C64 tape formats

Can be found on... Ace of Aces Bounder Express Raider Way of the Tiger Xevious ... ---------- Threshold = $168 (360) clock cycles (TAP byte= $2C). Bit 0 : $22 Bit 1 : $47 Endianess : MSbF Pilot : $80 (usually *256) Sync : $FF Then... 2 bytes : Start Address (LSBF) 2 bytes : End Address (LSBF) 16 bytes : Filename n bytes : Data 1 byte : Checksum (0 XOR all data bytes)

Action Replay cartridge loader ================= info by Fabrizio Gennari <fabrizio.ge@tiscalinet.it> Used by the Action Replay cartridge to save freezed games. Encoding : In the pilot tone, sync sequence and first bytes of header, pulses are like this: Threshold : $1D0 (464) clock cycles Bit 0 : TAP byte $23 Bit 1 : TAP byte $53 Data Endianess : LEAST Significant bit First Lead-In : a stream of 1's, typically about 2048 of them, followed by a single 0 bit Sync sequence: $52, $42 Structure: 00-01 Complement of length of data (High, Low byte) 02-03 Start Address of data (High, Low byte) 04 Checksum (XOR of all data bytes) 05 disc...

Found on... Skramble Attack of the Mutant Camels Revenge of the Mutant Camels Cybotron Zodiac ... Formatting is very similar to 'Turbotape 250', but does not use header files or (unfortunately) checksums. ----------------- Threshold = $107 (263) clock cycles (TAP byte = $20). Bit 0 : $19 Bit 1 : $28 Endianess : MSbF Pilot byte : $02 (*247) Sync : $09 down to $01 (Note: Pilot + Sync sequence = 256 bytes.) Then... 1 byte : $01 (if $00 loader re-seeks Pilot and Sync train). 2 bytes : Load address (LSBF) 2 bytes : End address (LSBF). n bytes : Data Notes : This is the same turbotape format used (partially) on 'Zoids' loader. T...

Used on... Superkid In Space (Atlantis 1991) Cavemania (Atlantis 1991) Hobgoblins (Atlantis 1991) Moon Torc (Atlantis 1991) Spooky (Atlantis 1990) Superkid (Atlantis 1990) ------------- Bit 0 = $1D Bit 1 = $42 Threshold = $2F ($180 clock cycles) Endianess = LSbF Pilot : $02 (*256) Sync : $52,$42 Then... 1 byte : always $03 (ignored) 1 byte : always $6F (ignored) 2 bytes : End Address (MSBF) 2 bytes : Load Address (MSBF) n bytes : Data. 1 byte : Checkbyte (0 XOR all data bytes). 1 byte : $00 (required). Note : End Address is +1 (not written to).

Can be found on... Exile Loopz World Cup Rugby Impact Emlyn Hughes Soccer ------------- Threshold : $013F (319) clock cycles (TAP byte $27). Bit 0 : $1A Bit 1 : $36 Endianess : MSbF Pilot byte : $F0 (*4) Sync byte : $AA Then... 1 byte : Load Address MSB (low byte is always 00) 256 bytes : Data 1 byte : Checksum (0 XOR all data bytes) Notes : the files are typically chained one after another, each has pilot and sync but there is no pause between files of any single chain. Tapes may contain several chains. The following file load addresses have special meaning to the loader... 0000 - loading stops after file is loaded and code is executed. ...

BITURBO BY SC 85 Threshold: $0107 clock cycles (TAP value: $21) Bit 0 pulse: $1B Bit 1 pulse: $27 Endianess: MSbF Pilot byte: $02 (x496) Sync sequence: $10, $0F, ... $01 1 byte: ignored Hardcoded inside CBM Header block: $0305: Load address (LSB) $0317: Load address (MSB) $0313: End address (LSB) $030C: End address (MSB) Data 1 byte: XOR checksum Trailer: bit 0 pulses (x2040 about)

Can be found on... Bubble Bobble Druid Gunstar Headbanger IO Park Patrol Sentinel Thrust Warhawk etc.. Note : Most Bleepload tapes contain Bleepload AND Bleepload Special! ----------------- Threshold = $232 (562) clock cycles (TAP byte $45). Bit 0 : $2F Bit 1 : $5A Endianess : MSbF Data is structured from sub-blocks, all consecutively numbered and there SHOULD be a short pause in between, on many taps i looked at these pauses are often corrupted or too small to register as a proper pause (20,000 cycles) which causes the 1st byte of the following blocks pilot to be corrupted. Each sub-block has the following structure... Pilot : pb (initia...

Can be found on... Ankh Boulderdash Chiller Cowboy Kidz Hyperbiker Magic Carpet Shadowfire Spectipede Spy vs Spy Star Race Geoff Capes Hades Nebula Mama Llama Enigma Force Nemesis etc... ------------- Threshold = $0180 (384) clock cycles (TAP byte = $2F). Bit 0 : $22 Bit 1 : $42 Endianess : Varies per tape. Pilot Byte : Varies per tape. (*95). Sync Byte : Varies per tape. Then... 2 bytes : Start address (LSBF) 2 bytes : End address (LSBF) n bytes : Data ------------- Notes: The loader code itself is stored XOR enciphered in the CBM boot files, the XOR cipher value is $59. To find what values the loader is using for Pilot,Sync and Endianes...

Can be found... EVERYWHERE!...The only tape loader available on a freshly booted C64 is this one, In order for cassette software to load into the C64 there *must* be files of this format on the tape, if only at the beginning (typically containing an alternative 'turbotape' loader). The loader is unpopular because it is PAINFULLY slow due to the fact that all files are written out twice and each encoded byte requires 20 pulses!. However, there DO exist a few commercial games (not many) written out using ONLY this format, they include... Laser Zone, Burger Time, Gridrunner, Matrix, Caverns of Khafka and H.E.R.O. -------------- 3 dif...

"CHR loader" is the name I recently began using for this loader/format in preference to the previous names of "Cauldron", "Hewson" and "Rainbird" loaders, my reasoning for this is simply that the 3 loaders are identical apart from the pulsewidth thresholds they each use and this is set by just ONE byte in the CBM header (at offset $19) for each loader. In 'Final TAP' they will from now on be referred to as CHR loader T1, CHR loader T2 and CHR loader T3, where Tn is ordered by threshold. ------------ CHR loader T1 (Previously known as CAULDRON LOADER and also KETTLE LOADER) ------------ Threshold : $0107 (263) clock cycles (TAP...