Difference between revisions of "GCNrd v1.10b Installation and User Guide"

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(Known GCNrd bugs)
(Things that will be needed)
 
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* Any of these things listed below which will allow for the loading of GameCube executables (dol files):
 
* Any of these things listed below which will allow for the loading of GameCube executables (dol files):
 
** ''Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II'' (NOT ''PLUS'' or ''III'')
 
** ''Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II'' (NOT ''PLUS'' or ''III'')
** SDload v1.00.
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** SDload: This can be found [http://gshi.org/eh/gcn/sdload.zip here].
** MAX Drive Pro: This can be found [http://tinyurl.com/7pww2 here].
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** MAX Drive Pro: This can be found [http://us.codejunkies.com/support_downloads/maxDrive_PRO_Gamecube_1_1.zip here].
** Samson's AR Bootloader: This can be found [http://tinyurl.com/anlgs here]. The Bootloader requires Action Replay.
+
** Samson's AR Bootloader: Very hard to find. Click [http://web.archive.org/web/20040720103141/http://www.dextrose.com/_forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10256 here] for details. The Bootloader requires Action Replay.
 
** GameCube Modchip & GCOS
 
** GameCube Modchip & GCOS
* PSOload (for PSO and SDload). The 2.0a version can be found [http://www.dextrose.com/index.php?s=4&m=24&f=1721 here]
+
* PSOload (for PSO and SDload). The 2.0a version can be found [http://gshi.org/eh/gcn/psoload.zip here]
* PSUL (for PSO). The 1.1 version can be found [http://www.dextrose.com/index.php?s=4&m=14&f=1696 here].
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* PSUL (for PSO). The 1.1 version.
  
 
===Installation===
 
===Installation===

Latest revision as of 08:14, 11 December 2011

This is a port of the Installation and User guide found on another website. It covers how to set up GCNrd.

The Guide

Things that will be needed

  • Broadband adapter for GameCube.
  • Any of these things listed below which will allow for the loading of GameCube executables (dol files):
    • Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II (NOT PLUS or III)
    • SDload: This can be found here.
    • MAX Drive Pro: This can be found here.
    • Samson's AR Bootloader: Very hard to find. Click here for details. The Bootloader requires Action Replay.
    • GameCube Modchip & GCOS
  • PSOload (for PSO and SDload). The 2.0a version can be found here
  • PSUL (for PSO). The 1.1 version.

Installation

To install, unzip all files within each zip to the same directory. For example: C:\GCN\GCNrd\

Setup

To use GCNrd, you must have a broadband adapter (BBA) for your GameCube. You must also have either:

  • 1 free Network Interface Card (NIC) and 1 Cat5 "crossover" cable. If you have all these then connect the hardware: Plug one end of the Cat5 crossover cable to the free (unused by modems, etc) NIC. Plug the other end into the GameCube broadband adapter. Finally, plug the broadband adapter into the bottom of the GameCube as shown in it's instruction manual.
  • 1 free port on a router or network switch (router is highly recommended) and 2 Cat5 "patch" cables. To connect the hardware if you have these: First, your PC must be connected to the router or switch with 1 Cat5 patch cable (Cable-A). Plug one end of the second Cat5 patch cable (Cable-B) into the free router or switch port. Plug the other end of Cable-B into the GameCube broadband adapter. Finally, plug the broadband adapter into the bottom of the GameCube as shown in it's instruction manual.

With the proper network setup, you may continue setting up the software for the network:

You must know your PC's LAN IP address. You can find it using ipconfig.exe on Windows XP and 2000, or winipcfg.exe on Windows 98. ipconfig.exe must be run from cmd \ dos box \ command line \ console window, etc.

Here is an example of what to look for:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

  • Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : uneedspeed.net
  • IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100 <-----
  • Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
  • Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

The GCN's IP address can be anything, so long as the first three octets match exactly the PC's LAN IP address. Open gcnrd.cfg in a text editor and change the "remote" setting to the IP address you want the GameCube to use.

Booting GCNrd from Phantasy Star Online

First, copy psoload.exe or psul.exe into the directory, and rename it to loader.exe. Next, open gcnrdgui.cfg in a text editor and change the "Load" value to 0. Then run GCNrdGUI.exe and it will ask if it should load from PSO. Tell it yes, and start PSO. Have PSO connect. GCNrd should start up.

Booting from SDload or Samson's Bootloader

Follow the instructions to setup the method you chose. Copy gcnrd.dol to the memory card or SD card. Next, open gcnrdgui.cfg in a text editor and change the "Load" value to 1. Then run GCNrdGUI.exe and it will ask if it should load from memcard. Tell it yes, then launch gcnrd.dol according to the instructions for the method you chose. GCNrd should start up.

Booting from SDload's Network Boot

First, copy psoload.exe into the director. Launch a console window. (Start -> Run -> enter "cmd" for Windows XP / NT / 2K or enter "command" for Windows 9x / ME) Browse to the directory and run "psoload.exe -r gcnrd.dol" Next, open gcnrdgui.cfg in a text editor and change the "Load" value to 1. Then run GCNrdGUI.exe and it will ask if it should load from memcard. Tell it yes, then start SDload:

Setup SDload according to it's instructions. Be sure to include the SDIPDATA.CFG file. Start SDload, and after the "Init BBA" message, you should see a "Network Boot" message. GCNrd will start shortly after.

Using GCNrd

If this is the first time running GCNrd, you will see GCNrd's Network Setup screen on startup. The default options are as follows:

  • Local Address: 000.000.000.000
  • Remote Address: 000.000.000.000
  • BBA Mode: 10mbit HalfDuplex
  • Local Port: 01144
  • Remote Port: 09404
  • Local Debug Port: 01145
  • Remote Debug Port: 09405

Note: Anything labeled "Local" in GCNrd is local to the machine it is running on, and vice versa for "remote". Thus, "Remote Address" in this menu is remote to the GameCube; it is the IP for the PC. Conversely, the "remote" setting in gcnrd.cfg is remote to the PC; it is the IP for the GameCube.

The address settings are for the GameCube and PC IPs, respectively. Set "Local Address" to the same value that is set for the "remote" setting in gcnrd.cfg. Set "Remote Address" to your PC's LAN IP address.

The BBA Mode setting allows for configuration of the GameCube's connection speed. 10mbit modes will be slower, but are more supported among NICs and routers. 100mbit modes are much faster, but somewhat unstable. The HalfDuplex modes are slightly slower, but more reliable. The FullDuplex modes are slightly faster but less reliable.

The port settings should be fine as default, but if they must be changed, (due to conflicts and whatnot) be sure to change them in gcnrd.cfg, gcnrdgui.cfg, debug.bat, and debuglog.bat.

Saving will cause GCNrd to attempt to save to the first available memory card in either slot. Memory card support is not quite finished, so not all cards will work properly.

The Options screen will be accessible from the main menu, it only contains an option to select a different background image. The current time will be displayed in the lower left corner of most screens. It cannot be set or reset by GCNrd.

Starting a Game

Choose "Launch Disc" from the main menu to begin debugging the inserted game disc. If GCNrdGUI.exe is already running (and it should be) it will automatically send the ahook command and start the game. Once the game is up and running, hacking can commence!

Known GCNrd bugs

  • Some games with streaming audio have problems when the game is halted (During searches, breakpoint hits, real-time memory viewing, etc). If these games are halted at certain times, streaming audio, such as music, could be permenently muted or experience stutter.
  • EFB (Embedded FrameBuffer) screenshots will not work most of the time. You will usually only dump pure black screenshots. When EFB screenshots are successful, they will come out much better than the XFB (External FrameBuffer) dumps.
  • Putting garbage into the config file can cause crashes or undesired effects. Do not use a config file until after looking at it in a text editor to ensure it will not crash the GCNrd client.
  • Sometimes when dumping memory, the client will report that invalid packet data has been received. There is nothing I can do to solve this problem, for now.
  • Very nasty bug with breakpoint support. An example: If using the step feature up to address 80011224, DO NOT set a BPX on address 80011228 or 8001122C. It will cause the breakpoint handler to hang the game. This is unrecoverable.

Known GCNrdGUI Bugs

  • Do not place GCNrdGUI in a path with a directory containing a period. (Example of bad path: C:\GCN\GCNrd_v1.10b\)
  • The GUI can get confused about when to pause / run the game. Something it will run when it should pause, and vice versa.


Compatability issues

  • In some very RARE cases, the game will fail to load or save to the memory card. If this happens, just try again, and it should work.
  • Some games will not boot at all (SSX 3, Resident Evil 4, etc.) The problem appears to be related to how games manage and allocate memory.
  • Other games such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pacman World 2 hang during specific parts of the game, such as during the loading screens. This problem also appears to be related to memory management.

External Links