While I am always on the lookout for software which is missing from the archive, we are looking for a copy of the XLR8er utilities for CP/M. The copy which we had seems to be either bad or on a format of CP/M that a WHOLE lot of people can’t seem to extract from.

So if you this on disk (not just from an online resource; almost every online resource is just this archive copied) please contact me.

Thanks!

Shawn Sijnstra has updated his Infocom z3, z4, z5, and z8 executor to version 3.0. Changelog:

• Bugfix – [more] scroll counter accuracy improved
• Bugfix – Cosmetic fix on status bar/upper window (found on PunyInform games)
• Improvement – Improved the resolution of timed input from 1.0s down to 0.2s this improves zsnake.z5 and bomber.z5
• Improvement – Streamlining some of the core VM code to use word fetches instead of byte
• Bugfix – Fix scan_table routine to check for zero length scan_table
• Bugfix – Fixed rare condition found in PunyInform game Djinn on the Rocks
• Improvement – Improved memory banking algorith to always use as much as available this means games over 320k in size on a 384k machine will always use as much memory as available.
• Improvement – Remapped arrow keys to ZSCII arrow keys for single key read. This means there is no delete now for single character input.

Full list of credits, features and issues as well as the source and compiled code are in the Gitlab page: https://gitlab.com/sijnstra1/m4zvm.

Jürgen Büssert has developed a tiny circuit board for the Model I (which fits inside a closed case) to allow for easier use of an EPROM. His article can be found here.

Unlike other solutions, the ROM does not need to be scrambled to use this solution.

Anyone interested in the board should reach out to him by visiting his impressum page.

Quentin was kind enough to update CW2DMK to deal with a problem I had with a recent set of disks. Updates are:

• Add feature to “-x” option to allow per-track retry counts. (e.g. “-x 40,0:4-12” sets retries for all tracks to 40 except disable retries for tracks 4 through 12.) See cw2dmk man page for further information.
• Correct off-by-one problem with retry counts.

You can download v4.71 including source from Github.

A couple of site updates:

• The String Packing / USR() Routines page (formerly called “Machine Language Examples” which was a really bad name for it) has been updated with more information as to how to do graphics string packing.
• The Magazine Search Page has been updated to search all descriptive information for a keyword instead of making you search title, description, and subtitle separately. A search in that field is now also case insensitive. Makes the searching a lot more useful.
• The Software Search Page has been updated to now show media pictures, manual covers, and the like for software which is missing from the archive, if available.

Shawn Sijnstra has updated his Infocom z3, z4, z5, and z8 executor to version 2.0. Shawn writes:

M4ZVM Release 2 available now for download. Improvements include introducing a disk read cache to drastically speed up games that don’t fit entirely into memory as well as reduce wear and tear on disk drives. Major work was done on the memory map to fold that in as well as include a larger stack for the z-machine. Highly recommend updating for people using either real or virtual hardware. Disk Usage for games that do not fit into memory is a lot more optimal now although enormous z8 games will always be a challenge.

Full list of credits, features and issues as well as the source and compiled code are in the Gitlab page: https://gitlab.com/sijnstra1/m4zvm.

Nick Marentes just released a new game called Gem Hunter. Nick writes:

You are the Gem Hunter and you must go down a deep underground cavern, riding platforms and collecting as many gems along the way to achieve the high score.

But don’t stray too far out of view or you will be lost in the cavern forever!

You can see gameplay on Youtube.

For purchasing information go to https://nickmarentes.com/ProjectArchive/gemhunter.html.

Shawn Sijnstra has written an Infocom interpreter for the Model 4 that will allow you to play most v3, v4, v5, and v8 Infocom games. He writes:

New software release: M4ZVM – The new TRS-80 Model 4 player for v3, v4, v5 and v8* inform interactive fiction games (such as Infocom and others) is ready for download, play and feedback. It supports most features you would hope for including timed input, game saves, and transcript printing. 128k minimum. Full source code and binary available – if you do give it a go, let me know how you find it! Finally you can play adventure games like A Mind Forever Voyaging, Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor, Border Zone: A Game of Intrigue, Bureaucracy, Nord and Bert Couldn’t Make Head or Tail of It, and Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels (and many hundreds more) right on your model 4/D/P! Download your copy today!

Full list of credits, features and issues as well as the source and compiled code are in the Gitlab page: https://gitlab.com/sijnstra1/m4zvm

Once you download his executor, you can find the Infocom files all over the web such as on Abandonware.

Pascal Holdry has reverse engineered the Model III/4 Floppy Disk Controller. More information can be found on his site.

Tandy Assembly is in full swing. You can watch online.

• They Day 0 Stream was taken down by YouTube due to music playing the background while setting up. 🙁
• Day 0 – One of the presentations
• Day 1 – Watch Part 1 / Part 2