Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

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SinclairSociety
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Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by SinclairSociety »

It was Sinclair QL time for me again.. and today I finally found a moment to create a video showing how to load and use downloaded microdrive images made for the vDrive.

I load Vanpeebles (P. Scott) game called 198? and also quickly play and die with Packman. haha.

Hope this is helpful for some.

https://youtu.be/OIYVolL5wnM

TJ


Sinclair Computers are AWESOME!!
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vanpeebles
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by vanpeebles »

Haha, that was good! :D


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grafvonb
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by grafvonb »

SinclairSociety wrote:It was Sinclair QL time for me again..
And as usual it was just ingenious :D !


Loving QL & ZX Spectrum & Amiga...
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bwinkel67
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by bwinkel67 »

SinclairSociety wrote:It was Sinclair QL time for me again.. and today I finally found a moment to create a video showing how to load and use downloaded microdrive images made for the vDrive.
You don't really need to load the boot file on the vDrive unless you need to use more than 6 MDV images in a session. As long as you can remember the MDV images you've assigned to the current bank then just boot up the QL and your MDV3 to MDV8 are there to be used as normal MDV drives (i.e. dir mdv3_ will work right from reset/reboot).

I find it easier to just edit the VDRIVEQL.CFG file on the SD card on my PC/MAC in a text editor (i.e. Notepad) and then when I'm using the SD card on the QL I just have to remember the mapping of the 6 MDV's I have for that session.

Code: Select all

[SETUP]
Bank3

[Bank2]
MISC\MDV1.MDV      ;
MISC\MDV4.MDV      ;
MISC\MDV5.MDV      ;
MISC\MDV6.MDV      ;
MISC\MDV7.MDV      ;
MISC\MDV8.MDV      ;


[Bank3]
GAMES\Assault.MDV  ;
GAMES\Cavern.mdv   ;
GAMES\MCosmic.MDV  ;
GAMES\MCrunch.MDV  ;
GAMES\Metropol.MDV ;
GAMES\MTreasur.MDV ;


[Bank4]
GAMES\Qbert.MDV    ;
GAMES\QLGames.mdv  ;
GAMES\Speed.MDV    ;
GAMES\Spook.MDV    ;
GAMES\3DOXO.MDV    ;
GAMES\ATTACK.MDV   ;


[Bank5]
GAMES\BUGSBOMB.MDV ;
GAMES\CHESS.MDV    ;
GAMES\FROGGY.MDV   ;
GAMES\GUNNER.MDV   ;
GAMES\PACMAN.MDV   ;
GAMES\PALADIN.MDV  ;


[Bank6]
GAMES\PUDGE.MDV    ;
GAMES\QBALL.MDV    ;
GAMES\Qbert2.MDV   ;
GAMES\QGAMES.MDV   ;
GAMES\SPACEINV.MDV ;
GAMES\SPACEPOD.MDV ;


[Bank7]
GAMES\SPACERAI.MDV ;
GAMES\STARBURS.MDV ;
GAMES\STARPORT.MDV ;
GAMES\WIPEOUT.MDV  ;
GAMES\ZAPMAN.MDV   ;


[Bank8]
MISC\OTHER.MDV     ;
MISC\SOURCE.MDV    ;
MISC\DIGIC.MDV     ;
So the name of the bank that appears at the top after [SETUP] is the current bank (and the entries in the list for each bank map to MDV3 through MDV8 in order). Simply change it to the name of the other banks...and the label Bank#, with # being a number, is just my internal formatting, you can call it anything you like. I also organizes things into folders on the SD card and simply give path names (so in the CFG file above I have a folder called GAMES and one called MISC and all images are within those).

Oh, and a better Pacman is Spook (found on SPOOK.MDV from Dilwyn's website).

In any case, vDrive really is simple and seamless with no need for any ROM extensions and one reason I really like it. As long as you are familiar with the standard QL dir, load, lrun, and exec commands you won't even know you have one.


mlasham
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by mlasham »

bwinkel67 wrote:
SinclairSociety wrote:It was Sinclair QL time for me again.. and today I finally found a moment to create a video showing how to load and use downloaded microdrive images made for the vDrive.
You don't really need to load the boot file on the vDrive unless you need to use more than 6 MDV images in a session. As long as you can remember the MDV images you've assigned to the current bank then just boot up the QL and your MDV3 to MDV8 are there to be used as normal MDV drives (i.e. dir mdv3_ will work right from reset/reboot).

I find it easier to just edit the VDRIVEQL.CFG file on the SD card on my PC/MAC in a text editor (i.e. Notepad) and then when I'm using the SD card on the QL I just have to remember the mapping of the 6 MDV's I have for that session.

So the name of the bank that appears at the top after [SETUP] is the current bank (and the entries in the list for each bank map to MDV3 through MDV8 in order). Simply change it to the name of the other banks...and the label Bank#, with # being a number, is just my internal formatting, you can call it anything you like. I also organizes things into folders on the SD card and simply give path names (so in the CFG file above I have a folder called GAMES and one called MISC and all images are within those).

Oh, and a better Pacman is Spook (found on SPOOK.MDV from Dilwyn's website).

In any case, vDrive really is simple and seamless with no need for any ROM extensions and one reason I really like it. As long as you are familiar with the standard QL dir, load, lrun, and exec commands you won't even know you have one.

How do you get around many of those .mdv images you have assigned to vdrives <> mdv1 that expect the game to be in mdv1_ ?
for example, spook.mdv wants to be on mdv1_

vmap only allows mdv1 and mdv2 to be mapped to the internal drives, or ext1 or ext2 - so mdv3-8 cannot be mapped to mdv1 from what I can see.


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Andrew
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by Andrew »

mlasham wrote:vmap only allows mdv1 and mdv2 to be mapped to the internal drives, or ext1 or ext2 - so mdv3-8 cannot be mapped to mdv1 from what I can see.
That is not true - vMap modes 3 to 8 will map the internal drives as mdv3 -8
See the chart in the vMap manual https://vdrivezx.files.wordpress.com/20 ... manual.pdf


Derek_Stewart
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by Derek_Stewart »

Andrew wrote:
mlasham wrote:vmap only allows mdv1 and mdv2 to be mapped to the internal drives, or ext1 or ext2 - so mdv3-8 cannot be mapped to mdv1 from what I can see.
That is not true - vMap modes 3 to 8 will map the internal drives as mdv3 -8
See the chart in the vMap manual https://vdrivezx.files.wordpress.com/20 ... manual.pdf
Hi,

I quite agree wit Andrew here, in that, VMAP n maps the internal MDV, i.e. MDV1, MDV2 to the value of n.

For example VMAP 3, maps MDV1, MDV2 to the VdriveQL MDV3, MDV4

read the manual for more information.


Regards,

Derek
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Pr0f
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by Pr0f »

Love that Sam Coupe!

The VMap is an excellent addition to the Vdrive. Thanks for the video - it gives a good demo of the Vdrive!


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bwinkel67
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by bwinkel67 »

mlasham wrote: How do you get around many of those .mdv images you have assigned to vdrives <> mdv1 that expect the game to be in mdv1_ ?
for example, spook.mdv wants to be on mdv1_

vmap only allows mdv1 and mdv2 to be mapped to the internal drives, or ext1 or ext2 - so mdv3-8 cannot be mapped to mdv1 from what I can see.

I don't use vMap but to get a game that's tied to MDV1 to work on another MDV you can always look at the BASIC boot file and edit it. Now some programs have it hardcoded in their binary or executable part and sometimes you can use a hex editor to change that as well. Usually though, like with Spook, you can just edit the BASIC boot file and change it to the new MDV and it works.


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Chr$
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Re: Sinclair QL vDrive - Load & Use Applications and Games - Video

Post by Chr$ »

I seem to have an odd issue with my vDrive/vMap combi (I haven't been in touch with Charlie as it's relatively minor), I wonder if anyone else has experienced it:

Whenever I've been vSwapping to get an mdv image working as mdv1/mdv2 and then revert back to standard setup, even after multiple power cycles, whenever I do a 'format ram1_mdv1_' it always seems to spin up mdv2_ and copy that drive to RAM instead of mdv1_.

Very odd. Obviously because I know it's going to happen I just put whatever I want to copy to ram in mdv2_.


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