VisitntX's Genesis Game Genie

[VisitntX]

Unlike most ROM copiers, this one is specifically designed to be as easy to build as possible, and requires very little skill or special tools, at the slight expense of copy speed.
They even gives you the program. I think I will give it a try.

[Whipon]

Maybe I have the same cart

I have a Rings of Power cart with a battery slot inside, a little dip chip, a big one with a epoxy (these often called as "little spider" "arañita"), a resistor and a big "little spider" epoxy in the center.
Does your cartridge look similar to this setup?. If so, we have the same pirate cart. And the game cannot be hacked to save.
I found a dumper project here

It doesn't seem very difficult to build.
But If the game doesn't save, making it will be a little useless u_u.

Thanks anyway ^^

Whipon.

[VisitntX]

Yep, three Retrogamers, and two retrohackers, he does little codes, the rest always ask to me.
So you have engineering knowledge?
You will have to create a program to do it, also.
You need advanced knowledge to build a rom dumper.
And it's useless. I found the game. It works so I rebuild the battery slot, but I get the same error that you pointed. It seems that they can't reprogramm that.

[Whipon]

Thanks a lot, man

No, I don't have a ROM dumper, but I can make one.
If the game really supports SRAM saves, then I'll make the ROM dumper, because I really want to play the real game in the real console with all the GG codes i've created for it with my Tototek cart and be able to save it.
And If the circuit of the ROM dumper is very difficult, then I'll buy one.
The money isn't a problem. I simply love that game.
Thanks for your help .

PD: Roioros is your brother?. I remember pointing him to my first topic where Pugsy teached me how to use HazeMD, lol. So, we're 3 Argentinian retrogamers in this site ñ________ñ.

[VisitntX]

Ah, that. Well, it's kinda complicated, plus the hacked one should be to the same PCB.
As i said, I get the game a lot of time ago, and it seems that i don't know where it's now, heh, the third one I lost in my whole life. Maybe my brother Roioros get rid of it cuz he was kinda tired of me saying that i will fix it, but never do it. I will ask him tomorrow to see if the game is still around here.
So do you have a ROM dumper?

[Whipon]

Thanks anyway ñ_ñ

I was talking of replacing the ROM memory of the original cart with another one with a hacked version of the game. There's lots of cheap IC and flash memory programmers around the net. But before buying an original Rings of Power cart, I need to know if this is possible.
Had you disassembled your Rings of Power cart?. So you're saying that you have a reprogrammed Rings of Power that uses SRAM instead of serial EEPROM?. If thats the case I'll be happy to made a ROM dumper so I can use it in my Tototek cart n_n.
Please let me know .

Whipon.

[VisitntX]

I was able to save to a battery with Rings Of Power, it depends of the way that they reprogramed the game and adapted it to a custom pcb. A cheap bastard way is to just not put a save slot in the pcb, so like with a pirate copy of atp tennis i get some time ago, the game can have serious problems.
What you want requires not only programming levels, but also enginering knowledge, cuz you have to know how the pcb works to then reprogram the game.

So, we have two phantasy stars games that couldn't save with the gg attached, and then we have monster world iv and fifa 98 saving. Maybe a protection from sega to bypass the use of cheats in these series of games? I remember a lot of time ago, when if you wanted to use trainers in c64 games the highscores were deleted and not saved. Maybe they took a similar idea. If we can track the part of code where the game acces to the sram it's probably easily for us to change it.

Whipon, thanks, but it's useless to try something like this with a flash cart. It must be tested using real carts. Or good imitations, the ones that are the less mod possible (even this isn't recommended).

[Whipon]

More info n.n

Here's a detailed list of games that save with serial EEPROM:

http://gxdev.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/gen_eeprom.pdf

Its possible to hack an original Rings of Power cart by reprograming the ROM?.

[Whipon]

At least some info!!!

I found the reason about why Rings of Power never saves?

It uses serial EEPROM instead of SRAM.

So its impossible to save with a pirate cart right?.
Now I understand very well the "media error" issue. The game looks for that serial EEPROM. If it cannot find it, then the error message appears.

So, I will never be able to save with my Tototek cart or my Rings of Rings cart because of the lack of that part that the game needs to save.


It is a pity u_u.


Whipon.

[Whipon]

Rings of Power? u_u

I never could save with Rings of Power. Mi cart of Rings of Power has a battery. I replaced the original battery with a new one with the same error message saying something about "media error" and "consult your manual".
I've translated part of a german forum. It seems that message appears in pirate versions of Rings of Power. So the game must have a routine that checks if your game is pirate of not. I couldn't trace that part of the the code of the game with HazeMD because of the lack of SRAM support of HazeMD (the game freezes).
So if anyone knows an alternative way to trace it, please, let me know, I will really aprecciate it. Thats the only thing I couldn't hack in that game.

About GG codes and the SRAM saves:
I don't really know if this info will be usefull, but I've played Light Crusader in my Tototek cart. Of course I've hacked the rom with all the codes I've submitted to the database :P. And It saves perfectly.

Another point to note: Its possible that these games with problems to save with the game genie have a routine that checks if the code of the game is changed or a similar method?.

Anyway, If you want to test any game with the Tototek cart, let me know and I test it for you .

C U ^^

Whipon.

[Tony H]

Of the carts that I couldn't get to save with the GG attached, Phantasy Star 3 is the only name that I can remember. I even remember putting in a new battery, but still no go.

This is the first that I've heard of any battery backed carts saving with the GG attached. Hmmm *scratches head*.

[VisitntX]

So there are games that save wich what the GG works and some wich it doesn't. Interesting. I couldn't find any reference to this in the official manual, the one with codes, that came with the GG.
Any other experiences?

[Joe Redifer]

I was able to use a Game Genie to run the JP version of Monster World IV on my US Genesis, and I was able to save and load just fine. Not sure why it doesn't work with the Phantasy Star games, etc.

[VisitntX]

Yes, I was able to save it. At first it didn't work, but I remembered that I had an extra new battery, after change it I try it again, and the game keep the saves.
I had read too that if you use it with the GG it will, like you said, not save the game and plus it deleted your old saves. Can't remember this, but how this was bothering me since I read it I decided to test it. Well, that's my experience with the FIFA 98. My other game that uses battery, Ring Of Power, well, i will have to fix the battery slot, right now it's ripped, so i can't test it with that game. But if you tried and had not luck, it's more likely it will not work, chances are that my FIFA 98 game is in a custom board.
Hope this help in something.

[Tony H]

A quick note about Genesis Game Genies and carts that use batteries...

It's not that the SRAM will be erased, it's that you can't save your game with the Game Genie attached. I had this happen with all the battery backed carts I own.

I'm curious, were you able to save your game in FIFA Soccer 98 with the GG attached?