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How to run several problematic GBA ROMs on VisualBoyAdvance **Updated**

Discussion in 'Tutorials' started by Cahos Rahne Veloza, Apr 2, 2008.

  1. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    There is a way for special case games like the Pokemon games to work on VisualboyAdvance.

    All you need are three things:

    1. A copy of the "good" GBA BIOS dump
    [​IMG]

    2. A text configuration file known as vba-over.ini
    [​IMG]

    3. A clean un-hacked/patched copy of a special case GBA ROM

    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OTQ5XSHZ GBA Bios
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/uay5uq vba-over.ini

    Edit:
    Added a vba-over.ini file with modified entries for the Classic NES Series games
    Must have VBA 1.8.0 to make them work correctly.
    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UI858LEI

    First check if your BIOS file is named "gba.rom", in all small letters, without quotes, if not rename it. As soon as you rename it, the file type MAY change, this is normal so don't worry. You put the gba.rom file on your vba's root directory, that is, the folder where you have your vba in.
    [​IMG]

    Run VisualBoyAdvance then go to options > emulator > select BIOS file.
    [​IMG]

    A window should open asking you where the BIOS file is, it can't initially "see" your file so you must type its name, usually by typing the letter "g" it should see your file, now confirm your file. Go again to options > emulator, now check Use BIOS file, & presto!!!

    loony said there were problems getting the file on the link I've posted, but maybe you might get lucky. If you do get it, place that in your vba's root directory & you're done!! Just disable the real time clock setting in vba & let the vba-over.ini file determine which setting is best to make the emulation run smoothly :)

    NOTE:

    The vba-over.ini file solves a lot of game loading problems, not just for Pokemon games. It is a notepad configurations setting text document that you can actually open & view. In it are a list of configurations settings for vba to run specific games, which are listed on it

    *UPDATE* Saturday August 30, 2008, 10:04:16 PM

    Okay, so someone PMed me about this guide. Apparently I forgot one minor detail:

    If you're going to use this method to play games like Pokemon Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire, Dragonball Z Legacy of Goku & the other games this method fixes, make sure you DELETE any existing .sav files associated with said games. For example, like the guy's problem:

    He got VBA & wanted to play Pokemon Emerald, he loads the game then naturally encounters the "The Battery has run dry error". He searched the net (or RomUlation) for a fix, then he comes across this thread. He got the gba.rom BIOS file & vba-over.ini file & did the steps I mentioned. He reloads the game then... White Screen of death!

    I did forgot to mention, in this case you should delete the .sav file VBA created PRIOR to my solution, doing so fixes this problem.

    "What .sav file? I haven't even gotten to play yet *&@#!?", you might ask in rage. Well, as soon as you load a game, VBA (& I guess every other emulator) will create a .sav file for the game (which contains data to the game's save battery functions) if said game needs it, so even if you haven't yet made a "physical" save, the emulator has made one by itself.

    *UPDATED Yet again :) * :

    Okay so I decided to update this thread again for several reasons:

    1. I noticed that several people do not check this thread out first when it comes to making some GBA ROMs run smoothly on VisualBoyAdvance, this is partly because of my bad title for it. Yes because I specified "Pokemon" people normally think that this thread only solved GBA Pokemon ROMs issues, but it doesn't.

    2. I just found out that there is an issue with VisualBoyAdvance version 1.8 beta 3 with regards to one game, this game being "Petz Vet". If you run Petz Vet on version 1.8 beta 3, you will notice that the in-game text dialogues of characters (the text that normally appear on the white text bar below the screen) will not appear. You will hear the text being written but won't see it. The solution is to run the game on VBA version 1.7.2. Other than this VBA 1.8 Beta 3 is your best choice as it runs everything else better than 1.7.2 .

    3. The solution that the vba-over.ini file gives to every version of Boktai 1 & 2 is half-useless. Yes it automatically configures VisualBoyAdvance to recognize the best settings for the Boktai games but it doesn't fix the solar sensor issues. If you run the Boktai games on VBA with the vba-over.ini file solution the game will still crash as it still doesn't detect an active solar sensor. There are two ways to remedy this, one is to download a solar sensor patch in these two links for both Boktai 1 & 2:

    http://bubbz.pocketheaven.com/?system=gba&section=patch_info&patch_id=1045 <- This is for the US Boktai 1 game, sadly there's no patch for the European release.

    http://bubbz.pocketheaven.com/?system=gba&section=patch_info&patch_id=1224 <- This is for the European Boktai 2 game, strange that this time the patch was for the European version, oh well.

    Once you get these patches, apply them onto your ROMs with a patching utility like LunarIPS which you can get here:

    http://www.romhacking.net/utils/240/

    Now if this solution is too complicated for you, you could try option two which is to run these two Boktai games on no$gba2.6a as this emulator has an onboard solar sensor emulator that you can even set depending on how bright or dark you want the sun too be :)

    Another great Update to this tutorial courtesy of TirithRR:

    So anyway, thanks to TirithRR we can now play Classic NES (or the Japanese equivalent FamiCom Mini) series games (in ROM format ofcourse) smoothly on VisualBoyAdvanced with an even better updated vba-over.ini file you can get at this link:

    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UI858LEI

    Thanks for the great tip TirithRR :)

    *UPDATE*

    The PocketHeaven links no longer work, so until we find new links to those patch fixes (& two others) make sure to play the Boktai Games on no$gba instead.


    *UPDATE YET AGAIN!*

    Hey, PocketHeaven's back online!

    So the links to the patch fixes now work again!

    OK, I'll just add the links for the WarioWare Twisted & Yoshi's Topsy-turvy patches here:

    Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (EU) Tilt Sensor patch: http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/bubbz/?system=gba&section=patch_info&patch_id=1212

    Yoshi Topsy Turvy (US) Tilt sensor patch: http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/bubbz/?system=gba&section=patch_info&patch_id=1232

    WarioWare Twisted Tilt sensor patch: http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/bubbz/?system=gba&section=patch_info&patch_id=1231

    EDIT YET AGAIN! :p

    Damn, PocketHeaven's down again :p

    EDIT: Fixed the pictures, download links are still broken though.

    Also get VBA-M instead of VBA as it already comes with a copy of vba-over.ini.
     
  2. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    have you tried googleing the file names? that usually works.
     
  3. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    vba-over.ini file:
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/uay5uq <--- this file removes the need to patch certain games for them to work, just place it on your vba's folder
     
  4. err

    err Well-Known Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get

    Um... I uploaded the GBA BIOS a long time ago...? https://www.romulation.org/forum/index.php/topic,3950.0.html
     
  5. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    I looked at your version of the gba bios file, the one you uploaded is one of the two versions of the bios file that doesn't work fine.

    If only I was able to save my copy DAMN!!

    Anyway the difference is visible once you load a game, in Visualboy Advance. Your bios version sounds chunky & loads the Nintendo logo fast & the final "beep" sound sounds flat. The file I got loads the Nintendo logo quiet slowly & the final "beep" sounds high pitched.

    Also try loading the game "Pocket Professor", when loaded with your bios file, the game reboots, but with the "good" version, the game loads fine.
     
  6. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    EUREKA!!!!!!

    I've finally found THE GOOD gba bios file!!!!

    Now I want to upload it for everyone to use, heck it should be spread all over the net for easy access 'cause as I've said earlier this is the functioning GBA BIOS file, but now I can't decide which file hosting site to put it, I want to put it where it can be accessible for all eternity. The place where I originally found it no longer hosts it, so any good hosting sites you can suggest or can I give it to you so it can be accessible from this site??

    Oh & yes, I do know that double posting is not allowed but since this is such a good news I just got to post it right away & I didn't feel editing my previous post was dramatic enough.
     
  7. anandjones

    anandjones Well-Known Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    Mediafire is always good.
     
  8. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    Do they have that annoying "if no one downloads file x for some time it will be remove from the site rule"?

    If not then I'll put it there for all to get!!!
    :) :) :) :) :) :)
     
  9. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    I think you'll find that most free file hosts do that. If you PM me the links as well as posting them I'll download the files and put them up on my megaupload premium account (never gets deleted)
     
  10. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    This guy's webpage is where I recently found the file:

    http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3721638/GBA_BIOS.ROM

    To make the BIOS file work on an emulator you have to rename it as "gba.rom", without quotations

    Oh yeah I almost forgot, his file is on a torrent.

    If you do plan on uploading them loonylion, I hope you also upload the vba-over.ini file I've linked at my top post, that's also useful.

    Thanks again
    :) :) :) :) :)
     
  11. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get

    gba.rom megaupload: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OTQ5XSHZ

    other file currently not available.
     
  12. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    HUH??

    Current file not available??

    Can't access it or is it missing or you're not interested in uploading it??

    Anyway what's important is the GBA BIOS file atleast now people will have easy access to it
    :) :) :) :) :)
     
  13. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    it said not available when I tried to download.
     
  14. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    I think you have to wait for a few seconds til the download link appears, I tried clicking on the link, after it sends me to sendspace, there's a few second interval then it wil show the download link
     
  15. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    no it said this file is temporarily not available, our staff are working on it.
     
  16. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    That is strange, well anyway I hope this post can be helpful to others in the future!!
    :) :) :) :)

    By the way, I scrapped looking for the NES game genie BIOS since I use FCEUltra as my NES emulator & there's a site that hosts cheat codes specifically for FCEUltra.
    :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
     
  17. casper1910

    casper1910 Well-Known Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    I have the good BIOS file, now how do i use it? heheheh :D
     
  18. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    First check if your BIOS file is named "gba.rom", in all small letters, without quotes, if not rename it. As soon as you rename it, the file type MAY change, this is normal so don't worry. You put the gba.rom file on your vba's root directory, that is, the folder where you have your vba in. Now go to options > emulator > select BIOS file. A window should open asking you where the BIOS file is, it can't initially "see" your file so you must type its name, usually by typing the letter g it should see your file, now confirm your file. Go again to options > emulator, now check Use Bios file, & presto!!!

    Oh & please try getting the vba-over.ini file in this thread, loony said there were problems getting the file on the link I've posted, but maybe you might get lucky. If you do get it, place that in your vba's root directory & you're done!! Just disable the real time clock setting in vba & let the vba-over.ini file determine which setting is best to make the emulation run smoothly :)


    NOTE:

    The vba-over.ini file solves a lot of game loading problems, not just for Pokemon games. It is a notepad configurations setting text document that you can actually open & view. In it are a list of configurations settings for vba to run specific games, which are listed on it :)
     
  19. casper1910

    casper1910 Well-Known Member

    Re: vba-over.ini,gba.rom(GBA BIOS) & NES gg.rom (game genie BIOS), Where to get them

    Thanks for that it's all working :) I had no problems aquiring the .ini file so thats all good.

    Cheers
     
  20. Cahos Rahne Veloza

    Cahos Rahne Veloza The Fart Awakens

    Making special case GBA ROMs like the Pokemon Games Work correctly on VBA

    It's nothing really, just helping out a fellow emulation gamer ;)