Analogue's Mega Sg |OT| The Hardcore Uprising - Maybe You Should Play Checkers Instead?

[kubev]

I was happy to find out that the Genesis collection on steam has all of it's roms completely out in the open. Made it really easy to grab them and transfer them to the Mega SG. I'm surprised they didn't try to protect them in some way. I'm pretty sure that makes it the most legal way to get roms, since you don't have to break any sort of copy protection on them at all. I always prefer real carts, but it's nice being able to play games I bought in a far more accurate way then the emulator Sega used in that collection.

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I don't think it was always the case that you could just easily copy the roms. You used to have to use some sort of homebrew tool that allowed you to extract the roms. I believe that the 'uncompressed roms' folder was a later addition to the package. As bad as I think the emulation and launchers are in that package, I did recently give the collection a positive review on Steam because of how flexible Sega decided to be in letting you use the roms elsewhere.

 

[oasis007]

I cannot get the 2.4 ghz controller to pair for the life of me. I updated the firmware on the receiver and controller, plugged it in, and it just won't do anything. Any ideas?

EDIT: figured it out. I tried updating on OSX. The controller and receiver both were "0.0" firmware. So I booted up an old PC and the update worked fine!

 

[Goddo Hando]

went home to my parents' house and cleaned out my closet-- 39 CIB Genesis games, and 31 loose carts.

Ordered my Mega SG last thursday and still waiting for the delivery update--- i need to stop F5'ing my inbox

 

[Deleted member 1627]

How did I miss this thread???

 

[SoH]

How did I miss this thread???

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Much like the Super NT OT people seem to stick to the shipping thread and not notice us over here.

Probably worth making another post over there letting people know about the OT since a few pages have passed.

 

[Deleted member 7130]

I think not having to fear thread post limits anymore may be partly to blame?

 

[Kaworu]

Something for me to look forward to getting then. ¥1,300 isnt too bad actually, especially coming from the UK where you need to wait an extra week while your package is stuck in customs and Parcelforce charge more than that for their fees alone which is on top of the 20% you need to pay in import tax.

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It's not too bad as you said I was just sharing because after a week plus of receiving the Mega Sg I wasn't expecting an invoice anymore.

 

[Listai]

Kevtris is currently on a MLiG stream right now, worth a drop in as he's fielding questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcrv2MQotz0

 

[JustinH]

Kevtris is currently on a MLiG stream right now, worth a drop in as he's fielding questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcrv2MQotz0

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Cool. Thanks for the heads up.

Unfortunately the linked video won't play in Safari on my iPhone.

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Oh, okay. Here's a video I just found on youtube of it.

 

[Darknight]

Kevtris is currently on a MLiG stream right now, worth a drop in as he's fielding questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcrv2MQotz0

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Any idea if someone asked about the scanline fix?

 

[TheWraith]

Any idea if someone asked about the scanline fix?

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Haven't heard anything so far, but there is a way to circumvent the scanline bugs in 720p as I found out via some of FirebrandX posts in another forum:
Set total height at 719 instead of 720, this forces the scanlines in a correct position, and you'll see a BIG difference immediately. To my surprise the same bug was in the Super NT, and you can do the same thing there for correct scanlines which look great. Unfortunately no news on a scanline fix or more options for 1080p.

 

[Listai]

Any idea if someone asked about the scanline fix?

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I only caught my stream on my way out the door. I'm watching it now so I'll let you know.

Spoiler

Jesus christ Try's constant string of "like .... like ... it's like ... kinda like ... y'know like " make this nearly unwatchable

 

[Peter Sjöstrand]

Got my Mega Sg a while back, but had to wait for the 8Bitdo M30 2.4G controller to get here. First game played on it had to be Sonic the Hedgehog 3. With that done I'm playing through Phantasy Star IV for the first time ever. Never got into that back in the day, so with the release of Mega Sg it seemed like a good opportunity to finally do so :)

 

[drock5k]

I've still waiting on shipping but need to start planning on controllers. Has there been any improvement the lag for the Bluetooth 8bitdo controller or any chance it will in firmware? It'd be nice to have a Bluetooth version, but doesn't seem worth the lag trade-off at the moment over the 2.4g version. Did the Super NT - SNES Bluetooth controller have similar lag issues?

 

[SoH]

I've still waiting on shipping but need to start planning on controllers. Has there been any improvement the lag for the Bluetooth 8bitdo controller or any chance it will in firmware? It'd be nice to have a Bluetooth version, but doesn't seem worth the lag trade-off at the moment over the 2.4g version. Did the Super NT - SNES Bluetooth controller have similar lag issues?

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Yes, all the Bluetooth receivers have about a frame of lag. Speedrunners who play wired on a CRT might be able to pick up on a frame of lag. It works perfectly well for casual play. Beyond that you should probably go wired anyway.

 

[Lancelot]

Yes, all the Bluetooth receivers have about a frame of lag. Speedrunners who play wired on a CRT might be able to pick up on a frame of lag. It works perfectly well for casual play. Beyond that you should probably go wired anyway.

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Is it possible to use it as a wired connection eliminating this lag?

 

[SoH]

Is it possible to use it as a wired connection eliminating this lag?

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No, but if you use the 2.4g model, or the krikzz joyzz, they are under a single frame of lag. Which is about as good as it gets for wireless.

https://www.retrorgb.com/krikzz-joy...-m30-bluetooth-input-latency-lag-testing.html

 

[Shaneus]

I'd still love to know the latency of some of the original IR controllers that were released when the console was still being sold.

 

[JustinH]

Might be a random question, but has anyone figured out how to set a user-defined font?

I tried downloading this Streets of Rage font, downloaded a program called FontForge, but I still don't know what I'm doing and internet searches aren't really being that fruitful for me with trying to get it in a format that the Mega SG can see and use.

Per the MSG manual

The font must use an 8x8 text box and must be represented in binary in a 1-bit per pixel format. Each character will take eight bytes to represent in this format. The file must be 768 bytes in size and use the extension .fnt. The characters in the file will have to start at ASCII 20 (space) and end at ASCII 7F (delete).

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I can find and make sure all characters between space and delete have "characters" and get rid of everything else (I just copy-pasted space and delete from a different font), and I'm guessing that "represented in binary" means like... a single solid color or something (like "off" or "on?") , but I guess I just don't know exactly what I'm doing when I'm trying to "generate a font" so I can save it in the right filetype.

Is anyone familiar with working with fonts in fontforge, or anything else really?

 

[Aeana]

I don't think you're going to be able to easily convert a computer font into an 8x8 1 bit per pixel font. Some of the 8x8 fonts here might work, but the order of characters described is very specific: https://www.romhacking.net/fonts/ They might be in the wrong order and require rearranging.

 

[JustinH]

I don't think you're going to be able to easily convert a computer font into an 8x8 1 bit per pixel font. Some of the 8x8 fonts here might work, but the order of characters described is very specific: https://www.romhacking.net/fonts/ They might be in the wrong order and require rearranging.

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Oh thank you!

I have looked at some there, but whatever I tried downloading (only like 2 or 3) were in bmp format and I didn't know what to do with it after that. I guess I should look at more options listed at romhacking.

Thanks again.

 

[SoH]

I'd still love to know the latency of some of the original IR controllers that were released when the console was still being sold.

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IR is at the speed of light so obviously nothing there. It would add an extra microcontroller in the IR receiver which probably introduced even a tiny bit more overhead than wired.

The bigger problem is IR is very prone to interference since someone just walking by is enough to block it.

 

[Aeana]

Oh thank you!

I have looked at some there, but whatever I tried downloading (only like 2 or 3) were in bmp format and I didn't know what to do with it after that. I guess I should look at more options listed at romhacking.

Thanks again.

Click to shrink...

Just to test it out, I put together three fonts. One is a port of an old IBM font, the other is based on the Earthbound font, and the third is based on Chicago (used in Chrono Trigger and FF6's menus). Here they are if you'd like to try them.

https://ufile.io/1a5cd

 

[JustinH]

Just to test it out, I put together three fonts. One is a port of an old IBM font, the other is based on the Earthbound font, and the third is based on Chicago (used in Chrono Trigger and FF6's menus). Here they are if you'd like to try them.

https://ufile.io/1a5cd

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Wow, thanks a lot! I'll give them a shot here in a second. You rock!

(I have been dying for a reason to post this pic...)

edit: Sweet! They work! I'm gonna try and use them as a "template" and paste the streets of rage fonts into a copy of them or something and see if that works.

 

[Aeana]

If you want to try making your own fonts, download a program like yy-chr and open it in there. Make sure it's set to 1bpp NES mode and then select the x16 selection tool, then you can click on each letter and replace it as you'd like.

 

[JustinH]

Okay neat. I, again... thanks again. I'm determined to figure this out now.

 

[beelulzebub]

I'm working through Treasure's catalog in chronological order. Currently playing McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure.

As far as paying-the-bills games go, this one ain't bad. Even Treasure's b-games have a technical flourish and energy to them that sets them apart from most other games on the system

 

[Sir Hound]

I can't tell if Dynamite Headdy is meant to be completable by actual humans. I've been using save states to restart each level and I've hit a wall at 6-3 with one life left which, as I've discovered, boots you back to the start of the game. I was thinking if they were going to be particularly cruel they'd stick you at the start of the world. Such a different era. Great game though, I actually think they could have done a lot more platforming with these great mechanics.

 

[alr1ght]

I can't tell if Dynamite Headdy is meant to be completable by actual humans. I've been using save states to restart each level and I've hit a wall at 6-3 with one life left which, as I've discovered, boots you back to the start of the game. I was thinking if they were going to be particularly cruel they'd stick you at the start of the world. Such a different era. Great game though, I actually think they could have done a lot more platforming with these great mechanics.

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:)

 

[thepenguin55]

Sorry again for not being around much but between work, getting sick and adopting a dog I have not had a ton of coherent free time. I'm aiming to update the OT tonight

 

[EvilRedEye]

My copy of Dick Tracy is ex-rental so while I was cleaning carts I decided to clean the outside of the box with the isopropyl alcohol as well, since it looked a bit dirty. Oh my god, the filth!! It just wouldn't stop coming off, even after it looked clean.

 

[JamboGT]

So I have a bunch of Master System Cartridges back home in the attic that I got dumped years ago, with the jailbreak can I just run these from the SD card slot now if I were to order one of these?

It's weird that I have more nostalgia for the Master System but it's just that that is what I had till I got a PS1!

 

[TheWooniestWoona]

So I have a bunch of Master System Cartridges back home in the attic that I got dumped years ago, with the jailbreak can I just run these from the SD card slot now if I were to order one of these?

It's weird that I have more nostalgia for the Master System but it's just that that is what I had till I got a PS1!

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Yes, you can run them.
However I don't think running them off of an SD card lets you use the FM sound. Maybe I'm just not seeing the option, but it only seems to work when I run from an actual cartridge.

 

[JamboGT]

To be honest I had a PAL Master System with no FM chip so I wouldn't be bothered by that. Thanks for the reply!

 

[SoH]

The jailbreak has FM support for SMS and I believe it is enabled by default. You either have to switch the core first (selecting SMS/SG-1000 from the core menu) to see the option in the Audio menu or launch the game and go back in the menu to toggle it. Can't recall off hand and not by my system.

Got it MattWhite924 JamboGT

Cores -> SMS/SG-1000
Directory will display to select rom
Hit START for menu with new option
Core Options -> Use FM (YM2413) toggle
You can get back here pulling up the Sg menu (down+start by default) and hitting start to pull the menu back up
Can't flip it while the game is running so if you change after starting a game have to reset it

If you have Double Dragon can use this to compare. Non-FM version at the end of the video but it is extremely obvious when I turn it off it is easy to compare.

 

[Windrunner]

I can't tell if Dynamite Headdy is meant to be completable by actual humans. I've been using save states to restart each level and I've hit a wall at 6-3 with one life left which, as I've discovered, boots you back to the start of the game. I was thinking if they were going to be particularly cruel they'd stick you at the start of the world. Such a different era. Great game though, I actually think they could have done a lot more platforming with these great mechanics.

Click to shrink...

Play the Japanese version if you can. Although I finished it bitd the adjusted difficulty for the western release was a bit unfair and made the game a lot less fun. As you've discovered you don't start off with any continues in the western version and it's very difficult to get any.

 

[JamboGT]

The jailbreak has FM support for SMS and I believe it is enabled by default. You either have to switch the core first (selecting SMS/SG-1000 from the core menu) to see the option in the Audio menu or launch the game and go back in the menu to toggle it. Can't recall off hand and not by my system.

Got it MattWhite924 JamboGT

Cores -> SMS/SG-1000
Directory will display to select rom
Hit START for menu with new option
Core Options -> Use FM (YM2413) toggle
You can get back here pulling up the Sg menu (down+start by default) and hitting start to pull the menu back up
Can't flip it while the game is running so if you change after starting a game have to reset it

If you have Double Dragon can use this to compare. Non-FM version at the end of the video but it is extremely obvious when I turn it off it is easy to compare.

Click to shrink...

Thanks :) I think my Fantasy Zone 2 cart is one of those with FM if you have it so can test it out if I order one of these.

I don't really need one but man it looks so cool and seems to work a treat.

 

[Aeana]

I just went through Comix Zone to test everything out and get my audio settings just right. I didn't remember it being so short. It's such a cool concept, though, and nothing else I've ever seen since is quite like it. Stuff like Comic Jumper (ugh) is kind of superficially similar, but nothing really leverages the comic format like Comix Zone does.

 

[apathetic]

I didn't remember it being so short.

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I remember having a simular revelation about the game when I went back to it years after I originally played and realized it was just because it was so hard for me when I originally played it so it was my constant restarting that made me think it was longer.

 

[SoH]

I just went through Comix Zone to test everything out and get my audio settings just right. I didn't remember it being so short. It's such a cool concept, though, and nothing else I've ever seen since is quite like it. Stuff like Comic Jumper (ugh) is kind of superficially similar, but nothing really leverages the comic format like Comix Zone does.

Click to shrink...

I have a vivid memory of renting Comix Zone and while playing it thinking "This is it! This is the future of games featuring comic characters!"

I have been wrong before. I will be wrong again.

 

[Deleted member 7130]

My copy of Dick Tracy is ex-rental so while I was cleaning carts I decided to clean the outside of the box with the isopropyl alcohol as well, since it looked a bit dirty. Oh my god, the filth!! It just wouldn't stop coming off, even after it looked clean.

Click to shrink...

I actually clean my clamshells in the kitchen sink.

 

[Polioliolio]

I was happy to find out that the Genesis collection on steam has all of it's roms completely out in the open. Made it really easy to grab them and transfer them to the Mega SG. I'm surprised they didn't try to protect them in some way. I'm pretty sure that makes it the most legal way to get roms, since you don't have to break any sort of copy protection on them at all. I always prefer real carts, but it's nice being able to play games I bought in a far more accurate way then the emulator Sega used in that collection.

Click to shrink...

Will the Mega SG w/ jailbreak read these file types (like .68k?) or do I have to change the extension?

 

[TheWooniestWoona]

The jailbreak has FM support for SMS and I believe it is enabled by default. You either have to switch the core first (selecting SMS/SG-1000 from the core menu) to see the option in the Audio menu or launch the game and go back in the menu to toggle it. Can't recall off hand and not by my system.

Got it MattWhite924 JamboGT

Cores -> SMS/SG-1000
Directory will display to select rom
Hit START for menu with new option
Core Options -> Use FM (YM2413) toggle
You can get back here pulling up the Sg menu (down+start by default) and hitting start to pull the menu back up
Can't flip it while the game is running so if you change after starting a game have to reset it

If you have Double Dragon can use this to compare. Non-FM version at the end of the video but it is extremely obvious when I turn it off it is easy to compare.

Click to shrink...

Thanks! I think something was up with the rom file I was using, since it wasn't working when the cart version of the same game was. I double checked my settings and now it's all good (just not for That one rom)

Will the Mega SG w/ jailbreak read these file types (like .68k?) or do I have to change the extension?

Click to shrink...

I renamed them to .bin

 

[Deleted member 3010]

This is ridiculous.

Ever since this was announced/released I've been telling myself that I wouldn't cave, I already have two genesis consoles, a PC capable enough to run those games on a perfectly capable emulator, a Retrode to rip my library to PC...

Yet it's there, the fucking lust for a Mega SG, watching tons of reviews praising the thing.

And now? It's been two weeks I've been obsessed at upgrading my Genesis collection and probably already spent the amount necessary to buy a Mega SG on fucking games I noticed were missing from my collection. In the last two weeks I bought:

-Castle of Illusion (Complete)
-World of Illusion (Complete)
-Outrun (W/box)
-Shining in the Darkness (Complete)
-Shinobi III (Complete)
-Ecco (Complete)
-Phantasy Star II (w/box and mini strategy guide)
-Mega Bomberman (cart only, because those fucking carton box are hard to get)
-Space Harrier 2 (Complete)

Now planning a road trip with my GF on Sunday to go get:

-Street of Rage 3 (w/box...to complete dat trilogy)
-Aladdin (w/box)
-Mortal Kombat 3 (w/box...to complete dat trilogy)
-Virtua Racing (w/box...but the box is in absolutely disastrous state...cart is ok though)

It's coming right? Imma cave like a bitch and buy it, it's too obvious.

I won't lie, it feels great, it's been years since I bought so much retro stuff, it reminds me my old gaming hunts. :D

 

[Deleted member 1627]

This is ridiculous.

Ever since this was announced/released I've been telling myself that I wouldn't cave, I already have two genesis consoles, a PC capable enough to run those games on a perfectly capable emulator, a Retrode to rip my library to PC...

Yet it's there, the fucking lust for a Mega SG, watching tons of reviews praising the thing.

And now? It's been two weeks I've been obsessed at upgrading my Genesis collection and probably already spent the amount necessary to buy a Mega SG on fucking games I noticed were missing from my collection. In the last two weeks I bought:

-Castle of Illusion (Complete)
-World of Illusion (Complete)
-Outrun (W/box)
-Shining in the Darkness (Complete)
-Shinobi III (Complete)
-Ecco (Complete)
-Phantasy Star II (w/box and mini strategy guide)
-Mega Bomberman (cart only, because those fucking carton box are hard to get)
-Space Harrier 2 (Complete)

Now planning a road trip with my GF on Sunday to go get:

-Street of Rage 3 (w/box...to complete dat trilogy)
-Aladdin (w/box)
-Mortal Kombat 3 (w/box...to complete dat trilogy)
-Virtua Racing (w/box...but the box is in absolutely disastrous state...cart is ok though)

It's coming right? Imma cave like a bitch and buy it, it's too obvious.

I won't lie, it feels great, it's been years since I bought so many retro stuff, it reminds me my old gaming hunts. :D

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It's all just so expensive :/

Thankfully my realistic wants are relatively common. I got shot of rares I don't really, fundamentally, care about so have a very focused collection I am happy with but it would be nice to pick some good stuff up on impulse every now and again.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

It's all just so expensive :/

Thankfully my realistic wants are relatively common. I got shot of rares I don't really, fundamentally, care about so have a very focused collection I am happy with but it would be nice to pick some good stuff up on impulse every now and again.

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Yeah, building a decent collection for pretty much any retro console is a very expensive task nowadays. What wasn't rare 5 years ago is now pricy, games that aren't that rare but just have a good reputation don't cost below 30$USD+shipping.

A first glance at an Ebay search can be enough to turn off someone wanting to start off nothing. Flea market owners now check Ebay and tags the same prices (or more). I'm glad I started my collection 10 years ago, it was the perfect timing, it's pretty much why I don't mind completing sets now, I had it good back then, haha!

 

[Windrunner]

For most games you're still going to be paying a lot less than you would have back in the day, you just have to accept that certain games are completely out of reach of normal people (those who can't just drop $500 on a single game) and make your peace with it.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

For most games you're still going to be paying a lot less than you would have back in the day, you just have to accept that certain games are completely out of reach of normal people (those who can't just drop $500 on a single game) and make your peace with it.

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Yeah, that's something true to keep in mind. It's also a good pretense to feel a bit less bad/guilty about putting 50 Canadian bucks toward a game from 1992. :lol

 

[Deleted member 1627]

Most of my Megadrive collection is from back when it was on the market. My SNES collection is probably 30/70 in favour of what I had back in the day. I shouldn't really be complaining but it would be really nice to own some MD Turtles and other Konami bangers or some curiosities.

 

[SoH]

Just find yourself a stacked tape deck and you are set.