Lotus 2 & 3 A1200 versions

[Cobe]

I went through thread and I can't tell if the best version was found or just declared which one would be the best.

I don't know if this is rare or common version, I found it on my backup from 90s. And Lotus 3 in 2p mode is absolutely smooth on my A1200 ACA1221. Uploaded to The Zone!

; LotusFix 1.0 by Thomas!/SP (17.04.94)
; -------------------------------------
; This one lets you start Lotus also from a aga-screenmode-workbench
; or from your gfx-card. It moves the VBR back to $0.l and allows you
; to force the game to NTSC screenmode, so you have a 'bigger' view and
; you can see the cars better.
;
; Usage: LotusFix NTSC/S,INTRO/S,DEMOMODE/S
;
; NTSC force NTSC screenmode (better view but also faster!)
; INTRO show also the supplied small intro
; DEMOMODE show a supplied demo of Lotus 1
;
; Example: 'LotusFix NTSC INTRO' loads game in NTSC with small intro
; 'LotusFix DEMOMODE' loads demo of Lotus 1 without intro
; 'LotusFix' loads game

[ancalimon]

Cheers

I guess we are stuck with 25 or even lower fps for Lotus 3 (single player too) though? ...

[Cobe]

? this is trilogy hd and lotus 3 is 50fps

this is trilogy hd and lotus 3 is 50fps

No slowdowns in 2P mode yes (no backward effect anymore) so the HD trilogy version is the ultimate one, but Logus 3 doesn't run at all in 50fps. Look the background scrolling for example.

[ancalimon]

I don't know what is happening but while Lotus2 is running 50fps smooth, it seems like Lotus3 (using Lotusfix) is running at less than 20fps more like 10fps. Maybe the 060 cpu is causing it? Or maybe it is using the ZorRAM which might be slowing things down. I do not know why. I remember Lotus 3 running much smoother. I will try capturing a 60fps video with my Galaxy Note4 phone.

Edit: The normal hd cd32 version runs much smoother.

I don't know what is happening but while Lotus2 is running 50fps smooth

"Lotus 2" DOESN'T run t 50 fps at all. LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND SCROLLING, THE ROAD SCROLLING AND THE MOVING SPRITES: 25 fps, not more. Same than "Lotus 1", same than "Lotus 3" when the game doesn't slowdown. "Prime Over" DOES run in 50 fps with a lot less objects on the screen (and without 2 players mode, it helps !).

There is only 1 slowdown in "Lotus 2" where the road slightly seems to go backward like in "Lotus 3" during a very short time : level 2, under the fastest tunnel.

25fps doesn't make them less wonderfull than the coin-op like Super Hang-on, Chase H.Q, etc. The perspective is so well rendered in "Lotus 1" and "Lotus 2", really wonderfull games !

[Retro1234]

Originally Posted by clauddio

I just tested the Lotus Trilogy hardisk version by DC in my A1200 and all Lotus versions works very fine
Lotus 3 works ultra fast even in 2 player mode

Originally Posted by mai

Uploaded "TLC" version, and it exists is also a HD-version of "Lotus Trilogy"!

anyone have these?

I see the back2roots install on the FTP thanks to Retroplay, what are the system requirements?

[Torti-the-Smurf]

Lotus III is way slower than Part 1&2. - No matter the machine or WHDLoad Tooltype.
The topic comes up in this interview.

[ Show youtube player ]

For Lotus III to be faster it would need a WHDLoad "fast" version.

[Retro1234]

Something I don't think anyone will believe is my lotus 2 WHDload install broke somehow once and got stuck in some kind of super turbo more, I should of filmed it, basically unplayable.

all the Lotus games are smoother and faster in NTSC, probably too fast for a player like me.

but still looking for above files.

[Torti-the-Smurf]

Originally Posted by Retro1234

Something I don't think anyone will believe is my lotus 2 WHDload install broke somehow once and got stuck in some kind of super turbo more, I should of filmed it, basically unplayable.

all the Lotus games are smoother and faster in NTSC, probably too fast for a player like me.

but still looking for above files.

Only AMIGA makes it possible

[Torti-the-Smurf]

There are no 50 FPS on Lotus. (only a patch plus a fast Cpu/memory would achieve that)

Here is a simple Rule.

Things that are in hardware can be done usally at fullspeed (hardware acceleration)
Like this... it runs fullspeed. No problem - the custom chips are doing this.

[ Show youtube player ]

If something is not in Hardware then it needs a CPU/Software Solution and that is generally slower. Why do you think this is so slow ?

[ Show youtube player ]


Thats the reason you can "060" that Demo above and it would not run any faster.

But "060" the FA-18 Intercepter and it would be way smoother/faster.

Thats the reason this is so impressive. It runs crazy smooth even on an A500.
[ Show youtube player ]

[ Show youtube player ]

When i remember correctly. Thalion even stated, if somebody could make a faster Software Routine for vectors the would like to see that XD

[Retro1234]

I played it on 68030 probably some bug where it was skipping blitter waits but I don't care about that I'm looking for the files above.
I don't know what caused I was just casually mentioning it, I don't want to be dragged into it my only purpose here is the HD versions of the trilogy for the other thread.
vector games like you posted above obviously rely on the CPU more.

Originally Posted by Retro1234

anyone have these?

I see the back2roots install on the FTP thanks to Retroplay, what are the system requirements?

[Torti-the-Smurf]

Seems Reasonable. Still funny that it happend

I am with you. Want to see that "Lotus Trilogy hardisk version by DC".

[Torti-the-Smurf]

Originally Posted by Torti-the-Smurf

Lotus III is way slower than Part 1&2. - No matter the machine or WHDLoad Tooltype.
The topic comes up in this interview.

[ Show youtube player ]

For Lotus III to be faster it would need a WHDLoad "fast" version.

Can i quote myself here ?
Very odd. I tried it in emulation and it IS smoother. (cycle exact or fastest possible)

I setup WinUae like my real Amiga. Smooth in WinUAE and not Smooth on actual Hardware

Dont get it. I though Lotus III was locked and no matter the CPU the Speed would be the same, but it isnt. Anyway, this is off topic but strange.

[Octopus66]

Does anyone know if this faster version actually exists? I have tried every version I can find and the mountain sections are terribly slow and 2-player has a poor frame rate on my A1200/030.

This video states it is running on real hardware and the mountains look very smooth... where can I get a copy like this?

[ Show youtube player ]

[derSammler]

I have tried every version I can find and the mountain sections are terribly slow and 2-player has a poor frame rate on my A1200/030.

Never understood what went wrong there either. The PC version has no issues with the mountain sections even on a 16 MHz 286.

But I assume it's not a CPU speed issue. Probably the blitter can't handle it any faster, which means there can't be a faster version - unless someone did completely rewrite the object-drawing code.

[Octopus66]

I am beginning to suspect you are right derSammler and there is no magical version. I mean I can't see any improvement running CD32 vs OCS version on my A1200 despite many posts advising that it is much *smoother*. Maybe wishful thinking?

There is a youtube comment on below video:

@colinramsden746
1 year ago (edited)
This is a blast from the past for me. I did the conversion to the CD-32, it was quite a feat as I only had production copies of the games to work with (retail floppy discs). I had to remove the copy protection and convert the floppies to 880KB files. the CD-32 had 2MB of RAM so I was able to use the upper 1MB of RAM to pre-load the floppy image and patch the original sector/track loading routine to read from RAM. There was no keyboard or mouse supplied with the CD-32 as standard, so the input device routines had to be patched too to use the joypad instead, all done using HiSoft MonAm for reverse engineering and Devpac Amiga for supplementary code. I did a few other conversions for Gremlin Graphics around the same time, but this was the most ambitious one. Great days."

[ Show youtube player ]

Doesn't sound like a rewrite of object drawing code.

[kremiso]

Originally Posted by Retro1234

...all the Lotus games are smoother and faster in NTSC, probably too fast for a player like me.

iirc there was a time counter issue playing the game in NTSC, in Lotus2 for sure

it was VERY hard just to have the time to complete the first stage, and the second i remember was impossible to pass?

[Amigajay]

Originally Posted by Octopus66

@colinramsden746
1 year ago (edited)
This is a blast from the past for me. I did the conversion to the CD-32, it was quite a feat as I only had production copies of the games to work with (retail floppy discs). I had to remove the copy protection and convert the floppies to 880KB files. the CD-32 had 2MB of RAM so I was able to use the upper 1MB of RAM to pre-load the floppy image and patch the original sector/track loading routine to read from RAM. There was no keyboard or mouse supplied with the CD-32 as standard, so the input device routines had to be patched too to use the joypad instead, all done using HiSoft MonAm for reverse engineering and Devpac Amiga for supplementary code. I did a few other conversions for Gremlin Graphics around the same time, but this was the most ambitious one. Great days."


Doesn't sound like a rewrite of object drawing code.

Thanks for the info! Another example of the crazy days of porting games compared to the ease console developers had, even in-house ones over here had to crack their games! Also at the same time, with trust so low i can understand why sources weren’t being passed around to 3rd parties for conversion.

Perhaps it was the 1994 floppy disk Lotus Trilogy disks that were fixed for A1200 users, maybe a replacement program? Has anyone the full original box to state such a program?

[viddi]

I have the fixed trilogy, based on the CD32 version with Paula audio and it's as smooth as the DOS version.