News for: 01-16-04

 

A new semester at school has begun but I'm still making slow and steady progress on the next version of imbNES. Most bugs in the current version are related in one way or another to some timing issue so I'm redesigning much of the CPU core and renderer to allow for more accurate emulation. Eventually, this should fix a whole slew of bugs and allow for more mappers to be added without so much trouble.

 

News for: 07-07-03

 

imbNES has been updated slightly to version 1.3.2 to address some annoying bugs in the 1.3 release. Here's what's new:

- fixed a bug that was causing the majority of the games on a CD to be unplayable if certain ROMs were included on the disc.
- fixed a major problem with the save to memory card function that was preventing most 3rd party cards from working properly.
- turbo toggle buttons are now unmapped by default because so many people were turning on turbos without realizing it and thinking it was a bug in the game.

The Help page has also been updated with more explicit instructions and additional help for people who want to use Nero to burn their CD.

 

News for: 06-28-03

 

Bootgod has updated the rombank program to version 1.6.2. This fixes a bug in the ISO generation process which, for some people, was causing games to not load correctly after a certain point in the ROM list. If you haven't been able to build a working ISO without extra tools, check out the new rombank in the downloads section.

 

News for: 06-18-03

 

A new version of the rombank program will be released soon that I hope will resolve all remaining issues people have had using it to create ISOs. In the mean time, I am continuing to work on getting memory card compatibility up. I will need to purchase memory cards for testing so please email me or post in the forum which brand/model cards currently do NOT work with imbNES. Also, I have set up a paypal account to accept donations to help cover the cost of memory cards, a multi-tap, a light gun, new PSX dev equipment and anything else I'll need to buy to further develop imbNES. If you would like to support this project, feel free to make a contribution here:

Support imbNES!

Contributors will be recognized in the program and held in high regard by all!

 

News for: 04-22-03

 

imbNES v1.3 is finally complete and now available for download! Here is what's new:

- Menu redesigned from the ground up to be easier to use
- Full game genie support
- NES controls can be remapped to any PSX button
- Now works perfectly with the PS2
- All new sound engine plus DMC channel support
- New color palette captured directly from a real NES specifically for the PSX
- Turbo controls
- Analog stick can be used as NES d-pad
- Saves now work properly with the PSX memory card manager and are backwards compatible with previous releases
- Save game icon can be easily customized before burning
- Mapper 9 (punchout) and 34 (deadly towers) support added
- Proper PAL screen positioning
- CDs with 1 game will auto run for a console like experience
- General speed and accuracy improvements (final fantasy 3 now works perfectly)

In addition to the new version of imbNES, a new version of rombank has also been released that creates ISO images ready to burn in one easy step! Head over to the downloads section to get the binaries and don't forget to check the help section for all new step by step directions.

 

News for: 03-22-03

 

All of the key changes for the next version of imbNES are now complete. I'm currently addressing some minor bugs that have crept into the code over the course of that last 6 or 7 months since the 1.2 beta release. The next version will be 1.3 (as opposed to 1.2 final) to avoid confusion and to reflect the major changes the emulator has undergone since last July. Time permitting, imbNES v1.3 will be released within a month.

 

News for: 01-20-03

 

On this, the last day of my winter break, I've finished rewriting all the sound code for imbNES. Every channel has been redone and the DMC channel has been added. I thought some people might be interested in how it turned out so I recorded a before and after sample of music from Ninja Gaiden 2:

Old sound - Blah.

New sound - You be the judge.

I still have more to do before the next version is released but hopefully it will be worth the wait.

 

News for: 12-29-02

 

After over a month of work, the reverse engineering is for the most part complete. I've started working on the NES side of the program again with good results so far. Expect improved graphics as well as better sound in the next version along with a few surprises... Happy new year!

 

News for: 11-06-02

 

First off, it's good to be back. It looks like gamebase is just about back to 100% now so I hope everyone who used to frequent the forum will come back and say hello!

While gamebase was down, I basically spent all my time working on one thing. It turned out that my PSX sound code had to be completely rewritten in order to allow for the dynamic creation of samples to be played back during a game. (used for the DMC sound channel) I decided to invest a whole lot of time and energy in figuring out the correct way to set up and use the PSX sound hardware, so for the last month or so I've been reverse engineering the psyq libraries. It's taking a really long time but it seems to be doing the trick. Now I just need to do the same for the graphics, memory cards, controllers and CD-ROM... It will take some doing, but I think the end result will be worth it.

 

News for: 09-19-02

 

Yes, I am still alive! To get back into the swing of deving, I fixed up some code to let PAL users position the screen correctly and made the menu flip through the pages much faster (with wrap around too) I think game genie is the next thing that I'll tackle and then maybe 4 player support. Still no idea when the next release will be though...

 

News for: 07-31-02

 

bootgod has updated the rombank utility to version 1.51. Grab the updated ZIP, including a rombank to roms extractor, at the downloads page.

 

News for: 07-07-02

 

Thanks to all for the tremendous response to the latest release. Lots of bugs have already been found and fixed so it looks like releasing the beta version was a good idea! I've added bootgod's latest rombank update to the downloads page as well as a link to the imbNES CD covers page. Happy beta testing!

 

News for: 07-06-02

 

Version 1.2 beta is now available! Get your copy at the downloads page and enjoy the following new features:

-SRAM can now be saved to a PSX memory card! (slot 1 only)
-Improved mapper 1 support. Dragon Warrior 3 and 4 now work.
-The screen position can be adjusted at the ROM menu with the d-pad.
-Rendering improvments. Metal Gear now works properly, SMB 3 runs MUCH better.
-Pressing L1+R1+Start+Sel to reset the emu should now work all the time.
-Other minor bug fixes and speed ups.

Keep in mind, this is a BETA version of imbNES. I'm not happy with the rendering performance quite yet and the save system needs some work. This is only intended to give you an idea of what I'm working on and not to replace v1.1 altogether. Now, with that in mind, enjoy!

 

News for: 06-30-02

 

Right now I am extremely busy with school work but I should be able to get the beta out sometime this week. In the mean time, gamerchris has set up a website that has lots of different CD case insert and CD label designs for imbNES discs. There are some really good looking designs so I suggest everyone check it out!

 

News for: 06-11-02

 

For those who have had screen centering problems both with games and the ROM menu, version 1.2 will include the ability to align the screen however you like. The big news however is that 1.2 will now definitely include the ability to save your game to a memory card. Now if only i can finish the graphics...

 

News for: 06-07-02

 

Long overdue update... I'm working out the last bugs in the new renderer. There are still a few games that actually run worse than with the old one and I'm hesitant to release something that is a step backwards. I'm glad to say that racing games, like Rad Racer and Slalom, as well as some other games that used to have problems, like Metal Gear and Bases Loaded 2 and 3, are all working very well now. It's been hard lately to find time for coding so be patient, version 1.2 is on the way...

 

News for: 05-17-02

 

I added a link to protoman's excellent imbNES FAQ on the help page so that new users can hopefully avoid asking the same questions over and over again. If you have some questions you would like to see included, visit the message board and check out the "Help with the FAQ" thread.

 

News for: 05-14-02

 

An update for the sake of updating: Most mapper 0 games are now up and running well with the new screen renderer. This means that most of the work is done. I just need to add support for VROM bank changes and polish up a few things and version 1.2 should be ready to go.

 

News for: 04-30-02

 

Well, another week has passed and while I've made some progress on the emu, the going is tough since I'm in the middle of finals for school. The new gfx core should be the last I'll ever have to write. I've run some early tests with Rad Racer and the difference is like night and day. I hope that I can finish it up soon though so I can add some more features for version 1.2. Stay tuned...

 

News for: 04-23-02

 

Not much news to speak of. I'm still working on the new screen renderer which is going well so far, but still needs a lot of work. I have been getting lots of emails about problems being caused by outdated versions of the emu and CD building tools. Please make sure that you are using the latest and greatest imbnes.zip from this website before emailing or posting about a problem. Updates are made often, so mirrors are likely to be out of date.

 

News for: 04-16-02

 

- I added BootGod's excellent new rombank util to the downloads section. It has much more functionality than the old one so I encourage everyone to check it out.

- Thank you very much to Matt who was kind enough to actually send me his mod chipped PSX for testing. I was able to use it to work out the problems people were having if they didn't have some kind of boot disc so in the next version of the emu, you won't need the EXE loader anymore. Now if someone would only send me their PS2... ;)

 

News for: 04-13-02

 

I moved the ISO creation and burning process from Mode2/2336 to Mode2/2352. This should help people having problems with CDRWin rejecting the cuesheet. Also, I added makeJAP.bat to create an ISO with a japanese license. Grab the updated ZIP from the downloads page.

A couple other random notes: If you're using imbNES with a PSX emu like PSEmu Pro, and you're just seeing a black screen, try disabling frame skipping in the config for the GPU plugin you're using. It seems to help in some cases. Also, some people are saying that their CDs aren't working if they only put a few ROMs in rombank.bin. I burned a CD today with 5 ROMs and it worked fine, so there's no reason that the emu can't handle a small number of games. Maybe the problem has something to do with the CD media or burning speed giving the PSX trouble...

 

News for: 04-11-02

 

Version 1.1 of imbNES is now available for download! Here's what's new...

- Autodetection of PAL / NTSC video mode. The detected region will be displayed after the version # on the splash screen ("v1.1A" means american, "E" for european, "J" for japan, etc.) If for some reason, this doesn't work properly (i'm not sure what will happen on PS2s) you can also press L2 at the menu for PAL mode and R2 for NTSC.

- 2 player support!

- Press L1+R1+Start+Sel during a game to return to the menu

Note: this release does NOT improve the sound or compatability! If you're waiting for those things, this is not the version for you. I would have liked to work on those for v1.1, but i ended up spending most of my time on the rombank util and other troubleshooting things. Now that rombank is mostly fixed and people have a forum to find solutions to CD burning, and other problems, I should be able to focus more on the emu itself. For now, enjoy version 1.1!

 

News for: 04-09-02

 

It looks like I haven't fixed the PS2 menu problem after all... hmm... I'll keep working on it but in the mean time, I have fixed a problem with the rombank utility. It seems that for some people, if Kirby's Adventure was your largest ROM, (larger ones didn't cause a problem for some reason) all the ROMs following it were unplayable. That should be fixed now so grab the latest rombank.exe from the downloads page and try it out.

 

News for: 04-08-02

 

First off, imbNES has a new home! Thanks very much to Dave for hosting the webpage and providing a forum for the emu. Check it out for help requests, comments and suggestions. I'm finalizing things right now so the next version of imbNES should be out sometime soon. Along with the additions I've listed before, I think that the invisible menu problem PS2 users were having should also be fixed. Look for version 1.1, along with an updated rombank utility, later this week.

 

News for: 04-05-02

 

I have been trying to track down the problem with the CD initialization for people who use a mod chip to start the emu. So far I've made a little progress, but I still don't actually have a PSX with a mod chip, so testing is kind of hard... Some people are saying that the EXE loader is actually causing MORE problems than before, so I hope to fix the emu itself soon and not have to use it (the loader) anymore. On the development side, the next version should include:

- 2 player support
- L1+R1+Start+Sel to go back to the ROM menu
- Better PAL compatability
- A tad more speed

Look for version 1.1 later this week...

 

News for: 03-30-02

 

News notes for today:

- Thanks to VooD of Emus4PSX for sending me an EXE loader to include on the imbNES CD and an update archive. Now people with only a mod chip should be able to get past the splash screen! (Note that this works ONLY if you use the makeiso.bat file to generate your ISO image)

- The makeisoEUR.bat file in the new archive will be for users of a PAL PSX, but right now, the emulator itself hasn't been updated to handle PAL so it probly won't fix that problem...

- LOTS of people are asking about some way to get back to the ROM menu from a game without resetting the PSX. I am working on that right now and it should be ready in time for the next release. The ability to save your game to a memory card is another feature I would like to implement, but it might take a little longer...

- A few people with PS2s are reporting that although it seems the emu won't start, it really is running in the background... Just wait a while after it boots, enter your code, and press start. The game should start up and get the video going. I hope to fix this 'invisible menu' problem in the next version.

- Mega Man 2 is a really fun game.

 

News for: 03-29-02

 

If any of you mod chip only users are looking for a boot disc to use for the emu, try burning this CDRWin image (thanks to LJames4728 for sending it to me) It should allow you to get past the hanging splash screen problem...

 

News for: 03-28-02

 

-Changed the license file in the ZIP so that the final CD will be American instead of European. I think this MAY fix some of the corrupted startup screens but I wouldn't count on it fixing the splash screen hanging...

Thanks very much to everyone who has sent in information about their PSX setup. After reading through reports of what works and what doesn't, I've concluded that a mod chip alone is not enough to get imbNES to work! This is surprising to me because I had someone with only a mod chip test it before it was released, but I guess I must have changed something since then... Things that DO work are Pro Action Replay / Game Shark (the kind you plug into the back of the PSX) and also the Game Shark CD / Boot CDs. If you're someone who hasn't been able to get past the splash screen because you're using a mod chip alone, you should be able to find a Game Shark CD image online, (don't ask me where, I have no idea!) burn it, and then use it to start the emu! Complicated, I know, but until I get ahold of a PSX with a mod chip for testing, it looks like PAR/GS is the only way to go.

Also, I had completely forgotten about this, but imbNES DOES work with PSX emulators! The catch is that the ONLY GPU plugin that it works with is Pete's Soft Driver. I guess that is the only one that supports 4bit CLUT mode (which I doubt any real PSX game uses) If you want to verify that your CD is good, (or prove that this emu works!) test it out with ePSXe or PSEmu Pro!

 

News for: 03-27-02

 

* I recoded the rombank.exe utility using 100% win32 API instead of MFC. Get the updated version from the Downloads page and tell me if it helps!

It seems that lots of you, if not most of you, are having problems getting imbNES to work. I understand the frustration of burning CD after CD that doesn't work; I've probly burnt almost 100 useless CDs while developing this emu. There seems to be 2 camps here: those having problems with rombank.exe, and those whos systems are freezing after the splash screen on the PSX. If you are someone who has successfully burned and played imbNES on your PSX, please send me your Playstation model number (found on the bottom of the PSX) and method of playing CD-Rs so that I might be able to find a pattern here. I'll start with my setup:

-SCPH-5501 and SCPH-9001 with Pro Action Replay

This setup works fine for me so I'd like to know what other people are trying. As for the rombank problem, all I can say is welcome to the world of Windows! Different people have different DLLs and all hell breaks loose. I think it's time to loose the MFCs and learn how to do some serious Windows programming here.

Whew... now for some positive news! I finished 2 player support last night so that should be all set to go for the next version. I'm also looking to switch to a more accurate color palette sometime soon. I hope you'll all sit tight for a bit while all these issues get resolved. It's tough to debug problems that you can't reproduce, but I'll keep trying!

 

News for: 03-26-02

 

If you are one of the WindowsXP users having problems with the stripiso.exe program, check out these alternate directions for using Nero Burning Rom to finish the disc creation procedure.

Lots of people are having problems with "unknown error, unamed file" errors in the rombank.exe utility. I'm still looking for a solution to this problem. If anyone has found out how to fix this, send me an email.

 

News for: 03-24-02

 

Made some minor cosmetic changes to the website and added an email link so you can tell me what you think!

 

News for: 03-24-02

 

Website is now temporarily up on my Roadrunner account webspace...

 

News for: 03-08-02

 

The website is finally done. Beta testing is complete and the first public release is available for download. Get it from the 'downloads' section and then check out the 'help' section for directions.

email the author: pencap@iname.com