How To Dump Neo Geo Grafx For Gngeo

[Vince2501]

For massive files...

I all ready have dumps of SVC Chaos, and Metal Slug 3 and 5. But I'm looking on how to do a dump on the handful of titles that still cannot be played (and are my personal favorites) such as Sengoku 3, Metal Slug 4 and X, KOF2K3, Last Blade 2, and Garou: Mark Of The Wolves.

 

[Manjuu]

Well my advice is to just search and download the ROM sets with dumps for GnGeo2x. It saves you from the trouble of making them compatible to GnGeo2x, as it's quite a hassle and complicated for some of the games.

(Not all games require a graphics dump, only the larger ones.)

If you really want to dump them yourself (like me ), then here are some of the things you should do:

- Make sure the ROM sets you have do not contain dummy C files to be able to dump correctly.
- Some games have encrypted C files, you need to decrypt them first. Either find them or use tools to dump the decrypted C files such as Kawaks and FinalBurn Alpha Plus.
- You also need the S1 files that are created when dumping decrypted C files.
- Some games (the later ones) also have encrypted M, V, & P files, so you need to find or get them decrypted or descrambled as well.
- Make sure that the ROM sets & their files match (filename, filesize, & number of files) the rom.rc of GnGeo2x in order to be able to dump. You can either rename them or edit the rom.rc to match them.
- Depending on what version of GnGeo2x you are using, you can dump them as .gfx or .gzx (the latter is much smaller, but requires beta 14).
- You can dump them using the dumping tools of GnGeo2x. dumpgfx (you can search for it) to get .gfx files or dumpgzx (found in gngeo32_0.7a-beta1) for .gzx files.
- If you use the lower versions of GnGeo2x, it can dump the .gfx (if it is missing) within the GP2X, but make sure to have enough free space. (I forgot what the last version that supported this feature was)

Take note though, even after doing all these, some ROMs just don't work and are incompatible.


EDIT: For more information on how to properly set up ROM files, go to this thread.

 

[Vince2501]

My apologies, I just discovered that GnGeo automatically does dumping, and pretty well so far. Any idea as to the best settings should be with sound?

 

[Alghazanth]

I've also messed around to dump gfx packs and ı can swear I did it correctly ; for multiple games and multiple times ; but for some reson games always kept going back to gmenu2x after loading.

Then gave up and downloaded a pack of games with their gfx dumped and all set up to play from torrent and works like a charm now

About auto dumping though ; is it possible ? I mean can you really just put kof2000 to roms dir and run it ?

 

[Manjuu]

My apologies, I just discovered that GnGeo automatically does dumping, and pretty well so far. Any idea as to the best settings should be with sound?

GnGeo2x does dumping on the lower versions, but not all games can be dumped correctly using this method. As I mentioned before, some games are decrypted or does not match the one GnGeo2x wants. So my advice still stands, just search and download the compatible ROM sets with dumps to save you the hassle of making them compatible.

Well I use the following settings:

- Activate Sound @ 11kHz
- Deactivate (by default) Raster
- Activate craigix's RAM Timing
- Auto Reload GUI

(There are other settings I tweak, but not performance related)

(Overclocking the CPU Speed also increases the performance, but I leave mine @ 200MHz)

I should mention that I'm using the beta 14 version which utilizes the second cpu and can use the gzx dumps. I pretty much get 60 FPS on the games I play, but I do get hiccups and slowdowns when the SD card is accessed. But it seems you are using a lower version (if it's beta 11, then it also uses the second cpu), so I'm not sure how well some games run.

 

[Manjuu]

About auto dumping though ; is it possible ? I mean can you really just put kof2000 to roms dir and run it ?

I think you are thinking of a different kind of auto-dumping. The one GnGeo2x does (the lower versions) is dumping the graphics into a gfx file (when it detects it is missing) before it can play the larger games, but I think the one you are asking is if it can do on-the-fly dumping while you are playing a game. Although some games (the smaller ones) do not require gfx dumps, so you can just run them.

 

[Vince2501]

Thanks. I would download these roms pre-set with the dumps, but a torrent site seemingly refuses to seed a specific torrent any further.

One thing I've noticed in my version of GnGeo, that in-game whenever I hold down the shoulder buttons and select and go to that save/load/exit menu and do anything in it, the whole unit freezes.

One other thing: What is the best emulator for the PC Engine? I really want to get Dracula X on my unit.

 

[Manjuu]

One thing I've noticed in my version of GnGeo, that in-game whenever I hold down the shoulder buttons and select and go to that save/load/exit menu and do anything in it, the whole unit freezes.

One other thing: What is the best emulator for the PC Engine? I really want to get Dracula X on my unit.

I can't really say much about the freezing, as I don't experience it anymore. It must be due to the different versions of GnGeo2x we are using. Back when I was using a lower version, I did experience freezing when I exit. I was able to get rid of the problem by using a more updated version.

Sorry, I can't help you with the PC Engine, as I have not bothered yet to play PC Engine games. I will definitely do so in the future, but not right now as I have tons of other stuff to play with.

 

[Vince2501]

Hey, I found that dos program that can dump NeoGeo Grafx files, how do I use it? Could someone perhaps PM me with more recent rom dumps? I have Metal Slug 1, 2, 3, and 5, and only need X and 4 to be at least content with it.

 

[Manjuu]

Hey, I found that dos program that can dump NeoGeo Grafx files, how do I use it?

Yes, that would be the dumpgfx or dumpgzx I mentioned above.

You just drag-and-drop a ROM set over the dumpgfx.exe or dumpgzx.bat, and it will dump the graphics.

If it fails to do so (does not output a graphics dump), it would mean that the ROM set you are trying to dump does not match the one found in the rom.rc file.

You either rename the ROM files or edit the rom.rc to match each other (filename, filesize, number of files).

Take note of the filesize of the dump. If it is too small, it would mean that the ROM set contains dummy C files.

(Make sure the changes in the rom.rc are also duplicated on the rom.rc in the GP2X. Otherwise it will fail to load properly.)

When you finally dumped the graphics & test it, but it displays garbage, it would mean that the ROM set contained encrypted C files.

(Some ROM sets also contain encrypted M, V, & P files, which can cause the loading to fail.)

For more information on how to properly set up ROM files, go to this thread.