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How come some alternate version dumps are like completly identical, I mean look at Hokuto no ken. there is an alternate version of that(and I don't mean black belt) I is marked with (a)
I noticed this with some others too.

"Nine out of Ten british house wives can't tell the difference between Sega Master System, and this dead crab"

Quote

> How come some alternate version dumps are like completly identical, I mean look at Hokuto no ken. there is an alternate version of that(and I don't mean black belt) I is marked with (a)
> I noticed this with some others too.

There are only two known alternate versions of Hokuto no ken (indicated in the MEKA.NAM file), and they are certainly not identical! Zoop may know more about this, but one ([B]) has the Sega Mark III bumper and appears to have been dumped from the real Hokuto no ken cartridge, while the other ([A]) has a different bumper and lacks the Sega copyright messages. It's probably a hack of some kind, dumped from a Game Gear or Mega Drive pirate cartridge.

Secondly, beware of "alternate versions" listed by old versions of GoodSMS. This used to have very inaccurate information and would often list bad dumps as alternate versions! (The current version is greatly improved in this respect.)

Thirdly, just because a ROM is an alternate version doesn't mean there are going to be visible cosmetic or gameplay differences. The later version may just fix a couple of bugs or change something very subtle. Take Space Harrier (US/Europe) and Space Harrier (Japan) - they appear identical, even though the ROMs are different.

I personally think it's important to document the alternate versions and variations of all the ROMs available. Judging by the number I've found on cursory investigation, there are probably still an awful lot of alternate versions out there waiting to be found and dumped.

Mike

SMSReader Project

I've noticed that a lot of sites carry ROMs marked "bad dump." What's the deal with that?

Is it just laziness on their part or is ther actually some reason for keeping those things around?

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Quote

> > How come some alternate version dumps are like completly identical, I mean look at Hokuto no ken. there is an alternate version of that(and I don't mean black belt) I is marked with (a)
> > I noticed this with some others too.

>
> There are only two known alternate versions of Hokuto no ken (indicated in the MEKA.NAM file), and they are certainly not identical! Zoop may know more about this, but one ([B]) has the Sega Mark III bumper and appears to have been dumped from the real Hokuto no ken cartridge, while the other ([A]) has a different bumper and lacks the Sega copyright messages. It's probably a hack of some kind, dumped from a Game Gear or Mega Drive pirate cartridge.

> Secondly, beware of "alternate versions" listed by old versions of GoodSMS. This used to have very inaccurate information and would often list bad dumps as alternate versions! (The current version is greatly improved in this respect.)

> Thirdly, just because a ROM is an alternate version doesn't mean there are going to be visible cosmetic or gameplay differences. The later version may just fix a couple of bugs or change something very subtle. Take Space Harrier (US/Europe) and Space Harrier (Japan) - they appear identical, even though the ROMs are different.

> I personally think it's important to document the alternate versions and variations of all the ROMs available. Judging by the number I've found on cursory investigation, there are probably still an awful lot of alternate versions out there waiting to be found and dumped.

>
> Mike

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> I've noticed that a lot of sites carry ROMs marked "bad dump." What's the deal with that?

Back in the day, the GoodXXX tools would list those as "wanted" roms. Nowadays they're omitted.

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> Is it just laziness on their part or is ther actually some reason for keeping those things around?

Laziness.

Maxim

Author	Message
Spanky Guest	Hey Zoop answer me a reaaaaaly good one! Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2001 7:21 am
Spanky Guest	How come some alternate version dumps are like completly identical, I mean look at Hokuto no ken. there is an alternate version of that(and I don't mean black belt) I is marked with (a) I noticed this with some others too. "Nine out of Ten british house wives can't tell the difference between Sega Master System, and this dead crab"

Mike G Joined: 21 Apr 2000 Posts: 598 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England	Alternate versions Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2001 11:17 am
	Quote > How come some alternate version dumps are like completly identical, I mean look at Hokuto no ken. there is an alternate version of that(and I don't mean black belt) I is marked with (a) > I noticed this with some others too. There are only two known alternate versions of Hokuto no ken (indicated in the MEKA.NAM file), and they are certainly not identical! Zoop may know more about this, but one ([B]) has the Sega Mark III bumper and appears to have been dumped from the real Hokuto no ken cartridge, while the other ([A]) has a different bumper and lacks the Sega copyright messages. It's probably a hack of some kind, dumped from a Game Gear or Mega Drive pirate cartridge. Secondly, beware of "alternate versions" listed by old versions of GoodSMS. This used to have very inaccurate information and would often list bad dumps as alternate versions! (The current version is greatly improved in this respect.) Thirdly, just because a ROM is an alternate version doesn't mean there are going to be visible cosmetic or gameplay differences. The later version may just fix a couple of bugs or change something very subtle. Take Space Harrier (US/Europe) and Space Harrier (Japan) - they appear identical, even though the ROMs are different. I personally think it's important to document the alternate versions and variations of all the ROMs available. Judging by the number I've found on cursory investigation, there are probably still an awful lot of alternate versions out there waiting to be found and dumped. Mike SMSReader Project

Sweater Fish Deluxe and O Guest	Okay, then what about "bad dumps"? Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2001 4:32 am
Sweater Fish Deluxe and O Guest	I've noticed that a lot of sites carry ROMs marked "bad dump." What's the deal with that? Is it just laziness on their part or is ther actually some reason for keeping those things around? --------- Quote > > How come some alternate version dumps are like completly identical, I mean look at Hokuto no ken. there is an alternate version of that(and I don't mean black belt) I is marked with (a) > > I noticed this with some others too. > > There are only two known alternate versions of Hokuto no ken (indicated in the MEKA.NAM file), and they are certainly not identical! Zoop may know more about this, but one ([B]) has the Sega Mark III bumper and appears to have been dumped from the real Hokuto no ken cartridge, while the other ([A]) has a different bumper and lacks the Sega copyright messages. It's probably a hack of some kind, dumped from a Game Gear or Mega Drive pirate cartridge. > Secondly, beware of "alternate versions" listed by old versions of GoodSMS. This used to have very inaccurate information and would often list bad dumps as alternate versions! (The current version is greatly improved in this respect.) > Thirdly, just because a ROM is an alternate version doesn't mean there are going to be visible cosmetic or gameplay differences. The later version may just fix a couple of bugs or change something very subtle. Take Space Harrier (US/Europe) and Space Harrier (Japan) - they appear identical, even though the ROMs are different. > I personally think it's important to document the alternate versions and variations of all the ROMs available. Judging by the number I've found on cursory investigation, there are probably still an awful lot of alternate versions out there waiting to be found and dumped. > > Mike

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 14751 Location: London	Re: Okay, then what about "bad dumps"? Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2001 8:03 pm
	Quote > I've noticed that a lot of sites carry ROMs marked "bad dump." What's the deal with that? Back in the day, the GoodXXX tools would list those as "wanted" roms. Nowadays they're omitted. Quote > Is it just laziness on their part or is ther actually some reason for keeping those things around? Laziness. Maxim

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