CD32 - Minimum RAM + conversion options

[Muzza]

Originally Posted by jotd

CD audio is super easy with CD32load The only question is about what to put on the tracks as remakes are often copyrighted. But some aren't and are super-good.

I'd prefer to use the same method that CD32Load uses, without using WHDLoad. (For one, you told me cd32load does not currently work with Fast RAM). Is looks like it is all in cd32pios.s?

As for copyright, it is not a complete impossibility from what I've been told.
Or as a backup you'd require the user to add their own tracks (which I guess they do through ISOCD?)

[jotd]

Originally Posted by Muzza

I'd prefer to use the same method that CD32Load uses, without using WHDLoad. (For one, you told me cd32load does not currently work with Fast RAM). Is looks like it is all in cd32pios.s?

Yes, it is in that source. If it's a matter of adding fastmem support on cd32load I can do that very quickly if you need it.

As for copyright, it is not a complete impossibility from what I've been told.
Or as a backup you'd require the user to add their own tracks (which I guess they do through ISOCD?)

It's not as easy as it seems for novice users. You have to provide a .cue file and the users have to provide .mp3 files or such to burn with a burning program that supports .cue and which works. I'm using ImgBurn on Windows which is good!
And to create a working .ISO track I'm using StatMatt's ISOCDWin. Never saw it officially anywhere but I can provide it.

[alexh]

To make ISO images in the past (using the same process as burning CDs) I have used KernSafe TotalMounter - A virtual CD-RW. This was a long time ago. Dunno if it works Windows 11 or if they are still around.

[jotd]

WinUAE can mount .ISO or .cue images directly.

[Muzza]

Small update from my tester: All my recent code using cd32loader.asm is reliable on a CD32 with a new laser, but comes up with disc errors on a CD32 with an old laser. And the disc errors remain even with retries. Other CDr games do work on it.
This is true whether I use READFILEOFFSET, or only READFILE.
Having all files packed into the exe (and so DOS loads the file, and I never use cd32loader.asm) works on both systems.
My feeling at this point is that either I'm missing some important handling of disc read errors, or that cd32loader.asm is just (understandably) less reliable than DOS and there is nothing I can do about it in my code.

But given the previous discussion and that I can squeeze the game so it runs with 4MB Fast (~1MB for the game, ~3 MB for all compressed files), it doesn't seem worth pursuing it.

[jotd]

I understand! I'm fed up with that CD32 random crap too.

Some day I may try to make it work on MK2 (the game where errors arise) and have a peek at cd.device source code just in case it's readable enough / has a "CAUTION" comment explaining some akiko/cd hardware trickery that everyone missed, including Rob Northen and Toni Wilen.

[alexh]

Could it be extra error handling being part of the OS cdfs but not part of cd32loader.asm?

I couldn't find much in the cd.device developers notes.

http://www.kaiiv.de/servicemanuals/C...er%20Notes.pdf