Sega ScreenGopher Manuel utilisateur

GopherSoft, 2012

E-mail: [email protected]

WWW: http://screengopher.freehosting.com/eng/index.html

ScreenGopher

User Manual

ScreenGopher – User Manual

Sega Gopher is 16 bit handheld, being produce since 2007. At first, it was

known as Sega Mega Drive Handheld. Using it, you can play games, that was

originally made for Sega Mega Drive.

Initially it was planned to sell this handheld only on Chinese market, but

becoming popular (due to popularity of Sega Mega Drive and its games), this

console was exported to USA, Russia, Europe and other countries.

The handheld is equipped with an slot for SD-card, which contains user’s

games (ROMS). Console can run this ROMs like original cartridges. Also, there is

a modified version of handheld, equipped with IR-port for wireless controllers.

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_gopher

Popular online encyclopedia

Sega Gopher is an excellent present both for children and people who still

remember those sleepless nights, spent playing Sega Genesis console.

Sega Gopher handheld is equipped with an original Genesis chip, licenced

by Sega company. At present, Sega Gopher is the only licenced game console,

based on original Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).

http://segamd.ru/

Official Sega Gopher dealer in Russia

ScreenGopher – User Manual

Contents

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………….

2. Brief overview of MDB.DAT file structure………………………………….

2.1

Using the MDB.DAT file……………………………………...…………

3. Using the program…..……………………………………………………….

3.1 Game list….………………………………………………………………

3.2 Editing game……………………………………………………………..

3.2.1 About game names………………….……………………………….

3.2.2 Pasting/loading pictures………..……………………………………

3.2.3 Picture formats………………………..……………………………..

3.3 Additional features of the program………….………………………….

3.3.1 Rapid image import…………….…………………………………..

3.3.2 Rapid file list import…………….…………………………………

3.3.3 Record export………………………………………………………

3.3.4 Copying the image…….…………………………………………...

3.3.5 Copying game name……...………………………………………...

3.4 Saving file………..……………………………………………………..

3.5 Brief «how-to» algorithm of creating MDB.DAT

from the start………………………………………………………..…..

4. Program registration (activation)……..…………………………………….

4.1 Registration form (request form)………………………………………..

4.2 Payment size and services………..……………………………………..

4.3 Free registration (activation)……………………………………………

4.4 Re-registration process………...………………………………………..

5. Additional information……………………………………………………...

5.1 Contacts...……………………………………………………………….

5.2 Handheld’s clones.………………………………………………………

5.3 Links……………..…………………………………………………...…

ScreenGopher – User Manual

1. Introduction

ScreenGopher is a software for Microsoft Windows ® (2000/XP/Vista/7

editions) made for assigning your own pictures in game select menu (from SD-

card) for Sega Gopher (sometimes known as Blaze or something else) (see also

sect. 2). It is an undocumented feature, but it wouldn’t do harm for your handheld

in any way – it is completely safe.

The main point is an MDB.DAT file – special file, containing pictures,

assigned with game names (by filename). Learn more about this file in sect. 2 –

2.1.

All this word can be illustrated with these photos:

Fig. 1. Preview picture for built-in games.

ScreenGopher – User Manual

Fig. 3. No preview pictures for user’s games (ROMs), uploaded to SD-card.

Fig. 4. Result of using MDB.dat file – presence of pictures for user’s games

(ROMs) on SD-card.

Note: originally, MDB.DAT file could only be found at rare SD-cards,

selling with pre-installed games for Sega Gopher. A little later it became

known which games it was oriented for (a 913 records file is widely spread and

well known). Downloading this file from our site

http://screengopher.freehosting.com/eng/downloads.html/ you can learn this

games list. However, most of its pictures were not satisfying – among them were a

lot of pictures showing garbage or non-informative stuff. ScreenGopher is made to

solve this problem. Since internal structure of MDB.DAT file was understood it

became possible to oneself to organize game list and to assign desired pictures.

So, who and what for is interested in this program?

1. For parents, whose children can’t read and have some problems

navigating menu by game names.

2. Enthusiasts and amateurs, that wish to create their own and unique game

collection for handheld (which are not present in «standard» version of MDB.DAT

file).

3. For people unsatisfied with «standard» MDB.DAT file, especially with its

pictures’ quality (because of their low information value).

4. For people, having any other troubles with navigating in menu.

ScreenGopher – User Manual

2. Brief overview of MDB.DAT file structure

As it was mentioned before, MDB.DAT file contains records about pictures,

assigned to user’s filenames. Files are user’s games (ROMs), with following

extensions: .gen or .bin., uploaded to SD-card.

Schematically, this structure can be represented by following table:

Table 1. MDB.DAT file structure

Game names (filenames) Сопоставленные изображения

Game1 Picture1

Game2 Picture2

... ...

GameN PictureN

Note 1 to table 1: game names may not match the shown above template. It

is just an example. Learn more in sect. 3.2.1 about naming games in MDB.DAT

file.

Note 2 to table 1: game names (text records) in MBD.DAT file should

correspond with filenames of games, uploaded to SD-card.

Note 3 to table 1: games may be placed in non-alphabetical (however, the

feature of sorting is implemented in this program and can be called from menu). If

presence of two same records occurs, the handheld will take picture from the last

of them.

2.1 Using the MDB.DAT file

No matter if you took «standard» MDB.DAT file or made it with the help of

ScreenGopher, it is necessary to do the following:

1. Copy this file to X:\GAME (instead of X the letter of your SD-card is

meant) folder, containing user’s games (ROMs).

2. Rename files (ROM-files with .gen or .bin extensions) corresponding to

records in MDB.DAT file.

For example, if your MDB.DAT file contains 3 records: «Aladdin»,

«SonicTheHedgehog» and «EarthwormJim», the folder X:\GAME have to

be filled, besides MDB.DAT file, with the following files: «Aladdin.gen»,

«SonicTheHedgehog.gen», «EarthwormJim.gen» (or with .bin extension). After

that, while selecting a game in menu you will see a picture for each of this games,

like it was shown on fig. 4.

ScreenGopher – User Manual

3. Using the program

ScreenGopher’s main window is presented with the following figure:

Fig. 5. Main window.

It consists of two parts: one is for maintaining game list (on the left) and the

second is for editing selected game (on the right). The record, containing the pair

«gamename + assigned picture», is meant as «game». Also, there is a menu bar.

3.1 Game list:

One can add new games to this list (its capacity is potentially limited by

200.000 pcs.), remove them (by one or all at the time), change their order (this

operation have no result in handheld’s performance).

To add the game, one has to: click button «Add game» (or the same menu

item). New Game will appear at the end of the list, named «NewGame». After that,

one can edit this record.

The same happens after button «Insert game» is clicked, except that game

doesn’t go to the end of list, but appear above selected one.

To delete some game, user has to choose «Yes» in the following dialog:

ScreenGopher – User Manual

Fig. 6. Game delete confirmation.

The same happens when the «Clear list» button is pushed:

Fig. 7. All games delete confirmation.

To change games order,one has to use four button, placed at the right border

of the list – . User can move a record to the top or to the bottom of

list, and to move by one position up or down.

3.2 Editing game:

User can name the game (learn more about game names at sect. 3.2.1) and

assign a picture for the game being edited (learn more about assigning pictures in

sect. 3.2.2 – 3.2.3).

The editing process starts automatically after selecting game in list. After all

changes, one has to push «Save game» button.

3.2.1 About game names

While naming games in MDB.DAT file, one has to follow some rules:

1. The following symbols are allowed:

•Latin alphabet symbols (without umlauts): A-Z, a-z;

•Signs: ~ ` ! @ # $ % ^ ( ) - + = _ ' ; , [ ] { } space;

•Digits: 0-9.

2. The dot and national symbols are NOT allowed (Spanish, Chinese, etc.).

Erroneously entered names would be automatically corrected (illegal symbols

would be deleted).

3. Recommended number of symbols is 18 (the rest symbols are not shown

by console due to its screen constraints). Maximal length of name is 55.

ScreenGopher – User Manual

4. Starting letter must be capital and must not be a digit.

Though space is allowed in game names, one should remember, that console

formats names after following principle: uato spaces are inserted before

every Capital letter, except the first one. So, the name «SonicTheHedgehog» will

be converted to «Sonic The Hedgehog». If you put your own spaces you will have

them doubled.

3.2.2 Pasting/loading pictures

User can assign any beforehand made picture to any game. To do this, one

have to push «Load…» button, placed below image, click corresponding menu

item or paste it from clipboard.

3.2.3 Picture formats:

1. User can load picture with one of the following formats (only these

formats!):

•BMP (Windows Bitmap);

•GIF (Graphics Interchange Format);

•JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group);

•PNG (Portable Network Graphics).

2. Picture’s resolution is strictly set to 120 x 112 px (width x height). The

less size is not allowed and the bigger picture would be cropped.

3. Recommended amount of colors in image is 64 or less. If there are more

colors in picture, it would be quantized (converted) automatically by built-in

algorithm. Its result is worse than the Adobe Photoshop’s one, but still is quite

satisfying. So, use Adobe Photoshop in case you’re not satisfied with the result.

Note: if picture is made from Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game’s screenshot

(with the help of an emulator), in almost every case it’s not necessary to worry

about picture’s colors amount (it’s already optimized due to original console

restrictions – simultaneously shown colors must not exceed the number of 64 ).

User have only to take care about picture’s size (ScreenGopher have no built-in

image resize features) by using one the graphic editors: Adobe Photoshop, Paint,

ACDSee, etc).

Thus, while manually one-by-one creating the game list (and while editing

the existing one or «standard» one), one should follow the below algorithm:

1. Add new record (with default name «NewGame»)

2. Enter new name for added record (game)

3. Assign a picture (using any available in ScreenGopher technique)

4. Save the changes («Save game» button)

ScreenGopher – User Manual

3.3 Additional features of the program

The program features are not limited to ones, listed above. An additional

features can be found in menu bar. Among them there are:

3.3.1 Rapid image import

For speeding up the process of image assigning there is a tool, that can take

all image files in specified folder and to add them to the game list by name,

simultaneously assigning the pictures. To use this great feature, one has to prepare

a folder with only graphic files (meeting sect. 3.2.1 rules), which filenames will

correspond to filenames of desired games (planned to add) and to select

corresponding menu item (File \ Image import):

Fig. 8. Image import.

After these actions, the process of import will be started (with naming games

according to image filenames):

Fig. 9. Processing import.

This feature dramatically speed up the process of creating MDB.DAT for

oneself. Duration of import process depends on number of files and its colors

amount.

3.3.2 Rapid file list import

For simplification of process of creation of game list, one can use a file list

import tool (by choosing a folder with user’s ROM-files). With this tool it’s not

necessary to spent a lot of time, creating and renaming a record for every game.

Important: filenames of the ROM-files must follow the rules, listed in sect. 3.2.1.

In case of breaking them, such records wouldn’t have assigned pictures at all (with

no harm for the handheld, though).

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