An idea about game image for SDL

[ms18e]

Hi SWAT, in current SDL image creating flow, we have to extrace all data of the game, hack LBA of the main BIN file, and create an iso image using mkisofs.exe.

It's a little bit complicated, costing longer time creating the image and, sometimes binhack/dahack would not work properly. Now I have an idea: why not just skip the hacking step, and run game iso with an optional "session 2 start LBA" check box or command line parameter? If so, dumped GD images could be executed directly by SDL without extracting, hacking and re-creating. Maybe it's not applicable for the architecture of Dreamcast, I'm not sure.

Furthermore, why do we have to rename the main BIN file to 1ST_READ.BIN and make an iso? If variable file names are supported, it will be more convenient: we don't need to rename it and modify IP.BIN any longer!

It's easier said than don. I wish they're easy to implement, and won't take you too much time, thanks

[SWAT]

Hi.
I do not understand why you're talking about SDL... It's just a library and does not apply to launch games. The launch of games involved DreamShell, precisely one of its commands.
Boot.bin name is taken from ip.bin. You can change it to any, if you so desire.
About LBA, I think that can be done.

[alex]

I think, it mean SDL = SD Loader

[ms18e]

(21.11.2010 20:04)SWAT писал(а):  Hi.
I do not understand why you're talking about SDL... It's just a library and does not apply to launch games. The launch of games involved DreamShell, precisely one of its commands.
Boot.bin name is taken from ip.bin. You can change it to any, if you so desire.
About LBA, I think that can be done.

Oh well, I'm just blending these conceptions together... Here I refer to SDL as "DreamShell + SDL", the software/firmware system coded by you

As to the name of boot.bin, there're some issues: for certain games which has a special boot file name, the boot file has to be renamed to 1ST_READ.BIN, and IP.BIN need modification accordingly, such as "Star Wars Episode I" and "Mars Matrix" reported by TuxTheWise. I also carefully verified the "Mars Matrix" image without renaming the boot file to 1ST_READ.BIN and kept IP.BIN unchanged, then DreamShell reported an error in a Linux-like screen. That's why TuxTheWise wrote special notes for them, "You need to rename 00MMXDC.BIN to 1ST_READ.BIN and change your IP.BIN for it".

What's more, some other game doesn't need boot file renaming, i.e. Super Robot's War. No matter renamimg the 0WINCEOS.BIN to 1ST_READ.BIN or not, this game is not bootable. You can see DreamShell loading the 0WINCEOS.BIN/1ST_READ.BIN, then Dreamcast jump back to the memory management screen. This is different from Mars Matrix I mentioned before, it won't be stucked in the Linux-like screen, it just goes further. (BTW, this game is my first motivation to test SDL, I want to play my GD rip in this way. But I've been trying every method for more than a week and still failed to boot it. Maybe WINCE games are cursed... )

[SWAT]

I think that you did not put there IP.BIN, it's located here: Make_ISO\sys\katana\IP.BIN
WinCE game has not yet started: (

[ms18e]

(22.11.2010 09:58)SWAT писал(а):  I think that you did not put there IP.BIN, it's located here: Make_ISO\sys\katana\IP.BIN
WinCE game has not yet started: (

Of course I did put the IP.BIN extracted from the cdi image into the very location. (certain games need their own IP.BIN during iso creating, otherwise the iso file won't be bootable. I can't exactly remember the list of them, maybe Capcom vs SNK 2 is an example. So I make each iso based on its original IP.BIN extracted by IsoBuster, other than the "universal" one.)

I just had several tries on this problem, and found: if renaming the "00MMXDC.BIN" to "00MMXDCC.BIN" which has the same length as "1ST_READ.BIN", the iso works; else if the boot file has a name shorter or longer than "1ST_READ.BIN", DreamShell failed to boot the iso.

Seems it's a tiny bug of DreamShell : )

[SWAT]

Yes, this is a DreamShell bug. Thanks for report!

[Anthony817]

Good work on reporting the bug!

[Duessi]

i dont know if this is a bug but when i created a iso with the iso maker pack
for example Namco Museum i get a image.iso file this is bootable and works fine.
But if i renamed the iso after creating into Namco Museum.iso its not bootable anymore i get an error file cant be opened.

[Василий]

I think it should be without spaces . Try to rename it to Namco_Museum.iso .

[ms18e]

(04.12.2010 23:13)Василий писал(а):  I think it should be without spaces . Try to rename it to Namco_Museum.iso .

oh, it must be

[TuxTheWise]

This glitch happens with any game with the main binary different from 1ST_READ.BIN.

As a workaround, you can rename main binary to 1ST_READ.BIN, adjust your IP.BIN for it and it will work fine.

[ms18e]

(05.12.2010 18:43)TuxTheWise писал(а):  This glitch happens with any game with the main binary different from 1ST_READ.BIN.

As a workaround, you can rename main binary to 1ST_READ.BIN, adjust your IP.BIN for it and it will work fine.

Eh, we've already got this bug accurately: the length of the boot file name should be 8 before ".BIN". File name other than "1ST_READ" is acceptable, if the length is 8