Is there something wrong with old WHDLoad games?

[Foebane]

http://whdownload.com/

I got all my games from here, I've played them all, and I don't see any problems with them, maybe except Beast 3 (music tempo) but that was fixed with an NTSC patch.

I'm just annoyed as heck at the thought of having to re-download all of my games from a different site, just on the off-chance of some minor improvements. If I use a much older WHDLoad game, what's more likely to go wrong?

[rare_j]

If they are working for you, keep them. If you come accross one that has a issue, check to see if it has an updated version on the whdload site. If it has, then re-download the newer version.
In short, no, there’s nothing wrong with something that works for you!

[Retro-Nerd]

A lot of games got slave updates. The last update on WHDownload.com was 6 years ago. I would download all games again from the EAB FTP. Some of the zipped games never worked properly anyway (not only outdated slaves). Downloading them all again is the easiest way. This is much faster than comparing the WHDownload.com stuff with the always up-to-date EAB FTP files.

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

A lot of games got slave updates. The last update on WHDownload.com was 6 years ago. I would download all games again from the EAB FTP. Some of the zipped games never worked properly anyway (not only outdated slaves). Downloading them all again is the easiest way. This is much faster than comparing the WHDownload.com stuff with the always up-to-date EAB FTP files.

1. What is so bad about out-of-date slaves?
2. I already went through my games and downloaded the latest versions (about 1/3rd of all the WHDLoad games I had) - I figure that I might have to re-download them all, and that doing them all, would be best.
3. But I repeat: what is so bad about out-of-date slaves if they work for me?

[Retro-Nerd]

Because newer slaves can have fixed bugs, new features, better performance etc. Of course older slaves are nothing bad if the games are 100% fine (which means you've already completed them).

[Foebane]

1. There shouldn't be bugs in them to begin with if the WHDLoad files are being used from the source floppies.
2. New features? Like all of that cheating training crap? No thanks.
3. Better performance? See 1.

Besides, I have a problem: When I download WHDLoad games, I don't keep the original filename (w/ version number), I extract them all, rip out the .info files and then rename the folders to just the game name (w/ subtitle, if any) and leave it at that. Any updates to games, if not listed, would be awkward for me to keep up. Are the updated games listed?

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by Foebane

1. There shouldn't be bugs in them to begin with if the WHDLoad files are being used from the source floppies.

Of course not, as we all know games are 100% bugfree..

Originally Posted by Foebane

2. New features? Like all of that cheating training crap? No thanks.

You're forced to use that "training crap", I see... As for "No thanks", indeed, but it applies to your comment rather than the added trainers!

Originally Posted by Foebane

3. Better performance? See 1.

Sure, all games feature the most optmised code already. We all know that...

[Retro-Nerd]

I guess you are not aware what WHDLoad really does and why it was invented in the first place. StingRay is pretty short in answers but he could explain much better why there are still bugs (not only game bugs) and performance problems. Mainly because there are tons of different Amiga hardware setups out there and the most games are for the old OCS Amigas with Kickstart 1.2/1.3. More than a few are locked to their CPU clock. Sometimes you have to patch a lot of things to make it work on newer machines.

And for new features: I like CD32 pad support with game keys mapped to buttons, selectable languages, being able to cancel boring intros etc. There is much more than cheats.

[Foebane]

Are newer WHDL versions of games BETTER, though? My old version of Robocod worked fine, but in the latest version available I was dismayed to see horrible artefacts in the "Game Over" message that were NOT in my older version.

I don't care that much about changes to games, but I was outraged when I tried WHDL demos and noticed how much they'd been butchered, so I refused to use WHDL for those.

[Retro-Nerd]

Yes, usually slave updates are better. But sometimes it breaks things for other Amiga configurations then. The slave coder doesn't test all possible configs. It's not work, it a hobby project. You can always create a bug report if you notice something strange.

[Retroplay]

Originally Posted by Foebane

but I was outraged when I tried WHDL demos and noticed how much they'd been butchered, so I refused to use WHDL for those.

I don't understand, butchered how ?

If it weren't for Stingray, demos such as SCA's Miami Vice theme wouldn't be working properly on anything else than A1000.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Foebane

Are newer WHDL versions of games BETTER, though?

Most, if not all, are.
There's a shit ton, and I do mean a SHIT TON of games showing slowdowns in many setups because of blitter waits. Especially true if you want to run WHDLoad games on a 68000 system.

Also not sure which demos you refer to, but most demos will not run properly on anything but their intended narrow hardware spec.

The best thing to do is what Retro-Nerd said: download thw whole load of them from the EAB FTP, then use the update tool to get the new versions and stuff.

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by Akira

The best thing to do is what Retro-Nerd said: download thw whole load of them from the EAB FTP, then use the update tool to get the new versions and stuff.

Not possible. I said earlier in this thread how I deal with the files once I get them, and I think this Update tool would not work then.

[zipper]

Just use the best working combo of WHDLoad and slave. That's what I did even with JST if the newer version didn't work well.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Foebane

I said earlier in this thread how I deal with the files once I get them

All I read is that you are "annoyed at hell at the thought of downloading them again".

Regardless, the answer is: there is a reason for WHDLoad patch updates, and more frequently than most, it is to fix nasty bugs, improve compatibility and performance. So yeah many patches have things that are wrong with them.

If you are fine with whatever you have, then why even wonder?
Personally the only reason I look for an updated patch is if I notice issues. You haven't. So, keep them.

[Foebane]

Sorry for the run-around, Akira and others, but yes, I am in two minds as to whether or not to go ahead and do a full re-download. It's also an "impending job", which I know the hardest part will be d/l'ing the correct type for each game, but the rest will just take time. I guess I'm just procrastinating (nothing dirty, google it)

Akira, this is what I posted earlier about what I do to the files:

Besides, I have a problem: When I download WHDLoad games, I don't keep the original filename (w/ version number), I extract them all, rip out the .info files and then rename the folders to just the game name (w/ subtitle, if any) and leave it at that. Any updates to games, if not listed, would be awkward for me to keep up. Are the updated games listed?

If the updates are listed by date so I can at least see which games have been updated, then that would be fine.

[Amiga1992]

Right now the package has been set to 3.0 and has no updates, so you can't check what's new. The update tool shows you what updated, but only after it finished.

In any case, you know what needs to happen? Your hard drive to go to shit. That's why I downloaded the latest pack, because my Amiga drive crashed and I lost everything

[DamienD]

@Akira; I'm not sure how the update tool works but if it's based on folder names then Foebane will be in trouble as:

Originally Posted by Foebane

Besides, I have a problem: When I download WHDLoad games, I don't keep the original filename (w/ version number), I extract them all, rip out the .info files and then rename the folders to just the game name (w/ subtitle, if any) and leave it at that.

[Foebane]

I only have 69 games from WHDLoad on my system, mainly for nostalgic purposes (they're the games I played on my real A500/A1200 back in the 1990s, plus a few ones I never had at the time that I find interesting). I have similar collections for the Atari 8-Bit and BBC Micro and Atari ST, but again, I've not collected them to play them seriously, just for the odd bit of nostalgia.

[DamienD]

<sigh>

@Foebane; you start these threads as if there are major issues, rant on about how WHDLoad / ADFs / cracktros / trainers etc. aren't good / crap and then after some discussion finally give more details like:

Originally Posted by Foebane

I only have 69 games from WHDLoad on my system, mainly for nostalgic purposes

...well then, just download that massive amount of games and be done with it

In future, please provide as much of the base details as possible so people get the right picture of the situation; otherwise I think for me personally (and possibly others), I won't bother replying to your numerous questions...