Author Topic: save backup :s  (Read 859 times)

gojira1954

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save backup :s
« on: December 28, 2016, 11:08:14 AM »
I've just got 100% on castlevania - doesn't look like there are many options to retain this save for long tho ;)
I've seen the info on here for the various mods available for the duo which is great BUT I'd like to keep the save on removable media - I am correct in the following?
The everdrive cannot act as a save tool, but perhaps could if software was written?
Tennokoe hucards have an internal battery - can this be successfully replaced and/or is there any way to mod this device so that the battery is no longer required by changing out the target storage component?

SignOfZeta

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2016, 11:36:46 AM »
I don't understand the question. I %100 Dracula X every Halloween. What are you planning to do, load it up and look at a number?

technozombie

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2016, 03:44:34 PM »
Yeah, once you 100% it there isn't much reason to keep the save. The game is really pretty easy. As far as long term saves go, I have some PSX saves from BITD, and the reality is that they are so old when I load them up I just think " Damn i need to start over".

gojira1954

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2016, 07:11:00 PM »
I don't understand the question. I %100 Dracula X every Halloween. What are you planning to do, load it up and look at a number?

I wanted to discuss save managing options?
Yeah looking at completion percentages could be good for you though?

I guess hudson really f*cked up implementing game saves - what a waste of time!
« Last Edit: December 28, 2016, 07:35:38 PM by gojira1954 »

esteban

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save backup :s
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2016, 11:10:13 PM »
I don't understand the question. I %100 Dracula X every Halloween. What are you planning to do, load it up and look at a number?


I wanted to discuss save managing options?
Yeah looking at completion percentages could be good for you though?

I guess hudson really f*cked up implementing game saves - what a waste of time!


I have been using a Tennokoe Bank for 10-15 years and I keep thinking the battery will die...but it hasn't yet.

It will.

Of course it will.



There have been various threads, over the years, about file utilities, managing backups, replacing battery on Tennokoe Bank, games that hog all the BRAM, etc. Some kind person might link to them :)

Let's see...we need the technical gurus to help us...

(1) At least one person posted about successfully installing a new battery in Tennokoe Bank HuCARD (but soldering + battery requires some delicacy)

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(A) Hardware storage solutions include MB132 and Save Kun... I think these are the only two peripherals relevant to a discussion of CD systems. (You could use NEC's Backup Booster or Hudson's Tennokoe 2 for stand-alone PCE)

(B) A handful of games (CD software) included BRAM file  managers/utilities...some of these were designed with MB132/Save Kun in mind.

(C) Covell (member here) released a BRAM utility? But you might need special flash card/cables (developer tools) to use it?
« Last Edit: December 28, 2016, 11:22:20 PM by esteban »
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MNKyDeth

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2016, 12:11:03 AM »
My personal favorite backup item for the PCE/TG16 stuff is the MB128.
http://pce.lifeabroad.org/mb128.html

I personally think this is the best solution for long term storage without any modifications to hardware. As the batteries get low make sure to replace them and your set.

This requires a game to manage the backup memory though. I use Emerald Dragon just like what is used on that page. It really does work well. And it has a ton of space.

Necromancer

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2016, 01:44:16 AM »
I guess hudson really f*cked up implementing game saves - what a waste of time!

I hope you're joking.  Assuming you actually play games on a semi-regular basis and aren't just a shelf queen collectard, the system itself will maintain your saves indefinitely; and my Tennokoes are 25 years old yet still going strong.  What more do you want?

If you're that worried about it, keep your system plugged in and put new a new battery in a Tennokoe (hell, get two for redundancy).  You'll be set for at least a couple decades.
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SignOfZeta

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2016, 05:40:43 AM »
I like the system they use. There is no battery, just a capacitor. If you don't plug it in and play it the saves will disappear, just like your memories of having played the game and your skills. Collectards need not apply.

The alternative would be a battery that would have to have been replaced multiple times by now or it would leak and kill the PCB.

I have no Saturn saves from the original era left because the shitty flash tech from back then eventually corrupted them all. The HD died in my 2004 iPod. The PCE was the very first CD-ROM thing and the first game system to save internally so frankly I think they'd did a AMAZING job of it considering my bone stock never before serviced IFU and Duo R save systems still work with exactly as intended.

I have a full day today but after the kid goes to sleep I'm going to see if I can max Rondo tonight before this thread dies.

crazydean

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2016, 09:08:28 AM »
I don't see the problem. Just leave it plugged in and you won't lose the save. As has already been stated, get a tenoke bank if this is a problem.

Also, please explain the purpose of keeping a save once you beat the game.
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esteban

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2016, 09:18:22 AM »
I don't see the problem. Just leave it plugged in and you won't lose the save. As has already been stated, get a tenoke bank if this is a problem.

Also, please explain the purpose of keeping a save once you beat the game.

Yup.

Some games use a file to save high scores...which is kool (we have high score threads), but I don't think Dracula X is akin to a platformer/shootemup where score is a *goal* beyond simply beating the game.
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SignOfZeta

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2016, 05:18:24 PM »
It's nice to be able to play any level with either character and whatever but the next time I play for reals I'm always going to start over. It's not like we're talking about Mario Paint or anything.

SamIAm

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2016, 07:51:59 PM »
Being able to move game saves back and forth from a PC would be useful for hacking purposes, and if I could utilize my Everdrive to store save files, I absolutely would. Relying on capacitors and batteries in 20+ year old tech doesn't lend itself to peace of mind, to say nothing of how otherwise inelegant the MB128 and Tennokoe Bank are as extra-backup solutions.

Some of the PCE's ancient RPGs are designed to force you to grind levels or risk dying inside long dungeons with no save points. With a busy job and a baby to look after, my gaming minutes (formerly gaming hours) are too precious to spend like that. Being able to hack in some money or items could make all the difference between whether or not I decide to clear certain games.

An interesting example is Tales of Phantasia on SNES, which is a vastly more enjoyable game if you cheat and give yourself the Scout Orb right at the beginning. This item, which is normally only available if you get through a long optional dungeon at the very end of the game, lets you adjust your random encounter rate.

Finally, once in a blue moon, you can get save-data corruption on real hardware. I actually got it after I had played several hours of Tengai Makyo 2, and I lost the save. Now, I can't bring myself to commit to going all the way through that game in part because I'm paranoid that I'll lose my progress again when I'm much further in. I'll probably get over that and try eventually, but I sure would like an easy and reliable backup.

The same goes for swapping memory in order to play BRAM hogs like Blood Gear.

Wanting to preserve your 100% clear/Level 99 files may be a little silly, but I bet that if krikzz built an easy backup system into his next Everdrive OS, nearly everyone here who has one would make use of it.

Necromancer

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #12 on: December 30, 2016, 01:50:51 AM »
If you're worried about old stuff and reliability, pop in a new cap and/or battery.  Problem solved, it's just like new.

There's nothing 'inelegant' about the Tennokoe Bank or MB128.  They're both dead easy to use, with the only minor drawback being that you have to backup the entire bram contents instead of individual files.

If you want to cheat, it's possible to give yourself more money, exp, etc. using Chris's bram tool.



In other words, use what you got and don't sit around pining for something better.  :mrgreen:
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gojira1954

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #13 on: January 03, 2017, 03:58:46 PM »
Nice to hear some varying opinions on this topic & thanks for the info =]

>http://www.chrismcovell.com/PCEmon/index.html
I'll give this a go -  the documentation is excellent ;)

>Wanting to preserve your 100% clear/Level 99 files may be a little silly, but I bet that if krikzz built an easy backup system into his next Everdrive OS, nearly everyone here who has one would make use of it.

This is what I'm talking about - keeping saves isn't the end of the world but pushing this old hardware with new techniques is just as much fun for me as playing the game themselves sometimes...

gojira1954

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Re: save backup :s
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2017, 09:20:04 AM »
I'm close but no banana :/
I can talk to the pce but nothing happens - I enter a command which appears on the screen but enter key set for CR doesn't do anything? Think I have something simple wrong but don't know what :s