One wish I have is for ZXHawk to implement support for Sinclair Interface 2 (IF2) ROM cartridges. There were only 10 commercial releases in this format:Prototype cartridges, third party conversions of various tape games, and unofficial cartridge hardware (>16KB ROMs) exist, but support (and movie publications) for these would be a low priority. There is a homebrew game called Mag the Magician which has a cartridge release. Various utilities like system test ROMs, ZX80/81 emulators (128K units only), and a bugfixed 48K system ROM also exist. The interface works by disabling the system ROM at $0000~$3FFF (ties /ROMCS to 5V) and mapping the cartridge ROM in its place. Details can be found at http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/Interface2/Interface/Interface2_Circuitry.htm. See Fuse for an emulator which implements IF2 ROM support. Note that the interface (including its joystick ports) does not work on +2A/+3 units due to incompatible pinouts. That behaviour should be emulated. Advantages in terms of TASing:
- Jetpac
- PSSST
- Cookie
- Tranz Am
- Chess
- Backgammon
- Hungry Horace
- Horace and the Spiders
- Planetoids
- Space Raiders
Disadvantages in terms of TASing:
- No tape loading is required, so movie times will better reflect actual gameplay
- Game selection has good quality (PSION, Ultimate)
If IF2 ROM cartridge support is not being considered, then one can just treat this post as a wishlist for the games mentioned here.
- Limited game selection
- All commercial releases had tape versions (and the load times are already fairly short due to them targeting 16K units)
- Limited unit selection due to +2A/+3 incompatibility
- Only permitted joystick type is Sinclair, otherwise keyboard controls will need to be used