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:
- Jetpac
- PSSST
- Cookie
- Tranz Am
- Chess
- Backgammon
- Hungry Horace
- Horace and the Spiders
- Planetoids
- Space Raiders
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:
- No tape loading is required, so movie times will better reflect actual gameplay
- Game selection has good quality (PSION, Ultimate)
Disadvantages in terms of TASing:
- 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
If IF2 ROM cartridge support is not being considered, then one can just treat this post as a wishlist for the games mentioned here.
