GCN Separate JAP/USA memory cards still needed?

[Triangular]

A note for anyone trying this right now: default settings are broken as of the current release of Swiss (v0.4r766), this has apparently been fixed but still pending release. Therefore you will have to explicitly set text encoding for each game individually for now until the next release.

 

[Triangular]

I ended up doing the US to JPN region mod (via non-permanent wire).

All games I've tested so far (US & JPN) appear to be saving properly to a Japanese formatted memory card (forcing SJIS for US games). I can also now access memory card management via the Japanese system menu.

The only issue i can see is that Japanese game descriptions in the SWISS browser are still in mojibake (gibberish characters). This is despite using the NTSC-J specific version of SWISS and the Japanese BIOS. There is a language selection option in SWISS, but it only shows European languages, Japanese is not an option.

Anyone know how to get Japanese characters displaying properly within SWISS?

 

[Extrems]

Anyone know how to get Japanese characters displaying properly within SWISS?

Yeah, submit a pull request for Shift-JIS support.

 

[retrofan_k]

Still use the language bios switch. I installed a GCloader 2 weeks ago along with a switch because the issue with out of region MC's still exists. I had a JP game format a US formatted card, even though I was told Swiss patches that out now.

From what I saw and tested, it does, yet not with all games. A quick test to see this happen without any formatting is to create a USA Rouge Squadron II save on a US formatted card, change the bios to JP and boot the game. The save will load, yet if you reset the console, the game will complain that the MC needs to be formatted. Change back to a US bios and it's fine again.

Swiss loads any iso, regardless of the console bios used and also patches in JP fonts for games like Wario World, if booted on a US bios, as with modchips like the Xeno the text would be garbled characters.

 

[Extrems]

What Swiss does by default is force the game's expected encoding.

e.g. a NTSC-J game on a NTSC-U/PAL console will use a Shift-JIS encoded memory card.

 

[Triangular]

Yeah, submit a pull request for Shift-JIS support.

Ha, fair enough. I'm guessing changing "pull" to "feature" won't have the same results?

Anyway, it's mostly a cosmetic issue, the important thing is that the in-game text is displaying properly.

BTW, haven't used Swiss before (back in the day was using a Max Drive Pro with GCOS) but seems to be working nicely with GCLoader. I'm using a memory card for settings to get around the lack of write support for now. Thanks for any fixes you've made to get this ODE working smoothly. I'm sure a lot more users will be coming on board once the Plug 'n Play version ships.

 

[Extrems]

From what I saw and tested, it does, yet not with all games. A quick test to see this happen without any formatting is to create a USA Rouge Squadron II save on a US formatted card, change the bios to JP and boot the game. The save will load, yet if you reset the console, the game will complain that the MC needs to be formatted. Change back to a US bios and it's fine again.

This is because Swiss' patch is initially working, but because that game is using OSResetSystem(
OS_RESET_RESTART) and you're using a GCLoader, the patch is lost upon reset. This doesn't happen with SD Card Adapters, IDE-EXI, Broadband Adapter or USB Gecko.

 

[Triangular]

Still use the language bios switch. I installed a GCloader 2 weeks ago along with a switch because the issue with out of region MC's still exists. I had a JP game format a US formatted card, even though I was told Swiss patches that out now.

From what I saw and tested, it does, yet not with all games. A quick test to see this happen without any formatting is to create a USA Rouge Squadron II save on a US formatted card, change the bios to JP and boot the game. The save will load, yet if you reset the console, the game will complain that the MC needs to be formatted. Change back to a US bios and it's fine again.

Swiss loads any iso, regardless of the console bios used and also patches in JP fonts for games like Wario World, if booted on a US bios, as with modchips like the Xeno the text would be garbled characters.

What you need to do if you don't want to swap memory cards for each region is either:

A) Use a USA formatted memory card and force Japanese games to ANSI
OR
B) Use a Japan formatted memory card and force USA games to SJIS

Option A will have issues with a few Japanese games, my guess is that option B (which I'm using now) should be most compatible, but I haven't tested all games of course.

 

[Lumstar]

What you need to do if you don't want to swap memory cards for each region is either:

A) Use a USA formatted memory card and force Japanese games to ANSI
OR
B) Use a Japan formatted memory card and force USA games to SJIS

Option A will have issues with a few Japanese games, my guess is that option B (which I'm using now) should be most compatible, but I haven't tested all games of course.

It sounds as if buying a Japanese Gamecube is the simplest, most perfect solution of all.
At least I haven't heard of a USA game that has difficulty saving to SJIS.

 

[Triangular]

It sounds as if buying a Japanese Gamecube is the simplest, most perfect solution of all.
At least I haven't heard of a USA game that has difficulty saving to SJIS.

After region-modding my Cube to NTSC-J and testing out quite a few games with the GCLoader (everything forced to SJIS), I would agree with this.

On the other hand, the Japanese games that I know of having a problem being forced to ANSI are:

Kururin Squash
Donkey Konga 1-3
Mr Drillier: Drill land
F-ZERO GX
Rockman EXE Transmission
Radirgy

There may be more, these are just the ones I've found so far when researching.

 

[ChibiMofo]

The best solution is to upgrade to a Wii, mod it with Nitendont, and then all your GC saves (for games from any region) will go to the Wii's SD card. All your problems solved at once; you'll never need a GC memory card ever again.

The Wii is simply amazing.

 

[XDM]

i knew this for years that you had to separate region saves, but did i listen? no .
i had a multi region memory card back on my gamecube/wii YES IT IS A RISK so dont follow me lol.

but nothing happened for me but that dosent mean it CAN'T happen i kept backups images of my CG memory card just in case.

(unconfirmed rumor!) also i heard a small rumor that that save corruptions usually happen on 1st party memory cards, i had a 3rd party one. just to be safe use another card

 

[Triangular]

The best solution is to upgrade to a Wii, mod it with Nitendont, and then all your GC saves (for games from any region) will go to the Wii's SD card. All your problems solved at once; you'll never need a GC memory card ever again.

The Wii is simply amazing.

Still have my original Wii with GC ports, all set up with Nintendont (via USBLoaderGX); but here I am back with my old Cube and a new GCLoader and loving it

 

[cearp]

Use a Japan formatted memory card and force USA games to SJIS

Now that I have my gamecube set up, this is what I'm doing. So far, no problems.
I asked Extrems if this was a good idea - basically the reply was no (but no details). https://github.com/emukidid/swiss-gc/issues/422#issuecomment-721258339
I'm still doing it though, but of course will keep it in mind and see if there are any problems.
It is nice having all my saves on one card, being able to see them in the gamecube memory card screen (which means gc's region must be Japanese).

 

[Triangular]

Now that I have my gamecube set up, this is what I'm doing. So far, no problems.
I asked Extrems if this was a good idea - basically the reply was no (but no details). https://github.com/emukidid/swiss-gc/issues/422#issuecomment-721258339
I'm still doing it though, but of course will keep it in mind and see if there are any problems.
It is nice having all my saves on one card, being able to see them in the gamecube memory card screen (which means gc's region must be Japanese).

Yep, still using this setup (NA Gamecube modded to J) with all games forced to SJIS, and still no problems encountered with saves.

(EDIT: Just to clarify in case there is any confusion, I am playing mostly Japanese releases except for games originally authored in the west.)

 

[Shadow-Zero]

What Swiss does by default is force the game's expected encoding.

e.g. a NTSC-J game on a NTSC-U/PAL console will use a Shift-JIS encoded memory card.

Does it, in that sense, 'format' the MC to JAP format, or do you still need to provide a JAP formatted memory card yourself via an other route?

I'm trying to get Donkey Konga 3 to save on my PAL Gamecube, but I don't think I have a way with the commercial disc + freeloader...