(http://i.imgur.com/UK62eah.jpg)
Howdy!
Version 1.5 of the PC98 HDD image is now available! Release date: 20 June 2014
Give Caius some praise for working hard to improve the V1.0 image!
http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1_5.zip (http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1_5.zip)
V1.5 Updates by Caius:
*FILMNT Filer (DOS SHELL) added for easier navigation
*33 total games installed
A little about the original V1.0 image this is based on:
Version 1.0 was created as a BASELINE IMAGE configured for games. NEC's version MS-DOS 6.2 is installed, as well as about 12 games. The goal was to create a compatible and generic image, therefore things like CD-ROM drivers or other specialty drivers are not installed.
This was created on a real NEC PC-9821Cs2. For some reason, my PC98 refuses to format a partition larger than about 450MB. I have no idea why this is, but as such, there is a lot of unused space on this image than can be easily formatted and partitioned using FDISK or HDFORMAT.
I created the original version 1.0 image to kickstart the PC-98 hobbyist scene, and allow creative minds to continue to improve upon this image by adding more software and features.
How to write the image to CF, or view contents?
Obviously you will need Winimage, but the details on what you need to do to view the contents using DiskExplorer are posted below. Select "Manual HD", then "search" to gather the correct sector information, then select your partition.
(http://i.imgur.com/kK3p2h5.png)
What does my PC-98 need for this to run?
Well, that's where YOU come in! I've tested it with as little as 5MB of RAM, and as much as 36MB. All games seemed to work properly. You'll want at least a 486SX processor.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU HAVE YOUR GDC CLOCK SET TO 2.5MHz, AND CONVENTIONAL MEMORY SET IN THE BIOS (640K + Extended).
To enter the BIOS, hold the "HELP" key while powering on the machine.
Will this work in an emulator?
Maybe. I know Anex86 won't boot from it. Just buy the real thing :)
I appreciate any contributions that are made to this image, including adding additional games, translations, utilities, etc...
IF YOU RUN THIS ON A REAL PC-98, PLEASE POST YOUR EXPERIENCES HERE
PLACEHOLDER:
Confirmed Hardware compatibility
PC-9801
PC-9821
PC-9821Cs2
PC-9821Ce2
PC-98NOTE (laptop)
Epson 98 Clones
Thanks for putting this together, Rob!
No idea when my PC98 is due to arrive (it's coming by boat, apparently), but I'll give this a spin once it does.
Excellent work RobIvy64 !
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
Hi RobIvy64,
I succesfully converted you image to .HDI format usable by various emulators (T98-Next, Neko Project II and Anex86).All games work fine except for Flame Zapper Kotsujin, I got an error regarding EMS and NAX3 in all three emulators.
Anyway, now I'm trying to add more games but HDD installation is more tricky than X68000.
Then I got some issues converting some .FDD disk image to .FDI (like Galaga for example), I use Virtual Floppy Converter.Some time the conversion is successful but when I try the image the emulator doesn't detect it and when I try to open it with DiskExplorer it finds no partition.
RobIvy64, are the games you installed in your HDD all .HDI originally?I'm trying to understand if it's possible to HDD install also floppy disk images like we do on X68000.
Some were HDI, and some were FDI. HDI is pretty easy as most games will simply copy over to a folder. FDI can be more difficult.
Some games in both formats require that you install the game for it to work.
As for the Flame Zapper error, you don't have conventional (640K) + Extended memory configured correctly. NAX.COM is the FM audio driver, and it requires conventional memory to allocate it's memory space.
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 17, 2014, 05:04:10 AM
Some were HDI, and some were FDI. HDI is pretty easy as most games will simply copy over to a folder. FDI can be more difficult.
Some games in both formats require that you install the game for it to work.
As for the Flame Zapper error, you don't have conventional (640K) + Extended memory configured correctly. NAX.COM is the FM audio driver, and it requires conventional memory to allocate it's memory space.
Which are the memory requirements for Flame Zapper?If I'm not wrong memory is well configured under emulators but it didn't work the same.
Regarding installing FDI images, just to do some practice I'm now trying to install Ulamander (a clone of Salamander) but I can't to make it working.
Is there any way to convert this strange .FDD disk images to proper usable .FDI ones?Virtual Floopy Converter did not do the job.
For example, try to convert the attached Galaga.
P.S.
If you give me the OK, I could upload your image usable under emulators.
Flame Zapper just needs 1MB of extended memory.
I dont mind if you post the HDI image.
QuoteThen I got some issues converting some .FDD disk image to .FDI (like Galaga for example), I use Virtual Floppy Converter.Some time the conversion is successful but when I try the image the emulator doesn't detect it and when I try to open it with DiskExplorer it finds no partition.
I found no way to convert this disk image type at moment.
1.) Virtual98 (SOLTIN software) support this format
2.) The disk image was created with an older version of Virtual Floppy Drive
3.) No DOS format (Galaga)
OK.I will post your image.
Regarding the memor management, is is possible to change the setting under MS-DOS (with a sort of 'SWITCH.EXE' like we do on X68000)?640KB is the default for conventional memory?Is it possible to expand it?
Anyway, changing the amount of conventional + EMS memory under emulators has no effect and Flame Zapper still doesn't run.
Besides I found this page dedicated to the PC-9821AP2 but I'm lost in this sea of informations.In particular I'd be interested in expanding my upcoming PC-9821AP2/U8W by adding more RAM or accelerator cards.
For example are these cards useful? I think tey are for expanding only the EMS memory.
http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h184808095 (http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h184808095)
http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u62922115 (http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u62922115)
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w95257909 (http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w95257909)
And these for conventinoal memory only?
http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d155293391 (http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d155293391)
http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n137634822 (http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n137634822)
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w87272731 (http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w87272731)
And these ones???I'm going crazy... ???
http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g135845161 (http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g135845161)
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w96284653 (http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w96284653)
QuoteAnyway, changing the amount of conventional + EMS memory under emulators has no effect and Flame Zapper still doesn't run.
It is running well on NP21. I am not talking about the real hardware.
(http://s7.directupload.net/images/140617/qr2biy4v.png) (http://www.directupload.net)
Quote from: AnnaWu on June 17, 2014, 06:02:02 PM
It is running well on NP21. I am not talking about the real hardware.
Yes, the standalone image works well but not the installation made by RobIvy64 in his image.Download his image and try yourself.
Quote from: AnnaWu on June 17, 2014, 05:35:20 PM
I found no way to convert this disk image type at moment.
1.) Virtual98 (SOLTIN software) support this format
2.) The disk image was created with an older version of Virtual Floppy Drive
3.) No DOS format (Galaga)
Yes, I noticed me too that Virtual98 is the only emulator that supports these early .FDD disk images.I want to try if it's possible to extract files under MS-DOS loaded in Virtual98.Anyway, this attached is another strange image
QuoteYes, the standalone image works well but not the installation made by RobIvy64 in his image.Download his image and try yourself.
No need. ; )
Caius, on the real hardware, you enter the BIOS by pressing the "HELP" key. I'm not sure what the equivalent would be on an emulator. There are many options for adjusting memory settings. I'll snap a pic of my BIOS and post it.
I'm not sure about the AP2, but my PC-98 uses 72-pin PARITY RAM. Fairly easy to find. The older C-Bus expansion cards are for the early 9801s.
OK.
I presume you were referring tho this CPU as upgrade for my upcoming PC-9821AP2:
http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f140483839 (http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f140483839)
This 72pin expansion shoud fit well also.
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b158182314 (http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b158182314)
I'd wait and get the machine first before buying memory. Mine uses 72-pin, but yours might not.
I'd also wait on upgrading the CPU until you know what expansion options you have. If it supports 3.45V CPUs, you could simply drop in a DX4 or AMD 5x86.
If not, you'd need one of those ODP.
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 18, 2014, 01:40:36 AM
I'd wait and get the machine first before buying memory. Mine uses 72-pin, but yours might not.
I'd also wait on upgrading the CPU until you know what expansion options you have. If it supports 3.45V CPUs, you could simply drop in a DX4 or AMD 5x86.
If not, you'd need one of those ODP.
Ah, sure the ODP is TTL.Maybe I could find some surprise inside like it happened for my FM-TOWNSII MX, I found on it the Overdrive board with a DX4100 (which I replaced with a AMD 586×133) and 70MB of RAM installed!
Here are my settings for memory allocation, DMA, CPU
(http://i.imgur.com/lyaKnyz.jpg)
Thanks for the screenshot, it's interesting to see how each different manifacturer (Fujitsu, Sharp, NEC) though of BIOS of its machines.
Anyway, here is your image in .HDI format usable by the T98-NEXT, Neko Project II and Anex86 emulators:
http://nfggames.com/x68000/Uploads/PC98HDDV1.zip (http://nfggames.com/x68000/Uploads/PC98HDDV1.zip)
I added the filer FILMTN and three new games:
Galaxian (PC-88 emulation so a bit crappy)
Marble Madness (need mouse on real hardware)
Kemesis ( a Nemesis clone)
After the boot the image will go straight into FILMTN filer program, here is a short overview of the main function keys (sorry for missing translation but I'm not good in japanese..):
- ［Ａ］ｔｔｒ : ファイル／ディレクトリの属性の変更を行います。
［Ｃ］ｏｐｙ : ファイル／ディレクトリの複写を行います。
［Ｄ］ｅｌｅｔｅ : ファイル／ディレクトリの削除を行います。
［Ｅ］ｄｉｔ : ＦＭＣＵＳＴで指定したエディタを起動します。
［Ｆ］ｉｎｄ : ファイルの検索を行います。
ｃ［Ｈ］ ｄｉｒ : カレント・ディレクトリの変更を行います。
［Ｉ］ｓｈ : ｉｓｈファイルの作成を行います。
: ｍａｊファイルの作成を行います。
［Ｊ］ｕｍｐ : ディレクトリ・ジャンプを行います。
ｍ［Ｋ］ ｄｉｒ : ディレクトリの作成を行います。
（複数階層のディレクトリも作成できます。）
［Ｌ］ｏｇｄｉｓｋ : カレントドライブの変更を行います。
［Ｍ］ｏｖｅ : ファイル／ディレクトリの移動を行います。
ｒｅ［Ｎ］ａｍｅ : ファイル／ディレクトリ名の変更を行います。
［Ｐ］ａｃｋ : ＬＨａｒｃ，ＬＨＡ，ＡＲＪ，ＰＫＰＡＫ，ＰＫＺＩＰで
ファイルの圧縮を行います。
［Ｑ］ｕｉｔ : ＦＩＬＭＴＮを強制終了します。
［Ｒ］ｕｎ : プログラム、ＢＡＴファイルの実行を行います。
［Ｓ］ｏｒｔ : ディレクトリのソートを行います。
［Ｔ］ｒｅｅ : ディレクトリ・ツリーの表示を行います。
［Ｕ］ｎｐａｃｋ : ファイルの解凍を行います。
(ＬＨａｒｃ，ＬＨＡ，ＡＲＪ，ＰＫＵＮＺＩＰ，
ＵＮＬＺＥＸＥ，ＤＩＥＴ，ＰＫＬＩＴＥ）
ｉｓｈファイルの復元を行います。
ｍａｊファイルの復元を行います。
［Ｖ］ｉｅｗ : ファイルの表示を行います。
［Ｗ］ｒｉｔｅ : ソート結果の書き込みを行います。
ｅ［Ｘ］ｅｃ : 指定したコマンドを実行します。
［Ｙ］ｌｄ ｃｒｄ : ワイルド・カードの変更をします。
ｌ［Ｚ］ｅｘｅ : ＬＺ(LZEXE，COMTOEXE），ＤＩＥＴ，ＰＫＬＩＴＥで
ＣＯＭ／ＥＸＥファイルの圧縮を行います。
Awesome! Hopefully more people get into the PC98 since there is an easily installable HDD image!
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 18, 2014, 03:58:49 AM
Awesome! Hopefully more people get into the PC98 since there is an easily installable HDD image!
Yes, I'm starting to love this machine.I'm sorry for X68000 but I will betray him for some time... :)
Anyway, more games are coming!To launch them, as usual enter in its directory, highlight the !START.BAT, press 'R' key and then RETURN.
FILMTN filer is as powerful as LHES!
Something must have been lost in the conversion! My PC-98 will not boot from this HDI image written to CF.
I get a generic "No System Disk" error.
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 18, 2014, 04:29:20 AM
Something must have been lost in the conversion! My PC-98 will not boot from this HDI image written to CF.
I get a generic "No System Disk" error.
Strange since I just tried it in emulators and it works fine.Anyway, in the meanwhile I'll troubleshoot this, we can keep this image only for emulators.You can always transfer the new games from this image to your using DiskExplorer.
I've found that emulator vs hardware compatibility is entirely different. I had the Flame Zapper HDI written to an image when my PC98 arrived. I was surprised to find that it wouldn't boot from it.
I've read that the PC98 uses an unusual partition table that is difficult to replicate.
So, it will not work also with my PC-9821AP2.. :(
So, we must made the image directly from real HDD and then manually specify the informations on Diskexplorer (whic will be different from any HDD model..I meant sectors, cylinder, head, etc..).
How did you create your image from the hard disk?
I installed the CF and then did a bare metal install of MS-DOS 6.2 from the PC98 itself.
I let the PC98 format the disk, and I was able to create an image after I installed the operating system.
I modified my image with your filer and games, and it works great!
(http://i.imgur.com/nm7hPnv.jpg)
I'll upload an updated version shortly.
Great!
After you formatted an HDD and make it bootable, in order to install the MS-DOS operating system you simply copied all the files from the floppies?
To format an HDD I followed these guides :
http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/pc98/articles/hdi/hdi.html (http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/pc98/articles/hdi/hdi.html)
http://www.retroprograms.com/mirrors/Protocatbert/protocat.htm (http://www.retroprograms.com/mirrors/Protocatbert/protocat.htm)
P.S.
Did PC-98 MS-DOS 6.22 come in more that one floppy? I have some troubles in finding software. TOSEC sets are not really complete.Now I'm downloading an 11 GB torrent of PC-98 sets but I'm stuck at 84%, it seems there are no seedes..
Yep! Had to write the DOS 6.2 images to 8 floppies and install the old fashioned way.
I've uploaded PC-9800 DOS 6.2 here:
http://nfggames.com/X68000/uploads/PC98DOS6_2.7z (http://nfggames.com/X68000/uploads/PC98DOS6_2.7z)
Thank you!
So, first you have to format the HDD and then start the whole MS-DOS installation process.I guess there is a lot of japanese writing during this.. :)
https://archive.org/details/NEC_PC_9801_TOSEC_2012_04_23
https://archive.org/details/NEC_PC_9821_TOSEC_2012_04_23
Thanks for the links but as I said TOSEC sets are quite incomplete.Instead, there are some japanese sets floating around (on P2P mainly) but I'm unable to complete the download.
https://archive.org/details/pc98-maker-betsu-tsumeawase
Here's another collection, surely there's some overlap:
https://archive.org/details/PC98_Games_1813
Not sure this would work in an emulator, but the FM tunes are playing from the main speaker and the sound effects from the internal speaker. Pretty cool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFpydG6N2hk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFpydG6N2hk)
That's clever! Reminds me of the old Amnesia demo by Renaissance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxW6CW0RWlg) whose music was comprised of both 4 channel sampled audio (like a traditional .MOD file) as well as the FM synthesis.
Wow! That takes me back! I haven't seen that demo in years.
I have downloaded the non_TOSEC sets, around 11GB of PC-98 stuff, there nearly all release games, that's incredible.Now I'm sorting the sets looking for best games so new ones will be shortly added to the V1 HDD image.Stay tuned.
Awesome!!! Good luck sifting through the hundreds of hentai and dating sims!
Just be sure to modify the image I originally upload if you want it to work on original hardware. I'll test it out :)
Yes, tons and tons fo hentai!But also very good games, for now I focused my attention to shooters and arcade ports.
Yes, I will modify your image.Eidis introduced the patch system so I could release only the diff files.Just a friendly suggestion : why don't you compress your uploaded image so you can save bandwith and uploading/downloading times?
P.S.
I'm helping with these databases:
http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/ (http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/)
http://mercenaryforce.web.fc2.com/pc9801/pc9801.html (http://mercenaryforce.web.fc2.com/pc9801/pc9801.html)
I don't care how the image is distributed or updated. I released it for people to improve upon and enjoy.
No need to follow any type of single-source approval procedure. Make any changes you see fit :)
These are the new games so far installed:
Return of Ishtar
Tetris
Steel Gun Nyan
Arrow Gunner Ex
Steam Heart's
Burning Dragon
Burning Dragon Plus
Metal Force
Space Invaders
Wings
Pacman
Gods
Xenon 2
Please, make your suggestions about other games to add.Tomorrow I will release the update as a patch to your V1 HDD Image.
I'm still pretty unfamiliar with the PC-98's library as a whole, but I will see what I can find.
I appreciate your work on this!
I'll combine the patch with the base image and filer, fix a few directory bugs, and compile/release a new image :)
Ok.I just discovered there are also DOOM series on PC-98!But maybe they requiresWindows 95 or Pentium CPU.Anyway I'd recommend you to download that giant non-TOSEC collection (links above), you will get lost into it! :)
Hmm, I have Windows 3.1 installed on my original HDD, but I have no way to recover it. Nothing else will read the drive, and if I connect the CF and original HDD, they do not see each other.
This game looks good too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS2Bs0TqChk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS2Bs0TqChk)
Quote from: caius on June 19, 2014, 09:08:56 AM
Ok.I just discovered there are also DOOM series on PC-98!But maybe they requiresWindows 95 or Pentium CPU.
Doesn't look like it:
(https://i.imgur.com/Ktqi1zc.jpg)
Hi Guys !
Congratulations on successfully starting a great project !
QuoteI've found that emulator vs hardware compatibility is entirely different. I had the Flame Zapper HDI written to an image when my PC98 arrived. I was surprised to find that it wouldn't boot from it.
I've read that the PC98 uses an unusual partition table that is difficult to replicate.
http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1328 (http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1328)
According to this Tokugawa thread, PC98 HDD images, which are used in emulators, are not pure raw data dumps and have headers in the beginning of the file. The X68000 on the other hand does not, so it is easy to clone and restore them. Snake Plissken even has a solution for Linux users on how to backup and restore the images.
QuoteHmm, I have Windows 3.1 installed on my original HDD, but I have no way to recover it. Nothing else will read the drive, and if I connect the CF and original HDD, they do not see each other.
The PC98 was very popular so there could be a driver which allows reading and writing FAT32 or FAT16 partitions. Try finding it and the data transfer troubles should be over.
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
Awesome! I can't wait to try it out! Im having to re-download the image since mine was modified, then patch, then write to CF. So it's gonna be a while :)
If it works properly on real hardware, I'll upload this as the new base image and request that Lawrence delete the original V1
OK, let me know.Probably something is wrong or broken, this was just to do some PC-98 practice... :)
I have the image running on my 98, but at first startup, I noticed that the filer is not working.
Maybe the patching application broke it?
I am looking into it now and testing.
I reloaded the filer and tested every game tonight. I think the patch doesn't add the filer to the V1 HDD image, or the program is stripped out of the patch itself.
I also changed ALL folders to load the game with !START.BAT
The HELLOGRE game did not load at all, and a few of the games were REALLY fast. Probably early PC-98 games that are programmed to the CPU cycles, and a 486 makes the game too fast. KEMESIS loads but with scrambled background graphics.
These types of incompatibilities are to be expected though, and I don't think these games should be omitted from the image.
Perhaps we should classify the CPU sensitive games within a different subdirectory? There were only 2-3 in this version.
Updated first post with link to new v1.5 image!
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 20, 2014, 02:41:51 PM
I reloaded the filer and tested every game tonight. I think the patch doesn't add the filer to the V1 HDD image, or the program is stripped out of the patch itself.
I also changed ALL folders to load the game with !START.BAT
The HELLOGRE game did not load at all, and a few of the games were REALLY fast. Probably early PC-98 games that are programmed to the CPU cycles, and a 486 makes the game too fast. KEMESIS loads but with scrambled background graphics.
These types of incompatibilities are to be expected though, and I don't think these games should be omitted from the image.
Perhaps we should classify the CPU sensitive games within a different subdirectory? There were only 2-3 in this version.
No, me bad, it was my fault since I didn't add to your original image which I started from.Maybe some games are broken due this.I will prepare another patch.
Here is the 1.5V patch to RobIvy64 PC-98 HDD V1 image ( to Lawrence : please, delete the older PC98HDDV1_PATCH.zip in the upload folder of FTP)
http://nfggames.com/x68000/Uploads/PC98HDDV1_PATCH_1.5.zip (http://nfggames.com/x68000/Uploads/PC98HDDV1_PATCH_1.5.zip)
What's new:
-Added FILMTN filer after boot
-Added following games to GAMES directory (highlight !START.BAT and press 'R' key+ENTER to launch it):
Galaxian (PC88 emulation)
Marble Madness (need mouse)
Kemesis
Return of Ishtar
Tetris
Steel Gun Nyan
Arrow Gunner Ex (too fast - unplayable on emulators)
Steam Heart's
Burning Dragon
Burning Dragon Plus
Metal Force
Space Invaders
Wings (too fast - unplayable on emulators)
Pacman
Gods (with MT-32 MIDI support)
Xenon 2 (too fast - unplayable on emulators)
Carat
Edge
Briganty (press a key to skip the japanese message and enter in game)
-Renamed all START.BAT games files in !START.BAT
-Added 'ADDDEV.EXE' executable to DOS directory (to load into memory after boot specific drivers needed by games)
As you notice, some games have speed issue under emulation so, please if you can , test them on real hardware and report feedback.
PLEASE NOTE : This image works only on real hardware.Feel free to ask the one working under emulators.
In order to apply the patch you need the original RobIvy64 HDD V1 image:
http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1.ima (http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1.ima)
Patch has been generated (and can be applied) with PatchOnClick V2.3.0.0 - Freeware Version, you can download it from here:
http://nfggames.com/X68000/PC_Tools/patchonclick-2-3-en-win.exe (http://nfggames.com/X68000/PC_Tools/patchonclick-2-3-en-win.exe)
Hi !
I was wondering, the HDD V1 image compresses from 1.30Gb down to 267Mb with ordinary ZIP. You can probably guess what I wanted to ask.
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
The complete V1.5 image is linked in the first post :)
Downloading one 260MB file is better than downloading a 1GB file, installing a patching tool (assuming everyone has Windows, which they might not), downloading the patch, then patching the image.
Also, if there are any changes to the image the patching tool will not work.
Besides, I plan on having Lawrence delete the v1.0 image since we have 1.5 available. There is no need for anyone to archive 1.0 with the great improvements you have added to 1.5!
Hi RobIvy 64 !
Have you discovered a way to convert the image from native to emulator format and vice versa ?
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
No, not without destroying the partition table.
Unfortunately for now we will have to have two versions.
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 20, 2014, 10:55:21 PM
The complete V1.5 image is linked in the first post :)
Downloading one 260MB file is better than downloading a 1GB file, installing a patching tool (assuming everyone has Windows, which they might not), downloading the patch, then patching the image.
Also, if there are any changes to the image the patching tool will not work.
Besides, I plan on having Lawrence delete the v1.0 image since we have 1.5 available. There is no need for anyone to archive 1.0 with the great improvements you have added to 1.5!
Sure, you are right.So I could provide you only the patch file (also only via PM) and you will take care of the whole updating process?Anyway, I think every old image (or old file) has to be deleted from NFG FTP after a new one is released.Personally I will ask the moderators for a full FTP access.
Sure, I can patch and upload the final image :)
And I agree, no need to archive old images!
Hi RobIvy64,
It turned out that the RAW dump does not have any special powers and the only thing which prevents from using it in emulator is the lack of header.
Could you try stripping some other HDI images of header, restoring them to physical media and trying to use them on real hardware ?
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
He can use my .HDI image for emulators:
http://nfggames.com/x68000/Uploads/PC98HDDV1.zip (http://nfggames.com/x68000/Uploads/PC98HDDV1.zip)
Hi Caius !
I think that it will work. Your image starts with the same contents after the header as the raw dump at its begining.
Now we need to reverse engineer the header format so a convenient converter can be written.
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
QuoteCaius: Yes, I'm starting to love this machine.I'm sorry for X68000 but I will betray him for some time...
"YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER! of the dark side..."
Quote from: RobIvy64 on June 20, 2014, 10:55:21 PM
Besides, I plan on having Lawrence delete the v1.0 image since we have 1.5 available. There is no need for anyone to archive 1.0 with the great improvements you have added to 1.5!
Hi RobIvy64, can I delete the V1.0 from the FTP?
Sure! Sorry I meant to do this today as well as test the new image, but I have been very busy :(
I tested the latest games you sent me. The results werent too good with this batch:
Tetris2 and Quarth worked great
Flash loaded the cool intro with corrupt graphics, then nothing.
BT: nothing
Netguard: Very slow... and I mean 1 frame every 3-4 seconds kinda slow.
I have a 5x86 @ 133MHz upgrade CPU due to arrive this week, so maybe i'll test that one again.
Sadly emulators and your machine can have different configuration, I presume.How many conventional+EMS RAM did you set and how much EMS can you maximum have?
Then Flashback and Black Thorne use both 256 colours on screen, i can try to install the 16 colours version and see if they works for you.
P.S.
Anyway, I'm gonna to take a real machine so all my installations wil be tested before any release.
Ahh that explains it. The 256 color games may only work on late model PC-98 computers (Windows-era).
My machine has 640K + 36MB Extended, which is the maximum for this computer.
Did you ever think to upgrade your machine to Windows 95 or 98?Is there any problem to launch games from DOS prompt?
Regarding other model of PC-9821 (like for example PC-9821XA/XE/XN/XP/XS/NP and other with Pentium CPU) I think they are not to be taken into account due sound incompatibility?The problem is that PC-9821A are quite expensive while the ones mentioned are very cheap.
Any of the other models will require the PC-9801-86 FM sound board. The "A" and "C" series have this built-in to the mainboard.
It could be also a good thing to get one of these model and add a 86 sound board so you will have a joystick port at least.
I've read about some compatibility issues with the sound card vs. built-in. I haven't tested this but we are breaking new ground as it is!
I noticed the CX models are cheaper than Amate ones though they have better hardware (more RAM, Pentium CPU, built-in CD-ROM):
http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=pc-9821cx&auccat=&aq=-1&oq=&ei=UTF-8&slider=0&tab_ex=commerce (http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=pc-9821cx&auccat=&aq=-1&oq=&ei=UTF-8&slider=0&tab_ex=commerce)
They have also built-in 86 sound card.I'm still uncertain about my purchase. ???
Cx has the YMF288 which is an "86 compatible" chip. I know some of the Touhou stuff won't work with it!
Right, I have still to fix these things in my head so, pardon if you repeated it a billion of times.. :)
I found that PC-98 has a virtual floppy emulation program similar to 2HDBOOT on X68000, it's called 'ERCVFD'.I'm trying to set up it but I'm struggling due limited japanese language understanding.It would allow to launch from HDD not installable games (like the protected and not DOS ones)
Feel free to share screenshots and we can find someone to assist with translation!
The difficult task is that this virtual floppy system is a combination of four programs that need to be configured and launched in AUTOEXEC.BAT, thye have a lot of differnt paramters to be set.
HSB (High Speed Boot) http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/util/se002233.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/util/se002233.html)
ERCACHE http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/game/se023028.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/game/se023028.html)
ERCVFD http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/game/se023028.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/game/se023028.html)
ESOUND.COM (needed when a sound card is present) http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/art/se010884.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/art/se010884.html)
I understood that ERCVFD need a special format in order to mount the disk image so every floppy needs to be converted, I succesfully do it but I'm unable to mount them.Then it seems that every game need also a different configuration.
Anyway starting with translation of the manual of each program would be very useful.I hope some japanese user (or better, someone who has already used this program) will help us.
P.S:
It seems your last update on FTP is corrupted, I tried to rebuild the .ZIP with WinRAR without success.
Hi Caius !
Sorry for the late reply. It looks like ERCVFD is the main program which uses ERCACHE and HSB as external applications. Here are some excerpts from the readme file.
System requirements: 80386CPU
640KB and 1MB formats are supported
ERCACHE uses G-VRAM and does not work in high resolution mode
2mb ram minimum, 8mb recommended
1.3MB of ram for 1MB image required
4mb xms minimum, 8mb recommended
ERCVFD parameters
/SAVE filename [/DRIVE=xx][/LABEL=label][/LEVEL=n]
/FORMAT filename [/DRIVE=xx]
xx=90-93,10-13,70-73,F0-F3
n=0，1，2，3
/LOAD filename [/PROTECT]
/LOADP filename [/DISK=n]
/VERIFY filename
/VFDCOPY [/DISK=n][/PROTECT]
/VFDSAVE filename [/DISK=n][/LABEL:label][/PATCH]
n=1，2.....15
/VFDSAVE? [/PATCH]
/SETLABEL filename [/LABEL=label]
/REBOOT
/CPUWAIT=n
nz0，1.....127
/IC{+|-}
/WAITP=n
/WAITI=n
/PTRAP=xx-xx,...
/INIT
===============================================================
/SAVE - creates floppy image file from physical media
/DRIVE=xx - selects source drive (90 by default)
When creating 1MB floppy image
(1MB mode)
90 # 1
91 # 2
92 # 3
93 # 4
(640KB mode)
F0 # 1
F1 # 2
F2 # 3
F3 # 4
(PC-9801 / M, PC-9801-15 or equivalent)
90 # 1
91 # 2
92 # 3
93 # 4
When creating 640kb floppy image
(1MB mode)
10 # 1
11 # 2
12 # 3
13 # 4
(640KB mode)
70 # 1
71 # 2
72 # 3
73 # 4
(PC-9801/F/U/VF, PC-9801-09 or equivalent)
70 # 1
71 # 2
72 # 3
73 # 4
/LABEL=xxxx - creates volume label for virtual floppy disk
37 characters max. if omited, labell is not created
/ LEVEL = n - data analysis level (0-3)
0 is default but might not work with MS-DOS, N88-BASIC(86) disks.
In such cases 3 should be used instead.
0 - default
Compatible with single density / double density. Image is created by
analysing one sector and media ID.
1 - simple
All sectors in track have the same length. Works faster than level 0.
Tracks that do not meet criteria are handled at level 0.
2 - naive
By default 2-163 tracks, without analysing single density.
Faster than level 1
3 - very naive
Track 3~153 (640kb to 159) without analyzing track 2
Faster than level 2
Track 154 (640KB to 160)~163 is treated as unformated.
Switches to level 2 if condition is not met.
Using ERCACHE
Must be loaded as device driver and "/ VFD = n" and "/ VFDS = n"
must be specified.
After loading the Virtual FD, all read and write access is done
in RAM and not to HDD.
/LOAD - reads floppy image and registers it with ERCACHE
/VFDCOPY - copies mounted floppy image to specified /DISK = n
/VERIFY - tests image file integrity
/PROTECT - write protects image file
default is write-enabled
/DISK =n - specify nr. of virtual drives (n: 1~15)
/REBOOT - reboot from the virtual drive
/INIT - release all mounted images from memory
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
Some info (Japanese) about it.
tinyurl.com/qbyjcqj
Yes, I already noticed that page the problem is that it's still in full japanese.. :)
Hi AnnaWu and Caius !
AnnaWu, thank you for yet another quality link !
Caius,
Maybe this will help:
☆ ERCACHE ver3.00 or newer
In general it has two features and uses PC-98x1 + protected memory,
1. The FD-based game can be converted to image file
2. FD-based game can be loaded from RAM-DISK via virtual FD function.
☆ First of all download the following software.
http://www.vector.co.jp/vpack/filearea/dos/game/tool/index.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/vpack/filearea/dos/game/tool/index.html)
ERCACHE game support system
ERCGSV (image saver)
ERCVFD (virtual FD controller)
HSB
http://www.vector.co.jp/vpack/filearea/dos/util/boot/hsb/index.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/vpack/filearea/dos/util/boot/hsb/index.html)
ESOUND
http://www.vector.co.jp/vpack/filearea/dos/art/music/fm/index.html (http://www.vector.co.jp/vpack/filearea/dos/art/music/fm/index.html)
ESOUND is not required for those who do not have the 86 or 26K sound cards.
☆ The software should work on PC-98x1 without problems.
PC-9821 compatibility is not confirmed.
1) Create a subdirectory in root called "REBOOT" and extract
contents of ERCxxxxx.LZH, ERCGSVxx.LZH, ERCVFDxx.LZH, HSBxxxxx.LZH
archives there.
Open autoexec.bat in text editor and add the following line
"SET PATH=A:\DOS;A:\DEVICE;A:\REBOOT"
2) Due to the nature of ERCACHE, IPL is run at boot time
before accessing the partition on hard drive.
3) ERCACHE starts normally from second partition but HSB must be in
your path.
4) HSB can not be run if image file is not mounted with ERCACHE
Those who do not use EMS driver
================================
Please add the following line at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=HSB.EXE VC IGDC IG IF Y2 T2 TS
Copy HSB.EXE to A:\REBOOT directory abd write the following line if you
have an 86 sound card:
DEVICE=A:\REBOOT\HSB.EXE VC I26 II[A468&7F] IGDC IG IF Y2 T2 TS
Those who use EMS driver
========================
Add the following line at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS
DEVICE=HSB.EXE VC Y-
And the following one, immediately after the EMS driver (EMM386, etc.)
DEVICE=HSB.EXE VU IGDC IG IF Y1 T2 TS
Example of CONFIG.SYS
=====================
DEVICE=A:\REBOOT\HSB.EXE I26 VC Y-
DOS=HIGH,UMB
BUFFERS=15
FILES=30
LASTDRIVE=Q
FCBS=2,0
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DEVICE\VMM386.EXE /F=C0 /W=CC /U=D0-D7,DE-DF/ROM=D8-DD,E8-FF /I
DEVICE=A:\REBOOT\HSB.EXE VU I26 II[A468&7F] IGDC IG IF Y1 T2 TS
SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM A:\ /e:1024 /p
The HSB should now be ready to use.
5) A significant amount of memory is required. 7-8Mb should be enough for 2-3
floppy games. 32Mb should be enough for 7-8 disks.
================================
☆ Let's move Innovation crunchy.
HSB can be used with the following commands:
A>CD A:\REBOOT
A>HSB WHERCACHE.HSB
· First, we need to create a virtual image of FD game and store it in a
"A:\VFD" directory on hard disk. Before you proceed, make sure that ERCACHE
and ERCVFD.EXE are in your path.
Place game disk 1 in drive 1
"Quinn tier load" is used for this example
A>CD A:\VFD
A>ERCVFD /SAVE QLOAD.1
Note: Use the following command for games that are on 2DD media
A>ERCVFD.EXE /SAVE FILENAME.x /DRIVE=10
Insert disk 2
A> ERCVFD / SAVE QLOAD.2
Using cwsdpmi or DPMI protected mode can cause V86 monitor errors.
Please use the following environment:
1) CONFIG.ERC
DOS=HIGH
DEVICE=A:\REBOOT\HSB.EXE VU IGDC I26 II[A468&7F]
DEVICE=A:\REBOOT\ERCACHE.EXE /HM /IGDC2 /VFDS=128 /VFDMAX=15 /VFDKEY /VFD1FD
/HIDEDEV /400LINE
FILES=30
BUFFERS=10
LASTDRIVE=Q
SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM A:\ /P /E:1024
Use "/VFDMAX=10" for models which do not have the vf key on the keyboard
At the same time "/VFDS=128" might not work. Reduce the 128 to a value,
shown in reference 1, which corresponds to your system.
※ Reference 1
4Mb system = 28
6Mb system = 44
8Mb system = 60
9Mb system = 68
10Mb system = 76
11Mb system = 84
12Mb system = 92
13Mb system = 100
14Mb system = 108
16Mb system = 124
24Mb system = 188
32Mb system = 252
48Mb or more = 256
2) AUTOEXEC.ERC
@ECHO OFF
A:\REBOOT\ESOUND /VF
; ESOUND is only for those who have s sound card
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /LOAD A:\VFD\QLOAD.1
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /LOAD A:\VFD\QLOAD.2
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /LOAD A:\VFD\QLOAD.3
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /LOAD A:\VFD\QLOAD.4
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /LOAD A:\VFD\QLOAD.5
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /LOAD A:\VFD\QLOAD.6
A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD /REBOOT
You can launch the game with these files.
Press the following keys when the game prompts you to change disks:
Drive 1,
CTRL + GRAPH + f·1 ~ vf·5
Drive 2,
CTRL + SHIFT + GRAPH + f·1 ~ vf·5
======================================================================
☆ You will probably think "What about save games ?". Do not worry,
because there is also a proper save function.
However, due to ERCACHE storing data in RAM, the data will be lost
when you reset or restart HSB.
Press CTRL + GRAPH + INS keys when you want to save.
Use the following command to load saved game:
A>A:\REBOOT\ERCVFD.EXE /VFDSAVE?
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
Thanks for providing this great information, eidis!
Sweeeet! 8)
Thanks as always, Eidis, for your great translation.From my own I've still to test this environment but I fear it can't run under emulation.Perhaps someone with real machine could test it
As of now, i'm the only one here (that I am aware of) with a real PC-98.
Load up the files and I will try them out.
Yes, I think you are the only one but within some time I'll be there too! :)
Hi Guys !
I can confirm that ERCVFD.EXE does not work with T98-Next 13.1th Beta, Anex86 v2.77 and Neko Project II v0.83. All three of them create a file with a size of 2672 bytes. That is not sexy.
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
No, I also managed to create the right file (bigger than 1Mb) from a disk image, the problem is that I can' mount it and boot from RAM.It gives me an error related to 86 sound card.
acridaxid and tw3ek both have PC-98s on the way, so we will have more testers with varying types of hardware!
Caius,
Please attach the original image to your post, from which you created the ERCVFD image.
Keep the scene alive !
Eidis
Here the screenshot.
If you were unable to create the ERCVFD specific file (it happens to me too quite often) , probably the disk image format is not recognized.Try other games (or convert to a more usable format with Virtual Floppy Image Converter) or use a different /LEVEL parameter of the SAVE function.
I am surprised why people still prefer to use T98-Next. ; )
Kobushi from Tokugawa forums very kindly explained how to use ERCVFD virtual floppy system.You can read more about here as well download an HDD image:
http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1497#p14024 (http://fullmotionvideo.free.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1497#p14024)
Now it woud be interesting if someone could test this image on real hardware since ERCACHE doesn't work under emulators.
"Howdy!
Version 1.5 of the PC98 HDD image is now available! Release date: 20 June 2014
Give Caius some praise for working hard to improve the V1.0 image!
http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1_5.zip (http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1_5.zip)
V1.5 Updates by Caius:"
And who uploaded http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1_6.zip (http://nfggames.com/PC98/HDDimages/PC98HDDV1_6.zip) ??????
I downloaded several times and always don't pass the archiver test (broken zip file)!!!
Can upload it again?
Hi, if you can wait some days I will release an updated HDD image with a lot of more games installed!
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to give an update that I've been working on a new HDD image based on this one and Kobushi's YAHDI image and I hope to release it soon. It's going to contain everything that is in the 1.5 image, the original YAHDI image, and plenty more games which I plan to index by genre rather than a simple list of 8 character filenames only as well as an English game category.
My goal here is to present an update of the YAHDI image in an organized way and I'm testing which games will work on real hardware versus emulation, or both and I plan to put notes in each game's folder as to the compatibility with my setup at least, which is the PC9821 C Series, specifically the Ce2. I've also gotten the P88SR PC88 emulator working and have already tested several PC-88 games as well on real hardware. It "can" be run in emulation, but not very well so far. Perhaps it could be tweaked though.
Anyhow I'm having fun working on it and I hope to have more news soon. Also, a few others and myself have started up a new Romhacking community over at www.heroesoflegend.org. We plan on working on games from many different platforms and posting notes about how to hack these games as we gain experience with them. I bring this up here mainly because we plan on working on at least 3 PC-98 titles, possibly others as well. Brandish 2 Renewal is already underway and coming along fairly well as soon as we can figure out the compression or how to fake compress the translated text. And we have AIZA: New Generation and Xak I: The Art of Visual Stage planned as well so far.
Edit: Caius, since you were working on an update as well, I'm wondering if you'd like to work together privately on it so that maybe I can add this new update you have planned into this image, or if you prefer to keep it separate from YAHDI as a base image, I can always send you my progress and you can maybe take a few from there to add to yours?
-Thomas
If you want me to test your image on my Cs2, let me know
Sure, I'd be happy to Rob. I'm testing with emulation first and then on the Ce2. I've still got a ways to go, but I'm making some progress. One thing I've had some trouble getting to work is Alantia. It's a Space Harrier-esque shooter with wonderful visuals and terrible gameplay. Still... I want it on the system for it's visual look alone. I've finally gotten the commonly found FDD images converted to .D88 files (FDD to FDI did not work with VFIC I'm afraid) which can be played inside of T-98 Next as well as Project Neko II. I then attempted to get it converted to VFD files and tried to play it using ERCACHE, but no luck so far I'm afraid. I'm fairly confident thought that it might work on a HxC or a Gotek running HxC firmware at least since it at least is converted to a .D88 file, which is something the HxC program should understand and convert into it's own proprietary format. But after a few hours spent trying to get this one game working, I've given up.
The good news is that I finally figured out what the VFD Save feature is doing now when using ERCACHE. I'm not calling myself an expert on it, but I was at least able to save my game in AIZA: New Generation and reload it from a permanent save disk.
So we can save the game by hitting CTRL + GRAPH + INS right? Well, after that there is an HSB reset that takes place and at least if you are using the YAHDI image, which is what I'm working off of due to the convenience of having so many tools available, you should see some new red text briefly appear during the loading of BM, and whatever else is being loaded as far as DOS system files and extras. It should look a bit like this:
(http://retro-type.com/PC98/Ercache/ercache02.jpg)
(http://retro-type.com/PC98/Ercache/ercache03.jpg)
I'm not sure which of those RED text messages means that there is something still in RAM, but either way, these normally do not appear during normal startup. Now since the save is still in RAM and not saved permanently yet, exit to DOS and type:
ERCVFD /VFDSAVE?
*Or create a new .BAT file in the root of your HDD like I did when this command. I called mine ERCSAVE.BAT, as an example.
Doing so should bring up a menu that looks like this:
(http://retro-type.com/PC98/Ercache/ercache06.jpg)
Hit Enter, and it should read what is in RAM and write it to a new DISK file which will then be dumped into the root of your HDD, or A:\.
This new file will be called ERCVFD01.VFD.
In my case, this VFD file created is a copy of DISK 1 out 4 DISKS that I loaded up in order to play AIZA. DISK 1 in this case is the System DISK, and is also where my Save game is written to, like a User Disk.
My original setup for AIZA for ERCACHE is as follows:
1. 4 VFD DISKS named whatever I want.
2. An autoexec.bat which looks like this:
SET PATH=A:\,A:\DOS;A:\TOOLS
CD A:\GAMES\AIZA
ESOUND /VF
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZASYS.VFD
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZA1.VFD
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZA2.VFD
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZA3.VFD
ERCVFD /REBOOT
ERCVFD /VFDSAVE?
*If this does not display correctly in your browser, it's a RETURN KEY / CARRIAGE RETURN symbol.
3. A config.sys file that is setup like this:
DEVICE=A:\TOOLS\HSB.EXE VU I26 IGDC
DEVICE=A:\TOOLS\ERCACHE.EXE /HM /VFDS=124 /VFDMAX=4 /VFDKEY
DOS=HIGH
*If this does not display correctly in your browser, it's a RETURN KEY / CARRIAGE RETURN symbol.
*Also note that this file may be different on my machine and per game, as VFDS refers to the amount of RAM I have available on the machine and VFDMAX refers to the number of disks I need to put into RAM.
--------
What's important for this Save restore is to go ahead and copy the ERCVFD01.VFD file over to this directly (In my case, to my GAMES/AIZA directory) and then edit the DISK 1 entry above in my autoexec.bat file which was ERCVFD /LOAD AIZASYS.VFD and change it to: ERCVFD /LOAD ERCVFD01.VFD.
So now my autoexec.bat file looks like this:
SET PATH=A:\,A:\DOS;A:\TOOLS
CD A:\GAMES\AIZA
ESOUND /VF
ERCVFD /LOAD ERCVFD01.VFD
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZA1.VFD
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZA2.VFD
ERCVFD /LOAD AIZA3.VFD
ERCVFD /REBOOT
ERCVFD /VFDSAVE?
*If this does not display correctly in your browser, it's a RETURN KEY / CARRIAGE RETURN symbol.
Now when I launch the game again using ERCACHE, this new DISK1 file now has my save game and I can pickup and play right where I left of. And now when I want to save, I simply repeat, but it's a bit faster now because I simply save it in the game as I normally would, hit CTRL + GRAPH + INS. Run the ERCSAVE.BAT file from the FILMTN File Manager, Move ERCVFD01.VFD to the GAMES/AIZA directory, and it will then ask me if I want to replace the file with the new file with the newer time stamp. (It's option 1 out of 4 when presented with the different options to pick by the way), file is replaced, and I'm ready to load the game again.
The Japanese guide above makes mention of how this ERCVFD01.VFD is somehow equivalent to QLOAD.1, and how ERCVFD03.VFD (or DISK 3) is equivalent to QLOAD.3 and how these files can be renamed and placed inside the VFD directory in the root. Perhaps there is an easier and quicker method for saving and restoring games that I just don't full understand yet, but here is one way to do it at least! Hope it is useful to anyone looking to use ERCACHE and keep a permanent save game of their progress! : )
-Thomas
Great work on Ercache, Thomas.
As for your new HDD images, we can start cooperating.Personally I've installed other games on the YAHDI image and launch them from BM menu (first option BROWSE GAME LIBRARY) and not from FILMTN .
Regarding other PC-98 related things, I 'm going to contact you via PM
Hi Caius,
Sure, PM would work best. This is actually what I'm doing as well. I'm getting the games themselves indexed within categories inside of FILMTN, but I'm also creating Genre Library pages and direct links and full names to each of the games in BM. So it looks like we'll both be pretty much on the same page when we start collaborating. :)
I'll need a few more days at least before I'm ready to share. I have a giant list of stuff I want to organize and try to get working first. : )
-Thomas
I just wanted to post to explain that I believe I finally understand how the Saves work now inside of Ercache and the program from what I can see so far appears to be rather intuitive in terms of only saving the specific disk number that was modified / written to during your last session without even so much as having to set that part up manually. So as a test, I now have Ys I playing perfectly inside of RAM, I save to my userdisk as I would normally using F4 (reloading with F1) and when I want to end my game and save permanently I reboot the system using CTRL + GRAPH + INS. This reboots the system, and before I turn off the power or load anything else, I now run a .BAT script called YS1SAVE.BAT which I have located inside the YS1 folder. I have the script set to launch the ERCACHE save program, which requires the RETURN key to be pressed, and it will automatically write a new disk file named ERCVFD02.VFD and save it to the file path of my choosing (this does need to be specified in the YS1SAVE.BAT. (*Note that the 2 here was automatically identified as DISK#2 that I had setup to load inside of my AUTOEXEC.BAT which looks like this:
SET PATH=A:\,A:\DOS;A:\TOOLS
CD A:\GAMES\YS1
ESOUND /VF
ERCVFD /LOAD YS1.1
ERCVFD /LOAD ERCVFD02.VFD <= This is my userdisk.
ERCVFD /REBOOT
ERCVFD /VFDSAVE?
<= Symbol for RETURN key / Carriage Return.
This will automatically overwrite the previous ERCVFD02.VFD file I was using, and I can now poweroff safely and the next time I load up YS1, my save will be there just as I left it. : )
Edit: So I had followed Kobushi's recommendation earlier in the YADHI thread about making a new ESOUND file to use with ERCACHE and thought that I only really needed to do it 'once' like his message states:
QuoteAt the DOS prompt, type:
cd\tools
del esound.com
mksound
esound
This will delete and recreate the esound.com utility based on your specific sound hardware. This shouldn't be necessary in most cases, but you may as well do it. You only need to do this once.
This holds true, unless you write a new image to your CF card. In my case I had made an ESOUND setup before and I had backed up my YAHDI image as an IMG file, made some edits to it and wrote it back to the CF card, but this time I did not make a new ESOUND file because I didn't think I needed to.
Then I found that previous setups with saving games in ERCACHE resulted in the following Error message:
86モニタが見つかりません or 86 Monitor was not found. This relates to the 86 Sound Card and once I followed Kobushi's process mentioned above to create a new ESOUND file, I was in business again being able to make a ERCVFD save file again.
Just wanted to mention this in case someone else has this error and wasn't sure how to troubleshoot it.
-Thomas
Can anyone put a PC-98 version of Windows 98 as an HDD image? I'm bored of the DOS and want to browse the web or something.
Let me report that the handful of games from this image that I ran on a 9821 Cx worked just fine.
Full disclosure, since my machine came with an HDD with Windows 95 installation on it already I opted to just extract the games and some other folders from this image, burn them onto a CD using a PC then copy them over using Win95.
Rusty and Rude Breaker ran fine. I also tested DOOM2 from some other image, and it worked as well.