ROM hack: 2p pause

[nightwulf]

This was written with online RBI in mind. This ROM is identical to the original, with the exception that time is called if Start is pushed on either controller (not just controller 1).

As usual please let me know of any problems with this hack.

Enjoy!

Edit: deleted the ROM from this post, see my reply a couple posts down.

Nightwulf

[Gantry]

I added this to the ROMs page - everyone should start using this one for online play as it relieves one of the major hurdles with communication.  Any experiences with the ROM (even just a "used it, works fine") should be posted here...

[nightwulf]

I did notice one minor issue with the ROM. There are times when the computer will not be able to call time, which leads to interesting use of pitchers.

Obviously this isn't an issue if you're only using the ROM for online play, but I felt it should be corrected. The code was also optimized a bit to make better use of space, which will have no effect in gameplay.

http://nightwulf.rbicentral.com/rbi-2ppause.zip

Nightwulf

[nightwulf]

Ok, last update to this (I hope). There are tons of quality user-edited ROMs out there that might be fun to play online. I tried to come up with the best way to allow either player to pause in any ROM you use, and here's what I came up with.

http://nightwulf.rbicentral.com/rbi-96k-2pp.ips
http://nightwulf.rbicentral.com/rbi-256k-2pp.ips

Those two files are .ips (International Patching System, I believe) files. They're tiny (49 bytes each) and contain only the code to make two-player pausing work. Here's how to make it work:

- Look at the size of the ROM you wish to play with. If it's the 96k ROM (98320 bytes) or the 192k ROM (196624 bytes), you'll need the "96k" IPS file above. If it's the 256k (262160 bytes) you'll need the "256k" IPS file.

- Download the file to the same directory that your ROM is located in.

- Rename the IPS file so that it matches the name of your ROM exactly, plus .ips. For example, if your ROM is named "rbi2k3.nes", you'd rename the .ips file to "rbi2k3.nes.ips" (without the quotes). The same holds true for zipped ROMs. If your (zipped) ROM is named "rbi2k3.zip", you'd rename the .ips file to "rbi2k3.zip.ips" (again without quotes).

That's it. If you'd like to use the patch file with multiple ROMs, you can either rename the file again to match the new ROM filename, or you can simply make a copy of the .ips file for each ROM you use.

Note that for this to work online, both players must be using the same ROM and the same IPS file. There's a lot of file copying and renaming involved, but I thought this would be a great feature for those who wish to play other RBI ROMs online.

Nightwulf

[Gantry]

Nightwulf's updated 2-player pause ROM has been added to the ROMs Page, replacing the old one...

nightwulf, I'm a little confused on how the whole ips setup works.  Does FCE recognize this ips format or something and it temporarily patches the file when you play?  

Couldn't you add a checkbox for 2-player pause to your editor so the ROM creators (most of whom used your editor to begin with) can push out new ROMs, thus avoiding any work on the user end?   Or is it just too much work to get that going?

[nightwulf]

nightwulf, I'm a little confused on how the whole ips setup works.  Does FCE recognize this ips format or something and it temporarily patches the file when you play?  

http://fceultra.sourceforge.net/docs/#features-ips

Couldn't you add a checkbox for 2-player pause to your editor so the ROM creators (most of whom used your editor to begin with) can push out new ROMs, thus avoiding any work on the user end?   Or is it just too much work to get that going?

I could, and it shouldn't be hard at all. Gimme a day or two ...

Nightwulf

[Gantry]

Cool beans...  I'll go ahead and contact the authors about adding the 2p pause and probably add them myself to the ROM already there for those unknown or don't reply...