Feedback and help request with Amibench and running games

[paulthetall]

Hey guys! I received my A600GS machine and here some things I noticed including feedback. I am not very Amiga code literate but can manage a bit. I have a A1200 with WHDLoad so I know how to install that. I also know a bit regarding Winuae messing around with settings. So thats my background. Now the evaluation part (then follows some issues part)

The manual shows fine how setup the basics: Adding roms (I understand 3.1 and 1.3 supported best at the moment I added both 1.3 and 3.1), registering, updating, setting config, downloading games, adding games with some options etc. Thats quite straightforward. I noticed that the screen keyboard is handy to have for when no keyboard attached which is in my opinion a must when making use of the features, but I can understand when the A600GS is all setup and you only want to play some games, a controller is of course sufficient for quick use to play a game. HOWEVER, there is some work to do with the onscreen keyboard (first bug).

Onscreen keyboard issue:
When using a controller things go not logic on the web keyboard. When for example you use the controller to register the device or setup the wifi, and you are on the number part and you go to the left, at the numbers, for example when you go from 6 then 5 then go to more to the left it suddenly cannot go further then 5, you then need to press down and then left and then up again to 4 and the same thing for 3 etc. So screen keyboard in combination controller is not working properly yet.

The "Crackle sound bug" in the menus:
Then we come to the annoying "crackle sound in the navigation menu's. This is specifically related to the navigation menu. It's not in-game or in Amibench. It seems only to happen when doing stuff in the game menu (have speakers attached via the 3.5 plugin and no its not the speaker having issues). When the sound is off (sound effects) the crackle is still there in the menus. I have the feeling it happens more when using a controller, but haven't tested it thoroughly yet. This crackle sound is quite annoying so hope this can be fixed.

Then we come to the part of adding games! Yes, lets start with adding ADF games!

Adding ADF games:
That's quite straightforward and I think one of the most finished parts of the A600GS software. I can adding games fine and set the Amiga version or choose for the Aros/A600GS ROMs. Getting the option for adding the support for the drawbridge is a very neat option (still in development), so very good. Also the extra fields to add extra info about publisher and stuff, is very nice as well. I use that to add the license info of all the games I own also via GOG and Steam. Also when I launch the games using the ADF part. It always works in the things I tested. Also the option to turbo load the disks is very nice and important. So great work with that! It's a relieve to have that part stable.

Adding HDF games:
I am not sure if I am the only one, but I have quite some issues. A couple of them work and works like as the video shows of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgAQqInGpyk, but most of them just don't work in my situation. For some I need to fiddle with Amiga model (A4000 seemed to work for) but I get a Workbench screen in those cases and then thats it when I click start. Maybe I need to install or do something on Amibench to fix that or something? I don't know.

Adding WHDload games
That doesn't work for me. I have no options to choose. It's only adding a WHDload file and then when clicking start, it ends in a workbench screen doing nothing. But Think that has todo that I need to do something in Amibench first. I added the Kickroms/starts in the Devs folder in Amibench. So that part is done. So A video tutorial about that would be nice.

Amibench
Amibench needs work...What I read it should like workbench and also WHDload should be installable, but when I download it from the WHDload website (usr version) and install it, then the install freezes in the install wizard after clicking installing for real and want to install it on "c" or anywhere else. I haven't done much yet, but these crucial stuff already wrong. Also the speed, there should be something done about that. When opening stuff (apps) or going through an install wizard it really has big slowdowns. Normal clicking into folders going fine.

So that's a quick review so far. I would really like doing more with the WHDload and HDF part, but thats stalled at the moment. So would really be nice to have feedback on this story above

[SkulleateR]

Adding WHDload games
That doesn't work for me. I have no options to choose. It's only adding a WHDload file and then when clicking start, it ends in a workbench screen doing nothing. But Think that has todo that I need to do something in Amibench first. I added the Kickroms/starts in the Devs folder in Amibench. So that part is done. So A video tutorial about that would be nice.

Adding WHDLoad is as straight forward as ADF, just add the LHA file in the A600GS menu but you have to be sure to add the game with the game data and not only the installs

Amibench
Amibench needs work...What I read it should like workbench and also WHDload should be installable, but when I download it from the WHDload website (usr version) and install it, then the install freezes in the install wizard after clicking installing for real and want to install it on "c" or anywhere else. I haven't done much yet, but these crucial stuff already wrong. Also the speed, there should be something done about that. When opening stuff (apps) or going through an install wizard it really has big slowdowns. Normal clicking into folders going fine.

Don´t install WHDLoad, just copy the WHDLOAD executable from the _usr archive to C: and that´s it ... oh and IF you want to install anything, be sure to use the INSTALLER43-3 from Aminet instead of the InstallerNG

[paulthetall]

Adding WHDLoad is as straight forward as ADF, just add the LHA file in the A600GS menu but you have to be sure to add the game with the game data and not only the installs

Unfortunately no, I tried many HDFS and WHDload games from different known sites, like the FTP grandis.nu and whdload.com etc, just doesn't work.

Don´t install WHDLoad, just copy the WHDLOAD executable from the _usr archive to C: and that´s it ... oh and IF you want to install anything, be sure to use the INSTALLER43-3 from Aminet instead of the InstallerNG

I will try that, thank you.

[SkulleateR]

Unfortunately no, I tried many HDFS and WHDload games from different known sites, like the FTP grandis.nu and whdload.com etc, just doesn't work.

There is no WHDLOAD.COM, if you mean by any chance WHDLOAD.DE than be aware that this site do NOT offer the full game, on that site you can only download the INSTALLS for the games, so you will need to provide the Install Disks yourself and make the game out of it ... those LHA archives can not be added to A600GS menu

[paulthetall]

Yes there is whdload.com: https://whdownload.com/ for the full games.

Regarding this: 

just copy the WHDLOAD executable from the _usr archive to C: and that´s it .

You are a life saver, thanks that worked! I do have to notice that from the 3 games played from WHDload, 2 games (Cannon Fodder and Burnout (AGA) have slowdowns in the sound/music. When I reach level 2 for example the sounds really slows down when those new recruits arrive. Also the games do not run fully smooth as I used to when using the ADF version in the original A600GS menu, But thats most likely a Amibench thing. I notice the slowdowns there too in a big way. thats a serious issue which still needs to be worked on.

[paulthetall]

Oh and the WHDload games still do not work in the A600GS standard menu. I get this error with a workbench screen of 1.3: "Unknown command FAILAT"

[SkulleateR]

Oh and the WHDload games still do not work in the A600GS standard menu. I get this error with a workbench screen of 1.3: "Unknown command FAILAT"

WHDLoad games use A1200 config if I´m not mistaken, so it seems your Kickstart 3.1 rom is the wrong one or not detected correct. You can make a test, just download the ADF in the attachment of this post, add it to the A600GS and choose A1200 config. If you start it and get a Kick 1.3 screen, you need to use a working/correct kick 3.1 rom

[paulthetall]

Hi!

Yeah Look like the to be the case. I own the Amiga forever premium package (besides my original A1200 and A500), but somehow it doesn't see those roms in A600GS. So I downloaded them somewhere else. Probably they were bad ones. Downloaded other ones and they seem to work fine now.

Thanks so much for the support! Leaves the following bugs to be worked on:

- Onscreen keyboard issue (explained in first post)
- The crackle bug which occurs regularly in the menus (not in the games itself only in the menus) and also once on boot in a few tests.
- Slowdowns and unstable Amibench (errors regualrly when using apps in Amibench), not using it much yet.

[SkulleateR]

- Slowdowns and unstable Amibench (errors regualrly when using apps in Amibench), not using it much yet.

Well, AmiBench is a Workbench Replacement using AROS, Not everything and every App works anyway or maybe with errors, you may have a look here : https://forum.amiga.org/index.php?topic=76782.0