What Makes The Amiga CD32 The Best Amiga?

[jotd]

I'd prefer to connect Amiga 4000 to save position.

that made me laugh, good job. Buy an A4000/060 just for that (don't do anything else on it). So saves are quick (and safe on the machine harddisk)

OR connect a printer, print save hex data, and re type them later. Wait there's no keyboard...

[skan]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

I'd prefer to connect Amiga 4000 to save position.

Thanks you made my day!

[Retro_71]

Not the worst console but defiantly not the best, I do have one which i have not used in a long time. Rather have my snes/megadrive setup along with my A1200 (with DVD Drive).

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by Retro_71

Not the worst console but defiantly not the best, I do have one which i have not used in a long time. Rather have my snes/megadrive setup along with my A1200 (with DVD Drive).

That's a great combo. I used to have an A500 and a Jap SNES. Best combination ever.

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by jotd

That Castles II addendum is a joke.

"buy the game, and keep your console on until you can buy a floppy drive"

Interstingly floppy drives for CD32 exist. Some language teaching company had some manufactured, and Toni has been donated one (long before the TF boards were common) to test stuff.
Of course this hardware is rare.

I think it's true about the floppy drive tho. They wouldn't make got to the trouble of adding an extra page to the manaul just make a joke on paying cutomers. I thought addendums are always extra pages added after the manual is printed.

That's cool about the CD32 disc drive. I thought they would exist. So just save on that - no problems.

Originally Posted by skan

Go away troll.

Er. I'm discussing the CD32 with people in a CD32 appreciation thread. You are the one trolling. What have you contributed to this thread apart from lame insults? That's the definition of a troll right there

Originally Posted by jotd

so to load/save games you'd need to connect ... an amiga at the end of the serial port? And implement saving through serial.device ?
That could have been viable through nonvolatile.library: if something is connected to the serial port, write there instead of nvram

At any rate, I prefer the floppy disk option.

Why do you need an Amiga? I thought any port with input/output you can use to save? I saw a modem connector for AUX on CD32 (with keyboard pass through). So if you can send information to a modem you must be able to send to storage device?

[d4rk3lf]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

I'm discussing the CD32 with people in a CD32 appreciation thread.

If this thread was called just like that (above quote), then I am sure a lot of misunderstanding here would not be existing.

I love you Gilbert... I mean... I love the way you are stubborn.
And you gave me one of the coolest parole of 2020: You're just being insecure".
That's just priceless.

I am really not sure why you annoy so many people.... you make me smile all the time... you have the best ever sentences... pointless.. but still best...

The only thing I find wrong with you, is that you had argue with Daedalus.
Man, do you know how positive and cool that guy is?
I don't know him personally, and rarely we had chats over the forum, but let me tell you, that guy is GREAT!
Always helpful, always positive... full of knowledge... and very smart.
I've learned so much from him, only by reading his old posts.
Pure knowledge.

Unfortunately, Daedalus saw your attitude as a really serious thing, and he answered you in the best way.... but... he should've just act as the other smart guys, like jotd... act as there is no serious claim.

Anyway... Let's make a deal Gilbert.
I give you CD32 - new, untouched.
You give me: A4000/060.
This will be bargain to you, as I don't have akiko chip, don't have full audio video experience, and everything else, CD32 give.

Deal?
Or you're feeling a little insecure?

[skan]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

Er. I'm discussing the CD32 with people in a CD32 appreciation thread. You are the one trolling. What have you contributed to this thread apart from lame insults? That's the definition of a troll right there

My contributions are there, go have a look kiddo.
And what was your contribution anyway? Apart from sounding like a broken record and ignoring valuable contributions other ppl made?

But don't worry, you just earned a spot in my ignore list, so you won't read from me anymore - as well as I won't read your utter nonsense anymore!

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

If this thread was called just like that (above quote), then I am sure a lot of misunderstanding here would not be existing.

I love you Gilbert... I mean... I love the way you are stubborn.
And you gave me one of the coolest parole of 2020: You're just being insecure".
That's just priceless.

I am really not sure why you annoy so many people.... you make me smile all the time... you have the best ever sentences... pointless.. but still best...

The only thing I find wrong with you, is that you had argue with Daedalus.
Man, do you know how positive and cool that guy is?
I don't know him personally, and rarely we had chats over the forum, but let me tell you, that guy is GREAT!
Always helpful, always positive... full of knowledge... and very smart.
I've learned so much from him, only by reading his old posts.
Pure knowledge.

Unfortunately, Daedalus saw your attitude as a really serious thing, and he answered you in the best way.... but... he should've just act as the other smart guys, like jotd... act as there is no serious claim.

Anyway... Let's make a deal Gilbert.
I give you CD32 - new, untouched.
You give me: A4000/060.
This will be bargain to you, as I don't have akiko chip, don't have full audio video experience, and everything else, CD32 give.

Deal?
Or you're feeling a little insecure?

Thanks for the compliments. Yes what surprises me is when I am being friendly - people think I am trolling. I don't know a lot so I ask questions. The insecure stuff is just banter with the CD32 haters. It's like they give it out to me but then can't take it back. Also I do really like the 32 bit sticker on the console. No other Amiga has it.

All the guys saying CD32 is rubbish in this thread - I could say they are trolling. But I don't do that because I expected it when I made the thread and wanted some good discussion and back and forth. I would say they do seem to focus on the CD32's negative points rather than what's good about it!

Daedalus is a maze designer, he probably got annoyed I found the breadcrumb trail to CD32 greatness!

I don't like that deal. I already have the greatest Amiga so I don't need the CD32. Or did you mean you wanted the CD32?

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by skan

My contributions are there, go have a look kiddo.
And what was your contribution anyway? Apart from sounding like a broken record and ignoring valuable contributions other ppl made?

But don't worry, you just earned a spot in my ignore list, so you won't read from me anymore - as well as I won't read your utter nonsense anymore!

Literally the whole thread was my contribution. Fair enough if you contributed early on but your last few posts you keep calling me a troll when I was asking genuine tech questions. I don't know about Amiga port sockets. I am not sure why you assume ordinary Amiga owners know about them. When I asked you about it - you said "go away troll".

That's good to know about the ignore list. I did hear it was only available to veteran members - like me and you. I am putting that grumpy Scottish guy on mine.

[Gilbert]

I found a lot of proof in the CD32 Developer Manual that Commodore had expansion plans for the CD32.

It's fairly obvious the plan was to turn the A1200 into a CD32 and the CD32 in an A1200 for maximum user base

Sadly Chapter 5 (on expansion connectors) was suspiciously absent but it probably tells of plans to expand NVRAM with a disc drive/storage unit

[jotd]

Gilbert ever heard of the SX1? This is the CD32 expansion module Commodore sold at the time.

I have this document somewhere on my HD. I specially like the "use the OS" part. Then came Rob Northen CD system conversions...

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by jotd

Gilbert ever heard of the SX1? This is the CD32 expansion module Commodore sold at the time.

I have this document somewhere on my HD. I specially like the "use the OS" part. Then came Rob Northen CD system conversions...

Oh yeah I actually had one. But I thought it was made by a third party. I got mine just after I bought my CD32 (in the 2000s) thinking I'd turn it into a computer but I never used it so I sold it about 4 years later. It didn't look very professional - kind of like a circuit board in an open box.

I was just looking at the SX32 - and similar to that (how small it is), they should have released just a floppy drive for extra storage that just connects straight to the expansion port. The guy (Deadalus?) earlier said it was too expensive to make these add-ons but it can't be that much more cost on top of a floppy drive to make it connect to the expansion port - with none of the extra stuff. I think Commodore had it all ready for expansion but then the CD32 didn't take off so we got third party add-ons at a higher price.

I read about the OS in the manual. They said it's faster for many things because it's on ROM rather than Chip-RAM. There was also a Commodore CD64 planned by Amiga after Commodore canned the planned next graphics architecture. I read it in a David Pleasance interview. I think he also said the plan (to make CD32 and A1200 the same) I mentioned above - which was what everyone naturally assumed - was wrong! I'll need to read it again. I just skimmed it

BTW David Pleasance said he thinks CD32 is the best Amiga in the same interview. Great guy!

[jotd]

I meant SX32 sorry. Ah you were lucky enough to have one but sell it! Well there are TF boards now that do better, and fit inside the CD32 with the riser.

BTW floppy+CD32 on sale: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Commodore-Am...EAAOSwBfhezr2a note how ugly the machine looks with that alien floppy plugged in. I reckon there are several models of CD32 floppy devices

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by jotd

I meant SX32 sorry. Ah you were lucky enough to have one but sell it! Well there are TF boards now that do better, and fit inside the CD32 with the riser.

BTW floppy+CD32 on sale: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Commodore-Am...EAAOSwBfhezr2a note how ugly the machine looks with that alien floppy plugged in. I reckon there are several models of CD32 floppy devices

Looks like brutalist architecture! when they stack those concrete blocks on top of each other to make buildings.

Commodore should have released beautiful peripherals - all colour coded and styled to the console. People buying an A1200 would have even thought twice.

Yes I want to get a TF board. I only really got into my CD32 in a big way in the last 2 years so have been slowly buying games (they cost too much and it annoys me some have big cardboard boxes and some don't) One day I hope to turn into a coding station for my admittedly simple (AMOS or Blitz Basic 2) games. But with that kind of power even they would seem great!

[jotd]

you can paint your floppy drive blue. That would still suck...

With your TF you still need a keyboard (A2000 or A4000). I tried to get a PC keyboard adapter from AmigaKit but they were out of stock and they refund me.

The keyboardless CD32 + TF is already great with whdload (and we adapted a ton of classics so they can be played only with joypad + buttons)

[Bruce Abbott]

Originally Posted by Gilbert

The guy (Deadalus?) earlier said it was too expensive to make these add-ons but it can't be that much more cost on top of a floppy drive to make it connect to the expansion port - with none of the extra stuff.

Problem is that do the job properly you need 2 CIA chips, which were only available from Commodore and quite expensive. But they also provide all the I/O lines needed for the parallel and serial port, so you might as well add the other ports - and put some FastRAM in there too! Thus the SX-1.

I figured out how get a floppy drive going with 99% compatibility using just a few standard TTL logic chips. Today it could be done even better with a single CPLD.

Unfortunately now we have the opposite problem, high quality peripherals are cheap to build, but CD32s are rare and expensive!

BTW David Pleasance said he thinks CD32 is the best Amiga in the same interview. Great guy!

Another reason why CD32 is the best Amiga, David Pleasance says it is!

[Gilbert]

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

Problem is that do the job properly you need 2 CIA chips, which were only available from Commodore and quite expensive. But they also provide all the I/O lines needed for the parallel and serial port, so you might as well add the other ports - and put some FastRAM in there too! Thus the SX-1.

I figured out how get a floppy drive going with 99% compatibility using just a few standard TTL logic chips. Today it could be done even better with a single CPLD.

Unfortunately now we have the opposite problem, high quality peripherals are cheap to build, but CD32s are rare and expensive!

Another reason why CD32 is the best Amiga, David Pleasance says it is!

That makes good sense. So would those chips actually be a much lower cost for Commodore to use? I guess a lot of the cost is R & D and they have already paid for that. Commodore making the expansion could have been the cheapest way

Good work with the disc drive So your way with the TTL chips could have been done back in the day? If so that's amazing.

Yes David Pleasance knows his stuff! See my next post

[Gilbert]

David Pleasance is more fanatical than me!



(KP is Technical Manager Kieron Sumner)

[Rotareneg]

I misread that as Donald Pleasence and was really confused for a moment!

[Retro-Nerd]

I like David Pleasance. But he couldn't be more wrong about the FMV games phase back then. Nobody wanted this pixelated video interactive crap.