From f3af7f177ba7cf2fc5c1897061287b4ef07e4e15 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tim Allen Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2017 16:31:48 +1000 Subject: [PATCH] A brief discussion of GBA save types. --- docs/notes.md | 37 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 36 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/docs/notes.md b/docs/notes.md index 80a30e96..4f6b1f8c 100644 --- a/docs/notes.md +++ b/docs/notes.md @@ -178,7 +178,42 @@ Game Boy and Game Boy Color. In-Game Saves and the Game Boy Advance -------------------------------------- -TODO: GBA in-game saves are Difficult +For most of the consoles that higan emulates, +in-game saves are simple: +the cartridge contains some battery-backed RAM +that the game accesses like any other memory, +and the game's internal header usually contains some hint +about where in memory the save data appears +and how large it is. + +The Game Boy Advance is different. +By the time of the GBA, +many save-storage technologies were available, +most with a more complex interface than plain memory. +Frustratingly, the GBA's internal header +does *not* describe which storage variant the game expects. +Therefore, +when importing a GBA game, +higan must guess which storage type to use +and sometimes it guesses incorrectly. + +If higan guesses incorrectly for a game you want to play, +you will need to turn on +"Create manifests" in +[the Icarus settings dialog](interface/icarus.md#the-icarus-settings-dialog), +turn off +"Ignore manifests" in +[higan's Advanced settings](interface/higan-config.md#advanced), +re-import the game, +and edit `manifest.bml` in +[the game folder](concepts/game-folders.md) +to describe the correct storage type. +Try importing other GBA games to see what save types they use. + +For more discussion of the GBA save type mess, +see [What's the deal with... GBA save files?][gbasaves] + +[gbasaves]: http://zork.net/~st/jottings/GBA_saves.html Rumble compatibility for Game Boy (Color) -----------------------------------------