Lynx Multi Card Preorders

[GadgetUK]

So, the saving to the SD card is purely a programming task? What language was the program for the rom written in? What language is the SD code (in the menu) in? The task of saving, is it (in a nutshell) writing some bytes to the drive or is it more complex? I'm a programmer that is why I'm asking. Sorry if this has been answered before.

The writing to the SD bit is easy (thanks to SainT) but the process of hacking the ROM not so easy. It needs decrypting first, then you need to find the code that saves to the none volatile RAM and maybe add a jump or something instead, and try to squeeze in the code to write / read to the SD card. It might be easy to squeeze the routine in there somewhere, but the decryption and re-encryption afterwards is the tricky bit, as well as finding the code to modify.

 

The example code is written in C, but you could also use 6502 assembly.

[SainT]

On 6/11/2016 at 6:46 PM, lghh_4 said:

So, the saving to the SD card is purely a programming task? What language was the program for the rom written in? What language is the SD code (in the menu) in? The task of saving, is it (in a nutshell) writing some bytes to the drive or is it more complex? I'm a programmer that is why I'm asking. Sorry if this has been answered before.

 

This is where you want to start...

 

http://bjoern.spruck.net/lynx/blog/eotb_hack.xhtml

 

Then there's the menu code which is attached in the 1.4 Menu thread to write to the memory card. The easiest option would be to compile this to assembler using the cc65 compiler setup and then optimise that code for just writing the save out to memory card.

 

There's lots of potential problems, such as if there's memory space available for the code to save to the memory card, etc, but I'd say its doable.

Edited October 25, 2019 by SainT

[lghh_4]

For the GBA flash cart and corresponding EZ4 client, the Gameboy roms have to be modified before they are saved onto the flash cart in order to save the game. Basically, a routine in the EZ4 client searches for a block of bytes and then replaces those bytes with the custom saving code/bytes. So, the work is done ahead of time, and not in real time or from the flash cart. Is this similar to what you are thinking?

[SainT]

For the GBA flash cart and corresponding EZ4 client, the Gameboy roms have to be modified before they are saved onto the flash cart in order to save the game. Basically, a routine in the EZ4 client searches for a block of bytes and then replaces those bytes with the custom saving code/bytes. So, the work is done ahead of time, and not in real time or from the flash cart. Is this similar to what you are thinking?

 

Yes, precisely that. Although the number of Lynx games with saves is pretty limited (mostly homebrew and the odd prototype).

Edited June 11, 2016 by SainT

[7800fan]

For the GBA flash cart and corresponding EZ4 client, the Gameboy roms have to be modified before they are saved onto the flash cart in order to save the game. Basically, a routine in the EZ4 client searches for a block of bytes and then replaces those bytes with the custom saving code/bytes. So, the work is done ahead of time, and not in real time or from the flash cart. Is this similar to what you are thinking?

 

 

GBA aren't encrypted so it was easy for hacking software to patch the ROMs. Lynx are encrypted so it would need to be decrypted, patched, then re-encoded. So it would be more work than usual.

 

AFAIK only EotB supports save game.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Most of the Everdrives use battery backed SRAM to handle saves. Then it writes the SRAM back to SD card when the menu is loaded. In this manner, you can even shut off the game system when you're done without holding reset and the saves are still intact.

 

There's no room at all to add something like this to the Lynx flash card. Nor would you need to for one game. It would probably be almost as much work to build a homebrew cart as it would to incorporate saves into the flash card. The closest comparison to Lynx flash card is the Turbo Everdrive, which does not save to the SD either, nor did most games have save capability bitd. Some TG16/PCe cards used the Booster addon, but that is irrelevant.

[mvirtuale]

I would order 1.
it's still possible?

[SainT]

 

 

GBA aren't encrypted so it was easy for hacking software to patch the ROMs. Lynx are encrypted so it would need to be decrypted, patched, then re-encoded. So it would be more work than usual.

 

AFAIK only EotB supports save game.

 

Yep, its certainly a bit more involved to get it working, but no more so than cracking an ST or Amiga game back in the day.

 

EotB is the only commercial title that I know of (albeit pre-release) which supports save. But homebrew like SIMIS and Alpine Games (I think) use it for high scores etc...

[johannesmutlu]

Guy's does hard drivin for the lynx (wich is also a commercial game) also not save your high score along with your name?? As why is it else that it shows a rank list with names off peoples with their own high score?

But strangefully enough when i turn the lynx off and then again ,my name does NO LONGER get shown on the high score list,but maybe it's only temperatury saved or maybe that eprom chip on the card is already dead because, according to wiki, eprom chips can only last rewrites for about 15.000 up to 40.000 times, the most expensive eprom chips can last rewrites up to 80.000 to 100.000 times.

And i DON'T THINK that atari used expensive eprom chips in their produced lynx games, at the other hand, i doubt if anybody has ever played that game over a 15.000 times in the last 25 years,let alone 40.000 times(also since it is a sluggish & slow game),so will that eprom chip in hard driving be still alive,haha lol.

I can only speculate,but even snes streetfighter 2 has a highscore list wich you can put in your name but it does not save it,SHAME, well if non of those commercial lynx games ever had a save feature, then why dit they bother to put a high score list in those games,same thing for early snes games, you may aswell just take a picture of it before turning off those game systems,

[buttertweet]

Can't remember, does Super Offroad also save high scores?

[Greg2600]

Can't remember, does Super Offroad also save high scores?

 

if you can get passed the first level....unplayable game

[Andromeda Stardust]

I have Ivan Stweart's Super Offroad NES. 4-score for the win, but that silver CPU car's an asshole winning almost every race. How does the Lynx version handle?

[7800fan]

Hard Drivin on Lynx does not save anything. Never did. AFAIK none of Lynx game ever featured saved high score.

 

Back in the day, flash ROM weren't readily available in small package and cheap so it wasn't practical. Battery saved RAM was the only low cost option throughout the 1990s and Lynx cart never had any battery saved feature. The closest to "right" Lynx cart of the era are the rare Japanese humped Lynx carts, those look like they could have battery inside.

Edited June 13, 2016 by 7800fan

[2Ni]

With the success of this multi-card, there will be new indie games with save game feature, hé, hé...

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Back in the day, flash ROM weren't readily available in small package and cheap so it wasn't practical. Battery saved RAM was the only low cost option throughout the 1990s and Lynx cart never had any battery saved feature. The closest to "right" Lynx cart of the era are the rare Japanese humped Lynx carts, those look like they could have battery inside.

Is there a link to these "humped" Lynx carts? I wasn't even aware a Japanese Lynx ever existed as most American companies sell poorly there (Microsft Xbox and Atari 2800 both flopped hard). I collect Hucards for Turbografx and PC Engine. Hucards are similar to Lynx games in a lot of ways. Both are plastic wafers with "glop top" style ROMs embedded in them, though Hucards are larger and have the artwork baked in as opposed to stickers like the Lynx. PC Engine Super Street Fighter II and Populus have "humped" cards, as do I believe a certain RAM backup unit.

[Trew]

There's only one "humped" game, which is Klax.

 

Info on that, and other JP versions here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/249421-japanese-lynx-games/?hl=%2Bjapanese+%2Bmanuals&do=findComment&comment=3451374

 

Related... here's two beauties that showed up to my house this morning:

 

[johannesmutlu]

Hey guy's What comes to my mind is this, the technology of the lynx sd card can also be used to allow for multi (commercial) rom games on an cart,by other company's.

Backthem, multi roms on lynx carts were only possible via dip switches.

The lynx can only soft reset itself but that does not reset the entire ram,while calefornia games cart contains 4 games,they are small,but by isolating the ram bus,a hard reset can be faked to allow huge multi roms on 1 cart,that's why am so impressed about this sd cart alone,achieving the impossible,with such amezing technology inside,that's why am feeling myself sooo greedy,haha lol..

[marchingsaint621]

Quick question saint,

How long did it take to get the pc boards from China after you ordered?

 

Just wondering

[+davidcalgary29]

There's only one "humped" game, which is Klax.

 

Info on that, and other JP versions here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/249421-japanese-lynx-games/?hl=%2Bjapanese+%2Bmanuals&do=findComment&comment=3451374

 

Related... here's two beauties that showed up to my house this morning:

 

IMG_20160613_155808.jpg

Nice! Exactly how many titles had Japanese releases?

[johannesmutlu]

Lynx games wich contains a high score list should have to be hacked with a save feature in order to finaly save them

Hard drivin is a prime example of this, not only should that game to be hacked for a save feature but all the missing levels from the original should,ve to be added back in to it,also the controls do need some tweaks, i will never understand why atari was soo lazy to not put all 3 levels in that game.

So what do you guy's thinking, should hard drivin on lynx need an upgrade???

[Andromeda Stardust]

There's only one "humped" game, which is Klax.

 

Info on that, and other JP versions here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/249421-japanese-lynx-games/?hl=%2Bjapanese+%2Bmanuals&do=findComment&comment=3451374

 

Related... here's two beauties that showed up to my house this morning:

 

IMG_20160613_155808.jpg

Interesting that the Japan Klax has the oversized ROM chip. I wonder if the game inside is different?

[Trew]

Nice! Exactly how many titles had Japanese releases?

 

I think there are 16. The difference usually is just the manual. That post I linked above shows the main ones, but here's the list I know:

 

Klax (Box/Cart/Manual)

Chips Challenge

Shanghai

California Games (Box?)

Paperboy

Slime world

Gates of Zendocon

Ms Pacman

Blue Lightning

Gauntlet (this seems to be where the rare ridged cart version comes from)

Xenophobe

Rampage

Roadblasters

Rygar

Electroscop

Robosquash

[PaulBearer64]

I hope I'm not too late for the party. I would like a cased cartridge as well.

[Vidiot1981]

Can I still get a cased cart or am I too late?

[SainT]

Can I still get a cased cart or am I too late?

 

Its never too late.

 

Seriously, I'll keep making these as long as there is interest. In fact I ordered another batch of 100 boards yesterday, or the day before, I forget... They should be with me in about 2-3 weeks. Which should coincide nicely with selling out of the remaining boards I have here.