Shadowfax on tape volume goes up and down...

e5frog · Post by **e5frog** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:21 pm

Is this deterioration or is it some type of copy protection?

The volume of Datamaxx's Shadowfax is continously going up and down, with a second or two between peaks at a steady pace.

I couldn't set my LOAD-IT-modified datasette to a correct level that the VIC liked so I tried the 1531 that came with the package (a PET-keyboard VIC) and it loaded just fine. I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with the LOAD-IT-datasette - perhaps it needs demagnetizing?

Anyway, I tried making a wav and change the volume-knob back and forth but that didn't give me a good looking wav-file, so I finally decided to run mtap36 with the 1531 connected to the LPT-port - no luck there either, the resulting tap:s won't load and FinalTAP can't do much about it. (Yes, I used the -vicpal option on mtap36 in DOS-mode, on a Win98SE system with LPT set to SPP)

I'll probably sell the games that came in the package anyway, but as I remembered playing Shadowfax as a kid (remembered the good looking graphics) I was thinking of keeping that and sell the other Handic and Datamaxx cassettes...

It loads, I've played it and it's not entertaining for a very long time, I can't quite understand how to shoot the enemy horses - I shoot and shoot but they only disappear some of the times.

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:44 pm

Speaking from an audio viewpoint, a "compressor" (has nothing to do with computer data compression) is a device that can handle this sort of thing. You set the knobs and the volume range you want the resulting audio to fall within (low and high) and it will rectify varying volume.

Audacity might have a software version of an audio compressor. Otherwise, Audacity can use VST effects plug-ins, and I'm sure there is a freeware VST plugin compressor somewhere on the web.

Essentially, a compressor is an automated form of "turning the volume up and down by hand", and it's more accurate.

e5frog · Post by **e5frog** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:54 pm

I'm thinking of downloading the tap from GB20 and ptap it back to one side of the original tape...

I still wonder if it's a sign of age or if it's intentionally made this way... The copy when I used a "Clonemaster" (which basically parallell connects two datasettes) didn't want to load, but I didn't try that many times so perhaps it would eventually.

Downloading that tap seems to be a pretty good idea.

bokvamme · Post by **bokvamme** » Thu May 01, 2008 9:19 am

Shadowfax, is that the game released by Postern in 1981/1982 for both the c64 and vic20 (vic20 on B side of tape)?

bokvamme · Post by **bokvamme** » Thu May 01, 2008 9:21 am

I'd like to have a look at that tap file (dumped with mtap36).
I'd like to inspect it with tapclean, tapstudio and exam20).

e5frog · Post by **e5frog** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:19 pm

It's Shadowfax by Postern Ltd 1982, it says Shadowfax-VIC 20 on both sides, it has the same decal on both sides, no B and no A or 1 or 2 side.

I haven't been able to load it again...

I made two attempts to make a tap from the original, then I copied it using the Clonemaster to another tape and tap:ed that as well - also using mtap36 and the switch -vicpal.

The latter version being the biggest - I think there's a lot of data loss when the volume changes that way.

When writing back with ptap does it matter that there is no VIC 20 alternative?

bokvamme · Post by **bokvamme** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:38 pm

e5frog wrote:It's Shadowfax by Postern Ltd 1982, it says Shadowfax-VIC 20 on both sides, it has the same decal on both sides, no B and no A or 1 or 2 side.

ok, I've got 2 or 3 postern games with both c64 and vic20 on the same tape.

checking my tapes....
hm! looks like I made a mistake regarding the shadowfax game.
It's a vic20 only tape (I've got the c64 tape too).

e5frog · Post by **e5frog** » Thu May 01, 2008 6:29 pm

I tap:ed the cassette once with every datasette I own, seven of them... The worst of them made a tap file of only 56 byte and the best was made with a 1531 - 188136 byte - none of them loads into VICE in their current form.

I'll zip them all and mail them to you as well bokvamme.

I also recorded new wavs, one as high as possible without oversteering and the other as loud as possible, getting a little better height of the quiet areas. Perhaps it's possible (for the fun of it) to cut and paste together a file with better volume all the way through.