Sega Dreamcast: Ball Breakers v0.800 GD-R Beta [Bananabreak] kvcd *updated*

how does billionuploads even work? All I get is a link wanting me to download FileDownloader.exe, christ almighty. Turned off adblock and got a link for Setup.exe. For the love of all that is holy can we stop using 5000 ad per page upload services?

 

FG got all excited about the kvcd thing and had me repack it all... again -_- Third time lucky eh? I'll edit my OP when it has finsihed uploading... again. It will have kvcd in the filename.

I can spot the difference in a file comparison but he can't. It is pretty good form of compression though, but I'm still using the source file bitrate / FPS for less aggressive downsampling. FG is currently updating his pack to use the source bitrate automatically, as I had to inspect each file's properties manually.

Oh and the owner wasn't too pleased with people asking for the .GDI, as such, there will be no .GDI sorry!

 

I am more then happy with what is out there. No need for a GDI when this rip is more then adequate. Thanks goes to you, FG and the source!!

 

Any particular reason? The only reason I could see for that would be because of potential bootleg reproduction but we all know what happened the first (and hopefully last) time that happened. Don't get me wrong I'm beyond happy he has decided to release it in this fashion but my curiosity has piqued.

 

Yea I know all to well after buying bootleg GD-R's from Rayld.

 

Well not because of bootlegging, that wasnt really a concern as unscrupulous people will bootleg regardless of whether theyre using downsampled files or not. It was more to do with the asking for more, when the owner had already gave what they are prepared to give. You know like some things are never enough

I noticed a flaw whilst uploading the kvcd version, there was some noticeable artifacts in some of the videos (most were fine) so I cancelled the upload. The 2nd version repack with 44KHz stereo audio uses a different video codec so doesn't have this particular problem and ran fine in the first place anyway

You can see an example of the kvcd flaw here:

http://www.multiupload.co.uk/CKJOIIM92S
http://depositfiles.com/files/jhhe5n7m1
http://www.putlocker.com/file/67B7A60ADBCDDB57
http://turbobit.net/bss3k1c4dw4h.html
http://freakshare.com/files/7otbstn3/Downsampled.m1v.html

or

http://bayfiles.com/file/lgrf/4t9ehu/Downsampled.m1v

Notice in the 2nd half of the video, when the Lost Toys logo moves towards the screen. Artifacts galore

Hopefully it can be sorted sooner rather than later, but I'm off to bed now - it has been a very long day!

 

Understandable. Though the GDI is essentially the end all be all when it comes to dumps AFAIK.

 

x

 

Correction, same codec, different quantization matrix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantization_(image_processing)#Quantization_matrices). Just to avoid confusion.

It is possible (almost easy) to reconstruct a working gdi actually (not the same checksum-matching one of source though), if someone really want this format for some reason (i.e. future gdi hardware loader, or obsessive compulsive disorder)

As for bootlegs, it's easy as hell for someone with a devkit, a gd-wrtier and some gd-r to make a bootleg GD-R of anything that boots on dreamcast, be it DreamSnes or ShenmueII. They won't mind the lower quality if they don't mind to screw people off.
IMO the reaction of the owner is a bit surprising, but understandable. Ungrateful people can be a pain when you share something that cost you a LOT for FREE. Though I think nobody in here was asking for GDI in a rude way. This is not a board of xbox/ps3 warez kiddies complaining about the fact that their warez aren't perfect, it's mostly mature people simply wondering why it's not in they favorite format for conservation, without being angry about it. But hey, that's just my opinion!

 

I totally understand where the donater is coming from but we have all the files needed to make a 99min rip guys. Just take the video from the 22k rip and merge the untouched video with the untouched audio from the 44k release and you have all the files needed for a lossles copy that will work for large capacity disc as well as emulation users. I will happily do that for anyone so long as the person who supplied doesn't mind and if Legit says it is ok.


EDIT

Ok I made a selfboot copy without downsampling and keeping audio and video untouched. Not sure why but LeGiT could have done it as well by putting data into the first session. Family Guys tool pack supports sorttxt files for both sessions while retaining original sort order. If it is ok I will post the image for you all without any audio or video downsamped by combining both the 22k's untouched video with the 44k untouched audio into a single release for 80min cdrs as large capacity disc are not needed and would be a waste of space.

 

It doesn't really matter if anyone repacks the files into their own version of a .gdi but you're probably going to end up upscaling the downsampled video which may have mixed results as it could possibly predict what the original was, but it probably wouldn't be the same.

Merging the 22khz video with the 44khz video is pointless here too. It is the same video technique applied to both releases, just the 1st was done via batch file to a single FPS which made some files slightly larger and the 2nd I manually matched the FPS to each source file, which meant there was just enough space so the original audio could barely fit in. Also, given as the .cdi works in nulLDC, repacking the game into a .gdi is probably a bit pointless too but each to their own.

I don't like putting data in the first session - anything you dump there always reads woefully slow. I could put some hardly used files in there, but this isnt the kind of game where you have a feature which you dont mind if it runs like shit, which is in many respects worse than downsampling. I like everything to run at full speed or better, or not at all IMO the first session is for emergencies only, or for files where speed isnt needed. There is nothing there I'd personally be willing to relegate to reading slowly though others may and will feel differently about it.

Also, all files I've posted have had some form of downsampling to the video, it is just the first set had downsampled audio too, 2nd set the audio was left alone. It is impossible to fit the game onto 700Mb CD-R without downsampling or repakcing the video in one form or another. Even if you put 65MB into the first session, you still have to find 200Mb of savings and there is nowhere else where it can be done, unless you want to mess with the game textures etc too.

I've gone through everything again with kvcd but some things don't look right. I'm currently playtesting over and over to replace the ones with artifacts with larger basic mpeg-1 versions so it looks tidier. It isn't necessary really as 2nd/44KHz release is fine as is, but if I can save some space with kvcd to squeeze an extra 1-2mb of dummy file in there, then a nice, albeit unnoticeable / negligible boost in performance is worth the effort to me

 

Ahhh i misread you i thought the first posted didnt have the video touched. I used your sortxt un editied besides the simple split at 65mb or into the second sortxt. I have no troubles with the laser or read times. Am i right that the first ones video arent downsampled as much? Not that there is honestly wrong with it just curious if i wasted my time really. :lol:

Anyhow thanks for this and the last two releases making this the third if a recall correctly from bannabreak. Carrier,chicken run source code now this awesome release. As i think it was flt that did the SF3 donation that time as i recall the gd-r floating around the forums with two more builds and SF3 Alpha 3 beta as well but my memory isnt spot on these days lol thanks for all your efforts.

As for the kvcd not working not sure what to say on that one. It has worked fine the last games i encoded with but i also used a template for kvcd with tmpeg not ffmpeg like family guys pack though they should both work the same as it is the same method just a different approach. But who knows as it isnt a standard codec and doesnt comply the normal vcd standards.

 

At least the other releases didn't need any downsampling so there was no headache

kvcd does work for Ball Breakers, it just works better on some scenes more than others. After comparing the raw video, kvcd, mpeg-1 repack in media player, on nullDC and even with my last coaster on a retail DC, I decided to use kvcd for most of the files (with the occasional minor artifact) and replaced the 2 biggest offenders with a tidier, albeit larger mpeg-1 file. All in all it managed to shave around 10mb off the .cdi with a barely noticeable drop in video quality. I then used that 10mb for a dummy file to help push the rest of the files a little further out for a slightly better read speed, not that you will notice it at all but meh

This is probably the last time I can be bothered to repack it any time soon, unless someone else has another miracle codec right now, they'll have to forever hold your peace as there are other projects to be getting on with!

kvcd + original audio version:

http://www.multiupload.co.uk/80OXELOSWY
http://depositfiles.com/files/1ks6qn9ah
http://www.putlocker.com/file/8E468475E98C3340
http://turbobit.net/foo6p8lyiu26.html
http://bayfiles.com/file/llq3/HNuY94/Ball_Breakers_v0.800_GD-R_Beta_[Bananabreak]_kvcd.zip
http://BillionUploads.com/itaivyy5sela

 

Man I just repacked it using the first two releases but seems not need since you repacked it for us using KVCD codec. Anyhow I ran the CDI through a hacked version of NullDC that shows you what files are accessed and when. It seems some of the SFD files are not needed to make it work as they are left over from the PAL port and are not used at all in this NTSC-U variant and saves you quite a few MB of space.

INTFREN.SFD
INTGERM.SFD
INTENG.SFD

Those are the SFD files not used in this release but left over from the PAL release when ported. It doesn't matter what region you have this game plays the INTUSA1.SFD file no matter what your BIOS is set to and can be ripped out without harming any of the needed files to play or selfboot this release. This makes more then enough room to selfboot while avoiding the inner first session and allowing you to to keep the original LBA of 4500 and not downsampling as much. In fact when I dumped my PAL disc quite a few of the files checksums match so I imagine there wasn't much that was done to make this regional variant.

 

The exclusion of INTFREN.SFD, INTGERM.SFD and INTENG.SFD won't help that much as I did the bare minimum of downsampling anyway - I actually requested the downsampled files to be a comedy high 104857k, which obviously cannot be achieved using the source and method, but it did mean it included as much data as possible and it still fits onto a 700MB CD-R without touching the first track anyway!

The inclusion of INTFREN.SFD, INTGERM.SFD and INTENG.SFD maintains the broad integrity of the Beta and lets people have a nosey at what is and isn't used As such I wouldn't ever consider leaving a piece out of a Beta sorry, but it is tempting to include the INTUSA1.SFD as MPEG-1 to get rid of the kvcd artifact which appears on the left near the end -_-

You may be interested to know that the source had the other intros @ 5000k, but the USA version is / was @ 3600k. Odd that even the dev's downsampled it for the USA market eh?

 

Well the PAL files just seem to be carried over then as I just looked at my SFD's from the retail GDI dump and they are of the same bitrate as you mentioned above and it seems that they just encoded INTENG.SFD from the 5000k PAL format to standard NTSC-U video as the video's have the exact same content just different resolution and FPS. So only the intro video's were downsampled in the normal mpeg container and the rest are now KVCD? Can the company video's be left untouched after kvcd encode if there is a dummy file as those are the only ones that are noticeably different simply due to the black ground and the way mpeg works. Not sure if much space was saved in those as they are so darn small anyhow. But the rest of the video's are improved using kvcd and I thank you for spending so much time on this as you didn't have to at all and could have stuck to your guns on the 22k release but you are dedicated to making this as close to perfect as possible it seems going above and beyond repacking it again for us all. Thank you and the source for allowing and making this happen.

 

You can tell some PAL files have probably been carried over from the folder name too - MOHODC.

In the kvcd (3rd) version, the T2 and Lost Toys company logos are in MPEG-1 as there was too many artifacts leaving them as kvcd. As I said above I'm tempted to repack INTUSA1.SFD as MPEG-1 to get rid of the kvcd artifact which appears on the left of the screen near the end. I could cheat by renaming and repacking INTENG.SFD instead for the slightly higer quality and bitrate, but I'd rather preserve the integrity of the Beta as intended when possible

Even if the rest of the game was kvcd and there was no dummy file, the original company logos won't fit without downsampling anyway as they're just too big so you're out of luck sorry.

 

Figured as much as the PAL release doesn't have that INTUSA1.SFD to worry about space wise I was more less curious. And I didn't see any artifacts on the disc I just burned via VGA and my XRGB2 but I might still have the screen stretched as I think I was playing Rayman 2 in widescreen format last time I played the DC a couple days ago so it might have cut some of the screen off as I forget to set it back to full screen after playing the few DC games that actually support widescreen.

I might use your idea for my personal copy and rip out the un-needed files and re-name the INTENG.SFD to INTUSA1.SFD. I think I might then swap out the intro video's from the GDI source for the disc I intend to play while keeping all three of your releases preserved on my HDD with the rest of your work as the links for the old stuff is gone now and hard to find in most places. This way if ever needed again I can repost.

 

Hello,
All download are removed :/

thanks.

 

ok, found it on prototopia