Dream Library (Virtual Console)

[Roareye]

Well, the likelihood is we can't fix the emulator's quality, but we are able to get it fully functional. Let's focus on that side.

Can anybody help me figure out what the website has to do to tell the emulator which game to play? I have no idea about emulator or ROM/disc coding, but evidently it pulled an important code string out of the website which I can put in the revived site to activate the appropriate title.

I know x-avefront://---.dream/proc/launch/8 is the code it uses to launch the game title, however the number 8 is the same regardless of which game title is listed on the site, which means that code simply tells the emulator to start the ROM in slot 8. We need to figure out what code told the emulator to slide the ROM into slot 8.

[streeker]

Here is the thing, the homebrew PC engine emu port only ran games like at 90% speed, and I believe one of the releases had sounds disabled to get that speed. So it would be pretty fantastic to have an official PCE emu with rom selection. So would this be possible using that PCE .bin?

I guess, somebody already made this happen (but isn't willing to share the result) :
https://www.youtube.com//watch?v=0Bo9JC1PuTI

[Anthony817]

Yeah I saw that video yesterday or day before. This is why I was hopeful somebody here more technically inclined than myself might be able to see how possible it is. Unfortunately some people like showing off stuff to others they never have any intention of releasing to the public just to show off. Of course we aren't entitled to anything, but one must question what the point is in showing it off if they don't want to release it?

[streeker]

I know x-avefront://---.dream/proc/launch/8 is the code it uses to launch the game title, however the number 8 is the same regardless of which game title is listed on the site, which means that code simply tells the emulator to start the ROM in slot 8. We need to figure out what code told the emulator to slide the ROM into slot 8.

Actually it doesn't start a ROM in slot 8.
"x-avefront://---.dream/proc/launch/8" only tells the browser (Dream Passport), which binary it has to execute. You can look it up or alter it in the DP3.INI file. Launcher3 triggers the "Columns" emulator, Launcher4 triggers the "Daimakai" emulator, ... and Launcher8 simply triggers the "Dream Library" as a whole. It's not an argument that's responsible for starting/injecting a specific game/ROM.

[Roareye]

So does Dream Library have a main menu? Is every game accessible via this menu?

[streeker]

I don't know. I can't access it. I guess, it needed an internet connection and then just loaded this URL:
http://www.isao.net/isaogames/dl/web/index.html

[Roareye]

So that URL now goes to http://seganet.co.uk/dricas-com/library/index.html

[streeker]

Apparently the Genesis emulator of the Dream Library has been hack and released in the past:
http://segahub.org/index.php?topic=5464.0

After all, I don't think putting further effort into this will be worth it. In the end all three "official" emulators (Smash Pack, Dream Library, BETA MegaDrive emulator) seem to be based on the same code. And sadly none of them will run all ROMs perfectly. Here's an interesting read on this:
http://dcemulation.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=104202

[Roareye]

That's a sadly negative view. This community is about reviving services after all, it'd be cool to see these services restored. The site is already half done lol

[MrBlueSky]

Well, the likelihood is we can't fix the emulator's quality, but we are able to get it fully functional. Let's focus on that side.
Can anybody help me figure out what the website has to do to tell the emulator which game to play?

Hey Roareye, sorry for this message on a 1 year old topic, but did you make any progress regarding Dream Passport and its Emulator? I just stumbled on this video and then looked on Dreamcast-talk if anybody spoke about it.

Maybe Dricashan could help you in your researches ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsI5v_xltIQ