Earthbound Zero/Mother Rom for making reproduction cart
Hey all, I'm dabbling in making a reproduction cart of Earthbound Zero and am looking for a suitable Rom to use. There are so many Roms available on the web and I just don't know which ones to use. I've found multiples at different sizes and names. Is it best to use the original Japanese rom then patch it with the ips or is it okay to just go with the patched version? If anyone has any advice on a rom or a link to a suitable rom it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Comments
Also, the US prototype of EarthBound was already fully translated by Nintendo (complete with censorship and some awesome tweaks, such as the run button). There's no need to find a IPS translation of the Famicom original (besides, I don't think one exists).
You need to use the latest build with no modifications to it. Don't use any that have been hacked, such as the popular Zero hack. Any and all of those hacks trip the built in security code, which pops up at key points in the game (including one late in the game which is unavoidable). It's best to use the original, unmodified dump.
Also, the US prototype of EarthBound was already fully translated by Nintendo (complete with censorship and some awesome tweaks, such as the run button). There's no need to find a IPS translation of the Famicom original (besides, I don't think one exists).
I'm not so sure bout that.
You need to use the latest build with no modifications to it. Don't use any that have been hacked, such as the popular Zero hack. Any and all of those hacks trip the built in security code, which pops up at key points in the game (including one late in the game which is unavoidable). It's best to use the original, unmodified dump.
Also, the US prototype of EarthBound was already fully translated by Nintendo (complete with censorship and some awesome tweaks, such as the run button). There's no need to find a IPS translation of the Famicom original (besides, I don't think one exists).
I'm not so sure bout that.
How do you tell if the anti-piracy measures are tripped?
You need to use the latest build with no modifications to it. Don't use any that have been hacked, such as the popular Zero hack. Any and all of those hacks trip the built in security code, which pops up at key points in the game (including one late in the game which is unavoidable). It's best to use the original, unmodified dump.
Also, the US prototype of EarthBound was already fully translated by Nintendo (complete with censorship and some awesome tweaks, such as the run button). There's no need to find a IPS translation of the Famicom original (besides, I don't think one exists).
I'm not so sure bout that.
Feel free to explain why my Earth Bound repro with the original, unmodified dump (no zero text), has the security code intact then. I beat that game at least a year ago now and was very satisfying. To be honest, it was such a relief to get past the one dance scene without the piracy screen coming up. Back then I didn't know as much about repros. I couldn't simply just desolder the bad EPROMs and pop in new ones. (I know a lot more now and have made my own repros)
@Lincoln:
The easiest way to tell is to play through the game and check key points in the game where the security code does it's routine. Unfortunately, it's pretty much the only way, unless you load a save file on the SRAM near one of the security checks.
I think it's pointless to compare this game with SNES EarthBound. It was using vastly different technology. About EPROMs, since Earth Bound is a pretty large game (4Mbit), I doubt anyone would have a problem finding EPROMs of the correct size.
You need to use the latest build with no modifications to it. Don't use any that have been hacked, such as the popular Zero hack. Any and all of those hacks trip the built in security code, which pops up at key points in the game (including one late in the game which is unavoidable). It's best to use the original, unmodified dump.
Also, the US prototype of EarthBound was already fully translated by Nintendo (complete with censorship and some awesome tweaks, such as the run button). There's no need to find a IPS translation of the Famicom original (besides, I don't think one exists).
I'm not so sure bout that.
Feel free to explain why my Earth Bound repro with the original, unmodified dump (no zero text), has the security code intact then. I beat that game at least a year ago now and was very satisfying. To be honest, it was such a relief to get past the one dance scene without the piracy screen coming up. Back then I didn't know as much about repros. I couldn't simply just desolder the bad EPROMs and pop in new ones. (I know a lot more now and have made my own repros)
@Lincoln:
The easiest way to tell is to play through the game and check key points in the game where the security code does it's routine. Unfortunately, it's pretty much the only way, unless you load a save file on the SRAM near one of the security checks.
I think it's pointless to compare this game with SNES EarthBound. It was using vastly different technology. About EPROMs, since Earth Bound is a pretty large game (4Mbit), I doubt anyone would have a problem finding EPROMs of the correct size.
I'm not saying a non modified one wouldn't work, I've seen them work to, but to find the correct rom may be difficult, I've seen several labeled as prototype and some work, and some don't. I just know for sure that the "frosted" zero version works on a repro'ed cart.
@Lincoln: I forgot to clarify something about SNES EarthBound...
The reason why the game has a security routine that tries to write a byte to a normally unavailable address isn't because of EPROM piraters... Nope, it was to prevent people from playing EarthBound on one of those floppy-based game copiers. Those always had plenty of space on the floppies.
Personally, the best part of EarthBound's copy protection was instead of just refusing to work... The security code would purposely make the game a nightmare to play. Enemies would be much stronger and there'd be a lot more of them around. On top of all that, the game will freeze right near the final battle and delete all data in the battery-backed SRAM... Now THAT, is copy protection.
It's hard to explain, but in pretty much the last town before the Mt. Itoi (or whatever it's called), there's an unskippable event where Ninten dances with somebody. During that scene a security check occurs. If the game code has been compromised, then the security routine will bring up the piracy screen. This is the most commonly known part of the game to contain a security check. I guess it's the most notable because it's unavoidable.
There are certainly other places where it can occur, but I never learned about them.