Homebrew GBARunner2

[mrmagicm]

Thx RocketRobz for reply!! As I said, I'm completly new to Ds...How do you launch the gba_db.bin (which is Open_AGB_FIRM)??

 

[RocketRobz]

Thx RocketRobz for reply!! As I said, I'm completly new to Ds...How do you launch the gba_db.bin (which is Open_AGB_FIRM)??

Open_AGB_FIRM is a .firm file, not the "gba_db.bin" file.
You open it using the Luma payload menu, which is opened by holding START button after pressing the POWER button.
Make sure the .firm file is placed in "sd:/luma/payloads/". The .bin file also goes there, I think.

 

[mrmagicm]

So what is the gba_db.bin inside open_agb_firm_alpha_20220425.7z ???
What will happen once I open open_agb_firm.firm with Luma? Will it install something or do I need to launch the program like this each time to launch a *.Gba file? Are there other program in the .Firm format?

 

[RocketRobz]

So what is the gba_db.bin inside open_agb_firm_alpha_20220425.7z ???

It's a database for saves to work correctly.

What will happen once I open open_agb_firm.firm with Luma? Will it install something or do I need to launch the program like this each time to launch a *.Gba file?

You need to launch it each time to start a .gba file.

Are there other program in the .Firm format?

Yes, there's GodMode9 (which does not matter in this case).

Please move this discussion to: https://gbatemp.net/threads/open_agb_firm-discussion-thread.570844/ if you still need help.

 

[mrmagicm]

Still wondering one last thing: Why doesn't GBARunner2 or Mbga doesn't work on 2DS? Is it work in progress?

 

[RocketRobz]

Still wondering one last thing: Why doesn't GBARunner2 or Mbga doesn't work on 2DS? Is it work in progress?

GBARunner2 works fine on 2DS, but the slowdown cause on your side is unknown. mGBA is slow, because the O2DS/O3DS hardware can't emulate the GBA fast enough.
GBARunner2 has stopped development, and GBARunner3 has taken it's place. mGBA is work in progress.

 

[mrmagicm]

Hi RobcketROBZ!! I tried with your infos, indeed, now the emulator works well with GBA files!
I must correct you on one thing

"Make sure the .firm file is placed in "sd:/luma/payloads/". The .bin file also goes there, I think."

Nope, the BIN file goes on SD:\3ds\open_agb_firm\ in order to work! I had to find this ^^

 

[Kyush4]

Hey RocketRobz, thanks for your work, has audio in Fire Red been fixed?

 

[RocketRobz]

Hey RocketRobz, thanks for your work, has audio in Fire Red been fixed?

Yes, it is fixed in GBARunner3.
btw, I'm not the developer of it. I'm just reporting what's been tested.

 

[mrmagicm]

Where is it possible to download a version of GBARunner3?

 

[RocketRobz]

Where is it possible to download a version of GBARunner3?

As it is still in development, you need to build it from the source code.
To do that, you need to install devkitPro first.

 

[DSoryu]

For those asking about GBARunner3, the project is still on an alpha state, but is progressing well. Currently just me and @/Zense are doing extensive testing, plus other people adding their entries to the new compatibility list.

We are looking for more people that is able to help us filling the compatibility list with the newest alpha commits, so if you are interested, please DM me to give you more details, since for now, GBARunner3 builds are just meant for testing and not for public release yet.

You can also compile the binaries by yourself from the repo using the latest DevKitPRO, if you want to see how is it going.

 

[mrmagicm]

Will I be able to use GBARunner3, on my 2DS? As when I use GBARunner2, it is unusable because much too slow
What does GBARunner3 will bring in the future please?

 

[RocketRobz]

Will I be able to use GBARunner3, on my 2DS? As when I use GBARunner2, it is unusable because much too slow

GBARunner3 should be able to run faster than GBARunner2.

What does GBARunner3 will bring in the future please?

It'll bring improved sound emulation, as well as better compatibility. The unused screen will also be turned off.

 

[DSoryu]

Will I be able to use GBARunner3, on my 2DS? As when I use GBARunner2, it is unusable because much too slow
What does GBARunner3 will bring in the future please?

Yes, GBARunner3 will run on every system that is able to run .nds games.

GBArunner2 used a different approach to make things to work, and its codebase was dependent of old dkp versions, which made it difficult to compile and/or contribute.

GBARunner3 is a complete ground up re-write of GBARunner2 made by the same developer, that now uses a VM (details here) to have more control, and a better debug environment to easily work and collaborate with.

As of now for example, GBARunner3 has improved the following:

-Sound is possible without the need of the DSP (DSi hardware), with no more synchronization issues even on regular DS models, also the pitch issues of some GB channels are gone for good.

Uses a JIT patcher now, leading to benefits such as:
-Games that crashed for unknown reasons have been fixed, such as Zelda Minish Cap, Golden Sun 2, F-Zero GP Legnend and Densetsu no Starfy 3.

-Overall performance, GBArunner3 runs faster than GBARunner2 in some games that had slowdown issues, such as Doom and Duke Nukem Advance.

-Non-used screen is now turned off instead of just being black.

-Can be compiled with the latest dkp, so is easier to compile and open for contributions.

And as how this is advancing, many improvements with compatibility are expected to come eventually, that's why we are looking for help to test even a wider range of games, to catch improvements/regressions easier.

if you want to see some of the planned features that will come eventually in the future, you can take a look here

 

[mrparrot2]

How do I build GBARunner3? I always get this error message:

```
ArmDtcm.o: in function `memu_armDispatchTable':
(.dtcm+0x8): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_0' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0xa): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armStmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x10): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_0' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x12): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x18): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_1' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x1a): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armStmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x20): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_1' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x22): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x28): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_0' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x2a): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armStmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x30): additional relocation overflows omitted from the output
```
GCC 11.1.0, ld 2.36.1

 

[Gericom]

How do I build GBARunner3? I always get this error message:

```
ArmDtcm.o: in function `memu_armDispatchTable':
(.dtcm+0x8): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_0' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0xa): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armStmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x10): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_0' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x12): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x18): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_1' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x1a): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armStmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x20): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_1' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x22): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x28): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armLdmStmRnTable_0' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRn.o
(.dtcm+0x2a): relocation truncated to fit: R_ARM_ABS16 against symbol `memu_armStmRdTable' defined in .dtcm section in ArmLdmStmRd.o
(.dtcm+0x30): additional relocation overflows omitted from the output
```
GCC 11.1.0, ld 2.36.1

People on Linux seem to have this issue. Use windows instead.

That moment when you finally think your software is easy to compile for anyone.

 

[mrparrot2]

People on Linux seem to have this issue. Use windows instead.

That moment when you finally think your software is easy to compile for anyone.

Not gonna happen

 

[Indy13]

Hi friends,

Having been very busy with my work during the development and evolution of GBARunner2

So, this time, I would like to participate in the testing campaign for GBARunner3

My problem is that I don't know how to compile a .nds file from its source code.

So my questions are:

- Where can I find the tools needed to compile a .nds file and what are they?

- Is there a short, easy tutorial that gets straight to the point by showing step by step the commands to use to compile a .nds file?

And in the worst case (and I specify the worst case, because I would still like to learn how to compile), would someone agree to share an already compiled version of GBAR3 by private message?

For my part, I am running Windows 11 Arium and to test I would like to use my DS Lite with an R4 SDHC Gold Pro 2016.

I also have an N3DS and an Old 3DS but if I have to spend time on a romset, I prefer to use my DS Lite, its limitation in terms of capacity, can, I think, quickly reveal a basic romset of compatible roms.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SylverReZ]

Hello @Gericom,

I would like to participate in the GBARunner3 testing program. But in order for me to do so, I'd like to ask you a few questions.

- Could you explain on how to compile the latest test build?
- What are the prerequisites/libraries needed?

For testing, I am currently using a Nintendo DSi with TWLMenu++, Unlaunch and HiyaCFW. I am also using a 2DS with a R4 SDHC Gold Pro 2021 cartridge.

Many thanks.