Ok guys, a small heads-up on a big issue.
I've been having some discussions with members these past several days regarding magazine downloads. As you all know, at some point we did have everything up, but what ensued was an incomprehensible amount of leeching, and we didn't feel like it, so the magazine archives were taken down, to be replaced by a DVD-delivery service at cost prices.
But I always missed them being online... so I have decided to up them again. During the next few days, when I get access to a PC with a phat uplink, I will first upload them all to the server, then start making them available. As you can see (or not, still in testing phase), there's a new tab in the menu row above, aptly called "Downloads". This is a complete file management system, with batch downloads, categories, tags, thumbs etc etc. I feel that the end result will be beautiful.
But wait! That's not all! Since there'll be a complete upload/download system in place I see no reason why we couldn't have the complete Amstrad omnibus, games and apps alike. With easy-to-use categories and tags and custom fields and whatnot. Only thing is, it'll need some work, anyone who can help, please step forward!
Let me know what you think :)
|Themis
A good idea.
But, what mags will you put now.
Because it will be a good thing, put the mags on PDF with OCR, too.
I download many of them from here with Torrents:
Currently Available Collections | RetroPDFs (http://retropdfs.wordpress.com/currently-available-collections/)
Amstrad Action, Amtix, Amstrad Computer User are here.
CwtA is missing, but I've got it. I know these torrents, maybe it's the ones I've got, but I'll check. A pity the Amstrad mags are downloading so slowly...
Thanks for the suggestion!
Also, one question: what is currently the most complete games archive to upload? The GBCPC archive contains 3210 files in 443MB (uncompressed), is there something else I should look at?
Thanks!
PS I've changed your custom profile title, hope you don't mind ;)
I got them (the magazines) from the newsgroups but then lost them due to a h/drive crash. I can get them again if someone tells me which ones are missing?
Can you see what's there, and in what format? That would help :)
Sorry but I do not see the download button. :(
Ah - sorry, forgot to turn the permissions back on. How about now? Fourth tab in the tab row...
Yes I see it now, Thanks.
NP, thanks for letting me know - and enjoy!
Do try to upload a test file to check if all permissions work fine (we can delete it afterwards)...
Hello guys,
As you may have noticed, all available mags and games have been upped to the forum.
Can I ask you to use the downloads section and provide some feedback? I've had some issues reported (titles not found when searching, too few results/page) that I can't recreate, so I'd really appreciate some more users reporting...
Please note that due to a lazy script almost all downloads are not available at the moment. It's a very easy fix, but I need to be at home to do it, so please bear with me...
Quote from: Gryzor on 11:24, 17 April 12
Hello guys,
As you may have noticed, all available mags and games have been upped to the forum.
Can I ask you to use the downloads section and provide some feedback? I've had some issues reported (titles not found when searching, too few results/page) that I can't recreate, so I'd really appreciate some more users reporting...
I've downloaded a few games (to add to my HxC :) ), and it's all gone fine.
Thanks for this service - it really makes cpcwiki feel much more "complete".
Quote from: ervin on 16:17, 23 April 12
I've downloaded a few games (to add to my HxC :) ), and it's all gone fine.
Thanks for this service - it really makes cpcwiki feel much more "complete".
Thanks, I appreciate it. To tell you the truth I'd rather have them on the wiki itself but it would be so much more work... And I think the system here works well enough. Now, if people were convinced to properly tag and comment and categorize all those 3500 files... :D
Oh, btw, if you guys haven't noticed, Downloads have been restored for the past couple of days.
From someone who is new to this - how do I actually download the magazine files?
Quote from: Zeke on 18:58, 03 June 12
From someone who is new to this - how do I actually download the magazine files?
Maybe I should have ben clearer: there's a "Downloads" tab at the top, click it and it will take you to the downloads section (makes sense!) :)
I did that - it was the downloads section that foxed me!`
Well, the downloads section is formatted like the forum itself. Go into the Magazines section, then into any specific mag's sub-section, click on the "post" with the issue you want and look for the file under the "Download Files" at the end of the post. If you can't find it I'll create some screenshots :)
This is great stuff! A little while ago I posted a couple of images (Prehistorik 2 and Super Cauldron) that I had trouble loading via my HxC. I had hoped that a few people would download them and confirm that their HxC devices did not like them either however, there have been no takers so far. So what I thought would be a better solution would be for me to post the images I fixed ready for the HxC so that these can be added to the downloads. I will dig them out and post them at some point today.
That would be nice. I don't remember that thread, or I would have tried these myself to tell you the truth.
But indeed - you can even upload the hfe archive itself...
PS Oh, and thanks :)
No worries Gryzor! I will upload the HFE images, I will use the ones I have on my HxC so just need to dig out my SD Card Adaptor, I'm always loosing it lol!
Heheh, same happens to me :)
Quote from: Badstarr on 11:55, 05 June 12
This is great stuff! A little while ago I posted a couple of images (Prehistorik 2 and Super Cauldron) that I had trouble loading via my HxC. I had hoped that a few people would download them and confirm that their HxC devices did not like them either however, there have been no takers so far. So what I thought would be a better solution would be for me to post the images I fixed ready for the HxC so that these can be added to the downloads. I will dig them out and post them at some point today.
This hfe for supercauldron runs for me with my system (until i sell it gryzor :D ).
Some pictures taken last minutes ago:
(http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5039/photo2721k.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/710/photo2721k.jpg/)
(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5985/photo2722.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/photo2722.jpg/)
I've to find a good prehistorik II file because mine has also troubles after the intro screen.
Damn it looks beautiful...
So maybe it was a dsk issue?
SuperCauldron is very beautifull and smooth moves. It comes from a dsk file from gamebasecpc on cpcpower. I convert it to hfe with soft provided by lotharek.
I'm looking for prehistorik II but 2 dsk versions (with and without protection) from cpcpower has trouble with hxc.
The protected version : we can see the introduction screen like this:
(http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2548/photo2723.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/32/photo2723.jpg/)
But after i've a sort of v-sync trouble in the game.
With the unprotected version hxc stop at block 38 and i have a blue screen.
Quote from: Badstarr on 12:23, 05 June 12
No worries Gryzor! I will upload the HFE images, I will use the ones I have on my HxC so just need to dig out my SD Card Adaptor, I'm always loosing it lol!
I've used the convert batch from hxcfloppyemulator soft on the gamebasecpc directory, and after some minutes, my sdcard was full of games, all sort by alphabetical order...
No time and no game to loose!
This hxc is very a wonderfull tool. Thanks Lotharek
I use alphabetical sub-directories, makes it easier/faster to find the game you want.
Bryce.
I do that too, like A-F, J-M etc. etc. I also use a "New" folder. But as the collection grows you have to sort within them...
Quote from: Bryce on 13:40, 05 June 12
I use alphabetical sub-directories, makes it easier/faster to find the game you want.
Bryce.
That's i would say. And sub folder too for "Loriciels" and other editors with their games and also some "Magnum" or another like setup-compatible soft folder if you want find games for Magnum in example.
Here is my fixed image of Prehistorik II, its made from the image that usually crashes at Track 38 on the HxC but of course, fixed so that this issue does not occur. For some reason the HxC software truncates the output image, maybe due to some weak sector copy protection perhaps? Any how, my HxC and my 464 Plus seem to like this image. I will post the Cauldron image soon (still haven't found my SD Card Adaptor!)
Quote from: Badstarr on 00:08, 06 June 12
Here is my fixed image of Prehistorik II, its made from the image that usually crashes at Track 38 on the HxC but of course, fixed so that this issue does not occur. For some reason the HxC software truncates the output image, maybe due to some weak sector copy protection perhaps? Any how, my HxC and my 464 Plus seem to like this image. I will post the Cauldron image soon (still haven't found my SD Card Adaptor!)
Thanks, added it here (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=dldir;sa=details;lid=3748) :)
The original Prehistorik 2 uses a track 30 with 14 sectors, plus a GAP key protection....
Is it correctly supported by HxC ?
I just happened to notice this yesterday:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=dldir;sa=details;lid=3748 (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=dldir;sa=details;lid=3748)
Says "Fixed HFE file for HxC"
Quote from: mr_lou on 05:31, 18 June 12
I just happened to notice this yesterday:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=dldir;sa=details;lid=3748 (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=dldir;sa=details;lid=3748)
Says "Fixed HFE file for HxC"
Yeah, but I haven't tried it myself; does it work or not after all?
I found that the original DSK image I had obtained from several sources just plain refused to load via an HxC, but the same image was happy enough when loading from a physical disk. Converting the image using the HxC software just produced a disk image that essentially stopped at track 38. The HFE image I uploaded should correct this issue and should work fine with the HxC (I'm sure I copied the right one ;) ). If anyone has found that this fixed image does not work then please post back so I can look at what is going on. I have been using the image with my HxC without any issues so far so hopefully other members should be able to expect the same results. It took me a few goes before I managed to get a functional image so there is the small possibility that I copied a failed attempt from the SD Card but I'm sure I got the right one.
Ok I'm now going to admit my ignorance and ask this; What the fudgeyfish is all this HxC and HFE stuff and how does an SD Card relate to a CPC? I feel like I'm missing out on something here. I know crud-all about the CPC-techy stuffs.
Very quick HxC / HFE summary:
HxC: Is a floppy emulator. You connect it to any computer that has a flopppy controller and the computer thinks there's a floppy drive connected. In reality the HxC has an SD Card with lots of floppy images saved on it. so you can have all your disks on a single SD card. Choose an image and the computer thinks that disk is in the floppy drive.
HFE: Whereas the standard disk images for the CPC are called DSK files, the HxC uses its own format known as HFE. to use a DSK file on the HxC it needs to be converted to HFE first.
Bryce.
Oh right. That's cool then. I don't know what a floppy controller is. Is it worth getting one of these in the future for my 464 or is that not possible. Did many games require 6128 rom and memory? Although most must have run ok on a 664 right?
Mainly interested as some of my cassettes are starting to fail perhaps due to age.
The floppy controller is the electronics needed to control a floppy drive. In the 664 and 6128 this is a chip called the µPD765. The 464 didn't have this built in, so there was an expansion available - The DDI-1 which gave the 464 a floppy controller, usually sold together with the FD-1 (The Amstrad external 3in disk drive).
There are some "6128 only" games, but I don't think there were many.
Bryce.
Carnivac, do read here (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/HxC_Standalone_Floppy_Emulator) for the HxC. Really lovely piece of machinery, there has been lots of discussions here on the wiki about it. Well worth its money, though you'd need a floppy controller indeed if you only have a 464.
Not a lot of 128k-only games (this question comes up time and again, we should compile a definite list for the wiki...), but some had better characteristics: some voice samples here (like Robocop), some extra tunes there, single loading... Few require 128k to run. The brand new and awesome thing that's called R-Type remake requires 128k, and is well worth it:
[AMSTRAD CPC] R-Type 128K Remake - Longplay (Full Game) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHH1V-zOlZk#)
Who do I need to contact, as I would be interested in getting a DVD of the magazines scans from this site?
Quote from: Andrew Musson on 13:02, 24 June 18
Who do I need to contact, as I would be interested in getting a DVD of the magazines scans from this site?
I don't see a downloads link anywhere; supposing the issue was bandwidth would it also be possible to return the downloads behind a paywall? I don't see a problem with contributing for the hosting of such a large amount of data but it's been two computers since I had an optical drive, and I live overseas.
The Internet Archive (https://archive.org/) wants to host these as part of The Computer Magazine Archives (https://archive.org/details/computermagazines?and%5B%5D=subject%3AAmstrad&sin=).
What magazines were in the CPCWiki archive that aren't on either archive.org or on RetroPDFs (https://retropdfs.wordpress.com/)?
The magazines were never on the wiki itself, too many GBs just for some leeching. But I always offered to send a couple of DVDs to those asking for them.
As for the rest of the Downloads, seemed like nobody ever contributed and nobody ever used them really, so off they went.