a SCSI-based computer work like that.

[Magic Knight]

Hi,

yes, I've just had a look, and indeed it's slightly wrong. It should say that the SCSI_ID value should be the same as that for the SCSI interface card, rather than the hard drive. I'll change it soon.

Many thanks,
David

[Magic Knight]

I've finally gotten around to putting some pictures up on my site.