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Amstrad CPC Guide

Тема в разделе "International Zone", создана пользователем Neville, 18 июн 2023.

  1. Neville

    Neville

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    ai.imgur.com_rCO9upv.png

    The Amstrad CPC are a series of 8-bit computers designed by British manufacturer Amstrad. They were designed to compete with the ZX Spectrum and sold well in Europe -around three million units- until they were discontinued in 1990.

    All Amstrad CPC models use a Zilog Z80A CPU at 4 Mhz. and have either 64 or 128 Kb. RAM. The main unit has either an integrated cassette player -CPC464 model- or a 3' disk unit -CPC664 and CPC6128 models-. The available green or color monitors also include the power supply.

    The available OS was AMSDOS, which included BASIC, but models with a disk unit can also use CP/M.

    Compared with the ZX Spectrum models, the Amstrad CPC was more versatile. It could output graphics in three different modes, 160x200 and 16 colors (out of a 27 color palette), 320x200 and 4 colors (similar to PC CGA mode but with more colors available) and 640x200 and 2 colors. On the minus side, graphics on the Amstrad CPC often moved slower than in the Spectrum and, in the 160x200 resolution, were also noticeably blockier.

    Sound-wise, the Amstrad CPC equipped the same General Instruments AY-3-8912 chip as the ZX Spectrum models starting from the Spectrum 128.

    In 1990 Amstrad revised their CPC line with their plus models.

    The Amstrad CPC plus computers have white cases, a cartridge port and slightly revised sound and graphics. This time only 464 and 6128 models were produced, plus a console-like model, the GX4000.

    ai.imgur.com_d6O0OLu.png

    With its plus range Amstrad attempted to compete with both consoles and 16-bit computers, but they were a commercial failure. Users were already moving towards machines such as the Sega Mega Drive or the Commodore Amiga, and wouldn't lose their time with an obsolete system. Amstrad discontinued the Amstrad CPC shortly afterwards.


    Loading games.

    Amstrad CPC games come in the form of disk, cassette or cartridge images.

    1) Disks:

    Type CAT from the BASIC prompt to see a list of the files in the disk.

    If BASIC responds with an error message, load the disk with the |CPM command.

    If BASIC responds with a RUN"DISK or RUN"DISC message, use those commands.

    If you get a list of files, look for one with the BAS or BIN extension, then type:

    RUN"FILENAME

    This is what happens most of the time, like in the game WEC Le Mans:

    ai.imgur.com_9CEMyMQ.png

    ai.imgur.com_djLz8f6.png

    2) Tapes:

    In CPC664 and CPC6128 models only, we first need to enter the command |tape.

    We then enter RUN" or press left CTRL and ENTER in the keypad. The message Press PLAY then any key will appear. We do as we are told and the load will start automatically.

    ai.imgur.com_1WsKhaO.png

    ai.imgur.com_j38MZzU.png

    Tapes will take up to 5 minutes to load entirely, so you'd better use an emulator with the option to speed them up.

    3) Cartridges.

    Cartridges require plus emulation and not every Amstrad CPC emulator has it. Otherwise, you just insert them and reset the computer.

    Plus computers came with a cart that includes Amstrad BASIC and the game Burnin' Rubber:

    ai.imgur.com_a9Jo0a9.png

    ai.imgur.com_HQp8VEM.png

    It's an OK game. Only 27 cartridge games were produced, and most of them are also available in tape or disk. A few cartridge exclusives are Navy Seals, Pang and RoboCop 2.


    Which emulator to use.

    If you are looking for a reliable Amstrad CPC emulator that keeps things simple and emulates everything, try CPCEC by CNGsoft, a well-known figure in the Amstrad CPC retro scene. It is packaged together with ZXSEC.EXE, a ZX Spectrum emulator, and CSFEC.EXE, a C64 emulator. Both are great too, but right now the C64 only supports loading programs from tape.

    ai.imgur.com_lgIQAjq.png

    It also can load most files without entering any commands.

    If you are more adventurous, I'd advise you to try Retro Virtual Machine. It is a multi-emulator that reproduces the feel of the real machines. This means you will have to drag and drop files to their respective units, which can feel a bit weird at the beginning. The video emulation is fantastic, though.

    ai.imgur.com_FPSASwg.png

    Both emulators support the plus cartridge games.
     
    Последнее редактирование: 19 июн 2023
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  3. Neville

    Neville

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    Alright, I think a few game suggestions are in order.

    Yie Ar Kung-Fu was the first one-on-one fighting game I ever played, and I still consider it one of the best. It's based on an arcade by Konami and has zillions of versions, but I'm partial to this one: it's lightning fast and the graphics are both blocky and full of color. It's only draw is that it's designed to work with one fire button, which means pretty much every joystick movement is translated to an attack, and you must learn a few before you can even dispose of the first opponent.



    Similar games for the system are Way of the exploding fist and IK+.


    Mystery of the Nile
    is a game I bought without much expectations. It's a Spanish game and a loose adaptation of the film Jewel of the Nile. Spanish games of the era have a reputation of being next to impossible to finish, and this one will only reinforce the myth. You control three western tourists who ended up as hostages in some African dictatorship, and your goal is to flee the country. Every screen acts like a puzzle of sorts. You have a few seconds before enemies appear, and in that time you need to choose which character to control -with keys 1,2 and 3- and which to leave under the control of the CPU. Make the wrong choice or leave the other characters in the wrong place and you'll lose a life.



    It's a terrific game full of action, but as I said very, very difficult.


    Operation Wolf
    is a fantastic adaptation of the arcade by Taito. Yes, the screen is small and the graphics blocky, but this is the most fun I've had with a game of its type on the CPC.




    North & South
    is a beloved blend of strategy and action set during the American Civil War. Choose a side, move your troops around and defeat the enemy in open battle or other minigames.



    There are better looking versions of the game, but I'd say this is the most fun to play, except maybe for the NES / Famicom port.


    And finally, Psycho Pig UXB. This one was originally an arcade by Jaleco, and got converted to most 8-bit computers of its day. It has no sophisticated story or anything, it's just a last-man-standing competition. With pigs. And time bombs. And plenty of bonuses. And it's just insanely fun to play.

     
    Последнее редактирование: 25 июн 2023
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  4. Neville

    Neville

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    Ladies and gentlemen... the clones.

    Compared to the likes of the ZX Spectrum and the MSX, where every model is arguable a clone, the Amstrad CPC had only a few clones.

    The most common of them of are the Schneider CPCs. Schneider was a German manufacturer who sold licensed CPCs in western Germany from 1984 to 1988. These CPC models are nearly identical to the originals, except for the grey keyboard and some additional metal shielding, presumably to conform to German laws of the time.

    ai.imgur.com_7Z90c2g.png

    Since they were licensed clones, sometimes game instructions of the era refer to Amstrad / Schneider CPCs.

    We also have a couple of unlicensed clones that appeared on the eastern block.


    This one is a KC Compact , a CPC clone made in East Germany during 1988-89. They're pretty rare, because after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 eastern Germans gained accesss to the real thing.

    ai.imgur.com_Cys9Pgg.png

    These computers can run most of the CPC software, but since many of its key components (CPU, CTRC) are not original compatibility is not complete. They also used a 5 and 1/4 disk drive unlike the Hitachi 3' unit of the original CPCs.


    And this is one of the rarest CPC clones, the Aleste 520 EX :

    ai.imgur.com_TP1CgBv.png

    It was developed in 1993 by Patisonic in Russia. It's supposed to be a clone of the CPC6128 model, but unlike the KC Compact the hardware is more powerful than the original. So much that it can run some modified MSX and MSX2 software, like Vampire Killer.



    Only a few dozens were manufactured, although there should also be some units assembled from kits.
     
    Последнее редактирование: 6 июл 2023
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  5. Neville

    Neville

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    I'm wondering if Russia ever heard of the Amstrad PCW. I find that unlikely, outside of emulation enthusiasts like me, of course. Because the Amstrad machines were popular in several European countries, like the UK, Germany, France and Spain, but I never heard of their success elsewhere.

    ai.imgur.com_cMFe1xv.png

    Anyway, around 1984 the head of Amstrad, Alan Sugar, conceived the idea of a simple word processor with an enbedded printer, monochrome graphics and no sound. The finished product was released in 1985, and shares several components with the Amstrad CPC series, such as the Zilog Z80 CPU at 4 Mhz. or the Hitachi 3' disk drives.

    The Amstrad PCW set usually consists of a mechanic keyboard, a monitor (which also includes the motherboard, the disk drive and the power supply) and a dedicated dot matrix printer. The monitor is a green screen one (grey screen in later models), capable of displaying 32 lines with 90 characters each, but also graphics at 720x256 and 720x200 resolutions.

    These computers were no rival for early PCs or Macintoshes, but they found a niche competing against mechanical and electric typewriters. Compared to 16-bit computers the PCW were much cheaper, while they had much more features than regular or electric typewriters. Before the PC clones became more affordable in the early 1990s the PCWs managed to sell 1.5 million units around Europe. I've seen PCW models in supermarkets and public libraries well into the 2000s, and in some cases they only were replaced after the Euro was introduced.

    The software offer was initially very limited and restricted to productivity. PCW units shipped with only two disks, CP/M Plus and LocoScript, which doubled as word processing and file managing software.

    ai.imgur.com_Z5TbLBz.png

    CP/M on the other hand was both an antecessor and a competitor of DOS. It was developed in the late 1970s for the Intel 8080 CPU, but the Zilog Z80 CPU variants could run its code. So if during the 1980s you had a micro-computer with a Z80 CPU and a disk drive, it was very likely that it supported some version of CP/M.

    With time game developers started paying attention to the PCWs, and a bunch of games exist for the system: Batman, Head over Heels, Starglider, and a bunch of arcade and sports titles from Spanish developer Opera Soft: Angel Nieto Pole 500, Corsarios, Goody, Jai alai, Livingstone Supongo I and II... Even some text adventures by Infocom and Magnetic Scrolls.

    Games for the Amstrad PCW either boot directly or need CP/M to be loaded first. The first case is self explanatory. As for the second, we first insert the CP/M disk and start the computer... and once CP/M is loaded into memory we switch the disk for the one with the game and type DIR to see its contents:

    upload_2023-7-2_13-43-34.png

    We then enter the name of the .COM program, without the extension.

    I this case, it is Head over heels, which loads with the command HEAD.

    ai.imgur.com_3HX0Vw4.png

    The sound, where it exists, is pretty annoying, but the high-res green graphics have their appeal.

    As for emulators, there are several options, such as MAME / MESS (BIOS not included) or ZesarUX. Personally I prefer using CPM/Box, I've found it to be very compatible and easy to use.
     

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    Последнее редактирование: 3 июл 2023
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  6. Neville

    Neville

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    Yeah, baby, yeah! Mario Bros. for the CPC was just remade.



    The platform already had a port of the game, but it wasn't well regarded.

    The game is free and the download links are on the video description.
     
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  7. Neville

    Neville

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    There's a new Amstrad CPC emulator in town, and the community seems very excited about it. It's called ACE-DL and so far it emulates disk and cartridge games, but not tapes. The video emulation seems very, very good:

    ai.imgur.com_cIvkELd.png

    It also seems well suited for running SymbOS . SymbOS is an attempt to create a multitasking OS for the Amstrad CPC range, although versions for the Amstrad PCW, the MSX and the Enterprise 64/128 also exist.

    ai.imgur.com_LK9T8uo.png

    As far fetched as the idea seems, it's not that crazy. Back in the day similar stuff existed, such as GEOS for the Commodore 64. Still, it has to be a challenge to try to implement these things on stock machines with only 64-128 Kb. RAM.
     
    Последнее редактирование: 6 мар 2024
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  8. Neville

    Neville

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    It's not often one gets to see "new" games for the Amstrad PCW. I call them "new" because they're actually new ports of 1980s games. "Barbarian", "Coliseum" and "Nonamed" to be exact:

    ai.imgur.com_4yozvEh.png

    ai.imgur.com_jxWQWJw.png

    ai.imgur.com_gzLb7Zd.png

    They all can be obtained from PcwWiki.
     
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  9. Neville

    Neville

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    Does anyone feel like trying this brand new graphic adventure for the Amstrad CPC?



    It's available in both Spanish and English, although I can't solve the riddle that protects the download. *Sigh*
     
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  10. redunka

    redunka

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  11. Neville

    Neville

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    I've been hearing about this for a while... don't get your hopes too high, but we may end up having a Sonic the Hedgehog for the Amstrad GX-4000.

     
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  12. Neville

    Neville

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    It seems like the Caprice32 forks are finally improving their Amstrad Plus compatibility. I took these with the latest version of Caprice Forever :

    ai.imgur.com_hDjNK3l.png

    ai.imgur.com_XIlL27l.png

    And apparently nobody bothered to tell me about another port of Sega's Columns for the CPC, it's called CPC Jewels . The same team produced two before, called Columns CPC and Totems: Columns CPC Two .

    ai.imgur.com_NmHz7qR.png
     
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