Gameboy Development Forum

wolfboyft · 2015-02-03 05:48:48

Questions:

1. Is it legal if...
It violates no character or such copyright laws. It does not include the word Nintendo anywhere - not as the startup logo, not on the cartridge, not on the case (let's hope I'll have that) not on/in the booklet, (let's hope I'll have that) not on/in the box, (let's hope I'll have that) not anywhere to do with the game.

2. Can I actually get those see-through cases, custom boxes, booklets etc, from any retailer anywhere? (No Nintendo words anywhere, even if it IS legal.)

3. Is it possible to sell the game in proper cartridges, made from plastic, with only one USB port for updating?
Just like a classic Nintendo/Game Freak pokémon cartridge - except it'd be type 1B (MBC5+RAM+BATTERY, something which I hope can save) or maybe even a truly saving cartridge, one with its own permanent storage data saver thing.

4. How many ROM, RAM and SRAM (supposing that SRAM has banks) banks does MBC5 have as a maximum? My current game design is going to contain 256 ROM banks, 16 RAM and 16 SRAM banks. Ambitious... (there will probably only be like 20 carts sold.)

5. How did the real Nintendo people, or whoever manufactured the Gameboy cartridges, put their ROMs etc inside their cartridges?
Did they have USB ports, put the stuff in, then remove them or something!? This is baffling me.

AntonioND · 2015-02-03 07:53:26

1 - I think including the startup nintendo logo is legal because it's the only possible way to run your program.

2 - Probably. Look at ebay or pages like that.

3 - There are carts like that. They are called flashcarts.

4 - The biggest MBC5 ROM has 512 ROM banks. The RAM and SRAM banks... Well, you need a custom mapper for that. In theory you can use 32 SRAM banks and use a battery to save all the 32 banks (you can clear 16 of them at startup to use them as RAM). Anyway, I haven't seen any game that uses more than 16 SRAM banks. You could make a custom mapper with a CPLD that follows the MBC5 commands. Then, use a custom entry in the cartridge header for the RAM size so that emulators don't run the game until they are updated. Most emulators can't emulate a 16 SRAM bank game, anyway...

5 - I suppose they used parallel ports to send the rom to development cartridges. The final cartridges are made using custom ROM chips. http://devkits.handheldmuseum.com/

Last edited by AntonioND (2015-02-03 07:54:43)

wolfboyft · 2015-02-03 09:28:50

1. Really? I have a mega memory (not card, this is the black-cased one) and when I start up the Gameboy (colour or gameboy advance, does that make a difference? Then again, gameboy colour uses a totally different logo sequence to the gameboy...) it shows: "MegaMem".

2. Tried.

3. Flash carts? See answer response 5.

4. Thanks! You have literally saved my life from searching the internet.

5. ROM chips... hmm... meh, I'll use the USB port, but with a special clarification chip in the cartridge that will verify whether a code exists in the ROM (one that would mean that the ROM is the correct game, and shows what version it is) when the person tries to update the game ROM with a patch or whatever it may be, and possibly a similar system for using the same USB port to go about backing/restoring/backing up, converting to a new format for a new update, then restoring a save.

AntonioND · 2015-02-03 10:51:52

1 - The GB (all models) verifies the nintendo logo in the cartridge. The logo is read twice from the cartridge, the first time to display it and the second one to verify if it's correct. There are some games that do strange things like counting cpu clocks to change the custom values for the good ones and trick the GB. Anyway, you need to include it. If I remember correcly Nintendo tried to stop unlicensed publishers in court with that logo as an argument but it failed.

5 - Well, I you have the time and knowledge to do it, why not?

npzman · 2015-05-12 10:57:02

Can you make me a game boy cover template for me please ?

wolfboyft · 2016-03-29 14:26:48

npzman wrote:
Can you make me a game boy cover template for me please ?

This is not the right place by any means.

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#1 2015-02-03 05:48:48

Selling a game on a real cartridge - USB for updating. Nintendo style?

#2 2015-02-03 07:53:26

Re: Selling a game on a real cartridge - USB for updating. Nintendo style?

#3 2015-02-03 09:28:50

Re: Selling a game on a real cartridge - USB for updating. Nintendo style?

#4 2015-02-03 10:51:52

Re: Selling a game on a real cartridge - USB for updating. Nintendo style?

#5 2015-05-12 10:57:02

Re: Selling a game on a real cartridge - USB for updating. Nintendo style?

#6 2016-03-29 14:26:48

Re: Selling a game on a real cartridge - USB for updating. Nintendo style?

npzman wrote:

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