Amiga CD32

User avatar
Caldor
Top Contributor
Posts: 930
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:20 am
Has thanked: 112 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Caldor »

RWE wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 8:43 pm Why not natively support the CHD format as an alternative to ISO? CHD supports audio tracks.
Its not just as simple as supporting a audio format, the AO486 core already supports cue / bin files and several other image formats that has the audio, but the core itself does not seem to support playing that audio.
FoxbatStargazer
Top Contributor
Posts: 994
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:44 pm
Has thanked: 309 times
Been thanked: 228 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by FoxbatStargazer »

Haven't tried it yet but there's native CD support added to the core now? Still no redbook audio though.
User avatar
Chris23235
Top Contributor
Posts: 841
Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 8:45 pm
Has thanked: 106 times
Been thanked: 167 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Chris23235 »

With the adition of the Akiko chip, shouldn't it be possible to boot CD32 iso files now?
robinsonb5
Posts: 129
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 8:54 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 57 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by robinsonb5 »

Chris23235 wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 6:19 pm With the adition of the Akiko chip, shouldn't it be possible to boot CD32 iso files now?
No, because it doesn't yet cover the whole of Akiko - just the Chunky2Planar register.
User avatar
Caldor
Top Contributor
Posts: 930
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:20 am
Has thanked: 112 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Caldor »

Most CD32 games does not use Akiko though, but I think maybe the CD32 does use Akiko for the CD drive somehow, even when the game itself does not use the chip. But support for data CDs, support for Chunky2Planner Akiko, support for more than 64kb NVRAM... it does seem like we might see CD32 support eventually.
robinsonb5
Posts: 129
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 8:54 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 57 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by robinsonb5 »

Caldor wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 11:15 amBut I think maybe the CD32 does use Akiko for the CD drive somehow, even when the game itself does not use the chip.
It does, yes - Akiko is primarily an interface between the Amiga and a CD drive. It has several DMA ringbuffers in system RAM (which can be either Chip or 24-bit Fast RAM, if present), for commands, responses, subchannel data and CD data. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Chunky2Planar converter is just something Commodore added because they had some leftover space in the chip!
User avatar
Caldor
Top Contributor
Posts: 930
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:20 am
Has thanked: 112 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Caldor »

I was testing my Squirrel boot floppy yesterday and I can run a lot of CD32 games using it, but that worked already I guess. I also tried using a CD32 kickrom to see if maybe it would boot an ISO file with a CD32 game, but that did not seem to work. I even tried making all 4 drives into CD drives and mounting images in them.
User avatar
xFlesk
Posts: 75
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:37 pm
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by xFlesk »

it would be nice to have single cd32 core in console section ;) with *.chd support. many great stuff is to discover ;)
i hope someone consider it as a thing ;)
cheers
TheCompany.pl - Amiga EXE Games
FPGA64
Top Contributor
Posts: 750
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 3:10 pm
Has thanked: 44 times
Been thanked: 325 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by FPGA64 »

I own an original CD32. There is very little of value for it thats not already on the Amiga. It was the most disapointing Amiga ever released, cripled by commodore so it could not become a cheap 1200 with a CD drive.
User avatar
xFlesk
Posts: 75
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:37 pm
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by xFlesk »

i understand and know what you say ;) but im an amiga fanboy and i appreciate all amiga's. i have pretty much entire database on my custom made workbench on minimig and its great
still thinking that having a cd32 as a console core would be awesome for fun and of course for hardware preservation ;)
TheCompany.pl - Amiga EXE Games
FoxbatStargazer
Top Contributor
Posts: 994
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:44 pm
Has thanked: 309 times
Been thanked: 228 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by FoxbatStargazer »

Cannon Fodder FMV intro
CDTV Xenon 2 w/ Redbook soundtrack

What more incentive do you need? :D
Jlz
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:49 am
Has thanked: 21 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Jlz »

Disposable Hero CD32 is pretty special too. Runs much nicer than floppy version and better soundtrack
User avatar
xFlesk
Posts: 75
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:37 pm
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by xFlesk »

Misadventures of Flink is also great ;) plus there's tons custom made cd32 cd's ;)
TheCompany.pl - Amiga EXE Games
Swainy
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat May 22, 2021 9:07 am
Has thanked: 104 times
Been thanked: 16 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Swainy »

I’d love to see a CD32 core.
KremlingKuthroat19
Posts: 237
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:08 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 49 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by KremlingKuthroat19 »

The thing that's appealing about the prospects of a CD32 is threefold:
1) It is the definitive version of the Amiga games (since it has CD audio support)
2) It's backwards compatible with the CDTV (Wikipedia states that it isn't compatible with earlier CDTV games, but I don't know the accuracy of that claim). If it is 100% backwards compatible, it would be great to have a 2 for 1 core like the 7800 core.
3) It's got a handful of exclusives (Defender of the Crown II, Amiga CD32 Football, etc.)

Plus, there are lots of people, myself included, who simply don't like playing with a keyboard and mouse. The Amiga CD32 is a consolized Amiga, and that in and of itself is very appealing tbh.
madsdk
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2022 9:38 pm

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by madsdk »

Big fan of the CD32 here as well, and I'd love to see a dedicated CD32 core/mode, so that we can load full CD images 👍
chrisy
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:32 pm
Has thanked: 7 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by chrisy »

KremlingKuthroat19 wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:46 pm The thing that's appealing about the prospects of a CD32 is threefold:
1) It is the definitive version of the Amiga games (since it has CD audio support)
2) It's backwards compatible with the CDTV (Wikipedia states that it isn't compatible with earlier CDTV games, but I don't know the accuracy of that claim). If it is 100% backwards compatible, it would be great to have a 2 for 1 core like the 7800 core.
3) It's got a handful of exclusives (Defender of the Crown II, Amiga CD32 Football, etc.)

Plus, there are lots of people, myself included, who simply don't like playing with a keyboard and mouse. The Amiga CD32 is a consolized Amiga, and that in and of itself is very appealing tbh.
4) It can boot off CD, which might be useful to set up an OS3.2 HDF, which could then be used on a "normal" Amiga core.

I don't think this needs to be a separate core, does it? There are minimal differences in hardware.
mahen
Posts: 185
Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 8:25 pm
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by mahen »

Would love to play Alien Breed 3D with the CDDA audio tracks.
The soundtrack alone is worth listening to, it's pretty brilliant, it was composed by Bjorn Dr Awesome Lynne when he was at the peak of his creativity. (92 : Hobbits & Spaceships ; 94 : Montage ; 95 : Dreamstate, Alien Breed 3D ; 97 : The Void ; 98 : Wizard of the Winds).
User avatar
LamerDeluxe
Top Contributor
Posts: 1160
Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 10:25 pm
Has thanked: 798 times
Been thanked: 257 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by LamerDeluxe »

Genetic Species is another really fantastic game with CD audio. I've played that soundtrack so many times outside of playing the game.

The game has a fantastic atmosphere, looks great and has really good and varied game play, partly inspired by the mechanics of Paradroid.

Not sure how well the current Amiga core can handle it, hopefully the hybrid emulation project will succeed for demanding software like this.
KremlingKuthroat19
Posts: 237
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:08 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 49 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by KremlingKuthroat19 »

chrisy wrote: Mon Jan 03, 2022 9:15 pm
KremlingKuthroat19 wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:46 pm The thing that's appealing about the prospects of a CD32 is threefold:
1) It is the definitive version of the Amiga games (since it has CD audio support)
2) It's backwards compatible with the CDTV (Wikipedia states that it isn't compatible with earlier CDTV games, but I don't know the accuracy of that claim). If it is 100% backwards compatible, it would be great to have a 2 for 1 core like the 7800 core.
3) It's got a handful of exclusives (Defender of the Crown II, Amiga CD32 Football, etc.)

Plus, there are lots of people, myself included, who simply don't like playing with a keyboard and mouse. The Amiga CD32 is a consolized Amiga, and that in and of itself is very appealing tbh.
4) It can boot off CD, which might be useful to set up an OS3.2 HDF, which could then be used on a "normal" Amiga core.

I don't think this needs to be a separate core, does it? There are minimal differences in hardware.
I see what you're saying in that it doesn't need to be a seperate core bc of the minimal differences in hardware, but I think it does. The Amiga CD32 and CDTV are consoles, so they should have a core located in the console directory. It's similar to how the Atari 5200 is based on the Atari 800 line of computers, but it'd be ludicrous to include it as part of the Atari 800 core.

Also, I'm one of those people that have no interest in PC gaming. I'm a console/arcade gaming zealot and have no interest in messing around with a keyboard and mouse so, for console purists like myself, it'd be nice to have a CD32 core in the console directory. I understand if that's not a hangup for you, but for me it's a big hang up. I wouldn't even play the ColecoVision core if it was part of the MSX core for example.

Afaik, the Amiga core is essentially complete. Just adding the CD support and forking it would work out best imo, but then again I'm no developer.
User avatar
Caldor
Top Contributor
Posts: 930
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:20 am
Has thanked: 112 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Caldor »

CDTV and CD32 include pretty much the exact same hardware as the Amiga 500 and Amiga 1200. Not sure if its the same for the Atari examples you gave, but when it comes to emulators it is very common to add it all in the same emulator. Not much reason not to when the overlap is enough to justify it.

The benefit is that whenever there is an update to one or the other core, both will probably benefit from it. The Minimig core should have full CD support anyway. Currently it lacks audio CD support like the AO486 core does.

I would be more likely to agree if the Amiga core had run out of FPGA logic space. That should not be the case though.
FPGA64
Top Contributor
Posts: 750
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 3:10 pm
Has thanked: 44 times
Been thanked: 325 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by FPGA64 »

CDTV was just an Amiga 500 with a CD drive. Indeed you can make the CDTV a great looking Amiga 500. The CD32 did have one custom Chip Akiko which can do chuky to Planar graphic conversions in hardware.

The chip wasnt used a great deal as most of the CD32 titles were just shovelware. The CD32 never sold enough to make a dedicated game viable.
FoxbatStargazer
Top Contributor
Posts: 994
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:44 pm
Has thanked: 309 times
Been thanked: 228 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by FoxbatStargazer »

Isn't Genesis -> Mega CD a similar situation? It was probably split for a good practical reason (maybe can't fit turbo features + Virtua Racing and Mega CD at once?) but it seems like it is managed fine in terms of updates?
User avatar
Caldor
Top Contributor
Posts: 930
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:20 am
Has thanked: 112 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by Caldor »

FoxbatStargazer wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:45 pm Isn't Genesis -> Mega CD a similar situation? It was probably split for a good practical reason (maybe can't fit turbo features + Virtua Racing and Mega CD at once?) but it seems like it is managed fine in terms of updates?
Well, the Genesis / Mega Drive could just be expanded with the MegaCD / SegaCD addon and then play the MegaCD games. So it was exactly the same hardware. Not even sure any special chips were added. I do think its still two different cores though, but I also think the MegaCD core supports non-CD Mega Drive games.
User avatar
limi
Top Contributor
Posts: 619
Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 6:53 pm
Has thanked: 135 times
Been thanked: 418 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by limi »

The MegaCD added both a higher clocked additional 68000 CPU as well as more RAM. It wasn’t simply a CD add-on like the CDTV/CD32.

(…and yes, the CD32 did add the Akiko chip that pretty much went unused outside of the CD capabilities — the chunky-to-planar part is already in the MiSTer Minimig core)
killersquirel
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 9:28 pm
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by killersquirel »

I am hoping that a core for the Amiga CD32 comes this year. I wouldn't care if it was a separate core or added to the existing Amiga core.
KremlingKuthroat19
Posts: 237
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:08 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 49 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by KremlingKuthroat19 »

On the topic of the Sega CD, yes it has a lot more hardware capabilities than the Sega Genesis, so that's why it's a seperate core. It's not a simple CD add-on like the TurboGrafx CD. For example, it has Mode 7 capabilities as shown in the bonus stages of Sonic CD.

Here's an interesting idea: if the Amiga core gets CD32 support, why can't it be included in both the Computer and Console folders? That way, console snobs like me who don't have any interest in PC cores can enjoy playing the CD32 in my console folder and computer snobs can do the same. It's a win-win!

The only caveat is allowing users to simply select a CD32 or CDTV game without messing around with command prompts. Also, CHD support is a must!

Btw, does the CD32 play every CDTV game? I've heard 2 different stories. 1 that the CD32 is 100% backwards compatible with the CDTV and another story that certain games are incompatible. Does anyone know for sure if the CD32 is 100% backwards compatible with the CDTV. If it is, then there's no need for a CDTV core like how the 7800 core made the 2600 core obsolete.

I'm also hoping for a CD32 core as well! MiSTer is starting to get a lot of 5th gen love (my favorite console gen), so a CD32 core on top of a Saturn and PS1 core in 2022 would be amazing!
gibs
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun May 09, 2021 11:04 pm
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 14 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by gibs »

Don't forget the controller that needs to be implemented as it is not managed the same way than a classic Amiga.
User avatar
kathleen
Top Contributor
Posts: 409
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:23 am
Location: Belgium
Has thanked: 224 times
Been thanked: 131 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by kathleen »

@KremlingKuthroat19,

I'm maybe wrong, but to me the CDTV is an Amiga 500 ECS (Enhanced Chip Set) with 1Mb Chip and with a KS 1.3 (+ module CDTV). This permits a pretty good compatibility with the A500 games/software but the 1mb chip can cause some troubles, also the ECS for some games which were working only with 512kb Chip and nothing more and/or with OCS
The CD32 is an Amiga 1200 / 2mb chip ram + Akiko (CD-ROM controller and performs chunky to planar graphics conversion) + CD... with AGA (Advanced Graphics Architecture) with a KS 3.0 or 3.1, not sure
So unless the games are patched of exist in WHDLOAD format, there is much more chance to have the Amiga 500 games running on an Amiga CDTV than on the CD32.
The aim of the CDTV was to be firstly a multimedia console transformable to an Amiga 500 by adding it a keyboard. Same for the CD32 but then it will become an Amiga 1200
Talking about compatibility between the different models of Amiga is not easy as even between two Amiga 500 (from the 1st gen to the last gen) you'll faced to compatibility issues. (Some workarounds exist of course like relokik, etc but will not be as flawless as we should think).

For this, the Mister with the Minimig core is the paradise, with one device you can have every model revisions just by choosing the KS, the amount of ram etc etc.

I'd like also to have a CD32 port to the Mister and to be honest, I do not care if it will be a separate core or a all in one. Why ? Because it is still an Amiga Because we can have different configuration possible to be saved because the most important will be to have it :-)

かすりん

KremlingKuthroat19
Posts: 237
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:08 am
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 49 times

Re: Amiga CD32

Unread post by KremlingKuthroat19 »

Fair enough @kathleen. Getting every Amiga game regardless of model is the best way to go about it. It seems that adding to the existing Amiga core is the best way to get complete CDTV compatability.

Having an Amiga CD32 and its Akiko chip as well as a working CDTV is essential in order to make the Minimig core complete.

I'm just asking if either a symlink or a RBF can be placed in both folders for people like me who prefer to play the consolized versions :)
Post Reply