Amiga: WHD -> Savegame write-back to ZIP?

[Wulfman]

Hello,

I just saw that Recalbox/Amiberry unfortunately does not save back savegames/highscores to the WHDL-ZIP-File.

Instead, changed files of the WHDL end up in share\saves\amiga1200\whdl\whdloadgame\ ... here I see 2 problems:

1. What happens if two games use the same "savefile"?
2. I would like to play the game on my PC or at a friend's house - with the save file - so I have to find the save file manually (if you have played a lot .....) and then put it into the ZIP. A bit awkward.

Is there a way to write the file directly back into the ZIP (LHA)?

This worked quite well with the Amiga integration of voljega a few years ago. However, there was no WHDL ZIP but WHDL folders (which no longer work...).

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Zing]

@wulfman No SPAM please:

• https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/25077/amiga-joystick-dragonrise-immer-wieder-neu-einstellen
• https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/25086/amiga-uae-genert-2-eintrag-whdl-wird-ignoriert
• https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/25079/amiga-kein-speichern-des-spielstandes-in-whd-zip/4

All the threads you opened are about AMIGA, so you basically have 1 main problem, don't pollute the forum by opening multiple threads ...
I'm going to lock this topic and centralize the conversation in this thread just because it's most consistent.

Have you read the documentation?
https://recalbox.gitbook.io/documentation/v/francais/emulateurs/ordinosaures/amiga-600/amiberry

Have you checked your BIOS?

See if this helps:
https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/24762/amigalère

[Wulfman]

Da ich im DEUTSCHEN Forum gefragt habe, im Englischen mit Französischen Threads beworfen werden .... ENG-Translation followed

Wo handelt es sich um EIN Problem?

1. Joystick wird nicht sauber eingestellt und muss manuell ständig korrigiert werden
2. .WHDL-Datei wird ignoriert (die ist aber wichtig -> daher ist das ein BUG)
3. Kein Write-Back der Speicherstände ins ZIP

=> 3 sehr unterschiedliche Probleme.

Keiner deiner Links hilft hier weiter - sorry! Alle Off-Topic!

https://recalbox.gitbook.io/documentation/v/francais/emulateurs/ordinosaures/amiga-600/amiberry
Natürlich hab ich die gelesen! Natürlich hab ich die Kickstarts. Amiga-Spiele starten - wie soll das ohne Kickstart gehen?

WHD (dossiers, *.lha/lzh/lzx, *.zip), <- darum geht es indirekt in Thread 3: Verzeichnisse funktionieren NICHT
Modification de la séquence de démarrage (experts seulement) <- das funktioniert eben nicht - daher der Beitrag.
Ich hatte das ganze damals mit @voljega ausgetüfelt wie man den Amiga in Recalbox reinbekommt ... Da kamen dann auch die Probleme mit History Line und Settlers raus!

https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/24762/amigalère
Verstehe den Thread nicht - hast du das auch auf Englisch? Aber laut Google Translate geht es wieder um ein anderes Thema: WHDL-Spiele starten nicht - das Problem habe ich nicht. Ich habe das Problem das WHDL-Games kein Write-Back des Savegames ins ZIP machen. Völlig anderes Thema.

Ist @voljega nicht mehr aktiv hier? Der könnte helfen! Oder ist der auch zu B... abgewandert - bekomme, selbst hier, ständig wenn ich Recalbox erwähne, gesagt: nimm B...

###########

Since I asked in the GERMAN forum, being pelted with French threads in English .... ENG-Translation followed

Where is this ONE problem?

1. Joystick is not adjusted properly and has to be corrected manually all the time.
2. .WHDL file is ignored (but it is important -> therefore this is a BUG)
3. No write-back of the memory states into the ZIP.

=> 3 very different problems.

None of your links help here - sorry! Off-Topic!

https://recalbox.gitbook.io/documentation/v/francais/emulateurs/ordinosaures/amiga-600/amiberry
Of course I have the Kickstarts. Starting Amiga games - how can that be done without Kickstart?

WHD (dossiers, *.lha/lzh/lzx, *.zip), <- this is indirectly what thread 3 is about: directories do NOT work
Modification de la séquence de démarrage (experts seulement) <- that just doesn't work - hence the post.
At that time I had worked out with @voljega how to get the Amiga into Recalbox ... That's when the problems with History Line and Settlers came out!

https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/24762/amigalère
Don't understand the thread - do you have it in English? But according to Google Translate it's about another topic: WHDL games don't start - I don't have that problem. I have the problem that WHDL games do not make a write-back of the savegame into the ZIP. Completely different topic.

Is @voljega no longer active here? He could help! Or has he also migrated to B... - even here, whenever I mention Recalbox, I get told: use B...

[Wulfman]

@zing
It would be nice if you would reopen the posts - as I said it is not ONE problem - but 3

https://forum.recalbox.com/topic/25079/amiga-kein-speichern-des-spielstandes-in-whd-zip/4 you can refer to THIS one - as this is the English version of the post ...

Thank you very much

[Wulfman]

Write-Back is not provided. I have just looked at the config files ... negative ...

Back in the days when the Amiga was not yet officially supported, this was included in the configgen:

    # ------------ detect changes in remaining games files for backuping saves ------------
    print("Backup changed files from %s to %s" %(mountPointWHDL,os.path.join(romFolder,gameName)))
    backupDir(mountPointWHDL,os.path.join(romFolder,gameName))

Something similar is missing. Unfortunately.

The question would be how to get the highscore or savegame file INTO the .LHA file. Probably something would have to be adjusted in amiberryWHDConfig.py. It would have to be checked whether a file has changed (this is stored temporarily in /tmp/amiga/whdboot/save-data/Savegames/whdloadgame/).
a) The extension must recognise if a file is contained.
b) move this file into the LHA at the same place
c) to be on the safe side, make sure that there is nothing in /tmp/.../whdloadgame/ - but also in the savegame directory under /share/ ... otherwise there could be conflicts. Unfortunately I don't know how to write something in an LHA - especially it has to be in the right place. I can create the LHA so that it has a subdirectory or not - but that should not matter to the script/command...

Creative ideas?

Probably this is even a bug - a write-back is actually provided by WHDLoad - if I have understood correctly so far - the emulator must only be closed CORRECTLY (correct exit command: ExecuteCleanup=C:UAEquit ...). but unfortunately that doesn't work either )

[Bkg2k]

@wulfman We cannot write-back in the .lha. Modifying the original archive is not what we want. As for any other system, saves should be saved in share/saves/amiga1200 (or amiga600). Some people use read-only rom folders (network shares for example) and the only safe and appropriate place for saves is the share/saves folder.

This is what happens because the save folder in /tmp is a symbolic link that actually points to share/saves/...
I just checked the content of the save folder and it seems ok.

However, as we are moving to Amiberry 4.1.5, I'll check that this is still working.

[Wulfman]

@bkg2k

still not a good solution ... what happens if 2 games have the same file name for the save? ALL savegames are saved in the same directory \saves\amiga1200\whdl\whdloadgame\ - without subdirectories. I have seen this with bubblebobble and wings (same directory).

You yourself mention the topic of network sharing ... That's exactly what I use when I have different systems to play my games. That's why this is my next topic - migration from SD->Networkshare. A WinUAE or a fs_uae under Linux have no chance to enjoy savegames etc. here. What I play in the Recalbox stays in the Recalbox ... great What else do I use a network share for ... flexibility

But you could check in the script whether the .lha is writable - if not -> savegame directory. If writable -> into the .lha. Or use the option in the settings "Save in .lha or savegames".

But if this doesn't get into Recalbox (I assume...), I would like to build it in - and maybe one or the other is also interested in more flexible Amiga games ;). The question would therefore be how I can realise the whole thing myself. Somewhere in the configgen files for Amiberry it must be possible to build it in. Unfortunately, I haven't quite understood the system yet - I'm still puzzling

And yes - the problem actually continues with other Recalbox systems - I play on Recalbox 1 - use a network drive - bad luck if I want to continue playing something under Windows ... Actually, the highscore/savegame file belongs at least in the same directory as the actual game (with Arcade it does not go into the same ROM because of the checksum which is then broken). In my opinion, this is a design error that ties you extremely to a system ...

[Bkg2k]

@wulfman Amiberry saves files in diffferent subfolders.

# ls /tmp/amiga/whdboot/save-data/Savegames/
BodyBlows/       DeluxeGalaga/    Exile/           PrehistoricTale/ StarCrusader/

That is, two games cannot overwrite each other.

But I still have to check how the v4.1.5 manages WHDL saves