Editor
Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 1466
Location: Not playing Puyo Tetris
Instructions: 1. Load Bizhawk 2. Go under tools and select Multi-disk Bundler 3. Select Browse. Enter a name for the XML file you want to create. This will be opened later on to get the game to run Dual Gameboy mode. 4. Set the System Drop down to GB. 5. Set the ROMs you want to be loaded. Archived ROMs are not loaded (Zip, Rar, 7Z, ect.) by BizHawk in Multi-disk mode and will give an error message. 6. Select Save and Run 7. It should run. Possible Questions/Issues Q: The Audio is weird/is bad/is mixed. A: BizHawk will run BOTH instances of the Gameboy with audio enabled. If you want to hear audio from only one Gameboy instance, go under GB Link and select Settings. Then two tabs will be shown. Left Gameboy and Right Gameboy. The Checkbox for Mute Audio, applies to that Gameboy instance. Q: Save and Run is not enabled. A: The XML file must be saved to a valid location, The System must be Selected, and two ROMs must be set. Q: I get a black screen/Firmware warning/invalid ROM. A: You probably didn't set the System to GB. PSX and Apple II are also options. Double check this. Q: I get an error message, "DGB Load Error System.InvalidOperationException" A: You attempted to load an archive instead of an extracted ROM. Extract the ROM(s) and try again. Q: How do I change a setting on an instance of the Gameboy? A: Go under GB Link and select Settings. Configure away. Q: What features/issues does the Dual Gameboy have? A: The same features and issues as the current Gameboy core (Gambatte). Q: How do I trade Pokemon? A: It's usually in the Pokemon Center. Look for something there. Q: Is there a way to do dual GBA? A: As of 1.11.3, no. Q: What are the controls? A: Go to Config, then Controllers. Player 1 is the left Gameboy. Player 2 is the Right Gameboy. Q: What's Toggle Cable for? A: Some games may want you to disconnect the link cable for some reason. Or, if you want to duplicate Pokemon in Blue/Green/Red, it is a required function. Q: How do I make the game not look Monocrome? A: Under GB Link, select settings. Then select Pallete. Choose from the preloaded options or one you downloaded. Q: How can I get my Save RAM (SRAM) into the Dual GB? A: Hex Editor. If you don't know what that means or what to do, try this. NOTE! NO Support will be offered by the developers or myself for users who don't know what do to or are confused by these instructions. How to Transfer SRAM from Single Instance to Dual Instance: 1. Have SRAM for the Single Instance game you want to transfer data from, and SRAM created for Dual Instance games. You can verify this by looking in the folder Gameboy\SaveRAM 2. Get a Hex Editor. 3. Open SRAM for the Single Instance of your game in the Hex Editor. 4. Copy ALL data from the Single Instance SRAM file. Note if Hex or Normal or Binary or whatever the copy method you selected. 5. Note the ending Offset from the Single Instance SRAM file. Pokemon Blue/Crystal/Gold/Green/Red/Silver is 32767. Other Gameboy games may have different SRAM sizes. Do NOT assume on your Offset value. Double check it. 6. Open the Dual Instance SRAM file in the hex editor. 7A. If the game you want to transfer data to is on the left, then you paste the data over the old SRAM. DO NOT Insert the Data. You want to overwrite the data. Start at Offset Zero and Paste the data over the existing data. 7B. If the Game you want to transfer data to is on the right, then determine the length of the left game's SRAM. You can do this by running the game in single instance mode and saving. Repeat the above steps for finding the offset value. Then add one to the offset value from the left game's offset, to get the right game's offset value. Having two Pokemon games in Dual Instance mode, would get the result 32768 for the right Gameboy's instance SRAM Offset value. Repeat the above instructions for copying data and overwriting the data. Be sure you changed the offset value or you will overwrite the left Gameboy's SRAM instead. Or worse, ruin the dual Gameboy's SRAM. 8. Enjoy your SRAM in it's new Dual Gameboy home. Your Single Instance SRAM is NOT lost or effected by this so long as you copy from the file and don't change the file. Or you can use this: Multi Game SaveRAM writer: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnSqHbELt2wAie030SldXIBe3_cWyg
When TAS does Quake 1, SDA will declare war. The Prince doth arrive he doth please.
Skilled player (1707)
Joined: 9/17/2009
Posts: 4952
Location: ̶C̶a̶n̶a̶d̶a̶ "Kanatah"
Thanks for finally implementing this! :D I guess a SMB deluxe 100% is finally possible, along other TASes.
adelikat
He/Him
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Site Owner, Expert player (3599)
Joined: 11/3/2004
Posts: 4739
Location: Tennessee
It has actually been implemented for years now. This is the first time the process has been documented.
It's hard to look this good. My TAS projects
Post subject: Dual GameBoy SaveRam Writer Released!
Editor
Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 1466
Location: Not playing Puyo Tetris
Who's Awesome? Me. That's who. Multi Game SaveRAM writer: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnSqHbELt2wAie030SldXIBe3_cWyg Take saves from ANY GameBoy/GameBoy Color/GameBoy Advance game, and make it into a single Save file for the Dual GameBoy. Yes, it supports GBA saves. FAQ for this: Q: How does this work? A: By using Byte arrays to read your SaveRAM data to ensure that it's a 1:1 read and then uses the same Byte arrays to write the two arrays into a single file. Q: How do I use this? A: Open a SaveRAM file for the left path and a SaveRAM file for the right path. Then save the file. Q: My Dual GB instance is not reading the SaveRAM. What is wrong? A: You must have the SaveRAM file from the program match the name of the XML file you are using to load the Dual GameBoy. Example: Your Dual Gameboy XML file's internal name is: Crystal-Blue The SaveRAM file must be named Crystal-Blue.SaveRAM The program WILL add SaveRAM to your file name, no need to add it yourself. Q: The SaveRAM is not being read correctly/is corrupted. A: The SaveRAM MUST be in the same order as the XML file. Example: Pokemon Blue is on the Left and Pokemon Crystal is on the Right. You must load Pokemon Blue's save on the Left and Pokemon Crystal's save on the Right in the program. Q: You mentioned Works with GBA Saves. What's that about? A: When Dual GBA gets implemented into BizHawk, the program can be used to make Dual GBA save files. Q: Does this allow for trading Pokemon across Generations (1 and 2)? A: It should work. I tested the SaveRAM from Pokemon Blue and Pokemon Crystal and both games loaded their SaveRAM. I did not test trading between the games. Q: What about Zero SaveRAM games? A: Yes, that is supported, but WHY are you doing that? The point of Dual Gameboy is link play. To make the SaveRAM work, repeat the above instructions for writing the new SaveRAM but make a zero length (Blank) file for the Zero SaveRAM game. I tested this against Baseball and Pokemon Blue. It worked.
When TAS does Quake 1, SDA will declare war. The Prince doth arrive he doth please.
Post subject: Re: Dual GameBoy SaveRam Writer Released!
MarbleousDave
He/Him
Player (12)
Joined: 9/12/2009
Posts: 1555
hegyak wrote:
Multi Game SaveRAM writer: http://1drv.ms/1MR2MNm
Link is broken.
Post subject: Re: Dual GameBoy SaveRam Writer Released!
Editor
Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 1466
Location: Not playing Puyo Tetris
PikachuMan wrote:
Link is broken.
Hello, Give the new URL a try. It's on the Original Post.
When TAS does Quake 1, SDA will declare war. The Prince doth arrive he doth please.