Author Topic: PGM & PGM2 Games version update/region change? (on original HW)  (Read 7229 times)

Offline bytestorm

  • Newbies
  • *
  • Posts: 12
  • Karma: +1/-0
PGM & PGM2 Games version update/region change? (on original HW)
« on: September 29, 2014, 03:19:24 AM »
Hi all!
I have started collecting the awesome (at least I think so;) PGM brawlers and shooters!
But something has been bugging me for quite some time now.. My PGM games are all different releases, china/japan/korea/taiwan.. and quite a few are not the latest versions.

I have been checking around and reading the comments in the drivers, and I thought there would be a way to change the region/language of most of the games.
I am not skilled enough to accomplish it myself though, so I thought I would ask for some help!

The games region seems to be determined by the protected ASICs, but all the regions seems to be available in the Pxxx/Txxx files from the start? (could be wrong here but the language change if I change the region in the emulator....)

Wouldn't there be a way to edit the ROM, so that when the ASIC reports region "korea", the area corresponding would be containing the "world" data for example?

I just assumed that IF all 4 regions are stored in the ROM from the beginning, it might not be impossible to re-route the region check, or just replace the korean data with the world data?

I might be completely off here, but I thought I would ask at least.. Since I would like my games to be in English where possible, otherwise in Japanese..

This also go hand in hand with updating the software version/revision also, since many of the games have many revisions. Burning a new eprom, or making a adapter for a 64m flash to dip is no problem for the original PGM carts.. although the PGM2 system is a completely different beast.. Anyone ever seen 48pin DIP maskroms?? These are dumped so it should be possible to read them and use a adapter/smd flash with an updated rom, but I cant seem to find the pinout, or any info about them at all.. Oriental Legends 2 and Knights of Valour 2 are both availible in english, so it "should" be possible but then again.. I am not sure.

I realize that my post got much bigger than I thought.. I have just been thinking about this alot lately ;). Main question is if it would be possible to change region on my PGM carts.
And if anyone has some info about the PGM2 roms in the picture below, then please share it with me :D

Thanks all!



« Last Edit: September 29, 2014, 03:34:12 AM by bytestorm »

Offline Arcadez

  • Expert
  • *****
  • Posts: 558
  • Karma: +15/-0
  • Arcade Addict
Re: PGM & PGM2 Games version update/region change? (on original HW)
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2014, 10:58:58 AM »
The original carts i would guess like in FBA you access the Dip Switches and change the Region where available to whatever you
want it to be in the Operator settings then save and exit everytime you boot the game after that it will default to the region you
choose seems easier to just do it this way than some of what you mentioned above
« Last Edit: September 29, 2014, 11:11:02 AM by gamez fan »

Offline iq_132

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3728
  • Karma: +411/-0
  • Definitely not Dink!
    • NeoSource
Re: PGM & PGM2 Games version update/region change? (on original HW)
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2014, 11:17:37 AM »
Hi all!
I have started collecting the awesome (at least I think so;) PGM brawlers and shooters!
But something has been bugging me for quite some time now.. My PGM games are all different releases, china/japan/korea/taiwan.. and quite a few are not the latest versions.

I have been checking around and reading the comments in the drivers, and I thought there would be a way to change the region/language of most of the games.
I am not skilled enough to accomplish it myself though, so I thought I would ask for some help!

The games region seems to be determined by the protected ASICs, but all the regions seems to be available in the Pxxx/Txxx files from the start? (could be wrong here but the language change if I change the region in the emulator....)

Wouldn't there be a way to edit the ROM, so that when the ASIC reports region "korea", the area corresponding would be containing the "world" data for example?

I just assumed that IF all 4 regions are stored in the ROM from the beginning, it might not be impossible to re-route the region check, or just replace the korean data with the world data?

I might be completely off here, but I thought I would ask at least.. Since I would like my games to be in English where possible, otherwise in Japanese..

This also go hand in hand with updating the software version/revision also, since many of the games have many revisions. Burning a new eprom, or making a adapter for a 64m flash to dip is no problem for the original PGM carts.. although the PGM2 system is a completely different beast.. Anyone ever seen 48pin DIP maskroms?? These are dumped so it should be possible to read them and use a adapter/smd flash with an updated rom, but I cant seem to find the pinout, or any info about them at all.. Oriental Legends 2 and Knights of Valour 2 are both availible in english, so it "should" be possible but then again.. I am not sure.

I realize that my post got much bigger than I thought.. I have just been thinking about this alot lately ;). Main question is if it would be possible to change region on my PGM carts.
And if anyone has some info about the PGM2 roms in the picture below, then please share it with me :D

Thanks all!




Being able to hack the region is game-dependant. Drgw2, for example, matches the region to the results of the protection device. You have to remove the protection to have the game run properly. Some games simply do not have more than one region like the cave games. However, games like kov2, martial masters, and many others are rather easy with reprogram ming the program roms.

Ps don't mind the typos, mobile device.


Offline bytestorm

  • Newbies
  • *
  • Posts: 12
  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: PGM & PGM2 Games version update/region change? (on original HW)
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2014, 12:58:19 PM »

Hi!
Yeah if there was any menu like that, that would be awesome.. Although I can't fin anywhere to change the region in the service menu :S. Anyone who could confirm its existence or not?
I might be looking in the wrong place. Only way I could change region in in mame.. And that's in mames own menu so I think it's just a "hack"

The original carts i would guess like in FBA you access the Dip Switches and change the Region where available to whatever you
want it to be in the Operator settings then save and exit everytime you boot the game after that it will default to the region you
choose seems easier to just do it this way than some of what you mentioned above