Pinball Dreams, new game from Batman Group!!

[TotO]

Obviously, a CPC 128K game have to be loaded from the 3" floppy drive to be impressive.
Next, it is fine if a 80 tracks version allows to not turn the floppy disc to play the game.
A bonus if the game is released later in "files format", to run from any mass storage.

[roudoudou]

i guess Chany will do the XMEM version 

[TotO]

i guess Chany will do the XMEM version 

I though the same while I wrote my answer. 

[Rhino]

Please stay with discs, thats the native medium of the CPC (aside of tapes.... but brrr no!). So please don't expect that everybody is owning and using (predominantly) mass-storage solutions. Actually the only one working is the M4 card anyway. Even it over 500 (I guess) were sold there may be still people preferring real discs.
About the format, use a 3.5" and you can get up to 700-800 KB. IMHO for a flipper that's enough. It doesn't use streaming VIds or so.


I'm looking forward to a nice an polished release. 

Thanks!,
Yes, I think the disk version is mandatory, but alternative versions so that more people can run it on real hardware are always welcome.
On M4, it is also very attractive a global records table that increases competition between players from around the world.

[LambdaMikel]

Please stay with discs, thats the native medium of the CPC (aside of tapes.... but brrr no!). So please don't expect that everybody is owning and using (predominantly) mass-storage solutions. Actually the only one working is the M4 card anyway. Even it over 500 (I guess) were sold there may be still people preferring real discs.

I am a big fan of M4, but it seems there is one new firmware patch required for every game   
Without a proper disk controller the M4 is a no-go for me as a DSK emulator (I have tried to many standard DSK images that work perfectly fine on DDI3, Gotek Flash Floppy, HxC), that would not work on the M4.


So please stay with standard DSK. Of course there is nothing wrong about releasing an M4 compatible version, but it is a pitty that this is required for so many games. 

[Targhan]

Yes, I think the disk version is mandatory, but alternative versions so that more people can run it on real hardware

Isn't it paradoxal?

The discussion is interesting, but I think the day games are not produced on disk anymore will be a sad day!

[robcfg]

I don’t think the discussion is whether to release the games on disk or not, but to use a format that allows them to run from mass storage devices.


For me having to search for the external drive and its psu makes almost impossible to play a game given my limited time to do so. In that case, I’ll play on an emulator, but then again I’ll miss the real experience.

[SuTeKH/Epyteor]

it is also very attractive a global records table that increases competition between players from around the world.

I presume the "online leaderboard" will not be assessible to development/evaluation personnel!
I can max-out the score on all four tables, so will be constantly on the top of that leaderboard! ^_^

[TotO]

I don’t think the discussion is whether to release the games on disk or not, but to use a format that allows them to run from mass storage devices.

Better to be clear about a floppy version, as the subject has not been addressed while games are published on alternate media such as cartridges.. The format to run on mass storage devices is obvious: files into a folder (like on PC) and currently it looks to be not an option for this game but only an alternate solution to mount a DSK with the M4 from its SD card.

About the online "hall of fames", I hope we can access it from an Internet connexion using a bluetooth communication and its smartphone too.

[GUNHED]

For me having to search for the external drive and its psu makes almost impossible to play a game given my limited time to do so. In that case, I’ll play on an emulator, but then again I’ll miss the real experience.

What are you using? I ask because it may be of interest to software makers. 

[robcfg]

An external 3.5" disk drive, that of course need its own psu.


It doesn't seem much, but when you're as short on time as me, finding all the pieces may take most of the time I could be playing.


Add to that the possible disk and drive errors.


I'd be happy having a physical disk edition, but for playing I would prefer to have it M4 compatible.

[LambdaMikel]

An external 3.5" disk drive, that of course need its own psu.

I'd be happy having a physical disk edition, but for playing I would prefer to have it M4 compatible.

Nobody suggested a pysical edition... people are suggesting to have standard DSK file containing the game.
Sure, there could be a "M4 installer version" that unpacks the DSK content onto mass storage on the M4.
But requires hardware driver...

The DSK file you put into your Flash Floppy Gotek or HxC or DDI3.


You can also (try to) mount a DSK file from your M4, but most standard DSK files don't work with the M4. Maybe a special M4 compatible DSK file for the game will do?


For the PSU, you don't need one. Even my 6128 doesn't get 12 V anymore, and the Flash Floppy Gotek gets its power from John's @ikonsgr  y cable 5 V to MOLEX splitter...



Never had a single drive error with my Gotek 

[Rhino]

I presume the "online leaderboard" will not be assessible to development/evaluation personnel!
I can max-out the score on all four tables, so will be constantly on the top of that leaderboard! ^_^

hehe, well, maybe you'll find a rival worthy of you
I was even thinking of organizing contests according the global leaderboard...

[robcfg]

Nobody suggested a pysical edition... people are suggesting to have standard DSK file containing the game.
Sure, there could be a "M4 installer version" that unpacks the DSK content onto mass storage on the M4.
But requires hardware driver...

There are plenty of reasons to choose a custom disk format, but if you can do with standard format disks, it would work for everyone.

The DSK file you put into your Flash Floppy Gotek or HxC or DDI3.

If you have or you like modded machines, yes, they are nice solutions.

You can also (try to) mount a DSK file from your M4, but most standard DSK files don't work with the M4. Maybe a special M4 compatible DSK file for the game will do?

As mentioned above, the format used for PD is the special one, not a regular amsdos format disk, which would be M4 compatible.

For the PSU, you don't need one. Even my 6128 doesn't get 12 V anymore, and the Flash Floppy Gotek gets its power from John's @ikonsgr  y cable 5 V to MOLEX splitter...

Sure. If you don't use your original drive.

Never had a single drive error with my Gotek

Neither me with my M4, plus I'm having a lot of fun with the Wi-Fi capability.


And please don't get me wrong, I appreciate your interest in finding alternative solutions but no way I'm going to have 3 or 4 different solutions, one for playing games, one for the Wi-Fi, another one for extra memory...


Certainly I could customise one of my CPCs to death but then again I think it would be easier not to use custom loaders.


That's a thing I like about the new cartridge formats, they are literally Plug'n'Play 

[TotO]

That's a thing I like about the new cartridge formats, they are literally Plug'n'Play

Peoples unliked the same idea 5 years ago. So much time lost!

[robcfg]

Peoples unliked the same idea 5 years ago. So much time lost!

While I'm sure many liked the Plus range with the cartridge port... 

[LambdaMikel]

Well, it's a CPC democracy, right? 
Telling people what they should be using or not doesn't roll very well with many people... everybody has his/her own ideas about a setup. Declaring that one expansion card is "the one and only and you shall not have any expansion card besides it" is a bit... well... 

[robcfg]

That's not what I'm saying!


It's just that not having PD in a M4 compatible format will make me less likely to play it because of my circumstances, nothing else.

[LambdaMikel]

Oh good then. Well I think many of us would love to play it on the M4, so that should be a good incentive for the authors of this great game to make it happen. And others will certainly appreciate if it also runs on DDI3 and HxC and Gotek.

[robcfg]

Definitely!


Should it work on a M4 via a dsk file, then it should work too on a Gotek, DDI3 or HxC.

[XeNoMoRPH]

we are forgetting something important, we need the approval of Rebellion !!! 

[SuTeKH/Epyteor]

hehe, well, maybe you'll find a rival worthy of you

Maybe in two years of constant play! ^_^

[CraigsBar]

Maybe in two years of constant play! ^_^

I just hope the rest of us get a chance to try 😔

[ivarf]

I hope the rest of us get a chance to buy the game

[SuTeKH/Epyteor]

I hope the rest of us get a chance to buy the game

Rhino has already said it's a free game; I'd question anyone charging real-world monies for it! ^_^