SMSAdvance GBA

SMSAdvance
General
Author	FluBBa (Fredrik Olsson)
Type	Handheld
Version	2.5
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2009/01/26
Links
Download
Website
Source

SMSAdvance is a Game Gear/Master System/SG-1000 emulator developed for the Game Boy Advance. The source code is based on PocketNES.

The main program is a windows-injector, used to inject Master System ROMS into the provided .gba file.

Features

• Most things you'd expect from an SMS emulator.
• Except for:
  • Correct sprite collision and overflow.
  • Speech samples.
  • YM2413 emulation.
  • EEPROM save for the few GG games that use it.
  • Screen mode 3 (not really used).

Installation

Run SMSAdvance.exe to add roms to the emulator (check your rom).

Do no overwrite the original .gba file.

User guide

Menu

Controller:

• Autofire - Select if you want autofire.
• Controller - 2P control player 2, Link is used to linkup 2 GBAs.
• Swap A/B - Swap which GBA button is mapped to which SMS/GG button.
• Use R as Start - Map the GBA R button to the GG Start button.
• Use Select as Reset - Map the GBA SELECT button to the SMS Reset button.

Display:

• Display - Here you can select if you want scaled or unscaled screenmode.
  • Unscaled mode - L & R buttons scroll the screen up and down.
  • Scaled modes: Press L+SELECT to adjust the background.
• Scaling - Here you can select if you want flicker or barebones lineskip.
• Gamma - Lets you change the gamma ("brightness").
• GG Border - Lets you change between black, bordercolor and none.
• Lock toprows - For unscaled screenmode.
  • Some games use this automaticly, Double Dragon, OutRun etc.
  • But you can also choose to force it.
• Perfect sprites - Uses a lot of cpu, only use when really necessary.
• Disable background - Turn on/off background rendering.
• Disable sprites - Turn on/off sprite rendering.

Other Settings:

• VSync - Switch between speed modes, can also be toggled with L+START.
  • On - Will wait for the next vsync if needed, best for most games.
  • Force - Can help with graphics in some games, often slow.
  • Off - Can speed up some games if they don't allready use all cpu time.
  • Slowmo - Good for beating that extra fast game.
• FPS_Meter - Toggle fps meter.
• Autosleep - Change the autosleep time, also see Sleep.
• EWRAM Speed - Use with caution!
• Autoload state - Toggle Savestate autoloading. Automagicaly load the savestate associated with the selected game.
• Fake spritecollision - Some games require this, Pit Fighter doesn't like it.
• Region - Change the region of the SMS and video standard.
• Use BIOS - If you have added a BIOS you can select if you want to use it.
• Machine - Here you can select the hardware, Auto should work for most games.

Link Transfer:

• Lets you transfer small games to other GBAs, also see the advanced topic.

Go Multiboot:

• You can use the Go Multiboot feature to force the game to run in multiboot mode.
• Useful if you want to boot someone else up and eject the cartridge.
• Do not eject cartridges from a GameBoy Player as it will just reset.

Save Manager:

• Quick savestate - Creates a savestate/overwrites the current if one exists (R+SELECT).
• Quick loadstate - Load a savestate associated with the current game (R+START).
• Savestate - Select if you want to overwrite an old state or create a new.
• Loadstate - Select which state you want to load.
• Save SRAM - Save the SRAM for the current game.
• Manage savememory - Lets you erase SRAM (for now).

Others:

• Sleep - Put the GBA into sleepmode (START+SELECT to wake up).
• Restart - Select a new game.
• Exit - Exit the emulator back to Pogo or the FA/F2A menu.

Note: Make sure your flashing software allocates 64kByte/512kbit SRAM for SMSAdvance.

Advanced

EWRAM speed:

• This changes the waitstate on EWRAM between 2 and 1.
• This can probably damage your GBA and definitly uses more power, around 10% speedgain. Use at your own risk.

Link transfer:

• Send a SMS game to another GBA.
• The other GBA must be in multiboot receive mode (no cartridge inserted, powered on and waiting with the "GAME BOY" logo displayed).
• Only one game can be sent at a time, and only if it's small enough to send (approx. 128kB or less).
• A game can only be sent to 1 (one) Gameboy at a time, disconnect all other gameboys during transfer.
• Use an original Nintendo cable.

PogoShell:

• Copy smsadvance.gba to the plugin folder (or compress it to mbz before you copy it), rename it to smsadvance.bin.
• Then add either one of the following line to the pogo.cfg file:
  • sms 1 smsadvance.bin 2
  • sms 1 smsadvance.mbz 2

Controls

Up/Down - Select game

A/B - Start selected game

L+R - Menu

A - Choose

B or L+R - Cancel

Screenshots

Changelog

V2.5 2009/01/26

• Added support for GG Bios from Pogoshell.
• Added mapper support for new Korean games.
• Changed interrupt method so more cards should be able to patch SMSA.

v2.4 2008/04/16

• Fixed config loading for gamma setting.

V2.3 2008/03/28

• Fixed games branching over banks with the new VRAM copy (Sonic 1).

V2.2 2008/03/27

• Added copying of first 32kB ROM to VRAM for faster execution.
• Added selection of machine.
• Added correct noise generation for SG-1000 emulation.
• Added correct palette in TMS9918 modes on SMS machines.
• Added different vdp capabilities depending on selected machine.
• Added some very basic Mode5 support when Machine=MegaDrive.
• Added different io maps depending on selected machine.
• Added support for the SMS1 tilemap address masking (Ys(J)).
• Added support for turning on/off internal RAM.
• Added auto save of SRAM (if it's allready present) when entering menu.
• Added auto turn off of Bios when no header found (on machine=Auto).
• Added auto region (Pop Breaker GG (J)).
• Fixed support for Dodgeball King (KR).
• Fixed pushing and poping of AF register (Adventure of Batman GG).
• Fixed sprite bugs in unscaled mode on Codemasters games.
• Fixed initializing of all CPU regs on reset.
• Fixed timing of HALT instruction.
• Fixed palette setting for TMS9918 modes on GG.
• Fixed noscrolling for TMS9918 modes.
• Fixed up Mode1 graphics a bit.
• Fixed correct HCounter and latching.
• Better switching between TMS9918 and SMS video modes.
• More info shown from the game header.
• Optimised tile rendering for mode 0 & 2 (for real this time).
• Optimised all Z80 memory reads, one instruction and cycle shorter.
• Optimised DAA opcode.
• Optimised DEC opcodes.
• Optimised SBC A/HL opcode.
• Optimised one of the SRA opcodes.
• Optimised CPI, CPD, CPIR & CPDR opcodes.

V2.1 2007/05/08

• Optimised tile rendering for mode 0 & 2.
• Fixed a bug where GG games set the "lock-toprow" bit (Sonic Drift demo).
• Added support for the SG-1000 games Mahjong and Home Mahjong.
• Added support for RAM on some SG-1000 games (The Castle, Othello...).
• Fixed clearing of SMS VRAM when no bios used.

V2.0 2006/07/17

• Added "Go Multiboot" menu option.
• Added menu option for disabling background/sprites.
• Fixed a bug in the screen on/off behaviour.
• Fixed a bug in SRAM loading when using a BIOS.
• Fixed default config.
• Fixed Pause & Reset buttons when linking 2players.
• Removed the save management menu when multibooting.
• Optimised tiledecoding.
• Optimised some of the SBC instructions.
• Optimised EI instruction.
• Optimised IO port access.

V1.9 2006/06/03

• Added Savestates.
• Added support for Ernie Els Golf.
• Fixed Start/Select going through when using L/R + Start/Select.
• Fixed gamma settings acting directly.
• Fixed Codemaster mapper a bit, now works with BIOS.
• Fixed header detection, all GG games that use SMS mode now uses the GG BIOS.
• Updated the readme a bit.

V1.5 2006/05/13

• Fixed volume attenuation.
• Fixed soundclicks in rom selection menu.
• Fixed a bug with the new sprite collision.
• Fixed some bugs with the sprites in Mode 0 & 2.
• Fixed a rare background bug in Mode 0, 1 & 2.
• Fixed cpu timing for both PAL & NTSC (confirmed on real HW).
• Better update timing in PAL mode.
• More colorful SG-1000 palette.
• Optimised BIT7 instructions.
• Optimised some of the shift instructions.
• Optimised DD/FD instructions.

V1.4 2006/01/17 Added fake support for sprite collision (option).

V1.3 2006/01/15

• Added support for running the GG bios in SMS mode.
• Added support for all SMS Bioses.
• Added option in builder for "empty" slot at the end of ROMlist. (Loopy).
• Added option to lock the 2 toprows in unscaled mode.
• Added "Perfect Sprite" option for games like:
  • Global Gladiators.
  • GP Rider (GG).
  • Speedball 2.
  • Xenon 2.
• Added emulation of locking the right side of the screen, games:
  • Gauntlet.
  • Golvellius.
  • Griffin (GG).
  • Line of Fire.
  • Megumi Rescue.
  • Rygar.
  • Satelite 7.
• Fixed IO port 2, Laser Ghost.
• Fixed Monaco GP, SG-1000.
• Fixed the support for Jang Pung II (KR).
• Fixed priority on zoomed sprites in mode 0 & 2 (Bank Panic, SG-1000).

V1.2 2005/11/30

• Added support for graphics mode 0 & 2 (F-16 Fighter, SG-1000 games).
• Now saves the whole (32kB) SMS SRAM.

V1.1 2005/11/03

• Added sprite following (somewhat).
• Fixed background color (lots of games).
• Fixed Game Over screen on Rambo III.
• Fixed sprite bugs on Codemasters game in scaled mode.
• Optimised CPU abit, again.

V1.0 2005/10/14

• Fixed Codemasters mapper (broken in V0.9).
• Cleaned up the mapper code a bit.

V0.9 2005/09/26

• Added support for the GG BIOS.
• Added config for using Select as Reset button.
• Fixed Shanghai 2.
• Fixed Ryu Kyu.
• Fixed Space Gun.
• Fixed a bug in joypad reading (Street Fighter II).
• Optimised mapper detection.
• Optimised sound mixer.
• Optimised CPU abit.

V0.8 2005/09/03

• Added support for Street Fighter II.
• Added config for using R as Start.
• Fixed Pause in Robocop 3.
• Fixed some scrolling glitches (Gunstar Heroes intro, Rygar).

V0.7 2005/08/18

• Reduced sprite flicker in Arch Rivals.
• Fixed Rise of the Robots (HBlank IRQ enabled at start).

V0.6 2005/08/15

• Fixed Gunstar Heroes (bug in V0.5).

V0.5 2005/08/13

• Added Codemasters & Korean mappers.
• Added 32k SRAM support for Shining Force 2 & 3 (not saved yet).
• Fixed a memory management bug again (Shinobi in some cases).
• Fixed a rendering bug in 224 mode (Codemasters games).

V0.4 2005/08/10

• Fixed memory management again (Shinobi, The Ninja, SDI).
• Fixed a rendering bug in GG mode (GG Aleste).
• Fixed sprite offset -8 (Ghouls'n Ghosts).

V0.3 2005/08/07

• Fixed nametable switching a bit (Sylvan Tale, Road Rash).
• Fixed 256x224 screen for GG games (Star Trek games).
• Fixed memory management a bit (Ys, Terminator).

V0.2 2005/08/02

• Fixed sprites in Golvelius.
• Fixed hanging in StarGate.

V0.1 2005/07/30

• Initial release.

V0.0 2005/07/06

• Started Coding.

Credits

Huge thanks to Loopy for the incredible PocketNES and the builder.

Thanks to:

• Dwedit for maintaining the GBAMP version of SMSAdvance.
• Reesy for help with the Z80 emu core.
• Some MAME people + Maxim for the SN76496 info.
• Charles MacDonald (http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/) for VDP info.
• Omar Cornut (http://www.smspower.org/) for help with various SMS stuff.
• Vinpire for the splashscreen.
• The crew at PocketHeaven for their support.

External links

• Author's website - http://hem.passagen.se/flubba/gba.html
• PocketHeaven - http://boards.pocketheaven.com/viewforum.php?f=40