From fd2cdc261c38d11ce0be721f07bf7ee0638afa5b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tim Allen Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:18:52 +1000 Subject: [PATCH] Describe how the higan game library works. --- README.md | 109 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 102 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 8af2c344..a70ad24e 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ You may put that folder wherever you like. To run higan, open the `higan.exe` file. Before you can actually play games, -you'll need to [import them](#importing-games) +you'll need to [import them](#the-game-library) and [configure higan](#configuring-higan). If you want to play Game Boy Advance games, you will need [a GBA BIOS](#installing-the-gba-bios). @@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ above. [instwin]: #installing-an-official-release-on-windows Before you can actually play games, -you'll need to [import them](#importing-games) +you'll need to [import them](#the-game-library) and [configure higan](#configuring-higan). If you want to play Game Boy Advance games, you will need [a GBA BIOS](#installing-the-gba-bios). @@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ for changes to `~/.profile` or `~/.bash_profile` to take effect. Before you can actually play games, -you'll need to [import them](#importing-games) +you'll need to [import them](#the-game-library) and [configure higan](#configuring-higan). If you want to play Game Boy Advance games, you will need [a GBA BIOS](#installing-the-gba-bios). @@ -465,11 +465,106 @@ of the new version. [bios]: http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#biosfunctions -Importing games -=============== +The Game Library +================ -What's a game folder? ---------------------- +higan maintains a "game library" +containing all the games you've played. + + - In Windows, the game library is the `Emulation` folder + inside your profile folder. + - to find your profile folder, + press `Win+R` to open the Run dialog, + then type `%USERPROFILE%` and press Enter. + - In Linux, the game library is the `Emulation` directory + inside your home directory. + +On all platforms, the game library location +can be configured. +Launch higan, +then from the Settings menu, +choose "Configuration ..." +then click the Advanced tab +then click the "Change ..." button. +A directory-picker window will appear, +allowing you to choose any existing directory +to be your game library. +Next launch icarus, +then click the "Settings ..." button in the lower-right, +then click the "Change ..." button. +A directory-picker window will appear, +allowing you to choose the same directory again. + +Inside the library directory there is a subdirectory for each system, +and inside each system directory are the game folders +for each imported game. +For more information about game folders, +see [Why game folders?](#why-game-folders) below. + +To play a game from your library, +start higan, +click on the Library menu, +click on the console manufacturer submenu +(Nintendo for the SNES, +Bandai for the WonderSwan, +etc.) +then click on the console menu item. +A window will appear listing all the games in your library +for that particular console. +Select the game you want to play +and click the Open button, +or just double-click the game, +and it will begin playing as though you'd just turned on the console. + +To add a new game to your library, +choose "Load ROM File ..." from the Library menu. +A file-picker dialog will appear, +allowing you to pick any ROM image for any supported system, +with any of the most common file extensions. +It also allows loading ROM images from `.zip` archives, +if the archive contains a single ROM image. + +To add many games at once, +run icarus, +or choose "Import ROM Files ..." from the Library menu +(which just runs icarus anyway). +A file-picker will appear, +with a check-box for each file in the current directory. +Check the check-boxes for all the files you want to import, +then click "Import ..." in the bottom right. + +Why game folders? +----------------- + +A game is more than just +the raw data originally encased in a game's ROM chip. +If a game allows you to save your progress, +that information needs to be stored somewhere. +If you use an emulator's save-state feature, +those save-states need to be stored somewhere. +If you use Game Genie or Pro Action Replay codes, +information about what codes exist, +what codes are enabled, +and what they do +needs to be stored somewhere. + +On the technical side, +a physical game cartridge contains a circuit board +that makes the game data available to the console, +and different games used circuit boards that work differently. +That circuit-layout information needs to be stored somewhere. +Some games included custom processors +to do calculations the base console could not do quickly enough +(like the SuperFX chip used in _StarFox_ for the SNES) +and information about extra chips needs to be stored somewhere. +Some of those custom processors require extra data to work +that's not part of the main game data +(like the DSP chip used in Super Mario Kart for the SNES), +and that data needs to be stored somewhere too. + +higan keeps all this game-related information together +in a single place: +a game folder in the higan library. Importing regular games -----------------------