BBC Micro - Add New Games to VHD

[Alkadian]

Hi guys,

I would love to try these awesome games made by Richard Broadhurst:

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/index.php?search= ... st&on_A=on

Forgive me if this is an obvious question but I have never done it before.

I think I have got all the right tools:

1. MMB Explorer for windows
2. Winimage

I have tried to create a new image with MMB Explorer and then I have loaded one of the .SSD files I have downloaded from the bbcmicro.co.uk. Then I have created a VHD file containing the MMB file created before.

I believe I have to load more files into the MMB image as when I run the MiSTer core and load the VHD it says no image found.

Many thanks for your help!

[Higgy]

Hi.
I did not create them, but i have been adding games to the .mmb found on Stardot.org (and is circulated about on MiST and i think MiSTER) which has a nice menu list.
If you tell me which games you want added i can see about doing that.
Without the menu you need to *DIN 'disknumber'
This mounts the disk from the .mmb then you *cat to list disk contents and then potentially !boot to run.
Sorry i am not a bbc expert, i have to read my instructions each time to remember what to do!!!

[Alkadian]

Hi Higgy,
That would be great! Very much appreciated indeed!
The games I would love to add are the following:

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=1964 - Astroblaster

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2719 - Phoenix

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=1934 - Frogger

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2571 - Space Invaders

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=3027 - Sprint 1

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2904 - Scramble

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2850 - Centipede

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2649 - Rip Cord

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2629 - Circus

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=1912 - Carnival

Many thanks again for your kind help with that!

[breiztiger]

@higgy

can you share yours instructions or make a tuto about add games to .mmb ?

thanks in advance

[Alkadian]

Hi Higgy,

You a star mate! Your notes worked like a charm. I have managed to add the games I wanted and they worked perfectly fine. It actually worked with CHAIN "GAME_NAME" as well.

Those games are awesome and I was very much looking forward to give it a go!

Thanks again for your valuable notes and for kindly offering to add them into a VHD for myself.

EDIT:
By reading carefully the instructions provided in the bbcmicro.co.uk, I have learnt that the correct boot option is : *EXEC $.!BOOT

EDIT 2:
Great after a lot of readings, I have also managed to add the games to the main menu! I will share a few notes once I reorganise them before I forger it all!

[Higgy]

@Alkadian glad you got it sorted. It was 2017 when i first managed to work out how to do it (Originally for ZX Uno DPGA device). Then it was only a few months ago when i tried following my (poor) notes.
Last night i was trying to get .mmb working with the emulator BeebEm (i got it working in 2017!) as it is quicker and easier to edit/test changes to .mmb

It would be good to get an updated .mmb onto Stardot.org (the main BBC Micro website) to let everyone else enjoy the added games. This is also the place where usually the .mmb links originate from.

I was adding more 'Bitshifters' demos and BBC Master games 'Prince of Persia' and 'Stunt Car Racer'.
One of the troubles i had was knowing/remembering what correct boot command to add into the Menu txt file you edit. This involved trial and error.

Note Stardot will not host an image with 4mation software (Granny's Garden).

[Alkadian]

@Higgy thanks! Indeed I am very pleased that I have managed to do it! Your notes were fundamental to help me to achieve that, thanks again. Yep, lots of trial and error to figure out the right option for running the game (i.e. *EXEC, *RUN or CHAIN). But this is where fun starts, isn't it?

I would be happy to update the latest .mmb. Infact I have been reading and studying a lot from Stardom.org. Would you please let me know where I can download the latest .mmc and his associated 'menu_file' containing the GamesDB.mdb database so that I can update the D.GAMES file? I have found an .mmc long time ago and a not up to date 'game_menu' but not sure if this is actually the latest one.

One more question please. If/when you get a chance could you please try this game for me?

http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2904 - Scramble

In my case, it doesn't run properly. It look like all the images on the screen have got a sort of shadow effect.

You have to use *EXEC $.!BOOT or CHAIN "SCRAM-L" to lunch it.

Thanks!

[Higgy]

@Alkadian. Sorry for the delay. I wrote out a reply then for some reason when I looked some days later it did not get posted?!

Yes I have problems with that Scramble. Interesting MiST has the opposite problems. MiST has graphics errors on the title screens but in-game it is perfect?!

I have .mmb V1.1 on my PC. It looks like I never posted that to Stardot, so we can use that as a base. I think I added some other games to the .mmb but not added them to the menu (not knowing the correct run command).
I can PM you and see about getting you v1.1 .mmb + D.Games along with version change txt. If you can add your files and update the menu I will add some demos + BBC Master games, then we can get v1.2 uploaded for everyone to enjoy
If you could please add Scramble as original hardware BBC owners can enjoy plus BBC Core developers can easily load it to hopefully diagnose the issue.

Thanks

[Alkadian]

@Higgy,
No probs at all for the delay!
When I was browsing the Stardot website I thought you could be the same Higgy user

I have learnt how to add new games to the main image. However, in order to update the menu as well we need the associated access database. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts I did found an old database which is not updated though. What I did instead, was to create a new image with just those 10 new games (included scramble) but with the associated menu so that I could lunch those games easily from the menu

I am happy to continue this conversation via PM if you wish. Just give me a shout!

[Hackshed_Carl]

Note Stardot will not host an image with 4mation software (Granny's Garden).

Now that explains a lot!

I really want to play Grannys Garden again. I've been waiting for floppy support for the core

[Alkadian]

@Higgy,
You have got a PM! Task completed

[Zero_X_Alpha]

If anyone can help me with sorting out granny’s garden and mickey’s magic mixture, vhd etc. I would be so happy lol
Games of my youth lol
Been looking everywhere.

[Peter-FPGA]

I wish you could just use normal disk and tape images on the mister.

[_paul_]

The standard BBC Micro core is pretty basic, not much more than a game jukebox. And it has compatibility issues.

A significantly better core can be found here:
https://www.stardot.org.uk/forums/viewt ... 53#p353053. It supports individual disc images and has a proper teletext (mode 7) output.

[akeley]

I've been out of the loop but I thought that @alanswx work from last year - adding disk support and (I think) also save to disk ability (and co-processor to Master later) has been merged into main eventually.

It's nice to hear there is alternative, just surprised it hasn't been talked about here - or did I miss it?. It'd be nice if these changes could be applied to the official core.

[_paul_]

The other core and the suggestion for merging it with the main core was discussed in this topic (possibly others).

I missed the addition of disc image support to the main core in February. It seems to work only on the BBC Master model.

To get it working, after selecting the SSD or DSD disc image in the core menu, you need to press Ctrl-D-F11 (so 3 keys) so that it boots up in DFS instead of MMFS.