Play ZC games on your GBA/GBAsp ?

[KlonoaDreamer]

OK people how can we convert ZC games into GBA roms playable on GBA emulators. Because if that can be accomplished we can play our ZC created games on a our GBA's/GBAsp's with this little gadget here---http://www.gameboy-advance.net/flash_set/64M.htm---which can download any and all GBA roms onto a GBA cartrige in a format playable on your GBA. we have got to find a code writer who can figure this out / build a converter for us, even pay him / her if we have too...

[KlonoaDreamer]

OK people how can we convert ZC games into GBA roms playable on GBA emulators. Because if that can be accomplished we can play our ZC created games on a our GBA's/GBAsp's with this little gadget here---http://www.gameboy-advance.net/flash_set/64M.htm---which can download any and all GBA roms onto a GBA cartrige in a format playable on your GBA. we have got to find a code writer who can figure this out / build a converter for us, even pay him / her if we have too...

[zhila]

This has been asked so many times.


I can't find the original threads, but as I've pointed out numerous times, ZC implements it's own tile engine on a dumb framebuffer, while GameBoy Advanced has a choice of using it's own tile engine (most likely very different from the ZC code base) or a much slower framebuffer, far too slow to implement a decent tile engine on. Also, the entire EXE would have to be rewritten for GBA, as the PC and GBA architecture is very different, and the GBA is no where near able to emulate a PC + Windows + DirectX + Allegro and even run at a half decent speed.

[zhila]

This has been asked so many times.


I can't find the original threads, but as I've pointed out numerous times, ZC implements it's own tile engine on a dumb framebuffer, while GameBoy Advanced has a choice of using it's own tile engine (most likely very different from the ZC code base) or a much slower framebuffer, far too slow to implement a decent tile engine on. Also, the entire EXE would have to be rewritten for GBA, as the PC and GBA architecture is very different, and the GBA is no where near able to emulate a PC + Windows + DirectX + Allegro and even run at a half decent speed.

[MottZilla]

Like zhila said, the answer is no. You clearly do not understand what Zelda Classic is and also do not understand the concept behind emulators and roms as you seem to confuse them with ZC. Zelda Classic is NOT a ROM or Emulator. QST files can NOT be converted to .GBA files/Gameboy Advance roms.

ZC is NOT available for GBA, and NEVER WILL BE. Why never? Because there are no plans (that I'm aware of atleast) to do so, not to mention the technical impracticalities of it.

[MottZilla]

Like zhila said, the answer is no. You clearly do not understand what Zelda Classic is and also do not understand the concept behind emulators and roms as you seem to confuse them with ZC. Zelda Classic is NOT a ROM or Emulator. QST files can NOT be converted to .GBA files/Gameboy Advance roms.

ZC is NOT available for GBA, and NEVER WILL BE. Why never? Because there are no plans (that I'm aware of atleast) to do so, not to mention the technical impracticalities of it.

[4matsy]

Or the high probability that Nintendo would be after us like insects to sugar if we did manage to do a successful port to one of their current platforms...

[4matsy]

Or the high probability that Nintendo would be after us like insects to sugar if we did manage to do a successful port to one of their current platforms...

[KlonoaDreamer]

---zhila--- I thought maybe a person with vast code writing skills, say someone who is a very good programmer could accomplish that. People convert different platforms to work with other platforms all the time, I mean since someone has already made the technology to play GB/GBC/GBA/sega genesis and master system roms on the GBA then I thought hey why couldn/t this maybe be done.---Mottzila---Yes I do understand what zelda classic is I am not confusing it with roms what so ever. I never said that ZC was a rom or an emulator I just thought if .QST to rom conversion software could be written it would be great to play our games (not use Zquest or ZC) on my GBAsp so I could play them on the go. and no---Hypercrash---I don't think that nintendo would be after us if we could do a successful port because if you can already buy the X-ROM Linker and X-ROM 512Mb GBA CARTRIDGE's on the market which allows you to play GB/GBC/GBA/sega genesis and master system roms on the GBA then i don't think they would come after us for bieng able to play ZC games on it. did any of you even look at it and what it can do.

[KlonoaDreamer]

---zhila--- I thought maybe a person with vast code writing skills, say someone who is a very good programmer could accomplish that. People convert different platforms to work with other platforms all the time, I mean since someone has already made the technology to play GB/GBC/GBA/sega genesis and master system roms on the GBA then I thought hey why couldn/t this maybe be done.---Mottzila---Yes I do understand what zelda classic is I am not confusing it with roms what so ever. I never said that ZC was a rom or an emulator I just thought if .QST to rom conversion software could be written it would be great to play our games (not use Zquest or ZC) on my GBAsp so I could play them on the go. and no---Hypercrash---I don't think that nintendo would be after us if we could do a successful port because if you can already buy the X-ROM Linker and X-ROM 512Mb GBA CARTRIDGE's on the market which allows you to play GB/GBC/GBA/sega genesis and master system roms on the GBA then i don't think they would come after us for bieng able to play ZC games on it. did any of you even look at it and what it can do.

[Dart Zaidyer]

Trying to turn a quest into a GBA Rom file is like turning stones into bread. Only Jesus can do it, and even then he still won't.

Now, writing a version of ZC for the GBA is a different matter entirely...

[Dart Zaidyer]

Trying to turn a quest into a GBA Rom file is like turning stones into bread. Only Jesus can do it, and even then he still won't.

Now, writing a version of ZC for the GBA is a different matter entirely...

[DarkFlameWolf]

that and the remaking of every quest for the newly written GBA port of ZC. Not sure if every quest creator out there is willing to do that.

[DarkFlameWolf]

that and the remaking of every quest for the newly written GBA port of ZC. Not sure if every quest creator out there is willing to do that.

[KlonoaDreamer]

---Dart Zaidyer---that's a new idea, i didn't think about writing a version of ZC specifically for making games on GBA. From what I understand from the info I have gathered is that GBA for some reason is open source code whether nintendo intended it that way or not, and the ability to download to gba carts really opens up the possibilities. ---DarkFlameWolf---if that were the case I would guess that it would only be games made since the inception of the new program, unless someone was hard core enough to remake there game and maybe take that opportunity to make a directors cut/maybe use a better tile set than they had originally used (say a tile set that wasn't out when they first made it but wished they could have in retrospect)

[KlonoaDreamer]

---Dart Zaidyer---that's a new idea, i didn't think about writing a version of ZC specifically for making games on GBA. From what I understand from the info I have gathered is that GBA for some reason is open source code whether nintendo intended it that way or not, and the ability to download to gba carts really opens up the possibilities. ---DarkFlameWolf---if that were the case I would guess that it would only be games made since the inception of the new program, unless someone was hard core enough to remake there game and maybe take that opportunity to make a directors cut/maybe use a better tile set than they had originally used (say a tile set that wasn't out when they first made it but wished they could have in retrospect)

[deathwar]

i have a idea how about you put it on the nintendo ds it has online compatibility. ;)

[Ganondork]

It's very simple; use a dev kit.

[SomUnknown]

http://www.geocities.com/somunknown/ds-zc.jpg

It's all ready been done!

[soultaker]

is the ZC for DS available to anyone. Also, do you know who made it.

[Zelda_Warrior]

OMG soultaker you actually took that picture seriously? Somunknown just found a picture of the DS, took a screenshot in ZC of the title screen, and opened up the picture of the DS in paint and then pasted the pictures from ZC into the DS picture. It's not that hard and it's simple, really. No, you can't get ZC on a DS, and no, nobody made it. You couldn't tell that the angle of the picture and the angle of the DS screen didn't match up? I know the screen made me believe it for a little bit but i realized the faults in the picture. No, ZC WILL NEVER BE RELEASED ON A CONSOLE!!!

[zyrixnet]

Not hard really, remember ZC is working on a Linux port, and Palm is thinking about switching it's PalmOS to a Linux-based PDA. Think about it, if that happens, then ZC can also be on a Palm PDA. There's also a DS projects, not part of Nintendo, thats actively working on a Linux port for the DS. They are initally trying to create a PDA like system for the DS, but will also be-able to run Linux binaries.

There's two possibilies there, if one or even both of these comes into play.

And if worsed comes to worsed, and ZC never finishes the Linux port, then just pop on a DOS emulator on the DS-Linux port, or the Palm linux port. There's always a way, and how. Never, say Never. Nothings impossible.

[DarkFlameWolf]

No one ever said porting ZC to GBA or DS or to any console system was impossible. Its simply the real question is that, does anyone want to take the time and effort to work with a dev kit and re-program the entire thing to work on a console, and then to have quest developers remake their quests to be used on it? That's the real question.

[zhila]

I think this is like the 7th time I've said this, I'm unsure at this point. Emulating the current Zelda Classic (either Windows Emulator or DOS emulator, or running it natively via LinuxDS) on NDS is not very practicle in any sense. First, PC's only really support a dumb framebuffer. Tiles and the such (with exception to it's more limited text mode) are lost on a PC. framebuffer mode runs significantly slower on NDS than tile mode on NDS, yet if Zelda Classic were to run on NDS without modifications, it would require Framebuffer mode, and thus loose all the special "optimizations" of a tile mode game. Also, we are talking about a 64MHz+32MHz processing environment. Zelda Classic on the PC fits and complains a bit if it's running on a 300MHz PC. And you are talking about "emulating" it on a 64MHz+32MHz processing environment? Only way Zelda Classic is getting on the NDS is for the code owners to rewrite it specifically for the NDS. And that in itself is no trivial task. One has to redo the entire "tile engine" currently in place, not to mention working with two processors, porting sound over, basically end up completely rewriting Allegro itself for the NDS, or abandoning it. Best case woudl probably be to start over, while taking some knowlegde of how Zelda Classic works, rather than trying to port it over.

[zeldafannick]

i dont know much about programming and stuff,but here's my two cents on making a ds/gba/pda/WHATEVER ZC:If one was actually made,then I have no doubt that it wouldn't be free.I fine with the free pc version,thank you.

[SomUnknown]

It would have to be free, or else Nintendo wouldn't be pleased.

[DarkFlameWolf]

I think what Zeldafannick is saying is that, the job to port/recode over ZC perfectly to a portable console system would be so huge a job, I don't think anyone would want to do it for free. I know I wouldn't. I'd want to get paid for spending a buttload of time doing that.

[MottZilla]

I think this is like the 7th time I've said this, I'm unsure at this point. Emulating the current Zelda Classic (either Windows Emulator or DOS emulator, or running it natively via LinuxDS) on NDS is not very practicle in any sense. First, PC's only really support a dumb framebuffer. Tiles and the such (with exception to it's more limited text mode) are lost on a PC. framebuffer mode runs significantly slower on NDS than tile mode on NDS, yet if Zelda Classic were to run on NDS without modifications, it would require Framebuffer mode, and thus loose all the special "optimizations" of a tile mode game. Also, we are talking about a 64MHz+32MHz processing environment. Zelda Classic on the PC fits and complains a bit if it's running on a 300MHz PC. And you are talking about "emulating" it on a 64MHz+32MHz processing environment? Only way Zelda Classic is getting on the NDS is for the code owners to rewrite it specifically for the NDS. And that in itself is no trivial task. One has to redo the entire "tile engine" currently in place, not to mention working with two processors, porting sound over, basically end up completely rewriting Allegro itself for the NDS, or abandoning it. Best case woudl probably be to start over, while taking some knowlegde of how Zelda Classic works, rather than trying to port it over.

It's the first time I've seen you say this, and I must say I'm pleased to see someone with a good grasp on things.

One thing to remember though about the NDS over the GBA is that the framebuffer sort of drawing is far better than the GBA's horribly slow bitmap mode. With proper optimization ZC could probably run comfortably on it. But there are then all the usual problems. Storage and execution could be worked out via the DS firmwire passme flash technique using the GBA flash cartridges. After that though, you still have the actual development of the program meaning all the graphics and sound routines. It's a big job no matter what. Oh another thing to metnion, the NDS has only 4MB of RAM. So for ZC to be ported to DS, it would require its own closed and well refined version.

So like DarkFlameWolf was saying, it's a hell of a big job for someone to do for the "fun" of it.