Okay, so I have an MB128 now, and Emerald Dragon (and also Brandish). A few notes of interest, and a question.
- The MB128's internal backup will save files long enough to turn the system off, change the batteries, etc., but won't last overnight or something. This means that if you don't want to lose your files, you'll want to replace the batteries before the batteries die, because by the time you notice after those batteries die, your files will probably be long gone... so yeah, maybe switch them out a couple of times a year, unless someone can figure out a good battery life estimate for this thing (though battery type would affect that greatly I'm sure). There is a low-battery light, but I wonder how long before they die it turns on... I did notice it on when I had no batteries in the MB128, though, so it does work.
- On that note, the MB128 can draw power from the system, it seems -- I could save to the MB128 with no batteries in it, as long as the system was on.
- I wish that there was a way to move files from one bank to another... but there isn't, is there? If so that's much like the N64 then, but without something like Gamesharks to get around that limitation... argh.
- Do any of the games with built-in MB128 file managers show you file sizes on the files in each block? I mean, in the OP here I see that Private Eye Dol tells you file sizes for the games which natively support the MB128, but does it list the files in each bank and tell you THEIR file sizes? Sure, I could put each bank on the system and launch up one of the games which tells you file sizes (Valis IV, for instance, though as I've pointed out before different games report different numbers for some odd reason), but that would require a lot more work than just finding a MB128-supporting game with a built-in manager that tells you that info. Does anyone know if there is one?
- In Brandish, if you have the MB128 plugged in, you cannot access normal save files on the system memory. Instead, hitting "Save" or "Load" loads up the MB128 screen, where you can view Brandish saves on the MB128, create new saves, and delete saves. I don't think this lets you see anything other than Brandish files, though. Ah well. I find it kind of odd that as far as I can tell there is no option to load a file from the system memory, so I guess if you want to load one of those you'll have to detach the MB128. Of course though, using the MB128 is better, for games that support it! But it would mean starting the game over, since you can't copy files from banks to the MB128's own memory, I'm pretty sure (no game lets you do that, right?).
- Am I doing something wrong, or does Emerald Dragon, for some weird reason, require enough free system memory space to save even if you have the MB128 attached? Why would it do that, if it supports the MB128? Who cares if there's enough system memory, I want to save to the MB128, like in Brandish! Or does the game not support actually saving to the MB128, only managing MB128 files, like Sonic CD on the Sega CD or something? (That game can see the Sega CD Backup RAM Cart, but can't actually save to it...)
- Emerald Dragon's file manager, while it doesn't have file sizes and doesn't list all files (if the list of files in a block is long and goes beyond the one panel, anything else just won't appear in the manager.), is a nice and easy way to copy banks between the system and MB128. Up+Run at launch, you're straight in and can copy banks from the system to the MB128. However, is there no way to view the files in the MB128's own memory, and not copied banks? There doesn't seem to be. That means that with the Emerald Dragon manager, unless I'm missing something, you cannot view the files for games that actually natively support saving to the MB128, like Brandish and such?? Only copied system-memory banks? How odd.
Topic: Memory Base 128 + Private Eye Doll = massive TenNoKoe Bank (Read 818 times)