I've never been make up my mind on any rules to determine whether or not a cart should called a multi-cart.
You could say any cart with more than one game, but where do you draw the line on the definition of a game? Is Short Order / Eggsplode a multi-cart? How about Bible Adventures?
Another stricter definition could be "any cart with multiple games, where each individual game is also available by itself". This would cover games like SMB / DH / WCTM, Donkey Kong Classics, Maxi-15, etc. but something like Action 52 wouldn't fall under that definition.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
I believe only unlicensed carts with multiple games, never intended to be on the same cart as each other, should be considered multi-carts; otherwise so many licensed game compilations (full and mini games) would qualify and make it necessary to further differentiate pirate multis.
considered sub catagorys?
Yeah, there already are sub-categories. The 3 main ones are licensed, unlicensed, and pirate. There a number of sub-categories for each, differing for each main category. So for instance, a licensed multi-cart and a pirate multi-cart can already be distinguished.
I think I like the term 'Compilation' for licensed carts, as kyuusaku put it, better though.
Still leaves the issue of what should and shouldn't be considered a compilation though.
If one or more of the games has been published by itself, and each game can be accessed separately from a menu at the title screen, it's definitely a multicart. I'd subdivide it further based on whether or not the games were used by permission.
Authentic multicarts:
- SMB1/Duck Hunt
- SMB1/Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet
- SMB1/Tetris/Nintendo World Cup
- Nintendo World Cup/Super Spike V'Ball
- Garage Cart 1 (Munchie Attack was previously published on the Internet)
- Quattro series by Codemasters
- Maxivision 15-in-1
- Namco Museum
Pirate multicarts:
- 100-in-1 Contra Function 16
- Double Crossing: The Forbidden Four
Borderline cases, which
Wikipedia calls a multicart anyway:
- Sunday Funday feat. Fish Fall (Menace Beach was previously published, Sunday Funday is essentially a translation hack, and Fish Fall was originally intended for separate release as Free Fall)
Games not published separately, some of which
Wikipedia calls a multicart anyway:
- Bible Adventures
- The King of Kings
- Klax/Blob Ball
- Action 52 (Wikipedia calls this a multicart)
- Caltron 6-in-1 (Wikipedia calls this a multicart)
Significant unlocks required:
- Animal Crossing 1 (games must be unlocked through Tom Nook, Crazy Redd, or trade codes)
- Mario Party series (games must be unlocked using coins and/or stars earned during game play)
So how do are pirate multi carts made, aren't they many rom images compiled into one rom made accessable via a menu?
And don't they have various headers?
I don't know, I never messed around with those, how were they sold anyway? I think I've seen some in the past but never messed with them.
How about the IC's, I'm confused about them.
ironfist61 wrote:
So how do are pirate multi carts made, aren't they many rom images compiled into one rom made accessable via a menu?
Yes. The game resets to a bank with the menu in it, and an individual ROM image is bankswitched into PRG space after the user has selected it from the menu.
Quote:
And don't they have various headers?
They have various headers, but not in iNES format. The headers are stored as part of the menu bank.
tepples wrote:
ironfist61 wrote:
So how do are pirate multi carts made, aren't they many rom images compiled into one rom made accessable via a menu?
Yes. The game resets to a bank with the menu in it, and an individual ROM image is bankswitched into PRG space after the user has selected it from the menu.
Quote:
And don't they have various headers?
They have various headers, but not in iNES format. The headers are stored as part of the menu bank.
Okay, that's what I thought. Thanks for the info.