Somari: The Adventurer

[JC]

I just figured out a way to tell if your copy of Somari is the real deal, that is, if it's the one made by Somari Team. Open up the cart and take a look at the board. It's actually kinda neat because they've imbedded in the board, using that same gold tracer that links the chips and the pins, the word "Somari." I've got one board that says "Somari P" and one that says "Somari W". I don't know what the difference is. The "P" board comes in a Somari case that had the front label as two different stickers: one sticker is the blue part with the name and the other is the Mario illustration. The "W" one came in a cart that's got the single sticker front label.

EDIT:

[Walky]

What the... ¿they included selectable mirroring on the board? maybe they used the same board design for some other games!

[JC]

selectable mirroring

What's that?

[133MHz]

I don't think that's selectable mirroring (like NROM boards), more like a set of dip switches in the form of solder pads that the pirate cart can read their state at anytime. They're used on multicarts to change the number of displayed games, and in single game HK originals to change the title screen (like in fighting games - Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat 56 People Special, etc). This allows the pirates to use a single board for different 'games', just change the dip switches, slap on a new label and there you go. Either that or they're accommodating for different types of Mask ROMs (unlikely).

Maybe if you mess with them on a Somari cart you might get the Family Kid title screen to appear .

BTW, awesome find, JC!

[Walky]

selectable mirroring

What's that?

I think mirroring have to do with the way the console handles scrolling. Mirroring can be horizontal (vertical scrolling) and vertical (horizontal scrolling).

These are usually selectable even in licenced games (NES ones, but I'll assume licenced famicom carts are the same, because it's cheaper than manufacturing 2 different carts) by jumpering one of two pads with solder (you can see them on the left of your image of the Somari board, it's almost the same on licenced ones, except the one from somari came jumpered with a thin trace in the copper pad instead of a solder point), but later some mappers introduced automatic mirroring, so it can be switched in-game (mmc3/mapper 4, for example), so games could be more advanced.

My socketed eprom cart, for example, was 10 Yard Fight, and when I put Super Mario Bros in it the game would work fine but the scrolling graphics would look weird (for example, ground and holes would look misplaced so it's easy to fall). I desoldered one pad and soldered the other one (it must always be only one pad soldered at a time) and it fixed it.

[133MHz]

My socketed eprom cart, for example, was 10 Yard Fight, and when I put Super Mario Bros in it the game would work fine but the scrolling graphics would look weird (for example, ground and holes would look misplaced so it's easy to fall).

Dream Mary!

[Walky]

I don't think that's selectable mirroring (like NROM boards), more like a set of dip switches in the form of solder pads that the pirate cart can read their state at anytime. They're used on multicarts to change the number of displayed games, and in single game HK originals to change the title screen (like in fighting games - Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat 56 People Special, etc). This allows the pirates to use a single board for different 'games', just change the dip switches, slap on a new label and there you go. Either that or they're accommodating for different types of Mask ROMs (unlikely).

Maybe if you mess with them on a Somari cart you might get the Family Kid title screen to appear .

BTW, awesome find, JC!

I didn't know that. It might be nice to see what would happen if someone soldered the other pad on a Somari cart  

My socketed eprom cart, for example, was 10 Yard Fight, and when I put Super Mario Bros in it the game would work fine but the scrolling graphics would look weird (for example, ground and holes would look misplaced so it's easy to fall).

Dream Mary!

http://www.famicomworld.com/Reviews/Dream_Mary.htm

That's wicked sick! I didn't know that game.

EDIT: Removed double post.  --JC

[133MHz]

I wouldn't go as far to call it a game, since it's just SMB with incorrect mirroring, but people around here swear by it .

I didn't know that. It might be nice to see what would happen if someone soldered the other pad on a Somari cart  

Probably the title screen would change to this:

[JC]

But wouldn't it also have to change the main character sprite?

[133MHz]

Yeah, the game code checks for the state of the switches at startup and selects the according sprites in memory.

[Walky]

Yeah, the game code checks for the state of the switches at startup and selects the according sprites in memory.

¿Are you sure it works like that, by software?. ¿Wouldn't it be easier just to change the highest adress lines?. ¿How would the game know the switches' state? 

Anyway, I suppose that my suggestion could eventually be more expensive since it would be twice the chr data, even for changing a few sprites (because everything would need to be there twice). But some pirates use really big roms anyway!!

I wouldn't go as far to call it a game, since it's just SMB with incorrect mirroring, but people around here swear by it

Well, I might as well make a Dream Mary cart, label and all! hahahaha


(JC, sorry for double posting, I'll try to be more careful from now on )

[133MHz]

Correct, just switching the higher address lines would be a significant waste of money. Chinese pirates always go for the cheapest they can produce . As on how the game can read the switches, the pirate mapper contains that function built-in, extra pins from the mapper form the physical switches and the game code can read their state through a specific register in memory space (remember that a memory mapper can significantly augment the Famicom's capabilities - adding a bunch of readable switches is no big deal).

Feel like experimenting? Have a worthless multicart lying around? You know, those 99999999999999999999 in 1 with 6 real games. Crack it open, find the solder pads, start messing with them and test it out. You'll see the number of displayed games change depending on the switch patterns.

[Walky]

Maybe I'll try with my 4-1, the one that has Macross it it. Maybe it has a naked Lynn Minmay version in it!  (after seeing that "Super Simpson" thing, I can expect ANYTHING hahahaha)

[133MHz]

Aren't 4 in 1 carts really, really old and use simple banking?
I'm talking about more modern, glop-top multicarts. Keyword: cheap

[Walky]

Aren't 4 in 1 carts really, really old and use simple banking?
I'm talking about more modern, glop-top multicarts. Keyword: cheap

I was just kidding XD