Running cas images

Cas images contains all the data of games on cassette. The files have the extension .cas

You can run these games by using five different procedures in blueMSX, choose the procedure that you prefer !

The 3 first procedures require that the blueMSX window is already on your PC; with the 5th procedure , you can directly double click on a cas image, but you must first register some files types with blueMSX by using the menu Options / Settings / Windows Environment

If you have already used cas images with blueMSX, the emulator keep them in his memory (by default : maximum 10), you can see the names of these images in the menu and make also your choice directly among these images !

In all cases, a tape need a little help from the user to start : when you come in MSX-BASIC, you must use one of these commands and press on RETURN (the ENTER key of your PC) :

- RUN"CAS:" - LOAD"CAS:",R - BLOAD"CAS:",R

 

First procedure : use of the menu

- start blueMSX by double clicking on the blueMSX icon or his shortcut
- click on File / Cassette / Insert
- this choice calls the Window Explorer, it allows to select a cas image
- when this choice is done, press on F9 (= Run) or on F12 (= Reset) to access to MSX-BASIC in the last selected machine

Second procedure : use of the toolbar

- start blueMSX by double clicking on the blueMSX icon or his shortcut
- click on the 7th icon of the toolbar (Insert Tape in Cassette Player)
- this choice calls the Window Explorer, it allows to select a cas image
- when this choice is done, press on F9 (= Run) or on F12 (= Reset) to access to MSX-BASIC in the last selected machine

Third procedure : use of the hotkey

- start blueMSX by double clicking on the blueMSX icon or his shortcut
- press at the same time on the keys CTRL + F11
- this choice calls the Window Explorer, it allows to select a cas image
- when this choice is done, press on F9 (= Run) or on F12 (= Reset) to access to MSX-BASIC in the last selected machine

Fourth procedure : drag and drop

- use the mouse to drag and drop a cas image on the blueMSX icon
- the emulator goes to MSX-BASIC in the last selected machine and rewinds automatically the tape (even if you have desactivated the option Rewind After Insert in the File / Cassette menu)

Remark : you can also start first blueMSX, then drag and drop the cas image in the blueMSX window, but in this case, the tape won't be rewound automatically if you have desactivated the option Rewind After Insert in the File / Cassette menu

Fifth procedure : double click

This procedure is only available if you have registered some files types with blueMSX by using the menu Options / Settings / Windows Environment

- simply double click on a cas image
- the emulator goes to MSX-BASIC in the last selected machine and rewinds automatically the tape (even if you have desactivated the option Rewind After Insert in the File / Cassette menu)

Questions and answers

Can I also run zipped cas games ?
Yes, but the fifth procedure (double click) is not available for zipped cas games

- if only one cas game is in the zip file, it is loaded directly
- if there are many cas games in the zip file , a dialog where you have to select which cas game to load from the zip file is shown

Can I also use cas files in writing mode ?
Yes, blueMSX includes a unique feature that makes it possible : blueDECK with choice between 2 different formats and an intern reminder of the tape position !

How to avoid that blueMSX rewinds automatically the tape ?
- Desactivate the option Rewind After Insert in the File / Cassette menu
- Choose procedure 1, 2 or 3

It doesn't work ! What must I do ?
- Don't forget that a tape must be runned manually by using one of the following instructions in MSX-BASIC and pressing on RETURN (the ENTER key of your PC) :

- RUN"CAS:" - LOAD"CAS:",R - BLOAD"CAS:",R

- If you have desactivated the option Rewind After Insert, you must rewind the tape youself by using the option Rewind in the File / Cassette menu or by using the hotkey CTRL+SHIFT+F11

- Most of the tape games were optimised for the VDP of the MSX1 and you are running a MSX2 machine or higher : choose a MSX1 machine in the menu Options / Emulation or in the menu Tools / Machine Editor, and try again to start the game

- If the emulator seems to be blocked, try always to press on F12 (= Reset) to start again the emulator and the game

- Some games require more free memory to run : press on F12 (= Reset), then press on Left Ctrl or on Left Shift during the boot sequence, until you hear a beep (it will desactivate the second drive or both drives)

- Some games require to use the Set Position menu (example for the game Batman : select in the Set Position menu the filename "batman", click on "Ok", then use run"CAS:" in MSX-BASIC and it will work !)

- Some games or demos don't work at all or have different problems : it can be a bug in the VDP emulation, the Z80 emulation or the cassette support; please report the problem on the blueMSX forum, we will try to fix it !