WHDload... Why?

[Mr B]

A lot of games doesn't have an option to install to a harddrive, and then i get why one would like to WHDload them. But are there benefits to WHDload games with a HD installer, and if so, what are they? Asking as i'm curios, more then anything else. As an example, one of my favorite games are K240 which i have been running from harddrive since i mounted one in the A1200. In a few days my ACA1230/56 should arrive, and with it i get a bit more memory, and WHDloading gets realistic. And thats when the reasoning behind one over the other have some benefits, since i can decide, and set it up once and for all.

WHDloads will sneak on to my system, there is no doubt about that, the question is, should it be only WHDloads, or not.
Thank you for any insight you can provide.
B!

[TCD]

Have a look here : http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=5267
There are loads of games that won't run from HD otherwise. I'd say that's the main point of using it. If you can use a 'native' installer and it works for you, that's fine

[Mr B]

Yeah, as i said, i know there are loads of games that cant be installed to harddrive, and with the availability of new floppydrives & DD floppies, anything that keeps us in the game is good, but i guess what i'm asking is "whats the point of creating a WHDload of a game with a HD installer on in the first place?"
As i said, i've been playing K240 since i first got the Amiga. When i finally got around to install a harddrive in it, K240 was the first game i installed. I even managed to track down a legal version, due to some bugs i was suffering from in the version i got with the Amiga. (the legal version i tracked down was v2.00, the version i got with the Amiga was v1.886)
As far as i can tell without running the thing (no system set up to run WHDloads on, yet) the WHDload of K240 seams to be the earlier version, and unless i'm missing something, thats sort of going backwards.

It's just an example, but it got me wondering.
B!

[Retro-Nerd]

You find a lot a Amiga 500 HD installable games, which doesn't work properly on an A1200. And of course you can add some special features like cheats, highscore saver, CD32 pad support etc, so even an AGA game could benefit from WHDLoad patches.

[Mr B]

I have no idea what K240 was created for, but it works great on the A1200. In theory, the game would benefit from high-score lists, and such, but have the bugs of the earlier version? I'll try it out once i get everything put together here, just to try it out, and see if it makes a difference, but i want to learn, and see what to expect. (As it turns out, K240, altho being my favorite game, is a bad example. No highscore, since there isn't any "points", you just win, or lose. And there is no need for cheats, the game is to fun without.)

Thank you guys for your input.
B!

[TCD]

Well, the version string on the preinstalled one by KG reads 'VERSION 2.000, 7-6-94' and the readme states :

* manual protection removed
* manual included

Not much, but surely not 'going backwards'.

[Retro-Nerd]

Yep, another good point. Removed manual protections are blessings.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

Well, the version string on the preinstalled one by KG reads 'VERSION 2.000, 7-6-94'

Being stuck on a windows system, i checked the readme that is useful to that OS, and it has no useful version info. However, i checked the slave binary, where the author thanks TRSI/Zenith for the crack. TRSI/Zenith's crack was the one used on the early version. From there i made an assumption, and as usual when you assume things, you get it wrong.
*shrugs*
So it looks like the WHDload version, and the harddrive installed version should be exactly the same, but the WHDload has the manual nag protection removed, where as my originals still needs the manual.
I'll try and test the WHDload when everything is set up, and see what i can come up with.

As i said, thank you both for your input. It makes no sense to me at this point, aside from the protection part. It never made sense to me, why did they let you install the game to your harddrive, and yet kept bugging you for the manual. I'd like to store it away, safe. Instead it's falling apart, and looks like someone had it as bathroom reading.
B!

[Djay]

With whdload you can be sure that the protection has been removed properly, I have previously installed cracked games from floppies and the cracks were broken! The highscore save feature is great, nowadays scoretables save by default you kinda forget they didn't in the past...

You also get support from whdload

And of course the one key quit to workbench is a nice feature although I think the quit should be shift + * (or custom key) to save any accidents

[daxb]

WHDLoad install compared to game itself (original) install can be equal, better or worse. You cannot generalize what is better or not for you.