RNC IDE CD32 loader

Galahad/FLT · 18 February 2006, 16:58

I'm guessing that this isn't supported by WinUAE yet?

titles like James Pond 3, Pierre le Chef have it.

Toni Wilen · 18 February 2006, 17:57

James Pond 3 CD32 works fine (except intro animation but "CD32 streaming" problem is known problem)

musashi5150 · 18 February 2006, 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

titles like James Pond 3, Pierre le Chef have it.

Are there anymore games that have it that you know of Galahad? I'm wondering if any of the CD32 games I have might have it so I can rip the loader...

Or maybe I'll just have to find an ISO of JP3

Wepl · 19 February 2006, 00:32

Cannonfodder for CD32 has it too...

Galahad/FLT · 19 February 2006, 17:22

Lots of games have it, it was a good way of grabbing as much memory as possible on CD32 because the DOS system takes a lot of memory up.

jotd · 13 March 2006, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

Lots of games have it, it was a good way of grabbing as much memory as possible on CD32 because the DOS system takes a lot of memory up.

but the drawback is: if you rebuild the ISO image with, say, masterISO, the game don't work anymore (tested with James Pond 3). The game boots, and there's the loading screen hung with "Loading Error 1, please reboot". After resourcing the loader, it appears that the IO routine is unable to load anything once it has taken over.

I suspect that this IDE CD32 code expects a very restricted ISO format that I'm unable to reproduce with MasterISO.

Fackamato · 14 March 2006, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

but the drawback is: if you rebuild the ISO image with, say, masterISO, the game don't work anymore (tested with James Pond 3). The game boots, and there's the loading screen hung with "Loading Error 1, please reboot". After resourcing the loader, it appears that the IO routine is unable to load anything once it has taken over.

I suspect that this IDE CD32 code expects a very restricted ISO format that I'm unable to reproduce with MasterISO.

I don't know MasterISO, but what about CloneCD?

BippyM · 14 March 2006, 19:00

CloeCD isn't available for amiga

Fackamato · 14 March 2006, 19:13

Ops!

Rip it on a pc then?

jotd · 14 March 2006, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fackamato

Ops!

Rip it on a pc then?

It's not a problem of ripping, it's a problem of building the correct image format within a compilation. It's easy to rip the ISO and burn a 1:1 copy and it works, but adding other games on a CD32 bootable CD means rebuilding the ISO and that's where it fails to work. CloneCD won't do anything about it
(specially because the CD32.TM file must be included in a special boot location to make it boot).

Fackamato · 18 March 2006, 13:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

It's not a problem of ripping, it's a problem of building the correct image format within a compilation. It's easy to rip the ISO and burn a 1:1 copy and it works, but adding other games on a CD32 bootable CD means rebuilding the ISO and that's where it fails to work. CloneCD won't do anything about it
(specially because the CD32.TM file must be included in a special boot location to make it boot).

Aha

, then it's another issue.

Stein · 21 March 2006, 22:06

Sorry for the big OT : Galahad, have you recieved either my email or my PM here? I sent you your requested SOE original images a long time ago... Again sorry for butting into your thread, I can think of no other way to reach you

Stein

Whitesnake · 22 June 2006, 12:52

I also gave James Pond 3 another stab with a quick startup-sequence to see if it would work out of another directory.

CD32:C/DevRen CD0: xxx:
CD32:C/Assign CD0: CD32:Games/JamesPond3CD32
CD CD0:
CD32:C/MoveSYS ""
C:SetPatch >NIL:
C:FreeAnimation >NIL:
C:Assign >NIL: ENV: Ram:
C:CDGSXL CDXL/intro.cdxl blit sdbl xlspeed 150 noxleec multipal lmbabort rmbabort fireabort nopointer patchopenwb
;C:CDGSXL CDXL/intro.cdxl dosxl blit sdbl xlspeed 150 multipal lmbabort rmbabort fireabort nopointer patchopenwb
Loader >NIL:

Of course i got Loading Error 1, please reboot".

I built the image with ISOCD using the CD32.TM from the Official CD32 Developers Kit.

What i did notice however is in the loader binary i found some readable areas which looked like this.

CD0: CODE.BIN RESGFX.BIN Unable to setup CD. Reboot me! Load Error(1). Please reboot.. Load Error(2). Please reboot.. Please wait while I load. Yup... still loading... Nearly finished... freeanim.library graphics.library

This suggests to me that it is hardcoded for CD0: and if it does take over the OS like previously suggested then i would guess any settings done before the loader starts would go up in smoke anyway.

To confirm this i put CODE.BIN and RESGFX.BIN in the root of the cd "CD0:" and guess what? It works. At least until it asks for the next file which needs to be in the root and so on until it requires another.

musashi5150 · 22 June 2006, 13:43

Maybe I'm just being slow, but I can't see exactly what you have discovered here??

Whitesnake · 22 June 2006, 13:52

That the game must be run from the root directory of the cd.

If the path is changed it will have to be something of equal length or the binary will be knackered.

BippyM · 22 June 2006, 14:19

You could always disassemble the loader and see what is happening

musashi5150 · 22 June 2006, 14:20

I am already working on that with my own experiments

I also have my crack of Strider running with the RNC CD32 loader and a few other small programs... it's just something I'm slowly working on in my spare time

jotd · 23 June 2006, 23:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by musashi5150

I am already working on that with my own experiments

I also have my crack of Strider running with the RNC CD32 loader and a few other small programs... it's just something I'm slowly working on in my spare time

I have partially resourced the James Pond 3 CD32 loader if you need it (and it reassembles nicely to a working executable)

And rebuilding the ISO using MasterISO even if you keep all the files makes an unusable disk (loading error please reboot), although it works with most of CD32 games/compilation.
Official commodore ISO building tools seems required here, but assigns of course don't work!

redblade · 24 June 2006, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

And rebuilding the ISO using MasterISO even if you keep all the files makes an unusable disk (loading error please reboot), although it works with most of CD32 games/compilation.
Official commodore ISO building tools seems required here, but assigns of course don't work!

I think this could be something to do with the required files cd32.tm (something like that).

perhaps it gets burnt to a certain part of the cd?

musashi5150 · 24 June 2006, 10:05

I've always used ISOBuild and CD32.TM from the 2.1 Developer CD (I then burn the ISO on my PC) and it's always made working discs for me... So I can't really comment on other ISO tools.

@jotd: Yes, that would be cool to see what you have of the loader - I'll send you a PM

@redblade: Yep, the CD32.TM gets burnt onto the disc in a fixed place and is not seen as a file. But that wouldn't be them problem here because then the game wouldn't boot at all...

18 February 2006, 16:58	#1
Galahad/FLT Going nowhere Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: United Kingdom Age: 50 Posts: 9,014	RNC IDE CD32 loader I'm guessing that this isn't supported by WinUAE yet? titles like James Pond 3, Pierre le Chef have it.

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18 February 2006, 17:57	#2
Toni Wilen WinUAE developer Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Hämeenlinna/Finland Age: 49 Posts: 26,534	James Pond 3 CD32 works fine (except intro animation but "CD32 streaming" problem is known problem)

19 February 2006, 00:32	#4
Wepl Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 869	Cannonfodder for CD32 has it too...

19 February 2006, 17:22	#5
Galahad/FLT Going nowhere Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: United Kingdom Age: 50 Posts: 9,014	Lots of games have it, it was a good way of grabbing as much memory as possible on CD32 because the DOS system takes a lot of memory up.

14 March 2006, 19:00	#8
BippyM Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Derby, UK Age: 48 Posts: 9,355	CloeCD isn't available for amiga

14 March 2006, 19:13	#9
Fackamato Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 144	Ops! Rip it on a pc then?

21 March 2006, 22:06	#12
Stein Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: US Posts: 56	Sorry for the big OT : Galahad, have you recieved either my email or my PM here? I sent you your requested SOE original images a long time ago... Again sorry for butting into your thread, I can think of no other way to reach you Stein

22 June 2006, 12:52	#13
Whitesnake Martin Shaw Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 462	I also gave James Pond 3 another stab with a quick startup-sequence to see if it would work out of another directory. CD32:C/DevRen CD0: xxx: CD32:C/Assign CD0: CD32:Games/JamesPond3CD32 CD CD0: CD32:C/MoveSYS "" C:SetPatch >NIL: C:FreeAnimation >NIL: C:Assign >NIL: ENV: Ram: C:CDGSXL CDXL/intro.cdxl blit sdbl xlspeed 150 noxleec multipal lmbabort rmbabort fireabort nopointer patchopenwb ;C:CDGSXL CDXL/intro.cdxl dosxl blit sdbl xlspeed 150 multipal lmbabort rmbabort fireabort nopointer patchopenwb Loader >NIL: Of course i got Loading Error 1, please reboot". I built the image with ISOCD using the CD32.TM from the Official CD32 Developers Kit. What i did notice however is in the loader binary i found some readable areas which looked like this. CD0: CODE.BIN RESGFX.BIN Unable to setup CD. Reboot me! Load Error(1). Please reboot.. Load Error(2). Please reboot.. Please wait while I load. Yup... still loading... Nearly finished... freeanim.library graphics.library This suggests to me that it is hardcoded for CD0: and if it does take over the OS like previously suggested then i would guess any settings done before the loader starts would go up in smoke anyway. To confirm this i put CODE.BIN and RESGFX.BIN in the root of the cd "CD0:" and guess what? It works. At least until it asks for the next file which needs to be in the root and so on until it requires another.

22 June 2006, 13:43	#14
musashi5150 move.w #$4489,$dff07e Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Norfolk, UK Age: 42 Posts: 2,351	Maybe I'm just being slow, but I can't see exactly what you have discovered here??

22 June 2006, 13:52	#15
Whitesnake Martin Shaw Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 462	That the game must be run from the root directory of the cd. If the path is changed it will have to be something of equal length or the binary will be knackered.

22 June 2006, 14:19	#16
BippyM Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Derby, UK Age: 48 Posts: 9,355	You could always disassemble the loader and see what is happening

22 June 2006, 14:20	#17
musashi5150 move.w #$4489,$dff07e Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Norfolk, UK Age: 42 Posts: 2,351	I am already working on that with my own experiments I also have my crack of Strider running with the RNC CD32 loader and a few other small programs... it's just something I'm slowly working on in my spare time

24 June 2006, 10:05	#20
musashi5150 move.w #$4489,$dff07e Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Norfolk, UK Age: 42 Posts: 2,351	I've always used ISOBuild and CD32.TM from the 2.1 Developer CD (I then burn the ISO on my PC) and it's always made working discs for me... So I can't really comment on other ISO tools. @jotd: Yes, that would be cool to see what you have of the loader - I'll send you a PM @redblade: Yep, the CD32.TM gets burnt onto the disc in a fixed place and is not seen as a file. But that wouldn't be them problem here because then the game wouldn't boot at all...

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