Creating compilation of games for the Dreamcast

@Dreamcast

Published in 

Dreamcast

 · 9 Apr 2022

Today you will get the long-awaited guide "How to assemble a compilation of commercial games on the Web Browser?"

A handful of information:

CDDA games that have a soundtrack in audio do not work.
Some games (in single form) must contain a dummy file (Crazy Taxi, REZ, Ikaruga and others) so that they work colorfully - i.e. recharge on time - so you have to think about it (read: arrange games so that one that does not require this was previously on the cedek - that is, it was in the folder that has the previous letter in the alphabet; and the one requiring dummy was best at the end of the cedek).
I met with one exception (Super street Fighter 2 Turbo) who did not want to use the Web Browser. I opened the SSF2T image on my hard drive in Iso Buster. Logical Address Block (LBA) showed that the second session, i.e. the game, starts at 11700 sectors.
Then I opened 1st_read.bin in the HEX Editor - and there was something else - namely: 45166. Strange.
The total volume of games cannot exceed 670 m for selfboot and 700 m for non-selfboot.
There are two kinds of slashes - the web browser only supports right-tilted [/].

What you will need:

Web Browser (2.0 [Clone CD Image]; 2.6 [selfboot] download from http://megagames.com/dc/dc_utils_misc.shtml

Iso Buster (www.isobuster.com/)
or CD Mage (http://www.consolevision.com/members/fackue/tools.htm)
ECHELON 1st_read.bin checker kit - (http://www.consolevision.com/members/fackue/tools.htm)

There are two types of compilations in this browser:
1.NON-BOOT - burned in the first mode, ISO Level 2, JOLIET enabled, ISO 9660.
Non-boot, i.e. UTOPIA disk that requires Boot. The big advantage here is that you don't have to selfboot. We do everything the same as for the second version (selfboot). But there is one condition - games running under this compilation must be taken from CDs that require a UTOPIA boot disk. You can also use selfboot games but you will need to use the BINHACK operation on the 1st_read.bin file which must be UNSCRAMBLED, additionally you need to reset the file in MSINFO.

I will describe the guide on the example of games: Capcom vs. SNK 2 i and Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

You unpack the ECHELON set (let's say on the D drive) so that the echelon folder is created and there is the data directory: "D:\echelon\data".
Put the files with the Web Browser into this directory (in version 2.0 of these files there will be many more on top, because in version 2.6 these files are thrown into the appropriate folder) (we open the unpacked [or recorded] image with Iso Buster or CD Mage) .

In the DATA directory (for version 2.6) we should have the following files:

data/BROWSER_ASSETS 
data/1ST_READ.BIN 
data/GINSU.INI 
data/GINXFER.BIN

In this chili we will need the file "Ip.bin"

No matter what game he is going to be from; it is only important that this file refers to the file 1st_read.bin (you can check it by opening it in notepad [NOT CHANGING NOTHING !!!], HEX Editor or just check if there is a file named "1st_read.bin" on this CD. You can also edit Ip.bin with the HEX editor or the Ip.bin editor.

Now we create folders for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 respectively (the name of the folder can only contain ASCII characters, i.e. no commas, dots, spaces; number characters also counts.)
Best to create "MVSC2" and "CVSSNK2"

Now our "DATA" folder should look like this:

data/PWBROWSER/ 
data/1ST_READ 

data/GINSU.INI 
data/IP.BIN 
data/MVSC2/ 
data/CVSSNK2/

Copy (preferably using Iso Buster or CD Mage) whole games (all files) to the appropriate folders (for Capcom vs SNK 2 it will be - "CVSSNK2") .

Cut two files above the "DATA" folder to the "ECHELON" folder.
They are Ip.bi and 1st_read.bin, of course excluding the read-only attribute in the properties of both files.

We perform a BINHACK operation on them (using the MS-DOS mode for WIN9X or the command line for WIN XP) for the own LBA which was previously on 11700 or 11702.

MS-DOS mode support (command line):

"cd .." - this is a return one directory up

cd [space] directory - entry deep (into this directory) (if we are on C and enter this command, we will be in our directory ), you can also use (but under XP) Total Commander (go to the "ECHELON" directory and at the bottom in the commands, enter "CMD" and the command line will start in the appropriate directory.

And if you want to change a partition, go to the top of a partition - then enter the name of another partition and a colon (for example, if you have c: \>, enter d: and you are already on the d [d: \>] partition).

Now we run 1st_read.bi checker and check the files (for all the games we put into the compilation, of course).

These are the files:

1st_read.bin 
maigo.bin 
sg_dpldr.bin 
2_dp.bin

All of them must be UNSCRAMBLED - we use the program to perform the descramble operation.

You can also use the dosowski 1ST_READ.BIN scrambler (available on Marcus Comstedt's website - http://mc.pp.se/dc/sw.html - may be more effective).

In the latter, enter:

e.g. scramble -d 1ST_READ.BIN new.bin

The entire line should look like this:

D:\echelon\data > scramble -d 1ST_READ.BIN new.bin

The same files now need to be bihacked with BINHACK using the earlier Ip.bin file and after the operation move them to their original places (with the original names, of course).

Now we need to edit the Web Browser file - GINSU.INI which is in the "DATA" folder.
We do not move anything and go to the bottom where we enter the appropriate information for the binaries exek (GINXFER.BIN). For my games these will be:

[MVSC2] 
Ginsu.Path =\MVSC2 
Ginsu.Command =\MVSC2\1ST_READ.BIN 
Ginsu.FirstGDDA = 4 

[CVSSNK2] 
Ginsu.Path =\CVSSNK2 
Ginsu.Command =\CVSSNK2\1ST_READ2\1ST_READK2 
Ginsu.FirstGDDA = 4

The four at First GDDA run files in the appropriate mode (the original three run games with the Web Browser under a non-selfboot).

If we want to create original HOMEPAGE which were on one-game CeDeks, we also have to add them here (they do not go in original places on the compilation because they already have to be on top (ROOT) of CeDek - and you can't do that because they will change).

The 2_DP.BIN file is the in-game web browser.

[CVSSNK2WB] 
Ginsu.Path =\CVSSNK2 
Ginsu.Command =\CVSSNK2\2_DP.BIN 
Ginsu.FirstGDDA = 4

Now we need to edit the "DRMCST.HTM" intro-file where we enter the exeki command for the "GINXFER.BIN" file

remove all unnecessary commands (ideally create your own html name).

For all those who do not know HTML: skip it, just paste the appropriate links that they look like:

<td rowspan = "3"> <a href="x-avefront://---.dream/exec/CVSSNK2"> <font color = "# FF0000"> Capcom VS SNK 2 </font> </a> <br>

This is an EXPRESSION link. You can use this link (with appropriate modifications) as a picture link.

You do the rest (i.e. selfboot) according to ECHELON's instructions.