TAP files for DivIDE/DivMMC

[Alessandro]

Several .TAP files of Spectrum games circulating on the Web won't work with a DivIDE/DivMMC interface. Most of the times this is due to the fact that they have been created by simply converting TZX files containing data recorded at normal speed but loaded without calling the standard ROM loading routine, or with the flag byte for data block set to other than 255, or both. For some titles there are no .TAP files available at all.

I created a number of .TAP files for use with such interfaces. Most of the times I did it from the original data by extrapolating data blocks and resaving them using a standard procedure, hacking loading routines so that they use the standard ROM calls, or by waiting for the game to be fully loaded and then exporting it as a binary file, then saving it normally. In some cases - for instance Speedlock and Alkatraz - I used LERM's COMB utility from Transpack 2. These are marked with the symbol (*). Bug fixes were applied to some already existing .TAPs.

Click here if you are interested.

[patters]

Nice work. I have found a few others that I've had difficulty with, and for which I had to resort to .z80 files: Chase HQ, WEC Le Mans, Super Hang-on, that I can recall. Might be a few more, will have to check my SD card.

z80 files are a bit of a pain since I own a 48K and a 128K and then you need to have both versions.

[Alessandro]

Chase HQ and WEC Le Mans gave me problems, I also tried to circumvent the protection with Lerm's Combine utility but failed. For these and for multi-load games in general you will have to resort to hacked TR-DOS images if you do not want to make a separate 48K .Z80 snapshot, many .TRDs especially those made from 2010 on will run with the DivIDE/DivMMC on 48K as well as on the 128K and newer machines. However you can only load them if your interface is equipped with ESXDOS.

[patters]

Yes, I came to the same conclusion to use TRDs for multiload games. So many of the load routines just fail with DIVMMC when a rewind to an earlier tape location is needed, even though it should just cycle through the tape contents. It also took me an age to realise that TRDs were even supported by DIVMMC (I hadn't guessed it would be supported on 48K, because I didn't realise the DIVMMC has its own onboard RAM for loading the TR-DOS ROM), and even longer to realise you can convert SCL image files to TRD. Then, because it's mostly a Russian resource, it took a while to get familiar with the main site for these disk images: http://vtrd.in

[PeterJ]

Great work. Thank you [mention]Alessandro[/mention]

[akeley]

Very useful, thank you. I'm currently converting my ZX gamebase to a DIV format, it's quite a bit of work...so many .taps to convert. Good to know somebody fixed the problematic ones (at least some of them).

[Alessandro]

The list has been updated with some new files.

[Alessandro]

Another update today with some other new files.

[patters]

Hi Alessandro - did you remove the Dizzy games?

[Alessandro]

No I didn't - it seems I actually forgot to include them.

They are in the TAP.ZIP archive now, however.

[Alessandro]

Another update today, with more TAP files.

[toot_toot]

Thanks very much for doing these. Would you be able to add "Killed Until Dead"? It's one of those multiloaders where you need to load in each individual scenario and the scenarios are on a separate TZX file (side 2).

Another request would be the 10 Computer Hits which is only available as a TZX but it did have a bit of a custom menu, unlike other compilations. Thank you.

[azesmbog]

There is a funny emulator
http://zxspectrum4.net/index.php
he has an interesting test
http://zxspectrum4.net/op_timing.php
with an interesting bootloader. As far as I remember, he downloads the data “inside out”, and then unpacks it starting from the older addresses to the younger ones.
Naturally, esxDOS does not work.
I was interested in starting it, so I disassembled and folded it again. Suddenly, someone besides games is also interested in tests

Spoiler

https://drive.google.com/open?id=165OrE ... xWGjNxz8cQ

[bob_fossil]

I was investigating why the Gravibots .tap file I got from https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=30087 didn't load when launched from my ESXDOS browser software. It turns out the .tap file is using a custom loader (maybe a .tap file created from a .tzx?). I've hacked out a version which will load on the DivIDE/DivMMC which you can get from here.

@PeterJ The emulator links (JSSpeccy, QAOP) on the Gravibot page don't work with the supplied .tap file. You just end up with a black screen as the custom loader code is executed.

[PeterJ]

Hi [mention]bob_fossil[/mention]

I've just been to the RetroSouls website and downloaded the latest version, and yes it does not work in QAOP. It does work in Fuse though. We don't test every title for online emulation. The icons just appear when the file extension is .tap. Thanks for the 'fixed' version. I will speak to [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention] in regards to including it.

http://www.retrosouls.net/?p=798

[PeterJ]

I've had a DivMMC device for sometime but not made much use of to date. I having problems with a couple of games which are not on the list from [mention]Alessandro[/mention]:

Blinky's Scary School - Crashes as soon as the main options page pops up
Where Time Stood Still - Crashes straight after you confirm your key selections

I've tried on both my Toast-racks.

Any help appreciated.

[Alessandro]

Hi [mention]PeterJ[/mention], the TAP file of the Erbe re-release of Where Time Stood Still will work with the DivMMC.

Blinky's Scary School seems to be incompatible with the USR0 mode used by the DivIDE and derivates. If your interface mounts ESXDOS 0.8.5 and newer, you can use this TR-DOS disk image which includes both Blinky games. Remember to remove the check to "Pentagon fix" in the intro.

[PeterJ]

Thank you [mention]Alessandro[/mention].

[cmal]

Does anyone know if there's a TAP version of Split Personalities that works on DivMMC? Or has anyone attempted to crack it to make it work?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... sonalities

Thanks

[Alessandro]

[mention]cmal[/mention] : Nuggetreggae did it, you can download the file from here.

[bob_fossil]

Does anyone know if there's a TAP version of Split Personalities that works on DivMMC? Or has anyone attempted to crack it to make it work?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... sonalities

Thanks

It's good to have choices, so here's another version.

http://www.thefossilrecord.co.uk/wp-con ... c_taps.zip

I didn't do the work on this one. It starts up a bit faster than the Nugget Reggae version,

(this .zip also includes my other tap hacks I've done so far: Gravibots and Daley 2020)

[cmal]

@cmal : Nuggetreggae did it, you can download the file from here.

Excellent, this works great! Thanks [mention]Alessandro[/mention] and Nuggetreggae.

[Hedge1970]

Not divide related but my tap/tzx loader from fruitcake.com also fails to load files that need multi loading. I was actually thinking of getting divide to overcome this issue! Hence glad I found this thread before buying one.

Latest game with this issue is the new Hell Yeah game.

[cmal]

Does anyone know if there's a TAP version of Split Personalities that works on DivMMC? Or has anyone attempted to crack it to make it work?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... sonalities

Thanks

It's good to have choices, so here's another version.

http://www.thefossilrecord.co.uk/wp-con ... c_taps.zip

I didn't do the work on this one. It starts up a bit faster than the Nugget Reggae version,

(this .zip also includes my other tap hacks I've done so far: Gravibots and Daley 2020)

Indeed, choices are good. Thanks Bob. This one works great too. I'll try your other hacks.

And to think, I was just about to take a stab at cracking Split Personalities. I would've probably wasted my entire Sunday!

Thanks again!

[Alessandro]

I gave a spin at Nuggetreggae's Split Personalities file, the game is still one of my personal all-time favorites, but I was dismayed, when I reached the last level - the one with Marilyn Monroe - to see that it hanged up just at the start of it

I'll try [mention]bob_fossil[/mention] 's TAP file and see if it is affected by the same issue.

Edit: Bob's TAP file works, I reached the last level!

Edit 2: The game can be completed