Suggestion: Different models of Game Boy

[john]

Hi,

Currently LJP emulates a Game Boy Color. I have a couple of suggestions:

1, Add an option to emulate an original mono Game Boy. This would allow, for example, the user to unlock the different version of Conker's Pocket Tales that is stored in the dual-mode GB/GBC rom.

2, Add an option to emulate a GBA in GBC mode. Note that I am not asking for a GBA emulator! This would allow, for example, the user to unlock extra features in the Zelda Oracles games and Wendy - Every Witch Way.

For the second one, please note that I am not asking for a GBA emulator. I am asking for an emulation of what happens when you insert a GB or GBC game into a GBA. Some games will notice this and unlock extra features. I believe that technically all that is required is to set a bit in a register upon emulated bootup, and I imagine there is a similar technique to distinguish between GB and GBC.

Opinions welcome. If there's a better place to put suggestions, let me know.

[_Em]

I'd like to add one more request: SGB support. There are a number of games that run in Gameboy mode, but also run in 4-colour mode with a backdrop to fill the rest of the SGB/GBC screen.

[Tinnus]

It will probably work in GB mode if you name your ROM file to .gb instead of .gbc. About the GBA thing, I would need to know (hard to guess) what the games check for.

[john]

Check www.devrs.com/gba/files/gbadevfaqs.php#GBADetect for the method that GB/GBC games can use to check whether they're running on a GBA. It's just a matter of setting a bit on boot up of the emulated system.

[john]

I've tried renaming a dual-mode GB/GBC rom (specifically, Conker's Pocket Tales) from *.gbc to *.gb but LJP still plays it in GBC mode, so the extra GB-only content is not available.

So it would be nice to have an LJ option to choose between models GB, GBC or GBA, defaulting to GBC - hopefully not too much coding would be needed. SGB would be nice but that would be quite a lot more coding.

[Tinnus]

OK, I'll try to remember to implement that

[metaview]

It's already included. In cpu_reset():

if (hw.cgb) A = 0x11;
if (hw.gba) B = 0x01;

cgb is set from the ROM header () but could be forced, gba can be set as option. I will make them available from the launcher.

Please check out www.metaviewsoft.de/wordpress

[countbuggula]

Metaview, you never cease to amaze me. Just make sure you're not showing up Tinnus too much, he might start to get jealous.

[Tinnus]

Too late.

Nah, just kidding. I'm happy he includes what people want in the current version while I'm busy doing the rewrite and stuff. Moreover, when I get around to implementing these things, I'll have good code ready to go

[john]

Thanks metaview, I've just tested the new version and it seems to work fine.

The only thing I'd suggest is to change to radio buttons or a drop-down list to choose between GB, GBC and GBA, so that you can only select one at a time. With the current tick boxes you can have both force GB and force GBA at the same time, which doesn't really make sense.

[metaview]

ok, well, I didn't understand the options :-)