ED64 OS 1.27 bunch of issues

[phoenixdownita]

ED64 v2 with OS 1.27.

Issue1:
If I press start on any file (bmp, etc..etc...) ED64 tries to load it as if it is a ROM, I suspect that the support to load .n64 files messed up something else.


Issue2:
Directory listing Sort bug.
I have a few directories in which the sort order is obviously wrong, it's been like that for a while, as we're touching the OS can we get this fix in? Thanks.

Issue3:
64 Hanafuda: Tenshi no Yakusoku
The game simply locks up, black screen at startup. This comes from the GoodSet. I cannot validate the ROM itself against file corruption, just thought to post it here so maybe there's something to it that may help making the product better. Again it may be a bad dump (it's the only one in the set though).

Issue4:
Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage
ED64 state that the game uses SRAM but the game requires a controller pak to save anything. I doubt that the game had both so I suspect a bug in either the detection routine or in the table used to infer its save games requirements.

Thanks for any help.

On a critical note, although I appreciate the constant stream of updates to the OS, I am a little disappointed to the rush nature that seems to plague the last few releases. I
t seems like we should up a little quality control to make sure we minimize the churn. I understand ED64 is a complex product but at the same time decreasing the number of botched attempt to fix one issue or the other would make the product and the individuals behind it look more of a professionals that it looks right now.
I do not intend to open a flame wars, just stating that it is OK to take a little longer to ensure nothing unwanted creeps in. I apologyze if anyone is offended by this remarks.

[KRIKzz]

Sorry, but it looks more like bunch of yours misunderstanding.

1) ed64 always loads any file as rom if you push START button, maybe somebody have roms which called like supagame.x64 and want to run it as is without renaming. probably you forget that C-DOWN button allow to use .bmp as wallpaper, not START

2) I will look on this, may be sort routine have some bugs, but same routine was used in previous versions

3) Works perfect if you force eep4k save type. yeah, i can't test every single game, so save force option exactly for such case

4) ed64 don't care about controller pack. controller pack it is part of cart? no! so controller pack works independent of ed64 or any other thing which stick out in cart slot. if game use both types, then game will write to sram and to cpack, if cpack only, then game just will not touch sram and will write to cpack only, so there is no any problems

So, what I'm broke in OS V1.27? users reports about the problem, I fix them. i not waiting until 1000 known bugs will be collected to begin the work over new release

[phoenixdownita]

Hi KRIKzz, sorry if I offended you that was not the intention.

Regarding point 1 I didn't know any file would do, we'll call it a feature.

Point 2, thanks for looking at it.

Point 3, thanks for trying it out and finding the culprit. Should we add this game to the list of quirks in the forum?

BTW I am going game by game and see what locks up with the default settings, I'll get back to you if I find some more, I just recently started and I only finished letter C from the GoodSet.
Also it seems like Dezaemon 3D uses a 768K SRAM save state, I found the info when looking for n64 flash cart. I am not sure ED64 supports it correctly, I will test and let you know how it goes.

Point 4: My bad I assumed that because the game wants a mem card (controller pak) then it would not have any other kind of memory needs, maybe it does have a mem chip on the cart.

Finally you didn't break anything on 1.27 that I am aware of, and I'm greatful you update the OS as bugs arise, I was merely suggesting a sort of test checklist for new OS so that the usual suspects (DK save, JFG, simple save etc...) don't regress. It's a normal software development tecnique to help in controlling quality against human mistakes that cause regression. It's your product and you do as you please, just suggesting a way to make the process a little better, I do aknowledge that you quickly fixed regressions when they showed up, the only advice is because now you have quite a large user base, and ED64 seems to be entering maturity, the less bugs the customers discover or rediscovers the better the perception of the product.
On top of that you build more carts (all the everdrive family and now the SD2SNES) so your name is almost a brand and as long as there are good things said about it more customers will come.
Please do not take this as a personal attack to you, all I am saying is because now you're a business with good reputation and the products are very good, it would be a shame if you tarnish the reputation you so hardly built.
For example I don't understand why a site (www.64scener.com) gives ED64 a so so review. I think that given the price it's a good deal and ED64 v2 doesn't need much more to be considered complete.
Once more my apologies if I offended you.

Last: a list of feature request,
I doubt you would have time to get to them, but this is what I would like to see added in the future.
I don't think any of these would make you sell more ED64, but as time goes by it would be nice to see development continuing and enhancements be added. After all you changed the UI exactly for that reason. It used to be DOS like and now it's a lot better, another sign of product maturity.

Cosmetic features:
*)Show somewhere on the screen the CIC and default savetype for the game under the selection line
*)Associate thumb images to games like a very small image that is shown somewhere as the selection line moves, the user puts the images on the SD card (maybe in ED64/THUMB with the same game name and a 16bit small jpg)
*)Have a place in the UI (INFO or alike) that tells the user the path to the bitmap used as a background (when not default)

Functionality features:
*)Integrate in the OS a controller pak savegame manager, I found out I can use the rom for the old european Action Replay [the rom for GameShark locks up] but it is a clunky method, it would be awesome if I can do it within the ED64 OS.
*)Automatically create an empty save file if the game doesn't have one and the default savegame type is not --- (this is at load time)
*)Allow more file operations from the OS [delete, move, directory creation], with "Are you sure?" style confirmation
*)Remember the force savestate selected (outside of C-up) for all games the user had to force and default to it upon reloading the game (should be shown in the UI) ... again it could be yet another file matching the game name (maybe stored in ED64/FORCESTATE)
*)With 6105 mounted have all games fully working (6103 included) without the need of cracked rom

Sorry this answer is already too long.
Again my apologies if I offended you.
Keep up the good work.

[StoneAgeGamer]

Hi KRIKzz, sorry if I offended you that was not the intention.

Regarding point 1 I didn't know any file would do, we'll call it a feature.

Point 2, thanks for looking at it.

Point 3, thanks for trying it out and finding the culprit. Should we add this game to the list of quirks in the forum?

BTW I am going game by game and see what locks up with the default settings, I'll get back to you if I find some more, I just recently started and I only finished letter C from the GoodSet.
Also it seems like Dezaemon 3D uses a 768K SRAM save state, I found the info when looking for n64 flash cart. I am not sure ED64 supports it correctly, I will test and let you know how it goes.

Point 4: My bad I assumed that because the game wants a mem card (controller pak) then it would not have any other kind of memory needs, maybe it does have a mem chip on the cart.

Finally you didn't break anything on 1.27 that I am aware of, and I'm greatful you update the OS as bugs arise, I was merely suggesting a sort of test checklist for new OS so that the usual suspects (DK save, JFG, simple save etc...) don't regress. It's a normal software development tecnique to help in controlling quality against human mistakes that cause regression. It's your product and you do as you please, just suggesting a way to make the process a little better, I do aknowledge that you quickly fixed regressions when they showed up, the only advice is because now you have quite a large user base, and ED64 seems to be entering maturity, the less bugs the customers discover or rediscovers the better the perception of the product.
On top of that you build more carts (all the everdrive family and now the SD2SNES) so your name is almost a brand and as long as there are good things said about it more customers will come.
Please do not take this as a personal attack to you, all I am saying is because now you're a business with good reputation and the products are very good, it would be a shame if you tarnish the reputation you so hardly built.
For example I don't understand why a site (www.64scener.com) gives ED64 a so so review. I think that given the price it's a good deal and ED64 v2 doesn't need much more to be considered complete.
Once more my apologies if I offended you.

Last: a list of feature request,
I doubt you would have time to get to them, but this is what I would like to see added in the future.
I don't think any of these would make you sell more ED64, but as time goes by it would be nice to see development continuing and enhancements be added. After all you changed the UI exactly for that reason. It used to be DOS like and now it's a lot better, another sign of product maturity.

Cosmetic features:
*)Show somewhere on the screen the CIC and default savetype for the game under the selection line
*)Associate thumb images to games like a very small image that is shown somewhere as the selection line moves, the user puts the images on the SD card (maybe in ED64/THUMB with the same game name and a 16bit small jpg)
*)Have a place in the UI (INFO or alike) that tells the user the path to the bitmap used as a background (when not default)

Functionality features:
*)Integrate in the OS a controller pak savegame manager, I found out I can use the rom for the old european Action Replay [the rom for GameShark locks up] but it is a clunky method, it would be awesome if I can do it within the ED64 OS.
*)Automatically create an empty save file if the game doesn't have one and the default savegame type is not --- (this is at load time)
*)Allow more file operations from the OS [delete, move, directory creation], with "Are you sure?" style confirmation
*)Remember the force savestate selected (outside of C-up) for all games the user had to force and default to it upon reloading the game (should be shown in the UI) ... again it could be yet another file matching the game name (maybe stored in ED64/FORCESTATE)
*)With 6105 mounted have all games fully working (6103 included) without the need of cracked rom

Sorry this answer is already too long.
Again my apologies if I offended you.
Keep up the good work.

My guess is you will see some of these requests implemented once Turbo EverDrive is out. He has mentioned taking some time off of new carts and focusing on adding more features to OS' of current carts.

[phoenixdownita]

Jinsei Game 64, it is detected as no gamepak save but it locks.
I tried forceEEP4k and forceEEP16K but no good.
It seems to work with forceSRAM.

Also from the last time I wrote I went thru the GoodSet all the way to the end of the games with names starting with J.
Except this one they all work with default settings although I suspect there are three or four that the ED64 detects as requiring gamepak save but I believe they never had gamepak support only controllerpak. To test the theory it would be nice if there was a forceNONE so we can see if the game works just fine without in which case it means sometimes the detection routing is not working properly.

Anyway one more game letter covered a few more to go.

[lovewiibrew]

My guess is you will see some of these requests implemented once Turbo EverDrive is out. He has mentioned taking some time off of new carts and focusing on adding more features to OS' of current carts.

I hope one of those features is browsing game covers like I requested a while back! :)

[StoneAgeGamer]

I hope one of those features is browsing game covers like I requested a while back! :)

I highly doubt that is high on his list and honestly I think its an idea that sounds cooler than it will actually be. I would rather see him getting the 6105 working without other issues.

[lovewiibrew]

I highly doubt that is high on his list and honestly I think its an idea that sounds cooler than it will actually be. I would rather see him getting the 6105 working without other issues.

Well when I PM'd him a while back about it he said it wouldn't be very hard to implement. But I agree, chip compatibility should come first. However, I do hope to see game covers implemented eventually. I love the style of wii usb loaders being able to browse game covers to select wii/gamecube games.

[StoneAgeGamer]

Well when I PM'd him a while back about it he said it wouldn't be very hard to implement. But I agree, chip compatibility should come first. However, I do hope to see game covers implemented eventually. I love the style of wii usb loaders being able to browse game covers to select wii/gamecube games.

I wouldn't mind them for games in Favorites area, but not sure about the full list of games. Since I assume it would be optional anyways I guess it doesn't matter. Would look pretty though.

[nesworld]

For example I don't understand why a site (www.64scener.com) gives ED64 a so so review. I think that given the price it's a good deal and ED64 v2 doesn't need much more to be considered complete.

May I remind you that my review is based on version 1 of the Everdrive64. I still need to purchase a Version 2 and make a new review.... :-/
I'm not in any way trying to "bully" Krikzz or anything with my review, but I wrote about my fustrations using the device and I stand by them.