Homebrew Saturn emulation using Cotton/Guardian Force testing and debug

[Kitocco]

Bit of a necroing here now. But damn. The compatibility list is gone?

And first thing I see in this thread is... this...



lol...

I stopped working on or caring about ZebraEngine support (and checking this thread) right after I added it... because I saw NOBODY mentioning they even gave it a try, or reporting any bugs with it. And here months after the fact I find a guy whining and bashing CaVE for being buggy with ZebraEngine instead of... actually ever reporting the issues back when I was ready, willing and wanting to fix them asap. Man... You have no idea how much this really irks me...

So whose to blame here? Me for putting in the work to support ZE, and then being perfectly willing and expecting to refine that support and stability... but ultimately not because there was zero feedback... or people like him that find issues, don't report them, and just complain about my program in another thread like it existing is a slap in the face to them?

Whatever... I'll try to decypher the unhinged complaining into bug reports to add to my tracker. But I can't make any promises on fixing these issues. I long since came to terms with putting ZE support on the shelf and instead working on what people show me they care about.

• Adding a custom ini crashes? Presumably in CaVE, not in game.
• Only Boomerang injects work? That was most definitely not intended...
• Menu is invisible... I think I saw someone mention this, but only a couple months ago. WELL after I gave up on ZE.
• "Advance setting for config is broken"... Not very descriptive...

Since after that its mostly just ranting again... i guess I can respond to some of that.

"why even bother releasing something half baked if he can not add support to the title updates with fixed Lag settings?".

I tried. I spent WAY too much time working on those updates, and failing. But I added ZE support, just because I could. I had all the code and UI there from Hiyoko/Sloop/Hovercraft support, so figured "Why not? It's easy to add support for, and people would probably appreciate a decent, strait forward and simple UI for making these". The lack of feedback showed otherwise.

"why hide the config settings.ini". I don't even know what that means. You can select such an ini, or fill out the settings that are in it, in the UI. Nothings hidden.

"he copied others work with less functions". I copied no ones work. Well, except my own in a sense... as the ZE support was based off my own Sloop, Hiyoko and Hovercraft support. Everything I did in it was custom. From cracking the tex format, to menus and screens. The only thing borrowed was referring people to the compatibility list.

...

And now you know why (apparently) CaVE is buggy with ZE and why I never fixed it.

Anyway. To the few here that do have something positive to say about CaVE ZebraEngine support, thank you. Hopefully I will get back around to working on it again after the CaVE v1.5 revamp is done. For now, I just came here as I recently had to port the ZE code among the others to the new project, was doing some basic UI testing, and wanted to see wtf happened to the compatibility list (sorry. no backup of it here either =( ).

If you do use CaVE for ZE, refer to the CaVE thread in my sig for any feedback on it. I won't see it here. I have less of a reason to check this thread now...

Apologies! I’ve been meaning to try out this injector, especially your implementation since it takes out my fears of CLI (I can use em, just… trying to compile stuff in Linux always tires me), I just never got around to it. And I was unsure what to try out, but I have been eyeing Burning Rangers, despite its issues even on PCs, and Princess Crown as I’ve been waiting & keeping an eye on the English patch effort (that sadly had its thread locked).

Good thing I’ve gotten myself more used to image editing! At least, as used to drawing can get me… either way, thank you for your work! CaVE Manager has been a really useful piece of software for me, letting me try out Pokemon Stadium 2 (One of my favorite games ever) on Switch!

 

[Kazesama]

I appreciate all the work you put into this Akuma, and was wonder if you or anyone on ur team was gonna work on the updated Saturn emulator that Elevator Action Returns and many newer releases uses nowadays.

I'm personally working on a way of how Baroque - Original Version switch port works (it uses the SSF emulator) but problem is how they load the games with it? changing .bin & .cue files of a different saturn game gives the Switch crash software error message.

Maybe i can give a helping hand with the newer Saturn Tribute emulator and try to see how they doing it.

Newer versions of the SSF emulator for the switch now require an encrypted bin/cue. Likely the author 'Shimazz' did it on purpose.

 

[Impossible_Igntiz]

Newer versions of the SSF emulator for the switch now require an encrypted bin/cue. Likely the author 'Shimazz' did it on purpose.

Yeah i figure the creator knows about this scene and these threads about hacking his/her software, very well aware lol but why block people access from wanting to run their favorite Saturn games or games they know is never gonna be ported over? Was the person peer-pressured by the companies and was forced to add these security measurements before public/market release?

I'd wouldn't be too surprised if it was the latter...

 

[Kazesama]

Yeah i figure the creator knows about this scene and these threads about hacking his/her software, very well aware lol but why block people access from wanting to run their favorite Saturn games or games they know is never gonna be ported over? Was the person peer-pressured by the companies and was forced to add these security measurements before public/market release?

I'd wouldn't be too surprised if it was the latter...

author removed the source code when they were hired to port games over to the switch. It's possible the company bought or licensed his software.

 

[Impossible_Igntiz]

author removed the source code when they were hired to port games over to the switch. It's possible the company bought or licensed his software.

true that, it happened a few times before with some people's work in the past.

 

[DarkAkuma]

I appreciate all the work you put into this Akuma, and was wonder if you or anyone on ur team was gonna work on the updated Saturn emulator that Elevator Action Returns and many newer releases uses nowadays.

Thank you.

My team is just me, and the community that helps test CaVE. I do not keep up with releases such as that, and did not know about Elevator Action Returns. If its made by the same group that did the Cotton games and Layer Section/Galactic Attack... you can be certain that its using the same emu. The same one that they now encrypt, and I have been unable to decrypt. Sadly, I am not well versed in encryption by any means. I did what I could, and reversed engineered things as far as I could. But hit a wall in my skills and understanding.

Apologies! I’ve been meaning to try out this injector, especially your implementation since it takes out my fears of CLI (I can use em, just… trying to compile stuff in Linux always tires me), I just never got around to it. And I was unsure what to try out, but I have been eyeing Burning Rangers, despite its issues even on PCs, and Princess Crown as I’ve been waiting & keeping an eye on the English patch effort (that sadly had its thread locked).

Good thing I’ve gotten myself more used to image editing! At least, as used to drawing can get me… either way, thank you for your work! CaVE Manager has been a really useful piece of software for me, letting me try out Pokemon Stadium 2 (One of my favorite games ever) on Switch!

I have since fixed 1 of the issues (ini selection) that I was able to pull from that trolls old message. But that fix is in the Alpha for the CaVE v1.5 revamp, which I have no clue how long it will take to be released. So, even I can admit... if there is THAT many issues with CaVE's ZebraEngine NSP creation, I probably cant recommend using it for now.

While I am not truly working on the ZE code yet, I have begone to look over things, and try to get my head back in the state needed to start pondering the now known issues and their solutions. I have vague ideas about the invisible menu issue, and maybe non-Boomerang support. Just because I fixed issues like those last June... or so I thought. If I am correct, I need to be more ready to give things my full attention, which will have to wait until after the general CaVE revamp.

Glad to hear that CaVE is otherwise being useful to you though! =)

EDIT:

I fixed the invisible menu UI issue. It's in the Alpha for now. And... I guess I'm now working to fix these issues, now that I know about them and have some time! =)

 

[ZER-O]

Thank you.

good luck!

 

[Purple_Shyguy]

Woah woah woah. One of the newer games can be injected into? Which one my dude?

And it "doesn't" help with input lag? Well God dang that was the entire reason people wanted the newer games to be injectable to begin with and pretty much why this thread died.

 

[Impossible_Igntiz]

Hop

- on PC or PS4 one of the latest title updates for City Connection S-tribute dropped the encryption
- the Emulator is a port of SSF PC emulator from the same Author
- based on that me and 2 others tested the INI file from SSF and changed things in it to make more games work, this was done mostly by 1 person who made the excel sheet you used
- you can not do 4 player coop on Guardian Heroes or Bomberman
- all racing Games are using Digital D-Pad controls (you can not enable true analog controls like in PC SSF
- the INI file, if you changed any settings or want to change anything, nothing will be applied / reflected until you delete the game save data, if you want to check whatever you changed in an INI to make new games work, you have to delete the save file first, 2 people tested most of the games and made adjustments to the INI
- your Cave manager only produces working games from Cotton boomerang, Guardian Force use different file names for Tex files
- the hidden menu never worked at the time we tested your second update
- the script that was shared here already fixed all the problems, and there is a method to copy all the assets into it and produce working games with 1 click, your app has the advantage of a GUI interface but was still lacking on all the fixes already made in the script

i suggest you save your time and drop this project unless you have a way to decrypt the latest update from layer section or Elevator action, why?
-they changed the file structure and now they put each game under its own folder to lunch multiple games from the main menu (this allows us to put 4+ games in one NSP or have multi game disc games in one NSP
-multi game discs like panzer dragoon saga uses the same save data from the first disc
each game has its own INI with special config edits, layer section ini is better for 3D games, Guardian force is better for 2D games
- the so called lag input was fixed, but that's not true

here you go, good luck

Hope no one from the City Connection team is reading that as they could re-enable it back again lol but it's cool they finally did after all, though why was it done in the first place and also why now drop it all of a sudden by random?

Does your ini config tool for the newer one work for the Switch version as well? would love to know so i can start playing more Saturn games on it and run the uncensored versions of Idol Janshi Suschi Pai finally.

 

[ZER-O]

Does your ini config tool for the newer one work for the Switch version as well? would love to know so i can start playing more Saturn games on it and run the uncensored versions of Idol Janshi Suschi Pai finally.

this whole emulator is useless, no real 3D Analog stick support to control Racing games or play Nights into the dreams the way it was intended

 

[DarkAkuma]

- on PC or PS4 one of the latest title updates for City Connection S-tribute dropped the encryption
- the Emulator is a port of SSF PC emulator from the same Author
- based on that me and 2 others tested the INI file from SSF and changed things in it to make more games work, this was done mostly by 1 person who made the excel sheet you used
- you can not do 4 player coop on Guardian Heroes or Bomberman
- all racing Games are using Digital D-Pad controls (you can not enable true analog controls like in PC SSF
- the INI file, if you changed any settings or want to change anything, nothing will be applied / reflected until you delete the game save data, if you want to check whatever you changed in an INI to make new games work, you have to delete the save file first, 2 people tested most of the games and made adjustments to the INI
- your Cave manager only produces working games from Cotton boomerang, Guardian Force use different file names for Tex files
- the hidden menu never worked at the time we tested your second update
- the script that was shared here already fixed all the problems, and there is a method to copy all the assets into it and produce working games with 1 click, your app has the advantage of a GUI interface but was still lacking on all the fixes already made in the script

i suggest you save your time and drop this project unless you have a way to decrypt the latest update from layer section or Elevator action, why?
-they changed the file structure and now they put each game under its own folder to lunch multiple games from the main menu (this allows us to put 4+ games in one NSP or have multi game disc games in one NSP
-multi game discs like panzer dragoon saga uses the same save data from the first disc
each game has its own INI with special config edits, layer section ini is better for 3D games, Guardian force is better for 2D games
- the so called lag input was fixed, but that's not true

here you go, good luck

I was confused about the context of the recent replies to this thread, since you are ignored now. Figured out you posted something and... more pathetic BS. How can one person be so butt hurt, simply for my option with CaVE existing? Petty crap like the line "by 1 person who made the excel sheet you used". You mean the sheet I acknowledged existed a couple times, but never personally used? You are trying to act like I'm stealing peoples work again. Get over it dude. I added my ZE support on my own, purely because I could since I had the framework already done from Sloop/Hiyoko/Hovercraft. For me, adding ZE support was more of the same.

"your Cave manager only produces working games from Cotton boomerang, Guardian Force use different file names for Tex files".

In fact, I have been working on ZE support since I now have been made aware of these bugs, and have the free time. And that is 100% WRONG. The part about only boomerang working that is. Cotton2 works perfectly fine as well. But yes, there was a bug causing GuardianForce to not work that I have now addressed. And no. I am well aware that GF uses different file names. That is not the issue. CaVE is programmed for that. It was simply because a bug was preventing it from copying over the default black wallpaper, and the app was trying to access it when it was now missing.

"the hidden menu never worked at the time we tested your second update".

I have no idea what that means, but... it did work during the beta, and probably did not work with the release build. I made no "second update" as when I released the ZE support publicly, all I saw was silence for a month or 2 before deciding to give up on it. Anyway... now that I know about the issue, guess what? I fixed that too. Currently personally tested with Cotton2, Boomerang and GuardianForce. All displaying the menu fine!

I think I even know whats wrong with the vague "Advance setting for config is broken" issue, and will be fixing that tomorrow. So... in the end, your purposeful attempt at sabotaging my program by badmouthing it for having bugs, but not actually reporting them to me so they could be fixed... has been negated. I farmed you for bug reports after all!

"i suggest you save your time and drop this project..."

While I accepted your indirect bug reports, the suggestions of a troll are meaningless to me. I am fixing bugs as I please. If I choose to work further on ZE support beyond bug fixing, or not... it will be my own choice.

Woah woah woah. One of the newer games can be injected into? Which one my dude?

And it "doesn't" help with input lag? Well God dang that was the entire reason people wanted the newer games to be injectable to begin with and pretty much why this thread died.

As far as I can see. he said a PC/PS4 release dropped the encryption. Not the Switch stuff.

 

[ZER-O]

I was confused about the context of the recent replies to this thread, since you are ignored now. Figured out you posted something and... more pathetic BS. How can one person be so butt hurt, simply for my option with CaVE existing? Petty crap like the line "by 1 person who made the excel sheet you used". You mean the sheet I acknowledged existed a couple times, but never personally used? You are trying to act like I'm stealing peoples work again. Get over it dude. I added my ZE support on my own, purely because I could since I had the framework already done from Sloop/Hiyoko/Hovercraft. For me, adding ZE support was more of the same.

"your Cave manager only produces working games from Cotton boomerang, Guardian Force use different file names for Tex files".

In fact, I have been working on ZE support since I now have been made aware of these bugs, and have the free time. And that is 100% WRONG. The part about only boomerang working that is. Cotton2 works perfectly fine as well. But yes, there was a bug causing GuardianForce to not work that I have now addressed. And no. I am well aware that GF uses different file names. That is not the issue. CaVE is programmed for that. It was simply because a bug was preventing it from copying over the default black wallpaper, and the app was trying to access it when it was now missing.

"the hidden menu never worked at the time we tested your second update".

I have no idea what that means, but... it did work during the beta, and probably did not work with the release build. I made no "second update" as when I released the ZE support publicly, all I saw was silence for a month or 2 before deciding to give up on it. Anyway... now that I know about the issue, guess what? I fixed that too. Currently personally tested with Cotton2, Boomerang and GuardianForce. All displaying the menu fine!

I think I even know whats wrong with the vague "Advance setting for config is broken" issue, and will be fixing that tomorrow. So... in the end, your purposeful attempt at sabotaging my program by badmouthing it for having bugs, but not actually reporting them to me so they could be fixed... has been negated. I farmed you for bug reports after all!

"i suggest you save your time and drop this project..."

While I accepted your indirect bug reports, the suggestions of a troll are meaningless to me. I am fixing bugs as I please. If I choose to work further on ZE support beyond bug fixing, or not... it will be my own choice.



As far as I can see. he said a PC/PS4 release dropped the encryption. Not the Switch stuff.

save your wall of rant text to somebody who cares

I farmed you for bug reports after all!
once you fix your potato, ill give you another cookie, but not before making something useful (cough new updates)

 

[tatundria]

- the script that was shared here already fixed all the problems, and there is a method to copy all the assets into it and produce working games with 1 click

Where can we find that script and method?

 

[andre_int]

has anyone managed to get Daytona USA with music and sound FX?

 

[Kuro666]

how do you guys even manage to make a working nsp? I always get an empty ~200kb file which refuses to install because it's empty

 

[ThePanda]

how do you guys even manage to make a working nsp? I always get an empty ~200kb file which refuses to install because it's empty

Use CaVE: https://gbatemp.net/threads/cave-da...n64-genesis-switch-online-modding-app.551466/

 

[Kuro666]

Use CaVE: https://gbatemp.net/threads/cave-da...n64-genesis-switch-online-modding-app.551466/

man, thank you. There are so many tools and scripts I get lost when I search anything craptch related, but this helped.

 

[qlip]

Anyone got a config for Baroque? The English patch released recently, and there was a config in the old database that's since been deleted.

 

[Ligeia]

So I gather this project is dead ? I used Create Saturn NSP 1.2 to inject games into Cotton Boomerang for my 16.0.3 Switch, I was able to successfully create the NSP files but they always crashed when I tried to launch them.

The games I tried to inject were Toshinden Remix, Toshinden URA and Dark Savior.

Is the Saturn NSP app outdated or are the games I tried not compatible ?

 

[Nintendoswitchmodfan]

So I gather this project is dead ? I used Create Saturn NSP 1.2 to inject games into Cotton Boomerang for my 16.0.3 Switch, I was able to successfully create the NSP files but they always crashed when I tried to launch them.

The games I tried to inject were Toshinden Remix, Toshinden URA and Dark Savior.

Is the Saturn NSP app outdated or are the games I tried not compatible ?

I just tried Sonic R (love this game) and the input lag is really bad, if you plan of playing a Tactical RPG I think you will enjoy it but anything else will feel really bad. Us CaVE Database, its the best and super easy to use.