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CPS-2 FAQ
Last updated on 3 February 2002
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A: It is the arcade
hardware favoured for 2D Capcom games from 1993 to 2001. The first CPS-2 game
was Super Street Fighter 2, and the most recent was Progear no Arashi. It is
very similar to CPS-1, the Capcom arcade hardware that was used for games
like Street Fighter 2: The World Warriors and Final Fight. Like SNK's NeoGeo,
CPS-2 hardware lasted much longer in the arcades than most arcade hardware
platforms. |
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A: The following is
a list of all games released on the CPS-2 hardware and the year it was
released:
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Q: But I thought SNK vs Capcom/Marvel vs Capcom 2/Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper were CPS-2? |
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A: No, those are
Naomi based. Naomi is an arcade hardware platform similar to the Dreamcast.
And no, it's not emulated and most likely won't be (in truly playable form)
for quite a while. Buying a Dreamcast can give you the same overall
experience. |
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Q: But I thought Street Fighter 3 series/Jojo series were CPS-2? |
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A: No, those are
CPS-3. CPS-3 is very different hardware, and cannot easily be emulated
despite having CPS-1 and CPS-2 emulated. Perhaps in time... Again, Dreamcast
ports of these games are quite good. |
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Q: CPS-2 doesn't seem too advanced. Why did it take so long to emulate? |
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A: The stumbling
block here wasn't emulation, it was decryption. CPS-2's program ROMs are
heavily encrypted (meaning scrambled, to prevent copying) and it wasn't until
recently that Razoola, and the other members of CPS-2 Shock were finally able
to figure out how to produce unencrypted data to make games playable. Their
work made it possible to emulate CPS-2. Pretty cool, eh? |
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A: MAME, Nebula, Kawaks, Calice, ACE and Final Burn Alpha. If other
emulators support CPS-2 in the future, you will hear about them on the Retrogames news page as
well as on our CPS Emulation messageboard. :) |
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A: Please
note that the following is intended purely as a guide. It is recommended that
you try as many of these emulators as possible and use the one(s) that you
are happiest with. Please do not complain about missing features in any emulator
– these emulators are made by dedicated people in their spare time and are
free. MAME and its
derivatives are available for a wide range of platforms. If you aren’t using
Windows then MAME maybe your only option. Currently missing some video
emulation such as raster effects, although sprite masking is emulated. MAME is updated
frequently, although not with CPS-2 Shock releases. After some CPS-2 Shock
releases they also release a MAME derivative – CPS-2MAME which just plays
CPS-2 games, including the latest releases. MAME is open-source so you can
try to add your own features/games. Nebula is a Windows based emulator and
offers the most complete CPS-2 emulation. It also offers many features
including image enhancement modes and others. One of the best features is the
ability to add games to the emulator via external DAT files. These are
released by CPS-2 Shock with each release meaning that Nebula is always
up-to-date. Due to the extra features Nebula requires a faster computer than
the other emulators. Kawaks is Windows based and is a very fast
CPS-2 emulator, which offers good emulation. Sprite masking and raster effects are emulated.
Kawaks has a simple GUI and is feature-rich. Kawaks
is usually released at the same time as CPS-2 Shock releases. Calice is also Windows based and is
probably the fastest CPS-2 emulator. If you have a slow machine then this
will probably be your best be, although sprite masking and raster effects are not
emulated. Ace is Windows based and open-source. Ace is relatively new and the emulation is
not as mature as other emulators. Not all games are supported yet, and sprite masking and raster effects are not emulated. Final Burn Alpha is Windows based and
open-source. It is a continuation of Final
Burn – the first CPS-2 emulator. Speed is very similar to Kawaks. Sprite
masking and raster effects are emulated. Final Burn Alpha has a very
simple GUI and has added a number of additional features to Final Burn. Final
Burn Alpha is usually released at the same time as CPS-2 Shock releases.
Note, there are other continuations of Final Burn. |
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A: Split ROM-sets
are when you keep ROM variants separate. For example, ddtod.zip is the USA
version (940125) of Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and is the
"parent" zip (includes all the ROMs necessary to play the game).
ddtodj.zip is the "child" zip (includes the different ROMs from the
parent) that is used in the Japanese version (940113). To play the Japanese
version, you need the common ROMs from the USA version. Also, ddtodr1.zip is
another "child" zip for D&D:TOD, but is an older USA version
(940113). Merged ROM-sets are just when you glob all
the different variants into the parent zip. For example, a merged ddtod.zip
would contain the USA version, plus the ROMs that were in ddtodj.zip and
ddtodr1.zip. In the case of certain games (like Super Street Fighter II
Turbo), merged ZIPs can save you hard drive space. |
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Q: When I try to run an emulator, why do I get a message like "NEBULA.EXE is linked to missing export DDRAW.DLL?" |
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A: One thing you have
to do when using emulators is keep your sound card drivers, video card
drivers, and DirectX drivers up to date. If you receive that message, it
means that you are not running the version of DirectX required by the
emulator. You can download the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft. Check
with your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers for your video
card--likewise for your sound card drivers. |
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A: These files allow
the emulator to read the encrypted program ROMs in unencrypted format. They
are released only by CPS-2 Shock and are required
to play any CPS-2 game in an emulator. |
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A: Download them at CPS-2 Shock, then
unzip it and add the files to your zipped ROM set. If you have WinZip installed on your
system (or are using Windows Millennium with Compressed Folder support), this
is as simple as dragging the files into the zip you wish to add them to. |
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A: Because CPS-2
Shock (the only ones in the world, outside of Capcom employees, who know how
to decrypt CPS-2) haven't released the XOR tables for that game yet. This is
either because they do not yet have the game in their possession to decrypt
it, or it was released after the cut-off year. |
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Q: I know that Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara is decrypted--how come it's not listed in Nebula? |
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A: One of the
shining features of Nebula is the ability to add games without having to wait
for the author to update the emulator itself. At the downloads section of CPS-2 Shock, there
is a complete set of DAT files for use with Nebula, that adds support for
every dumped CPS-2 game (but only the decrypted ones are playable). If you
read through the README.TXT that comes with Nebula (as you should have), it
gives you information on creating your own DAT files. |
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Q: Why can't they decrypt games released after a certain year? |
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A: They can, but
they do not want to. These games are simply too new, and are still making
money, and the folks at CPS-2 Shock do not want to interfere with current
games. Presumably that date will change in the future. If you don't like this
policy, feel free to create your own decryption table-dumping rig &
support software, and do it yourself. Period. |
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A: Street Fighter Zero
3 is decrypted because Razoola (the man responsible for CPS-2 decryption)
accidentally posted the XORs to a newsgroup while trying to provide people
with ROMs they might need. Razoola actually decrypts games long before
they're released, so he can control the flow of CPS-2 games on the 'net in an
attempt to impose upon Capcom's business as little as possible. This was only
a fluke, so don't expect it to happen again. Everyone should give Raz a big
"thank you" for being such a good sport about it. ;) And don't
forget--if you enjoy playing the games, please check out CPS-2 Shock's donation page and
lend a helping hand. |
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Q: I saw/have the ROMs for an unemulated game. Why do they have ROMs if the game is not decrypted yet? |
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A: Games are dumped
so that original board owners can fix their boards, and also so that emulator
authors can try to emulate them. However, encrypted ROMs won't be playable until
the game is decrypted. Having encrypted ROM dumps are often instrumental in
decryption efforts, if not absolutely necessary. |
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A: There are a lot
of factors that can determine when a game is decrypted. First and foremost,
Razoola has to be in possession of the actual arcade board for it to be
decrypted. Second, the date of the game is taken into consideration, as well
as whether the game is "new" or a clone. Also, donations
help influence Razoola to decrypt games. Basically, no one but Razoola knows
what or when the next game will be decrypted--and he won't tell. |
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A: DO NOT ask us, or anyone else on the board, where to
download the games/ROMs. If you do not own the original arcade board, then
downloading them is illegal. We do not want to assist you in
illegal activities. Even if you do own the original board, you'll have to look
on your own. We'd also appreciate it if you didn't post links to ROM sites,
as it only encourages people to ask. |
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A: A.B.E.M. stands for Alt.Binaries.Emulators.Misc,
a newsgroup. Saulin posted the following on the board;
For newbs this is how you do it...
1)
First of all know your "News server" every ISP well the ones that pay for Internet usually get a News server included in your account to be able to use news groups.
So if you are not sure what is your news server just e-mail your Internet service provider or phone them and ask them. If they don't have a news server OMG you better change ISP!
2)
Now download the software www.newsbin.com great software. Shareware but it can be cracked etc... no help on that though.
3)
set up the software, there is help on that online at (www.newsbin.com)
4)
Select "Group", then "Download groups". This will download all the news groups you have access to. And if you are lucky you'll have access to tons of goodies. Coming from the alt.binaries.x groups
Look for alt.binaries.emulators.x
subscribe to those newsgroups. Just mark the check boxes for the news groups that interest you.
and you are done.
For help on downloading and all that, read the program's help file or the help online for the program.
Is that simple! :)
@Home users just use "news" as server or just ping news (example: ping news)on a command prompt window and you'll get your news server.
If you need any further help check this
site. |
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Q: I don't want to know where to download the game, I just want to know where to get one or two files that are missing from my version. |
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A: The files that
are inside the zip are the games' ROMs. That would be asking for ROMs. We
will not tell you where or help you to get ROMs. |
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A: If you receive
CRC errors when trying to load a game, or just want to make sure your
ROM-sets will work when they're decrypted, the best thing you can do is make
sure your ROMs are valid with ROMCenter or ClrMAME Pro (along with the CPS-2 DAT files for it).
Before you ask why a game you have doesn't work in an emulator, make sure
you verify that everything is correct through one of those programs. |
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Q: OK, I already have a game. I want to know how to play it! |
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A: Well, over at the
CPS-2 Shock website
they have a nice section titled "Game List," which has the actual
game manuals available for download. If you want to know how to play a
specific character, or perform certain moves, visit GameFAQs, as they have
FAQs/movelists/walk-throughs for every game imaginable. Please do not keep
cluttering the board with requests for moves that can easily be found there. |
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Q: I want to play this game, but I can't understand Japanese! |
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A: Most CPS-2 games
(but not all) come with a "region switch", which allows you to
change the country version of the game. For example, you can use a region
switch in Cyberbots to change it from the Japan region (with Japanese text)
to USA (English), Asia (English), Hispanic (Spanish), Euro (English), or
Brazil (Portuguese). The method for doing this, however, is different between
emulators. In MAME, you'll need to create a text file
and name it cheat.dat. Inside that cheat.dat file, you'll need to add a line
for each game you want to have a region switch for. If you wanted to add a
USA region switch to Cyberbots, for example, this is how your cheat.dat would
look like: To use region switches in Nebula or Kawaks,
you'll need to use a text editor to create a DAT file for each game, which is
located in the cheats folder of Nebula or Kawaks. For example, Cyberbots might
use D:\Emulators\Nebula\cheats\cybotsj.dat, while Vampire Savior might use
D:\Emulators\Nebula\cheats\vsavj.dat. This is how your cybotsj.dat should
look to enable a region switch: For Final Burn Alpha, simply choose the
region from the cheats dialog box and reset the game. If you aren't too sure about what values to
use for each game in Nebula or MAME, you can search through the Retrogames'
CPS Emulation board to find what you're looking for. A complete cheat.dat for
MAME has been posted in the past, and cheats for Nebula are usually posted
shortly after a new game is released by CPS-2 Shock. Also, region switch values are usually the
same from region to region. For example, if you want to enable region
switches in Nebula for 19XX Hispanic, you can copy the cheat data from
19xx.dat to 19xxh.dat. Please note: Some games (such as Street Fighter Zero 3) do not
contain true region switches, which can cause the game to become
unstable (crash); or the intended, switched region's text might not be
available or in the appropriate language. The actual CPS-2 hardware does not
natively support region switching, so do not be surprised if region switches
do not work correctly. |
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A: You'll notice
that different games have different versions available (like X-Men: COTA 2.00,
2.10, and 3.00; or Powered Gear 940916, and 941024). No one but Capcom knows
exactly what's different between revisions. We can only assume that there's
only minor bugfixes. Sometimes gameplay may be tweaked a little bit (one
character may do slightly more damage, another might do slightly less), or AI
improved--but no one can tell you for a fact what the differences are. |
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A: It's when you
change what's being displayed as it's being drawn by the monitor, i.e.
synchronized to the electron beam. That's not hard to emulate in itself, but
it may require substantial changes to an emulator. Many emulators let the
emulated CPU run for 1/60th of a second (one frame), and then look at the
status of the graphics hardware at the end of that frame to render it, so
whatever settings the last beam-synchronized interrupt changed (or, if
they're not emulated, the initial settings) are applied to the entire screen.
To truly emulate raster effects, you need
to emulate the CPU running as long as it takes to display single line of the
display, check the registers, and render that line. Or worse, per cycle of
the graphics hardware (as in good C64 emulators). That obviously takes more
processing power, but if you cheat, for instance, by assuming there's only
one point at which there will be changes you don't need a line-based
renderer. |
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A: Since raster
effects deal more with the monitor than the graphics themselves, you can't
really see raster effects. If an emulator doesn't support raster
effects, however, certain games may appear to have corrupt graphics. A
perfect example of this would be in Super Street Fighter 2. In an emulator
that does not support raster effects, the ground on DeeJay's stage would turn
black when you jump. In X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, the Manhattan stage is
missing police cars without raster effects. In an emulator that does support
raster effects, those problems are gone. |
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Q: But why does turning on the "monitor flip" option in some emulators seem to help? |
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A: If you enable the
flip option, it means that the screen is drawn by the CRT from the bottom up.
That, in turn, means the raster effects will have to be applied in the
reverse sequence as well. Because the emulators don't actually emulate a CRT,
but copy the data straight from the graphics memory (which doesn't change
when you use the flip option, it's just drawn from the bottom up) the only
effect you notice is the sequence of the raster effects, which may include
changing priorities between layers (or whatever is possible on the CPS-2
hardware). In other words, using the flip option you can select which half of
the screen (top or bottom) is displayed correctly. |
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A: Kaillera is a way
to play your favorite games over the Internet. You can download the Windows
version of MAME with online play from the Kaillera homepage. StretchMAME32
also supports playing games over Kaillera, and is updated more frequently (so
you can play the latest CPS-2 releases). Nebula, Kawaks and Final Burn Alpha
now offer on-line play via Kaillera as well. |
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Q: OK, I've got all that, but how do I put those cool little pictures in my posts like other people? |
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A: Simple. You'll
need to find the GIF you want on the web (you can look here, here or here for ideas), or
you can upload your own picture to your own webspace. Some free webspace
providers will let you link images (Fortune City and Hypermart seem to work),
but others won't let you link to sites outside their own (like Geocities or
Xoom). If you choose to use a service such as Geocities, the pictures may
appear to you (because the image is stored in your browser's cache), but it
still won't appear to others viewing it. Once you've found the picture you want,
you'll want to edit your profile. (Click on the Edit Profile link at
the top of the forum.) Where it says signature, enter this: [image] http://www.website.com/directory/image.gif
[/image] That's it. Of course you'll want to change
the above address to match the image you want to use. Also, please be
considerate of users on analogue modems--try to keep your image under 50KB.
Also, if you want to use or take images from another person's site, make sure
you have their permission first, or at least give credit. |
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Q: If I want to make an animated GIF--is there a way I can use the graphics data straight from the CPS-2 ROMs? |
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A: Unfortunately,
no. The graphics data stored in the ROMs are scrambled. Currently, the only
way the data gets de-scrambled is when the program ROMs access it (EG you're
playing the game). Fortunately, Nebula has a shots factory (accessible by
pressing F8 in-game), in which you can enable/disable each layer of graphics
as you see fit. Once you've removed all the layers you wish and return to the
game, press the Pause/Break button to pause the game, and Enter to advance
the emulator frame-by-frame. F7 takes snapshots, so you can load each frame
that you take in your favourite graphics program to edit and animate. |
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A: Of course. After
you've signed up, use your account name and password to login (upper bar,
below the Retrogames logo, on the right side). After doing this, click on a
message from you and select "Edit this Message," which appears next
to "Reply to this Message" button. This can be done to delete the
message too, besides editing it (Simply select "Delete this
Message" on the edit screen). You'll need to have cookies enabled on
your browser for it to work. |
Credits
Frogacuda -
original text
Jan_Klaassen - raster effects information
Palom - additional information and HTML
Prophet - additional information
Syous - additional information
Treble Winner - updates
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