PalmBoy
=======

A simple Nintendo Gameboy (TM) emulator for the Palm OS platform.
Copyright (C)2000 by Bodo Wenzel.

PalmBoy is put under the GPL (GNU General Public License), that means:

<quote of the preamble>
  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
  the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
  (at your option) any later version.

  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
  GNU General Public License for more details.

  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
  Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307 USA
<end of quote>

Email:
palm.gb_emu@gmx.de

URLs with more info:
http://palmboy.suburbia.com.au

WARNING:
--------

To get the emulation as fast as possible nearly no checks are made and the 
memory protection had to be switched off. This leads to a potentially very 
dangerous program - every single byte of your Pilots databases and programs 
in RAM can be overwritten! 
Serious and heavy testing revealed no data losses, but it's a very good 
idea to hotsync your databases before trying the emulator with new games 
until you gain confidence in the combination of emulator and emulated game.

About this version:
-------------------
PalmBoy should run on every Palm OS platform with OS 3.0 or better. If you 
experience problems with a special model, please send a mail!

The program can't run correctly in Flash memory. There's no check about 
this, so please don't try it! Converted games don't work, too. They are 
listed, but can't be started.

PalmBoy emulates not exactly the real hardware, but most games should work. 
There might be problems with programming tricks leading to graphic garbage 
or severe slowdowns. If you get an error message please mail me the exact 
message and the circumstances with which it occured.

Saving with cartridges which have RAM in their original hardware works, 
tested with "Zelda, Link's Awakening" and "Final Fantasy II." Cartridges 
with MCB2 (internal RAM) aren't emulated currently, so you can't save 
games like "Final Fantasy I."

Please look at the PalmBoy web pages to see which ROMs are already tested. 
If you try other games, please let me know about your experiences.

FAQ:
----

I didn't expect that much feedback. So here are the Frequently Asked 
Questions and their answers:

Q: When I try to convert "XXX" the converter complains about the 
   cartridge, why?
A: There are limits in ROM size (512 KB) and RAM size (32 KB) currently 
   supported. It's mainly because of memory usage in your device, but 
   I have already ideas how to manage this. Another reason is the 
   currently simple emulation of the cartridge hardware.

Q: PalmBoy is sooo slooowww! What could I do?
A: Get some overclock utility and try again. If that doesn't help, buy 
   a real Gameboy! Now seriously: I'm working to make it faster, but don't 
   expect more than some percent...
   For "Tetris" there's a patch: modify at offset 2f0(hex) from value 
   28(hex) to 76(hex) and the game will run much smoother and faster. The 
   next version of the converter will have a more convenient way of 
   patching. BTW: any help with the format of Gameshark and Gamegenie 
   cheats are welcome!

Q: There is this prominent warning about possible data corruption. 
   How much should I take care of it?
A: That much you like - you're the one who is responsible for the safety 
   of your data. The chance for destroying data exists not only with 
   PalmBoy, it may be a bad set of batteries, too. If something goes wrong 
   in PalmBoy you'll probably notice it. So if everything's fine with your 
   favorite game, you don't have to worry.

Q: What does the "Feature not implemented" error mean?
A: Exactly that: the game tries to use a feature that I haven't 
   implemented - not yet. I'm hoping that you're less disappointed with 
   such a message than with a game not running.

Q: With PalmBoy my life is now full of joy! How could I thank you?
A: Take a pack of your favorite cookies and send it to my address: 
   Bodo Wenzel, Fasanenstrasse 55, 38102 Braunschweig, Germany. 
   At least go and tell your friends about the fun you have with PalmBoy...

Q: I want PalmBoy to run on my "XXX"! How could I make you work on this 
   all your time?
A: That's simple: spend me a "XXX", address see above.

Q: For some reason I have to press the keys "Start" and "Select" at the 
   same time. How can I do that?
A: Tap and hold one of the buttons. Then draw over to the other one, the 
   first one will remain pressed.

Planned:
--------
Fixing bugs and quirks that might be there...

The converter will get a patch database for literal patches, Gameshark 
codes, and Gamegenie codes.

Screen hardcopy into a picture database, triggered by the "Find" button.

Multiple RAMs for games with RAM, that means multi player save feature.

Palm version of a converter to copy ROMs between Liberty format, PalmBoy 
format, GB files on axxPac, and GB cartridge adapter at hotsync port.
