KGLoad Requirements

[killergorilla]

Just a general opinion poll really.

(Ignoring any future OCS/Low-Mem versions)

KGLoad is currently an AGA frontend, primarily made for use with WHDLoad games.

It has a gamescanner which will build a custom database with all the games you have installed in your games directories.

I'm currently debating features and am tying up some stuff that will affect how I progress forward, and a few key decisions have to be made on RAM usage vs speed and functionality.

So, if you do plan on using KGLoad, even once or twice, please let me know how much RAM you have.

Or if you intend to use it in the future, on a system you are looking to buy, list the RAM it'll have.

And if you intend to use it in WinUAE, then put whatever your intended virtual Amiga would have :p

[Bloodwych]

I think you should aim at a 2MB CHIP 4MB FAST Amiga configuration.

The A1200 can accept 4MB FAST without affecting the PCMCIA port, so it seems like a good config to aim at. Plus some expansions for the A1200 came with 4MB FAST soldered onto the board.

In my opinion KGLoad shouldn't aim at using anymore than 2MB for its features - the lower the better. On a 6MB machine, that leaves 4MB for WHDLoad games if run from a boot menu and about 3MB if run from an expanded Workbench.

If too limiting, then the next step is obviously a 10MB Amiga - an A1200 with 8MB FAST. A launcher shouldn't eat too many resources however and I'd look at iGame to see what it uses and not go too far above its limit. Hopefully KGLoad can be a lighter launcher than iGame.

You can always allow people to enable memory intensive features via tool types or release a few different versions.

[TheCyberDruid]

*WinUAE for me ;)

On a 6MB machine, that leaves 4MB for WHDLoad games if run from a boot menu and about 3MB if run from an expanded Workbench.

You will be surprised how much RAM KGLoad uses after WHDLoad is launched ;)

[killergorilla]

I think you should aim at a 2MB CHIP 4MB FAST Amiga configuration.

The A1200 can accept 4MB FAST without affecting the PCMCIA port, so it seems like a good config to aim at. Plus some expansions for the A1200 came with 4MB FAST soldered onto the board.

In my opinion KGLoad shouldn't aim at using anymore than 2MB for its features - the lower the better. On a 6MB machine, that leaves 4MB for WHDLoad games if run from a boot menu and about 3MB if run from an expanded Workbench.

If too limiting, then the next step is obviously a 10MB Amiga - an A1200 with 8MB FAST. A launcher shouldn't eat too many resources however and I'd look at iGame to see what it uses and not go too far above its limit. Hopefully KGLoad can be a lighter launcher than iGame.

You can always allow people to enable memory intensive features via tool types or release a few different versions.

KGLoad uses about 1kb after it launches a WHDLoad game :)

[seuden]

I would have 8MB fast and 2MB chip ram for my KGLoad machine but as Bloodwych has stated 4MB fast and 2MB chip is probably gonna appeal to a LOT more users.

[Bloodwych]

*WinUAE for me ;)



You will be surprised how much RAM KGLoad uses after WHDLoad is launched ;)

Oh right, I take it it quits and remembers its settings, then relaunches after the game exits? I still think a 6MB Amiga is a nice config to aim at.

[Bloodwych]

KGLoad uses about 1kb after it launches a WHDLoad game :)

This makes me do a happy dance! :lol

[TheCyberDruid]

It's mainly about the time certain things in KGLoad will take to be performed. The minimum amount of RAM will be quite low :)

[Bloodwych]

It's mainly about the time certain things in KGLoad will take to be performed. The minimum amount of RAM will be quite low :)

This makes me do a second happy dance! :lol :lol

[Graham Humphrey]

My A1200 that I would use it on has 32MB Fast RAM... is this too low? ;)

[TheCyberDruid]

It will barely run, but don't take my word for that ;)

[Calgor]

I have a lot more than 8MB and would like it to use some more memory if it makes it faster. But I agree with Bloodwych's comments overall.

Maybe have a config with 2mb chip / 4mb fast as default (to get as many ppl as can use it - which I suppose what your poll is to gather info for) as well as 2MB chip only (maybe this can be default instead) and also using tooltypes or options you can set it to use more or even exactly however much more you want.

But don't know how hard it is for you to cater for more than 1 minimum memory configuration.

[Anemos]

Whdload & a lot of memory is good..
i have buy 2 accelerators, Apollo with 32MB and Blizz 64mb only for Whdload ,and KG packet ,the best think! so why not to spend some money for yourself?
Buy memory, this would faster and easier his work so bravely KG.

[TheCyberDruid]

No panic and no 'buy more RAM!' advice please :)

[killergorilla]

Send the money you would have spent on RAM to me!

[TheCyberDruid]

Yes, yes send all your money to KG :agree

[Anemos]

Make donation account first! :D

[meega]

Make donation account first! :D
Direct bank transfer not good enough for you?

[killergorilla]

Cheers for the info guys...

Ironically, in receiving this info and discussing it with TCD, we've got the RAM usage down to much lower than we had previously.

So hoorah for that.

I've not looked into how much RAM it is actually using but if it doesn't run on a plain CD32 I will be very surprised.

[pbareges]

cool to hear you're progressing on this great promising tool!
i have a little question for you : i'm currently using toolmanager as a launch tool on my wb...i spent a lot of time in configuring the toolmanager exec objects (which points to the game folder, record exec filename, tooltypes, exec types -ie wb, cli, shell...) which are mostly but non only whd/jst games... i know you intend to make your tool a whd launcher, but as you said it would be customizable, i wonder if we could consider any batch conversion of toolmanager exec database to make it fits your tool ?
Once again good luck with your project and thanks for your dedication to this community!

[NovaCoder]

Good job KG, for the record my AGA machine runs with 64MB.

As to your question to can (kind of) work it out depending on the applications other requirements. If it really needs the power of an 030+ to run then you could target 16MB as a minimum, otherwise you'd be better off sticking to 4/8MB.

What's it coded it BTW?

[T_hairy_bootson]

1.21 giggawatts!

[TheCyberDruid]

As to your question to can (kind of) work it out depending on the applications other requirements. If it really needs the power of an 030+ to run then you could target 16MB as a minimum, otherwise you'd be better off sticking to 4/8MB.

I hope you're not talking about KGLoad here ;) KG mentioned that he would like to see it run on a plain CD32, so you get the idea :)

[coze]

why not make both ? (a parameter/tooltype which will turn off bells&whistles and make the KGL run on vanilla 1200/CD32 ?)

[TheCyberDruid]

I really regret that KG asked the question now... :p
There will be something like that and hopefully it will be very user friendly :)

[Anemos]

clear winners accelerators men ..

[daxb]

Maybe I don`t get the point. What about some code that shows available RAM and then use it or not? Tooltypes or options aren`t necessary then.

[TheCyberDruid]

What about some code that shows available RAM and then use it or not?

That's exactly what we're trying to do ;) If you read the thread closely, you'll see that we never said anything about tooltypes or the like.

[killergorilla]

It's all going to be fine everybody, no need to worry.

Yesterday was a good day for kgload, much progress made :)

[daxb]

That's exactly what we're trying to do ;) If you read the thread closely, you'll see that we never said anything about tooltypes or the like.
Hmm... then there was no need to ask. Seems I won`t get the point.

[TheCyberDruid]

Hmm... then there was no need to ask. Seems I won`t get the point.

I'm currently debating features and am tying up some stuff that will affect how I progress forward, and a few key decisions have to be made on RAM usage vs speed and functionality.

Mainly it's down to speed now. This poll was mainly to ask how much RAM the 'average' KGLoad will have. Luckily we found a way to (hopefully) reduce the amount of RAM needed quite a bit, so that the question is now a bit redundant, but wasn't yesterday as this started.

[Konrad]

I'm using the latest KGLoad release in WinUAE. I modified the skin to just show a list of games plus description. With cycle exact CPU emulation without JIT the scrolling is lagging a little. I wondered how it'd be when I also had screenshots.

Has the new version a better performance ?

[TheCyberDruid]

Patience is a virtue ;)