Using passwords in a ROM hack of a game from 1996 in 2017 instead of SRAM seems a little old, don't ya think?
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ttjontt
Nov 06, 2017
Well, the password has to store the following as a minimum:
Score (stored in one unsigned word) - 16bits
Level reached - 5 bits
Time challenge reached - 5 bits
Chaos emeralds unlocked, assuming one per zone - 7 bits
Medals found - 14 bits
Total - 47 bits
32 different characters for each "letter" of the password gives you 5 bits per letter
So you'd need a 10 character long password to cover the 47 bits, plus an extra character as a checksum.
So currently the password is likely to be 11 to 12 characters long. And that's without storing lives or anything...
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Caleb Gomez
Nov 05, 2017
It was explained in a previous video that password length is based on the amount of progress data that needs to be kept track of..
And about the main topic, Sonic 3D Blast's cartridge has no save battery, so anyone that wants to patch it into a non-emulated copy of 3D Blast wouldn't be able to save anyways. Password systems are annoying, but in this regard it is necessary
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AW YEAH THIS IS HAPPENIN
Nov 05, 2017
Passwords are fine! but maybe shorten 'em a little?
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Naxen
Nov 05, 2017
honestly a password system seems fine especially since its a ROM hack for an old game.
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ttjontt
Nov 05, 2017
SRAM is mapped to the address $200000. This is fine with smaller sized ROM carts, but with Sonic 3D that's right in the middle of the cart and wouldn't work. Games with ROM sizes over 2MB had to have bespoke hardware for save games AFAIK
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Greeness
Nov 05, 2017
Yeah, but at the same time I don't think there's enough space to just add a save system, just use save states, it's not that hard.
Well, the password has to store the following as a minimum:
Score (stored in one unsigned word) - 16bits
Level reached - 5 bits
Time challenge reached - 5 bits
Chaos emeralds unlocked, assuming one per zone - 7 bits
Medals found - 14 bits
Total - 47 bits
32 different characters for each "letter" of the password gives you 5 bits per letter
So you'd need a 10 character long password to cover the 47 bits, plus an extra character as a checksum.
So currently the password is likely to be 11 to 12 characters long. And that's without storing lives or anything...
It was explained in a previous video that password length is based on the amount of progress data that needs to be kept track of..
And about the main topic, Sonic 3D Blast's cartridge has no save battery, so anyone that wants to patch it into a non-emulated copy of 3D Blast wouldn't be able to save anyways. Password systems are annoying, but in this regard it is necessary
Passwords are fine! but maybe shorten 'em a little?
honestly a password system seems fine especially since its a ROM hack for an old game.
SRAM is mapped to the address $200000. This is fine with smaller sized ROM carts, but with Sonic 3D that's right in the middle of the cart and wouldn't work. Games with ROM sizes over 2MB had to have bespoke hardware for save games AFAIK
Yeah, but at the same time I don't think there's enough space to just add a save system, just use save states, it's not that hard.