Installing games to HD

[beanz]

Hello,

For games that don't appear to have an option for hard drive installation is there a way to 'cheat' the game into thinking its running off floppies?.

Example, I have Dragons lair on 6 disks with no install option and another game I just tried copying over was Syndicate (or maybe Another world)..one of those anyway and it ran at first but then asked me for the next disk.

I'm guessing there is a program or way to do it to save disk swapping and load times.

Thanks.

[Retro-Nerd]

http://wiki.abime.net/amiga:whdload_faq_by_codyjarrett

[eLowar]

That's one of the functions of the often mentioned WHDLoad. You'll find a lot of information at whdload.de and here on EAB. KillerGorilla also makes pre-installed packs. You can find them for example at WHDownload. All you have to do with them is install WHDLoad, optionally (some games need it) plug in Kickstart ROMs and a WHDLoad key (legally bought, seriously, it's worth the money and it's cheap), unzip a pack and play.

[eLowar]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

http://wiki.abime.net/amiga:whdload_faq_by_codyjarrett

Or look there.

[beanz]

Thanks chaps.

[stuntpup]

Originally Posted by eLowar

optionally (some games need it) plug in Kickstart ROMs

how does this work ?

this like a hardware solution ?

[Retro-Nerd]

Originally Posted by stuntpup

how does this work ?

this like a hardware solution ?

Read Cody's Faq, "I got an error 'DOS-Error #205..."

[stuntpup]

ahhh thanks for that ..

[eLowar]

Originally Posted by stuntpup

how does this work ?
this like a hardware solution ?

Sorry, my post back there wasn't really meant as a guide, just to advertise the simplicity of WHDLoad.

But yeah, the FAQ should cover everything you need to know.

[Zyprexa]

I might be mistaken, but i seem to remember that with many game discs that are readable in the workbench, one could just copy the files and make assigns in the startup-sequence.

[Graham Humphrey]

Or you could just use WHDLoad as metioned earlier in this thread

But if it doesn't have a WHD install, yeah then I guess it's a possibility.

[jotd]

Originally Posted by Zyprexa

I might be mistaken, but i seem to remember that with many game discs that are readable in the workbench, one could just copy the files and make assigns in the startup-sequence.

Being able to copy the files does not mean running the game from WB is possible, but it works most of the time, of course there is no quit to WB possible in most cases, it needs heavy degrading (VBR, display, caches) to work and protections are not bypassed.

And adding assigns in startup sequence is a crappy method: it cumbers your startupseq with a lot of trash. It's better to create a specific startup script for each game, located in the game main directory.
Assign it an icon, set default tool as "c:IconX" and with a little luck you've got a working startup shell for your game (see example below)

c:assign Wings1: ""
c:assign Wings2: ""
Wings

This way you can archive/move the installed game and it will still work. No hardcoded paths.

As a degrader I would recommend JST in EXECUTE mode . TUDE also exists, and some others.

Anyway, if you can use WHDLoad, it's the best solution since it will leave your system clean after quitting (and quit is possible anytime!) and there's no need for degrading.

[Rebel-CD32]

WHDLoad is definitely the way to go. IT seems to have fixed nearly ever problem with getting Amiga games to run perfectly from the hard drive. Now if they can fix up the Blitter slowdown, re-assign keys to CD32 buttons, and somehow make WHDLoad use the Workbench's overscan preferences to centre the screens of all the games, it'll be perfect.