Pinball Dreams (NTSC Version)

[rhester72]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Sorry but it doesn't work. Looks like the SCP file is less than 5 revs, i can't encode the converted file.

And the Disk 2 is different in NTSC, not the same as PAL disk 2.

I can fake this (the rev count). Give me a bit.

[Retroplay]

Please test the ipf of disk 2 in the zone.

[dlfrsilver]

Sorry Retro, the SPS encoding tool says that track 78.1 is bad.

[Retroplay]

In the ipf in the zone ?

I've just tested it under an NTSC A500 config, all tables load, highscore table is intact.
The image also installs and plays perfectly fine with WHD installer.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by rhester72

@dlfrsilver, I've attempted to do the conversion as disk2_test.zip in The Zone, please take a look

The tracks in this one are completely empty, they dont' contain a flux stream.

Originally Posted by rhester72

@dlfrsilver Zoned try2_pd2test.zip

The single .raw files/tracks have a too small dimension... which parameters are you using? It would seem like a single revolution...

[rhester72]

Maybe it's not so simple.

I did the following:

- Converted the RAW dump to SCP via disk-analyse (using format "Pinball Dreams")
- Wrote the SCP image to physical floppy
- Read the floppy back to SCP with 5 revs

When converting to IPF for testing, I get this:

T0.0-0.1: AmigaDOS
T1.0-56.0: Pinball Dreams
T56.1: Unformatted*
T57.0-61.0: Pinball Dreams
T61.1: Unformatted*
T62.0-64.1: Pinball Dreams
T65.0: Unformatted*
T65.1-69.1: Pinball Dreams
T70.0-77.1: Unformatted
T78.0-78.1: Pinball Dreams
T79.0-83.1: Unformatted
** WARNING: 3 tracks are damaged or unidentified!

which is not what I expected to see. Expected results were:

*** T78.1: Unexpected track length (seen 102232, expected 105500)
T0.0-0.1: AmigaDOS
T1.0-69.1: Pinball Dreams
T70.0-77.1: Unformatted
T78.0-78.1: Pinball Dreams
T79.0-83.1: Unformatted

Not quite sure what that means.

I converted the readback to IPF and it seems to work (high scores are the same, all four tables function), but a bit concerned about the variance in behavior.

All that being said, if you'd like me to convert the 5-rev read to KF RAW and Zone it, happy to do so.

EDIT: Correction, Nightmare *DOES NOT* load. Not sure what I've done wrong.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by rhester72

I did the following:

- Converted the RAW dump to SCP via disk-analyse (using format "Pinball Dreams")
- Wrote the SCP image to physical floppy
- Read the floppy back to SCP with 5 revs

[...]

Maybe I'm missing something, but... can't you simply upload the first RAW dump you did?
Or read the floppy again and generate another one (KF raw, 168 files) from scratch?

EDIT: whoops, sorry! You don't have the original floppy and used the original image from TjLaZer, and modified the hiscore table.
I didn't carefully read the last posts.

[Supamax]

Interesting page:
https://www.amigalove.com/viewtopic.php?t=1566

but the "Zippy Zapp" user didn't share his Kryoflux images, it would seem .
I don't know if he is an EAB member, too, but maybe someone could try to contact him?

In the same thread, the user "Crispy" showed some screenshots from his original disks bought on eBay, and the correct hiscores table can be seen.

[rhester72]

I reached out to both Zippy Zapp and Crispy, will report if I get a reply.

[rhester72]

I am _not_ buying the single disk on eBay for $80 USD for dump and testing because the write-protect tab is clearly write-enabled :P

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by rhester72

I reached out to both Zippy Zapp and Crispy, will report if I get a reply.

Wow, great!

Originally Posted by rhester72

I am _not_ buying the single disk on eBay for $80 USD for dump and testing because the write-protect tab is clearly write-enabled :P

[rhester72]

I think I know what dlfrsilver was driving at now and have a plan. It'll take a bit for me to test my strategy and actually get something going (not to mention real life intervening), but I hope to have results in the next several hours.

[rhester72]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Sorry Retro, the SPS encoding tool says that track 78.1 is bad.

Not bad. Modified.

[rhester72]

Oh, no! What have I done?!? I think I broke my disk!!!



Just kidding. =) I did, however, spend WAY too much time playing (I mean quality testing!)

I am proud to report that Pinball Dreams NTSC is now fully restored and in the Zone. Track 78 side 1 is where the high scores are stored. Restoration to factory-fresh was as simple as taking the existing RAW image, converting to SCP (my weapon of choice) via disk-analyse, converting that to Kryoflux RAW tracks via Greaseweazel, replacing track 78.1 with the track from the correct PAL dump, reassembling back into SCP with Greaseweazel, and finally converting to IPF with disk-analyse.

As an added bonus, I've also zoned a clean-and-vetted IPF set of The Killing Game Show NTSC.

Thank you all VERY much for furthering my flux education - enjoy!

Oh, one more thing - Zippy Zapp wrote back. He'll be providing his raw SCP dumps as a means of secondary verification next week.

EDIT: Hahahahahaha Retroplay beat me to it! Well done!

[Retroplay]

Originally Posted by rhester72

EDIT: Hahahahahaha Retroplay beat me to it! Well done!

Yup, as I wrote a few posts up, it works perfectly well.

I've just tested it under an NTSC A500 config, all tables load, highscore table is intact.
The image also installs and plays perfectly fine with WHD installer.

[dlfrsilver]

Originally Posted by rhester72

Oh, no! What have I done?!? I think I broke my disk!!!



Just kidding. =) I did, however, spend WAY too much time playing (I mean quality testing!)

I am proud to report that Pinball Dreams NTSC is now fully restored and in the Zone. Track 78 side 1 is where the high scores are stored. Restoration to factory-fresh was as simple as taking the existing RAW image, converting to SCP (my weapon of choice) via disk-analyse, converting that to Kryoflux RAW tracks via Greaseweazel, replacing track 78.1 with the track from the correct PAL dump, reassembling back into SCP with Greaseweazel, and finally converting to IPF with disk-analyse.

As an added bonus, I've also zoned a clean-and-vetted IPF set of The Killing Game Show NTSC.

Thank you all VERY much for furthering my flux education - enjoy!

Oh, one more thing - Zippy Zapp wrote back. He'll be providing his raw SCP dumps as a means of secondary verification next week.

EDIT: Hahahahahaha Retroplay beat me to it! Well done!

I need a proper dump from a real original disk, because the IPF you upped have the TSL longtracks composing the game impossible to recognize.....

[rhester72]

Original SCP dump now in The Zone (it's not mine, I don't have originals, so that's as good as it's likely to get). Zippy Zapp from AmigaLove came through, I never heard back from Crispy.

[Abaddon]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

I need a proper dump from a real original disk, because the IPF you upped have the TSL longtracks composing the game impossible to recognize.....

Let me know if you want me to upload my NTSC dump. I know the the disk 2 track 157 has a different bit length than the PAL version.

[rhester72]

Originally Posted by Abaddon

Let me know if you want me to upload my NTSC dump. I know the the disk 2 track 157 has a different bit length than the PAL version.

That's indicative of a modified high score track.