Archives for the month November 2024 of Genesis8 Amstrad Page







New site for Amstrad.EU

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Amstrad.EU is going to be 25 years old soon, it seems it's the year to hit this threshold as this site got its anniversary in may. So Amstrad.EU just got a lifting at the start of October. The content of the old site is at its old address which you will find here. The content will be migrated from the old site to the new with time, so be patient.

Long life to Amstrad.EU and all other Amstrad computers related web sites, but lets not be sectarian towards those about other old computers as we didn't start all with an Amstrad CPC (I did start in fact with a ZX 81, not mine though).



The Spectrum Works by Allister Brimble's (remake of Amstrad CPC games music)

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Allister Brimble is a british composer of music for video games, who worked for example for Team 17. He did release in 2015 The Spectrum Works which is a compilation of remake of Amstrad CPC games music.



UniDOS v1.51 by Offset for Amstrad CPC (September 2024)

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These last years several expansions allows you to use mass storage (USB or sd...) on Amstrad CPC, each needing a ROM to use it correctly.

And if you use two of these expansions, you will need to load two ROMs, so less RAM for your Amstrad CPC.

So Offset did write UniDOS and drivers to be able to use another expansion, needing only one ROM with features being the same whatever the expansion. Unidos can manage actually :

Offset also wrote UniDOS Cartridge Creator (v1.4) which is an utility to create Amstrad Plus cartridges equipped with a patched firmware which allows to add UniDOS and its DOS nodes. You can furthermore configure up to 30 additional tool ROMs (such as Utopia, Maxam, Protext..) in the cartridges (compatible with ParaDOS and Burnin' Rubber) without requiring a real ROM board. The tool also let you automatically download the latest UniDOS ROMs from the official web site.

Unidos v1.51 is a minor release released in September 2024, which is only fixing the|COPY RSX so that it also works properly with weird binary headers generated by some PC tools.




Archives of developpment of Tim and Geoff Follin are preserved

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Even if you see 3 inc disks on this tweet by Kevin Edwards, they were used on a Tatung Einstein TC-01 computer. But they hold the development archives of the brothers Tim and Geoff Follin (with their agreement of course) for C64 but also for Amstrad CPC and ZX Spextrum.

On this github page, you will be able of course to download the content of the disks (music and player code source) but also an historic of the preservation of these data which were done in two steps first by Dean Belfield then by Kevin Edwards. Sadly Geoff Follin leaved us in May 2024 due to a cancer.





Amstrad CPC Revision zero and new Gate Array by Bread80

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Bread80 has several projects at the moment, he is working recently on two interesting ones.

First project in two parts, the presentation of the Amstrad CPC Revision Zéro, yes the one base on a 6502 processor which was never finished. It was shown by Roland Perry at a spanish meeting, and Deepbf was able to take photos. So Bread80 did analyse in a first part the working of this prototype card which was clearly non functionnal. In the second part, he is starting to design a working 6502 Amstrad CPC (with a 2 Mhz model like the BBC computer).

Second project which is the following of the one started in 2020 by designing a new Gate Arry using a Rasperry Pi Pico 2040, but now that the new Pico model is out, he is starting using the Raspberry Pi Pico 2350 more powerful and which has more GPIO, in three technical parts (first part, second part, third part).




Arkos Tracker v3.2.1 beta by Targhan is available

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Arkos Tracker v3 by Targhan is available on the new web site, the new site isn't complete but it holds already several tutorials. The last version available is v3.2.1 (21th October 2024). It's a beta version but totally usuable as stated by the Targhan, for windows, mac and linux (intel and ARM).

Dizark isn't anymore embedded in Arkos Tracker and has now its own web site. Disark is a Z80 disassembler, but it is more than that as it can be used to convert sources from an assembler to another.

Below you will find the content of the announcement of Arkos Tracker 3 on CPCWiki :

Arkos Traker 3! It is a 100% redesigned, recoded version of Arkos Tracker. Don't worry though :

  • Compatibility with the previous versions of AT is ensured
  • The players are unchanged, minus a few bugs (AKY users should re-encode their files though)

A few features :

  • Open source
  • A completely new instrument editor
  • Simplified pattern management
  • Undo/redo everywhere
  • Theme-able




A new demo of the V9990 Powergraph video graphic card by HAL6128

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The V9990 Powergraph video card for MSX (cartridge) can be used on an Amstrad CPC with an AMSDAP card (MX4 ports and two MSX cartridge ports but only those using IO of the Z80, not those using memory functions, so you can use for example a V9990 and a sound cartridge).

Everybody knows the robot demo moving in a forest, well now thanks to HAL6128 you have something else to chew. You can download the DSK and see for yourself the result in this video by Poulette73 (see below).

HAL6128 bought a V9990 a moment ago but didn't use it, till recently to learn using it. He downloaded a non playable demo of a fighting game using the V9990 for MSX and adapted it for Amstrad CPC. It looks like a mode 1 screen but with 16 colors instead.



Recycled Bug, an Amstrad CPC+ demo by Da Boxon Team (BND 4)

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Da Boxon Team have released a new Amstrad CPC+ demo for the BND 4 that just took place this week-end : Recycled Bug (local download). The code is written by Nicky One and music by Giherem.



Borderline, an Amstrad CPC demo by Pulpo Corrosivo (BND 4)

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Pulpo Corrosivo have released a new Amstrad CPC demo for the BND 4 that just took place this week-end : Borderline (local download). The code is written by Toms, graphics by Beb and music by E-Dredon.



The Origin of Football Manager Part 1 by Kevin TOMS (May 2024)

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Kevin TOMS is the original author of the game of football management : Football Manager, edited by Addictive Games in 1982 on Amstrad CPC.

Since the 27th May 2024 you can buy the first part of his book about the creation of Football Manager (the link isn't sponsored).



Video of the Benediction Coding Party #4 by Roudoudou

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You couldn't come to the Benediction Coding Party #4 meeting well organized as usual by Eliot (Bénédiction) ?

Thanks to our master cook Roudoudou who can master cooking as well as he can use a camera, you will feel you were there if you go look this video on Youtube (see below).



Two SF books by Philippe Rimauro (Offset) : la perle des confins et la soeur égarée

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At the end of the Benediction Coding Meeting 4, someone had two science-fiction in her opened bag. As I am an avid reader, I did look at the cover, the title and ... the name of the writer : Philippe RIMAURO, who isn't exactly unknown on the Amstrad CPC scene. So Ann nonymous confirmed to me that these books were the start of a serie, with a third to be sold soon, and a fourth being W.I.P Ann did usher to me that the first was read very quickly so you could consider buying these two books (already done for me and I received them right today) on Amazon as they are printed on demande (the links are not sponsored) :





Croco Folie &28 by Cyrille Gouret, a platform Amstrad CPC game

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Croco Folie &28 by Cyrille Gouret for Amstrad CPC is a platform game for the 40th Amstrad CPC anniversary. It is available on Gamejolt.

Code is by Cyrille Gouret, music by Manshovel, load screen by SA (GGP), characters graphics by SA and Maitre Joe (GGP).



New version v2.03 of the Amstrad CPC emulator Sugarbox (November 2024) by Lone

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Sugarbox v2.03, the Amstrad CPC(+) emulator by Lone is available.

  • Feature/tape counter edit (#37)
  • Feature/script engine (#38)
  • Script : drag'n'drop and handling
  • Add CSL loading menu + command line
  • update CPCCore
  • Command line handling. Loading settings / media is optimized (no more multiple loading)
  • Open debugger if flag is set in command line. Also, don't start running the emulation if so
  • Debug window is no longer a child window
  • Add memory windows for debug
  • Add CRTC debug dialog
  • Fix memory windows + installer with qt
  • Handle keyboard + tab key
  • Fix Qt drag'n' drop that can throw exception in debug
  • Fix unit test crashing on linux
  • Set to latest CPCCore dev branch
  • Update build for ubuntu (24.04)
  • Update keyboard layout. remove grabing keyboard for main display window
  • Handle deadkey for windows


New version of ACE-DL (11/18) by Roudoudou

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New versions by Roudoudou of his ACE-DL Amstrad CPC emulator (11/18/2024) :

  • new extra Timer to increase ACE refresh accuracy
  • added Atari SC1224 monitor emulation
  • Added configuration SAVE/LOAD in configuration main menu
  • Added configuration select from command line
  • Left-clic on Reset must not reinitialise extended memory
  • Command line option to select another Audio driver (AceDL -h for help)
  • all GUI almost translated in French (optional)
  • bugfix plastic cover size with CTM filters
  • bugfix ACE breakpoints + evolutions


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