Hardware BatchGBA

[TrolleyDave]

BatchGBA (v0.11)

EDIT : Updated to version 0.11!

V0.11 CHANGES
--------------------------
+ Massive speed increase when searching for trim size.
+ Massive speed increase when searching for save type.
+ Now alot less memory intensive.
+ Fixed a problem with patching Flash1M_V102 save types.

STILL TO DO
---------------------
- Batch renaming
- RTC patching
- Allow creation of folders while setting custom output path.


A simple to use batch trimmer and SRAM patcher for GBA games. Simply browse to the folder containing the games you want to patch/trim, select the games you want (hold CTRL to multi-select) and hit Patch/Trim Roms! To have your games trimmed simply tick the checkbox marked Trim Roms.

By default the path for the patched/trimmed games is a folder called OUTPUT in the folder you have BatchGBA in but this can be set to a path of your choice.

The patcher also does more than one pass on the game so it should automatically patch multi-game roms.

This is a work in progress so you might find problems with it, just post them here and I'll fix them as soon as I can.

Download Link Click here to download v0.11

Simply unpack the zip file to the folder of your choice.

 

[matriculated]

Wow! It's about time someone did this. The reason why I don't play GBA games on my R4 is because it's a hassle to patch them. Thank you very much, Trolleydave!


That's quite the rom collection you got there.

 

[TrolleyDave]

Wow! It's about time someone did this. The reason why I don't play GBA games on my R4 is because it's a hassle to patch them. Thank you very much, Trolleydave!


That's quite the rom collection you got there.Â

Cheers! I know exactly what you mean about it being a pain to patch them, it's what made me want to start the project. I've dumped the code into R4 Commander as well so I can dump GBA games onto the card at the same time as DS game but I thought this util might be useful for those that don't use it.

About the rom collection believe it or not they're mostly all gone now! I just grabbed a torrent with 0-1000 in it so I could test it out on as much as possible. A handful doesn't quite cut the mustard when testing patches!

 

[arctic_flame]

Any chance of posting the source of your patching routine?

 

[TrolleyDave]

All the info is here for writing your own if that's easier for you

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=60168

but if you PM me your email address I'll send you the code no probs. It's written in Delphi so you might have to convert it depending on what your coding in.

 

[arctic_flame]

Yes, I saw that topic, I was just interested in how you implemented it.

(By the way, Delphi + Pascal - how long ago did you start programming!)

 

[TrolleyDave]

Yes, I saw that topic, I was just interested in how you implemented it.

(By the way, Delphi + Pascal - how long ago did you start programming!)

About a year ago when I first got my R4 and wrote the original R4 Commander. I had a free version on a cover CD and thought I'd give it a go. What do you code in?

 

[arctic_flame]

Yes, I saw that topic, I was just interested in how you implemented it.

(By the way, Delphi + Pascal - how long ago did you start programming!)


About a year ago when I first got my R4 and wrote the original R4 Commander. I had a free version on a cover CD and thought I'd give it a go. What do you code in?

>.>

PHP / AutoIt v3 / A bit of VB / A bit of C(++)

 

[TrolleyDave]

Not tried any of them! I had a look at VB and C++ though. VB looked ok for a beginner but I wasn't too keen on the development environment, and C++ looked like it was for people with a little more programming experience than me. PHP is what most forums are coded in isn't? I've never heard of AutoIt, what is it?

 

[matriculated]

Yes, I saw that topic, I was just interested in how you implemented it.

(By the way, Delphi + Pascal - how long ago did you start programming!)

Check out Free Pascal and Lazarus:
http://www.lazarus.freepascal.org/

It compiles Delphi-like code for Windows/Linux and OS X. It be great to use your apps for all platforms.

 

[TrolleyDave]

Yes, I saw that topic, I was just interested in how you implemented it.

(By the way, Delphi + Pascal - how long ago did you start programming!)



Check out Free Pascal and Lazarus:
http://www.lazarus.freepascal.org/

It compiles Delphi-like code for Windows/Linux and OS X. It be great to use your apps for all platforms.

I've had a look at Lazarus and I'm nowhere near good enough to be able to programming one of my tools using it as alot of the components that make Delphi so easy to use are missing from Lazarus such as file browsers etc. Admittedly I could probably write them, but only using Windows calls, and then my apps wouldn't be cross platform! Do you know of any other free cross-platform Visual languages? I could always try my hand at another language as well, are there any free visual basic environments that are cross platform?

 

[netter]

any chance to add "real time clock" patch for pokemon series?

 

[TrolleyDave]

any chance to add "real time clock" patch for pokemon series?

I can give it a try, have you got the release numbers?

 

[FAST6191]

Release numbers on the GBA are all messed up but:
http://bubbz.pocketheaven.com/?system=gba&section=patch
has patches for roms.

Nice work by the way and I am sorry I have not got around to posting the ASM stuff yet.

As for autoit it was born of a desire for something a bit easier/nicer to look at than batch files and acquired a bit of interesting stuff along the way. It lacks serious binary support though (especially on the altering front).
It is pretty nice for guis (batchDPG uses it so I decided to learn it for that) and you can knock out some really good ones in a short space of time (it supports some of the more basic windows APIs, dos without issue and even screen locations). Syntax is somewhere between new style basic (visual basic and co) and C?, it is windows only though but I hear good things about the apps under WINE.
As for other cross platform, deufeufeu was going on about python so I took a look at that. I can see why that is the case now.

 

[HEARDATBEAT]

the link to the file is expired can someone re-up it

 

[TrolleyDave]

Fixed

 

[HEARDATBEAT]

thank you for the re-up

 

[matriculated]

I've had a look at Lazarus and I'm nowhere near good enough to be able to programming one of my tools using it as alot of the components that make Delphi so easy to use are missing from Lazarus such as file browsers etc. Admittedly I could probably write them, but only using Windows calls, and then my apps wouldn't be cross platform! Do you know of any other free cross-platform Visual languages? I could always try my hand at another language as well, are there any free visual basic environments that are cross platform?

The only other cross platform RAD that I know is Real Basic - it's not free though. Rominator is written in it.

 

[TrolleyDave]

Release numbers on the GBA are all messed up but:
http://bubbz.pocketheaven.com/?system=gba&section=patch
has patches for roms.

Nice work by the way and I am sorry I have not got around to posting the ASM stuff yet.

As for autoit it was born of a desire for something a bit easier/nicer to look at than batch files and acquired a bit of interesting stuff along the way. It lacks serious binary support though (especially on the altering front).
It is pretty nice for guis (batchDPG uses it so I decided to learn it for that) and you can knock out some really good ones in a short space of time (it supports some of the more basic windows APIs, dos without issue and even screen locations). Syntax is somewhere between new style basic (visual basic and co) and C?, it is windows only though but I hear good things about the apps under WINE.
As for other cross platform, deufeufeu was going on about python so I took a look at that. I can see why that is the case now.

Sorry to take so long to get back mate, haven't had alot of time for coding or anything. I'll have a go at the rtc patching later on, do you know if it's every pokemon game that needs the patch or just a few?

I'll have a look at Python, I'm pretty interested in the whole cross platform thing. I do like Pascal alot though, it's basically like English. I've had a look at VB and it seemed nice, but the structural part of it just wasn't that logical. Don't even get me started on C++! I know it's the most flexible and closest to low-level etc, but it looks messy and there was way too much shorthand. I'm gonna pick up a book on it eventually. I'd really like to learn ASM myself as well, but I'm guessing it's mostly useless in the Windows environment as everythings based off API's? Plus it looks like you really have to know how a PC/CPU/BIOS works and I really don't have that technical knowledge yet. Now that I've started coding I'm actually getting into PC's and how they work though so I might pick up a couple of books on it.

 

[TrolleyDave]

So has anybody been using this? Does the SRAM patching and trimming work ok?