Forgive me if I should have been able to Google this!
The C64 seems to have a lot of software, mainly games, which multi-load from tape.
(e.g. Once the player passes a certain point in the game it triggers further loading)
I was expecting the same to be true of the VIC 20 given it can control the tape motor.
In fact I was maybe expecting more titles like that given the limited RAM available on unexpanded models.
Was this not really a thing for the VIC 20?
Was that because that sort of software was released on cartridge instead?
(Disk drives appeared to be less popular outside the US?)
VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
- eslapion
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Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
I remember a couple of multiload games from Mastertronic.matburton wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:46 am I was expecting the same to be true of the VIC 20 given it can control the tape motor.
In fact I was maybe expecting more titles like that given the limited RAM available on unexpanded models.
Was this not really a thing for the VIC 20?
Was that because that sort of software was released on cartridge instead?
http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/cgi/ ... order=Date
I think Psycho Shopper was one.
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Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
There are lots of "multiload" games on tape. It's just often the first load is the instructions, and the second load is the full game, rather than the game being in more than one part.
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Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
The common thing, especially for games written in BASIC, was that the first program would load graphics into memory from data statements and display instructions or maybe a splash screen, then would write text to the keyboard buffer that would cause the actual game to load and run. I wrote a game that this this once.
- Stormcrow
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Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
If you're talking about BASIC, why would you need to use the keyboard buffer? Why not just include a LOAD command?
Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
LOAD within a program is only used for program-chaining and leaves the variable-pointers untouched (AFAIK). This way you can have a large-program that loads smaller programs by itself and keeps the variables intact. However for the case of using DATA-statements to load a character-set and then loading the main-program this usually does not produce the wanted results. As such it is common practice to basically fake a direct-command-line-LOAD within the program. I usually do it something like this:
You just PRINT the LOAD-command on a clear-screen and add the last used device = PEEK(186). This works for tape and disk and drives with different device-numbers like 9, 10 and so on. Then you POKE a {HOME}-key and a {RUN}-key into the keyboard-puffer, and let the VIC know there are 2 keys left in the buffer and end the program, so the buffer will be "typed" after that.
BTW: I'm not sure why you have to declare the value of PEEK(186) as a variable first, but it won't work if you just use PEEK(186) a the end of line 998 above.
Code: Select all
998 A=PEEK(186):PRINT"{CLR}LOAD"CHR$(34)"PROGRAM2"CHR$(34)","A
999 POKE631,19:POKE632,131:POKE198,2:END
BTW: I'm not sure why you have to declare the value of PEEK(186) as a variable first, but it won't work if you just use PEEK(186) a the end of line 998 above.
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Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
Yes, this is what the manual says happens. The new program is loaded at the start of BASIC memory but the old variables remain in place. If the new program is bigger than the old program, it overwrites as much of the variable space it needs.
Bizarre.You just PRINT the LOAD-command on a clear-screen and add the last used device = PEEK(186). This works for tape and disk and drives with different device-numbers like 9, 10 and so on. Then you POKE a {HOME}-key and a {RUN}-key into the keyboard-puffer, and let the VIC know there are 2 keys left in the buffer and end the program, so the buffer will be "typed" after that.
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Re: VIC 20 multi-load tape software?
There was The Trader Trilogy, 3 parts for 16K expanded Vic. There was also a text adventure game that came in two parts but the name of that escapes me.matburton wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:46 am The C64 seems to have a lot of software, mainly games, which multi-load from tape.
(e.g. Once the player passes a certain point in the game it triggers further loading)
I was expecting the same to be true of the VIC 20 given it can control the tape motor.
In fact I was maybe expecting more titles like that given the limited RAM available on unexpanded models.