N64 + Gameboy Mod!!!

[Airikita]

Hello!

 

I have a question for everyone... I normally hack Zelda OoT, but since I received my N64 with Pokemon Stadium 2, and there's not much I can do with my mod for now, what if I start a new project by making an N64 cart play GBC games?

 

I want to use it to play Pokemon Gold on N64, or I could transfer a hacked ROM to a GBC cart, and play it on GBA (meh...). I dunno about you, but I might just start Homebrewing my own N64 Gameboy Color cartridge. Maybe I'll torture a Superman 64 cart (but it's $15 at Microplay... dafuq?) although I want to make a modified ROM use the features of the N64 cartridge to play Gameboy Color games.

 

I don't have sodering equipment, or anything yet, but I could probably get lucky with an N64 cart in the dump, one of those crappy N64 games tossed away, and mod it.

 

I could use a break from Zelda OoT for a while, and maybe look into modding an N64 cart for this purpose.

 

Any thoughts? Disputes? Ideas?

[Spire]

My gosh.

 

What if we, as a community, made a new GBC Zelda game (in the style of the Oracles) as well as a new N64 Zelda game (in the style of OoT/MM) and with the gameboy reader, connected them in certain ways. Maybe you could unlock secret items and a bonus dungeon or something.

 

What if!

[Airikita]

My gosh.

 

What if we, as a community, made a new GBC Zelda game (in the style of the Oracles) as well as a new N64 Zelda game (in the style of OoT/MM) and with the gameboy reader, connected them in certain ways. Maybe you could unlock secret items and a bonus dungeon or something.

 

What if!

I was figuring that perhaps I could save money by modding my own cart, instead of buying ED64. I would need a custom ROM, which would require modding a ROM that has the same CIC chip info.

 

I also have an old SD card reader sitting around from a computer that died from a defective CPU.

 

I mean, this is possible too. I mean, you could create a code hook to create a thread that detects the Transfer Pak, then uses the save data... would require digging into Pokemon Stadium 2, but it's not necessary unless you really want to do something wild with it.

[SeithDarkwraith]

One thing you could do is get a GBC controller slot that went with Pokemon Stadium and piece it apart and see if there's anything in there that you could possibly use?

[Airikita]

One thing you could do is get a GBC controller slot that went with Pokemon Stadium and piece it apart and see if there's anything in there that you could possibly use?

Naw, I was thinking of reading straight from the Transfer Pack, not have it connected to the cartridge... I realize now that the code would not generate the same, and I would probably need a real GBC to use. It could be possible to use the Transfer Pak alone, idk.. Would require some code converting, and dma work. I would have to look at the code for GBC ROMs, but it can still be doable. I could convert the stuff to RAM, translating it to N64 code, then run the code (again, converting code).

[xdaniel]

So an N64 cart that plays GBC games...?

 

Can the ROM chip on an N64 cartridge be replaced easily? Meaning, are they just bog-standard chips that store data or is there more to them? Do electrically and functionally identical or reasonably close replacements exist?

 

Can you write a complete, full speed GB/GBC emulator in either MIPS assembly or C to run on the N64? Compatible with at least all official MBC memory controllers in GB cartridges, with full compatibility for those carts?

 

Looking up images of the Transfer Pak's innards online, it looks like the chip it contains might be a GB Pocket CPU core (same pin count, at least), so a N64-side software emulator might not be necessary. The next point still stands, and might be even more important with that than before.

 

Do you know how to interface with the Transfer Pak, code-wise? How to read the GB cart's ROM data, saved game data, etc.? Do you know if that requires going through the MBC, like the game would need to if it was running, and if so, do you know how to read/write to each MBC type?

 

Just throwing those out there. Would be really cool to see a stand-alone N64 cartridge that runs GBx games Super Game Boy-style, but I'm guessing hacking Pokemon Stadium 2 to not reject non-Pokemon games and running the hacked ROM using a 64drive or ED64 might be easier to do?

Edited September 27, 2013 by xdaniel

[Airikita]

All valid points xdan, and glad you pointed it out.

 

For the rom chop the configuration is unknown, but a burner is possible. The configuration for N64's rom chips vary.

 

ED64 is still possible, but I'm making a custom cart for myself to save money from buying the ED64.

[HeavyZ]

The ED64 does have a GameBoy Emulator that is compatible with it, although it was not made for the ED64 so it has no sound and is crap. If you look on Krikzz forums you might be able to find something mentioned about the possibility that someone is working on another Gameboy emulator to become compatible with the ED64. Don't know if it will happen..

 

I can say that there is a Zelda NES Links Awakening graphics hack, and also that the only decent emulator for the ED54 is the NES emulator, it's not perfect, it lags a little, but it's barely even noticible.

 

I'm limited to internet at the time, so everyone else should look into it if you all can.

 

I'd love to see any kind of new retro Zelda, hell, even if someone hacked pokemon, or FF for a turn base Zelda RPG perhaps?

[Guest]

Check out the Wide Boy 64

[Airikita]

Apparently Gameboy Tower can play the game in Pokemon Stadium 2:

 

Better yet, we could hack the ROM to play Gameboy games by going straight to the built-in interfacing in Pokemon Stadium 2.

[xdaniel]

Apparently Gameboy Tower can play the game in Pokemon Stadium 2:

 

Better yet, we could hack the ROM to play Gameboy games by going straight to the built-in interfacing in Pokemon Stadium 2.

Isn't that what I was saying, the 64drive/ED64 bit aside...? Or do you mean something different?

 

[...] but I'm guessing hacking Pokemon Stadium 2 to not reject non-Pokemon games and running the hacked ROM using a 64drive or ED64 might be easier to do?

Edit: Also, Stadium 1 allows playing the Generation 1 Pokemon games, namely Red, Blue and Yellow, while Stadium 2 allows those plus Gold, Silver and IIRC Crystal.

Edited September 28, 2013 by xdaniel

[Airikita]

Isn't that what I was saying, the 64drive/ED64 bit aside...? Or do you mean something different?

 

 

Edit: Also, Stadium 1 allows playing the Generation 1 Pokemon games, namely Red, Blue and Yellow, while Stadium 2 allows those plus Gold, Silver and IIRC Crystal.

Yeah, I know you mentioned it... I did some digging on it, and that was just a video I thought I'd pop into the topic.

 

Also, Pokemon Stadium 1 may not be compatible with GBC games but just GB games, I wouldn't chance it.

 

I have made headway on finding the Transfer Pak with some digging I found Nintendo's documentation:

http://n64devkit.square7.ch/pro-man/pro26/26-07.htm

 

It's saying there is a check for 0xA000 and 0x2000. I see 0xA0000000 has data, but 0x20000000 has nothing (according to Nemu). I did a search on Pokemon Stadium 2 for 3C012000 and found some results in RAM.

 

I found something in OoT Debug, and according to Playtendo, you can save custom cutscenes with the debug camera to a memory pak.

[Airikita]

And, I have made a little lead today:

 

Still doing a lot of digging, trying to find some leads on the GBC cart being converted, but it's apparent that the address is stored to be used. Funny thing is that it's stored too many times? I don't understand why... Ah, Nintendo...

 

I've been busy too, so I've been slacking off on my other projects.