Smartgear and Savegames and Button Mashing

[Guest ekliv]

Hello everybody!

This is my first time posting in this forum, so please, be kind! ;)

I've been using the excellent Smartgear emulator on my Blackjack (i607 version), and it works very well. In fact, I'm almost ready to pay the modest fee for a fully registered version.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to bring up the save function in certain games. In particular, I am having problems with Zelda DX - Link's Awakening, for the Gameboy. In order to save the game, you must simultaneously press A + B + Start + Select. The problem is that only two button presses register at a time, so the game never detects the necessary combination of buttons to save the game.

I've noticed this problem in other emulators, such as masterall's PicoDrive and PocketNester ports, while trying to play certain action games.

My problem with Link's Awakening could easily be solved by a save state function within the Smartgear emulator, but there does not appear to be any such function included in the smartphone version. The web page for Smartgear states that there is an incomplete save state function in the windows version.

For that matter, when I exit from the game to the emulator menu (to experiment with key bindings, etc.), there does not seem to be any way to resume game from the point of exit, as most emulators will allow you to do.

Can anyone suggest a workaround for any of these issues, the foremost of which (in my mind) is the inability to save games which require simultaneous button presses to trigger the save function?

Thank you.

[Guest PolloLoco]

Hello everybody!

This is my first time posting in this forum, so please, be kind! ;)

I've been using the excellent Smartgear emulator on my Blackjack (i607 version), and it works very well. In fact, I'm almost ready to pay the modest fee for a fully registered version.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to bring up the save function in certain games. In particular, I am having problems with Zelda DX - Link's Awakening, for the Gameboy. In order to save the game, you must simultaneously press A + B + Start + Select. The problem is that only two button presses register at a time, so the game never detects the necessary combination of buttons to save the game.

I've noticed this problem in other emulators, such as masterall's PicoDrive and PocketNester ports, while trying to play certain action games.

My problem with Link's Awakening could easily be solved by a save state function within the Smartgear emulator, but there does not appear to be any such function included in the smartphone version. The web page for Smartgear states that there is an incomplete save state function in the windows version.

For that matter, when I exit from the game to the emulator menu (to experiment with key bindings, etc.), there does not seem to be any way to resume game from the point of exit, as most emulators will allow you to do.

Can anyone suggest a workaround for any of these issues, the foremost of which (in my mind) is the inability to save games which require simultaneous button presses to trigger the save function?

Thank you.

The simultaneous button press issue is unique to the phone. On mine, the Verizon XV 6700 - I had to download a special program unique to my phone to run in the background. This enabled simultaneous presses. So if a similar fix is not available for your phone - you're probably out of luck.

Smartgear DOES have a save feature for smartphones. I've used it regularly, though there were some minor bugs on my phone. If I saved between levels, I'd get random sprites and screen corruption upon a reload. It worked flawless between screen transitions however. Saves are not enabled for the trial version.

So - I suspect that you'll probably be happy with a registered version. Good luck.

Edited September 18, 2007 by PolloLoco

[Guest ekliv]

The simultaneous button press issue is unique to the phone. On mine, the Verizon XV 6700 - I had to download a special program unique to my phone to run in the background. This enabled simultaneous presses. So if a similar fix is not available for your phone - you're probably out of luck.

Smartgear DOES have a save feature for smartphones. I've used it regularly, though there were some minor bugs on my phone. If I saved between levels, I'd get random sprites and screen corruption upon a reload. It worked flawless between screen transitions however. Saves are not enabled for the trial version.

So - I suspect that you'll probably be happy with a registered version. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply, Crazy Chicken. What is this special, unique mystery program of which you speak? The more information you can give me about this problem, and its possible solutions (even those originally intended for other phones), the more likely I am to find a workaround for my phone.

You're right about the registered version of Smartgear. I hope there are many updates still to come for this piece of software, but so far I've enjoyed it more than enough to get my ten bucks worth!

[Guest PolloLoco]

Thanks for your reply, Crazy Chicken. What is this special, unique mystery program of which you speak? The more information you can give me about this problem, and its possible solutions (even those originally intended for other phones), the more likely I am to find a workaround for my phone.

You're right about the registered version of Smartgear. I hope there are many updates still to come for this piece of software, but so far I've enjoyed it more than enough to get my ten bucks worth!

Here's the site to the program unique for the 6700. Don't bother trying it on your device, it doesn't even work on other HTC phones. I can't promise that it won't damage yours. If you're a programmer, the author describes how he got around the simultaneous press issue.

http://www.emulamer.com/6700kbfix.html

[Guest ekliv]

Here's the site to the program unique for the 6700. Don't bother trying it on your device, it doesn't even work on other HTC phones. I can't promise that it won't damage yours. If you're a programmer, the author describes how he got around the simultaneous press issue.

http://www.emulamer.com/6700kbfix.html

Yeah, from the description on the site, it definitely sounds like a hardware-specific program. I was hoping there might be some source code to tinker with, but no such luck. I wonder if the simultaneous button press issue for the Blackjack was something deliberately coded into the device, as seemed to be the case for the 6700. Ah well. I guess it is possible that someone may have already written a piece of software to do something similar for the i60*, but I certainly haven't found it yet, if it exists.

Thanks for the info.