"Let's make GD ROM emulation happen" Facebook group.

OK tried to get a homebrew game to work using GDIBuilder, most I can do is get it to load to the Sega Logo screen.

Beats of Rage Remix 2: RHYTHM OF DESTRUCTION Green Version

Must be doing something wrong.

I used a donor ip.bin from AeroWings & its track1/2 that makes it load but it crashes.
(if I used the one that came with the homebrew game it kept saying the TOC was wrong​)

 

As I said previously, you got to change the scrambling of the homebrew. Is has to be unscrambled to be loaded properly in the standard Katana bootstrap.

When the Dreamcast boots a mil-cd, it loads the bootbin and unscrambles it in the memory. Homebrew are pre-scrambled so there's no further steps. For commercial games selfboots that are not scrambled, some code from echelon in the bootstrap (ip.bin) rescramble the code in memory so it's fine. Now if you use the standard bootstrap, and since you're emulating a gd-rom you are, the homebrew won't get unscrambled while being loaded so it won't work -> Freeze at the sega screen.


Scrambler sourcecode from God aka Marcus Comstedt : http://mc.pp.se/dc/files/scramble.c
Compile via gcc under any architecture (add a .exe under windows): $ gcc scramble.c -o scramble

A tool by fackue that can scramble/descramble a dreamcast binary: http://dchelp.dcemulation.org/downloads/checker_204.zip
In that zip you can find scramble.exe that it uses for scrambling/descrambling.

FG

 

Tried that, all I get is this.
(I even tried button the bootfile.bin into the data directory)

 

Don't scramble the IP.bin, only scramble the 1st_read.bin. Use preferably a stock IP.bin from a retail game, or one generated via a tool that's compatible with katana (retail) games.

 

Ok that now passes the Sega logo, but now it loops :/

DC logo > Sega Logo > DC logo > Sega logo about 6 times & then loads the Bios menu (dashboard) & UGC dismounts the disc.

 

Hello,

I recently acquired a PAL Dreamcast! I am planing to get a GDEMU. My question is, do I also need to install the Region Free BIOS Chip mod? Is GDEMU compatible with it?

Thanks.

 

I have a PAL Dreamcast too. No need to Region Free BIOS, GDEMU is fully compatible.

 

Ok... Let's back to the ripping GD talk... The version of the DreamShell I used to rip the GD last time was a very old version. The latest version comes with a new GD Ripper, but it extract data in .ISO format, not in .BIN format.

FamilyGuy, the program you suggested is all I needed. That was perfect. I created a .CDI image using DIR2BOOT, as shown in THIS PAGE. The disc worked perfectly, and I could rip the the first disc with no problem, "like a champion".

The second disc comes with a problem: Read Error. Oh, no!! It could be some scratch over the GD, or the optic reader must be adjusted to make it stronger? Anyway, I want to overcome this problem... Any suggestion!?

WOW!! If I died today, I would die without know there was a 1.5 version of the Utopia disc (my disc is a 1.2 version).

I Googled and I found the 1.5 version of the Utopia disc... All the sources in Nero format... In other words, no dummy... Some people commented they can't put it to work, probably because the data are in the middle of the disc, and not in the edge of it. If I knew how to create a CDI file with a huge dummy... Anyway, I'll give a shot and burn a disc... Again, thanx for the tip, FG.

I'll try the DC-X too, once the file I found was a huge 636MB compressed file (probably the disc image is properly dummed)... But the only disc image I found was a CloneCD image... I'll need to install the CloneCD, once Daemon Tools don't read the disc image. A DiscJuggler image could be more interesting to me...

But since I never used the DC-X, I'll give a shot before try the Utopia Disc 1.5. Thanx, rtw. By the way, the disc you have is an original disc or a burned one?

 

So how many GD-ROM emulators are there now? I know of two.

 

I know of Makron from the same person that created the GDEMU and the DC emu on Android

 

He asked for GD-Rom emulator, HARDWARE devices that emulate a gd-rom drive. You answered with Dreamcast emulators for PC which is different.

There's so far 2 HW GD-Rom drive emulators commercially available, Deunan/DKnute's GDEMU (https://gdemu.wordpress.com/) which uses SD-Cards and MNEMO's USB-GDROM Controller (http://3do-renovation.ru/USB-GDROM_Controller.htm). The usb version supports up to 2TB drives, while the SD-Card one supports 32GB officially but has been known to work with bigger cards; a least one 256GB cards was reported working.

Some other devices have been in development, mainly cybdyn's DCIO and mario's device (marIO?) but they have not been sold as of now.

A custom IDE adaptor can be built for use with Dreamshell and while speed is similar or a bit slower than the previous options, the compatibility is reduced. Dreamshell also supports a serial interface SD-Card to load games but it's very slow and compatibility is not too good. (The serial sd-card is great to load homebrew and backup vmus though)

FG

 

There were never any guarantees that it would work. Homebrew is not usually designed or tested with a real GD-ROM in mind.

 

Thanks for the reply. Currently does Gameshark work with GDEMU + GDMENU? Or is it from GDMENU, I select Gameshark, once the cheats are selected, I have to press the Button on GDEMU to swap to a game? Does that mean, if the game is on the 20th folder, I have to press the button 20x?

Thanks.

 

i don't know sorry, i've nerver had to use any "swap-needed" disc, ie. Utopia, CD-X or some multi-disc games.
but i must admit i wonder how it has to be used.
I suppose that you must use the swapped disc first, obviously, and set the second disc in the next folder, in order that you have just to press one time the "cycling button". Because i think that your pre-loaded soft may wait for the good disc at its next boot (i wonder if what i explained can be understood)..

 

Thanks for the reply.

@neuroacid @madsheep

Will it be possible for the GDMENU to take advantage of the VMU or SD Card? Example - Say I have 30 Folders. Folder 00 contains GDMENU and Folder 01 contains Gameshark/Codebreaker. When I boot Dreamcast for the first time it will go to GDMENU right? Will it be possible to have a program function in GDMENU or GDEMU? Say I want to set with the next image will be when I press the "Swap Button". Lets say, I want to set folder "20" as my next image. It will save a small file in the SD Card or to the VMU to remember the next image. It will be much easier now. After I select all my desired cheats in Gameshark/Codebreaker, when prompted to swap disc, I could press the "swap button" to go folder 20 to boot. That way, I don't have to press "Swap Button" 20x.

Thank you.

 

Actually I remembered wrong. I own the original DC-X but the "ripped" image contains a lot of incorrect data to prevent copying. In order to use it I believe someone has to rip out the actual data, crack the application and use that with GD-EMU.

Instead I used something called DC-IE (Import Enabler). DC-IE also works OK with GD-EMU but does not have such a nice interface as DC-X.

 

I could be wrong but I don't think this is possible - from what I understand the GDEMU button works by selecting the 'next' image (or down) - if you have soldered external buttons then you can have 'previous' image (Up) and 'next' image (Down) but there is no jump to function.

However if you really must use a gameshark / codebreaker on all your games - then for now at least just copy it to the SD card multiple times. If I remember correctly these cheat discs did not contain a dummy file so should be tiny in size and with a 9,999 folder limit you can easily put it in a folder before every game. (eg. 01>Menu 02>Gameshark 03>Game1 04>Gameshark 05>Game2 06>Gameshark 07>Game3 ... etc) This way you will only have to press the button once each time - and of course madsheeps program can sort out the SD card for you so not too much hassle either.

 

Nothing is impossible with a firmware update, but right now nightbreed is right.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Although your method would work, it is not that efficient.

I wonder if GDEMU could have a firmware update to incorporate a jump function. Users could set in the .ini file if they want to use the "swap button" as "next" or "jump".

jump_function=1 ; If set to 1, it will be a jump button, if set to 0, it will be a normal next button

And the GDMENU could be updated to have feature where it could write a simple line into the. ini file.

Example :



At the bottom, there could be "Press B to set next image". When users say, select "23" and press "B", GDMENU write a simple line in the .ini file.

next_image = 23

Once that is done, when users is done selecting cheats on gameshark, and when prompt to swap disc, user could press the "swap button" to jump to image 23 to boot.

I really hope this feature is added. It will be awesome if @neuroacid or @madsheep contacts Deunan to add this feature!

Thank you.

 

In that way the duskdawn and NightbreedUK said, could be interesting to create a firmware / loader with multiple switch button options, like:

• Set the loader to load a pre-definied disc image (a "Boot Disc"), and the game you chose to load will be the game will be selected then you press the Swap button. Exemple: You set the GDEMU to always load the GameShark first, and you choose to load Sonic Adventure. The GDEMU will go to action loading the "Boot Disc" first (in this case, the GameShark), and pressing the Swap button, Sonic Adventure will automatically be set to use, with no need to swap disc after disc until you find the disc you want to play. A secondary option could be added to decide if the Swap button could follow the order of games from the selected game (Ex.: You select Game 05, the Swap button will jump to Game 06 if it is pressed, and to Game 07, etc...), or to cycle between the "Boot Disc" and the selected game (Ex.: "Boot Disc", Game 05, "Boot Disc", Game 05...).
  
  
• Create a pre-definied list of games will be used by the Swap button. Example: You can create a list containing just fighting games, or a list with just Sonic games. You can select a list and the Swap button will cycle only around the chosen games. This could be nice to play a multi-disc game, like Shenmue... It could be combinated with the suggestion above to load the "Boot Disc" before loading the first game list.