Porting

[swordfish1030]

What cool c64 games have been ported to the c128? and thus improved??

[Mark Smith]

Elite .. I think ...

[bacon]

Elite 128 still uses C64 mode. All it does is switch to 2MHz when the raster beam is in the lower and upper border. Plus a few small enhancements to the game itself. Let's say it was semi ported to the 128 ;-)

[Douglas]

Flight Simulator II has been ported to run faster on a C-128.  I believe I have a copy of it somewhere....

Douglas

[hydrophilic]

Well if you count games like that, you'd need to include Stealth Mission.  Also by SubLogic.  This makes sense as they both use the same graphics engine.  I haven't done a detailed comparison with the 64 version, but there doesn't seem to be much difference between them.   Now I'm gonna have to test them...

BTW, I must say I was VERY disappointed with Elite 128.  I was thinking it would run in 128 mode, even maybe on the VDC.  But it runs in 64 mode.  64 mode!  That thing should be banned from any list of C128 games.  So it runs a little faster on a C128?  So what?  A lot of games released for the 64 used the border/2MHz trick.  OK, I'll stop ranting.

Edit
My non-scientific testing reveals the following enhancements in the 128 version of Stealth Mission which may also apply to Flight Sim II:

1. Caches some code for instrument display in bank 1
2. Uses burst mode (if drive is capable)
3. Standard 2MHz/Border speed-up

From a gamer's point of view, #1 is the most obvious as no extra disk loading is required when toggling the instrument display on-off.  #2 is also very important if you have 1571 but only because it has no fast-loader for the 1541 ( just like the 64 version :mad: ).  #3 makes a slight differance

It does not use other features like page relocation, extra color RAM, or extra keys.  Since there are so many keyboard controls, some requiring CTRL+key combinations, I was quite disappointed with that last one!  Also, MUCH of bank 1 is left empty; maybe FS II uses more of it...

[Douglas]

BTW, I must say I was VERY disappointed with Elite 128.  I was thinking it would run in 128 mode, even maybe on the VDC.  But it runs in 64 mode.  64 mode!  That thing should be banned from any list of C128 games.  So it runs a little faster on a C128?  So what?  A lot of games released for the 64 used the border/2MHz trick.  OK, I'll stop ranting.

[

I thought that Elite 128 booted up in 128 40 column mode??  If not, my mistake.

Bummer.

Douglas

[airship]

I dunno. Sure, it's disappointing, but it DOES make use of C128-only features.

[hydrophilic]

A lot of games boot in 128 mode and then switch to 64 mode.  Examples from Microprose include Gunship, Pirates, and Project Stealth Fighter.  Some EPYX games include Winter Games and Impossible Mission II.  In fact, any 64 game released after 1985 that didn't have a boot loader for the 128 was poor quality, IMHO.

Elite "128" runs in 64 mode.  Blasphamy!  Sorry, I'm ranting again :/