What machine is better for playing Apple II games? (IIgs or LC+IIe card)

[dr.zeissler]

Hi there,

I don't own an apple II machine, but I own a IIgs and I also own a LC equipped with a IIe card.
What machine woud you use for playing the old apple II game. What should be more compatible ?

Thx!
Doc

 

[Skate323k137]

I think you should have rather good luck with either, but I would start with the IIgs unless your LC is hooked to a better monitor than you have available for the IIgs.

Do you have any floppy drives or floppy emulators (floppyemu)?

 

[dr.zeissler]

No floppy emulator, I have scsi2sd in that LC and several ProDos Partitions.
I copied the totalreplay on that thing because real floppys are a bit problematic on that LC.

On the IIgs I have the CF solution from reactive micro and also a real floppy drive, so it's not about getting the games, it's about playing them authentic. I have the feeling that the LC slows the video output down..perhaps a faster mac would be better for that, but I have also the feeling that the IIgs runs too fast for Apple II software. I am not sure how to setup/config the machines right to get the best experience. because I have limited space I would consider one machine to be the apple II machine beside either IIGs or 68k Mac. The obvious choice would be the IIgs and the LC would be switched to a q610 with a dos-card.

 

[Skate323k137]

No floppy emulator, I have scsi2sd in that LC and several ProDos Partitions.
I copied the totalreplay on that thing because real floppys are a bit problematic on that LC.

On the IIgs I have the CF solution from reactive micro and also a real floppy drive, so it's not about getting the games, it's about playing them authentic. I have the feeling that the LC slows the video output down..perhaps a faster mac would be better for that, but I have also the feeling that the IIgs runs too fast for Apple II software. I am not sure how to setup/config the machines right to get the best experience. because I have limited space I would consider one machine to be the apple II machine beside either IIGs or 68k Mac. The obvious choice would be the IIgs and the LC would be switched to a q610 with a dos-card.

If you have the MicroDrive from Reactive micro, it's easy to turn one partition into Total Replay. It makes gaming on the IIgs fantastic, and should be akin to a real Apple II for you.

 

[dr.zeissler]

turn one partition...I thought about how to do this...on the LC it was easy. I bootet 7.5 via zip-drive and mounted the total replay and copied this files via drag and drop...took several hours but it worked (had to leave some demo-files because partition was not big enough for total replay)...
now how do I achive this on the IIgs ? I could perhaps use adtpro to copy floppys, but does it copy whole partitions ? I don't know.

beside that I am thinking about much more on the IIgs...GS/OS games/demos/scene-stuff, artwork, music, I think I need as much space as possible...

 

[magnusfalkirk]

I'd use the Apple IIGS, it is an Apple computer and backward compatible with the majority of Apple software. If you think the GS runs too fast for Apple ][ software go into the Control Panel and slow the machine down to the stock 1MHz that Apple computers ran at. If you don't know how to do that please ask and either myself, or someone else, can easily tell you how to do it.

 

[dr.zeissler]

I think there is only slow and fast, don't know if that is 1Mhz or 2,8mhz?
Can this clockswitching be done via software ?

 

[Skate323k137]

I think there is only slow and fast, don't know if that is 1Mhz or 2,8mhz?
Can this clockswitching be done via software ?

It's set in the control panel.

You can modify partitions of your CF card with the windows app Ciderpress. You may have to run as administrator.

 

[Byte Knight]

I don't own an apple II machine, but I own a IIgs and I also own a LC equipped with a IIe card.
What machine woud you use for playing the old apple II game. What should be more compatible ?

I'd go with the IIgs, and then you can play IIgs games too!

 

[volvo242gt]

Hit Command-Control-Escape. That brings up the classic desk accessories menu. Choose Control Panel, then hit Return. Choose System Speed, then, again, hit Return. You can then toggle it between the default "Fast" setting of 2.8MHz or Normal, which is 1MHz. Hit Return to go back to the main control panel menu. Depending on the ROM version of your IIgs, you may be able to hit the up cursor key to get to Quit, which is faster when the highlighted choice is near the top of the screen. ROM 3 machines require that you use the down cursor key. After choosing Quit, hit Return again. Choose Quit, and hit Return.

A IIgs can run everything the //e card in your LC can run. Which means that unless you're tight on space, might as well use the IIgs for your Apple II gaming purposes. The only negatives about either setup is when you're trying to run software that uses inverse capital letters in 80 column mode. Those letters will be replaced by the corresponding MouseText characters. Most games don't use those characters, luckily. It's usually office programs, like Microsoft Multiplan. In that case, an unenhanced //e, a ][ Plus, or an original ][ will be better.

 

[dr.zeissler]

It's set in the control panel.

You can modify partitions of your CF card with the windows app Ciderpress. You may have to run as administrator.

I use mac's but I have lot's of retro-machines. I have ciderpress for win98. So I need to create the partitions and copy those "files?" to the CF card right? Thx!

 

[dr.zeissler]

Hit Command-Control-Escape. That brings up the classic desk accessories menu. Choose Control Panel, then hit Return. Choose System Speed, then, again, hit Return. You can then toggle it between the default "Fast" setting of 2.8MHz or Normal, which is 1MHz. Hit Return to go back to the main control panel menu. Depending on the ROM version of your IIgs, you may be able to hit the up cursor key to get to Quit, which is faster when the highlighted choice is near the top of the screen. ROM 3 machines require that you use the down cursor key. After choosing Quit, hit Return again. Choose Quit, and hit Return.

A IIgs can run everything the //e card in your LC can run. Which means that unless you're tight on space, might as well use the IIgs for your Apple II gaming purposes. The only negatives about either setup is when you're trying to run software that uses inverse capital letters in 80 column mode. Those letters will be replaced by the corresponding MouseText characters. Most games don't use those characters, luckily. It's usually office programs, like Microsoft Multiplan. In that case, an unenhanced //e, a ][ Plus, or an original ][ will be better.

Thx! my idea was to create "batch-files" to change speed on the fly. Normally booting in fast mode and before loading apple II game switching to low-speed...that was the idea behind the "software-solution" for the speed.

I have a ROM3 machine. Main target is IIgs software of course...but the benefit of running apple II games is a very big thing. Perhaps I should consider buying a floppy emulator...

 

[dr.zeissler]

My problem is that I don't have understood how II(gs) works...For the PC I know everything about the limitations in hardware and software (e.g. Number of drives, size-limitations, partition-limitations, bootfiles, etc.) On the apple II I don't know how the filessystem works, what makes a harddrive bootable, what files does the systerm require. What tools are essentiell... I am a beginner in the Apple II world.

 

[Skate323k137]

I use mac's but I have lot's of retro-machines. I have ciderpress for win98. So I need to create the partitions and copy those "files?" to the CF card right? Thx!

Your card will have come from reactive micro (if you ordered with a prepared card) with at least a couple 32MB partitions configured. Normally the 1st is a prodos utility disk that boots a file selection menu (bitsy bye), and the 2nd is a GSOS partition.

In my case when I'm not using a IIgs I just over-write that 2nd/GSOS partition with Total Replay in ciderpress. It has a feature for restoring a volume from a file but I would have to go thru the menus to get you the exact name.

If I wanted to keep both originality configured partitons intact, I would boot the microdrive as normal in bitsy bye and find the config utility for the microdrive. You can (carefully) manage partitions from there.

 

[dr.zeissler]

The limit is 4x32MB ? bity bye could be my main controlling hub?
To boot that partition I would need what files beside bitsy bye?
I was thinking about:

IIgs work-partition: GS-OS? graphic/office/audio/etc.
IIgs game/demo partition gamescompelation already configured solution
load the rest from 3,5"

II work partition: GEM?, graphic/office/audio/etc.
II game/demo partition: totalreplay or another already configured solution
load the rest from 5,25"

...that is what I had in mind...

I think I would start from scratch with a fresh CF-card.