Saturday, January 5, 2019

Potential Playstation Classic Support with Hakchi!? PSpwned?! Sega Dreamcast Multi Disk Support! NEO GEO CD Full Speed & Sound Ahead! Authentic Arcade Artwork Experience with MAME 2003 Plus Experimental! Core Set Release Update!

Link after Release Notes, per usual:)

1-5-19

First of all, I hope you have a truly fantastic and resoundingly awesome New Year!

Now, then, bullet points, Release Notes, Videos, Closing Comments!

  • PS Classic Bandersnatch Principle?! Adding games with Hakchi!
  • PS Classic Upcoming Modification Reveal!
  • PS Classic Tools for ISO/BIN/CUE/APE/ECM, etc. Ripping & Conversions!
  • PS Classic Controllers on Mini NES/SNES!
  • NEO GEO CD! Full Sound & Speed Ahead!
  • Dreamcast Multi-Disk Support!
  • SNES9x Cores have better sound, pitch wise! Final Fantasy fans rejoice!
  • MAME 2003 Plus Experimental Fuller Speed Ahead!
  • MAME 2003 Plus Experimental Beautiful Backdrop and Border Art!
  • MAME 2003 Plus Experimental History and Cheats!
  • Gambatte SGB Borders!
  • Druid: Kyoufu no Tobira for Famicom Disk System fixed!
  • More Games on KMFD Mod Hub!
  • Other Updates!
  • WIP for Next Update!

PS Classic Bandersnatch Principle?! Adding games with Hakchi!

Many of you may remember from my last PS Classic Video, that I emphasized the importance of being careful with any modifications that are floating about. This was due to the fact that it was potentially possible to soft brick your systems. Some of the variants were set up in such a way that system files were being overwritten, rather than overmounted. Things are getting better day by day! And, modding will become increasingly safer, as well! This brings me to an unreleased modification, of which you will see me utilizing in the video down below the Release Notes! This aforementioned greatness will be released in the near future!

If you aren't familiar with Bandersnatch, it is a new Netflix Black Mirror Special, that has an incredibly cool gimmick...a Choose Your Own Adventure style scenario! You get screen prompts at various places within the movie, with which you can alter the course of the main character's actions. It is inventive, very fun, and nicely laid out. I enjoyed this same gimmick in a very obscure Horror Movie from roughly a decade ago, called Return to House on Haunted Hill. I would absolutely love to see more movies/tv/etc follow suit and have these determine the outcome endeavors. Very cool stuff, without a doubt! That being said...

Hakchi implementation for PS Classic is going to be very much "Bandersnatch Principle" like, wherein feedback from you Guys and Gals will determine how deeply rooted and involved the incorporation becomes! I have been pushing for Hakchi to be used, as I feel it is a stable and solid brand that many of us have grown to love over the last 2 years. My concept video will have me using Hakchi to add games for use on the PS Classic! Your feedback on my YouTube Comments and/or on the Reddit Posts, as well as any personal communication with me, otherwise...will greatly be a deciding factor on the future of PS Classic in conjunction with Hakchi!

PS Classic Upcoming Modification Reveal!

The modification you see me using in the video link below is, from this point forward, to be known as PSpwned. This is a gentle play on the somewhat lax, less than stellar, lackluster security provisions that ended up being a double edged sword of epic disproportions, due to Sony's need to rush said system out before Xmas! By taking the quick payoff approach, rather than going for longevity, and ensuring a better lineup of default games (SOTN anyone!), reviews quickly surfaced that ripped the entire Release apart...not to mention the 40 percent price drops within days! It was inevitable that it was going to be hacked and cracked. But, the Xmas Rush certainly made it a bit easier, considering Sony left the security keys on the system! Oops! Direct Root access was gained via a UART connection, and the system files dumped in under 2 days, thanks to many great people in the scene!

I don't think many of us could have done any better, considering the circumstances. Deadlines to rush a product out before Xmas has been a nail in the coffin, time and time again (E.T. Atari 2600)! It is still a very impressive little device capable of so much potential awesomeness, despite its bad vanilla aftertaste! As a modded system, it is as cool as Yee-Hah SkyRim (Red Dead Redemption!)

I have always been a tremendous fan of Sony Video Game Systems, and have amassed a collection of PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, VIta, and so on. I still respect and adore the company, despite their shortcomings with the badly timed PS Classic Release! I do find the specs to be quite admirable, and am already getting things to run somewhat better here than on the Mini NES/SNES! Greatness will continue to come, that is for sure!

The first hack that was pseudo leaked to the internet, before it was properly finished up and tested, was LOLHACK. It was not intended to so quickly reach the masses. It was meant to be tested for bugs, fixed, then Released! Since some modified the base coding, this is where the bad overwriting inadvertently and unintentionally happened! This is also why I even did my first PS Classic Video, to warn against the inherent dangers of modding your PS Classic, too early! I am very happy to report, I am absolutely thrilled and very comfortable with how PSpwned is going! It will truly be a fantastic modification that properly overmounts system files, rather than overwriting them! Many more tweaks and changes will be added in the future!

Remember, the feedback of you Guys and Gals is a huge factor in how deeply rooted Playstation Classic/PSpwned harmoniousness becomes incorporated as a whole! Extra special thanks to madmonkey and DanTheMan827! Think of this scenario as a pseudo petition, reaching out for the Hakchi or Hakchi like cause! Thank you all for the tremendous amount of Support on this idea, thus far...comment wise, from my below Video!

PS Classic Tools for ISO/BIN/CUE/APE/ECM, etc. Ripping & Conversions!

I have already put together a very nice and comprehensive set of Tools that one can use for PS1 Games on their Mini NES/SNES/PS1! These are in Xtras/Tools/PS1. You can do practically anything from basic ripping with PocketISO, to Intermediate Merging of Bins with CDMage, to advanced tactics, such as contending with .ape, .ecm, (typically Japanese Games) etc. files, to even dealing with super advanced ripping of troublesome games, such as Crash Bandicoot!, all with the Tools I have provided within the context of the Core Set Release. I have done several videos utilizing all of these tools, over the last couple of years. But, I have been personally using them for decades previous. Enjoy them, and feel free to let me know if you need any direction in using any of them! They have already proven incredibly useful and highly practical with the conventions of the PS Classic!

PS Classic Controllers on Mini NES/SNES!

If you use RetroArch Xtreme, any version, Playstation Classic Default Controllers will work with OTG and USB-HOST on your Mini NES/SNES! Personal thanks to AluCarD for testing, and andshrew and hizzlekizzle for helping out with this clever and nifty addition! This is certainly a nice convenience for those of you who only have NES/SNES Default Controllers with each respective system!

NEO GEO CD! Full Sound & Speed Ahead!

Another notch on the most wanted belt off the list. We now have Full Sound and Full Speed Neo Geo CD on the Mini Classics! This has easily been one of the most requested things over the last two years, along with Dreamcast and Nintendo DS and PSP! We now have a Trifecta Plus One of pure awesomeness, or a Superfecta!

Definitive Versions of many of your most favorite Neo Geo Classic Games, complete with Full CD Rearranged Soundtracks!

You will need to install Neo Geo CD 2018 Core and may also use Master BIOS Module to add the pertinent BIOS. At the root of system, create a neocd folder. Then, inside, extract Neo Geo CD Bios. The two files you should have are neocd_z.rom and ng-lo.rom Command Line is /bin/neocd2018 The Master BIOS Module, Xtras/Bios and Commands have also been updated.

Showcase and Tutorial Video is below Release Notes. I have also included tools to help with the conversion process of the Neo Geo CD Games. Audacity for converting .wavs to .flac (high quality and lossless, especially if ripped directly from the real Neo Geo CDs!; or .ogg (MP3 size and quality). .Wavs do not work, for the time being. You can also use find and replace, also in tools, to fix up the .cue files!

Brought to you by the cumulative and collaborative efforts of Fabrice, madmonkey, myself, and bslenul:)

Dreamcast Multi-Disk Support!

This has been one of the most requested feature additions for Reicast! You can now play Multi-Disk Games with this Update. It will only work with Xtreme Mode, /bin/reicast and best results with RetroArch 1.7.5 Xtreme! Enjoy Shenmue 1 and 2, Grandia, and many more, which should be fully playable to the 2nd Disks, now! RetroArch Settings, Disk Control, once prompted for disk changes! Personal thanks to Autechre, flying head, and everyone else involved with this phenomenally awesome Dreamcast Core!

SNES9x Cores have better sound, pitch wise! Final Fantasy fans rejoice!

One thing some of you might have become adjusted to over the last couple of years, was the fact that SNES9x Cores typically had better sound with the greater accuracy of the higher year Cores. But, performance and speed generally suffered as a result, on some games, due to the same great performance and accuracy. I have personally found a happy and satisfying median with SNES9x 2005, of which I run most of my more stubborn SNES games with. If you ever have slowdown issues with 2010 or 2016, by all means try 2005 or 2002!

What is great, with this Update, is that games such as Final Fantasy VI, which have absolutely butchered and bad sound pitch...are now sounding a hell of a lot better with a more proper pitch fix, courtesy of jdgleaver! He has also done some tremendous stuff with Gambatte, amongst other things! SNES9x2002, 2005, and 2005 Plus all have this better sound, and are very effective for games that you cannot normally run at a good speed on 2010 and 2016 and 2016 Bright! Of course, 2016 and 2016 Bright are the main ones you'd need to use for MSU-1, and games that will not run properly on the older Cores! So, it is definitely great to have a combination of SNES9x Cores installed. I have them set up so you can multi-wield them with /bin/snes02, /bin/snes05, /bin/snes05-plus, /bin/snes10, bin/snes16, and snes9x-bright. Remember, if you ever are uncertain of any Command Lines you can use for any of the Cores in my set, you can refer to the ReadMe windows while viewing in Hakchi, as well as go into Xtras/Commands!

Additionally, SNES9x 2016 is now bumped from 1.56 to 1.57, for even better compatibility, accuracy, amongst other perks!

MAME 2003 Plus Experimental Fuller Speed Ahead!

Grant2258 has been going out of his way to help ensure the MiniNES/SNES experience is as great as possible for MAME 2003 Plus Experimental. We have been changing several things, to account for the lesser hardware, and testing them out, accordingly. There are some speed hacks in place, with today's Release, that benefit many stubborn games! Some, like Narc, while they now run better, will likely remain best on MAME 2000! But, like SNES9x Cores, outlined above, it is nice to have a combination of Arcade Cores! With 1.7.4 and 1.7.5 Xtreme, Cores install at 75 percent smaller. So, keep that in mind. It is easier than ever to maintain a solid variety of Cores to contend with accuracy, performance, speed, and otherwise, with the lesser space being used, overall!

MAME 2003 Plus Experimental Beautiful Backdrop and Border Art!

This is, by far, one of the greatest things I have had the pleasure of adding to my set. Many Arcade Games, over the years, such as Discs of Tron, have never truly been authentic to the Arcade Experience. You can now install MAME 2003 Plus Experimental in conjunction with RetroArch Xtreme and the RetroArch Artwork MAME 2003 Plus HMODs, to net some incredibly beautiful, closer to the true Arcade Experience many of us have envisioned over the years! You can see these being used in the SNES Classic - MAME 2003 Plus Showcase - Full Speed Ahead! - Part 4 Video, below! Huge personal thanks to nearly a years worth of work, off and on...involving Grant2258, markwkidd, dankcushions, nayslayer, arcadez, and the rest of the MAME 2003 Plus Team!! And, of course, huge thanks to any and all who have worked on the backdrops and borders over the years! This is another beautiful thing that will become updated over time. You can view the list of "supported games" in Xtras/Arcade/MAME 2003 Plus Artwork ReadMe, as well as in ReadMe, while Artwork HMOD is viewed within Hakchi. Nearly 160 games currently supported. I can and may add support for others, depending on feedback. So, feel free to request.

MAME 2003 Plus Experimental History and Cheats!

Personal thanks to Grant2258, markwkidd, arcadez, and the rest of the Team for fixing things, so that History and Cheats properly scroll and work again! I have updated the History and Cheats HMODS, accordingly! In order to use these, once installed...go into RetroArch Settings, Core Options, Enable MAME Menu, choose Cheats and/or History. Once done, Disable MAME Menu in Core Options. It will remain on screen until you disable it. This is effectively awesome for those who only have NES/SNES Controllers, as you do not have to worry about L2 or R2, like you typically have to with MAME 2003 Standard/Xtreme. Of course, if you do run those MAME 2003 Variants, and don't have a proper R2 button, you can temporarily remap R2 to R1, then change back when done!

Gambatte SGB Borders!

mGBA has SGB Border Support. Gambatte is generally the better Game Boy/Game Boy Color Core for us on the Mini Classics. So, I put together a setup, so that those who love Gambatte can run Super Game Boy Borders. The HMOD is _km_retroarch_sgb_borders_gambatte Once this is installed, you can go into RetroArch Settings, Onscreen Display, Enable Display, then choose SGB 16x9 and select from over 800 SGB Borders! Choose whichever .cfg file you'd like to use. To revert, you can go into RetroArch Video Settings, aspect ratio, and choose whichever one you want to use, be it 4:3 or 16:9 or Core Provided, etc. Then, from Onscreen Display, select default .cfg. If you already use other Borders with Gambatte for GB/GBC games, I would suggest running those with mGBA and/or Gearboy, as the aspect for these SGB Borders are more optimized for a 16:9 styled appearance. I have personally been having a fun swapping out the 800 Plus Borders on even Non-SGB games. The Blaster Master Border is particularly nice! Again, you can run most of these via mGBA. But, if you want more accurate GB/GBC emulation, whilst still having ability to run SGB Borders, this is a great alternative!

Druid: Kyoufu no Tobira for Famicom Disk System fixed!

If you are a fan of Gauntlet styled, rogue-like games, you will be right at home with this gem of a game! It previously had awful menu glitches! You can run this with RetroArch Xtreme and /bin/fceumm Enjoy! Personal thanks to retro-wertz for the IRQ timing fix required to pull this off! Feel free to try out other games you may have previously had issues with. You might find them working and/or better now, with this great fix in place.

More Games on KMFD Mod Hub!

If you had trouble running any of these last time, Update to the latest Core/Version Requisites with this Release. I have added more games to enjoy, such as a great canceled Dreamcast one called Drill; Lawn Mower for NES; Zombienator for Uzebox! I also added the DC (VMU (Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit). You will need to install RetroArch Xtreme to use it. Have fun! Be sure to check out the other games, such as Cave Story MD/NXE, 2048, and so on! I will add more in the future!

Other Updates!

Updated MESS 2016 Dependencies, RetroArch Xtreme Shaders, and nearly 50 other Cores with various Bug Fixes, Optimizations, and additions. If you had any trouble running any Cores, such as Gambatte/Mr. Boom/Uzem, last Release...they are fixed now! Sorry for any inconvenience! Thank you Jul Car and TheWez1981, for the heads up on Gambatte! Occasionally, segfault and other conflicts or issues come into play, and break a Core. P-UAE, P-UAE Xtreme, UAE4ARM, UAE4ARM Xtreme, all had this problem until madmonkey helped sort it out! Other Cores that have occasionally had this issue, have been Gambatte, ViceX64, and DOSBox. I appreciate any feedback, as always, to help keep this a nice, smooth running Core Set! Thank you all!

Personal thanks to game cleaner and Beylie for helping test DOSBox changes that might come into play within the next Release or few! For now, if you plan on running DOSBox and/or EasyRPG via main UI, I would suggest changing /var/games to /var/saves, copy the entire CLV folder to hakchi/saves on USB. But, if you reexport, recopy the CLV from hakchi/saves back over top, and allow it to overwrite...the main Exported CLV. This will change in future Updates, and potentially be incorporated directly into Hakchi2 CE!

WIP for Next Update!

Videos and such related to, "Now You're Playing With Power" and more "PS Classic" goodness and "Holy Diver the NES game, as well as, my real life, personal Dio story...where a fight broke out!, are tentatively WIP by Next Update. Also, I will be updating PSP in a couple special ways. Every Release I throw a few things onto the immediate agenda. And, I do my best to get them added! I will likely lay some focus on Cheats as one of the other primary upcoming additions! Anything else any of you would like to see, let me know! I will see what I can do as far as getting things accounted for. But, I will continue to focus equally on Mini NES/SNES/PS1, with the new personal motto, "No System Left Behind!"

Now for the YouTube Videos to coincide with this Release!

Playstation Classic - Using Hakchi to Export Games - WIP Modification Showcase!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxw4LnTW20Q

SNES Classic - NEO GEO CD - Full Sound & Speed Ahead - Showcase Demonstration + Tutorial!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFi123Qqzqk

SNES Classic - MAME 2003 Plus Showcase - Full Speed Ahead! - Part 4 - Cat-Vengers Assemble!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RakuVFG7ogs

Closing Notes

You all have been incredibly great over the last two years! Looking forward to seeing where things may lead in 2019! Now it is time to work and, in between, catch up on the hundreds of messages I have gotten over the last few days! Thank all of you wonderful Ladies and Gentlemen for your ongoing support, as always!

Sincerely, KMFDManic!

And, of course, the Update!

https://github.com/KMFDManic/NESC-SNESC-Modifications/releases



Submitted January 06, 2019 at 04:11AM by MDFMKanic http://bit.ly/2C2vVsH

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