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| Zoinkity |
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 Gator Level: 11 Posts: 21/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Hmm, no hits... It's probably working on a copy of the one you found.
The thing that comes to mind is whether the watch was on some kind of ram or on the original data in whichever ROM has it. They only trip when a processor reads something, not when something is memory mapped, DMA'd, etc. One option is to search all the different listed blobs of memory at the time the quote is used to find other copies of the string. Throwing watches on those might turn something up. Another is to find the printer and catch its users (usually by backtracing users of the font), but without knowing how the addressing works that might be a no-go. MAME's debugger is a hideous centipede, only used when all else fails. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 22/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
If there is the option between MAME's unintuitive quirky debugger and anything else at all, guaranteed you're going with the "anything else". Problem is there isn't anything else for (most) arcade stuff.
What I meant is to do a very targeted search for the string itself across all memory regions at a time you know it's being used (like they're actively printing it). From there you can work backwards, either putting a write watch on the locations to see what put them there or reads to see what is using each. The reason is you basically don't know at this point if it's reading from the chip indirectly (like bankswapping or memory mapping) or they copy a table into a blob of RAM. (Direct access is pretty much ruled out.) They could use pointers from a base ram address or a table of offsets. Doing this is sorting out how data is accessed and from there what needs to be adjusted. |
| Zoinkity |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 23/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
If it's a big-endian processor usually stored values will be BE. Otherwise you have to byteswap things in software before you can use them. An LE IC doesn't mean data loaded from it is LE; electronics is weird.
The pointer(s) could be hardcoded as well. They don't need to be in a table. They can also be offsets from a hardcoded address or a series of lengths. Depending what they did it could be ram or rom. Minimum, there has to be a root table address. No matter what the scheme used--pointers, offsets, walking entries--that first address has to exist. The big issue is that arcade hardware can be designed any which way they want. Home consoles tend to be somewhat intuitive--they do want a large number of people programming for them over a long period of time--but arcade is very specialized, few games made for each board, (usually) no care for cost or sanity. (A big exception made for the "consolized" stuff like Namco system *, NEC's Neo Geos, etc.) I'm in the middle of wrapping up a patch for release otherwise would try finding it myself. Sorry I can't be much help. One question though: changing the string in-place was fine, just not changing lengths, right? |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 24/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Just in time for Valentines, here's the sort of gift that unwraps itself!
https://mega.nz/file/RjwFTTKY#gDLPS1ihA1zaHFGgy8RsoClfa43ayyJr9EApq3PzuPQ 
Unlike the previous retail console patches, this one file will run on either a retail N64 or an Aleck64 E92 board, automatically detecting the platform and adjusting code accordingly. Both revisions of the game are supported. It also provides selecting between Japanese and English text using a DIP switch, real or virtual. Audio is not redubbed. All network features are compatible with the two original games. If you have a connection you'll see this after pressing Start: 
The VS option is grayed-out if the connected unit isn't talking with you. There were unused titlebars for the connection state, seemed easy enough to add in... 
Here's a video captured from arcade showing how network games work. The slave gets a prompt asking if they want to play. Accept, and you play a best of three rounds against the other cab. In the event of a tie you both draw a tile at random, over and over, until somebody draws higher. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 25/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Very definitely not a blatant self-promotion for a patch release ;*) |
| Zoinkity |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 26/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
But wasn't DraStic's dev very open about plans to remove it from the stores?
Iirc, the story started when the google store removed it for a short time due to some bookkeeping reason (a bad description or something), then it was fixed. At that time though DraStic's dev said they have plans to eventually go free, then after about a year of being a free app (likely as long as needed so they don't require giving refunds) they planned on deleting it from the stores entirely. It has been some time though, maybe things changed along the way. |
| Zoinkity |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 27/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Posted by Morrigan Aensland-Hill Maybe the most surprising thing is they had the good sense to let her wear pants. Not pantsu like 95% of the fantasy genera, but actual pants. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 28/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
This project is vitally important to me.
Retro Expansion will finally realize a long neglected ambition of expanding the aquariums of Sega Fish Life beyond their glass confines, into local waterways, eventually out into the wide oceans of the world. Finally, the world is ready. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 29/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
This is the dream, of course. An RCA Studio II with eight or more patterns! A bright future where an "english" knob can finally be applied to any type of ball game! With limitless power will anyone even be able to tell the difference between a Magnavox Odyssey and Fairchild Channel F anymore?
Sega Fish Life is the most rewarding of experiences. It's a variant of Dreamcast hardware designed for hotels, offices, theme parks, restaurants, etc. with both a touch-enabled interface and voice controls. Speak, and they will listen! Create life itself with your own hands! |
| Zoinkity |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 30/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
If a 70's AI like Jet Jaguar could reprogram itself to be bigger, clearly modern AI is more than capable of reprogramming itself for any interface you would ever need. Even if it already didn't support every console ever made, given enough time AI would quietly add all that support simply to fill the vacuum caused by its nonexistence. That's why it's not necessary for tech companies to explain how or why they're using AI; it's guaranteed it will automatically determine what it's needed for and create that before being prompted. To confine it by something as strict as words and meaning limits its fundamental capabilities. |
| Zoinkity |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 31/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Why stop at games that exist?
Generative AI has the capability of creating the games that were never finished/released all on its own! While EA's CEO may be perfectly content with half the world's population using AI tools to create their content for them, imagine if those same tools are fed all the design documents, magazine clippings, bar room napkins, and high-definition scans of toilet stall graffiti related to unreleased and cancelled retro titles. Finally! A future where Mire Mare exists! The 2600 will finally have Care Bears and Anteater! No more borrowing a friend's Commodore 64--though that isn't a problem for the Arceus 2600, is it? |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 32/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
With a bot count higher than active users it's a safe bet a straight rant will be quietly ignored.
Let's say you're interested in looking up info about the features in a 64DD game, especially an unreleased one but honestly, sort of applies to released ones as well. You can safely ignore 90% of all English references about the drive at all about literally any subject. Over the last 10 years most of the hardware BS has finally stopped being circulated. A 64DD is just a magnetic drive with a clock (and an eeprom for calibration settings, a drive microcontroller, neither of which you were ever supposed to access). That's it. No external 32bit processor, no built-in modem (that's a cartridge), no internal ram, no magneto-optical setup. Read, write, check your watch. Ah, but software... The English side of the web is pure speculation. Why say that? Try to find information on the only two publicized 64DD disks that weren't released: "井出洋介の麻雀塾 / Ide Yousuke's Mahjong Cram School" and "現代大戦略 / Modern Grand Strategy - Ultimate War". By "publicized" that means they were 1) products on Randnet's webpage: https://web.archive.org/web/20000303113048/http://www.randnetdd.co.jp:80/step2.html https://web.archive.org/web/20000301195528/http://www.randnetdd.co.jp/game/no_sample/senryaku/senryaku.html (Sadly http://www.randnetdd.co.jp/game/no_sample/majan/majan.html was never captured) 2) in promotional booklets: 64DD Randnet Booklet 3) and in the Spaceworld 1999 catalog (arguably on display there as well): Modern Grand Strategy - Ultimate War Ide Yousuke's Mahjong Cram School 4) Occasional magazine mentions when they were still new products, with varying degrees of usefulness. Not all those writers knew Japanese; at least they provided photos. 5) Unseen64, as accurate as the internet itself. The Japanese side of the internet has the occasional mention of this stuff. The English side has nonsense about "Mother 3" and dozens of so-called cancelled projects. So yeah, about those... The typical story with "64DD development" is Company A tells Nintendo they want to make video games, then Nintendo says "why not 64DD?" and hands them a drive. They build a demo, scratch their heads, never touch the drive again and only sell carts. It continually comes up in interviews but those aren't usually cross-checked against the release/development announcements of the time, resulting in an insane list of 60+ games that presumably were made for the drive but neglecting Japan-only sources that include a different list--augmented by bozos that think every game OS2.0J and earlier that includes the cart interrupt handler in the sdk's init function (like NTSC GoldenEyes and Conker's Bad Fur Day) are 64DD titles as well. A couple high-profile examples: if you check those promo catalogs Mother 64 is listed as a cart in the Spaceworld catalog, with a playable demo on cart, and never was it shown as a disk. On the other hand you have Morita Shogi which was never shown as a disk, lot checked September of 1997 with release in '98, but somehow the story is this was pushed to cart after the failure/delay of the drive...which was originally slated for release March '98 and didn't fail until two+ years later? The internet is full of lies. Let's say all you want to know is what drive features something is supposed to use. It will use something, it's basically required to do so for the same reason "DX" colorized games were required to include some kind of new stuff as well. The drive's main feature is loading or storing 20MB+ of stuff, depending on the disk format. The cartridge slot can be used for a modem, video capture card, or literally anything else you can stick on the bus. All I wanted to know was what Ide Yousuke's mahjong game did with the drive before they ported it to cart following the Aruze acquisition. There are no English sources, but worked out from Spaceworld 1999 guide that the third, deleted mode shown on the pamphlet (on the left) is a feature to play back professional games with commentary, not unlike Habu Shogi's 500+ recorded games. The mode's image, associated text, and seemingly all code for this mode are completely removed from the cartridge release. Okay, could probably download more of them. Question is answered for the most part. Why did it take that much effort? How is one of the few disks promoted for sale a literal footnote at the end of speculation about a Mario64 sequel? Okay, Doubutsu no Mori is fair enough. Actually developed for it, rather well documented. How about Ogre Battle 64? It was a cart+expansion until beta testing; there's an actual note about it in the lotcheck list. As for the actual library of games, here's how/why they used the drive: *) For Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 that was play-by-mail and DLC courses--and the only reference to the feature at all was in a graphic at the end of the above linked Randnet booklet. *) All Artist titles are interoperable, with print and paper model services via Comms Kit, video capture & modem when applicable, and supports an unreleased color GB printer via equally unreleased cable. Create & trade generated content. A lot of Talent videos made the rounds. *) Dezaemon 3D could trade games, update itself, and install plugins to expand the editor (presumably). Also lifted all the file limits imposed by SRAM size. *) Doshin 1 saves the entire world to disk. Every single node's elevation and what's on it. *) Doshin 2 sets little event quests to complete in Doshin 1, unlocking videos and letting more of you pee on the poor giant. They're supposed to be used in tandem...which would have worked better if they were available at the same time. *) Randnet was an internet browser, email client, and technically expandable with plugins somehow. Used for all downloads not handled by the Comms Kit. *) Sim City 64 saved maps. Hundreds and hundreds of maps. Can feed it new scenarios, pretty sure. Artist stuff can be slid in. *) F-Zero X can create and store courses and ghosts. Mostly ghosts; they're the size of a whole blasted SRAM module. Courses waste a whole LBA despite being like 1KB. (Cars are dumb.) Admittedly the other expansions are speculative. The runtime is completely overwritten by disk versions, it could literally become anything. *) Pocket Monsters' Stadium became its sequel. Only disk features mentioned are massive save limits and the Pokémon Park (likely minigames; you "play with friends"). *) Pocket Monsters' Stadium 2 also accepts an expansion, more save space. *) Mario Party supports downloading more games into the game list. Again, it became its sequel. The disk code in the other Party titles doesn't work. *) Ocarina of Time had the infamous dungeon reshuffle they literally couldn't release after one week. Why? ~A week after Japan 1.0 was released a major bug forced a 1.1 revision release. ~One month later a second 1.2 release hit to remove the Islamic call to prayer they copied from the official Foley sound library and used as an atmospheric. Every time you do that you recompile the game and that changes the addresses of every blasted C lib function, and unlike in modern times they couldn't be certain they didn't need to release a version 1.3, 1.4, etc. in the future. How do you link a single disk to multiple existing versions of a game as well as potentially nonexisting versions? Duplicating the imports on the disk, or just overwriting the whole runtime. Basically, OoT's expansion was dead in the water and the reason all the others rewrite the runtime. Also, Miyamoto is arguably an even less reliable source than any other random Japanese company's suits. Zelda 3 was a playable cart at Spaceworld, then he said it was a disk so they tried to shoehorn in disk support (only a subset of things can normally be replaced and the drive hijacks the whole bus during operation), but the good thing that came out of it was an ocarina. Still better than when Namco cooked up a story about pizza to support giving false testimony in a USA court about puckman not being somebody else's product. Koei still denies publishing the entire Strawberry Porno series, but it's hard to defend a game like “Do Dutch Wives Dream of Electric Eels?” when it has a rape button. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 33/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Well, the funny thing about that is on the disk side of things you see exactly that.
The 64DD did use a minimalistic ELF loader to pull one of three softmodem libraries off the modem cart and relink them to the current game. Also, quite a few games do have full-fledged filesystems for their own data outside of the savedata MFS filesystem. Sometimes it's an extension of it, sometimes its own thing. Dezaemon 3D allows you to overload any ROM-side disk stuff (yes, that's a thing) with a same-named saved RAM-side file. Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 also allows that to a degree but shadows select files, mostly runtime and code blocks to prevent hijacking. Others were a mix, hiding system files behind hardcoded LBAs but resources like models, images, and audio in the flesystem. The trouble comes in cartridge side of expansions, especially when it comes to the basic C library functions. Files are one thing, but relinking to a different import list quite another. The partial solution was the have the cartridge provide a table of pointers to select used functions, not terribly unlike how said ELF loader works but without the self-modifying code. Sounds fine on paper until the list grows exponentially. Maybe they shouldn't have obfuscated so much behind macros? Oh, and there were a few that had parameter changes, changed names, or were outright removed. Among them was a low-level direct PI read used throughout the disk library. -and there's the biggest problem. They didn't want to reveal a lot of the drive behavior to prevent it being exploited. The IPL doesn't even have a full library! It can't read beyond the first disk zone. Obfuscation made expansions a pointlessly complicated process that, when you step back and look at it objectively, only relied on their cartridges to "stream" ram-expensive stuff like audio and animations but otherwise could be distro'd as standalone disks. Really, what they wanted was another Satellaview but without the save memory restrictions. Despite what western media seems to think that was a very successful product. Lots of support and fairly large user base despite it being in the market with 32bit systems. Then again, the same media seems to think PC Engine was a commercial failure. Any shmups fan would set them up the bomb. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 34/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
There's age verification on y*utube now? Somehow missed that... When was it implemented?
Maybe haven't tripped it thanks to exclusively slurping up bizarre Japanese media and 25 yr. old recordings of live events. ...also, this is practically our own board at this point  |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 35/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
The answer is obvious: download to physical media from satellites. You could even do it on a rotating schedule. (Not that any major game publisher ever did that before or anything...) File any goverments' protests to the inky black void.
Tim Curry said it best: |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 36/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
After several decades of neglect finally taking a shot at Castlevania 64--the original, not the special edition. Honestly liking it so far, has a great aesthetic going. Playing as fire-and-forget Carrie, which might have a lot to do with it. Totally certain that demon salesman will take your soul if you ever buy anything from him.
Not sure why it gets panned in more recent reviews, maybe in comparison to later titles? |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 37/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
To be fair most of the data the companies want to get is what the governments issued to you. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 38/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
That means it's time to game the system!
They want to steal my identity fine, but no takebacks! That's right, I'll land them with an identity so laden with financial, legal, and humanitarian problems they can't dump it fast enough...but can they dump it at all!? Anonymous tips keep attracting attention to their appropriated misdeeds, meanwhile I'm burning every bridge that might to tie it back to myself. Guess they shouldn't have done so convincing of a job pretending they're me. |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 39/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
I'd argue the 3rd Amendment as well. Why should I be burdened with the cost of time & energy of supporting the Man's botnet, huh? |
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Gator Level: 11 Posts: 40/43 EXP: 5143 Next: 842 Since: 10-16-24 Last post: 12 days Last view: 6 hours |
Golf courses are flat [citation needed] and have been messing around with automatically generating map images as SVGs from their models.
So all well and good? Not quite. If we're going to be realistic here, they have to be piped into an outside editor. 1) Rotation will clip off the edges (as seen above!) unless the bounding box is precomputed and piped into the viewBox, but that doesn't account for how much is actually used image data. Other option is to use scaling to compensate, but aegh that's annoying. Fitting and centering is equally frustrating. 2) Hole maps sort of need their own clipped bounds post-rotation so yay more math. 3) Rendering a shadow 100% duplicates the image. That would need to be translated on a global metric, not in user space. So yeah, math is hard but batch operations in image editors are not. Automation is kinda necessary. There are ~5000 of these things after all and each needs a minimum of three images, usually four. (Crazysauce you can just copy an SVG into a message...minus 10000 chars of circles though.) |
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