Hacking Custom Frodo for C64 VC Injection

[HowardC]

Looks great man... I'll test it tonight!

Now you need to add command-line support so the process can be automated.

That shouldn't be terribly hard right? Just add a switch for the path and then a delay (how long to wait until a snapshot is taken).

 

[WiiCrazy]

Looks great man... I'll test it tonight!

Now you need to add command-line support so the process can be automated.

That shouldn't be terribly hard right? Just add a switch for the path and then a delay (how long to wait until a snapshot is taken).

Well actually current method is display dependent since all the state is not saved to the snapshot. It could be display independent after we add 1541 emulation into the thing. Then we can make a stub snapshot for all the injections which will then load a configured program from a d64 image and kick start a game. This snapshot thing is limited in a way that user should make sure where he takes the snapshot, so a static delay will not work

Still I doubt my literacy in Win32 programming to make it a command line util but maybe someone else will. The essence is there.

For now, can't you just integrate it like user provides the snapshot file and all the wad stuff handled by your injector?

When we got disk based games working I think things would be easier.

ps: I'll provide the source to the custom frodo soon.

 

[HowardC]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "display dependant" but if you mean the game has to actually be shown, yeah I figured as such. That doesn't mean command line support can't be added though... it'd just mean the emulator would have to run for a few seconds, which isn't a big deal. All of my apps technically aren't command-line apps, but they support command-line switches. I just make the windows invisible to make things look nice.

Adding command line support in windows is actually quite simple. Most languages have a special variable (usually called "Command()" ) that stores the entire string of the text used to launch the application. When the program starts, you check to see if this variable is empty. If it isn't you parse it and set whatever you need based on the switches, if not you run the program normally.

I really wish I could help more with this. I understand what the snapshot is, what I don't understand is why in the world the wii's emulator would need one to run. Seems like a bit of a hack job to me on their part.

 

[FGOD]

i've managed to get a good working snapshot of duotris, but now the keyboard doesn't work... could that problem be related to bad packing/editing of 0000000.app?

 

[WiiCrazy]

i've managed to get a good working snapshot of duotris, but now the keyboard doesn't work... could that problem be related to bad packing/editing of 0000000.app?

Well I don't think, we don't edit the 0.app. About the keyboard not working, you can use the osd keyboard but c64 doesn't sense them? A possible CIA state problem if so. Try taking the snapshot just after typing run, then it should be ok if the problem is CIA state related.

@Da_GPer
By the way I got boulderdash working. The only drawback is that I needed to plug my gc controller into the second port then I was able to use both wiimote and gc controller to play the game.
Your wii was NTSC right? In anyway could you be missing the patching of video mode of 1.app file (PAL->NTSC) and getting the wad through the freethewads?

 

[WiiCrazy]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "display dependant" but if you mean the game has to actually be shown, yeah I figured as such. That doesn't mean command line support can't be added though... it'd just mean the emulator would have to run for a few seconds, which isn't a big deal. All of my apps technically aren't command-line apps, but they support command-line switches. I just make the windows invisible to make things look nice.

Adding command line support in windows is actually quite simple. Most languages have a special variable (usually called "Command()" ) that stores the entire string of the text used to launch the application. When the program starts, you check to see if this variable is empty. If it isn't you parse it and set whatever you need based on the switches, if not you run the program normally.

Well yes the principal problem is user should decide the time the snapshot should be taken. I made a few tests and now I see it's actually not so problematic... yet there will always cases like user wants to skip the crack intro, trainer menu and such. These are not general things, a game can even contain 2-3 intros

The technical part of the problem can be solved with a bit of effort and I think it's doable but the user experience will suffer.


QUOTE(HowardC @ Aug 27 2008, 06:40 PM) I really wish I could help more with this. I understand what the snapshot is, what I don't understand is why in the world the wii's emulator would need one to run. Seems like a bit of a hack job to me on their part.

About that some arguments made under the other C64 VC topic, reason could be one or both of these
1. Original game unavailable, the easy way to skip crack intros and kick start the game is using snapshots
2. One need to implement a hook in the emulator so that the selected game is loaded after the c64 system start like in the CCS emulator, this feature is absent in frodo, maybe they are lazy to add or they didn't want the blue basic prompt of c64 to be seen

 

[FGOD]

i've managed to get a good working snapshot of duotris, but now the keyboard doesn't work... could that problem be related to bad packing/editing of 0000000.app?

Well I don't think, we don't edit the 0.app. About the keyboard not working, you can use the osd keyboard but c64 doesn't sense them? A possible CIA state problem if so. Try taking the snapshot just after typing run, then it should be ok if the problem is CIA state related.

i edited the 0.app to change the banner and name, but i still need to find the save icon/name...

i'll try to make it work with another snapshot when i got my pc revived (crashed yesterday evening and can't get it back in bussiness cause some partition error... )

 

[WiiCrazy]

i've managed to get a good working snapshot of duotris, but now the keyboard doesn't work... could that problem be related to bad packing/editing of 0000000.app?

Well I don't think, we don't edit the 0.app. About the keyboard not working, you can use the osd keyboard but c64 doesn't sense them? A possible CIA state problem if so. Try taking the snapshot just after typing run, then it should be ok if the problem is CIA state related.

i edited the 0.app to change the banner and name, but i still need to find the save icon/name...

i'll try to make it work with another snapshot when i got my pc revived (crashed yesterday evening and can't get it back in bussiness cause some partition error... )

Well got it

I never got into the full customization of the wad guess I'm a bit lazy

Anyways, 0.app doesn't contain any emu specific files so the keyboard problem is not related to that.

 

[FGOD]

then the only problem i have with 0.app is that my banner didn't work (probably cause i was to lazy to install photoshop and therefor used paint :-p )

 

[FGOD]

i found the save game name, in 1.app so i think the same method as with nes vc games can be used to extract and change the savefile...

 

[WiiCrazy]

i found the save game name, in 1.app so i think the same method as with nes vc games can be used to extract and change the savefile...

Yes probably, it should be savefile.dat, never got a nanddump so I didn't explore it in the nand. But a practical use would be a homebrew application that transfers the snapshot from sd card to the savefile.dat in the nand so that single wad installation could be used for multiple c64 games. But again maybe it's better to wait for a decent c64 emulator ported to the wii.

I'll have a nanddump and see if there is any snapshot in the nandspace then maybe I can write a small util for that transfer thing.

 

[FGOD]

would be nice, i tried several snapshots of duotris all got the same problem, game is working perfectly but all times gave me a lak of onscreen keyboard :s tried snapshots at different times and tried to only adjust the snap and not editing the 0.app and 1.app and still same problem...

 

[WiiCrazy]

would be nice, i tried several snapshots of duotris all got the same problem, game is working perfectly but all times gave me a lak of onscreen keyboard :s tried snapshots at different times and tried to only adjust the snap and not editing the 0.app and 1.app and still same problem...

Let me have a go at it, downloaded the game, took the snapshot, now packing into ik

Well it works, I took the snapshot before the game starts, didn't touch the 0.app.

You are sure you're pressing 1 on wiimote to display the onscreen keyboard right?

 

[FGOD]

would be nice, i tried several snapshots of duotris all got the same problem, game is working perfectly but all times gave me a lak of onscreen keyboard :s tried snapshots at different times and tried to only adjust the snap and not editing the 0.app and 1.app and still same problem...

Let me have a go at it, downloaded the game, took the snapshot, now packing into ik

Well it works, I took the snapshot before the game starts, didn't touch the 0.app.

You are sure you're pressing 1 on wiimote to display the onscreen keyboard right?

yes the keyboard itself works, but the problem is that whatever i do it doesn't work with the game... i should press F1 for 1 player, F3 for 2 players, F5 for Teamwork and F7 for highscores and return for help, but non of them react... although the game itself works (movement and sound)

 

[WiiCrazy]

would be nice, i tried several snapshots of duotris all got the same problem, game is working perfectly but all times gave me a lak of onscreen keyboard :s tried snapshots at different times and tried to only adjust the snap and not editing the 0.app and 1.app and still same problem...

Let me have a go at it, downloaded the game, took the snapshot, now packing into ik

Well it works, I took the snapshot before the game starts, didn't touch the 0.app.

You are sure you're pressing 1 on wiimote to display the onscreen keyboard right?

yes the keyboard itself works, but the problem is that whatever i do it doesn't work with the game... i should press F1 for 1 player, F3 for 2 players, F5 for Teamwork and F7 for highscores and return for help, but non of them react... although the game itself works (movement and sound)

Well I played it a bit, probably pressed f1 on keyboard for single player. The only problem I see is wiimote button presses a bit too sensitive, sometimes a piece rotated twice even if button is pressed briefly.

 

[Da_GPer]

@Da_GPer
By the way I got boulderdash working. The only drawback is that I needed to plug my gc controller into the second port then I was able to use both wiimote and gc controller to play the game.
Your wii was NTSC right? In anyway could you be missing the patching of video mode of 1.app file (PAL->NTSC) and getting the wad through the freethewads?

Yes, my Wii is NTSC, as Im in the US. I have used FreeTheWads to region free the WAD before I tested it.

 

[FGOD]

would be nice, i tried several snapshots of duotris all got the same problem, game is working perfectly but all times gave me a lak of onscreen keyboard :s tried snapshots at different times and tried to only adjust the snap and not editing the 0.app and 1.app and still same problem...

Let me have a go at it, downloaded the game, took the snapshot, now packing into ik

Well it works, I took the snapshot before the game starts, didn't touch the 0.app.

You are sure you're pressing 1 on wiimote to display the onscreen keyboard right?

yes the keyboard itself works, but the problem is that whatever i do it doesn't work with the game... i should press F1 for 1 player, F3 for 2 players, F5 for Teamwork and F7 for highscores and return for help, but non of them react... although the game itself works (movement and sound)

Well I played it a bit, probably pressed f1 on keyboard for single player. The only problem I see is wiimote button presses a bit too sensitive, sometimes a piece rotated twice even if button is pressed briefly.

that's strange... it just doesn't react at my snapshot :s

 

[FGOD]

hmmm the save icon is at the 1.app and the 0.app is the banner but somehow it did brick my wii, so i need to convince my wife to buy a modchip cause i can't send my wii back to nintendo with homebrew stuff on it...

but when my wii works again i'll try more...

 

[WiiCrazy]

Now I'm packing a wad with no banner stuff but only changing the title id that you used (C5DP)...
Tested it, used duotris, it installed successfully and works, probably there was something wrong with the banner you used

Anyways I'll withdraw the detailed information from my howto as it could be an invitation to a semi brick. Not much problem for users with modchip yet we saw can cause serious problems for users that don't have a modchip.

Now I'll go to the extremes and install any region changer and starfall and see if I can play the pal c64 wads in their full glory... running them in ntsc just kills my ears, I want some original sid muzak playing in my tv set

And I hope you recover and join us, modded wii owners and enjoy the freedom

edit: well by the way 1.app contains only the executable emu, it's actually an elf (or maybe dol) file.

 

[FGOD]

sorry i missaid about 1.App i ment it contains the save name... if you open it in hexeditor...

i hope i'll return very soon...

and about your how to guide, the guide itself is not going to brick the wii, i think i really did something wrong, although i don't know what it was since i only did the same as i always do with other wads and always worked, i already did the same with my own duotris channel, but it gived me a black banner cause of the paint stuff which is only 8 bit... so i still don't understand what happened, but when my wii is chipped i will be back in full glory and will enjoy the freedom (damn that sounds like william walace

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