How to use with Higan

[Zombeaver]

41 minutes ago, lordmonkus said:

Either way it would be nice to have Launchbox be able to load those weird "folder roms" that Higan generates as roms to accomodate Higan properly.

I'm still a little confused on this - are you literally trying to direct LB to a regular old Windows folder or is it a file that contains folders/files like some kind of archive? Sorry, I'm still totally new to MPU-1.

I saw in the other thread where you mentioned  Donkey Kong Country 2, Zelda and TMNT not working so I'll take a stab at those. I will say that I've been wanting a %rompath% switch for a little while now (for other reasons) which might come in handy here were it implemented. It'd basically be like %romfile% except that it just injects the relevant path rather than a rom file itself.

Also, reading that thread over on the Byuu forums... holy crap Byuu seems like a complete a-hole... what the hell. Whatever interest I might have had in checking out Higan was completely demolished after reading that. Dude needs to chill.

"I'm fully cognizant of the fact that I really don't provide any sort of useful documentation on my somewhat less than intuitive emulator, but if something isn't working it's clearly your fault and you're an idiot for not being able to figure it out."

And that was nicer than the verbiage he used.

[Lordmonkus]

I will try and explain this as best as I can but it's weird.

The way Higan works is that you have to import your actual roms. Higan then generates a database plus it sort of "copies" your roms. By default this goes to the "C:\Users\User Name\Emulation\Super Famicom\" folder but can be changed. In this folder is where it generates the "game name.sfc" folder / rom file. I know it's weird but it is how it's done. in each "folder / rom" there is a file called "program.rom" along with certain other special roms like cx4.rom files for the MegaMan X games. When you import your SNES rom collection you need the special roms in the folder with your SNES roms because for each game that needs them it copies those files to the "folder / rom". Higan emulates those chips on a low level and requires them like a bios file.

Higan loads the "folder / rom" and not the "program.rom" or the actual game rom that we are used to loading like a normal emulator. Launchbox does not like the "folder / rom" as a rom file even though it has the extension .sfc like a rom file would have.

I hope the way I explained it made some sense, it's one of those things I have finally wrapped my head around how it works but asking me to explain it is tough.

I know it's all crazy but this is just how it is done because of Byuus quest for 100% accurate emulation.

I cannot disagree with your opinion of Byuu, he can at least come off as a total prick but I will respect him for what he is doing and the way he wants to do it. I don't agree with the way he goes about it but I do respect his quest for perfection. I will simply accept his "quirks" and do what I have to do around him. There is no compromising or reasoning with him. More than a few people have butted heads with him and he is just one of those people you just have to leave him be.

[Zombeaver]

Very strange.

You said that it worked through command prompt via higan.exe "E:\Downloaded Games\Emulation\Roms\Super Nintendo\Super Famicom\megaman7_msu1.sfc" though right? What happens if you go into the Mega Man 7 LB entry, blank out the rom path, tell it to use custom command line parameters in the emulator tab, and just paste "E:\Downloaded Games\Emulation\Roms\Super Nintendo\Super Famicom\megaman7_msu1.sfc" in that field? I'm not saying that's an ideal solution even if it works, I'm mostly just curious if it works. I would think it would - that should be functionally identical to typing it into a command prompt.

From what I read on the Libretro forums, it sounded like they all should work in RA assuming the .bml is correct. Zelda was specifically mentioned as working in this post, where they actually list their file names and the contents of their .bml file.

1 hour ago, lordmonkus said:

I cannot disagree with your opinion of Byuu, he can at least come off as a total prick but I will respect him for what he is doing and the way he wants to do it. I don't agree with the way he goes about it but I do respect his quest for perfection. I will simply accept his "quirks" and do what I have to do around him. There is no compromising or reasoning with him. More than a few people have butted heads with him and he is just one of those people you just have to leave him be

There's nothing wrong with being a perfectionist, but that doesn't give anyone the right to belittle the "lesser mortals"; especially given the extremely idiosyncratic nature of some elements of his software, as illustrated perfectly by this very discussion. That kind of elitist, obnoxious attitude is cancerous to this hobby, I don't care how awesome your emulator is. Emulation is already woefully misunderstood and mischaracterized by many as it is, even without that kind of BS stoking the flames.

If someone went around talking to random people (and the guy he was talking to had a post count in the hundreds, no less) in the real world the way he was doing on those forums they'd get their head kicked in, in very short order.

[Lordmonkus]

Setting the custom commnad line parameter to "E:\Downloaded Games\Emulation\Roms\Super Nintendo\Super Famicom\megaman7_msu1.sfc" does work. I haven't gotten around to trying any of the others out that way yet, I would have to import them and then copy the .bml and .pcm files over.

I agree Byuu can come off as a dick and he may very well be a dick in real life. Like I said I just leave him be in his little corner doing what he does, I will check in once in a while and see what he's doing

[Zombeaver]

I got Zelda (Link to the Past DX) working in RA. I've attached the .bml file I'm using for it (actually just named "manifest.bml" in my folder).

Legend of Zelda - A Link To The Past DX.bml

I got TMNT IV working but only after correcting the .bml file that came with it, which had the rom name field set to "rom name=program.rom" and the actual rom file in my case is named tmnt4_msu1.sfc. After updating it to that name it worked fine. I've attached the .bml for it (again just named manifest.bml in reality).

TMNT IV - Turtles in Time.bml

I've not been able to get DKC2 to work properly in RA yet. Directing BSNES 0.75 to the Donkey Kong Country 2 sfc file works. Using the same file in RA plays the game but with the original soundtrack. None of the versions I've found have contained a manifest.bml file and none of the .bmls I've found for it elsewhere have worked. It probably doesn't help that there seems to be about 4 different versions of this one in MPU-1 format.

I can't seem to get BSNES to launch into fullscreen either. --fullscreen didn't seem to do anything. I think I'm probably more inclined to either figure out how to get this working properly in RA or to just scrap it rather than mess with standalone BSNES anymore.

[Lordmonkus]

Yeah Zelda was a game I had working through RA using the .bml file.

Cool you got TMNT working, that was one I have but never got around to messing with it at all. I had it working through BSnes.

DKC2 works though BSnes using the rom file.

I found BSnes 0.88 to be the most reliable when needing to run the rom straight up and not the .bml file.

--fullscreen only works with the newest version (maybe 1 or 2 versions before) of Higan but not the older BSnes, they need to be full screened using F11. I tried using the AHK feature in LB but I don't know enough about it to get it to work.

[Lordmonkus]

There is something extremely messed up with the Donkey King Country one. I don't know if you have the same one as I do but in mine in the .bml file all the .pcm files are labeled alttp_msu- which obviously are A Link to the Past files but somehow running the actual dkc.sfc file through BSnes works. I don't get it.

After editing my TMNT .bml file that now works through Retroarch so that's good.

I have 2 Super Mario Worlds but neither of them have a .bml file at all.

MegaMan 7 doesn't work when editing the .bml file yet either, but playing the actual rom file in BSnes works and so does running the game the way it is meant to be run through Higan works.

[Zombeaver]

Yeah several of mine didn't have a .bml either. I've found some of them on github if you just google [game title] MSU manifest.bml. It seems like this is basically the base for all of them, with "AUDIO.sfc" and "AUDIO.msu" being replaced with the actual .sfc and .msu files you're using. At that point you need to add in the actual tracks in place of "Audio-0.pcm" with the appropriate track numbers. I'm working on that now for an F-Zero one that didn't come with a .bml and I couldn't find a premade one.

[Lordmonkus]

Interesting, I will have a look and see if I Can find the missing .bml files.

Not sure how well your idea of generating your own from the base one will work. Looking at other .bml files it looks like there are some specific memory addresses that need to be assigned and they can vary.

[Zombeaver]

I did manage to get the F-Zero one working, but it went kicking and screaming. The file name adding/renaming was fine but for the memory addresses I ended up just opening up every other working manifest I had and just trying out different ones from those until it worked. I'm not sure what the proper method is for figuring those out - I'm sure the answer is in here somewhere but that's a bit over my head so brute force trial and error it is!

So far I've got the following working in RA:

Chrono Trigger
Flashback
F-Zero
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Rock n' Roll Racing
Super Metroid
Secret of Mana
TMNT IV: Turtles in Time

There aren't too many left at this point.

[Zombeaver]

Oh and for Mega Man 7, try this manifest. Check your file names and adjust this if necessary. I haven't actually tried it, but I found it over on github and all the ones I've taken straight from there have worked great. There are ones for X, X2, and X3 as well.

manifest.bml

[Lordmonkus]

For whatever reason Mega Man 7 is a no go in Retroarch, it just black screens. I have tried downloading a pre done rom and I have even patched my own and they are both the same.

They load just fine using BSnes or Higan but not through RA. I tried editing the manifest.bml file but nothing works.

The list of my games that work in RA are

Chrono Trigger
A Link to the Past
Mega Man X, X2 and X3
Rock N Roll Racing
Secret of Mana
Super Metroid
TMNT

Games that work in BSnes

DKC2
Mega Man 7
Mario World

That's all the MSU games I have.

[Zombeaver]

So where it has "program.rom" you have the name of your .rom or .sfc file (depending on what file type you have) and where it has "megaman7_msu1.msu" you have the name of your .msu file, and the names of the .pcm tracks match what you've got? I'm surprised it doesn't work if so. All of the files need to be in the same folder too, in case they're not due to the way you've got them setup through BSNES or something.

Just hanging on a black screen is what I was getting on F-Zero until I eventually got the .bml sorted out. I'll try out MM7 and SMW tonight.

[Lordmonkus]

Yeah I have checked the 2 things you have high lighted red. I will go back and re-check them again though even though I have checked and changed it several time.

The problem I am running into with Mario is there is no bml file whatsoever. I have 2 different Mario World ones and neither have the bml file.

[Zombeaver]

I actually just found one for SMW after some digging. It may need some adjustment as well, I don't know yet. It's a starting point though.

manifest.bml

[Lordmonkus]

Mario just black screens with that bml, and that is changing the program.rom to match the .sfc rom file.

 

[Zombeaver]

Here's the actual patch zip that I found (where that manifest came from) - I'm not sure if what you have already has the .asm, .ips, and .xml files included in this, but presumably those are needed as well. This came from a thread over on SMWCentral.

smw_msu1.zip

[Lordmonkus]

I don't think the .asm, .ips and .xml files are needed at all. The ips is just the patch file for the rom when making your own and some of the games I have that work don't even have have an xml or asm file with them.

I think I am basically done caring about this beyond wanting the ability to load Higans "rom folder" as a rom file.

[Zombeaver]

11 minutes ago, lordmonkus said:

I don't think the .asm, .ips and .xml files are needed at all. The ips is just the patch file for the rom when making your own and some of the games I have that work don't even have have an xml or asm file with them.

They might not be, I'm not sure. The ips wouldn't be if the rom is already patched. I'm not sure about the .xml and .asm though.

12 minutes ago, lordmonkus said:

I think I am basically done caring about this beyond wanting the ability to load Higans "rom folder" as a rom file.

Fair enough. Just trying to help man

[Lordmonkus]

Hehe yeah I know you are but at this point for Mario I just don't care. The good games like Chrono Trigger, Metroid and MegaMan X series are all good and working perfectly fine.

This whole MSU hack stuff is cool and all but until the patch makers and emulator people get on the same page for file structure it's just a mess. I'll accept what I have and be happy with it

I think the asm and xml files are for the actual music converting but I don't know.