no$gba 2.4 review

[mehiffa]

I have just downloaded the new no$gba v2.4 from the homepage at no$gba - nocash gameboy advance emulator and to be honest, i think this was just a joke for some reason. The history notes are as follows...

No$gba v2.4 skinning support and more.

21 March 2007 - version 2.4
- xboo: retested all xboo functions, re-fixed gba-bios dump, faster nds-download
- nds/2d: fixed crash on empty/unallocated extended-obj-palette-slot (spiderman)
- nds/3d/help: added various important notes in polygon light parameters chapter
- nds/3d: recurses directional matrix (as on real nds, instead of gl_normalize)
- nds/3d: skinning support (by soft_mul_vector, instead opengl modelview matrix)
- nds/cart/help: added new info on first 2K of secure area (fixed bytes, crc16)
- nds/gba/xboo: includes cmd/length in checksums (rather than raw data-checksum)
- nds/xboo: get_info shows nds-backup type (chip-id and status-register bits)
- nds/2d: fixed unrotated 512x256/512x512 bitmap sizes (thanks Kevin Keeling)
- nds/dma: prevents dma from accessing tcm (for compatibility with downhill jam)
- nds/xboo: added download NDS-cart from NDS-slot (slow 2 megabytes per minute)
- nds/gba/xboo: splits downloads into small blocks (with block-retry on bad crc)
- nds/cartloader: also accepts already-decrypted-and-destroyed secure-area-id's
- gba/undoc/help: added newly discovered wram-disable bits (4000800h bits 0,5)
- nds/cart: emulates correct nds chip-id size-field in respect to rom-image size
- nds/cart/help: added note on nds-cart chip-id size field (nn+1 megabytes)
- nds/screenshot: supports dual 256x192pix screens (as simple 256x384 bitmap)
- nds/3d: supports keep-old-depth-setting for translucent-polygons (DepthMask)
- nds/3d/rear: supports rear-plane rgba/depth bitmap (killer slow when/if used)
- nds/3d/io: new 8bit write support, fixed 16bit write (accidently out_32_norm)

With the little testing i have done, i have found out that for some reason, rendering layers have become screwed up, with examples in trauma center with parts of the main screen being in the back ground behind the patient (boxes around tools, call button background) and also in spiderman 2, you can only see the background and none of the gameplay, in which of both games and in no$gba2.3d, these things did not happen.

[sigmax]

Exelent news WOW

[Hiei-YYH]

tested mario kart, i saw some problems there too... sometimes the backgrounds just disappear.

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

What did I miss? There is no 2.4......

[Andemon]

Check the link in the first post.
It's out, but so new that it hasn't made it to the site-news yet.

...seems again slightly faster than the old version, or am I just imagining it? Phoenix Wright seems pretty playable now on my old rig.

[babygiant]

Originally Posted by Hiei-YYH

tested mario kart, i saw some problems there too... sometimes the backgrounds just disappear.

it also happens in children of mana

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

Hmm I found it.....not through that site though....it seems close to perfect graphic wise, a black flash now and then, and very few things are still black (movement range in Advance Wars), however Advance Wars Dual Strike has massive improvements. Will check more at a later stage...these releases always come just before I go to bed or my PC as a big task to perform for me like, record a TV show or something....

[RockmanForte]

Try to post the screenshots. It will help a lot rather than read the sentence with the description. Why not ?

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

I thought I said I did not have the time for further testing? anyways I have time again now so im am going to be doing some testing and making some screenshots just now. Ill have em up asap.

[darkmanwe4ever]

that's great! I'm gonna download it right now ^^

[mehiffa]

If anyone is serious about testing games for playability, the group at irc://irc.star-fleet.net/TheGoldCafe contains a database that is always being updated and contains the state of playability of games, and any problems that occur in each gane. We are always in need of serious testers so the help would be appreciated.

[txf]

Well, If anyone cares. I just tried Pokemon D/P, and it runs about the same as before. :/ I just started, so I have'nt got real far, i just left my house actually. But i'm mainly talking about graphics/speed.

[yonizaf]

Final fantasy III DS:
Take a look at that. one is of 2.3d, the other is 2.4. Maybe that's what he meant by 'skinning support'?

[txf]

Yeah, I just tried Nintendogs also. On 2.3d the body of the dogs was missing, but on 2.4 the whole dog was there. So, yeah.

[mehiffa]

While the model rendering has improved, a new layering problem has become pronounced, and though it might be connected or not, some games have been showing either full or partial black screens during gameplay.

[maximumrisk2004]

Hey guys,

I was really excited about the new release, but after i read your comments i am not so sure anymore if that is a good release. Sure its great that many parts from 3D models are better now, but that it goes on the cost for 2D effects isn`t right. I thing I will keep my 2.3d in a seperate folder. I hope the Author will review the 2D code for the next release. And one question, as i read about the changes in the emulator, there stands:
som- nds/xboo: get_info shows nds-backup type (chip-id and status-register bits)
So is there anywhere readable which savetype I have to use for a rom or did i get that wrong?

[emufanatic]

I have problem with : Black screen sometimes (Blinking)

Mario Kart DS
Electroplankton

[RockmanForte]

you mean like lighting problems?

[theguitardood]

I have the character ghosting problem in Children of Mana. It only does it in areas where you use weapons. I'm using 2.3d. You say it does the same thing in 2.4?

[RockmanForte]

Yes and it is called transparency so it is not resolved yet. In the near future it will.