Dynabusters+ (TSCC) - A Bug? FIXED!

[Heavy Stylus]

I've tried both the Atari Legend and official TSCC versions of this game on STEEM and on my real Atari, and think I've found a bug/error.

Inbetween matches (and most visible via the menu->tables option) the graphics are all screwed up - flashing/jumping around/off the screen. I'm using TOS 2.06 on both STEEM and my real Atari.

Anyone else able to get the same bug on their machines? Anyone want to fix it?

[bazza_bethell]

I'm using TOS 2.06 on both STEEM and my real Atari.

Ewww 2.06 is teh sux, it's for the dads not teh kids; apps not teh warez.

[Heavy Stylus]

Thanks for your most helpful reply. The Atari scene really needs more people like you.

FYI I am a 'dad', so 2.06 is quite appropriate for me.

[lotek_style]

We never experienced that bug... I guess because we never had machines with TOS 2.06. Dynabusters was developed on 1040 STE and Falcon 030... also we never received any reports of a bug like that yet I doubt my coders will do a fix these days

[Heavy Stylus]

Oh well!

Sometimes I wish my STE was TOS switchable...

I've forwarded it over to GGN. Maybe D-Bug (or Klaz when he's back) will be able to look into providing an all-ataris patch.

Can anyone else see if they can reproduce the bug? Could it be a memory or 50/60Hz bug? If a game doesn't like TOS2.06 they tend not to load at all rather than have the odd graphics bug you see.

I'm using HDDriver (latest version), an STE (PAL) with 4MB Ram and TOS 2.06. Please can people see if they can reproduce the same error in their STEEM setup and real atari's?

Lotek - is the source available still?

[lotek_style]

Source is still available I have to check if the creators wanna spread it or not.

[nativ]

Hi,
How's about running TOS 1.62 via Seltos? or a software switcher of some description?
Good luck

[thothy]

I once saw the same problem when I ran Dynabusters in Hatari. I think it is because the game writes to the video base registers in the wrong order - it first writes to the low register, then to the med and high register. But for proper operation, you have to write the low register last, because the low register gets reset to zero when you write to the med or high register. Don't know why this works on real machines, but it is certainly a pain for emulators (since other games/demos depend on this behaviour of the shifter).

[Heavy Stylus]

To repeat - it's not just an emulator bug. This happens on my real Atari too. Anyone else experience it on an STE?

[lotek_style]

btw spoke with Scy... Tos shouldnt be a problem at all as they wipe it out of the memory completely.

[ppera]

I checked it on STE with 4MB, IDE hard disk IF (own driver). Didn't observe any screen screwing. Game and 'tables' worked flawless.
Even worked well in 1MB mode (started with special launcher), what was problem for Steem (did not accept any KB commands).

Maybe to try with less disk buffer space allocated in Hddriver ?

[Heavy Stylus]

I've just tried running from floppy with my HD turned off and still get the same problem on real hardware (TOS2.06, 4MB STE) and STEEM (using the same set up) - so nothing to do with HDDriver.

I'll take some screenshots to explain the problem.

[thothy]

btw spoke with Scy... Tos shouldnt be a problem at all as they wipe it out of the memory completely.

If you still have the source code, could you try to change the order in which the games writes the video base registers? I am pretty sure that this will fix this issue.

[Heavy Stylus]

If anyone fixes this I'll pay them the original shareware fee

[Heavy Stylus]

Haha - it was a bug, and GGN fixed it

[Heavy Stylus]

GGN (of DBUG) has kindly given me permission to post this here. Thothy was right BTW - the registers were written in the wrong order.

Enjoy! I know that I will

[lotek_style]

Thoty... if you still want the source I can send it to you... not sure if it is still needed as the bug seems to be fixed.