Say you have a multicartridge for CPC+ with 8 ROMs

[mr_lou]

Let's say you have a CPC+ machine. You get to pick a multicartridge containing 8 cartridge-roms, and you have no other cartridges.

Which 8 cartridge-roms would you put into it then?

I would put
1) the BASIC one of course
2) Another BASIC one said to be more compatible with the standard machines

But that's about it. My knowledge about what options there are, are very limited. So what other cartridges would you pick and why

[MacDeath]

well, with those 2 official Basic, this let only 6 remaining slots. but as I already have those basic cartridge : the one with Burnin' Rubber, the one with only the basic with better compatibility (is it ?)
So i see few use to have them again.


Strange question anyway.

don't know...

for sure, not those shitty "direct disk to cartridge ports"...

==Pang, Panza kick boxing, Robocop2, Navy Seal, Switchblade, Plotting, Pinball Magic, Great Courts (ProTennisTour), Tennis Cup2...


Those are the games more likely to be chosen from, as they are the real deal, top tier depending your tastes in gaming (I like Pinball).
This is 9 games to be turned into 6 only... ouch. depends on what you like.

==Burnin' rubber being already present with one of the 2 Basic cartridge I guess.

==Perhaps Skeetshot and the enforcer too if you have a lightpen/lightgun fetish.

==World of sport is not good yet clearly a PLUS game.

Klax is nice too, but is as good as on disk.
Barbarian2 is perhaps even better on Disk (have the naked Maria patch/crack), and is just the same at best..
Same for Batman.
Mystical is a somewhat decent CPC vertical shooter after all, but on cart it has nothing more than the Disk version.


Op.Thunderbolt is not as good as Op Wolf, but hey, was a quite good CPC game to begin with...

Fire and forget 2 is somewhat decent, but only too few stuff compaired to the disk version... yet certainly the best Titus soft on Cartridge.




Tintin on the moon, Crazy Car2, Dick Tracy, WildStreet....shitfest and as bad as on Disk/tape... despite having real PLUS features.

No Exit = No way !

Copter 271 is unfinished bizness... it would need a serious Hack and get a decent 6128PLUS disk version IMO.


I guess I would put something like...

Pang, Plotting, PanzakickBoxing, Magic Pinball,

Then one of the Navy/robocop and one of the Tennis... probably Navy Seal and ProTennis Tour because I have the other 2 on Cartridge already...

or perhaps switchblade... but the CPC version is almost as good, the Cartridge version having only more colours.


Seriously, why such an odd question ?

The problem is because ACID was only hacked recently and because no actual newcartridge or solution was effectively produced, there are no modern software adapted to Cartridge on PLUS.

but a kool soundtraker would be good, also a powerfull graphical utility with management of PLUS, Mouse, rasters, multimode, overscan and sprites and some animation stuff would be great.
Text editor and assembler/various languages (C ?)could be nice, with sweet mouse management, Hardsprite for mouse cursor and so on...

[mr_lou]

Thanks for the suggestions MacDeath

All games? What about e.g. Parados? Or similar? Don't know what has been made, but surely something must have been made?
Or is everything MegaFlash ROMs?

The reason for asking, is that the 464+ mod project Bryce is doing might have a 3.5" diskdrive installed where the cartridge usually is, and the cartridge slot will then be left inside the machine with a 4-way or 8-way cartridge inserted, without any options to insert another cartridge without opening the machine.

[beaker]

Shame you can't relocate the cartridge slot to the top of the machine and canabalise a GX4000 for the flaps and anything else you may need. I have to admit though I tend to just have the Basic/Parados cartridge in mine most of the time and just use the HxC.

[Bryce]

The machine will have an internal MegaFlash, so ParaDOS and other ROM 7 ROMs can be installed and run from there.

Bryce.

[mr_lou]

The machine will have an internal MegaFlash, so ParaDOS and other ROM 7 ROMs can be installed and run from there.

In that case, I must admit I'm inclined to just settle for a cartridge that let's me choose between the 2 BASIC versions. When everything seems to be done with MegaFlash ROMs and disks.

[Carnivius]

or perhaps switchblade... but the CPC version is almost as good, the Cartridge version having only more colours.

The disk version isn't exactly lacking in colours though.  The disk version is one of the most few Mode 1 games that actually has a colour count on screen higher than most Mode 0 games at times.  I just took a screenshot and it had 17 colours at once.  Mostly due to trickery in the score and status panels (which for some reason the cartridge version lacks) and even the main gameplay area often changes one of the colours as it goes down. The dark red sky colour of the disk version changes to brighter red for the ground tiles and then to yellow for the gems found in the far left screen of the beginning of the game.  If you have the cheat mode on you can see the invincibilty sprite changing between those colours as the player moves up and down on that screen.  The sword icon that appears when you start collecting the Fireblade pieces is strangely a lot more colourful on the disc version (a strange colour scheme of 7 colours) compared to the same sprite on the cartridge version ( Just the 3 but normal looking).  Certainly SwitchBlade on disk must be considered one of the most 'colourful' Mode 1 games ever made.  I do prefer the disc version overall though with the real physical versions of the game the cartridge version wins by loading a heck of a lot faster. 

Sorry for going off-topic a bit.

[Badstarr]

I don't mean to suggest that this project should become anymore complex than it already is, however, could Bryce add more SRAM ICs selectable via DIP switches? That way you could have all cartridge software ever made. I was thinking about doing something like this with my new GX4000 mod. The thing that worries me though is that I may accidentally select a different ROM while the machine is running, which, is a big "no no" according to Amstrad, although I think Bryce has said this would not necessarily cause any problems. What I was thinking was I would build a daughter card onto an existing cartridge, or maybe forego a cartridge slot altogether, and have a set of DIP switches that would "set up" each IC and select each ROM address. This would mean that I would have no need to have an external Cartridge socket as I would have all existing cartridges built in to the machine. If something new comes along I could simply add more SRAM, or use up any spare space though this would mean opening up the machine.

[Bryce]

My plan was to use a rotary switch to choose the ROM. These are usually quite difficult to accidentally switch. Unfortunately they usually only have 12 positions, which limits the amount of ROMs you could have. Swapping accidentally with the switch wouldn't cause any damage to the CPC anyway, it's only a problem if you were to physically unplug a cartridge that might cause problems. Turning the switch while the CPC was running would just cause a rather colourful crash to happen. Eitherway, I will be limiting the ROMs to 8, due to space more than anything.

Bryce.

[TFM]

Let's say you have a CPC+ machine. You get to pick a multicartridge containing 8 cartridge-roms, and you have no other cartridges.

Which 8 cartridge-roms would you put into it then?

I would put
1) the BASIC one of course
2) Another BASIC one said to be more compatible with the standard machines

If you have 2) then you don't need 1)

[mr_lou]

If you have 2) then you don't need 1)

Are you sure? Aren't there any BASIC stuff out there done with that plus version, meaning it might not work on a standard CPC?

[TFM]

The Plus BASIC only has support for some RSX commands to start Burnin Rubber, else it's like the normal 6128 BASIC. In addition they screwed up Amsdos to implant these RSX commands.
In principle it would be enought to use the old Amsdos (but patched for Plus), so everything should run. It's out in the net, don't remember where now. (Maybe inicron.de homepage).

[TFM]

...  If you have the cheat mode on ...

How to switch it on?
Sorry for offtopic too.

[Carnivius]

How to switch it on?
Sorry for offtopic too.

Sorry I can't remember the actual cheat mode (something about entering a certain word in the high score I think) but some versions of the disk file have a trainer (or whatever those added cheat option thingies are called) applied.  The one playable at http://java.cpc-live.com/applet/cpc.php?game=switchblade for example has a version of it.  Press the O key when it says Tricher O/N and Hiro is invincible and has that sprite following him about that I mentioned.

[MacDeath]

A good solution (yet not good looking) would be to put an ACID inside the machine, and a panel on the machine with a ROM socket and a few switches (jumpers)...


Some BBC micro for national education used to have a ROM/CPU socket on the machine.

So you would have a few "cartridges" inside the machines (a ROM box connected to the jumpers) and you would be able to put games/less serious stuff right on the casing's socket.

And no need for extra ACID then.

[Bryce]

The 8way MultiCart and an ACID will all be inside the CPC.

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

My plan was to use a rotary switch to choose the ROM. These are usually quite difficult to accidentally switch. Unfortunately they usually only have 12 positions, which limits the amount of ROMs you could have. Swapping accidentally with the switch wouldn't cause any damage to the CPC anyway, it's only a problem if you were to physically unplug a cartridge that might cause problems. Turning the switch while the CPC was running would just cause a rather colourful crash to happen. Eitherway, I will be limiting the ROMs to 8, due to space more than anything.

Bryce.

A rotary switch? If you can find a really cool, heavy one it'd be very nice... Maybe pull one out of an old machine, this would be great.

[MacDeath]

Remember guys when I talked about a Chip socket available on the machine...

I found a picture of a BBC micro equipped with such device...

As the Amstrad 646PLUS lacks a few plugs on its back, perhaps putting it on the side or rear of the machine could be better than on the upper main casing.
Could really be good : a built in Rom board with open slot for new rom...


not sure this one actually have a chip socket (looks steange, is it a cartridge plug ?)...

but this one :


yep... definitly


Chris's Acorns: BBC model B ZIF socket kit

[Bryce]

Ah the good old BBC ROM socket, a real sign that they were aimed at schools.

@Gryzor: The rotary switch I was suggesting would be something more like this:
DS 1 - Stufen-Drehschalter, 1 Pol, 12 Stellungen bei reichelt elektronik;

Eitherway, I think the question has now been solved. MrLou is tending towards less cartridge ROMs, not more, so it will most likely just be a 4way internal Multi-Cart.

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

A built-in, accessible ZIF socket. Awesome and geeky!


@Bryce: bah, that's a boring switch if I ever saw one, unless there are good-looking covers for it.

[MacDeath]

A ROM/RAM socket on the casing... the very good point is that the price for the thing you put on it is ridiculously lower compaired to a real cartridge.

Real cartridge need a PCP, some soldering process, a plastic casing... ouch.

But this method (socket on case) is geeky and can work in education (guidance from teachers) or with electronic/computer enthousiasts (they know what they're doing), not for large children public at home.
So it could be perfect nowaday. 

Could be a nice CPC6128/464 mod perhaps...

Eitherway, I think the question has now been solved. MrLou is tending towards less cartridge ROMs, not more, so it will most likely just be a 4way internal Multi-Cart.

I was a lot into "put games" solution because it wasn't clear Why would it be needed.

Sadly, the ACID crack is recent and "too few" (= none) solid PLUS specific applications exist.

Apps developpers are reluctant to get into the PLUS.
Arkos Tracker could have been awesome, also a cartridge based graphic app... and so on...
Fact is, the geekz here simply use a ROMboard connected on the extension port, so it is even CPC -old compatible...

I guess just putting the main available Basic variants is quite enough...

"Basic with burning rubber", "the one without" (more compatible as they said) and the Parados perhaps.

perhaps the "Test cartridge" too ? this one is definitely a good choice too.

4 slot being quite enough then.
Yet an accessible socket for the 4th slot could definately be great (despite not good looking...).

could it be put on the sides or the rear of the machine

[Bryce]

It's not my choice.... MrLou ? Do you want a ZIF socket on the case?

@Gryzor: The switch has a standard 6mm spindel, so the choice of knob is almost infinite.

Bryce.

[mr_lou]

It's not my choice.... MrLou ? Do you want a ZIF socket on the case?

Um... not sure what it is. But if it's a socket for a chip, then no.

[Bryce]

Yes, it's the green socket in the second picture of MacDeaths post above. I didn't think you'd want one

Bryce.

[mr_lou]

About which cartridges to select again.....

Are there CPC+ cartridges that just isn't available in disk form? Which ones? Because if such a multicartridge should be included, then those would logically we the most interesting ones.

For example, I can't seem to find Pang as a DSK file. Does that game only exist in a cartridge form?