Dreamcast Wince+CDDA Fix

[Pitito]

@FamilyGuy I have a bug in binhack 1.0.0.3, I select 0winceos, then ip.bin, and pressing enter closes the program.
Both binaries are hacked by bincon, I have tried again with version 1.0.0.1 and it doesn't happen to me

Well, the problem of reproducing cdda in wince is found in the code injected by binhack
Specifically in these 250 bytes

This code does not exist in original ip.bin
I'm going to try to make the place smaller

 

[blackwaltz]

Hi. First off all you should use another game for your testing, because the cdda in nc2 is mostl zombie voices, like ahhh and uhhh, and you can be induced to error thinking the cdda is working and is not... For example in the beginning after geting out of the cell and kiling the first zombie you enter a door and a sequence of a monster getting up of a bed, this monster should do some mumblilg like arhhh or urhh, if it doesn't the cdda is not working, because this is a point where the cdda is called, compare with original gdi.I also was induced in error because the cdda seems to be working but is not.the cdda in this game is called in special animations like bosses and stuff.
wince games with cdda that i managed to make work perfect so far using 3 audio dummy tracks(real cdda from track4), using bincon and then binhack(the normal method)
4x4 evo,championship surfer,wild metal,ducati world,taxi 2 le jeu, railroad tycoon 2

Other games that only part off cdda work:bang gunship elite; the missions music work but not in title.It must have two way of calling cdda one by track(the missions music that work) and by lba(the title that doesnt).I have see this issue in katana games as well, in games like sega gt, aquagt,and dave mirra.If you put in options and test the music the music 99% of time plays but if you press the button to repeat a track sometimes you only hear silence.in nulldc log you will see when this happens the lba called is too damm big even for a gd rom.this dont hapen in the gdi.Looks like a fix of the game developers that call the cdda by lba and so cdda.exe doesnt fix these...

I hope you luck in fixing the wince cdda, because is the bigest dreamcast mystery ever since. Count with my help. cheers

 

[Pitito]

@blackwaltz Yes, I know what you are talking about, but don't worry, I know exactly what the cdda of this game are

 

[FamilyGuy]

@FamilyGuy I have a bug in binhack 1.0.0.3, I select 0winceos, then ip.bin, and pressing enter closes the program

I'm not sure I'm following here.

What's the issue, and what's the expected behavior?

 

[truemaster]

@blackwaltz i have a theory that can help improve the cdda part i also need to ask @FamilyGuy the selfboot45000 lba pack is eliminating the need to hack game files and 1st_read.bin, only ip.bin is hacked and thats the mil-cd bootstrap. so for better cdda compatibility, can this tool support cdda in the future? and why not a reworked binhack for wince games. im thinking on new gdi to data bat for cdda games that will convert on the fly the trackxx.raw to trackxx.wav and store them in a folder cdaudio. and a selfboot.bat for cdda games that will create an image with cdda

 

[Pitito]

@FamilyGuy When closing the program it does not give me the possibility to insert the lba to hack.
This has happened to me with Nightmare Creatures binaries.

It may also be that the download of source forge is somewhat damaged and has damaged some value of the executable

 

[FamilyGuy]

@blackwaltz i have a theory that can help improve the cdda part i also need to ask @FamilyGuy the selfboot45000 lba pack is eliminating the need to hack game files and 1st_read.bin, only ip.bin is hacked and thats the mil-cd bootstrap. so for better cdda compatibility, can this tool support cdda in the future? and why not a reworked binhack for wince games. im thinking on new gdi to data bat for cdda games that will convert on the fly the trackxx.raw to trackxx.wav and store them in a folder cdaudio. and a selfboot.bat for cdda games that will create an image with cdda

There are no plans to add CDDA support to the 45000 data/data pack. It's complicated and bothersome to create CDI with CDDA without burning a disc, and adding the CDDA tracks would make it an audio/data selfboot with non 45000 LBA anyways, so LBA hacks are required.

@FamilyGuy When closing the program it does not give me the possibility to insert the lba to hack.
This has happened to me with Nightmare Creatures binaries.

It may also be that the download of source forge is somewhat damaged and has damaged some value of the executable

There are no need to patch LBA for WinCE games AFAIR, not the specific entry that binhack modifies anyways.

WinCE binaries have a special value at offset CD001 - 8 instead of the regular 45166 value.

So what you're describing is the intended behavior.

 

[Pitito]

Oh, okay.

So just modify ip.bin I guess.

Seeing that it did not do the complete cycle like the other version, I thought it was a bug

 

[FamilyGuy]

Oh, okay.

But modify ip.bin?

Yes it does generates a hacked boootsector. There are no LBA reference to modify in it. Only the size of the bootbin is required, basically.

 

[blackwaltz]

I can do cdda games with lba 45000, both katana and wince with cdda(and no i dont put cdda after the data).I use exactly gd rom structure in my rips.in first session i have 2 track a data one where i put low density files (abstract, bibliogr,and copright and others) and i even insert ip0000.bin in this track and use dummy hider to hide the dummys( very professional), and the warning track) this is dumied to make second session match lba 45000. in second session i have track 3 with game files(actuly they are zeroed files that are relinked with the last data track(the real game files, and i put cdda in the midle( you have to apply cdda.exe in 1st binary and then change fd74fd75 to ff740900 to cdda play from track 4).This way you have exactly the same structure of gd rom.If open with gdrom explorer my cdis look like a gd rom, but instead of saying low density and high say 1st session and 2nd.

 

[Pitito]

Well, from the tests I have done it is clear that the cdda problem in winceos is located in bootstrap2 specifically in those 250 hex bytes.
All the tests done without injecting those bytes the cdda works perfectly, although in the console it freezes in the logo due to gdrom blocking or something.

As soon as I inject those 250 bytes the tracks no longer work correctly

@blackwaltz Even if you believe the structure of a gdi it will still be a cdi and it will still give the same cdda failures.
It may serve you for a better reading, but with a single dummy track to obtain lba 45000 is sufficient.
I have managed to create cdi with the tracks after the iso in this way.
Session 1
track data
audio tracks
session 2
track iso data
track04.raw
track05.raw etc .....
And I have obtained the same results
I have achieved this by creating an audio CD with two dummy tracks for the first session and iso data in the second.
Create MDS MDF ISO
You mount the mdf image, mds, in daemoons tool, and with imgburn you create a new cue-bin image
Now it's time to edit the cue by adding the audio tracks after the iso data.

You record your new image with the tracks after iso data, and they work perfectly.
I have always done this test in wince games, thinking that the cdda would be corrected

 

[blackwaltz]

iv done a rip of nc 2 with lba 45000 and cdda in the past(i think i have to put a sfd in first session because of space) and what i rebember is when a ccda is to play i hear the movement of the reader moving, but cant hear a thing, so i supose it seek cdda by lba not track, like the cdda isnt at right place it dont play at all.I tried to change the references in the ip.bin+150 like you did but dont work.This game is a mess like the most wince games, the developers even let a lot of sdk tools in it, one is related with ggda( i think is for testing the audio tracks).Sizious was working in a dll patcher and i think he have some success with it.

 

[blackwaltz]

I have an idea. i compared a binhacked ip.bin (virtua cop2) with a game where the cdda work perfect(4x4 evo) and i also noticed the only diference is in those 250 bytes( mostl in the end very few diferences), and if i copy this 250 sectors off the working cdda game to the non working(virtua cop 2) i will test then i post results

 

[Pitito]

As I mentioned before, your isos continue to behave like a cdi due to the hacking of ip.bin.
So the results are the same as a normal cdi.

Binhack applies the same data to those 250 bytes in both wince and katana to boot.
But in wince they must be modified for a correct reproduction

The tests I have done demonstrate this, since I have mostly used an original ip.bin, and the cdda plays correctly.
Then I have been adding sectors of ip.bin hack and the cdda has been playing well until reaching these bytes.

I can't separate these 250 bytes to be able to inject sections, since the game restarts

So it's time to find out what values of this code corrupts in the cdda

 

[blackwaltz]

I already test it.there very few diferences betwen the ips.bin. i change them but the game hang in sega screen.the problem is in these bytes, so we only need to understand the meaning of these bytes.

 

[Pitito]

Those bytes you mark is the weight of the wince
Those are normal that they are different

Also Virtua cop is in the sega rally group, these wince don't work at all.
Surely Virtua cop has a BGM selector in sound options

 

[FamilyGuy]

Yes, this is simply the file size of the binary to load in memory.

 

[darcagn]

@blackwaltz i have a theory that can help improve the cdda part i also need to ask @FamilyGuy the selfboot45000 lba pack is eliminating the need to hack game files and 1st_read.bin, only ip.bin is hacked and thats the mil-cd bootstrap. so for better cdda compatibility, can this tool support cdda in the future?

the selfboot 45000 pack doesn't require LBA hacks because it puts the data track in the same exact position as a GD-ROM (at 45000).
45000 = 10 mins 0 secs 0 ms
so unless you have CDDA that's only a few mins, this is impossible. As once you move the data track to accommodate the CDDA tracks, you will need to LBA-hack.

While the selfboot 45000 lba pack is great for easy disc making without LBA hacks, in many cases you are creating a disc with less available space or with inefficient track layouts, it's just not a good idea for example in games that are over 600MB or have CDDA.

 

[FamilyGuy]

While the selfboot 45000 lba pack is great for easy disc making without LBA hacks, in many cases you are creating a disc with less available space

IIRC I had checked and it actually save a few sector to use my pack and take advantage of days in first session.

But I agree my pack is mostly useful for simple run of the mill games without CDDA.

 

[darcagn]

IIRC I had checked and it actually save a few sector to use my pack and take advantage of days in first session.

But for any games with data over ~610MB is pushed to a much earlier LBA, affecting disc performance. Hence less space "or with inefficient track layouts"
It is only for a really niche application where the 4s audio track on a 11700/11702 is too burdensome where you can get away with a gaining an extra megabyte or so by putting files in that first session. 4s of sectors is 2048 *300 = 614,400 bytes, so you only really gain 600kB if I am correct? Esp. considering you'd have to maneuver and manipulate your file layout so that files are evenly divided with the multisession gap in the middle. It's a great trick for whatever might absolutely need it but it is less than ideal for any disc that doesn't absolutely need it.