From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee)
Newsgroups: news.answers,rec.games.video
Subject: rec.games.video Frequently Asked Questions
Date: 7 Apr 92 04:32:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: jyusenky.1992Apr7.043205.8787
Reply-To: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee)
Followup-To: rec.games.video
Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept.

Archive-name: video-games

Information needed:
-- How one becomes a developer of video games.
-- Exactly which MD games are/aren't unplayable on a "new" Genesis.  And can
you play them with adapters?
-- information about lawsuits by Nintendo.
-- How does one subscribe to Japanese, or other foreign (i.e. British),
magazines directly from the sources?  (There has got to be at least one
British reader with the address of a magazine subscription department.)
-- Will the TG-16 CD2 have 2 "meg" or 3 "meg" of memory, and does it have
enhanced graphics?  (One poster who went to CES said it does.)  And when will
it be out?
-- Shouldn't the Master System and Game Gear have the same number of colors?
-- Does the TG-16 really have 241 colors, and a 512x262x482 mode?  And
wouldn't the existence of this mode, combined with the Turbo Express
resolution, mean the TE can't _really_ play all TG-16 games?  (Could it be
that this is actually the graphics available in the Supergrafx, not the TG-16?)
-- What's the deal with the SNES/SF compatibility?  Any authoritative sources?
(Calling the company is a step up, but companies' PR departments can still give
bad info.  The only real solution is either to ask a developer who works with
the hardware, or to find an example of an incompatible game (with or without
adapters)).
-- Is there going to be a Street Fighter II for the PC Engine Super CD?  (Has
this game been described in any Japanese magazine?)
-- More info on replacing batteries in game cartridges.
-- Where, if anywhere, the Lynx archive is?
-- How one reduces the size of "Information Needed" sections on FAQs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Last modified 4/7/92]
[Last posted 4/7/92]

General Questions:
=================

``What are the Japanese systems, the differences between them and the US
systems, and their compatibility?''

Famicom: Same as NES.  Adaptors reportedly exist.

Famicom Disk System: No US counterpart.  (People kept copying the disks.)

Super Famicom: Same as Super NES.  The first SNES's were definitely compatible
with SF's (and vice versa), after you removed some of the plastic around the
cartridge slot.  There are rumors that newer machines aren't compatible; there
are also reports that they are, and at least one report of incompatibility and
one report of a game that worked only once and burned out.  One Usenetter
called Nintendo and was told that older machines are compatible and newer
ones aren't.  Adapters exist; nobody knows if they only fix the slot size
problem, or if they also fix incompatibility.

To complicate the matter, EGM printed (early on) a rumor that later machines
would not be compatible (EGM is known for printing bad rumors), which could,
if the machines _are_ compatible, explain why lots of people think they're not.

PC Engine/CoreGrafx: Same as Turbografx-16.  Cartridge games are not
compatible, but you can buy adapters for $20-30 through many mail order places
(get a game magazine and check the ads).  In theory there should be an adapter
in the other direction, but I've never heard of any.  CD-ROM games (and,
asccording to rumor, Super CD-ROM games) are compatible without adapters;
reports are that the Super CD-ROM expansion (3.0 card plus 256K memory) will
work in a TG-16 with adapter.  Buying an adapter may well be worthwhile since
the PC Engine is very popular in Japan, and many games released for it never
reach the US.  (So far.  This may change.)

Note: The CD-ROM2 is the same as the CD, not the super-CD.

Supergrafx: No US counterpart.  (The Supergrafx is an enhanced PC Engine and
can play PC Engine games without modification, though of course these are hard
to get in the US.)

Mega Drive: Same as Genesis.  (The Wonder Mega is a Mega Drive with a built-in
CD-ROM.)  Compatibility is a bit tricky:

First, the European and Australian machine known as the Mega Drive is (except
for putting out PAL signals) identical to the Genesis, and all comments below
which refer to the Genesis, not to the Mega Drive, apply to them.  Converted
Japanese machines are popular in Europe; these often have permanent English
language modifications (and act like a Genesis with respect to compatibility.)

Genesis machines require removal of plastic around the cartridge slot to get a
MD cartridge to fit and work; MD machines have a cartridge lock which might
have to be disabled before you can fit a Genesis cartridge in (this depends on
both the cartridge and the machine).  Some games are bilingual, and play in
Japanese/English depending on which machine you use them in.  (I have a partial
list; send E-mail.)

Newer machines (those which say "produced by or under license to Sega" when
turned on) won't run many Mega Drive cartridges at all, even if you do fit the
cartridge in the machine.

The Mega Drive game Rolling Thunder II is unplayable on either old or new
Genesis machines, and other future Namco games probably will be.

The "adapters" you can buy only bypass the need to cut away at the cartridge
slot, and will not let you play unplayable games.  (It is _possible_ some
newer adapters might let you play unplayable games; any info out there?)

There will soon be a Game Genie out for the Genesis.  The Game Genie loads
part or all of a game into RAM and lets the user change it; it might be
possible to use the Game Genie to play unplayable games, new machine or old.

For the CD-ROM, there will be 4 different versions: American, European,
Japanese, and Asian.  The origin of the CD drive and the origin of the game
must match; if you have a new machine, the origin of the machine must also
match.  (Sega went to great lengths to insure incompatibility.  The excuse, as
reported in EGM, is that current games don't include actual music or footage
from licensed properties, but CDs will, and licensing might only be for limited
geographic areas.  Needless to say, current games _do_ include music, and at
least digitized pictures from, licensed properties; furthermore the compatible
PC Engine/TG CD's don't seem to have this sort of licensing problem.  Nor do
regular music CDs or laser discs, for that matter).

Gameboy: same as and compatible with US version.

Game Gear: same as and compatible with US version.  The Japanese TV tuner,
however, works on Japanese TV frequencies, some of which differ from US TV
frequencies.

Miscellaneous: The "Master Gear" adapter plays Sega Master System games on the
Game Gear; they must be 256K or less.  (Specifically, Phantasy Star won't
play.)  In theory an adapter could work the other way, though none has been
made.


``Some people have complained about questionable business practices of
Nintendo.  What are they?''

People are soured on Nintendo business practices because of:
1) NES cartridges have a ``lockout chip'' with availability controlled by
Nintendo, which must be there to run the game.  Nintendo has given bogus
explanations for the lockout chips.  (For instance, to preserve quality; many
games are conversions from Japan, where the lockout chip is not used but the
game quality is the same.  Also, most people agree that Tengen Tetris is
higher quality than the Nintendo one.)
2) Price-fixing.  Nintendo lost in federal court, and had to give away $5
coupons good towards cartridges; they did not actually admit guilt.  (No, I
don't think it looks like Nintendo will suffer much from this sentence either).
3) There is a rumor that Nintendo wouldn't let stores have popular cartridges
unless they also were willing to sell the Game Boy.  [Information anyone?]
4) The Game Genie: This product loads a Nintendo cartridge into RAM and lets
the user change parts of it.  Nintendo sued, alleging copyright violation, and
delaying the Game Genie for a year.  (They lost.)
5) Nintendo has sued stores for renting Nintendo games.


``Please tell me about those 100 games in 1 cartridges.''

These cartridges are bootlegs, many of which are made in Hong Kong or South
Korea.  Most are for Nintendo, but there are similar cartridges for
Genesis/Mega Drive, which contain 4-8 or so games.  They often include some
early, lower-quality games and some games which vary only by small details
such as background color.  They also tend to be expensive ($100 or so).  If
you really want one, you will probably have to go to Asia or buy one from
someone who has one to sell.


``What capabilities does each system have?  (number of colors, resolution,
number and size of sprites, processor type)''

This is a modified chart first posted by Corey Kirk.  Take it with a large
grain of salt.
______________________________________________________________________________
|          | Neo Geo  |   SNES   | Genesis  |   TG-16  |    NES   | Sega M2  |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Bits (CPU)|   8 + 16 |       16 |       16 |    8 + 8 |        8 |        8 |
|Bits (Gx) |       16 |       16 |       16 |       16 |        8 |        8 |
|CPU       | Z80 68000|    65816 |    68000 | 6502 6502|     6502 |      Z80 |
|APU (Aud) |          |     6502 |      Z80 |          |          |          |
|MHz       |   4    12|      3.6 |      7.6 |  3.6  3.6|      1.8 |      3.6 |
|Graphics  | 320 x 224| 256 x 224| 320 x 224| 256 x 216| 256 x 240| 240 x 226|
| -2nd mode|          | 512 x 448|          |512 x 262*|          |          |
|Colors    |4096/65536| 256/32768|    64/512|  482/512*|     16/52|    52/256|
|Sprites   |      380 |      128 |       80 |       64 |        8 |       16 |
| - size   |    unlim | 128 x 128|   32 x 32|   32 x 64|    8 x 8 |    8 x 8 |
|Audio     |   15-lyr |PCM 8-lyr |   10-lyr |    6-lyr |     mono |     mono |
|RAM       |          |128K+64Kgx| 72K+64Kgx|  8K+64Kgx|  2K+ 2Kgx|          |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
|CD CPU/MHz|        ? |      yes |68000/12.5|no CD=64K |     none |     none |
|CD RAM    |          |    1024K |     768K | CD2=256K |          |          |
|          |          | Phillips |      JVC |      NEC |          |          |
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|
* This information has few sources and may be wrong.
________________________________________________________
|          |  GameBoy |   Lynx   | GameGear | TExpress |
|-------------------------------------------------------
|Bits (CPU)|        8 |        8 |        8 |    8 + 8 |
|Bits (Gx) |        8 |       16 |        8 |       16 |
|CPU       |     6502 |     6502 |      Z80 | 6502 6502|
|MHz (CPU) |      2.2 |      4.0 |      3.6 |      7.2 |
|MHz (Gx)  |          |     16.0 |          |          |
|ScreenSize|     2.6" |     3.5" |     3.2" |     2.6" |
|Graphics  | 160 x 144| 160 x 102| 160 x 144| 256 x 216|
|Colors    | mono (4) |  16/4096 |  32/4096 |  241/512 |
|Sprites   |        8 |    unlim |       64 |       64 |
| - size   |    8 x 8 |    unlim |    8 x 8 |  32 x 64 |
|Audio     |    2-lyr |    4-lyr |    4-lyr |    6-lyr |
|RAM       |      16K |      64K |      24K |  8K+64Kgx|
|----------+----------+----------+----------+----------|

``What is this megabit stuff?  Isn't it supposed to be byte?''

1 byte is equal to 8 bits, so an 8 megabit game is really 1 megabyte.  (Also,
``mega'' for computers is 1048576, not an even million).  This started when
Sega advertised ``mega cartridges'' for the Sega Master System several years
ago to make the games sound bigger, and may also have to do with the fact that
some memory chips are indeed measured in bits.

Ads for the Neo-Geo have claimed its cartridges are measured in megabytes.  One
Usenet reader actually disassembled a cartridge and found that they are also
measured in megabits.


``I've heard of a 32 bit game system.  What is it?''

Various game systems have been rumored to be 32-bit, such as the as yet
unrevealed Atari system.  You can't just add up the bits in the separate
processors and expect to get a meaningful number, though, so the Genesis
CD-ROM is not a 32-bit system even though it has two 16-bit processors.
(Similarly, a Neo-Geo is not a 24 bit system.)  There are several different
characteristics of processors which measure in bits; whether a processor
counts as a 32-bit processor or not may depend on what you consider important.
(A 32 bit processor might be one which has a 32 bit address space, performs
operations on 32 bit quantities, or has a 32 bit wide bus).


``What is the relationship between Tengen and Atari Games?''

They are two branches of the same company; however, both are separate from the
Atari which makes the Lynx.  (Even though many games for the Lynx are from
Atari Games.)


``Where is a good source for Japanese games?''

Buy an American video game magazine and check the ads.  (Or find someone who
is going to or has contacts in Japan, who can get games for you.)  Also,
Stephen Pearl posts a partial list of such sources regularly (see below).


``What is anime?''

Anime refers to Japanese animation.  It tends to be aimed towards a more adult
audience than American animation is, and has a large cult following in the US.
Historically, much anime has been brought over with heavy cuts and/or changes
in plot, but companies have recently begun to release more accurately dubbed
or subtitled anime.  The connection with video games is that many Japanese
video games are based on anime; furthermore, such games are often the least
likely to be brought over to the US since Americans are supposedly uninterested
in it.


``What is a Tera Drive?''

It is a Japan-only system which combines a PC and a Mega Drive; it's not
available in the US.


``What is a Super Gun?''

It is a "home" system which plays an arcade board at home.  This plays the
same as the arcade game, of course, but also costs about as much as the
arcade game (over $1000 for Street Fighter II).


``I want to use my system with a monitor.  Which ones will work?''

The Genesis can connect to an analog RGB monitor with a similar scan rate;
this means an analog RGB monitor for use with an Amiga, Atari ST, or Apple
//gs.  An analog RGB multisync monitor _may_ work; a digital monitor (CGA or
EGA only for PC's) will not.

The SNES will work with an S-video or RGB monitor provided you have the right
cable; I don't know what monitors have the right scan rate.


Game/System Specific Questions:
==============================

``What happened to the Genesis modem?''

It's available in Japan, but had no US release.  There is allegedly going to
be one in the US; I wouldn't hold my breath.


``Can I use Atari/Amiga/C64 joysticks on a Genesis?''

You can; the button serves as both A and B.  C and Start are absent.

If you use an Atari 7800 joystick, the left button is both A and B, and
pressing and releasing both buttons simultaneously gives C and Start.

The joysticks also work the other way; the B button replaces the single fire
button (left fire button on the 7800; there's no right fire button).


``What are the Japanese Super Mario games which correspond to the US ones?  I
hear there was a Mario game in Japan that did not make it to the US.''

The Japanese Super Mario 2 did not make it to the US.  The US Super Mario 2
was a non-Mario Japanese game called "Dream Factory".


``What is Valis I?''

It is a Famicom game not brought over to the US.  There are Mega Drive/Genesis
versions and there will eventually be a Super PC-Engine CD-ROM version.


``What is Thunderforce I?''

It is a game produced by Technosoft for personal computers in Japan only.


``When is the Genesis CD-ROM coming out?''

The machine is already out in Japan; September 1992 has been announced for the
US version.  (It was originally supposed to be out in the spring.)


``What about the CD-ROM2 and Duo for the TG-16?''

The PC Engine version is already out in Japan and has been for a while; the
announced date for the US is Fall 1992.


``What about the Super NES CD-ROM?''

The announced date is January 1993.  Don't rely on this too much, however; the
machine does not yet exist even in Japan.


``What happened to that version of Tetris they're not making any more?''

It was the Tengen Tetris.  Tengen didn't have the proper US rights, and was
forced in court by Nintendo to stop making and to recall it.  (This was
separate from lawsuit threats over Tengen's attempt to work around the lockout
chip.)  A Tetris for the Mega Drive in Japan had similar problems.


``What are the pinouts on the Genesis A/V connector?''

From an old posting by Colin J. Smith:

Starting from the 1 o'clock position, looking at the Genesis from the back,
and going clockwise, the pins are:  red, audio, +5  volts, ground, green,
composite video, and negative combined sync, with blue on the center pin.


SNES versus Genesis.

The general opinion seems to be that the systems are roughly equal, and that
you shouldn't be getting one system because it's "better" than the other; get
the one which has the games you want.


``What are the differences between a "new" and "old" Genesis?''

Machines made after about October 1991 are "new" machines.  They won't play
certain third party US games: Ishido, Budokan, Populous (at least until the
companies remanufacture their cartridges) or certain pirated Asian cartridges.
If the machine says "produced by or under license by Sega" when turned on,
it's a "new" machine.  Apparently, the new machines also will not run certain
Mega Drive games, almost all of which old machines will run.  (See above under
compatibility).


``Why does the SNES slow down a lot?''

The slowdown is probably a combination of several factors including:
-- the SNES uses a slower processor than the Genesis.  [The general consensus
seems to be that this is only a minor factor.]
-- current SNES games have been programmed to run at a slower clock rate than
the SNES can support.
-- the SNES can only transfer data to the graphics processor during the
vertical blank interval.  (the period between when the bottom of the screen is
drawn and when the top of the next screen is drawn.)

Other machines will slow down too when they have lots of sprites on the screen.


``Does the Genesis CD-ROM have extra colors, sprites, or resolution?''

No.  Gamepro magazine says otherwise.  Don't believe them.


How to make a language switch.

On an old Genesis, there are jumpers labelled JP1, JP2, JP4, and JP3.  The
Genesis has a capacitor on JP1 and a trace on JP2; the Mega Drive has a
capacitor on JP2 and a trace on JP1.  The bottom ends of JP1 and JP2 are
connected together.  So if you cut the trace and the top end of the capacitor,
and install a DPDT switch between them which reconnects them either unchanged
or swapped left to right, you have a language switch.

Nobody knows if (or how) you can make one for a new machine.

The language switch lets you choose between English and Japanese mode on games
which have dual-version ROMs, and lets you play the Japanese version of
Rolling Thunder II if you switch it to Japanese.


Debug mode and level select on Sonic the Hedgehog.

Level select is: U, D, L, R, then A and Start at the same time (two extra
D's if you have the Mega Drive version of Sonic).  To access the debug mode:

1) U+C, D+C, L+C, R+C, then A+Start.
2) C, C, C, C, U, D, L, R, A+Start.
3) U+C, D+C, D+C, D+C, L+C, R+C, A+C+Start.

The best information is that 1) does it on older Sonics, 2) on newer ones, and
3) on the Mega Drive version.  Keep your fingers on A and Start until Sonic
first appears in an act.  If you try and make a mistake, it's wise to turn the
machine off and on; otherwise you're likely to end up getting the level
select.  Within debug mode, B toggles between sprite mode and normal mode; A
selects the sprite, and C places it.  There should be a bunch of hexadecimal
numbers on top of your score.  (Sonic also cannot die by getting hit or
falling onto spikes in this mode.)


``Is Street Fighter II on any home video game systems?''

It is going to be on the Super NES/Super Famicom.  A video game magazine has
said the PC Engine Super CD-ROM would have a version; no Japanese magazine
seems to know this, which suggests bad information.


``What version of Might and Magic is available for the Genesis?''

It's Might and Magic II, even though it's packaged without the number II.


Toll-Free numbers for video game companies:

Nintendo 1-800-255-3700 0400-2400 PT Mon-Sat; 0800-1700 PT Sun
Sega     1-800-USA-SEGA 0900-1800 PT
Atari                   they do have one, not sure what it is.


``Can I replace the battery in my game cart when it dies?''

Yes, but you will lose any data that is saved (which will happen when the
battery dies anyway.


Other FAQ's and regular postings:
================================

Anime video games list: maintained by Steve Pearl (pearl@remus.rutgers.edu).
The list can be ftp'ed from romulus.rutgers.edu (128.6.13.2).

Japanese video game source list: ditto.

Atari Lynx users' list: list mail to lynx-list@scintilla.capitola.ca.us and
to be added to the list, mail to lynx-request@scintilla.capitola.cs.us.

SNES FAQ/spoiler list: maintained by Craig Heartwell (craig@sae.com)

Genesis spoiler list: maintained by Bob Rusbasan (rusbasan@sage.cc.purdue.edu)

Megadrive spoilers: collected by Galen Komatsu (gkomatsu@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.
edu).  Not in list form.

Digital Games Review Digest: To subscribe, send mail to digital-games@
digital-games.intuitive.com.  To obtain back issues, send mail to
info@limbo.intuitive.com containing the lines "help" and "listall
Digital.Games".

Genesis joystick pinouts: an article was posted by nhowland@matt.ksu.ksu.edu.
I presume he'd be able to send you a copy of the article, or if not, I saved
one; it's too long to include here.
--
This is a newer version of the memetic .signature infection.  Now that's an
idea.  Copy it into your .signature today!

Ken Arromdee (UUCP: ....!jhunix!arromdee; BITNET: arromdee@jhuvm;
     INTERNET: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu)