ROM Hack How do games detect flashcarts?

[YayMii]

To be fair, Anti-Piracy measures alerady existed in the Super NES era.
Just look at Earthbound.

Earthbound looked at sram space. If there was more space for sram than usual, the game would make a lot of enemies appear. This made the game unplayable.

Every game has a different Anti-Piracy system, though they all get cracked quite fast.

BTW, even the NES had anti-piracy measures.
For example:

This was from the unreleased [US version of] MOTHER 1 for the NES.

 

[CrashmanX]

BTW, even the NES had anti-piracy measures.
For example:

This was from the unreleased [US version of] MOTHER 1 for the NES.

AH that was it, Mother 1. That's the ending screen my friend got on his emulator XD

 

[fgghjjkll]

I think the flashcart compares the header data with the one in it's database. If it matches, the database tells the firmware how to patch the game. If it doesn't, i think it just figures what save size it uses and creates an appropriate save.

Correct me if wrong Normmatt D:

 

[Normmatt]

I think the flashcart compares the header data with the one in it's database. If it matches, the database tells the firmware how to patch the game. If it doesn't, i think it just figures what save size it uses and creates an appropriate save.

Correct me if wrong Normmatt D:

I've already said how the AP checks work and your wrong

 

[HoTsHoT89]

Wrong again!

They do reads below 8000h which on official games still be redirected to 8000h in the rom while on flashcarts it isnt redirected and as such its easy to see its a flashcart, its not a simple fix either though, as the checks use their own read card function which isn't patched and as such reads need to be quick which they aren't unless the routine is patched

Why do flashcarts do not redirect as game cards do? I'm not sure what data lies below the 8000h memory address as well.

Also, in short a flashcart does not emulate a game card perfectly which is how game developers are able to place code to detect flashcarts?

QUOTE(SickPuppy @ Mar 1 2010, 11:50 AM) Why do the patches only work on certain flashcarts? Exapmle: I patched a certain racing game and it worked on one flashcart, but not on my other two flashcarts? I am running the latest firmware on all three flashcarts.

Because not all flashcarts patch the game in the same way. Not to mention some flashcarts just plain suck ass.

If games were patched externally (like with XDelta) probably doesn't matter, does it?

 

[Normmatt]

Wrong again!

They do reads below 8000h which on official games still be redirected to 8000h in the rom while on flashcarts it isnt redirected and as such its easy to see its a flashcart, its not a simple fix either though, as the checks use their own read card function which isn't patched and as such reads need to be quick which they aren't unless the routine is patched

Why do flashcarts do not redirect as game cards do? I'm not sure what data lies below the 8000h memory address as well.

Also, in short a flashcart does not emulate a game card perfectly which is how game developers are able to place code to detect flashcarts?

QUOTE(SickPuppy @ Mar 1 2010, 11:50 AM) Why do the patches only work on certain flashcarts? Exapmle: I patched a certain racing game and it worked on one flashcart, but not on my other two flashcarts? I am running the latest firmware on all three flashcarts.

Because not all flashcarts patch the game in the same way. Not to mention some flashcarts just plain suck ass.

If games were patched externally (like with XDelta) probably doesn't matter, does it?

As i said the function thats does the read below 8000h is very strictly timed, if you return data to slow (flashcarts) it doesn't work. This can't be helped sadly.

Flashcarts patch more than just Antipiracy routines they patch the read card routine to read from the sd and they patch the save routines to read/write to the sd. They all do these patches in different ways patching different functions.

 

[choconado]

so like the previous poster said, there are several extremely minor ways that flash carts do not identically mirror the physical cartridges' run routes, and the AP's specifically target these variances. Right?

 

[Normmatt]

so like the previous poster said, there are several extremely minor ways that flash carts do not identically mirror the physical cartridges' run routes, and the AP's specifically target these variances. Right?

They target 1 and only 1, they could check alot more and I'm surprised they haven't started yet.

 

[Blaze163]

so like the previous poster said, there are several extremely minor ways that flash carts do not identically mirror the physical cartridges' run routes, and the AP's specifically target these variances. Right?

They target 1 and only 1, they could check alot more and I'm surprised they haven't started yet.

Don't give them ideas!

 

[Demonbart]

so like the previous poster said, there are several extremely minor ways that flash carts do not identically mirror the physical cartridges' run routes, and the AP's specifically target these variances. Right?

They target 1 and only 1, they could check alot more and I'm surprised they haven't started yet.

Don't give them ideas!

Indeed, AP is already getting tougher on us, and last thing we need is AP that takes the hackers years to crack.

 

[Normmatt]

so like the previous poster said, there are several extremely minor ways that flash carts do not identically mirror the physical cartridges' run routes, and the AP's specifically target these variances. Right?

They target 1 and only 1, they could check alot more and I'm surprised they haven't started yet.

Don't give them ideas!

Indeed, AP is already getting tougher on us, and last thing we need is AP that takes the hackers years to crack.

Harder AP is good for everyone. Bring it on.

 

[macgeek417]

so like the previous poster said, there are several extremely minor ways that flash carts do not identically mirror the physical cartridges' run routes, and the AP's specifically target these variances. Right?

They target 1 and only 1, they could check alot more and I'm surprised they haven't started yet.

Don't give them ideas!

Indeed, AP is already getting tougher on us, and last thing we need is AP that takes the hackers years to crack.

Harder AP is good for everyone. Bring it on.

^ This.

...then again, that would raise the amount of "HLP PLZZZZ! THS DUZ NAWT WURK AWN 'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR' HLP PLZZZ I NEEDZ 2 PLAAY THIS AWN R4!!!" comments, which is a BAD thing as noone likes noobs.


...then again the more damage to the crap R4 clones, the better.

 

[Frostshocker]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

 

[CrashmanX]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

How do you get it up to 85mph? Also, does it run on Dilithium Crystals?

 

[Normmatt]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

How do you get it up to 85mph? Also, does it run on Dilithium Crystals?

Mine runs on Trilithium Crystals.

 

[Lacius]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

How do you get it up to 85mph? Also, does it run on Dilithium Crystals?

Mine runs on Trilithium Crystals.

I was going to do that, but I didn't want to run the risk of having my flash cart shot into the sun.

 

[CannonFoddr]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

How do you get it up to 85mph? Also, does it run on Dilithium Crystals?

Mine runs on Trilithium Crystals.

I was going to do that, but I didn't want to run the risk of having my flash cart shot into the sun.

But get the angle just right and shoot AROUND the Sun & you can go back in time & alter history to make the R4 the best card ever !!!

 

[ProtoKun7]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

How do you get it up to 85mph? Also, does it run on Dilithium Crystals?

Mine runs on Trilithium Crystals.

I was going to do that, but I didn't want to run the risk of having my flash cart shot into the sun.

Last thing we need is a level 12 shockwave destroying everything in the star system D:
(sorry, but I couldn't resist joining in)

Additionally, these posts should be moved to EoF.

 

[CrashmanX]

Normmatt Mine runs on Trilithium Crystals.I was going to do that, but I didn't want to run the risk of having my flash cart shot into the sun.

But get the angle just right and shoot AROUND the Sun & you can go back in time & alter history to make the R4 the best card ever !!!

I love this forum so much.

 

[mtbelley]

'R4i NEO GOLD SUPER ULTRA WITH 4 PETABYTES OF INTERNAL MEMORY AND SUPER ULTRA III UPGRADE PLATINUM SILVER DELUXE DSI 4.5 COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT IN FLUX CAPICITOR

-thinks he has one of those hanging about somewhere....-

How do you get it up to 85mph? Also, does it run on Dilithium Crystals?

Actually it was 88 MPH and 1.21 Jigawatts.