Cheats in SMS/MD emulators

deusxm

Does anyone know if there's a way of enabling cheats in either Picodrive or Genesis-Plus-GX? I've tried enabling them through the retroarch menu but I understand there's issues with both these emulators and I specifically don't want to use DGEN if I can avoid it.

deusxm

Hate to be 'that guy', but umm, * bump *

Can anyone help please?

Rion

@deusxm

Easy method. Download Latest retroarch and update cheat database.

Create a folder inside "/home/pi/RetroPie/" named "cheats"

Copy the content of the cheat folder from retroarch inside that folder.

Open the retroarch.cfg file and find this line

# Path to cheat database directory.
# cheat_database_path =

Change to

# Path to cheat database directory.
cheat_database_path = /home/pi/RetroPie/cheats/

When running a game bring up the retroarch GUI with hotkey+x and enable cheats from there.

deusxm

@Rion Cheers but I think the problem's actually something separate. I've got no problems with the emulator 'seeing' the cheats or reading from the database - it's just that when they are enabled, the emulator doesn't actually seem to process them.

They work just fine in lr-SNES9x-Next for SNES games, but I've read online that there is a specific problem with both the Sega emulators not working with cheats - but no-one seems to know why or how to resolve it.

Karoi

@Rion How do I download the latest RetroArch? And how do I update the Cheat Database? Do I do this via SSH on my Raspberry Pi 3? Thanks in advance.

Rion

@Karoi said in Cheats in SMS/MD emulators:

@Rion How do I download the latest RetroArch? And how do I update the Cheat Database? Do I do this via SSH on my Raspberry Pi 3? Thanks in advance.

No just download Retroarch from here

Karoi

@Rion Thanks but I still don't get it. And I'm not that stupid (I think). Thanks for helping though.

Rion

@Karoi said in Cheats in SMS/MD emulators:

@Rion Thanks but I still don't get it. And I'm not that stupid (I think). Thanks for helping though.

You need to connect to your pi with for example winscp.

Also enable root.

deusxm

@Rion Wouldn't it make WAY more sense to follow the usual Retropie update procedure? https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/Updating-RetroPie

Or does this somehow NOT update the cores as you suggest?

Rion

@deusxm said in Cheats in SMS/MD emulators:

@Rion Wouldn't it make WAY more sense to follow the usual Retropie update procedure? https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/Updating-RetroPie

Or does this somehow NOT update the cores as you suggest?

Retropie is is built upon Libretto/retroarch.
Updating cores and cheat database is something you do on the desktop side.

So again. Install latest retroarch on you PC/Mac/Linux. Update the cheat database and copy over the folder content like i described before.

deusxm

So you're telling me that the specific menu and updater system included in Retropie doesn't update the underlying Retroarch and cores?

What on earth does it do then?

And are you also suggesting that the GUI menu option when within an emulator core, that's marked Update Cheats (which then downloads and installs the cheat database), doesn't install the cheats?

I've got the cheats. They just don't seem to switch on specifically in either of the primary Sega emulators.

Rion

@deusxm said in Cheats in SMS/MD emulators:

So you're telling me that the specific menu and updater system included in Retropie doesn't update the underlying Retroarch and cores?

What on earth does it do then?

And are you also suggesting that the GUI menu option when within an emulator core, that's marked Update Cheats (which then downloads and installs the cheat database), doesn't install the cheats?

I've got the cheats. They just don't seem to switch on specifically in either of the primary Sega emulators.

I may have misspoke, what I meant is Retropie is built upon Retroarch and therefore you don't update the cores in the retroarch gui. You update them from binary or source using the Retropie setup script.

It sounded like @Karoi was a little bit inexperienced and I wanted to take the easy route by just making a cheat folder and then transferring the cheats to that folder.

So you say that if you use the retroarch gui it will download the cheats to the pi? But where does it save them?

You are mentioning that the cheats don't work for Sega emulators, have you tried any other system? If they also don't work maybe it's a permission issue? Or maybe a bug in the libretto core for Sega?

deusxm

@Rion Ah, understood - yes, I was referring to the setup script.

I don't have my screen in front of me here to talk through exactly how the cheats are downloaded but from memory, once you press the menu hotkey to open the GUI, there is an option for 'Settings', which then leads to 'Update', and an option to 'update cheats' - this then downloads the cheats to the folder you outline.

When I want to activate cheats, I again press the menu hotkey, and IIRC, the first menu option is something like Quick Menu. There's then an option to enable core cheats. At the moment, I have to manually load the cheats file (the GUI opens the cheat folder, I can then choose the appropriate console name and then have to manually scroll through to find the appropriate cheat file).

That then gives me the standard cheat menu where you can specify the number of cheat passes, plus a full list of all cheats, which can then be enabled or disabled as desired.

For all the other system emulators, enabling the cheats and applying the changes does indeed enable the cheats (works absolutely fine in lr-snes9x-next, for instance). However, neither of of the Sega emulators seem to enable the cheats and a quick hunt around online suggests that I'm not the only one to encounter this specific problem.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroPie/comments/3kthv6/having_lots_of_trouble_trying_to_get_cheats_to/

I guess I'm sorta puzzled as to whether it's an issue with the specific implementation of the Sega emulators within Retropie, or whether this is actually a universal bug in the libretro core. If it's a universal bug, I'd be a bit surprised since it seems to have been a known issue for at least 7 months.

I guess a simple poll is a good idea - who has successfully enabled cheats in either lr-picodrive or Genesis-Plus-GX?

Rion

@deusxm said in Cheats in SMS/MD emulators:

I guess I'm sorta puzzled as to whether it's an issue with the specific implementation of the Sega emulators within Retropie, or whether this is actually a universal bug in the libretro core. If it's a universal bug, I'd be a bit surprised since it seems to have been a known issue for at least 7 months.

The only thing i can find is here but that's for android but it should be the same because its the same core.

No Bug posted on libretro github.

Picodrive GitHub
Genesis-Plus-GX GitHub

Maybe you should post your findings there so that it will be addressed, because it clearly sound like a bug in the libretro cores?

PetroRie

I'm having the same problem here. My cheats work in NES, SNES and PSX emulator. It has to be the Genesis emulator. Lr-FBA-Next has the same issue.

sega guru

@deusxm I found a way to enable cheats on Genesis-Plus-GX . Download a sega genesis pro- action replay rom the only one I got to work was a Europe version make sure your game rom is a Europe version as well. I have the retropie 3 so wi fi is enabled. Go to your pc , open file exployer and click network your pc will recognize your retropie right click and open. Now open your bios folder and add your pro-action replay rom to it this will actually act as the bios for the action replay . You may not have to but I restarted emulation station went to my sega mega drive emulator chose the game I wanted (again make sure its a Europe rom) I chose the Genesis-Plus-GX because I couldn't find a way to make Picodrive work. Soon as I started game I went to RetroArch in game menu clicked on quick game menu scroll down and choose options in this menu on your cartridge lock-on which will initially be disabled change that to action replay( pro ) now go back go to cheats click on cheat file load and scroll down to genesis and choose pro action replay then find your game cheat and enable the cheat(turn on) then apply cheat changes. Go back chose restart than resume your game will start with cheat you chose!!!

wetriner

I'm not really sure what's going on with lr-genesis-plus-gx, but I got Batman on megadrive/genesis on working with cheats without changing the core option to cartridge lock-on the action replay(pro) or putting the Action Replay rom into the bios. Just by loading the game, loading cheats, applying cheats, reseting, and it worked. I did have to go through quite a few games to find one that did work, however.

In the code for lr-genesis-plus-gx, it has implementation for a file called areplay.bin to serve as a bios. Found here. So I'd imagine if it is actually using it for megadrive/genesis, that's what it would have to be named.

In the lr-picodrive code, the retroarch cheat functionality doesn't seem to have been implemented thus far. Found a TODO note here.

sega guru

I was messing around with Genesis- Plus-GX and believe it or not I chose action replay and typed in a genesis game genie code and it worked it was an official code and it doesn't matter what game cheat you choose on a genesis rom it went through!...

sega guru

I started sonic the hedgehog chose Sega Genesis chose Pro Action replay picked a cheat from another game but didn't turn it on just inputed game genie code for infinite lives restarted and resumed and code went through then when you exit out of emulater go back to game check your codes there still the same , so you can actually look up codes and input them and they will work....very strange.

sega guru

I think instead of choosing cheats retronarch gave us im gonna input cheats myself and see how this works.