[release] alternative ED64 Menu

[saturnu]

alt64_gs_cover_beta.7z

new: press C-Left for an infoscreen with a gamecover

edit: im not sure if i can  provide the menu in a bundle with all the covers here
i think i have to split it and provide an option to add them by your own :/

[Kerr Avon]

alt64_gs_cover_beta.7z

new: press C-Left for an infoscreen with a gamecover

Thanks (though I still can't try it - still, it's nearly the weekend  )

Have you made any progress with the sram/flashram bugs yet?

edit: im not sure if i can  provide the menu in a bundle with all the covers here
i think i have to split it and provide an option to add them by your own :/

Yes, I think a seperate download for the covers (and maybe screenshots?) would be better, as once that file(s) is uploaded, you won't need to update it again, whenever you update your OS download.


Edit: I've just tried to download it (to see the cover art provided), and it seems that the filename is simply pure text, not a link to the file at all.

[saturnu]

with "im not sure if i can  provide", i mean, i am not sure if i am allowed to provide. (copyright)
i think i am going to provide a script that will setup the the directorys, if you could finde the
required cover collection by your own. ^^

[Kerr Avon]

with "im not sure if i can  provide", i mean, i am not sure if i am allowed to provide. (copyright)
i think i am going to provide a script that will setup the the directorys, if you could finde the
required cover collection by your own. ^^

Sorry, my misunderstanding. I'm not sure that anyone would come down on you if you did make only the box art (and/or screenshots) available, but maybe it is best to play it safe. If you just listed the specifications of the files needed (the naming structure of the files, and their resolutions, etc) then I'd imagine someone would put together a package on a file hosting site, and you'd be legally in the clear as you weren't providing them yourself.

I've never heard of a company prohibiting the distributing of jpeg files of the box images from a retro console (or a retro computer), but if any company is going to do it, it might well be Nintendo...

[saturnu]

Filebrowser:


Rominfo screen:


Mempak Menu:


Loading with Cheats:



new:
- png wallpaper
- gameshark
- cover support (covers not included, see readme)

png loading is a bit slow, maybe it's faster if they are converted in sprites.
but png is a bit more userfriendly

[dvd2vcd]

holy crap! what a update! gameshark!  BOXART IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!
i gotta say saturnu you know your stuff, congrats on this epic project

question.....would the boxart from chilly willys myth menu be compatible with this?

[saturnu]

I first wanted to use them but they are only 16bit and a bit small in size and i can't load them up in my 32 bit display context. ^^
If you read the readme.txt, it should only take a few minutes to get the covers and to rename/resize them. :>

[dvd2vcd]

excellent your contribution to ED64 is absolutely fantastic!

[saturnu]

the menu is running at 320x240 32bit atm and it could be increased up to 640x480.
but if you do that, you will have to rearrange the size and coords of the boxes, wallpapers, fonts etc..
the loading speed will go down, so you may have to convert the images into sprites first instead pngs for faster/direct loading.
another way to increase loading speed, would be to put the images into the rom-filesystem instead of the sd-card.
i just didn't experiment much with the boxart, the menu is more a big playground for me to try out some stuff. ^^

[Kerr Avon]

I thought I'd posted here (either I didn't click "Post", or I'm going senile?).

Anyway, I tried the Gameshark support with three games, and two of them didn't work. The third might have worked, but I'm not sure.


The games are:

Perfect Dark (E)

I tried using the following, which allows you to toggle on and off (via Left Shoulder Button and D-Pad Down) the Combat Boost at any time

D109A040 0020
8009A977 0001
D109A040 0020
8109A96E 01F4

The N64 just locks up on the screen where your OS says it's loading the game (the screen doesn't change from your loading message).




Duke Nukem: Zero Hour (E)

I tried using the invincibility code (from http://www.kai666.com/games/duke_nuke_zero.htm)

800DF203 0001 Enable Invincible mode

But the game loads, then stops with "The Game is Not Designed for this System."



Duke Nukem 64 (E)

I tried the following, to enable the in-game cheat menu (http://www.kai666.com/games/duke_nuke_64.htm)

50000504 0000 Enable Cheat Menu
80101308 0001

and it might have worked, I don't know, as it did enable the menu, but didn't allow me to select anything from the menu.

All of the games, and my N64, are PAL, and the n64has a 4MB expansion pak attached. Regarding your OS's menu, why does it flash every time the selection bar is moved up or down? And whey you view the 'About' page, how do you get back to the main menu, please?

[saturnu]

I can't really answer you questions about chillywillys gs-engine, it was more or less a copy&paste job.
i tested it with top gear rally pal^^

The message: "The Game is Not Designed for this System.", may happen 'cause i set the tv hardcoded to ntsc and the game is checking for that.
hm i can upload a not hardcoded version with just a few clicks, wait a second.
http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/48597341/file.html

you can leave the about screen after some time by pushing up or down, but not instantly.
.. and if you are asking why the menu is flickering, it's just poorly designed it's rewriting the full screen every time you move the selection bar. ^^

[Kerr Avon]

I can't really answer you questions about chillywillys gs-engine, it was more or less a copy&paste job.
i tested it with top gear rally pal^^

The message: "The Game is Not Designed for this System.", may happen 'cause i set the tv hardcoded to ntsc and the game is checking for that.
hm i can upload a not hardcoded version with just a few clicks, wait a second.
http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/48597341/file.html

Thanks mate, I'll test it when I get home, I brought my N64 with me this time (plus my 360, I'm currently replaying (and loving) Batman: Arkham City, an incredible game, even better than Arkham Asylum)

you can leave the about screen after some time by pushing up or down, but not instantly.

I see, thanks.

.. and if you are asking why the menu is flickering, it's just poorly designed it's rewriting the full screen every time you move the selection bar. ^^

Understood. I know it's still at an early test stage, and it's going to be fantastic when it's done. Personally I'm not too bothered about aesthetics like box art or wallpapers (though they are a nice option, and lots of people like them), so I'd rather you concentrated on functionality over beauty.

One request I'd like to make is a "Are you sure? Yes/No" prompt for any action that formats the controller pak, or deletes any data from it (or that overwrites anything on the SD card). And please make is so that it's not a simple "press A - Yes, B - No" type confirmation, but that the user has to move the cursor left, from the forward slash in the "Yes / No", and then press A when "Yes" is highlighted, as that way the user would have to accidentally press D-Pad Left, then A, to accidentally agree. Also, on this prompt, please make it so that if the user presses B then the prompt goes away and the user returns to the main game select menu.

[saturnu]

maybe i should stop working on the menu until someone has a good idea about the pif-simulation and sram bug. ^^
i think it's not a worthwhile goal to improve a menu, that is only half working.

[Chilly Willy]

Some notes on the current cheat engine:

Certain codes aren't yet supported - code 50 isn't supported, and any word codes (like 81) that use an odd address won't work. Next issue is the size/number of codes - the current cheat engine merely generates all codes to the exception handler at 0x180, and there's limited space... too many codes will fail (not sure of the total you can use). Finally, the code doesn't handle games that know about the GS - if the game is GS aware, it will fail.

All of these can be addressed, but I haven't gotten around to the update yet. Quite a few games work, and quite a few don't. Anyone wishing to help would be appreciated since I have limited time to spend on it. The code is fairly straightforward. The simulate_pif_boot() function has a big switch statement that generates the machine code from the cheat codes - looking at the existing code generators should tell you how it works.

[Kerr Avon]

I can't really answer you questions about chillywillys gs-engine, it was more or less a copy&paste job.
i tested it with top gear rally pal^^

The message: "The Game is Not Designed for this System.", may happen 'cause i set the tv hardcoded to ntsc and the game is checking for that.
hm i can upload a not hardcoded version with just a few clicks, wait a second.
http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/48597341/file.html

Thanks. That cures the loading, but the code doesn't work (there's not infinite health), though to be fair maybe the cheat code I used is itself wrong, I don't think I tried it with the real game (I didn't tend to use infinite whatever codes, but I can't really remember much that I did use, and the ones I think I remember are too complex, as they use controller buttons and lots of codes, mainly to alter something in Perfect Dark or Goldeneye).

maybe i should stop working on the menu until someone has a good idea about the pif-simulation and sram bug. ^^
i think it's not a worthwhile goal to improve a menu, that is only half working.

I suppose so, it does make more sense to fix the bugs before going further. What you've done so far is impressive enough, and with time it will be even better. Things like Gameshark codes and box art are great, but fixing game saving bugs is, as you say, more important. The work that you and Chilly Willy are doing is very much appreciated, and we end users know that quality takes time, and that your free (and unpaid) time is limited.

Some notes on the current cheat engine:

Certain codes aren't yet supported - code 50 isn't supported, and any word codes (like 81) that use an odd address won't work. Next issue is the size/number of codes - the current cheat engine merely generates all codes to the exception handler at 0x180, and there's limited space... too many codes will fail (not sure of the total you can use). Finally, the code doesn't handle games that know about the GS - if the game is GS aware, it will fail.

All of these can be addressed, but I haven't gotten around to the update yet. Quite a few games work, and quite a few don't. Anyone wishing to help would be appreciated since I have limited time to spend on it. The code is fairly straightforward. The simulate_pif_boot() function has a big switch statement that generates the machine code from the cheat codes - looking at the existing code generators should tell you how it works.

Fair enough mate, it's very complicated, and I (and no doubt other ED64 users) am very grateful for what you've done so far, and look forward to seeing any progress you make with the Gameshark engine in the future. If I could program or knew anything about the N64 or Gameshark then I'd help, but my knowledge is zero in these matters.