Hacking R4 Game Loading Progress Bar

[celentt]

Anyone explain why some games have double loading bars when starting a game? and some only have one?

just a little bit curious

 

[Sinkhead]

Yes, I would also like to know this...

- Sam

 

[Zazie]

It might either be related to the size of the ROM, or it could just be loading the ROM with it's related .SAV.

Otherwise, not a clue.

 

[lagman]

I think it's only one loading bar, but sometimes it calculates bad or something and then it use one more.

How techie is that?

 

[4saken]

I don't think it does [calculate badly, etc]. Well larger games have slower progress bars. I think one of the progress bars is making a save (first time you start a game).
EDIT: Though I do acknowledge the fact there are two loading bars for some games.

 

[Rayder]

I've a feeling that it's something like an on-the-fly patching.

The first load bar goes fast, the second (when there is a second one) will move somewhat slower.

Maybe a couple of the recent games that don't work on R4 need that second load bar to work (assuming it's on-the-fly patching)....which likely will require an update from the R4 team.

Also, it does that AFTER the save was created, but only some games do it at all.

 

[fli_guy84]

I don't know why this happens but one thing I know is that it doesn't depend on the rom size. For example, FF3 works with only one load bar.

Yes, I suspect some games need more time for the on-the-fly patch.

 

[rest0re]

it has to be something to do with patching. first bar is sav and second is about patching..

 

[Killermech]

Just a theory:

1st - Detecting save type
2nd - Prepatching (soft reset etc)
3rd - Loading

 

[.TakaM]

i thought one just loaded the rom, and the other the .sav

 

[Rayder]

But the save is only 512k, it wouldn't take that long to load that small amount of memory.

 

[cory1492]

Some games have the binaries compressed... to patch them it probably has to load it, decompress it, adjust the header and then patch it (it could account for the extra progress at any rate, decompression&patch vs. just load&patch).

edit:/ forgot to mention, M3DSS and R4 both save games directly to the SD card, so it definitely isn't save loading that causes an extra progress bar.

 

[Skye07]

Who cares about the loading bars

 

[Rayder]

Some games have the binaries compressed... to patch them it probably has to load it, decompress it, adjust the header and then patch it (it could account for the extra progress at any rate, decompression&patch vs. just load&patch).

edit:/ forgot to mention, M3DSS and R4 both save games directly to the SD card, so it definitely isn't save loading that causes an extra progress bar.

That sounds like about the best possibility. And I agree with Skye too, as long as it works, who really cares. But still, it is a curiosity.

Maybe we should ask over at the official R4 forums.......they upgraded their forums recently, if you haven't checked it out lately.

http://forums.r4ds.net/index.php

 

[myclock]

But the save is only 512k, it wouldn't take that long to load that small amount of memory.

maybe its gotta search the memory card for the sav file that matches the game.

 

[Retal]

I find it pretty poor that it isn't labelled clearly.

 

[AeN0]

Bump. It's just curiosity but I want to know :b