projects that i need help with

[-drez01-]

Does it work on real dc hardware?

Yea I just tested it on GDEMU for ya. UTOPIA 1.2 doesn't have VGA support but it works. Though I haven't tried any games..

Maybe try to mod dream express to be used as a multimenu?

I just tried loading the BIN's you wanted with Express Extra and it works from GINSU. Prob a better option than a browser to navigate with.

The later Dream Expresses (6-7) are less child-like and have a nice menu and soundtrack. Unlike the god awful music and kiddie characters on the previous ones..

[SMiTH]

dammit drez..now i need to redo dreamapp lol
thank you so much for taking time to check this out.
maybe it was utopia 1.5 not working or that utopia mod that was posted in some thread here i dont remember...

great find getting dream express working.
maybe next another odd dc jp demo disk ?
oh ya dorimaga mod to multidisk!

so what way do you think i should add cb, gs, dc-ie, etc?
dream express/ginsu? dreamkey/passport?

if you want to mod dreamapp adding these working apps feel free.
put your name on top of credits in readme.
if not i will get around to it eventually.

either way thank you!


**one weird mod i was trying to do for the hell of it was making a utopia hybrid disk.
first session utopia, 2nd session raw data of dc game.
so a selfboot using utopia and full game on same disk lol
pointless but would be funny to get working.
i've tried a few different ways, maybe you can figure it out?

here are the threads with megavolt details about stuff:

dream movie:

https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/vi ... 80#p156134

2k series games:

https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/vi ... 20#p154864

[-drez01-]

Hey np man, I love this stuff. I find it very interesting and satisfying trying to figure out how all this works. + I learn lots

If you have to use another loader anyways then you might as well try to use it for everything, I saw a Dream express that had 11 Games.

I want to look at dorimaga, I’ve never used it before. Maybe all the cheats should be its own thing? But filling a disc would be hard, they are all so small.. I know game guru works too tho

Now I want to try utopia like that, I have wondered that myself. I find the weird and unnecessary stuff cool. I will keep messing around in my spare time

[SMiTH]

awesome drez.
again i can't thank you enough for this help.

there are a few other cheat disks: dc karat a jp cheat disk, those planet w/e vol 1 and 2, gs lite, a rus cheat disk and some others.
the utopia mod i think is labeled 1.6? it is in a thread here somewhere.
let me know what you find with dorimaga, utopia.

really interested in finding out if dorimaga can be modded to multimenu.
the utopia hybrid selfboot would be funny as hell.

[-drez01-]

So I just checked out dorimaga and it has the exact same structure and layout as Dream extra express and dream preview discs. The only differences are cosmetic.

You can drop in and replace the games, but the pictures or text for them would be difficult. Assets for the menus all have weird file extensions. Probably not impossible but it would take some digging

[SMiTH]

So I just checked out dorimaga and it has the exact same structure and layout as Dream extra express and dream preview discs. The only differences are cosmetic.

You can drop in and replace the games, but the pictures or text for them would be difficult. Assets for the menus all have weird file extensions. Probably not impossible but it would take some digging

props on figuring out dorimaga.
totally forgot about dream preview..


So what we know so far is that every type of retail multidisk/demo disk used either ginsu or dreamon?
ex: generator, dreamon, odcm, dorimaga, dream express, dream preview, am i missing any others?
There is nothing written from scratch not using sdk samples?

Obviously dream inducer was written from scratch but its for homebrew. (some retail stuff works with it, but not alot)
Ian explained the dream inducer bin loader does something that makes it mainly only useful with homebrew. (i could be wrong but i think the bin loader is from the sdk?)
Also dream inducer will sometimes load stuff only in emulator and not on real hardware.

Its super cool you got dorimaga/dream express/dream preview working.
I watched a few youtube videos of dorimaga and it looks like the 1st volume had a different menu type than all the others released afterwards.

So what would be some odd dc web browser that could be modded to load bins using html similar to planetweb/dreamkey/passport?
WebTV?
that JP DC Mail Flyer thing?
????

What about using the katana sdk versions of planetweb/dreamkey and remove assets, then use links to the bins.
Make a simple multidisk that uses very little space, then bundle with ginsu (without assets), add in dreaminducer (get it working with each loader when it transfers into another loader etc. *inception lol) bundle some new mod of dream express/dorimaga/generator/dreamon..then its all covered lol.

create a multidisk that uses every type of loader possible and just constantly loops back to start lol?
or the entire crazy multidisk concept that loads a bootdisk that then loads a bin etc...
yes, thats all insane but why the hell not?

i always wondered if you could link ginreset and ginxfer into each to allow transfer back to menu and reset to dc bios screen? (probably not possible unless bin calls for it?)
it would be cool to allow that after each bin has been loaded.

as for dorimaga are the files in some container like a .kat file or similar?
i know the generator disks used that format.
so did ready 2 rumble. (i'm sure there are other games as well)
the files inside were audio and other assets.

depending on what the format is maybe view the files in hex editor and see what types of files are contained.
https://www.watto.org/game_extractor.html
you need the full version, but it works with tons of games.
maybe the file type is listed to work with it?
if not i'm sure some1 here could figure out howto extract the data?

[-drez01-]

Alot to unpack here, so here we go:

So what we know so far is that every type of retail multidisk/demo disk used either ginsu or dreamon?

Sorry if I misspoke, the JP multi loaders don't use GINSU. That's why the cheat BIN's work with them. Dreamon uses it's own variation of GINSU.

Obviously dream inducer was written from scratch but its for homebrew. (some retail stuff works with it, but not alot)

The problem with SBI INDUCER is that it places all the BIN's in a subfolder. Most apps and games expect/need to be on the root of the disc.

So what would be some odd dc web browser that could be modded to load bins using html similar to planetweb/ dreamkey/ passport? WebTV? That JP DC Mail Flyer thing?

WebTV used telescript to launch everything, and none of them were BIN's.. I am not going to pretend to know how that all works.. I don't think DreamFlyer was designed to launch anything as far as I can tell, its its own thing unlike DP and DK.

What about using the katana sdk versions of planetweb/dreamkey and remove assets, then use links to the bins.

I think the ability to launch separate apps from within the browser wasn't added till later (DP2/PW2) ?

i always wondered if you could link ginreset and ginxfer into each to allow transfer back to menu and reset to dc bios screen? (probably not possible unless bin calls for it?)
it would be cool to allow that after each bin has been loaded.

Totally possible

as for dorimaga are the files in some container like a .kat file or similar?

.ALA .INC .ASC .APT .ULA .UFN .MLT

depending on what the format is maybe view the files in hex editor and see what types of files are contained.
https://www.watto.org/game_extractor.html

I'll check it out my dude

[SMiTH]

Thank you drez.

Sorry if I misspoke, the JP multi loaders don't use GINSU. That's why the cheat BIN's work with them. Dreamon uses it's own variation of GINSU.

Perfect. This was a great find.
THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN I CREATED THIS THREAD.

The problem with SBI INDUCER is that it places all the BIN's in a subfolder. Most apps and games expect/need to be on the root of the disc.

I guess sbi inducer uses dream inducer as the loader app?
I was referring to dream inducer itself, the homebrew loader.
skip the .sbi stuff.

WebTV used telescript to launch everything, and none of them were BIN's.. I am not going to pretend to know how that all works.. I don't think DreamFlyer was designed to launch anything as far as I can tell, its its own thing unlike DP and DK.

Had a feeling that this was the case for dreamflyer.
As for webtv who the hell knows, right?

I think the ability to launch separate apps from within the browser wasn't added till later (DP2/PW2) ?

Check the sdk and try it sometime.
I think it will work since the browsers have links to sample files.
At least I think planetweb does.
Plus they use hardly any assets.

.ALA .INC .ASC .APT .ULA .UFN .MLT

I think .mlt is used in skies of arcadia as well.
That format is used in other games too.
Like you said it will take some digging.