Updating  Atari ST(E) game running from hard disk
(now rather Flash card) - new data access systems 
  I deal with Atari ST(E) games adapting for playing them from hard disks (Flash cards) since 1992 (when used first time 40 MB hard disk with my ST expanded to 2.5 MB). Then I dealt with some games to be able to run them from hard disk.
 Much more activity with it was since 2007, and Steem Debugger was big help in it - makes whole process (tracing, debugging in first place much more efficient and faster).  So, until now over 1700 games adapted by me. In meantime developed diverse helping systems for it. One of most important ones is TOS in RAM. Used TOS 1.04, first only GEMDOS part of it, and that was good for games starting from AUTO folder, or with bootsector code. Actually biggest %-age of ST games is such. And using same TOS version (1.04) helps a lot in compatibity problems too.
  Later solved running whole TOS 1.04 in RAM, for games using GEM/AES. That's HAGE system, and uses ST floppy images, which can be with much larger capacity - even over 4 MB, so can put content of multiple floppies in one image. Bye disk swapping :-)   HAGA, HAGE, HAG2 uses original TOS (built in Atari) and hard disk driver what is installed when some disk access needed. And that means need for swapping RAM content of game and original TOS (what is saved up before game start). That process is slower, and activates more on machines with 1 MB RAM. Actually, that concept was used first time in Amiga WHDL . Then some buggers took concept and made so called ULS for Atari ST. But there is no any support in it for TOS function using games (about 65% of games) - so where is universality ? Even worse, CJ talks about that I stole ULS code, and used it in my systems.  Sure moron, you can say whatever you want.  Well, I still can improve some things, instead talking BS and attacking those who can do it better.
  And now introducing latest development - HAGE without accessing disk by using built in TOS, so no need for huge RAM content swaps.  How it is possible ?  There is special shorter TOS 1.04 part in high RAM, only for hard disk access. I actually used that system since 2009 in Gamex system, and it was pretty fast and straight.  Now it is combined with HAGE, HAG2 and HAGA .  This works only with my driver, and no plans to make it using other drivers - the reason is low RAM usage of my driver and some special features (like fully relocatible code) .  So, when disk access is needed, will activate that short TOS in RAM for getting needed data - usually from ST floppy image with game files, data.    It goes very fast and no need for cache . So, it can work very fast even on machines with 1 MB RAM. And yes, it us used for state saves too. No more fading/flashing by disk access.
  
Here to add that this disk access short TOS in RAM is actually iTOS expanded, so can handle even larger partitions (max 1 GB and max 30 of them), so good for iTOS (with proper driver) .
  From now images with plenty of adaptations will be with this new systems - well, of course not all games. I will gradually add new system versions - some may need only minimal corrections, some more of it ...

  Couple demo videos - running new system with only 1 MB RAM in Atari :






   Video playback with Atari STE - there is page about it on my site: Video pb
So, I came on idea to add videos of gameplay to compilation - well, probably will do it mostly for less known games, so people can see how it looks, plays ..  LAVP2 should be good for it, and I tested with new SD card adapters SD4ST and ACSI2STM.
  Sadly, they are not enough fast for 320x200 px, 16 colors and 25 fps . Actually, even UltraSatan was not good with all SD cards.
So, I decided to go on 12.5 fps instead 25 - that's still pretty good for 99% games (screen refresh rate is not so high).  
 Modded player program for Atari STE (btw. it works on STs too, just no sound) . Also modded program for putting together LAV file (version 4 - for 12.5 fps and 6.258 KHz audio), made 4 videos of gameplay, and it works fine on real Mega STE .
  More time went on solving good quality, sharp 320x200 px vid with 16 colors (in 1 frame).  Capturing Atari's analog video output is not good way, because no clear separation of pixels. When want to convert it back to 16 colors per frame colors are just not proper, mostly saturation is low, and not so clean pic.  Not unexpected. So, I went on capturing from emulator in Windows - Steem, of course.  New problem: what screen capturing SW ? I used Fraps earlier, but it works not in W8.1. Looked some freeware Win screen capture SW, and it was just that none worked well, some even could not set to capture sound.
  So, I remembered that I have Virtual Dub screen capture , and tried with it - and yess ! it works very well - little harder to set all properly, but then - it is practically perfect.  Just to add that emulator is set unusually to not stretching low res video, so pic. is pretty small on hi-res monitor. And can crop very well just Atari screen part when processing video with VDub - details about it are on page linked above. Also extracting audio, what then can be converted to proper sample rate and format with Audacity, for instance.  All in all, little more work, as need to use diverse programs, conversions. But at the and quality is really good, colors are faithful.
  How it looks can see:






About adapting games

    PP,  May, June 2023..