MrSmiley381 wrote:

Is there any real reason to use a VGA card with a Tandy 1000 TL? I know it's possible to switch between the built-in video and the VGA card pretty easily. I'm just wondering if there are any games that would really run well in VGA mode.

For me, it's less about VGA and more about getting that compatibility for EGA-only games, like the Apogee titles.

I'm favoring the DR-DOS 6.0 + GeoWorks Pro combination on my RL at present. One huge plus over the Windows 3.0 setup is that the "PS/2" mouse port is supported, freeing-up the single serial port for dedicated, switchless MIDI duties.

Admittedly, getting PIF-like functionality out of GeoManager, in lieu of using the DOS Programs launcher, is absolute tedium...

There are no 16color drivers for Geoworks...this is misleading. It's because you put a vga-card in it.
For me diskspace is essentiell so it will always be the XT-IDE because 20MB are not enough for me and I will not change the hardware (LPT port)

Is there any other gui that supports tandy hires 640x200 with 16colors?

What are the best games where the tandy-mode really shines?

dr.zeissler wrote:

There are no 16color drivers for Geoworks...this is misleading. It's because you put a vga-card in it.

I've mentioned a number of times in this thread that I'm currently using a VGA card. Just to be absolutely clear though - I'm running a VGA card in my RL. 😀

To be clear about that, you also modified LPT in order to get the ZIP/JAZZ working.
I am 100% in the tandy compatible chips like LGR on his T1000RL/HD.
I am trying to get the most out of that config. 😀

...but great that a VGA card works too...

dr.zeissler wrote:

To be clear about that, you also modified LPT in order to get the ZIP/JAZZ working.

I added the jumper that allows the Select status line to be used, making the parallel port compatible with Shuttle-based parallel-to-SCSI adapters. I don't know that this can be considered a modification, as it's a part of the motherboard design - Tandy simply opted not to install the jumper themselves.

I am 100% in the tandy compatible chips like LGR on his T1000RL/HD.
I am trying to get the most out of that config. 😀

Nothing wrong with that. I have a serial MIDI adapter with your name on it, if you're interested. 😀

...but great that a VGA card works too...

There's a lot of VGA/EGA-only software that the RL does quite well with. Two of the better examples are Dune and Legend of Kyrandia - both of which are completely playable (and completable) on the RL, and with full MIDI music to boot.

Any idea what mouse-driver works in win30 with the original tandy-mouse?
in dos the mouse-driver that comes with tandy-dos 3.3 works, but cutemouse also works.
In Win30 none of the original mouse-drivers work.

Win30 only supports regualr cga hires with two colors 🙁
...but I will test this https://github.com/roybaer/tandy13h with the MCGA-driver.

dr.zeissler wrote:

Win30 only supports regualr cga hires with two colors 🙁
...but I will test this https://github.com/roybaer/tandy13h with the MCGA-driver.

Keep in mind that the current version of tandy13h still lacks proper mode exiting code.
I have been able to add that to the Planet X3 code base, though, and it should be possible to transplant that back.

If you are really lucky, you might be able to track down a Windows 3.0 DDK, somewhere.
The graphics mode itself is not that complicated.

bjt wrote:

I put together a patch for Alley Cat that enables 3-voice sound and custom colours on Tandy, just like the PCjr version. The cus […]
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I put together a patch for Alley Cat that enables 3-voice sound and custom colours on Tandy, just like the PCjr version.
The custom colours should work on EGA & VGA too.

https://github.com/bjt42/tandycat

Here's a video of it in action on my TL/2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIGycFyjGPQ

I played that a view minutes ago and that is really fun to play with a tandy and a joystick! Thx!

Any Idea about the mouse-driver for win1x-2x-3x that works with the tandy mouse.
gem1x does work with the mousedriver from tandy-dos 3.3.

dr.zeissler wrote:

Any idea what mouse-driver works in win30 with the original tandy-mouse?

I'd asked about this on the VCFed forum a few months back, but have yet to come across a working solution for using the PS/2 mouse port in Windows 3.0.

Thx. 🙁

@Cloudschatze where did you get the Game-Icons for Geoworks from and what Version are you using ?
Even if I do not put a VGA in my T1000 I still have an Amiga Bridgeboard with 286/8 an VGA in it 😀
QMIII should also have Game-Icons but I do not use it at the moment. I am more in starting VC and browsing through the trees 😀

dr.zeissler wrote:

@Cloudschatze where did you get the Game-Icons for Geoworks from and what Version are you using ?
Even if I do not put a VGA in my T1000 I still have an Amiga Bridgeboard with 286/8 an VGA in it :)

I'm running GeoWorks Pro (1.2.8) on the RL. I did try GeoWorks Ensemble 2.0, but found the performance lacking compared to the earlier version. I imagine 2.0 would run well enough on your Amiga setup though.

The Sierra icons were pulled from the respective collection/anthology discs. The process for importing and using icons within GeoWorks is cumbersome, but I can share the originals, as well as the "converted" GeoWorks versions, if ever you're interested.

Here's the current desktop:

GeoWorks' "DOS Programs" launcher has a number of built-in icons that make it a fairly pleasant front-end, if you're interested in that sort of functionality (GeoWorks can start-up in this mode, if desired). The biggest limitation with this is the unbelievable inability to sort or re-arrange the buttons.

Thx, I am interested in the icons 😀
QM3 has glitches on my VGA-Card (ET4000) in EGA it's OK.

dr.zeissler wrote:

What are the best games where the tandy-mode really shines?

I've been trying to answer this question as well. As some others have probably done, my first thought was to check Nerdly Pleasures. Great Hierophant posted a bit here about games that were originally built for the Tandy 1000 as the top of the line system for the game at the time. He doesn't consider ports from stuff like the Commodore 64 as Tandy 1000 originals. Key titles mentioned include King's Quest I and II and some early LucasArts games. Sim City will have digital sound effects on a TL/SL/RL I believe as well. The first few SSI Gold Box games also have the best sound support available on a Tandy 1000.

His other post here mentions games that have enhanced sound/graphics on a PCjr but not a Tandy. I bet with some clever hackery some of these games could receive a Tandy 1000 port like Alley Cat.

A lot of games that support Tandy also support EGA or VGA.

Another absurd question for the more hacker-friendly types; does anyone know of a good source of a 3 or 4 port ISA riser? I'm considering replacing the scary rusty PSU in my TL with a Pico PSU and then using a riser in slot five for stuff like the hard drive, EMS, UMB, and a serial/parallel port adapter. Closes I found was two slots here. I'm just brainstorming at this point.

Are these games archived somewhere? It's really hard to find them...I found the tandy-version of F-16 Falcon and it's great. It's a real standalone version with sperate files for the tandy. (not only the executable is tandy). Because there is limited space either on hdd or floppy I always try to seperate the versions, which means keeping only the necessary files for that machine. MDA/CGA for the EuroPC (Schneider), Tandy-Files for the Tandy1000 (or CGA/MDA as fallback and deleting ega/vga content) etc...

Potato-cam show-off video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zocVXdvHZkA&t=501s

What software do you use for the serial routing to the mt32?