CANCELLED: Shenmue Mod: Widescreen Mode (Built In)

[shengoro86]

Hi all,

Recently, Dojo member Anthony817, reported on an assembler post that listed the codebreaker codes needed to turn NTSC Shenmue 1 and PAL Shenmue 2 into 16x9 widescreen on the Dreamcast.
Dojo Thread
http://shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=49228
Assembler Games Thread
http://assemblergames.com/l/threads/widescreen-hacks.58620/

Well this really excites me so I want to bake this widescreen mode into the game itself to bypass the need for Action Replay/Codebreaker.

Ok so this will serve as the development thread for this.

I am only doing Shenmue 1 right now. Shenmue 2 will be much more complicated so it will be less of a priority until Shenmue 1 is done.

So let's get some info disclosed.

What is this?
This will be a special hacked version of NTSC Shenmue that will run in widescreen.

How will it work?
Ok so this is the complicated part. I have three solutions:

Solution 1: Make a trainer menu to force the codebreaker codes into the game at boottime.

Solution 2: Port the PAL 50/60 Hz Selector menu to the NTSC version and hack the menu to make it actually select the resolution. We have the RAM codes to do this now, thanks to S4pph4rad. I believe this menu talks to the PowerVR hardware directly do we might be able to actually pull it off.

Solution 3: Directly patch the binary file that controls this.

What will the problems be?
Well.. if I use the PAL Selector menu, then VGA users will be out of luck since they will not even have this menu appear. Unless I can force the menu to appear even on VGA.

Is this even possible?
Well I do not know yet. I will figure this out over time.

How will it be released?
Well since my real name is known in this community, I will not release it myself. That I will hand to someone else to do so.

Why do this?
Why not? It's a new mode for Shenmue.

Who is working on it?
I will be doing the menu hacking and widescreen selector patches
Ilducci will be making custom textures and metrics hacks for the menu to make it user friendly and efficient. (Thanks bro!)

When will it be released?
When it's done. If it can even be done.

[shengoro86]

Note from FamilyGuy:


S4pph4rad said: ↑

Shenmue (US version)
02230250 43800000

Shenmue 2 (EU version)
0231186C 43800000

The bootbin (1st_read.bin) is loaded in ram at virtual address 0x8C010000 (0x0000018C in big endian).
It seems to me 02230250/0231186C should be a little endian address that points inside a loaded executable, probably 1st_read.bin, although it seems it's not using the virutal addressing; maybe physical adressing (http://mc.pp.se/dc/memory.html)? Maybe the first one or two characters are a CB command too, like constantly write, etc..

If we can find the corresponding offset in the executable, we could easily patch it.

[EDIT]

After looking into this a little more, I think I got it:
02230250 43800000
02 (write 8 half-bytes) 230250 (at virtual address 0x8C230250, physical 0x0C230250) 43800000 (the 4 bytes).
Since the bootbin is loaded at address 0x8C010000, we should go to offset 0x00130250 (decimal 1245776) of the bootbin and change whatever is there to 0x43800000.

[shengoro86]

Familyguy:
Could you please test it by patching offset 0x00130250 (decimal 1245776) of 1st_read.bin to 0x43800000, in NSTC-U Shenmue?
You can use RebuildGDI to do this easily. You can also patch directly <last-track>.iso, or <last-track>.bin but it this case you got to rebuild the EDC/ECC footer of the corresponding sector.

[ReeceKun]

I dont really understand HOW these codes work .. does it show 'Extra Geometry' ? Like the Null DC settings ?

I was thinking about the Extra Geometry Null DC setting,
Everything in the 4:3 screen area renders normally but everything in the 'Extra Geometry area clips in and out'
It would be interesting to find the command that applys the 100% view to 4:3 and change it to encompass the E.G Widescreen areas.

would these codes work with the NullDC cheater (if it is different from extra geom)

[fittersau]

Would love this widescreen mod in the Japanese versions.

[shengoro86]

I dont really understand HOW these codes work .. does it show 'Extra Geometry' ? Like the Null DC settings ?

I was thinking about the Extra Geometry Null DC setting,
Everything in the 4:3 screen area renders normally but everything in the 'Extra Geometry area clips in and out'
It would be interesting to find the command that applys the 100% view to 4:3 and change it to encompass the E.G Widescreen areas.

would these codes work with the NullDC cheater (if it is different from extra geom)

Yes you will still get the pop in. This is also being worked on

As for NullDC cheater, don't bother, just use the nulldc settings themselves

[shengoro86]

Would love this widescreen mod in the Japanese versions.

Well we now have the codes for it so who knows?

[shengoro86]

UPDATE:
I'm done and no longer going to work on this.

[Anthony817]

After reading what he said on the other threads I can see why. Shame really, lets hope a method is found eventually.

[Upper Dave]

I dont really understand HOW these codes work .. does it show 'Extra Geometry' ? Like the Null DC settings ?


would these codes work with the NullDC cheater (if it is different from extra geom)

Yes they work in NullDC cheater. Tested by myself. I also found similar codes (such as changing the camera's position behind Ryo, changing the zoom, etc.

As for how it works, it just narrows / stretches the screen (not the HUD, just the 3D areas) depending on which values you put in. By doing it to the exact right amount, it negates the widescreen stretch.