Holy Mother, I'm Earthbound!

o1s1n

Oh wait, I read that Monkeykube's one was glitching! So it's completely glitch free? Brilliant!

So this is only glitching on your modded PAL snes Enternow? Yet your own one plays fine?

That is really feckin weird. If they were both glitching on your system we could put it down to simple timing issues like I get with PAL optimized games on my modded Super Famicom. (I get awful glitching playing a PAL Starfox on the Famicom, be it in 50 or 60hz)

Here's one possibility, maybe Jap Mother 2 has timing issues when playing it on a PAL console. For some reason, one TSOP adapter sorts out the issues, the other one doesn't.

One way of getting a clear answer on that is for you to continue and mod mine and Ciderman's carts. If Ciderman's one glitches out on his PAL snes (I think he has a PAL snes?) yet my one plays fine on the Super Famicom we'll know it's that.

CosmicSmash

It must be some sort of compatibility issue, it's a bit of a strange one. I know that there are many layers of protection on the original cart, could this have anything to do with it.

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Oh wait, I read that Monkeykube's one was glitching! So it's completely glitch free? Brilliant!

So this is only glitching on your modded PAL snes Enternow? Yet your own one plays fine?

That is really feckin weird. If they were both glitching on your system we could put it down to simple timing issues like I get with PAL optimized games on my modded Super Famicom. (I get awful glitching playing a PAL Starfox on the Famicom, be it in 50 or 60hz)

Here's one possibility, maybe Jap Mother 2 has timing issues when playing it on a PAL console. For some reason, one TSOP adapter sorts out the issues, the other one doesn't.

One way of getting a clear answer on that is for you to continue and mod mine and Ciderman's carts. If Ciderman's one glitches out on his PAL snes (I think he has a PAL snes?) yet my one plays fine on the Super Famicom we'll know it's that.

Nope, it was glitching on my stock NTSC Us Snes....which plays my own Mother 2/Earthbound cart perfectly...bizarre! I wonder was there a connection issue between the cart & my console or something...though all my other carts play perfectly. I'm at a loss

Monkeykube that title screen etc looks perfect, it was nothing like that on my system so I'd be happy enough whatever was causing the glitching was on my end. Clock Tower is a thing of beauty too :cool:

Happy ending so. Cancel red alert & drop the shields people.

Myrddin

Monkeykube wrote: »

It must be some sort of compatibility issue, it's a bit of a strange one. I know that there are many layers of protection on the original cart, could this have anything to do with it.

I don't see why your cart gives different results to mine, they're identical, so it can't be anything to do with protection etc. Definitely a weird one. US Snes consoles can play SFC games natively, so its nothing to do with modded consoles either.

CosmicSmash

EnterNow wrote: »

Monkeykube that title screen etc looks perfect, it was nothing like that on my system so I'd be happy enough whatever was causing the glitching was on my end. Clock Tower is a thing of beauty too :cool:

I wasn't even going to try it tbh, when I did I was saying this lad must be real fussy because I can't see a whole lot wrong. Big thanks again for sorting things out.

Myrddin

The Happy Video Game Nerd shares some thoughts on Earthbound...to whet the appetites of those still waiting on their tsop adapters

Retr0gamer

Hmm, I wonder if you could do the same with a mother 3 cart?

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Hmm, I wonder if you could do the same with a mother 3 cart?

Being a GBA cart, I don't think so. From my limited reading up on GBA repro's, they're basically flash carts swapped into the shell of a genuine game, & set to autoboot without the usual menu etc.

I'd settle for that I think...

CiDeRmAn

I have both pal and Ntsc US consoles so I get to check it on both.
Looking forward to it, hopefully before Judasday

Myrddin

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I have both pal and Ntsc US consoles so I get to check it on both.
Looking forward to it, hopefully before Judasday

There's some real intense protection schemes built into Earthbound, I think they only affect rom/emulation & pirate carts etc? So I think it should be ok on a modded PAL snes

o1s1n

How long ago did we order those TSOP adapters now? I don't have much faith in it arriving before the end of the year.

Edit - ahhh, timestamp. 22/11/2012

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=81885660&postcount=72

Retr0gamer

If the protection is on in Earthbound you wouldn't be having any fun with the game. It fills the screen with a stupid amount of enemies.

o1s1n

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If the protection is on in Earthbound you wouldn't be having any fun with the game. It fills the screen with a stupid amount of enemies.

Best form of copy protection ever.

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If the protection is on in Earthbound you wouldn't be having any fun with the game. It fills the screen with a stupid amount of enemies.

Yeah I've read about it, its quite ingenious. And thats only one effect!

Myrddin

Just curious, is this still working ok Monkeykube? Have the damned title screen music stuck in my head for says now!

o1s1n

Apparently a 'little computer board' arrived in the post yesterday. I could not for the life of me figure out what it must have been. The only board I was waiting for is an arcade one. And it's far from little.

Silly me! It must be the TSOP adapter.

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Apparently a 'little computer board' arrived in the post yesterday. I could not for the life of me figure out what it must have been. The only board I was waiting for is an arcade one. And it's far from little.

Silly me! It must be the TSOP adapter.

Not a bad turn around time, mine seemed to take forever!

CosmicSmash

EnterNow wrote: »

Just curious, is this still working ok Monkeykube? Have the damned title screen music stuck in my head for says now!

I am waiting until Christmas to start myself but my son has been playing it without any issues. Picked up Paper Mario on 3ds for him for Christmas morning. I think once it is working it will stay working, but I still don't know why it wouldn't work on yours although your copy works okay. All that's a bit

CiDeRmAn

Woohoo! My thingy arrived this morning!
So, what's the process EnterNow?

Myrddin

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

So, what's the process EnterNow?

Out with the old & in with the new

Myrddin

Found some shots of Monkeykube's cart undergoing the conversion.







Partially wired:



Some more wiring done.



I never got a finished shot of the whole thing because it was glitchy on my system so I thought there was a fault somewhere. Totally forgot to get snaps of the Clock Tower cart too!

CiDeRmAn

Stop with the IC pr0n!

Myrddin

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Stop with the IC pr0n!

In that last pic it looks like two of the tiny ic legs have been bridged together with a dab of solder. Thats the way it arrived & at first I thought that might be what was causing the glitches, but it turns out those two legs get linked up anyway so its normal.

Myrddin

Apparently, o1s1n is now Earthbound. Here's some pics of whats awaiting him after his Phantasy Star buzz...

Mother 2 & Earthbound rom flashed to chip with TSOP adapter



Cart opened, ready to proceed with removing the Maskrom on the pcb



Desoldering in progress





Eventually after all pins have been desoldered, the Maskrom can be removed



I remove the pins on the TSOP adapter, rather then cutting traces on the cart. This way the cart is left original, & can be restored back to a Mother 2. Plus, its just a neater way of doing it



TSOP Adapter then fits into place



The pins come through on the solder side, these have to be trimmed later on to ensure that the cart fits back together properly.



All soldered up...





Pins snipped, the cart then goes back together perfectly



So at that stage its time to take the cart up to the games room to test it. Pop it into the Snes & whadyano....

Myrddin

So there you have it, no glitches this time. Works perfectly

CiDeRmAn

Damn, forgot all about it!
PM me your address and I'll post to you, with fundage, then I'll collect it from you at O1s1ns Beers!

I just started earthbound yesterday.just at the police station.playing it on my mame cab with a usb controller.I've a button on the cp for quick save and quick load.super handy.Id go mental otherwise having to get back to where I was!

o1s1n

No glitches???? Brilliant! I cant wait to give this a go. Its been on my to play list now for longer than I can remember.

eddhorse

May you all spit on me for not knowing anything about this game. Heard it mentioned a lot so did some research, fascinating anti piracy, deletes your saves ! Ouch

Myrddin

eddhorse wrote: »

May you all spit on me for not knowing anything about this game. Heard it mentioned a lot so did some research, fascinating anti piracy, deletes your saves ! Ouch

Yeah it has some pretty intrusive anti-piracy mechanisms that constantly check the game throughout playtime. Thebeauty of this solution though is its running off of a legit cart so as far as the code is concerned, everything is as it should be

eddhorse

Well that's lucky for you isn't it.

So watched most of a speed run today :
http://youtu.be/gs2K6ZnmsTg

Obviously without the game or emulator, wasn't much choice.

This one was 2 and a half hours.

What are the different "glitches" I keep hearing about oh mighty sage's of gaming?

Ed

CiDeRmAn

EnterNow wrote: »

Yeah it has some pretty intrusive anti-piracy mechanisms

British Intrusive Anti-piracy Measures, circa 1700's.....

The Last Bandit

^- still not as bad as the dreaded.....

Myrddin

eddhorse wrote: »

What are the different "glitches" I keep hearing about oh mighty sage's of gaming?

Ed

Savegame deletion after freezing on the last boss, spawning far more enemies than there are meant to be making it hard to even move in places, it checks the cart has the exact amount of ram it should do as pirate carts & copiers tend to have more ram, checks to make sure the other checks havn't been disabled, certain unknown checks.

Some interesting info on it here - http://earthboundcentral.com/2011/05/earthbounds-copy-protection/

Myrddin

Ciderman joins the ranks of those of us who are now Earthbound

o1s1n

Still no glitchyness no?

By the way, after playing this, your name now makes sense to me Mr.Saturn :pac:

I thought it was because you were into hula-hooping or something.

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Still no glitchyness no?

Nope, worked perfect from the get go. Whatever it was that happened to Monkeykube's one that day hasn't happened with anyone elses. A total mystery, especially given it works on his console & not mine!

Mr.Saturn

o1s1n wrote: »

I thought it was because you were into hula-hooping or something.

Kinda wishing that was the case now........

CiDeRmAn

I imagined he played a lot of Nights and Clockwork Knight!

Thanks EnterNow for your diligent efforts to keep the thrifty amongst us playing only the good stuff!

CosmicSmash

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I imagined he played a lot of Nights and Clockwork Knight!

Thanks EnterNow for your diligent efforts to keep the thrifty amongst us playing only the good stuff!

Hear, Hear. Really must get around to getting that copy of SoM2 translated that I picked up a while back.

o1s1n

Definitely. Beyond delighted with the results. Got to play through a game which I'd have to have dropped some serious coin for.

Really would love to do something similar with Secret of Mana 2 and ClockTower.