Program's UID
To my knowledge, only Konami ROMs compatible with the Game Master have this. A few other Roms from extension like FM-PAC have an ID.
I found this on TCRF site "https://tcrf.net/Yie_Ar_Kung-Fu_(MSX)":
« Yie Ar Kung-Fu features some string of text at the end of its ROM with the last two digits of its catalogue number in BCD (binary-coded decimal) format at the second-to-last byte, and the game's title in katakana written backwards. This is located at offset #3FF0.
This type of information would be included with most Konami MSX games until The Maze of Galious. »
Do you have more information about that?
Yie Ar Kung-Fu product ID is "RC 725"... there is 725 wrote at #3FF0?
(I suppose #3FF0 is the size of the ROM minus #0F)
Hi, aonikeo!
I coded this routine to look for byte sequences in other slots. It can be used as this:
; Checks for "Antarctic Adventure" ld hl, .ANTARCTIC_ADVENTURE call SEARCH_IN_ANY_SLOT jr z, .ANTARCTIC_ADVENTURE_PRESENT ; z: present ; nz: not present
Some Konami "signatures" that Game Master checks (if I remember correctly):
; RC 701 "Antarctic Adventure" search string data .ANTARCTIC_ADVENTURE: dw $4010 db 11, $F3, $ED, $56, $3E, $C3, $32, $9A, $FD, $21, $44, $40 ; RC 713 "Magical Tree" search string data .MAGICAL_TREE: dw $4798 db 6, "KONAMI" ; RC 731 "Konami's Ping Pong" search string data .PING_PONG: dw $4002 db 2, $6c, $40 ; Konami header "AB $07 xx" search string data ; - RC 732 "Konami's Soccer" ; - RC 736 "Konami's Boxing" ; - RC 737 "Yie-Ar Kung Fu 2" .KONAMI_HEADER_AB: dw $4010 db 3, "AB", $07 ; Konami header "CD $07 xx" search string data: ; - RC 734 "The Goonies" ; - RC 739 "Knightmare" onwards .KONAMI_HEADER_CD: dw $4010 db 3, "CD", $07
As you can see, Konami started to include the RC code at address $4010 since about RC732 (Konami's Soccer); first with the "AB" prefix, then with "CD". A couple of examples:
; RC 743 "Penguin Adventure" search string data .PENGUIN_ADVENTURE: dw $4010 db 4, "CD", $07, $43 ; RC 759 "Parodius" search string data .PARODIUS: dw $4010 db 4, "CD", $07, $59
Thank theNestruo,
I looked at the contents of some ROMs and I had spotted some kind of code at 4010h on the most recent Konami games.
There are even "EF" on the Pennant Race baseball game series or KM3 Shalom.
I'll do some more research, but I think I'll use the same kind of code for MSXgl.
Another implementation: http://karoshi.auic.es/karoshi.auic.es/index.php/topic%2c126...
I'm pretty sure there is a list of the Konami signatures (the RC code at the beginning, the reversed name at the end...) somewhere, but I just can't find it.
CASIO also had two-cartridge combinations (Iga Ninpouten 2 searchs for Iga Ninpouten by checking... just ONE byte!). It is at the very beginning of the ROM so if you start to disassembly it you'll find it.
In the homebrew side, Namake's Bridgedrome and QBIQS (Z80ST), Gommy Medieval Defender (Retroworks) and Relevo's Snowboarding (Relevo) are some of the games that check for other cartridges.
theNestruo wrote:
I coded this routine to look for byte sequences in other slots. It can be used as this:
I did a similar routine for my SG-1000 rom loader but it can be used for any rom. The database is in a separate file that must be done manually choosing the relevant bytes. Database size is not limited by the user memory free.
aoineko wrote:
I found this on TCRF site "https://tcrf.net/Yie_Ar_Kung-Fu_(MSX)":
« Yie Ar Kung-Fu features some string of text at the end of its ROM with the last two digits of its catalogue number in BCD (binary-coded decimal) format at the second-to-last byte, and the game's title in katakana written backwards. This is located at offset #3FF0.
This type of information would be included with most Konami MSX games until The Maze of Galious. »
Do you have more information about that?
Yie Ar Kung-Fu product ID is "RC 725"... there is 725 wrote at #3FF0?
(I suppose #3FF0 is the size of the ROM minus #0F)
On TCRF there is a link to the source of that information.
Also I wrote a post about it on MRC.
Konami searched for cartridges in other slots checking their RC number (when available) or a checksum of part of the ROM. In games with different releases, they had to ckeck several chesums. E.g.: Antarctic Adventure has at least 5 different releases.
Thank you for all this very interesting information.
For Konami games (the most recent ones) that have their identifier at the beginning of the ROM ($4010), I noticed a variable space between the header "AB|CD|EF", $07, $xx and the beginning of the program that often starts after $41xx.
I wonder if this space contains information about the game (especially its name).
If the data format following this header has evolved over time, this could explain why there are several footprints ("AB", "CD" and "EF"). Each could correspond to a different format.
The ROM header is 16 bytes long:
7.3.1 Catridge header MSX cartridges have a 16-bye common header and, when the system is reset, the cartridge is initialised by the information written in this header. For ROM cartridges of BASIC or assembly language programs, they can be automatically started by using the information written in the header. Figure 5.48 shows the cartridge header configuration. Figure 5.48 Program cartridge header ------------------- 4000H or 8000H +0000H | ID | |-----------------| +0002H | INIT | |-----------------| +0004H | STATEMENT | |-----------------| +0006H | DEVICE | |-----------------| +0008H | TEXT | |-----------------| +000AH | | | | | Reserved | Note: Reserved area should | | be filled with 00H. | | +0010H -------------------
https://www.konamiman.com/msx/msx2th/th-5b.txt
Konami added its own header in +#10 to identify the game (its RC7xx) and the addresses to modify the lives, stage, score, status... used by Game Master 1 and 2. That header does not include the name of the game.
The space between the header and the start address has no special meaning. It depends on how the programmer decided to organize the code.
Guillian wrote:
Konami added its own header in +#10 to identify the game (its RC7xx) and the addresses to modify the lives, stage, score, status... used by Game Master 1 and 2. That header does not include the name of the game.
I thinked the same thing but when I classify the games that have header at 4010h, it doesn't seem to correspond with any of the Game Master 2 functions. There are even headerless games that are supported by the Game Master 2.
Codes that have in Konami's games at 4010h
41 42 ("AB")
- Konami's Boxing (Konami no Boxing)
- Konami's Football
- Konami's Soccer (Konami no Soccer)
43 00 44 00 ("C D ")
- Vampire Killer (Akumajou Dracula)
- Firebird (Hi no Tori - Hououhen)
43 44 ("CD")
- F1 Spirit - The Way to Formula-1
- Gambare Goemon - Karakuri Douchuu
- Gryzor (Contra)
- King Kong 2 - Yomigaeru Densetsu
- King's Valley 2 - The Seal of El Giza [MSX1] (Ouke no Tani - El Giza no Fuuin)
- King's Valley 2 - The Seal of El Giza [MSX2] (Ouke no Tani - El Giza no Fuuin)
- Knightmare 2 - The Maze of Galious (Knightmare 2 - Galious no Meikyuu)
- Knightmare - Majou Densetsu
- Metal Gear
- Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake
- Metal Gear
- Nemesis (Gradius)
- Nemesis 2 (Gradius 2)
- Nemesis 3 Eve of Destruction (Gofer no Yabou Episode II)
- Ouke no Tani El Giza no Fuuin Edit Contest Yuushuu Sakuhinshuu
- Parodius - Tako Saves Earth
- Penguin Adventure (Yume Tairiku Adventure)
- QBert
- Quarth
- Salamander
- Space Manbow
- The Goonies
- The Treasure of Usas (USAS)
- Twin Bee
- Yie Ar Kung-Fu II - The Emperor Yie-Gah (Yie Ar Kung-Fu II Yie-Gah Koutei no Gyakushuu)
45 46 ("EF")
- Gekitotsu Pennant Race - The Pro Yakyuu
- Gekitotsu Pennant Race 2
- Knightmare 3 Shalom
59 5A ("YZ")
- Game Master 2
No header (program)
- Antarctic Adventure
- Antarctic Adventure (I Love Chiri - Kekkyoku Nankyoku Daidouken)
- Athletic Land Beta (I Love Taiiku - Wanpaku Athletic)
- Athletic Land (I Love Taiiku - Wanpaku Athletic)
- Cabbage Patch Kids
- Circus Charlie
- Comic Bakery
- Comic Bakery (I Love Shakai - Ponpoko Pain)
- Frogger
- Game Master
- Game master (Konami no Game wo 10bai Tanoshimu Cartridge)
- The tile magician (Hai no Majutsushi)
- Hyper Olympic 1
- Hyper Olympic 2
- Hyper Sports 1
- Hyper Sports 2
- Hyper Sports 3
- Konami's Baseball (Konami no Baseball)
- Konami's Billiards
- Konami's Golf (Konami no Golf)
- Konami's Mahjong (Konami no Mahjong Doujou)
- Konami's Ping-Pong (Konami no Ping-Pong)
- Konami's Tennis (Konami no Tennis)
- Konami-Hyper Rally
- Magical Tree
- Monkey Academy (I Love Sansuu - Monta-Kun no Ichi ni Sansuu)
- Mopiranger
- King's Valley (Ouke no Tani)
- Pippols
- Road Fighter
- Sky Jaguar
- Super Cobra
- Time Pilot
- Track & Field 1
- Track & Field 2
- Video Hustler
- Yie Ar Kung-Fu
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