Feature Request Add .Tap File Counter (Datassatte Counter) and Jump to the Correct Position

[sharklodon]

Hi,

I would like to load tap preserved files from cassettes with Turbo Load.

In a .tap preserved file (tape), you have all the programs saved one per one (because all of them are recorded after each other in one preserved file).
Then, I would like to put the virtual position of each program (as the datassette counter) to run Turbo Load program at the beginning and jump to the correct position to load the program/game.

Another example, 007 A View To a Kill preserved tap game (it's only one file too). It has different missions and you need to reset your c64 after finish each one to load the following (because at the end there are completely independent programs) and when you are using a real datassette, you need to move to the correct position.

There is a tool named TAP Manager (v.1.6.0 or later), that you can download from http://www.manosoft.it/ that generates an index file (.idx). You can choose between to type of index files (Princess or Ultimate 64):

148040490-d25776de-1be4-443d-b28b-26fb6ddadf30.png (40.13 KiB) Viewed 18228 times

Thanks for your big job, its awesome!!
Shark

[AmintaMister]

Hi,

I would like to load tap preserved files from cassettes with Turbo Load.

In a .tap preserved file (tape), you have all the programs saved one per one (because all of them are recorded after each other in one preserved file).
Then, I would like to put the virtual position of each program (as the datassette counter) to run Turbo Load program at the beginning and jump to the correct position to load the program/game.

Another example, 007 A View To a Kill preserved tap game (it's only one file too). It has different missions and you need to reset your c64 after finish each one to load the following (because at the end there are completely independent programs) and when you are using a real datassette, you need to move to the correct position.

There is a tool named TAP Manager (v.1.6.0 or later), that you can download from http://www.manosoft.it/ that generates an index file (.idx). You can choose between to type of index files (Princess or Ultimate 64):


148040490-d25776de-1be4-443d-b28b-26fb6ddadf30.png


Thanks for your big job, its awesome!!
Shark

+1. Many italian tapes of the '80s required to rewind the tape!

[CeeDeeVee]

Seems like a worthwhile cause. I guess right now, most people will be using the .crt files which have been lovingly compiled by StatMat, but for the sake of preservation, from an archivist perspective this idea has value surely. Lots of us in Europe used the tape 'feature' on Ocean multi load games...

[sharklodon]

Hi,
No news about this topic.

But another good improvement could be the option of showing on OSD the percentage of tap file that is loaded.
Tapuino has this option, I mean, on the I2C screen shows percentage and therefore you can see load process.

Regards,
Shark

[akeley]

You should post this on github, here the exposure is much lower.

[sharklodon]

You should post this on github, here the exposure is much lower.

Yes, I know it, for this reason I opened it on github too few months ago, but... No answer, nobody is interesting in that!!

Thanks,
Shark

[sharklodon]

Hi,

Another example of taps files with .idx files (index). Now at archive.org (part of The Ultimate Tape Archive collection):

https://archive.org/download/uta_10_Com ... Jolly_8370

Best regards,
Shark

[fierman]

While it is a good idea, the implementation of index files is specific for non-native devices like u64. Addons like 1541u do not support .idx and it is not even complete in VICE as yet, so I don't think it would be a very straightforward job to undertake.

[sharklodon]

While it is a good idea, the implementation of index files is specific for non-native devices like u64. Addons like 1541u do not support .idx and it is not even complete in VICE as yet, so I don't think it would be a very straightforward job to undertake.

Hi,

Index is supported on Tapuino too. Ultimate 64 is a FPGA, then this function is implemented.

Regards,
Shark

[fierman]

While it is a good idea, the implementation of index files is specific for non-native devices like u64. Addons like 1541u do not support .idx and it is not even complete in VICE as yet, so I don't think it would be a very straightforward job to undertake.

Hi,

Index is supported on Tapuino too. Ultimate 64 is a FPGA, then this function is implemented.

Regards,
Shark

Yes, that is what I said. It is implemented in non-native devices. They have their own hardware/firmware.

[sharklodon]

While it is a good idea, the implementation of index files is specific for non-native devices like u64. Addons like 1541u do not support .idx and it is not even complete in VICE as yet, so I don't think it would be a very straightforward job to undertake.

Hi,

Index is supported on Tapuino too. Ultimate 64 is a FPGA, then this function is implemented.

Regards,
Shark

Yes, that is what I said. It is implemented in non-native devices. They have their own hardware/firmware.

Of course, but it's implemented in a FPGA (Ultimate 64 Elite board).

[fierman]

Hi,

Index is supported on Tapuino too. Ultimate 64 is a FPGA, then this function is implemented.

Regards,
Shark

Yes, that is what I said. It is implemented in non-native devices. They have their own hardware/firmware.

Of course, but it's implemented in a FPGA (Ultimate 64 Elite board).

The Ultimate64 is not open source, and will not become so for the coming period. Implementing this is really not as simple as you would think.

[sharklodon]

Hi,

I know that Ultimate 64 is not open source but I mean, it's possible to do it also on MiSTeR and It's true that we need someone who knows how to do it.

Regards,
Shark

[sharklodon]

Hi,

More examples of games that need .idx files at archive.org:

-Gold Collection III, The (1987 U.S. Gold) [13894]
https://archive.org/download/uta_Games_ ... _Gold_7161

Name Last modified Size
Games,_The-_Summer_Edition_Side_1.idx 26-Aug-2020 20:01 303.0B
Games,_The-_Summer_Edition_Side_1.tap 26-Aug-2020 20:01 2.8M
Games,_The-_Summer_Edition_Side_2.idx 26-Aug-2020 20:01 282.0B
Games,_The-_Summer_Edition_Side_2.tap 26-Aug-2020 20:01 2.2M

-Gold Collection III, The (1987 U.S. Gold) [13894]
https://archive.org/download/uta_Gold_C ... Gold_13894

Name Last modified Size
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_1_Side_1.idx 26-Aug-2020 20:12 49.0B
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_1_Side_1.tap 28-Sep-2021 00:54 1.5M
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_1_Side_2.idx 28-Sep-2021 00:54 110.0B
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_1_Side_2.tap 28-Sep-2021 00:54 1.6M
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_2_Side_1.idx 28-Sep-2021 00:54 151.0B
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_2_Side_1.tap 28-Sep-2021 00:54 1.2M
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_2_Side_2.idx 26-Aug-2020 20:12 224.0B
Gold_Collection_III,_The_Tape_2_Side_2.tap 26-Aug-2020 20:12 1.3M

You can find more at archive.org!!

Please, It would be fun to add on the next core release.

Thanks,
Shark

[grizzly]

I do agree that for preservation this is something that probably need to be there.
And on the plus side kids of today and tomorrow will experience a part of the horror all us more then half dead people had to endure , only missing the 20min + loading times and it´s complete.

[LamerDeluxe]

I do agree that for preservation this is something that probably need to be there.
And on the plus side kids of today and tomorrow will experience a part of the horror all us more then half dead people had to endure , only missing the 20min + loading times and it´s complete.

And then hopefully it will also be possible to partly overwrite a file on tape when saving, so that the game you've worked on for days, gets destroyed instantly.

[sharklodon]

I do agree that for preservation this is something that probably need to be there.
And on the plus side kids of today and tomorrow will experience a part of the horror all us more then half dead people had to endure , only missing the 20min + loading times and it´s complete.

And then hopefully it will also be possible to partly overwrite a file on tape when saving, so that the game you've worked on for days, gets destroyed instantly.

[foxp4v]

It would be a great addition to the computer cores, many tapes that were distributed in Italy and some other europeans countries need that feature for compatibility and preservation purposes. For real hardware there Is CUTE32 that has these features, but i don't think it's open source.

[sharklodon]

Hi,

The .idx file format supposedly follows this rather simple pattern:

Code: Select all

0x14 Silkworm
0x8306a The Great Gianna Sisters

Offsets are in hexadecimal and start with “0x”. Remember that 0x14 is where the data starts (TAP tape format):

0x14 obviously means "start at the 21st byte of the tap file",
0x8306a means "start at the 536683rd byte of the tap file", etc ...

Follow this threat: https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=71915

-TAP tape format:

Bytes (hex) -> Description
0000-000B -> File signature "C64-TAPE-RAW"
000C -> TAP version (0 - original, 1 - updated, 2 - halfwave extension)
000D -> Computer platform (0 - C64, 1 - VIC-20, 2 - C16, Plus/4, 3 - PET)
000E -> Video standard (0 - PAL, 1 - NTSC, 2 - OLD NTSC, 3 - PALN)
000F -> Future expansion
0010-0013 -> File data size (little endian; not including the header)
0014-xxxx -> File data

Thanks and best regards,
Shark

[sharklodon]

And an example to process .idx files:

https://github.com/GideonZ/1541ultimate ... ype_tap.cc

Implemented by Gideon on his Ultimate64 (fpga cartridge).

idx.png (25.66 KiB) Viewed 11129 times

Thanks,
Shark

[sharklodon]

Another example, It's a video loading tap files from an index file (Using an Ultimate-II):

video_2024-08-01_11-32-54.mp4

(27.12 MiB) Downloaded 72 times

If someone could add it to the c64 framework, would be awesome.

c64_1541ultimate.png (136.95 KiB) Viewed 3418 times

Regards,
Shark