Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) Games

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by jotd

I'll assume that since you want to use 2 or more drives that you enabled them in your configurations (why bothering with disk switching on WinUAE when game runs with AmigaDOS): that eats too much memory on a standard 512/512 configuration on non-OSkiller games, which explains why too many of your configurations require 1MB.

Yes, I usually add additional drives so that's probably why some of these require 1MB Chip RAM.

[jotd]

for one-disk games like Titus the fox you can improve your configuration by unticking the second drive.

A lot of game manuals stated "TURN OFF YOUR EXTERNAL DRIVES". Extremely unconvenient since you couldn't unplug them safely without switching the machine off AFAIR. I didn't care too much about that, probably because of the 1.5MB slow ram

But that doesn't matter much on a PC that has several gigabytes of ram as said before.

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by jotd

A lot of game manuals stated "TURN OFF YOUR EXTERNAL DRIVES". Extremely unconvenient since you couldn't unplug them safely without switching the machine off AFAIR.

All of the external drives I possessed back then had an "on/off" switch. I actually can't remember that there were drives without such switch, did they really exist?

[Retro1234]

I had a copy of an original Mega twins that wouldn't work on my A500 kick 1.3 512/512 but worked on A500+

[luncheon]

Originally Posted by StingRay

All of the external drives I possessed back then had an "on/off" switch. I actually can't remember that there were drives without such switch, did they really exist?

the A1010 and A1011 didn't have one.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by SquawkBox

Concerning Gravity Force, no need for IPF. I could manage to enter my nick in high score after Game Over screen and a couple of enemies destroyed, which wasn't the case with the cracked version. For that purpose, I used the 1.1 freeware version.

@DamienD
I know you're not aiming specifically at A500 / Gotek users when building your collection, but unless you really fancy trainers IMHO you should consider replacing that Vision Factory version of Gravity Force with the version I just tried (or with the IPF). Don't quote me on that, but I think the guru error after typing one's nick in high score has something to do with the 1.0 version of the game requiring 1.2 KS.

Originally Posted by SquawkBox

Short answer : That specific version of Gravity Force is buggy, be it on WinUAE or on an actual Amiga unless you switch ks to 1.2 version, and even then Toni (well, some internal check he implemented) will alert you that the disk should be in extended ADF format to save that piece of data (the player nick from the high score table).


Long answer (not too long, it's a promise ) :The corresponding configuration file from your collection mentions 1.3 ks, but it's pretty obvious VF version is buggy should anything else than 1.2 ks is used. Try to enter your nick in single player mode after the game has ended (at least one enemy ship must be destroyed beforehand), the game gurus right after hitting the Enter key. There is no such disadvantage in using v1.1 (the freeware version if that's what TOSEC means by attaching [FW] to it). The downside is there is no fancy cracktro nor trainer with that version.

Thanks for the information SquawkBox

I've decided to keep the trained version; so changed to a KS 1.2 configuration and all good.

[New Sky]

Hello,

I arrive a little after the battle as we say at home ! When I had my A500+ with therefore 1 MB of Chip RAM, Conan The Cimerian had a difference for its introduction.

https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=1882

We saw it by chance after launching it on an A500 with an extension of 512 KB more. If you want to check on an emulator, it must do the same.

I don't think it's from Kickstart 2.x.

[SquawkBox]

Pucman Worlds (pd) requires 1 MB of chip ram ("according to HoL", but seems plausible).

[ImmortalA1000]

Originally Posted by StingRay

All of the external drives I possessed back then had an "on/off" switch. I actually can't remember that there were drives without such switch, did they really exist?

I have three, one of them doesn't have a switch.

I have a game called Turbo Trax which says 1mb Chip RAM but apart from sloppy coding and lack of understanding how to write a tile based scrolling game engine I can't see why it needs 1mb Chip RAM tbh.

[Megalomaniac]

1Mb Chip RAM seems like a more common requirement than the actual ECS hardware. The PD game Scorched Tanks (from the Amiga Power coverdisk) crashes after the terraforming on any 512k Chip RAM config, either OCS or ECS.

I think Gloom Deluxe might have needed ECS (as well as an 020 or higher and 2Mb memory). Maybe some other games which needed specs above a standard A500 might have specifically needed ECS too?

I think PAL / NTSC switching might have been an ECS (and up) feature as well, so users in the US might have ECS to play a lot of games which are fullscreen for us Europeans?

[ImmortalA1000]

The 50/60hz switch worked with fatter Agnus equipped 1mb Chip RAM but regular Denise Kickstart 1.3 machines. I remember this because that's what my A2000 was and some cracks allowed you to switch from 50/60hz.

[hooverphonique]

Originally Posted by StingRay

All of the external drives I possessed back then had an "on/off" switch. I actually can't remember that there were drives without such switch, did they really exist?

The OE Commodore drives did not have an off switch, AFAIK.

[SquawkBox]

OCS / ECS version of Sardonic (Penisoft) requires 1 MB chip (unlike HoL, Lemon has an entry for it).

Quasar Wars (Light Designs) only registered release (2 disks) also requires 1 MB chip, well removing the cracktro allows for 0.5 chip + 0.5 other mem machines to load it, so not a requirement per se.

[masteries]

If memory serves me well, Dungeon Master 2 requires 2 MB chip RAM.

Not sure if this amount of memory needs to be chip RAM
in an mandatory way, or this amount can be supplied via fast RAM too.

Despite this amount of memory requirement,
no other features of ECS chipset appear to be needed.

[Megalomaniac]

Dungeon Master II and Star Trek 25th Anniversary were both sold as needing an A1200 with hard drive, but turned out not to actually use AGA graphics. Both needed a hard drive, 2Mb memory, an 020 and Kickstart 2 or higher, but did run on A3000s and potentially an A500+ with something like the GVP A530 add-on. Interplay obviously didn't think we were clever enough to understand complex system requirements the way PC owners could...

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Megalomaniac

Dungeon Master II and Star Trek 25th Anniversary were both sold as needing an A1200 with hard drive, but turned out not to actually use AGA graphics.

Are you sure about Star Trek 25th Anniversary? Just checked a random screenshot and it has 146 unique colours.

[Megalomaniac]

You may be right, I was going off a vague memory which may have been wrong.

[TCD]

Just wanted to make sure that I didn't miss anything. Like you pointed out Dungeon Master II isn't AGA even if the reference card says 'A1200 or higher'.

[sokolovic]

Originally Posted by TCD

Are you sure about Star Trek 25th Anniversary? Just checked a random screenshot and it has 146 unique colours.

In some previews of Star Trek the developpers says that they are using 64 colours EHB mode but maybe they have switched after when they decided to make the game AGA only.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by sokolovic

In some previews of Star Trek the developpers says that they are using 64 colours EHB mode but maybe they have switched after when they decided to make the game AGA only.

If somebody finds those previews it would be great to add that piece of information to the HOL entry.