================================================= ------------------------------------------------- License and introduction for P C V I C - Vic-20 emulator for IBM compatibles Version 1.14/Mark 32C, 20 Apr 1997 Copyright (C) 1996,1997 B.W. van Schooten ------------------------------------------------- ================================================= LICENSE AGREEMENT By using this software, you acknowledge acceptance of the agreement and disclaimer as listed below. Agreement: This software is distributed as Freeware. It may be freely used and distributed as long as the original files README.1ST (this file), PCVIC.COM, PCVIC.DOC and TESTED.DOC are included in their original form. This package may not be modified, or sold for profit, although a small fee may be assessed for the media used for copying the software. Disclaimer: This program and documentation is provided 'as is' and without any warranty, not even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. In no event will the author be liable for any damage or loss caused by use of this program or documentation. GETTING STARTED The files --------- 'PCVIC.COM' - The emulator 'README.1ST' - This file 'PCVIC.DOC' - Full documentation 'TESTED.DOC' - A list of tested programs and problems found with them 'LOADER.BIN' - Small Vic-BASIC program useful for loading certain games You will also need the Vic-20 ROM images. These are probably still copyrighted by Commodore, and are therefore not included in this package. The images should have the following names: 'KERNEL.ROM' - 8K Vic-20 Kernel, Revision 6 or 7 'BASIC.ROM' - 8K Vic-20 BASIC ROM 'CHAR.ROM' - 4K Character ROM At the time of writing, these could be downloaded, using anonymous FTP, from: ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/firmware/vic20/ (Kernel and BASIC ROM) ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/firmware/characters/ (character ROM) Synopsis -------- PCVIC [vic20 image filename] Note that PCVIC will start up the very first time with sound set to OFF. This is to ensure compatibility with most systems. To configure your sound, press [ESC] then [S] to enter the sound menu. Emulator keys ------------- When within the Vic-20: ESC - Freeze emulation and go to the emulator main menu. When within the main menu: press [Q] to quit Press [ESC] again to go back to the Vic-20. F4 - Hurry up: Speeds up emulation F6 - Freeze screen parameters (this is for games which suffer from blinking/flickering screen update in the emulator). F8 - Show keyboard layout (SHIFT) F9/F10 - Horizontal/Vertical screen panning (active in full-screen mode only) The joystick is emulated using the PC's cursor keys and numeric keypad. The numeric 0, INSERT, or right ALT can be used as the fire button. Paddles are emulated using the mouse (any mouse driver will do). Horizontal mouse movement maps to turning the first paddle, vertical movement to turning the second paddle and the mouse buttons to the two paddle fire buttons. The light pen is emulated using the mouse. The left mouse button is the 'fire' button. Running programs ---------------- You can use the command line parameter but you can also load a program from within the emulator: Once inside the Vic-20, strike [ESC], [I], [A] to load a program. 8K or less ROMs --------------- These should have the extension '.ROM' The ROM will usually boot up automatically. 16K or more ROMs ---------------- These are typically split into two files which have the same name but different extensions, typically '.20' and '.A0', or '.60' and '.A0' Loading one part will trigger PCVIC to load all other parts automatically. The ROM will then usually boot up automatically. Other (RAM) programs -------------------- After the program has loaded, the Vic-20 will boot into BASIC. The following actions will then usually run the program: 1.Undelete the program (strike [ESC] then [U]) (make sure BASIC has booted first) 2.Enter RUN as a BASIC command. Problems -------- Not all programs are as easy to run as this. There are for example multipart RAM programs and non-autoboot ROM programs. PCVIC.DOC includes instructions on how to run these, and a full explanation of the other features. TESTED.DOC contains a list of tested programs with a report of their known problems, and some specific how-to-run instructions. Contacting the author --------------------- If you have a bug report or if your favourite Vic-20 game keeps crashing, you can contact me at the address below. Any helpful comments or suggestions are appreciated. vicman@dds.nl Do make sure you have the most recent version of the emulator before reporting any problems. It should be available at some SimtelNet sites, for example ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/ or, even better, at the PCVIC homepage. The homepage has moved to: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/3583/ Don't forget the caps! The server appears to be partially case-sensitive. SunOS (version unknown) users should try instead: http://192.216.191.21/TimesSquare/Alley/3583/ This is to circumvent a bug in SunOS that causes just about any Web browser (except Lynx, I have found) to crash on Geocities pages. Type it in exactly as it says here. Don't you even forget the trailing slash, otherwise the server will reparse and be recontacted, this time with the fatal 'www.geocities.com' URL.