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Forums > CSDb Discussions > Why releasing small stuff in a whole D64 image?
2017-03-27 21:31
Hermit

Registered: May 2008
Posts: 208
Why releasing small stuff in a whole D64 image?

I'm curious why many of very small (even several kilobytes) of releases are made on .d64 image?
I'm a minimalist (usually with limited internet connection) and if I see a music or one-file demo etc. on ~170kbyte D64 I sometimes don't download it, just because I don't like the 5..10x waste of space and bandwidth in general. (And maybe the pollution it generates in big amounts, a problem nowadays I think, yet not the biggest source of pollution is IT.)

Sorry if my thinking is weird or uncommon (really hope it isn't), but I'm still curious why many people release things on .d64 instead of .prg (or .sid or .tap) if they could fit.
Is it easier to save or load D64 format on their systems or cartridges?
In any way, if you like to release small stuff in .d64, I'd thank you if you at least compress (zip) it or release a .prg beside the .d64, as seen many times, and so they won't distract people like me, and your release will be downloaded and evaluated a bit more times...
 
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2017-03-28 18:41
Graham
Account closed

Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990
Quoting Compyx

I'm not really familiar with GB64, but do they really keep track of all cracks of games and whether they where cracked from tape or disk?

GB64 just selects 1 version of a game. They do not keep track of different cracks or anything else.
2017-03-28 18:47
CommFor

Registered: Mar 2017
Posts: 19
Quoting CommFor

6. When I see PRG file in CSDB database, I immediately know this is tape game.

Quoting Compyx:

No you don't. Could be a crack from a disk, could be a one-filed multi-load disk/tape crack.


Compyx, you really don't want to go there, believe me :)

Or you want me to put more than 1.000 disk cracks and one filed multi-load disks/tape cracks in CSDB?

Totally pointless to fill CSDB with this kind of crap!

Imagine - for example - to have 11 disk-rip levels from Turrican II as separate 11 PRG files when we have proper disk-release from where they are ripped.
When you finish level, C64 trying to read another level and game just crash.



Quoting Compyx:

I'm not really familiar with GB64, but do they really keep track of all cracks of games and whether they where cracked from tape or disk?

No, GB64 unfortunately doesn't exactly specify if game is tape or disk crack (it will be perfect if we can filter game there for tape or disk games and number of disks too), but in 98% you can conclude by yourself, because they put how much blocks game have, and we all know limit for tape game is 202 blocks.
It can be more than 202 blocks if they put picture and documentation.

GB64 doesn't track all cracks, they just keep best one for each game (according to stability, number of trainers etc.) in database - of course, this is GB64 subject judgement, but it's excellent if you want to have all games without "duplicates".

For tracking all cracks of games we have this excellent CSDB :)

These two sites plus excellent www.forum64.de and www.lemon64.com satisfy all C64 nerds :)
2017-03-28 18:57
CommFor

Registered: Mar 2017
Posts: 19
Hedning,


What about hardcore C64 users or C64 users without ability/will to buy something like 1541U, SD2IEC or 1541 floppy and having only datassette, how they will load D64 files?

Of course, they will find friend(s) to make them tapes with games in turbo :)

Unfortunately, in my country I can't even find some C64 enthusiast, so nobody will ask, unfortunately.

Speaking of this, we have really fantastic program called Spectacular Copy for transferring tapes to floppy/SD2IEC/1541U.

But, we really don't have any modern C64 program to put PRG files back on tape in turbo format!

I used Copy 235 for this (if my memory serves me well), ancient program from 1985., and - of course - needs to do that manually for each game.
2017-03-28 19:08
ptoing

Registered: Sep 2005
Posts: 271
@CommFor You can also use DirMaster V3.1.1 to get .prg files out of .d64 images. Very handy program.
2017-03-28 19:10
CommFor

Registered: Mar 2017
Posts: 19
Mason,

Saving original game name from original tape is totally OK, but saving original game name from tape crack is - in my opinion - not important at all.

For example, if original tape crack is called " R.Dang. 2 +3/HTL", would you rather have name "Rick Dangerous 2" instead on your PRG file or real tape?
2017-03-28 19:12
CommFor

Registered: Mar 2017
Posts: 19
Ptoing,

I know, using this fab program very intensively ;)
Thanks for advice anyway.
2017-03-28 20:46
bugjam

Registered: Apr 2003
Posts: 2467
Quoting CommFor

For example, if original tape crack is called " R.Dang. 2 +3/HTL", would you rather have name "Rick Dangerous 2" instead on your PRG file or real tape?


No.
2017-03-28 21:48
ptoing

Registered: Sep 2005
Posts: 271
I can understand the original name thing. I don't care about the original names when I play stuff and sometimes rename things when I put them on an SD for use with my 1541U.

This is very easy to do and everyone can do that themselves. So I think preserving original filenames for old releases and such is the way to go. I doubt I will be releasing standalone pictures on d64 images though.
2017-03-29 00:57
White Flame

Registered: Sep 2002
Posts: 136
The original post seems more about present day development, rather than discussing preservation of older stuff.

For many modern single file releases which have been cross-developed, the .prg might preserve the original released filename better than .d64, when the original filename was ASCII with no 16-char limit.
2017-03-29 16:05
ZeHa

Registered: Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Quote: As for myself i tend to have problems with WinVice breaking the drag'n'drop of files onto it (going back to default settings fixes it though). I'm just a lazy Windows guy, and i guess there's no option to load a prg from the menu?

So d64 always works flawlessly and that makes the point for me. So yes, i am all in for having everything as d64.

Rambling over some 170kb plus or minus just doesn't cut it for me.

In the end there will always be two sides. And people who use vice from the shell won't care about formats anyway i guess.. ^^


as for drag'n'drop, i have noticed that VICE has a problem when the filename (AND path!) contains spaces, no matter if it's a PRG or D64 file. because then he interprets it as two separate parameters. but in general, it is possible to drag PRG files to it, i do it very often. when it's not working, it's because there's a space somewhere in the path.

at least that's the case under linux, but i assume it might be similar under windows.
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