Wiki source code of Getting Started

Last modified by Calinou on 2024/02/26 02:00
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Allie 3.1 1 This page contains all the details you need to know to get started with playing Dinosaur Planet, including where to find the ROM, how to play on an emulator, and how to play on a real Nintendo 64 console with a flash cart.
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sabre230 6.1 3 {{toc depth="3"/}}
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sabre230 6.1 5 = Downloading the ROM =
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sabre230 13.1 7 The ROM for Dinosaur Planet can be found on the [[Internet Archive>>https://archive.org/details/dino_20210220]]. Download the zip file on the right side listed under **Download Options** and extract it. Inside, you will find several files:
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9 * {{code language="none"}}rom{{/code}}
10 * {{code language="none"}}rom_crack.z64{{/code}}
11 * {{code language="none"}}normpnt.rom{{/code}}
12 * {{code language="none"}}normslp.rom{{/code}}
13 * {{code language="none"}}readme.txt{{/code}}
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sabre230 13.1 15 Check out {{code language="none"}}readme.txt{{/code}} for more information on these files and the origin of the ROM. In short, the {{code language="none"}}rom{{/code}} file is the unmodified dump, but contains numerous security protections that make it unplayable. The {{code language="none"}}rom_crack.z64{{/code}} file is a modified version of the ROM that allows it to work on emulators as well as flash carts on a real Nintendo 64.
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18 = Updating the ROM =
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20 Even with cheats, the game on its own is nigh unplayable. Fortunately, the community has been working together to bring performance and stability patches to the game, as well as restoring content that was in the game but unable to be accessed by normal means. You can find the latest [[xdelta>>http://xdelta.org/]] patches in the [[#patches-and-fixes>>https://discord.com/channels/827608544555171850/969700298987819020]] channel at the [[Dinosaur Planet Community Discord>>https://www.discord.gg/dinosaurplanet]]. There are a few methods of updating your game found below, sorted by ease of use.
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Calinou 17.1 22 Choose **one** of the 3 methods below:
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24 == DinoLauncher ==
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26 //If you like things to be easy...//
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sabre230 6.3 28 * [[DinoLauncher>>doc:Main.Tech.DinoLauncher.WebHome]] was created by the community specifically for the purpose of keeping your local copy of Dinosaur Planet updated.
sabre230 5.1 29 * Download [[DinoLauncher>>doc:Main.Tech.DinoLauncher.WebHome]] from the [[releases>>https://github.com/sabre230/DinoLauncher/releases]] page on GitHub and place it in a safe location
sabre230 3.2 30 * Open DinoLauncher.exe
31 * Select your update branch based on your preferences
sabre230 5.1 32 ** **Nightly** gets updates on the regular, while **Stable** isn't updated as regularly but should have less issues all around.
sabre230 3.2 33 * Click "Browse..." to look for your "rom_crack.z64" file
34 * Click Check for Updates to check for the latest patch
35 ** You can also enable HQ player models at the cost of performance
36 * Once the patch is complete, the folder with the patched game will open and the launcher will give you the option to launch the game with your system's default application for handling Z64 files
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Calinou 15.1 38 == xdelta web interface ==
sabre230 3.2 39
sabre230 6.2 40 //If you like things easy but prefer doing things your own way...//
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Calinou 15.2 42 * Open [[Rom Patcher JS>>https://www.romhacking.net/patch/||rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"]] in a web browser
sabre230 3.2 43 * Make sure you have the "Apply Patch" tab selected
Calinou 15.1 44 * Click "Browse..." next to **ROM file** and browse for your "rom_crack.z64"
45 * Click "Browse..." next to **Patch file** and browse for your xdelta patch file
46 * Click **Apply patch** and move the downloaded file to the desired location
sabre230 3.2 47 * Run it in your favorite N64 emulator and enjoy!
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Calinou 15.1 49 == xdelta3 ==
sabre230 3.2 50
51 //If you prefer doing things your own way...//
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sabre230 5.1 53 * Download **xdelta3.exe** either from one of the many mirrors online, or build it yourself from its [[GitHub page>>https://github.com/jmacd/xdelta]].
sabre230 3.2 54 * Place the xdelta executable and the rom_crack.z64 in the same directory
55 * Open a command prompt window in this location and run the following command
Calinou 15.2 56 ** {{code language="none"}}xdelta3 -d fs rom_crack.z64 name-of-dinoplanet-patch.xdelta dinosaurplanet.z64{{/code}}
sabre230 3.2 57 ** //Keep in mind, you may need to change the name of "xdelta3.exe" in the command to match your own copy//
58 * A new file should appear in the directory that says "dinosaurplanet.z64"
Airsh Bornely 8.4 59 * Run it in your favorite N64 emulator and enjoy!
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61 (((
62 ----
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Calinou 14.1 64 = Running the game in an emulator =
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Calinou 14.1 66 Dinosaur Planet can be run using most modern N64 emulators including:
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Calinou 15.1 68 * [[RMG>>https://github.com/Rosalie241/RMG]] –// if you don't know what emulator to choose, this is a good starting point//
Calinou 14.1 69 * The Mupen64Plus core within [[RetroArch>>https://www.retroarch.com/]]
70 * [[Simple64>>https://github.com/simple64/simple64]]
71 * [[Project64>>https://www.pj64-emu.com/]]
Calinou 16.1 72 * [[ares>>https://ares-emu.net/]]
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74 On Android, [[M64Plus FZ>>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mupen64plusae.v3.fzurita]] can be used. Dinosaur Planet is a demanding title by N64 standards, so you will need a relatively fast Android device to run the game smoothly – especially if aiming for 60 FPS. On Android, consider using the Medium GPU accuracy preset as opposed to Accurate or Very Accurate, as it performs much better, especially at higher resolution scales.
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Calinou 17.2 78 Thanks to emulation, you can run the game with many enhancements such as resolution scaling, [[60 FPS>>doc:Main.How-to-Play.Playing-at-60-FPS.WebHome]] and [[Texture Packs>>doc:Main.How-to-Play.Texture-Packs.WebHome]].
Calinou 14.1 79 )))
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81 = Running the game on real hardware using a flashcart =
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Calinou 17.1 83 In order for a patched Dinosaur Planet ROM to work on an N64 with an Everdrive 64, you'll need to copy and paste "DP=5" into **save_db.txt** under ID detection. **save_db.txt** is located inside the ED64 folder on your microSD card.
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Calinou 17.1 85 ----
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Calinou 17.1 87 = In-game options =
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89 When you start the game, you'll be greeted by intro screens and then a main menu with a **Start** menu, an **Options** menu and a language selection slider.
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91 The following settings are unimplemented and have **no** effect when modified:
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93 * **Control > Z Button** //(always acts as Combo – tap the Z button to toggle targeting, or hold Z for more than ~~0.2 seconds to stop targeting when the button is released)//
94 * **Video > Screen Size**
95 * **Audio > Setup**
96 * **Cheats**
97 * **Cinema**
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101 You can skip intro screens and go straight to the main menu by pressing D-Pad Left while the intro screens are displaying.
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Calinou 14.1 104 = Setting up the game for widescreen =
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106 The game has native support for 16:9 on both real hardware and emulators. When you launch the game, you are greeted with splash screens then a title screen. In the title screen, go to **Options** then **Video**, then set **Ratio** to **16:9** instead of the default **Normal**. Do not change the **Screen Size** setting as that setting has no effect.
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108 After changing this setting, configure your emulator's video options to use a **16:9** aspect ratio then restart the game. Note that even with the game's native widescreen mode engaged, the title screen's cutscene will appear stretched, but gameplay and other cutscenes will use the correct aspect ratio. Aiming with the staff will also display the crosshair at an incorrect position when aiming towards the left or right, so make sure to compensate for that too.
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110 On real hardware, it's recommended to stick to 4:3 to avoid degrading performance, as the game already runs quite slowly in 4:3.
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114 Avoid using the **Try to adjust game to fit** option in your emulator to adjust the 4:3 game to 16:9, as this will result in culling issues on the edges of the screen that don't occur when using the game's native 16:9 support.
Airsh Bornely 7.1 115 )))
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