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From: [email protected] (tsr/hornet)
Newsgroups: comp.emulators.cbm,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: COMP.EMULATORS.CBM: Emulation FAQ for Commodore 8bit Computers (4/4)
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Summary: Emulation FAQ for Commodore 8bit Computers.
Keywords: cbm commodore 8bit emulation faq CBM FAQ
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Archive-name: 8bit-emulation-faq/part4
Comp-answers-archive-name: commodore/8bit-emulation-faq/part4
News-answers-archive-name: commodore/8bit-emulation-faq/part4
Comp-emulators-cbm-archive-name: 8bit-emulation-faq/part4
Posting-Frequency: twice a month (monthly to news.answers)
Version: 3.5

 CBM EMULATION FAQ - (Version 3.5, 4 November 1996)
 =================

 This FAQ is usually posted twice a month on the 4th and 19th to
 comp.emulators.cbm.  Since comp.emulators.cbm was set up to remove the
 emulator discussion from comp.sys.cbm, this FAQ will not be posted there.

 Lines preceeded by a '+' have been added or modified since the last version
 was posted.

 The FAQ is in four parts due to its size.
 Part 1 is general information and a list of available emulators.
 Part 2 is questions and answers.
 Part 3 is mostly data.
 Part 4 is basically reviews of various emulators.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------


  8. Credits.
  -----------

 If anyone has a better description for any of these emulators then send me a
 copy, also if you know of any other emulators or ftp sites then send me them
 as well so that I can update the information.
 Is any one out there thinking of making an emulator for a machine other than
 a C64. (eg C128, VIC20, Plus4, C16, PET) I will add this to the list also.

 Thanks to:
            All the emulator authors
             - For writing your emulator;
            All the utility authors
             - For writing your utility! :)

            frodo, lennon, funet, etc.
             - For keeping the emulators and stuff online!

            Jim Sloan : [email protected]
             - For posting the rom extraction routines on comp.sys.cbm.
            Jouko Valta : [email protected]
             - For sending me some documentation on the ATARI-ST emulator,
               the rom extraction routines, and comments.
             - For "5. Emulator File Formats" section.
             - For sending me the updated Kernal ROM section.
             - For sending me the regular updates!
            Jim Brain : [email protected]
             - For his comments & questions on version number.
            Jens-Uwe Rumstich : [email protected]
             - For pointing out some German ftp sites & c64alive emu.

            Eli Mackenzie : [email protected]
            Fredrik Ekman : [email protected]
            Eric Brown : [email protected]
             - For info on Pet emulators
            Caronni : [email protected]
             - For SX-64 rom information.
            Per Olofsson : [email protected]
             - For info on A64 emulator.
            Marko Samuli Makela : [email protected]
             - For PET 64 aka 4064 aka Educator 64 kernel rom differences
             - For writing the C64 Kernal ROM revision section.
            Wolfgang Lorenz
             - For the program and description of emulator detection.
             - For answering so many questions.
            Paul David Doherty ([email protected])
             - For posting the detection program and suggestions for standard
               file formats for the emulators.
            Guntram Blohm ([email protected])
             - For description of the P00 file format and converting it.
            Kevin Brisley ([email protected])
             - For description of the T64 file format and converting it.
            Michael Schwendt ([email protected])
             - For the excellant new intro to SID emulators.

And extra special thanks to:
            Peter Weighill - [email protected]
             - For all the hard work he put into getting this FAQ going.
             - For all the hard work he puts in to providing updates to the
               information presented here.  :)


 ===================================================================


 Appendices:

    The things that don't really belong in the body of the faq, such as:

 A. Reviews:

    Lengthier comments about particular emulators, as they come to hand.
    These may, or may not, be "biased"!  You are invited to add to or
    correct what is here.

    1. PC64
    2. A64 V3
    3. C64S (commercial)
    4. PlaySID V3.0
    5. PC64 vs C64S
    6. AXF-64.a16

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    1. PC64

     This review was deleted at the request of the emulator author, as it
     contained outdated information.  He has, however, provided some
     additional information for the Q&A section.  A "new" review would be most
     welcome!


 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     2. A64 V3.

     Review 1:

        Review by:
           James O. Shank Jr.     HEE!      [email protected]
           AKA: Ninstar Cybermage  I  or    [email protected]
           Black Phoenix Rising... A  or    [email protected]

           as posted in comp.sys.cbm, 16 Jun 1994.


 I've recently had the opportunity to play around with a copy of A64 V3.

 I've found that alot of programs run.  Not necessarily as well as on a c64,
 and slow, but alot more programs work than under version 2.  On the other
 hand, some programs which worked fine under version 2 (times of lore, for
 example) do not work under version 3 because the graphics emulation, though
 faster, does not handle multiple graphics banks very well.  Those of you who
 know alot about graphics are going "Uh-Oh" right now, but the problem doesn't
 seem to appear in all that many programs.  One thing I've noticed is that the
 graphics Emulation runs a bit slower than the rest of the emulator at times,
 which means that if you play something very complicated, like a flight
 simulator, the input will be processed faster than the graphics, meaning that
 you can make a 90 degree angle turn between two frames.

 The convert software can solve alot of these problems by skipping the middle
 man where processing is concerned, and speeding up things by letting the
 Amiga do the work without the emulations help.  It basically looks for the
 densest blocks of code and converts them into Amiga assembly language.
 Whenever the program tries to emulate a block that was translated, it
 executes the Amiga block instead.  Under V2, this was a long and complicated
 process that most people lacked the expertise to perform, as you had to
 search through the assembly language yourself and tell the computer which
 blocks it had to convert.  Under version 3, the entire process is automated,
 allowing you to load a memory map, tell the computer to convert it, and
 watch it go.  I like the results I've had thus far, though I lack the
 memory(stock amiga 600) to do any large programs.  The code files tend to
 be large.

 The sound emulation is much better.  Under version 2, you needed an
 accelerated machine to get decent sound and often the sound was horrible
 anyway.  Under V3, the sound is still distorted by speed at times, but the
 tones and sounds are mostly right on the money.  If the program doesn't do
 a great deal of other processing, the sound is nearly perfect.  Sidplayer,
 for example, was great, running almost up to speed with graphics and at
 speed without.  Sidplayer can run at speed with graphics on if you boost
 the CIA rate, but occasionally the graphics will cause timing problems
 which make a note last a little too long or too short, etc.

 Advice:  Run A64 on an accelerated machine if possible.  Though it is
 possible to get enjoyment from games on a slower machine if you fiddle with
 the settings long enough and use convert, having an accelerated machine will
 make your life easier.  If you're going to be using C64 roms and converting
 alot, then you may want to pick up an extra Meg of Memory.  2 Meg should be
 enough, though you can emulate the ram expanders if you have 3 or four 8-).
 (one Meg ram disk on a C64, who would have thought 8-) ).


     Review 2:

 From: [email protected] (Joseph Korczynski)
 Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
 Subject: REVIEW: The A64 Package, version 3.0
 Date: 11 May 1994 19:29:31 GMT

 REVIEW

  The A64 Package is a hardware and software product.  The hardware
 consists of a small box which has a male DB25 and 8 pin DIN connectors along
 with some special circuitry.  This box connects to your parallel port and
 allows you to connect Commodore 8-bit serial peripherals such as the 15XX
 series disk drives and printers.  NEVER PLUG THE INTERFACE INTO YOUR AMIGA
 WHILE THE AMIGA IS TURNED ON.  You could damage your Amiga and peripherals
 by doing so.  If you have an Amiga 1000 you will require an additional cable
 specifically made to connect A500/2000 devices to an A1000 parallel port.
 The hardware interface can stay plugged in at all times without interfering
 with any programs on your Amiga as long as they do not use the parallel
 port.  If you want to use your parallel port with some other pieces of
 hardware like a printer or digitizer, you must either remove the hardware
 interface and install the other device or use an A-B switch box (Centronics
 parallel with female connectors).

  The software is a collection of Amiga programs which lets you access
 and run C64 software. The main program, A64, is the Commodore 64 emulator.
 The other programs allow you to transfer files between the C64 and Amiga
 disks (with 15XX disk drives).

  After you install The A64 Package and run the A64 program, you will
 notice that the BASIC startup screen is different from that of a real C64.
 This is because the Commodore 64 ROMs (two computer chips located inside a
 real C64 which contain the operating system) are not present in A64.  The C64
 ROMs are not included because they are copyrighted by Commodore. The A64
 contains a complete C64 ROM emulation which allows A64 to run most C64
 programs. A64 ROM emulation is very compatible with the C64 ROMs, but there
 may be some C64 programs that will not run because of the lack of real C64
 ROMs. The A64 Package utilities includes a C64 BASIC program which can be
 transferred to a real C64 via a 15XX disk drive connected to the A64
 hardware interface. This program when run on the C64 will dump the C64 ROMs
 to a file which can then be transferred back to the Amiga and used in the
 A64 emulation.

  A64 is a complete Commodore 64 emulator. Sound, graphics, BASIC and
 machine language are all emulated. A64 fully integrates with the Amiga by
 allowing you to use Amiga disk drives, hard drives, ram drives, printers and
 modems.

  A64 operates in two modes:  Pause Mode and C64 Mode.  When in Pause
 Mode, you have access to the A64 Prefs (preferences) and A64Mon (machine
 language monitor). The current C64 program that A64 is running will be
 paused. Pause Mode gives you complete access to the Amiga system, and
 multitasking is completely functional. The C64 Mode runs the C64 program. In
 C64 mode you do not have access to the Amiga system.  Multitasking is not
 disabled, but A64 controls a majority of the Amiga system.  To enter Pause
 mode from C64 Mode, press the two ALT keys simultaneously.

  A64 emulation speed will depend on the program you are running and
 the type of microprocessor that your Amiga uses. On 68000 based Amigas, A64
 is not capable of running all programs at usable speed. Accelerated Amigas
 can see emulation speeds over 300%.  Most games will not run over 100% no
 matter how fast your Amiga is.

  I've done most of my evaluation of A64 with public domain software.
 I have been able to run everything I can throw at it. I do enjoy browsing
 the ABCUG user group monthly C64 public domain program disk.

  A great deal of effort was spent trying to make the A64 as
 compatible as possible. The biggest problem with compatibility is related to
 disk I/O and custom disk drive routines. Custom disk drive routines "Fast
 Loaders" are extremely time critical and must run at exactly 100% speed in
 order to function properly. "Fast Loaders" vary from program to program. The
 only way to emulate "Fast Loaders" is to write a custom loader for each
 program which is impossible since there are hundreds of variations. A64 V3.0
 supports some "Fast Loaders" using Patch Files. There are Patch Files for
 ISEPICed archived programs, SID/PIC V3.4, SIDPlayer, and GEOS.  (GEOS is
 supported only on 68000 Amigas and 1541/1571 disk drives because of the
 time-critical nature of the GEOS operating system.)

  One method of speeding up A64 emulation is to convert the C64
 program from 6510 opcodes to 68000 opcodes. This has the potential to double
 your emulation speed. This is accomplished with a utility called "CONVERT".
 The CONVERT utility converts C64 machine language into Amiga machine
 language. This conversion process eliminates a lot of work the A64 has do
 while running the emulation.

  A64Tools is the file transfer and file conversion utility. It allows
 you to copy, convert and print files using any combination of Amiga and C64
 disk drives and printers. Text files can easily be converted between
 PetASCII and ASCII. Amiga drives only support PRG and SEQ files under A64
 emulation. ":" and "/" are illegal characters for Amiga filenames. When
 A64Tools encounters on of these characters in a filename, the character will
 automatically be changed to a "-".

  As an original A64 V2.0 registered user, I am impressed with the
 enhanced SID chip support, increased speed and compatibility. I also welcome
 the addition of Patch Files for "Fast Loader" support along with support for
 GEOS. It was worth the $25 upgrade fee.

 DOCUMENTATION

  Documentations consists of a professionally printed softbound
 manual. It has an extensive index and table of contents.  The manual assumes
 that you are familiar with the basic operation of the Amiga and the terms
 used to describe it. The manual also assumes you are familiar with the basic
 use of the Commodore 64.

 LIKES AND DISLIKES

  I like the professionally bound manual.
  I like the patch file support.
  I like the improved SID support.

  I dislike the software not working in native AGA graphic mode.

  I would like to see 1581 emulation using native Amiga disk drives.

 CONCLUSIONS

  I enjoy the ability to emulate other computers. As Newsletter Editor
 the ABCUG user group which supports the Amiga and Commodore 64/128 computer
 users, I find A64 a valuable tool for reviewing C64 public domain software
 and writing tutorials for the monthly newsletter. Understanding the
 limitations of software emulation, I give this product **** (4 out of 5
 stars).

 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

  Copyright 1994 Joseph F. Korczynski.  All rights reserved.



 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     3. C64S commercial.

        Reviews by:
        1. Paul David Doherty ([email protected])
              As posted in comp.emulators.cbm,4 Jul 1994.
        2. Robert Rusbasan ([email protected])
              As posted in comp.emulators.cbm, 20 Jun 1994.

 Review 1. by Paul David Doherty.

  I have spent an hour testing software which didn't work with the
  0.9x versions of C64S, and none of them works with the 1.0c
  demo version, so I'd say that compatibility has not improved much.
  There are lots of cosmetic changes, but the emulator core seems
  to be the same as in the 0.9 versions.

  Some games I have tested:
  - Fahrenheit 451 (with copy protection AND fastloader removed)
      = doesn't work
  - Critical Mass (adventure) = the graphics are still messed up, no
      matter whether I chose NTSC or PAL mode
  - Masquerade = still doesn't show the pictures

  A new feature (?) seems to be a requester "CPU JAM AT ... : PRESS ANY KEY"
  which pops up with some games (Mask of the Sun, Amnesia) instead of
  crashing the emulator.  However, C64S still crashes pretty often (and
  this means that neither will CTRL-ALT-INS reset the emulator, nor will
  you be able to leave it with CTRL-PAUSE, nor will you be able to reset
  your PC with CTRL-ALT-DEL!  The only way out is the reset button.)
  This never happens with MC64/C64NEU, and it's a shame that Miha wasn't
  able to fix it.  (As a rule of thumb, whenever "DISK IO" appears in
  the lower right corner of the screen you can press the reset button :-)

  Games which crashed totally in the above described way:
  - Infocom games (only if you use the fastloader)
  - Buckaroo Banzai
  - Fantastic Four (if you use the fastloader)
  - Lane Mastodon (and the other InfoComics)

  To put it straight, I don't expect C64S to support fastloaders (yet), but
  it shouldn't crash and lock up the PC.  Besides, some of the games that
  don't work run flawlessly on MC64 (Lane Mastodon, Fahrenheit 451), so
  it's not just a fast loader issue.

  All in all, I'm not terribly impressed.  If others found significant
  compatibility improvements, maybe they could post their experiences.


 Review 2. by Robert Rusbasan.

 Although I have generally preferred the C64NEU emulator, I got my tax
 return today and thought I'd call Seattle Lab and give them a chance
 to talk me into getting their commercial version of C64S.

 I was generally pleased with what I heard.

 The person I talked with seemed competent enough.  When I told him that
 I had been impressed but also frustrated by the public version of C64S
 that Miha had released, he assured me that they have made a *lot* of
 changes.  He said the pre-beta releases and the commercial release
 were "like night and day".

 I told him that I couldn't get my analog joystick to work, and the keyboard
 joystick emulation only seems to make sense to the author since I have yet
 to run across anyone that likes it.  He replied that the analog joystick
 support has been radically improved, and that you can map the joystick to
 any keys you want in the commercial release.

 He said that it supports limited disk protection schemes, and they are going
 to continue to work on this.

 I whined that I and others have been unable to get any kind of response
 from Miha and asked if they planned to support the product.  He told
 me they are going to have *strong* support for it, including phone, fax,
 email, and an ftp site!  I asked if the ftp site was up now, and he said
 it sure was.  You can access it at as.seattlelab.wa.com (204.29.31.1).
 Since it is very new, you might have to use the IP address.

 So far they only have the docs at the ftp site, but the list of enhancements
 indicates that there may indeed be some merit to the "night and day" claim.
 In particular, the sound and timing seems to have been improved.  It
 seems you don't have to guess at the speed anymore, since you can set it to
 run at the original Commodore 64 speed, as fast as possible, or at a custom
 speed.  Version 0.9 basically just gave you the custom speed and let you try
 to match the C64's original speed.  Unfortunately, the docs still list
 Miha's email addresses as the source of email support.  I assume that is
 out of date and they will have a Seattle Lab address soon.

 He also told me that there *will* be a new shareware version of the product
 out soon, and it will be put on the ftp site.  That is a very smart move,
 in my opinion, because currently the people who found the program floating
 around have no way of knowing about the commercial version at all.

 I decided to go for it, which got me a bit of negative news.  Right now
 they only ship COD, which adds $5 and brings the price to $60.  He told
 me that they'll be able to take credit card payment shortly and offered
 to put my name on a list and call me when they could process my order
 that way, but I told him to go ahead and ship it COD.

 If anyone wants to take the plunge now, here is the order info:

 Seattle Lab
 214 1st St.
 Kirkland, WA 98033
 (206) 828-9001 (Voice)
 (206) 828-9011 (Fax)
 $55.00

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     4. PlaySID.

 Short:    Version 3.0 of the famous SID emulator
 Author:   [email protected] (Ron Birk)
 Uploader: [email protected] (Peter Kunath)
 Type:     mus/play


 NEW FEATURES:

    V3.0 (1994)

    * Uses PLAYSID.LIBRARY (please read separate docs)
    * Support of XPK Data Compression
    * Realtime waveform and envelope display (uses low priority task)
    * Shows C64 pictures (Koala, Blazing Paddles, Doodle, Adv Art Studio etc.)
    * TV System detection and selection
    * Channel on/off selection
    * PlaySID is now a commodity
    * Uses a config file for settings
    * Multifile selection (music and pictures)
    * Ability to show and hide PlaySID windows
    * Second PlaySID instance redirect modules to the running one
    * PlaySID font removed
    * More arexx commands
    * Many major bugs corrected


 PRODUCT INFO:

    This is a utility which uses the playsid.library to emulate the SID
    and 6510 chip. The SID chip is the component in the C64 computer that
    handles sound. The 6510 chip is the CPU of the C64, that means the
    component that actually executes all programs. Because the Amiga
    does not have these chips and others, you can't run C64 programs
    directly on Amiga.

    Now this utility lets you play all those C64 programs that produce
    sound. As you probably know, the C64 has three sound channels (the
    amiga has four). But this utility also allows use of the fourth
    channel. This channel is the product of some special programming on
    the C64, it isn't really a channel.

    The purpose of this product is to make the best conversion of C64
    sound on Amiga ever possible. If you think some sound isn't correctly
    converted please let us know.

    This utility is designed to work with true multitasking, under any
    system version and any amiga model. It can be run from both Workbench
    and CLI/Shell. It should work with any other program that don't use
    sound or timing. If this isn't the fact please let us know.

    Some time ago we released a similar product called "The 100 most
    remembered C64 game-tunes". This product is the version 3.0 of that
    program. The tunes on that demonstration disk are now also available
    to this version. And up to date there are more than 400 tunes
    available. We and others are also working with more.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  5. PC64 vs C64S.

     Article by Jeremy Blackman, AKA Ranma Saotome <[email protected]>
     in comp.emulators.cbm, 18 Feb '95.

  [A quick note: Quite a bit in this review is now out of date. In
  particular: PC64 now -does- support .d64 files, and has for a long time,
  and C64S now can handle fastloaders. -tsr]

 Q:I am thinking about buying a C64 emulator, but I need some advice which
   C64 emulator to buy, the PC64 or the C64s? All the emulators on net are
   demos, and do not work completely, isn't that so? Or do they work just
   fine? I would appreciate any help.

 A:* Both C64S (my personal choice, cause PC64 don't support GUS for sound)
     and PC64 have ALMOST fully working demo versions.  The limitations are
     that on C64S you cannot use an analog joystick until you register, you
     must use keyboard controls to simulate a joystick, and on PC64 you
     cannot use a joystick, nor can you access directly off a Commodore drive,
     which you can in the registered version.

   TO compare the two:

   * C64S is nice in that it supports GUS, which none of the others do
     (hey, PC64 person...hint hint hint <grin>).  It has a fairly easy-to-
     understand setup and interface, and overall works fairly well.
     I have run across a few games that don't work on it, for example,
     I cannot get the T64 of "Pharoah's Curse" to run on C64S, any version,
     though it runs on PC64.  C64S also supports .D64 disk images, which is
     very nice.  This allows you to use games which require swapping disks,
     like Adventure Construction Set, the Last Ninja (hey, why does this game
     die after the first level?), Racing Destruction Set, etc.

   * PC64 has a much less intuitive interface, but many more options.  I
     particular like the option of using some of the alternative ROM set
     images, such as the 64SX image and the EXOSV3 images.  (I've almost got
     a copy of EXOSV3 hacked into C64S...<grin>...little side project.  It
     sometimes crashes however, so I'm working on it).  It however only
     supports Soundblaster, where C64S also supports GUS.  It also refuses
     to acknowledge a GUS in SB mode, and also refuses to work off the SB
     clones (sound16a) in the other machine here.  So for sound, C64S wins
     hands down.  This emulator has shown more success in loading certain
     games, but due to the lack of support for .D64 type disk images, it can
     be a _REAL_ pain to run multidisk games, or games that require saved
     data disks.  I current have written a program to take a .D64 and extract
     it into a directory so you can use the Manager for PC64 to set up
     subdirectories to fake the disk sides.  Unfortunately, some games check
     the disk volume label, and PC64 automatically has the volume label be
     the DOS drive and path.  So it cannot run some of these games.

   * Neither C64S nor PC64 can load Fastloader games at the present time,
     though there ARE programs out there to shut off Fastloader support.
     (I had one for use on my C64 since I had a Super Snapshot cartridge
      which was very much faster than any of those fastloaders, and it
      could conflict).  Unfortunately, I have not seen any of these
     programs put out as D64 or T64 or P00 files.

   * PC64 appears to have support for cartridge images, but I'm not sure.
     (Could someone confirm or deny this?)  If it does, it'd be nice if
      someone could take an image of the Super Snapshot cartridge...

   * It is possible to get VIC chip problems, such as flickering (try MULE,
     leave it on the title screen long enough and the credits begin to flicker,
     and Realm of Impossiblity loses the stat bar to static on rare occasions)
     on C64S.  I have not managed to get these errors on PC64, and the video
     refresh is sometimes smoother.  I have a 486DX2/66 before you ask, and
     local bus video.  I am running under MSDOS, not Linux.  I didn't feel like
     playing with Dosemu. <grin>

   In summary - I like C64S's simplicity of interface, and it wins by far on
   disk system since it supports those D64 images (though it'd be nice to
   have support for multiple disk drives, so you could select a disk image
   for drive 8, one for 9, etc...) and it wins by far on sound since it
   supports GUS.  PC64 has more power, with the ROM set options, the Charset
   and Basic options (hey, I want some of those enhanced basic sets, anyone
   got an image?), but I have not gotten sound to work and I don't like the
   disk system as much, though the ability to set up multiple drives is very
   nice.

   PC64 has much more expandability, since it can use those ROM images (hey,
   anyone got a ROM image of the Commodore 65DX?  I have the support and
   demo disks for it, and I'd love to play with the thing...I somehow doubt
   the hardware was 100% compatible, though.).  C64S is the easier one to
   get up, running, and playing games with.

   So, for the moment, I leave both on.  PC64 is for playing with hacking
   around on, and C64S is for the games.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  6. AXF-64.a16

  Here's some details on AXF-64.a16 which is a c64 emulator for the Amiga.
  It is from an aminet ftp site.


  Short:    C= 64 emulator, alpha 16
  Author:   [email protected] (Bxrge Nxst)
  Uploader: [email protected] (Kjell Irgens)
  Type:     misc/emu


  WHAT:
  Emulator of C= 64 for Amiga computers with 68020 or higher.

  WHY:
  Because A64 (both 2.0 and 3.0) sucks IMO. And I think the Amiga deserves
  good emulators like the PC has. (Update: I've seen Frodo now - good try,
  but way slower than mine... I think I can beat it.)

  HOW:
  First you need 3 files: C64.BASIC, C64.KERNAL, C64.CHARSET.
  These must be exactly 8192, 8192, and 4096 bytes big.
  These are just dumps of real C= 64 roms. They are not included for legal
  reasons, but I think several other emulators actually include them.
  Put these files in the current directory or in the same directory you store
  the executable.
  You can now start the emulator. You can LOAD files that are in RAM: or C64:
  (assign it where you have you your files). The fileformat is the same as
  A64 uses. Disk images are not supported.
  The keyboard is mapped nearly 100% like a real C= 64 so the keys wont
  always match the Amiga keyboard. The RESTORE key is not mapped at all.
  The joystick port of your Amiga maps to both C= 64 joystick ports.
  Bank switching is supported.
  Hires character mode is the only mode supported.
  Sound isn't supported.
  There is no restart option, you have to quit the emulator with the ESCAPE
  key or left mouse button.

  SPEED:
  No. Unless you have an 040/060 that can write 7M/s to chipram. Then perhaps.
  Unlike many other emulators (but like Frodo!) the relative speed of the
  screen update and the cpu speed does not change, it will always run
  internally like a 1MHz PAL C= 64, and never faster than a real C= 64.
  (Later versions might have adjustable speeds here.)

  WHY SELECT AXF-64:
  It does a few things that A64 doesn't. It can do raster bars. It can do
  raster interrupts and screen changes on a per line basis. It was made with
  big cpus in mind.

  TODO:
  First to come is multicolour character mode. I have ideas and all, but I
  need to test a little to see if I can make it fast enough.
  AGA support. Not only align bitplanes for more DMA time under AGA, but also
  use other algorithms to reduce chip bus activity.
  Sprites. I have code and ideas for that too.
  Bitmap modes.
  All timers. I have ready code for that too.
  Sound. Not sure what to do with this. Perhaps kludge in something with
  PlaySID?
  Support disk images.
  Make different screen update modes for different configurations.

  New in Alpha 15:
  Oooops! Sorry to all who downloaded Alpha 13. It relied on my patched Kernal
  to sniff LOADing :(((. Fixed now, and tested with the ROM that comes with
  Frodo.
  Copperlist building logic improved.
  Code simplified giving smaller size and more speed (a case of blowing the
  040 caches methinks).

  New in Alpha 16:
  Redid the bankswitch logic for the VIC II chip. Seems to work better now,
  but I still have some unresolved cases for what to do when $D000 ram is
  banked in.
  Looked at raster interrupts, and they don't look good :-(.
  I got it a little better, but it still needs work...

  Since I'm doing my military service at the moment updates may be far and
  few between, and I wont have any email until summer 1995.
  I'll snailmail new updates to a friend of mine who will upload them.

  -Borge Nost

  ========================================================================

 B. Advertisements.

  This is a catchall place for any product out on the market which isn't an
  emulator or such but still has something to do with C64-emulation.  The
  views expressed here are not necessarily the views of the FAQ author!

  If you have something you think could fit in here please feel free to
  email the FAQ maintainer.  You don't have to pay anything :)

 --------------------------------------------

 1. The High Voltage C64 CD.

  Have you ever stared at all those stacks of disks you have in the
  corner of your bedroom, trying to figure out where that one game or
  demo is?  Have you ever had a disk go bad on you, without any backup
  available?  Have you ever wished you could have your whole collection
  in one place for a change?

  Well, two members of the c64 'scene' have put together a CDROM for PCs
  and Amigas that try to solve these problems.

  This disk contains a huge amount of files dating across the C64's
  timeline.  It contains over 600mb of software stored in about 3200 .d64
  files.  There's a grand total of about 4400 games from 1982-1995,
  7700 demos from 1985-1995, and about 700 utilities.  The most recent
  files are dated 4/14/1995, the day the CD was mastered.

  There are also many tools for the Amiga and PC to manipulate the files.

  The CD sells for 35 British pounds (that's about $55)

  For ordering information email [email protected]. Also send mail
  to this address to find out where in the USA you can send your money, if
  you're afraid of sending money overseas.

  For a list of the files on the CD as well as a C64-executable file with
  more information go to the ftp-site utopia.hack.nl and go to the
  directory /pub/c64/C64_CD.


 2. GEOS Warp

  GEOS Warp is a program that works exactly like GEOS 2.0 for the c64. :)
  It will have releases on Power Mac, PC and Unix.  The Power Mac ver-
  sion is currently 100% complete and will be released as soon as the
  legal matters with GeoWorks involving the release are agreed to.

  For more information on the project point your WWW-browser to:

  http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426444/index.html

 3. Breadbox CD-ROM

  This is a completely legal CD-ROM containing around 1200 disk images with
  public-domain software and shareware for the C64 and the C128. Even around
  100 D64 files for GEOS are included. You'll find games, tools, pictures,
  demos ... The CD-ROM contains a windows menu program too, and a lot of
  PC and Amiga utilities to manipulate and extract D64 files. Additionally,
  emulators for other 8 Bit computers are provided, i.e. Sinclair Spectrum,
  ZX-81, TI99/4A, Amstrad CPC, MSX, CP/M, Dragon, Atari XL ... all come with
  software. Last but not least I collected pictures of all these and other
  "orphan" computers.

  The CD sells for $40US (incl. air mail to anywhere) or $35US in Europe
  (ordinary mail).

  Further info at: http://www.8bit.com

  Order address:

  Matthias Matting
  Herzog-Ludwig-Str. 29
  D-85570 Markt Schwaben
  Germany

  Email: [email protected]

==========================================================================

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