Request: Sequential IPS Patching

xMetaRidley · Post by **xMetaRidley** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 2:24 am

I think it would be cool if ZSNES could apply multiple IPS patches at ROM startup instead of just one. I know you can do this manually using an IPS patching tool but I dont like permanently modifying a ROM image.

Basically it would work like this:

ZSNES gets filename of ROM to load
ZSNES checks if soft IPS patching is enabled
If not, it doesnt apply any patches and loads the game, if so, it continues
ZSNES checks directory or zip file for files named like this: "Example Rom Image [!].ips" and "Example Rom Image [!].ips[N]", [N] being a number from 0-9.
IPS0 file would be given top priority and would be patched first, followed by IPS1, IPS2, etc. If there is no .IPS0, it would just apply the .IPS (f there is one). If the sequence is ever broken (example, there is an IPS0 and an IPS2 but no IPS1), it would stop the sequential IPS patching. After the numbered IPS patches, it would apply the remaining .ips file if there is one, or all remaining .ips files if it is in a zip (would be convenient).
If no IPS files are found in the directory of the ROM or the zip containing the ROM, it checks the save directory. Repeat the above check.
After patching is completed, the patched ROM would load.

Joe Camacho · Post by **Joe Camacho** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:23 am

I fail to see any example of these feature really being necesary, could you show us a couple?

Noxious Ninja · Post by **Noxious Ninja** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:31 am

Example: Soft-patching the old SO beta patch and the menu patch.

Aerdan · Post by **Aerdan** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:43 pm

Seiken Densetsu 3 + translation + colour improvement patch.

LobStar · Post by **LobStar** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:53 pm

I love this idea ^_^

AspiringSquire · Post by **AspiringSquire** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:14 pm

LobStar wrote:I love this idea ^_^

I concur; this is a great idea.

It would be perfect for games that have bugfix patches (I'm thinking FF3/FF6), so you can easily choose which fixes you want and change it around to keep more or less of the bugs that were present in the original game—without needing to make a newly patched ROM every time you want to test a different setup.

With this one thing, however, I don't agree:

xMetaRidley wrote:After the numbered IPS patches, it would apply the remaining .ips file if there is one

I think the .ips non-numbered patch should be applied first, so it can be the "main" patch. That makes more sense to me than using the numbered IPS files before one with the actual standard for the file extension.

Clements · Post by **Clements** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:25 pm

Like the idea, but I would suggest the extensions to be .ips, .ip1, .ip2 etc. to fall in line with the save state naming system.

Tallgeese · Post by **Tallgeese** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:17 pm

I too like the idea. The question is, how hard would it be to implement?

Aerdan · Post by **Aerdan** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:39 pm

Clements wrote:Like the idea, but I would suggest the extensions to be .ips, .ip1, .ip2 etc. to fall in line with the save state naming system.

That's a hack, though; MS-DOS only handles the 8.3 'standard'. Now that we're all using Windows or Linux, we really don't need to be encouraging bad habits like that hack.

Tallgeese · Post by **Tallgeese** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:50 pm

Aerdan wrote:
Clements wrote:Like the idea, but I would suggest the extensions to be .ips, .ip1, .ip2 etc. to fall in line with the save state naming system.
That's a hack, though; MS-DOS only handles the 8.3 'standard'. Now that we're all using Windows or Linux, we really don't need to be encouraging bad habits like that hack.

That eventually entals dropping DOS though, does it not? Is there any support for doing so?

Post by **Agozer** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:33 pm

I wouldn't drop the DOS port completely.

DataPath · Post by **DataPath** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:41 pm

IIRC, with the way long filenames work, you should be able to make the short filename blah.ip1 while the long filename is blah.ips2.

anomie · Post by **anomie** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:54 pm

Here's a suggestion: Pick the first option that a file exists for:
1. If .ips exists, use that and do no other patches. This is preferred for a single patch.
2. If .ips0 exists, then look for .ips1, .ips2, ..., .ips10, .ips11, and so on up to .ips4294967295 or so and stop when the next number in the sequence doesn't exist. This is preferred for multiple patches.
3. If .ip0 exists, then look for .ip1, ..., .ip9. If you want more than 10 patches, tough. This is not preferred, but present for any fiilesystem that limits extensions to 3 characters.

If multiple directories are searched for patches, do all three in each directory (and as usual stop when a patch is found) rather than going over all directories for each option.

AspiringSquire · Post by **AspiringSquire** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:12 am

anomie's suggestion is the definitely the system I would choose if I were in charge of bringing this new feature to fruition.

I'd like to add one thing: I think it should search the zip/jma file for patches after checking the directories so outside files will take precedence and override the 'default' patching within the archive.

Post by **Nach** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:48 am

AspiringSquire wrote: I'd like to add one thing: I think it should search the zip/jma file for patches after checking the directories so outside files will take precedence and override the 'default' patching within the archive.

Why? I think it should be the exact opposite. If it's bundled with the file, then logically shouldn't that take precedence?

anomie · Post by **anomie** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:57 am

AspiringSquire wrote:I'd like to add one thing: I think it should search the zip/jma file for patches after checking the directories so outside files will take precedence and override the 'default' patching within the archive.

I have snes9x looking in 3 places: same location as the ROM, inside the ZIP, and finally in the "patch directory" (~/.snes9x/patches in my config). The idea being that patches with the actual ROM should override patches in the patch directory, and if you're dumping an ips in the same dir as a zip-with-ips, you're probably testing a new patch and would want that override.

Noxious Ninja · Post by **Noxious Ninja** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:34 am

anomie wrote:
AspiringSquire wrote:I'd like to add one thing: I think it should search the zip/jma file for patches after checking the directories so outside files will take precedence and override the 'default' patching within the archive.
I have snes9x looking in 3 places: same location as the ROM, inside the ZIP, and finally in the "patch directory" (~/.snes9x/patches in my config). The idea being that patches with the actual ROM should override patches in the patch directory, and if you're dumping an ips in the same dir as a zip-with-ips, you're probably testing a new patch and would want that override.

Yeah, I think the same way.

AspiringSquire · Post by **AspiringSquire** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:41 am

anomie wrote:you're probably testing a new patch and would want that override.

This should quell your skepticism, Nach.

Post by **Nach** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:08 am

AspiringSquire wrote:
anomie wrote:you're probably testing a new patch and would want that override.
This should quell your skepticism, Nach.

anomie's logic I can understand.

Though it would break my JMA based sequential IPS patcher somewhat to do that...

kieran_ · Post by **kieran_** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 11:47 am

I love this idea. I wanted something like this since the retransaltion of FFVI came out, what with the multiple patchings and the whatnot.