TASEmulators / TASEmulators/BizHawk

[Core Port Req.] Mattel HyperScan from MAME

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Request: New core/port/re-port
Dominant language
C#
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Description

Summary

Although MAME is meant to support Arcade games, It has support for other systems, including the HyperScan. When trying to load MAME's Mattel HyperScan Base ROM into BizHawk's Own MAME Core it loads it for a few seconds before crashing with this error below

Image

But when loading the HyperScan Base ROM into the Libretro MAME Core, It successfully boots to the insert disc screen and you are unable to load any games or booster packs

Image
Merits

The Mattel HyperScan released in 2006, and quickly got a reputation as one of the worst game consoles of all time because of locking game content behind trading cards which you had to scan with the console's trading card scanner which often didn't work properly alongside the console's other hardware, long loading times because of it using CD-ROMs, and the endless operation cost.
But imagine someone doing a TAS of Interstellar Wrestling League for hilarity. I would absolutely adore it.

Technical details

MAME added preliminary support for the HyperScan in 2013.
ArcadeItalia's page for the system
ArcadeItalia search page showing all the games and booster packs for the system

In MAME, The HyperScan Base ROM is the BIOS, where it is needed to load the Game and Booster Pack ROMs. MAME's HyperScan support also doesn't support savestates.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the crash with the Mattel HyperScan Base ROM in BizHawk's own MAME core and compare it with the Libretro MAME core's boot behavior. Trace the existing MAME and Libretro core entry points, then determine the scope needed for the BIOS, game, and booster-pack ROMs. Done means HyperScan boots reliably and its content can be loaded without the reported crash.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
game-dev
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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