PC-Engine BRAM (Backup RAM) Tool
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By Chris Covell
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What is it?
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It is a tool for the PC-Engine or Turbografx-16 system that lets you edit BRAM files
that are saved by HuCard or CD games that have a save feature.  You can view the HEX
contents of each file, make changes to them, and save the file again.  This is useful
for cheating in a game, by increasing the amount of gold or life points that are stored.

Of course, editing a binary save file is a little dangerous.  If a game doesn't like
the changes you made, it might crash or delete the save file.  This is why my tool has
a BACKUP function to make a backup copy of any BRAM file before you edit it.  If the
changes you make to a file turn out to be no good, you can restore the file from the
backup copy.

This program is designed for use on the real PCE or TG-16 hardware.  If you are using
an emulator to play your games, why not just edit your save files with a hex editor on
your computer?


How to use it:
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Of course, you need to run this on a PCE system equipped with a BRAM unit, such as the
CD interface, Ten no Koe, or TurboBooster Plus.  If you insist on trying this out in
an emulator, then your emu needs to save all BRAM files from games into a single file,
like "BACKUP.DAT".  Some emulators create a fresh physical BRAM file for each ROM that
is loaded, or keep some kind of giant indexed BRAM file (like Magic Engine).  If you use
the latter, then BRAM will always show up as empty.

I've included an example BRAM file for use with this tool.  An emulator such as YAME
will be able to load it properly.

I've also provided a CUE/ISO for burning to a CD (for use with a PCE SCD-ROM system.)

When you start the tool, it'll test BRAM and list the files that are stored there. Your
options are to edit the file, create a backup of a file, restore a backup, or delete a
file.  When you create a backup of a file, a new file will be created with the extension
BAK1.  You can create multiple backups of the same file, and the extension will change
to BAK2, BAK3, etc.  Making multiple backups may be useful to you, for example, in
comparing the save file from one game after having passed different stages.  If you make
a backup after passing the first stage, and then another after passing the second stage,
you could compare the differences between the two to guess where the data for the stage
number is stored.  Edit the original BRAM file for that game, and you could jump to the
final stage in the game.

The controls are rather simple.  The joypad moves a cursor around, and generally button I
selects a menu option while button II cancels/goes back to the menu.  If you choose RESTORE
or DELETE and a file will get overwritten or deleted, you will be asked to press RUN to
confirm the choice or SELECT to cancel the command.

The Hex editor is on its own screen, and displays the HEX data of the selected file on the
left side of the screen, and its ASCII representation on the right side.  Files that are
$100 (256 decimal) bytes or larger will be split over multiple screens.  Scroll the cursor
down to view the rest of the file.  Wherever the cursor is, pressing I increases the value
of the number there, and II decreases its value.  If you make a mistake, pressing SELECT
will cancel all changes.  Or, if you are happy with the changes you made, pressing RUN will
save the file back to BRAM.

The Hex editor won't allow you to edit the first 16 bytes ($00-$0F) of any BRAM file,
because that data is vital to the internal operation of the BRAM, and any games that use it.

Finally, I do not recommend editing BACKUP files, since if you edit those and make a mistake,
what do you have to fall back on?  Nothing, that's what.

Have fun!


Contact/Legal
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Chris Covell (chris_covell -at- yahoo.ca)
Web: http://www.chrismcovell.com/

This program has been tested on real PC-Engine hardware.  I believe it will work correctly
if used as intended.  If you do anything clearly foolish with it, I am not responsible for
lost or damaged BRAM files.  Edit and delete at your own risk!