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[bpoint]

Just a note from us programmers on the other side of the pond... keep up the good work!

I've taken a screenshot of HAL's sysdolphin viewer for you guys. Can't load any files from inside the emulation, so I presume there isn't any DVD/file-to-PC mapping emulation done yet. Would be nice to see more than just a grid though. :) Also, a debug output window would be handy! (Although it's just a Teaser, so I'm anxiously waiting for the next version...)

BTW, when we build disc images here they come out in .dpf format. I tried just renaming it to .gcm and the file list said something about "Invalid country code: #", and promptly crashed afterwards, so I presume the .dpfs are a different format than the .iso/.gcm formats. Is there some kind of doc which details the .iso format so perhaps I could get a .dpf to run under DolphinEmu?

Thanks, and good luck!

[Zilla]

HAL's sysdolphin viewer

Where can I get a copy? :)

[bohdy]

I don't think that you can... bpoint seems to be a licensed gamecube developer.

Nice to see thim emu generating such prolific interest!

Care to share a title you have worked on bpoint? Or am I mistaken about your profession?

[ShadowPrince]

Also, a debug output window would be handy! (Although it's just a Teaser, so I'm anxiously waiting for the next version...)


You can access debug window by pressing CTRL+D prior loading GCM .

[bennykurns]

Hey, just thought I would let you know that bpoint (Mike Tedder) is the creator of Project UnReality (the first-ever working Nintendo 64 emulator) and Zengine.

I got this off of his website (www.deltaplayer.com)

Mike has both work and personal experience with numerous platforms, such as the PlayStation 2 (with in-depth knowledge of the PS2 VUs, DMA streams, GIF and GS packets), the original PlayStation (again, with in-depth knowledge of the PS1 GTE and GPU), the Nintendo 64 (and its RSP and RDP processors), the Intel x86 family and MMX/SSE instructions (including use of the DirectX 8 API), the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PocketStation, and even old-school processors such as the 6502. To power this impressive line of hardware knowledge, Mike programs mostly in C and C++, although prefers Assembly where it is needed for speed (or size!).


Sounds like a pretty intelligent fella! :geek:

[ZDragon]

I guess someone like this would really be able to help a lot in the emulation community - like for PCSX2 :p

I'd really want to know more about this sysdolphin thingy...

[Martin]

Welcome breakpoint. :) The first N64 emulator I used was PUR and I've been hooked ever since. It's a honor to see you here. :)

/me takes a bow

[sytaylor]

Wow Project UNreality, thats a while back.

/me wipes tear of nostalgia :)

[ZDragon]

I remember it, yea... was great!

[bpoint]

HAL's sysdolphin is a middleware for GC developers... Nintendo of Japan "highly recommends it" for those projects on a tight deadline, although I'd be writing my own if we had the time. :) Probably about the only public information available about it is here: http://www.hallab.co.jp/recruit/project/sys/sys02.html (and only in Japanese :P )

We actually just finished up Pokemon Colosseum, which is already released here in Japan, but should be on its way to the US in a month or so (going through the last phase of NOA debugging next week). Anyone had a chance to try it in Dolphin yet? I'm not having much luck with these .dpfs. :(

And yes, bennykurns has done his homework. PUR was my little project, waybackwhen... :)

ShadowPrince: Thanks for the debug window key, I'll try it out!

[ZDragon]

I won't buy Pokemon Colosseum, so I can't try it out...

Who are "you"? Are you, by any chance, a member of Nintendo or what?

[Falcon4ever]

http://www.systranbox.com/systran/box?systran_lp=ja_en&systran_id=SystranSoft-en&systran_url=http://www.hallab.co.jp/recruit/project/sys/sys02.html&systran_f=1075501335 < a translation of the site posted by bpoint

[bpoint]

Who are "you"? Are you, by any chance, a member of Nintendo or what?

Not really. Just a 2nd-party developer... we just write games for them. :)

and Falcon4ever: That translation is horrible :P

[Nick_kidid0]

Pokemon Colosseum doesn't get very far for me, just a black screen :|. Btw how are those .dpfs dumped/built? can Dolphin read it's banner file or GC-Tool etc.

P.S. Keep up the great work :)

[Azimer]

bpoint, how are you using .dpf files? .GCM/.ISO files are raw images. If there was a way to make a .dpf into a format that you would place on a GC disc, then you should be able to use that format. Though I tend to have a nack of stating the obvious. I have searched for information on a .dpf file format, but came up with nothing.

[CpU MasteR]

Holy crap, it's breakpoint!

All of you are not worthy. :D

[bpoint]

Whenever we build disk images with whatever tool it is that we use (I'm not in charge of building images -- and only done it like once...) they come out in .dpf format. We then either use these images on a debug station or submit them directly to Nintendo for approval, bug testing, etc.

I can safely say it's _not_ the raw .iso format, though. Nintendo definitely does extra stuff to it and then presses that onto the GC disks...

If I knew the offsets of where some of the critical data was in a normal .iso (things like game name, ID [although some of that is in the banner file...], initial directory/file table, etc) I could also look for the same in the .dpf and possibly rebuild the dpf into an iso. Who knows, the difference between the two might only be like a small block of padding or something... dunno. :)

Nick_kidid0: Hmm.. that kinda sucks. There is some anti-Pro Action Replay stuff before the intro movie starts (er, the Nintendo logo) that zaps the lower memory/exception address table that Dolphin probably doesn't like. Can't think of anything else done beforehand... thanks for trying it out, though.

[Azimer]

Whenever we build disk images with whatever tool it is that we use (I'm not in charge of building images -- and only done it like once...) they come out in .dpf format. We then either use these images on a debug station or submit them directly to Nintendo for approval, bug testing, etc.

I can safely say it's _not_ the raw .iso format, though. Nintendo definitely does extra stuff to it and then presses that onto the GC disks...


bpoint, look for a program called makegcm.


======================================== ================================
(1) Master Data Making Tool [makegcm]
======================================== ================================

This tool is for creating gcm file (GameCube Master Data) from dlf file
(Disk Layout File).

[whistler404]

Am I the only one seeing a great oppertunity in here? with bpoint's knowledge in programing method and the Dolphin's developers..bpoint can help the project quite a bit. Especially in Pokemon Colosseum emulation there :)

[sytaylor]

Does it mean im a geek if i enjoy finding out how ninty and their developers get their games onto those funky little backward spinning disks? :P

Im willing to guess in 6 or so months the smaller versions of the files will be common place, with something similar to the Dreamcasts dummy files..

[Reznor007]

GC discs don't spin backwards.

[sytaylor]

im sure i read somewhere they did.. hmm

[Vegetable]

Why don't you open up your gamecube and look then.

[sytaylor]

Because im at work?! and home is 15 miles away.. i dont know about your eyesight or armlength, but for me its pretty difficult to do right now.

[Brcue]

They don't spin backwards, but data is read from the outside of the disc. This is probably why GC discs can't be read in DVD drives, the drives don't know where to look for the Table of Contents. Likewise, they can't be burned. Good job Nintendo! :tr64:

[Flash]

They don't spin backwards, but data is read from the outside of the disc. This is probably why GC discs can't be read in DVD drives, the drives don't know where to look for the Table of Contents. Likewise, they can't be burned. Good job Nintendo! :tr64:
Yep GC disk is a bit like ol' good vinyl disks :)

[thedaemon666]

Well then if you think about it, if someone that is really good at programming, could design a program that you can load before placing the game cube disk inside a dvd-rom drive to intialize reading from the outside of the disk rather than the outside. Obviously this is a possiblity if disc t@t2 was possible on the Yamaha CRF1E professional burners. I would try but we're not into C++ in my program at school, we're doing VB.Net *icK* and I'm sure I couldn't accomplish that sort of feat with java

[khanmeister]

Well then if you think about it, if someone that is really good at programming, could design a program that you can load before placing the game cube disk inside a dvd-rom drive to intialize reading from the outside of the disk rather than the outside. Obviously this is a possiblity if disc t@t2 was possible on the Yamaha CRF1E professional burners. I would try but we're not into C++ in my program at school, we're doing VB.Net *icK* and I'm sure I couldn't accomplish that sort of feat with java

There are reports that various burners can read GC disks, in particular some type of Pioneer drive has been mentioned repeatedly.

You may just need a drive that isn't super "picky", or some such thing.

[bLAdEbLA]

There are reports that various burners can read GC disks, in particular some type of Pioneer drive has been mentioned repeatedly.

You may just need a drive that isn't super "picky", or some such thing.

I still don't see the point of *directly* burning discs when you can access the contents of them through a cable, then burn them if you wish.