Cartridge troubleshooting question (Creature Capture)

Discussion in 'Discussion & Q&A' started by Jeremey Poparad, Jan 19, 2020.

  1. Jeremey Poparad

    Jeremey Poparad Newcomer Trialist

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    Hi everyone! I've recently stumbled into the world of Sonic mods and I'm especially impressed that you can even get these in cartridge form. I recently picked up a copy of Dr. Robotnik's Creature Capture in physical form (really fantastic game design!) but I've run into an issue where none of the level times are saved so everything's always at the default 99:99:99, which makes unlocking the extra levels impossible.

    Any ideas on what might be the issue? I opened the cartridge to see if there was a battery I could replace, expecting to maybe find a CR2032 battery or the like, but there wasn't anything on the board like that. There was one large component covered completely in some kind of black resin, but I'm not really sure what it is or how I would even safely replace it if it were the battery.
     
  2. StephenUK

    StephenUK Working on a Quackshot disassembly Member

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    These cartridges are in no way endorsed by the people who create the hacks here and are basically created by people who are trying to make a profit from someone else's hard work. Also, the existence of these cartridges will always continue to provide a risk that Sega may one day decide to go back on their stance of supporting the ROM hacking community when people are profiting from their IP.

    In answer to your question, I'd imagine it's as simple as the cartridge not having any support for SRAM as they'll be cheaply made in order to make a quick profit. Pirates won't give a shit if the game works as intended, as long as they get paid for minimal work. If you want to play games on hardware without funding these thieves and while ensuring you get the full experience, invest in an Everdrive.
     
  3. Jeremey Poparad

    Jeremey Poparad Newcomer Trialist

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    Interesting. I guess I'd made the incorrect assumption that the people making the cartridges and the people making the games were the same, but in retrospect, that seems obvious. Cheaping-out on components would definitely make sense in this case.
     
  4. MarkeyJester

    MarkeyJester ♡ ! Member

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    Lack of SRAM storage on the cartridge is exactly the problem as Stephen said.

    Part of the problem is my fault, as I reload the SRAM contents every time you return to the main menu. I should have loaded the contents on start up, kept a copy in RAM, and just attempt saves so at least copies are kept until the machine is turned off. I only regret it under the grounds that people can never get to unlock and play the new level, but I don't take responsibility given the pirates are so fucking cheap about it.

    I'd personally suggest saving your money on a flash cart with SRAM, and playing a copy of the ROM on there.
     
  5. Jeremey Poparad

    Jeremey Poparad Newcomer Trialist

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    If I want to play those extra levels I can easily just play it on an emulator or get an Everdrive (which has been on my shopping list for a while now). Great work on the game, by the way! It's such a clever take on Sonic 1 and despite being based on repurposing existing game elements it feels like a completely original creation.