SNES Powerpak is now available

[badinsults]

OK, I just tried that and it didn't do anything to the file.

Mitch

So? Try it out and see if it fixes the glitches!

[Mitch]

So? Try it out and see if it fixes the glitches!

It didn't fix it.

Mitch

[badinsults]

It didn't fix it.

Mitch

I discussed this with the author of NSRT, and though he states that the ROM image needs to be padded, the latest version of NSRT does not have the capability to fix the game to be playable on the SNES without glitches. I guess the only option is to play the actual cart!

[skaar]

Oh noes!

... still waiting on mine.

[MachineGex]

I ordered one of these a few days ago. Anyone have some good suggestions as to what games I should load? Anything you guys discovered since you started trying yours?
Just looking for names of the gamesNot roms). S. Famicom games to try? Anything?

[Greg2600]

I certainly wouldn't cry over Jeopardy!, I think I have that cart myself, and it's nothing great. That said, the NES powerpak didn't work on several games, but over the years updates have gotten them to work. If it's a software glitch, I think it will get fixed eventually.

[jeffg]

I started playing the decompressed version of Star Ocean last night and it works great. Along with Secret of Mana 2 translated, along with all 3 Fire Emblem translations, Treasure Hunter G translated, Bahamut Lagoon, and Rendering Ranger.

Those are some good games to play that you would normally not get to play here in the US.

[eastbayarb]

Terranigma is another one that is great that wasn't released in the USA.

[jeffg]

yeah but terranigma you need a system that can play PAL games though even with this thing.
I have a 50/60hz modded system so I can play it but only when i change to 50 HZ mode

[badinsults]

yeah but terranigma you need a system that can play PAL games though even with this thing.
I have a 50/60hz modded system so I can play it but only when i change to 50 HZ mode

Not if you use this patch:

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/541/

[Mitch]

I discussed this with the author of NSRT, and though he states that the ROM image needs to be padded, the latest version of NSRT does not have the capability to fix the game to be playable on the SNES without glitches. I guess the only option is to play the actual cart!

OK, so what you are saying then is that it is a bad dump.

While Jeopardy isn't a terribly exiciting game I am more interested in whether there was a bug in the SNES PowerPak or not. If it was a bug then it should be reported as it might affect other games. Since it seems to be a bad dump, it's not a big deal.
Though I'll have to keep an eye out at flea markets for Jeopardy now and see if I can redump it.

Mitch

[badinsults]

OK, so what you are saying then is that it is a bad dump.

While Jeopardy isn't a terribly exiciting game I am more interested in whether there was a bug in the SNES PowerPak or not. If it was a bug then it should be reported as it might affect other games. Since it seems to be a bad dump, it's not a big deal.
Though I'll have to keep an eye out at flea markets for Jeopardy now and see if I can redump it.

Mitch

The ROM image is not bad, it is just that the flash cart doesn't have support for mirroring, which Jeopardy appears to require.

[Mitch]

The ROM image is not bad, it is just that the flash cart doesn't have support for mirroring, which Jeopardy appears to require.

OK, so why are we talking about patching the ROM if it's a bug in the PowerPak?

Mitch

[badinsults]

OK, so why are we talking about patching the ROM if it's a bug in the PowerPak?

Mitch

Because padding the ROM is essentially the same as mirroring.

Either way, things won't get fixed unless one of those two things happen.

[renejr902]

i just bought this snes powerpak too the 20th november. always in processing. Cant wait to play star ocean and seiken 3 (secret of mana 2)

so all games in pal format (E) dont work on a US/Canada snes powerpak ?

[Icarus Moonsight]

i just bought this snes powerpak too the 20th november. always in processing. Cant wait to play star ocean and seiken 3 (secret of mana 2)

so all games in pal format (E) dont work on a US/Canada snes powerpak ?

No. They won't work properly on a US/JPN NTSC 60hz system, unless the roms are patched. Evan posted a link 5-6 posts up you should look at...

jeffg posted that has a modded system with a 50/60hz switch and it has been working for him.

[badinsults]

It isn't so much that the PAL games won't work, it is just that they will play about 20% faster than they should, and there is a strong possibility that there will be graphical glitches. Some games also have copy protection that might prevent them from working with the NTSC lockout chip.

[Troglodyte]

Perhaps it requires a certain version of the lockout chip.

That doesn't seem to make much sense to me, in Jeopardy!'s case, as the game boots up and runs?
Wouldn't it just check for the lockout chip once, at boot time, and then
refuse to run at all? Rather than just run, but with graphical problems.

Because padding the ROM is essentially the same as mirroring.

I think I understand now; you must be referring to memory bank mirroring or something along those lines. I speculated earlier that the Jeopardy! game used a different method of reading and writing to the memory here:

I assume, but have no way of confirming, that the Hi-Res mode trick, changes the way the memory addressing / speed of accessing the RAM is achieved.

However, what I still would like to understand, is how you know that this game does in fact use mirroring, and why it does it. In other words, what advantages do it give to an SNES game developer?

I'm not attacking your knowledge at all, I am just a person that has always been interested in low level hardware / software tricks. I guess it is because I come from a Computer science background, and have always been interested in electronics and programing since a very young age.

[Greg2600]

One thing I never understood about RetroZone is their lack of a message board, where users can share these issues, and they or perhaps the programmers can find solutions.

[badinsults]

That doesn't seem to make much sense to me, in Jeopardy!'s case, as the game boots up and runs?
Wouldn't it just check for the lockout chip once, at boot time, and then
refuse to run at all? Rather than just run, but with graphical problems.



I think I understand now; you must be referring to memory bank mirroring or something along those lines. I speculated earlier that the Jeopardy! game used a different method of reading and writing to the memory here:



However, what I still would like to understand, is how you know that this game does in fact use mirroring, and why it does it. In other words, what advantages do it give to an SNES game developer?

I'm not attacking your knowledge at all, I am just a person that has always been interested in low level hardware / software tricks. I guess it is because I come from a Computer science background, and have always been interested in electronics and programing since a very young age.

Really, my knowledge of of SNES hardware is very limited. I was asking Nach, who created NSRT and is one of the developers of ZSNES. I suggest asking him yourself if you have any technical questions. He has an IRC channel on Freenode at #nsrt.

[Leo_A]

One thing I never understood about RetroZone is their lack of a message board, where users can share these issues, and they or perhaps the programmers can find solutions.

The NESDev forum seems to be their unofficial forum where such discussion and interaction takes place.

http://nesdev.parodius.com/bbs/index.php

[akgameboy]

So I've found some games that I think have incompatibility issues.

Can anyone confirm that these won't work (they don't work on my Powerpak):

1.Jeoparady! (Doesn't work me either. But I have the cartridge.)
2.Family Feud (Made by the same makers of Jeoparady, so I'll have to get the cartridge.)
3.WWF Raw
4. Sanrio World Smash Ball

I've found some more that do not work, but I do not remember what they were.

[Greg2600]

The NESDev forum seems to be their unofficial forum where such discussion and interaction takes place.

http://nesdev.parodius.com/bbs/index.php

Oh, didn't know that. Thanks.

PS: The price went up to $135.

[Mitch]

So I've found some games that I think have incompatibility issues.

Can anyone confirm that these won't work (they don't work on my Powerpak):

1.Jeoparady! (Doesn't work me either. But I have the cartridge.)
2.Family Feud (Made by the same makers of Jeoparady, so I'll have to get the cartridge.)
3.WWF Raw
4. Sanrio World Smash Ball

I've found some more that do not work, but I do not remember what they were.

When you say they don't work do you mean they crash have graphic glitches or what?

For me Jeopardy had moderate graphic issues but was still fully playable.
I'll test the others on your list and see how they work for me.

Mitch

[akgameboy]

Jeoparady freezes right after the "GameTek Presents" screen. The others won't load at all. I hit Start Game on the Powerpak and it just goes to a black screen. I've used multiple roms too, so I don't think an unclean rom is the problem.