Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!ukma!risner From: risner@ms.uky.edu (Shad Fax) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Ultima V, Dos 3.3 RWTS, and Vulcan 40 meger. Keywords: Ultima RWTS DOS 3.3 Vulcan Message-ID: Date: 26 May 90 14:14:47 GMT Distribution: comp Organization: U of Ky, Math. Sciences, Lexington KY Lines: 61 Okay, about a year ago and again around a month ago i posted about putting the 8 sides of ultima V on a hard disk. I have since started this project myself. I have the complete reader/writer that uses direct calls to the hd's card to read/write blocks. It takes up 242 bytes plus the translation from the dos 3.3 style table to the 6 bytes used by the hd card's driver. I have several problems. #1) I live in Kentucky. (Lexington to be exact.) In the whole state of Kentucky there is only ONE Walden Software store, and they don't carry any Apple II books (only Mac.) I have been to the 3 other books stores in town and none of them have Beneath Apple DOS 3.3. I have B. A. ProDos. #2) Dos 3.3 is dead. No one local can help me. Ultima V uses a DOS call DINKEYDOS. It takes up less than $1200 (4608) bytes (wonder how it got its name?) It reads and writes PRODOS look alike disks. Sends the RWTS blocks and all. From what I remember of Dos 3.3 you would load the A & Y regs with the address ${BD}EA the {}'s means I forgot the first part ;-). And calls ${BE}EA. At ${BD}EA is a table of parms. I would like to share the project with someone else with a legal copy of the game with a little experience with Dos 3.3 RWTS. #3) What goes on before a boot? I am having trouble making a sys file to boot this game. Are there some special things done before calling $801 (with track 0 sec 0 loaded in $800 and x=slot*16?) I have the reader and a 2240 block file on my HD that the reader indexes into to read/write to the proper disk. I have the sys boot file that goes with the data file to start the game. Need more info how to "fake" a boot. I also have a prog to read the disks and dump the images to a ProDos file. My main prob is the dos 3.3 RWTS and what each byte is the little device table means. I need to know how it specifies read/write/format, etc. I think it is ${BD}77. All ultima V owners. If you would like a copy of the sources to make these changes (when they are working of course) write me. If you would like to HELP me write me. If you have the Beagle Bros Peeks and Pokes chart (I lost mine and I believe it had all the info I needed) write me, or if hip on the internal specs of dos 3.3 please write me because I'm far from a pro with 3.3. I have only used 3.3 for about a total of one year before the switch to ProDos. Sorry for the long post, but this game is too good of a game and too many disk swaps. P.S. I HAVE already called Origin Systems and they told me that they have NO intention of making a fully ProDos compatible version. James Risner -- risner@ms.uky.edu "Here, take this quarter and go downstairs to have a rat GNAW that thing off your face." - John Candy