CPCWiki forum

Hi Everybody!

I know that nowadays you can find large compilations of Amstrad software (like cpcgames cd,ghostware collection etc), and especially when it comes to games, we are talking for THOUSANDS of them!
Of course, some collections are bundled with very good interfaces (for example cpcgames cd) that allow easy filtering and search by name, year, genre etc, BUT the problem is that, even if there is a description or screenshots, NOTHING can tell you how GOOD a game ACTUALLY is, until you play it!
So, instead of anyone trying each game one by one ,out of these HUGE compilations, i suggest to try and create a smaller, and thus, easiest to manage and search "WORTH TO PLAY" list, based on the actual experience of playing a game that we liked it! .
I have already started such a public list (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hzp3a4b7fktcn8c/AAAj2U8otKw26j-chnd8uUxla?dl=0) some time ago, which can be updated on regular basis!
Mind also that such a list can be a VERY good solution for playing games on real Amstrad CPC equipped with a M4 board or USIfAC II (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/usifac-iimake-your-pc-or-usb-stick-an-hdd-for-amstrad-access-dsk-and-many-more!/) or any other device, that can load games, either from files or dsk images! ;-)

So, if anyone played a game and thinks it's "classic" or worth mentioning to others to play it, please feel free to do it!

Currrent Game list:

1942
1943
1Agame_list.txt
2088
3D_STUNT
abductio
ACEOACES
ACTION_FIGHTER
AFTERSHK
AIRWOLF
ALTEREDBEAST
AMTURBO
ANTIRIAD
Apprentice, The (UK) (1986)
arkanod2
ARKANOID
ARMAGEDD
ARMYMOVE
ARTURA
asphalt
Asterix & La Potion Magique (F) (1988)
astromarines
ATF
AUFMONTY
axys
babapalc
BARBARIAN1&2
basketmaster
Batman Caped Crusader (UK) (1988)
BATTY
BEDLAM
BEYONDICEPALACE
BillyII
Black Beard (S) (1988)
BLADEWARRIOR
BLOOD_BR
BMX2
BMXSIM
Bomb Jack (UK) (1986)
Bomb Jack 2 (UK) (1987)
BOULDER1
BOUNDER
BOYRACER
BRAINSTM
BRAVSTAR
brickrik
Bruce Lee (UK) (1984)
Bubble Bobble (UK) (1987)
Bubble Bobble 2 (UK) (1988) ()
bubble4
Buggy Boy (UK) (1987)
BUGGYBOY
camelot
CATASTRO
CAULDRO2
Cauldron (UK) (1985)
CERBERUS
CHES2000
CHUBBY_GRISTLE
Chuckie Egg (UK) (1985)
COBRA
commando
COPOUT
Crystal Kingdom Dizzy (UK) (1992)
CYBER
CYBERII
Cyber_Ch
CYRUSSII
daleytho
DANDARE2
DANDARE3
dawnkern
DDRAGON1
DDRAGON2
Deliverance - Stormlord 2 (UK) (1990)
destruct
DevaDrif
Dizy_Prince of the Yolkfolk
Dizzy. Amstrad Action Special Edition
dizzy4_MAGICALAND
dogfight
DONKEY_K
EAGLNEST
elcapita
Elevator Action (UK) (1987)
elite
eridu
escape
exolon
expl_fist
Forgotten Worlds (UK) (1989)
fredyhar
fruity_f
FSHARK
GALACHIP
Galaxia (UK) (1984)
GALVAN
gauntle2
gauntlet
GENOCIDE
Ghosts 'N' Goblins (UK) (1986) ()
Ghouls 'N' Ghosts (UK) (1989)
goldtrai
gold_axe
goody
Goonies, The (UK) (1986)
Green Beret (UK) (1986)
Gryzor (UK) (1987)
gunfrght
GUNSHIPA
GUNSHIPB
GURIANOS
Hammer Boy I & II (UK) (1991) [f1]
HEADOVER
holdup
Hundra (S) (1987)
HuntRed
Ikari Warriors (UK) (1986)
IMPMISS1
impossam
Infernal
IRON
IZNOGOUD
jetsetwil
Jungle Warrior I & II (S) (1990) [h1]
KATTRAP
kitsune
KnightLORE
KRAKOUT
KUNGFUMASTER
LANCELOT
LASTV8
LEMMINGS
LICENSETOKILL
lightfor
LittleCP
LIVINGSTONE
LOCOMOTI
LOTUS_ES
macadam
MACH3
MAGMAX
MANICMIN
marauder
MARIO
MASK2
MATAHARI
MATCHD2
Mega Bombers (UK) (1994)
mgt
MICKEY
MILKRACE
MONTYRUN
mutmont
Myth
NEBULUS
NIGELMAN
NINJA
NORTH STAR
OBLIVION
opalexan
OPERWOLF
Orion_prime
OUTRUN_E
OUTWORLD
Pac-Mania (UK) (1988)
PACLAND
PACMAN_E
Pang (UK) (19xx)
PAPERBOY
Penguin (UK) (1992)
pinball
pingpong
Pirates
pong-lan
PREDATO2
PREHISTO
Prince_P
PROHIBIT
RAMPAGE
RANARAMA
Rebelstar
redsun
Relentls
RENEGADE
rex
Rick Dangerous 2 (UK) (1990)
RIPPER
ROLROPES
RType128
RUN_GAUN
Saboteur 2
Savage
SCOOBY
SCRAMBLE
SHARK
SHINOB1
SILKWORM
simcity
SKWEEK
SLAPFIGHT
slug
SLYSPY1
SMASHTV
Solomon's Key 3
SOLOMONS
Sorcerers
sorcery
SORCERYP
spacemov
spacemv2
stargldr
Star_sabre
STORMLORD
STRIDER
SubHunter
SUPERCAR
Switchblade
S_Edge_grinder
TANK
TARG_REN
tempest
tennis
TERRAMEX
THANATOS
Titus the Fox - To Marakesh and Back (1994)
Trailblz
TRANTOR
Tron
T_outrun
URIDIUM
Vindicator, The (UK) (1988)
wclemans
WESTBANK
westerngames
WHODAREWINSSII
WILLOW
WIZARDWILLY
WIZBALL
WLDCUP90
wonderboy
XENON
xor
XYBOTS
Xyphoes
Zynaps (UK) (1987)
Total games:247


Most games are extracted files from dsk images from here (https://www.velus.be/disk.html)

No Worth to Play collection would be complete without a Dizzy game so either Treasure Island Dizzy or Dizzy, Prince of the Yolkfolk.

Quote from: zeropolis79 on 23:20, 07 December 20
No Worth to Play collection would be complete without a Dizzy game so either Treasure Island Dizzy or Dizzy, Prince of the Yolkfolk.

Or Magicland, my personal favourite!

Hello,


I would rate Rebelstar as a worth to play game on CPC, there is few tactical games on CPC and this one have a good rythm and replayability.

ATF!


The Advanced Tactical Fighter might have looked like an insect but the gameplay was absorbing :)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_(video_game)

Ok i've just added to the public list (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hzp3a4b7fktcn8c/AAAj2U8otKw26j-chnd8uUxla?dl=0) :
- Dizzy prince of Yolkfolk
- A.T.F.
- Rebelstar
- Magicland Dizzy

And as for all the others, you can run them on a real amstrad cpc, using a M4 or USIfAC II board.

And some of the more recent created "stuff":

- Sub Hunter (REALLY good shoot'em up)
- Super edge grinder (also a fanstastic shoot'em up)
- Sorcerers (Very nice platform, awarded on recent retro DEV 2020)
- Orion Prime (possibly the best point'n'click adventure ever made for Amstrad CPC... :))

Thanks for this list. Although very subjective, of course, it's nice to have a relaxed discussion and resulting 'loose' list.

Today I learned about Rebelstar, I don't think I've ever heard of it before!

https://youtu.be/lEEGdQh0dNI

(Btw it'd be nice if people added videos to their suggestions 😊)

 Well, although the "good" or "worth to play" might be subjective, depending mainly on anyone's personal favors and tastes (mostly regarding the genre of the game ,for example, some like shoot'em'ups, other like puzzle games, others platforms, or, some might like horizontal scrolling instead of vertical scrolling games etc) ,
i believe that a REALLY good game CAN be OBJECTIVELY defined and recognized as such, by the people who like the type/genre of the particular game!
And that's what we will try to find out here!  ;)

Another 3 games added:
- Sorcery (1985 platform)
- Sorcery+ (1986 platform)
- Brick Rick (2020 platform)
Total games so far: 163

You could add Golden Tail (2016), a refreshing platform game with an original ninja-disappearing mechanism. It is short (15 min or so), not too difficult and really addictive.


https://youtu.be/5NP_PS4yi1Q

Ok i just added golden trail, and also:
-Hold UP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwi0Gaz_sXE)
-Goody (platform)
-Commando (Shoot'em'up)
-Camelot Warrior(arcade)
-Freddy Hardest (arcade)
-Out of this world (Shoot'em'up)
-Asphalt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHFOOa4C6RQ)
-Astromarines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkhdRfWhtxY)
-Basket Master (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-T6uuuaXZA)
-MYTH (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cmxru0Auk8) (very good arcade adventure!)

Mind that almost all games have cheat/trainers as i'm using disk images from here: https://www.velus.be/disk.html  ;D

Nice try!
Comparing to my favorites games folder, i can propose to add those:.
Exolon (a must).
The island of Dr Destructo.
CyrusII (chess game).
The hunt for red october.
Wec le mans ( a must).
Nigel Mansell grand prix.
Pingpong.
Matchtennis.
Peter shilton handball Maradona (I really liked this goalkeeping game, not sure if others liked it).
Arcanoid 2.
From new games, very interesting for me are:.
Dawn of Kernel.
Deva drifter.
Eridu. 
Dogfight.
Babas palace.

These are my proposals, you decide!

The following games added:

-Exolon
-The island of Dr Destructo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvo27gwUU1o)
-CyrusII (chess game)
-The hunt for red october (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlwhgF1HIdc)
-Wec le mans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueNHdJNbeU)
-Nigel Mansell grand prix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--tM2bPFZpw)
-Pingpong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drPUNoMGU9U)
-Match Point (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kn7wWICdxA)(tennis)
-Arkanoid 2
-Operation Alexandra (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYc9U48uj1s)
-Dawn of Kernel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFe8sKLwg6Q)
-Deva drifter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFsLkSR3PSk)
-Eridu  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCpovcnalkY)
-Dogfight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2SUmz0Y8Ak)(BASIC shoot'em up,using 8BP library!)
-Babas palace (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmo9f5YZwYs) (fantastic platfrom puzzle game!)
-Relentless (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv7qOs7neAw)
-Kitsunes Curse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK221PpG7j4)


Total games so far: 191

A few more games added:

- Rex (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPi6BHUkBZc)
- Impossamole (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vofk081Iza0)
- The Way Of The Exploding Fist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6wohZbIqmQ) (one of the first games i played on amstrad cpc, maybe the best 1on1 karate fight! ;) )

Exploding Fist - wasn't into it back in the day but I appreciated it over time...

Rex - never played this one. Looks intriguing!!!

But Impossamole? Am I the only one completely indifferent to it? :D

Quote from: Gryzor on 09:27, 03 February 21
But Impossamole? Am I the only one completely indifferent to it? :D

I enjoyed it. Only finished it for the first time about two years ago. Incredibly tough game.
It did serve as a template for Rick Dangerous 2 however as the code is identical (being able to select any of the first four levels was also a feature that didn't exist in the first RD game) only this one had bad guys at the end of each level, and it was as equally tough as RD 2, so in my opinion, there is some historical significance there that got horribly overlooked.

But yeah, by the time 1990 rolled around when this game got released, people were sick of Monty Mole. Monty didn't age quite as well as Dizzy did.  :laugh:

3 more suggestions:

M.G.T
really great graphics, very good gameplay - in a German games magazine (ASM) it received one of the highest scores I ever saw for a CPC game in this mag
I bought it and liked it. Only issue (imho) is that once completed the puzzles are know and there is no more motivation to play again. But for a few hours, great and addictive.

Macadam Bumper
A simple but fun pinball game. One of the few games that even my parents played - and they played for hours.

Not so sure about "Elite" - clearly a classic and I played it more than any other game to date - but I am not sure if it's still worth playing.

Suggestion:
Could the game titles be put in the original post, that way it can be searched with a simple ctrl+f rather than wade through a bunch of dropbox folders? I'm sure I could suggest plenty but I'm not wading through nearly 200 folders ;)

Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 16:16, 03 February 21
Suggestion:
Could the game titles be put in the original post, that way it can be searched with a simple ctrl+f rather than wade through a bunch of dropbox folders? I'm sure I could suggest plenty but I'm not wading through nearly 200 folders ;)

Hmmm, that might  be a good idea indeed! I'm thinking of making a small utility that will read all game folder names, and output them in a txt file, for easy search and also easy update! ;)
And i will place this txt file on 1st post of this thread and also inside the public list.

Ok,i've done it!
- At the end of 1st post there will be an updated alphabetically ordered list of all games, for easy search of games that already exist in list!
- Added a "gamelist.txt" file inside public list

Please add Starglider and Gunship

Ok, 5 new games added:
Gunship (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpQY_vVtp74)
Magnetic Tank (MGT) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6i2wraWslQ)
Elite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpgDqqbGd_g)
Starglider (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFMUHYUm_lI)
Mcadam bumper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HWJe-1ZQ_A)
And one personal favour:
pinball dreams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl_MSCpGC0M) (by far the best pinball on amstrad cpc...)

200+ games in total!  ;D

Where is house of usher on this list?  :P

Quote from: tjohnson on 10:17, 07 February 21
Where is house of usher on this list?  :P

You really think that such game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vQ4hhwUieg
Is either "Classic" or "Worth to play"?  :P

Take this instead  ;)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_pYNU_ACLg

6 new games added:
Axys (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8JZt1dBR8I)
Light Force (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSNnam2RnOQ)
Space moves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppgdWgT9j4E)
Space moves 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8rVBbRXbww)
GunFright (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAE2RIVcauo) (this was one of my fevorite back at the time :)  )
Marauder (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_uYVMRr1oo)

Total games:209

I think that Gauntlet and Gauntlet 2 should be on this list.
8)

2 more games added:
Gauntlet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbA0kVd7Ck)
Gauntlet 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr08xDChFJw) (this one is actually a CPM game, so you need to use FDC emulation and give: "|CPM", to load it)

Funny thing,i never knew about these games back at the days, clearly the "Ancestor" of the great "alien breed" amiga games! :)

You never knew about Gauntlet?? Wow! I think Alien Breed was more influenced by Alien Syndrome than Gauntlet.

And one more:

El capitan Trueno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYW3rVjgdOw) (Another nice action platform that i didn't know...  ::) )

Total games: 212

I have a flash floppy drive. will this work with that?


also... what are the benefits of getting an M4 over a gotek?

Quote from: LewisCPC on 12:00, 21 February 21
I have a flash floppy drive. will this work with that?
also... what are the benefits of getting an M4 over a gotek?

Gotek drive with flash floppy firmware is ONLY a floppy drive emulator, meaning that it can only access dsk images. But Most of the games in this list are not in dsk form but rather  extracted files (from each game image file).Of course,you can always use the dsk image of every game to load it using a gotek drive.
Now,custom boards for Amstrad cpc like the M4 or the USIfAC II (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/usifac-iimake-your-pc-or-usb-stick-an-hdd-for-amstrad-access-dsk-and-many-more!/) i recently designed, can do the same thing (and a bit faster too) BUT also, MUCH,MUCH more, where most important ,is the ability to access files DIRECTLY from a usb stick or sd card, practically converting them in Hard Disk for Amstrad!
Αpart from this, there are MAJOR advantages compared to Gotek drive:
- Ease of use: Using simple RSX basic commands you can easily manage 100's of dsk images or files by browsing directories, get filtered catalogues etc. Instead, trying to manage 100's of dsk images with gotek drive, would be VERY tiresome: endless pressings of gotek buttons to find the image you want,and even popular addons, like rotary enconders or oled screens doesn't help much either: You will still end up turning left-right the enconder (like trying to tune with a radio station  ;D ), continiously struggling to read the names from the tiny oled screen...  ;D
- SPEED! Loading games from it's original files instead through dsk images, is INCREDIBLY FASTER! We are talking for 5-10times faster loading than gotek drive! Most games load in 1-3seconds!
- Size of games: Most Amstrad games where ~50-100kb in size, but using dsk image files, each game always occupies ~200kb,e.g. the size of a dsk image file.

Moreover, custom interfaces gives you a whole bunch of new abilities, like formatting disks, copying dsk images to disks, copying files between usb sitck and disks etc.
Finally, USiFAC II costs MUCH less than having a gotek  drive (flashed with flash floppy) either connected internally (=extra cost for cable adapters+3D front face ~60-70euros in total) or externally (+ribbon+Y power cable ~50-60euros in total) at a price of ~23euros including shipping!  ;)

After updating the USIfAC II board (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/usifac-iimake-your-pc-or-usb-stick-an-hdd-for-amstrad-access-dsk-and-many-more!/), with added feature of loading multi image games/programs, i've added:

- XYPHOES (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bon0Jut2qnk) (3 image game)
- TURBO OUT RUN (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKdbmf85so) (2 image game)
- OUT RUN EUROPA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU4r1A6g5uo) (2 image game)

In the above games folders (and also the few games on the list that are in dsk image form), i have added a small Basic loader that set image(s) to slots, enables floppy controller emulation and runs the game directly, so you can now run games from dsk images directly!  ;)

Can you please add Fruity Frank? Thank you  :)

done!  ;)

And now something for USIfAC II owners, (especially those with CPC 464....  ;D)
It took me a few hours, but i finally manage to make a utility to create 100's of bASIC loaders (like the ones mentioned before for multi image games), for ALL games in the LIST, in a split of a second!  ;)
I uploaded a small zip file here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cdd59bfubyv9g7f/loaders.zip?dl=0. You can downlaod it and extract all the files into the root of your usb stick. Then, you just copy the entire "direct load games" folder into usb stick,and that's it!
Instead of manually using |CD, |MG, |FDC etc commands, you can just run the small basic loader! Each listing is custom made depending on the specific game form:

- For games in dsk images, it will change directories, mount the image and then either reset using |464 (for CPC 464) or enabe FDC emulation and directly give you a CAT list!
- For games in file form, it will also change directories and give you a cat list, and so you can choose the game loader and run it directly!

The program searches and create Basic loaders, for multiple dsk image files in a single folder, and for files or dsk images in separate sub-folders for each game!
Here is an example:
10 A$="DIRECT~1":|CD,@A$
20 A$="SUBHUN~1":|CD,@A$
30 IF INP(&FBDC)=&83 THEN 40 ELSE 50
40 A$="SUBHUN~1.DSK":|MG,@A$:|464
50 A$="SUBHUN~1.DSK":|MG,@A$:|FDC:CAT

This is the procedure to use SUBHUN~1.DSK image file inside DIRECT~1/SUBHUN~1/ subfolder.
As you can see,i'm using the Basic 1.0 form of loading arguments in RSX commands, in order for the listings to load on CPC 464 too!
You can also see the "smart" selection of actions according to you CPC model! Judging from my quick experience on a CPC 464, this method can VASTLY improve the speed and "Ease of use" for loading games in CPC 464!  ;)
Soon i will upload the utility, for anyone to create loaders for his custom game collections! ;)

Added abduction of oscar z (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl_FG8vHK8Q), a very nice platform made in 2020!  :)

I'd like to add, Mutant Monty.

I know many think this game is not worth much, but I have fond memories of this game.
and even today, I think it holds up as a decent platform game.

sure graphically, might lack some bells and whistles... but as an addictive game, I know a few people that played this for many many hours. think the highest we ever got was level 38/40? (From a faded memory)

I think worth a try...





Always wanted to add additional tracks to Bmx Simulator... very impressive background images (at the time)

Although I am not a sport game fan, to give new people the experience of a dead arm playing video games - I would add Daley Thompson's Decathlon. 

Oh yes of course. But since you're not a sports fan you could just play Combat School🙂

Quote from: zhulien on 17:36, 02 May 21Although I am not a sport game fan, to give new people the experience of a dead arm playing video games - I would add Daley Thompson's Decathlon. 

You mean Daley Thompson's Joystick Breaker?
I broke both my Atari 2600 sticks playing DT on the '464 back in the day!

How about adding a PLUS sub-folder?

I found 2 games that have issues:

Exolon: works fine on the 6128 but doesn't work properly on my 464. Some Sprites and tiles are pixel-garbage. (see screenshot). A DSK version from the M4 games compilation works fine, also when extracted from DSK to be started directly. (I can provide the extracted files if that helps)

Cerberus: seems to have an unlimited lives patch that can't be selected or deactivated.

Well, if you want, give me the dsk image of exolon to replace the one used then  :)
Now, about CPC 464 compatibility, since all games in "direct file form" are extracted from dsk images, it means that they run 100% only on "Amsdos equipped" CPC with basic 1.1
Differences in memory usage (464 had a few more ram available because of the lack of amsdos, also many system variables use different places in ram) ,and different basic versions (for example, some games use loaders with basic commands that are not supported by previous basic 1.0 of CPC 464) prevent some games from loading on a CPC 464.
Also, some games require 128kb ram, so obviously these can't run on 464 models too.
In order to load these "direct file" games on 464 machines, you can either try to use the dsk image and FDC emulation, or use a snapshot file of the game, if available.

btw, added 2 more games to the list:
-MUTANT MONTY (https://youtu.be/eZUZnfZe2pc)
-BMX SIMULATOR

Mutant Monty? 😀

https://youtu.be/eZUZnfZe2pc

Yeap!  ;)
@flag26838 (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4089), i'm afraid i'm not able to do that, because i don't own an Amstrad plus for testing :)
But if anyone with a plus model is willing to give games a try, i will be more than happy to create a "cetrified for plus" list too!  :)

Btw, i added 1 more game:
Daley Thompson's Decathlon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzMY1vXbeto) (beware: this a legendary known game, that breaks joysticks!  :laugh: )

220 Games in total!

Quote from: ikonsgr on 19:05, 16 May 21Btw, i added 1 more game:
Daley Thompson's Decathlon (beware: this a legendary known game, that breaks joysticks!   )

Oh, we know :D

Added:
Bubble Bobble 4 CPC (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBoddqRSUj4), this is how Bubble bobble should be on CPC in the first place  :)
Red sunset (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHupok0vCNM), one of the best vertical scrolling shoot'em'up for CPC!

Added infernal runner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQN7peevzwk) an "old school" classic platform!

Offering up 2088 and Ranarama as direct-load candidates
Both are 464-safe (and conveniently single file, too!)

On top of this, I'm starting work on going down the current list of files, and testing each one for compatibility on a stock 464+usifac2

(files attached)

Quote from: ikonsgr on 20:55, 07 June 21
Added infernal runner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQN7peevzwk) an "old school" classic platform!

Now that's a nice looking game for 1985! Ah,  Éric Chahi, figures. I don't know if it's a classic or worth playing though?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQN7peevzwk

Quote from: Gryzor on 07:55, 08 June 21
Now that's a nice looking game for 1985! Ah,  Éric Chahi, figures. I don't know if it's a classic or worth playing though?

it's worth playing, purely to see what Eric was doing prior to absolute non-amstrad classics like Another World and Flashback
I happen to enjoy it a fair bit, too.

Cyber Chicken still missing, no game ever used more sprites at a time.  ;) :)

Well then I guess this goes in the "most of something" category :D

Quote from: Devlin on 22:57, 07 June 21
Offering up 2088 and Ranarama as direct-load candidates
Both are 464-safe (and conveniently single file, too!)

Ok,i've added both in the list and added the Basic loaders too.

Quote from: Devlin on 22:57, 07 June 21
On top of this, I'm starting work on going down the current list of files, and testing each one for compatibility on a stock 464+usifac2
(files attached)

That's really very nice of you! You can also give me the list to adda "CPC464 certified games.txt" file too!  ;)

Quote from: ikonsgr on 17:35, 08 June 21
Ok,i've added both in the list and added the Basic loaders too.
That's really very nice of you! You can also give me the list to adda "CPC464 certified games.txt" file too!  ;)

Working on it. It's a pretty chunky list and i'm going through it solo right now.


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dVFDK63R0wTtEo1vFLDO359uj1w7iHIatQ2Xz-6erfM/edit#gid=0 (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dVFDK63R0wTtEo1vFLDO359uj1w7iHIatQ2Xz-6erfM/edit#gid=0)
This is my progress so far. (it's read only except to me for now)


There's a dedicated channel on my amstrad discord(see my signature for details) where I'm hoping to find more folks willing to help with the tedium of testing every game..


It'd be really nice if there was some kind of menu program we could use to navigate the USB easier - that'd help speed things up. Any takers?

Quote from: Devlin on 19:20, 08 June 21
It'd be really nice if there was some kind of menu program we could use to navigate the USB easier - that'd help speed things up. Any takers?

Did you try the Basic loader creator (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/usifac-iimake-your-pc-or-usb-stick-an-hdd-for-amstrad-access-dsk-and-many-more!/)? It creates a small basic program for each game, that includes all required rsx commands for the game,regardless of the form (direct files, dsk image, snapshot file), so you will end up with a big list of BAS files that can be easily managed using the filter argument of the |CAT command! 
That way you can easily access even 1000's of games! For example, if you want to load arkanoid, you just give a simple: |CAT,"AR" and you will get a small list of bas files starting from "AR"! And then, you just run the file you want!
I beleive this is faster and easier method even from using a menu navigator with pages where,for example, in case of 1000's of files, you will end up pressing countless times page-ups or page-downs!  :D

At the minute, my folder structure is all over the place - I'd rather have a browsable menu - the basic loaders are inconvenient at the minute as i have the games list sorted into untested/good/bad/partial atm while I go down my list.


And having a menu browser would be super nice for when I get around to extracting my disk images on the PC to put on my usb stick - I need my creature comforts

I'd like to suggest adding Trailblazer to the list.
XOR is a brilliant puzzle game.
I've also got a soft spot for The Island of Dr Destructo!


Thanks

Tempest is worth adding to the list if it hasn't been already.

Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 15:57, 09 June 21Tempest is worth adding to the list if it hasn't been already.

*whistles the tune of The Queen of Sheba*

One criminally overlooked entry :


Jet Set Willy (attached)


464-safe

Quote from: Devlin on 20:17, 08 June 21
At the minute, my folder structure is all over the place - I'd rather have a browsable menu - the basic loaders are inconvenient at the minute as i have the games list sorted into untested/good/bad/partial atm while I go down my list.
And having a menu browser would be super nice for when I get around to extracting my disk images on the PC to put on my usb stick - I need my creature comforts

Well, maybe some people are already working on that...  ;)

Quote from: ikonsgr on 09:09, 10 June 21Well, maybe some people are already working on that...  ;)

MARVELLOUS!

Quote from: Mark_wllms on 14:36, 09 June 21I'd like to suggest adding Trailblazer to the list. XOR is a brilliant puzzle game. I've also got a soft spot for The Island of Dr Destructo! Thanks

*whistles in more games to add to the direct load list*


In order to stop spamming this thread out and get it somewhat back on topic - I've started a new thread to track progress on usifac2 directload compatibility and allow folks to request games that they might want regardless of status - https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/games/usifac-ii-direct-load-games/

Ok, i've added the following games in the list:
-XOR
-TEMPEST
-TRAILBLAZER
- JET SET WILLY
- CYBER CHICKEN

Dr destructo already exist in the list (name: destruct)
All games are tested on a cpc 464 and work ok, except cyber chicken who seems to need 6128 to run properly (most probable it needs 128k too) 

Btw, we reached 230 GAMES in total!  :)

I iz confused as to why "PINBALL DREAMS CPC" was suggested on PAGE 1 of this thread, but not added to the list... unless "pinball" is PINBALL DREAMS CPC!
It is the best game ever on CPC after all... so...


Might be an idea to make it a little more obvious.... there is more than ONE pinball game on CPC!

Quote from: SuTeKH/Epyteor on 14:42, 11 June 21
I iz confused as to why "PINBALL DREAMS CPC" was suggested on PAGE 1 of this thread, but not added to the list... unless "pinball" is PINBALL DREAMS CPC!
It is the best game ever on CPC after all... so...
Might be an idea to make it a little more obvious.... there is more than ONE pinball game on CPC!

Exactly!  ;)

p.s. i've add "dreams" to the title to make it clear  ;D

Hello.

First time posting here, I suggest "Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaMAUP2gtA4

Added Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaMAUP2gtA4) (folder "escape")

That's a nice one indeed, and despite the small playing area I feel it's a great game on the CPC!

Hi,
I miss the next games in the list:

-Prince of Persia.
-Pirates.
-Simcity.
-Lemmings.
-LCP.
-Roland in the ropes.
-Manic miner.
-PAC-MAN EMULATOR.
-Scramble (the arcade remake).
-Donkey Kong.

Regards.

-YES!
-YES!
-Really? Never played it on the CPC and it does look impressive but, is it playable?
-Hm I don't think I've ever played it outside the ST/Amiga!
-Haha I had forgotten there was a CPC version! (from wikipedia: In pirated copies of the game on the Atari ST (and possibly other platforms) the game would load, but the character would simply stand knocking on the screen and wagging a finger at the player disapprovingly :D )
-Ehhhh
-Ehhhh sure if you have a Speccy?
-...and all the rest!
-Ah yes
-Pretty much the best home computer version!

Quote from: Gryzor on 12:48, 09 July 21-Really? Never played it on the CPC and it does look impressive but, is it playable?

Simcity, yes, it's playable, just have to get used to the controls. Very close to the PC version. It needs to format a floppy in a weird format to save games, I don't know if the FDC emulation of the usifac works. With the M4 you can take snapshots.

Quote from: Gryzor on 12:48, 09 July 21-Haha I had forgotten there was a CPC version! (from wikipedia: In pirated copies of the game on the Atari ST (and possibly other platforms) the game would load, but the character would simply stand knocking on the screen and wagging a finger at the player disapprovingly :D )

LCP, very funny one. The first time I ran it I had the CPC switched on several days (poor little guy :laugh: )

Quote from: Gryzor on 12:48, 09 July 21-Ehhhh sure if you have a Speccy?

Manic Miner, yes I had a Speccy. My father gave it to me when he bought the CPC664, then he gave me the CPC664 when he bought a 386.

Quote from: Gryzor on 12:48, 09 July 21-Ehhhh

Roland on the ropes, the spanish version was Fred, I liked the amstrad and speccy versions. Was a spanish game that amsoft published as one of the Roland series (as Roland in the cave, that was La Pulga). The character Fred is the same that in the game Sir Fred. Being a game from 1983 is classic, and if you give it a try I think that is wotrh to play. Here in Spain was a great success.

Quote from: Gryzor on 12:48, 09 July 21-Pretty much the best home computer version!

Donkey Kong, yes, I agree!.

Quote from: ajcasado on 13:24, 09 July 21
Simcity, yes, it's playable, just have to get used to the controls. Very close to the PC version. It needs to format a floppy in a weird format to save games, I don't know if the FDC emulation of the usifac works.

Well it doesn't work, because the 765 FDC "format track" command is not implemented  ;D
I never thought that this would needed for the emulation (as you always use ready made dsk image files), but fortunately i found a rather easy way to overcome the problem:
I run game using direct file loading, and then, on 1st game screen, choose" System->save city". When it asks for data disk, i simply insert a real floppy disk, which is formatted without problem!
Save disk is tested for both saving and loading files so i suppose it works ok.  ;)
This actually can be done, because ,although Amsdos file access routines (CAS_IN_OPEN, CAS_IN_DIRECT etc) are modified, in order to access files from USB device, Amsdos Direct Disk access Routines (READ_SECTOR, FORAMT_TRACK etc) are intact, e.g. they will access good old disk drive!  ;)

I'll notify you when i upload this and the other games requested :)

Quote from: ikonsgr on 09:02, 10 July 21It is tested for both saving and loading files so i suppose it worked ok.  ;)
Btw, the data disk is just a simple system format disk with some custom code written on the 1st track.
I'll notify you when i upload this and the other games requested

This is awesome!!, Thanks!!

Quote from: ajcasado on 12:33, 09 July 21
Hi,
I miss the next games in the list:
-Prince of Persia.
-Pirates.
-Simcity.
-Lemmings.
-LCP.
-Roland in the ropes.
-Manic miner.
-PAC-MAN EMULATOR.
-Scramble (the arcade remake).
-Donkey Kong.
Regards.

Ok, this last "batch" prooved rather "tough"  :)
For some unknown reason, FDC emulation didn't seem to work very well for Pirates and LCP, that's why i suggest to copy images to real disks. Also,a real disk should be used as SAVE disk with simcity, as the "format track" command is not supported by the FDC emulation. More specifically:

-Prince of Persia: Uses DSK image and FDC emulation, works on all CPC models.
-Pirates: Multi image game. Need to copy it to a real floppy disk. Just run "PIRAT.BAS" to do it. For CPC 6128 Only.
-Simcity: Works  using direct files. For the required SAVE disk, you need to use a real disk (on start screen, choose" System->save city". When it asks for data disk, simply insert a real floppy disk). CPC 6128 Only.
-Lemmings: Another Multi image game. Just run "LEMMING.BAS". For CPC 6128 Only.
-LCP (Little Computer People): Loads ok from DSK image, using serial port connection with a PC, need to copy it to a real floppy disk if use USB device. Just run "LCP.BAS" to do it. For CPC 6128 Only.
-Roland in the ropes: Works on all CPC models, using direct files.
-Manic miner: Works on all CPC models, using direct files.
-PAC-MAN EMULATOR: Works on all CPC models, using direct files.
-Scramble (the arcade remake): Works on all CPC models, using direct files.
-Donkey Kong: Works on all CPC models, using direct files.

As always, game list and Basic loaders archive are also updated.

Lots of thanks for the effort, It deserves lots of hours of fun!!! :) :) :)

Quote from: Gryzor on 07:42, 09 July 21
That's a nice one indeed, and despite the small playing area I feel it's a great game on the CPC!

Glad you like it.

Full disclosure: I never had a CPC, I only have a Spectrum clone. But I remember that game well.
Speaking of which...
Double Dragon? (the Virgin version) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnAYiCYcu-U) - pretty cool in 2 players

The second Double Dragon, maybe? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3-KwwloXQ)

Golden Axe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRDm_VKqy_o) - in 2 players this was very cool, I'd visit a neighbor to play this at his place

Renegade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9IKBqv3cbk) - same story, quite cool in 2 players

Run The Gauntlet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBm6Du65LeM) - I remember this was a good racing game

...and I hope to remember more of these.

Run the Gauntlet was one of the games I spent most of my hours with... Agree!

Ok,i just add:

Double Dragon (Virgin version) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnAYiCYcu-U)
Double Dragon 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3-KwwloXQ)
Golden Axe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRDm_VKqy_o)
Renegade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9IKBqv3cbk)
Run The Gauntlet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBm6Du65LeM)

Golden Axe and Renegade are loading on all amstrad models,using direct files. The rest 3 are using dsk images and don't load on CPC464.

btw,one hint: if Double Dragon 2 freezes loading at some point, just reset Amstrad, give: |FDC and then: RUN"DRAGONII ,and it should load ok  :)

Finally,i found a "direct file" version for R-TYPE 128 (from m4 games collection   ;D) that works!
So another fine shoot'em up remake is also available for play!  ;)

Btw, M4 backup (https://www.spinpoint.org/M4backup.zip) has more than 1300 games available, which i'm pretty sure that almost all (if not all) can be used with USIfAC II too. And although almost all are in dsk image form, there is a very nice "games multi disc" folder, where all games are in direct files form, for super fast loading!   :)

Another classic shoot'em up added: P-47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R19oZhF4R5E)
Game tested and loads ok on CPC 6128 and CPC 464.

Yet another nice shootem'up  from the old days:
 X-OUT! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZFoSOErmQ)
This was a rather "difficult" game, it didn't load from files and also from a dsk image i've tried in the past. Finally i manage to find a cracked version from velus crackers (https://www.velus.be/index.html). Game is tested with CPC6128 and CPC464 and works fine. Game list (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hzp3a4b7fktcn8c/AAAj2U8otKw26j-chnd8uUxla?dl=0) and BASic loader list (https://www.dropbox.com/s/cdd59bfubyv9g7f/loaders.zip?dl=0) are updated.

The true is, as more thousands of games there are in such a compilation, as greater percentage of them are not worth playing on even for 5 minutes. 200 games on the list is the max you need to be happy. This amount is enough to choose a few of the best from each genre. You just have to choose the ones that are worth coming back to. The longer the list is, the less people will want to know it. In my opinion, it is worth dividing such a list into 80s, 90s and 2000s. Each of these periods is a different era, different memories, different requirements.

I don't like these modern methods of uploading games, in my opinion it's normal that there are 3-5 games on each side of 3' disk, not just one. Or 4 times as much for 3.5'. Cassettes suck, USB sucks too. And what kind of player are you if you can't make your own mix? After all, 10-year-olds could do that. ;)

@ZbyniuR,i agree, having 1000's of games in a compilation which you don't have a clue about quality, genre etc of most games, and  you can easily end up spending hours and hours of trying... "garbage"  ::) 
That's why i've started this "Classic & Worth to play" list, which currently has ~250 titles ;-)

btw, cassette loading is indeed ridiculously slow (even for the 80's, although much "tollerable" at that time :) ), but i don't think that fast loading from mass storage devices like sd card,usb stick etc is bad, for one thing you can check games much faster  ;D  But, it's true that in order to get the "Full packet" of nostalgia and 80's feeling, the use of the 3" drive is mandatory. And that's why i've included an RSX command on USIfAC II, to transfer dsk images to real disks!  ;)

In my opinion you can check games faster in emulator, but if someone looking for good retro experience he need real machines and real floppy. Each my disks had "0.bas" file with menu to start title from this side. That was more comfy than type CAT and RUN"names. And I put some cables from keyboard connector lead to some sensor in drive, thats put disc in drive just makes typing [Ctrl]+[F0]+[<-]+[Enter] itself and start menu, or new menu if you change disc, or start only one main program from disc. Without touching keyboard. That makes impress for my friends. Oh yeah! 8) Typing commands? No thanks.  ::)

And if you looking for inspiration for this list of best games, maybe look on this playlist: "Amstrad CPC World" Top Games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD_gBz2fwDM&list=PLl4S7zTQu1nM-yu7B92A9pfPXrMQemQKP
In my opinion years 1992-94 are worth at Top20 for each year. But still, this is one of best playlist with Bests of CPC. :)

The cool thing about new/modern hardware expansions: One can use it  ;) (But nobody is forced to do so).

Agreed, a smaller number of better games is the best. 
For sure not more than 300 I guess. 

"Worth to play" comes in different flavors - it depends a lot on personal preferences. 

• The 20 best per year
• The 20 best per genre
• The 20 best per genre (during commercial lifetime)
• The 20 best per genre (homebrew)
• The 20 best according to magazine reviews (per country)
• The 20 best games for a quick game (low learning curve)
• The 20 best games for kids
• The 20 most influential games 
• The 20 games you play over and over again
• The 20 games that made best use of the hardware
• ...

E.g. I personally think that some games were absolutely outstanding, but I would no longer play them. Vs. there were games that are definitely not good from a technical perspective.


I made a collection of outstanding games per year. I packed as many great and good games as possible on one disk per year of release, so I can use real disks but still have lots of games on just a few disks. It's just great to see how games evolved on the platform. 

I've added another fine game Striker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVKds5xEV2Q)
This looks like a clone of myth, although it seems that it can show up to 8 colors in 320X200 mode!

Quote from: ikonsgr on 12:45, 11 March 23I've added another fine game Striker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVKds5xEV2Q)
This looks like a clone of myth, although it seems that it can show up to 8 colors in 320X200 mode!

It's the Plus enhanced version so it contains more raster colour changes. I don't think it uses the hardware sprites for spot colours (as Switchblade does, which it is clearly based on).

I think Home Runner is 'a Classic', but Donkey Kong is 'Worth to Play'.  Oh Mummy is a Classic that is worth to play.

It's been a long time since we update the list, any new suggetions?  :)

Quote from: eto on 20:22, 10 March 23

• The 20 best per year
• The 20 best per genre
• The 20 best per genre (during commercial lifetime)
• The 20 best per genre (homebrew)
• The 20 best according to magazine reviews (per country)
• The 20 best games for a quick game (low learning curve)
• The 20 best games for kids
• The 20 most influential games
• The 20 games you play over and over again
• The 20 games that made best use of the hardware
• ...

Nice categories but how to practically vote for them on the forum software? Maybe we can use a third party tool. such as Google Forms...

BTW I don't know what a "classic" is but I can tell you CPC's last commercial years were infected with mostly unplayable, horrible, multiloading games but with glorious graphics. I remember showing off to my c64 friends but rarely having fun playing those games.

Quote from: dodogildo on 12:02, 23 February 24

Quote from: eto on 20:22, 10 March 23

• The 20 best per year
• The 20 best per genre
• The 20 best per genre (during commercial lifetime)
• The 20 best per genre (homebrew)
• The 20 best according to magazine reviews (per country)
• The 20 best games for a quick game (low learning curve)
• The 20 best games for kids
• The 20 most influential games
• The 20 games you play over and over again
• The 20 games that made best use of the hardware
• ...

Nice categories but how to practically vote for them on the forum software? Maybe we can use a third party tool. such as Google Forms...

BTW I don't know what a "classic" is but I can tell you CPC's last commercial years were infected with mostly unplayable, horrible, multiloading games but with glorious graphics. I remember showing off to my c64 friends but rarely having fun playing those games.

Well, for one thing, maybe @eto himself could suggest games, as he already made a lot of "Study" in the subject  :)
One other good idea maybe is to perform some kind if  "game referendum" by voting "Best game" for each genre and year (or a period of years), but i don't know either if this can be done in cpcwiki forum

btw "classic" games are mostly "old school" games that usually don't have great technical achievements (like glorious graphics, or perfect scrolling/animation), but still, are very playable and addictive even today!  Classic examples are games like pacman, space invaders, arkanoid, killer gorilla, dynablaster or similar clones. Also, there might be some games of the early "amsoft" years like roland, oh mummy, hunchback, and even harrier attack (i had played and finished it countless times back at 1985... :)  ), i would rank such games as "Classic" ,mainly for nostalgia and sentimental reasons, as without any better alternatives, many of us played them a lot, back at early cpc days.