PowerPak and R4i help
R4-i DSi issue:
My save states are not working on my NES, SNES emulators. It freezes up the system. Any ideas? Please know that I'm an idiot, I don't understand technical jargon.
PowerPak:
I really want to buy a PowerPak. For many reasons:1) I'm collecting sealed - no reason to have multiple copies.
2) I really suck at games, and have a crazy schedule - the save states would be amazing.
3) Would much rather play on hardware/TV than computer.
So, is there any dumbed-down version of how to set this thing up? I was reading the instructions on the website, and I'm totally lost.
What is a CF cart and how on earth do I format it?
What does decompress the directory mean?
And that's just questions from the first section.....I'm SO lost.
I guess my main concerns are:
1) I want to be able to save-state at any time. Is this do-able on all games? Most? Some? None?
2) I want to get it set up and running smoothly in an efficient fashion. I don't really have hours to spend learning all of this technical stuff that I have no clue what it means.
I'm willing to pay for personal coaching - phone, Gchat, whatever.
Thanks!
Bill
Comments
PowerPak:I really want to buy a PowerPak. For many reasons:
Bill, if you buy a powerpak, we can exchange numbers and I will gladly assist you with it.
Although for savestate questions, I can't help you much.
Most games have savestate if you use thefox's mappers.
A CF card, not cart. Its just a memory card. Same as in a digital camera.
Decompress means you need a program to take the zipped file and unzip it. Google Winzip or Winrar, there are also tons of other programs that work to. Also, depending on your windows version, a decompression program might even just be built in.
Save states on a powerpak work at any time in the game, just like you would do on a PC. Read info on the save state mappers here
http://kkfos.aspekt.fi/projects/nes/powerpak/save-state-mappers/
You really should learn what all the technical stuff means. Unfortunately setting up the powerpak is not super user friendly, but anything that you do need to know in order to set it up is really not that difficult or too involved either. There are only a few basic steps.
Also, if you are worried about setting it up at first, just order the powerpak WITH a memory card. It will come properly formatted with all the files you need on it. The only thing you will need to do is add the ROMs.
And make sure you buy a memory card reader if you don't already have one on your PC. You will need it to put files on your CF card, like ROMs, or what is needed for save states.
Any help on the R4i?
2). because the power pak lite only does mmc1, it can only play about 15% of games.
3). because the power pak lite only does mmc1, my homebrewing development would be a hassle if i wanted to do an mmc3 game because i would have to keep flashing it.
4) what do you mean "self contained power pak"
5) the power pack(not power pack lite) can support mmc1 and mmc3, as well as any other mapper right?
6)if #5 is true, that means almost all games are supported on it right?
7)if #5 and #6 are true, does that mean most unlicensed games are supported too?
8)assuming #5 is true, i could pretty much develop whatever the hell i wanted and test it on the power pak?
9) if you dont get the cf card how would you load ur games on there? would u have to flash each time? is there like a built in slot for the card on the cartridge?
3gengames answers:
1. Yes, some logic bank switching and MMC1.
2. Yes, because MMC3 was very popular and it doesn't support it and many games used it.
3. No, you CULDN'T do MMC3 on the Powerpak lite at all. Even nomatter what setup with the mapper you used, you would have to flash it each time with a computer while it was hooked up to your NES, which would be a huge hassle to set up and use.
4. Powerpak works with an NES and it's self with the games on the compact flash memory card. [The old big memory cards] and you don't need anything else, unlike the lite version which you need an NES, PC with right software, USB/Parallel cabel and all need to be very close to hook it all up.
5. Yes, and many more. Nearly all of them, it only doesn't support some big ones like MMC5. Besides, you wouldn't develop for those mappers because they can't be recreated anyway, making them unusable for development anyway.
6. Yep, pretty much all of them.
7. Yeah, they should be. They are on the powerpak to my knowledge, stuff like camerica games should work fine.
8. Yep, whatever you want with mappers from the logic ones to simpler but good MMC1 to even more complex ones like MMC3.
9. With the powerpak there's a USB driver for it made but you'd have to make your own wire and then it'd just be a glorified PowerpakLite. Just get a CF card, it's the easiest and best way.
If for 9 you mean the powerpak lite, then yes. You DO need to flash it each time. The powerpak flashes it's self though when you load them from the CF card.
Here, read this page on NESDev wiki explaining mappers, it should help somewhat possibly. Maybe pick a mapper and click and read how it works and then another to see differences.
http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Mappers
Does this help at all?
http://www.r4dscards.com/Forum/129/HOW-TO-Setting-up-your-DS-Card--STEP4-Installing-the-kernel-software-to-your-Micro-SD-card
A lot of videos on youtube as well.