The PowerPak from RetroZone is by far the most
revolutionary item to hit the modern day NES scene. However, there doesn't seem to be a place on the internet specifically for PowerPak users to discuss their treasured possession. That's where my idea of PowerPak Attack comes in. This series of threads will open discussions on topics related only to the PowerPak (and maybe the SNES PowerPak in the future). Sure, there aren't many of us and we may be considered a niche of a niche (NES scene -> PowerPak scene) group of people but we love this thing and want to share our enthusiasm for the one of the greatest things to ever grace our beloved NES. What better place is there for this than NA? I can't think of any.. So if you own a PowerPak (or simply interested) let it be known and post away.
Making use of extra CF card space
One thing I often hear from people is how surprised they are to find that the entire US rom set only takes up around 250MB. The Famicom rom set is also similar in size. With the current standard of CF cards being 2GB and over, you're left with a hefty amount of empty space if you were to go for it all and put everything on there. Even if you fill it with every Pirate, Patched Translations and Hacks and NSF file you can find, you STILL will be left with a huge amount of free space. So what do you do with this free space? With a little time and effort, you can use this space to sort your games in every way imaginable which makes deciding which game you want to play a little easier than just going through 1,000+ games in alphabetical folders.
GenresIn your games folder, create a folder called Genres and then subfolders with Arcade, Shmups, Beat-Em-Ups, Sports etc. to sort your games into common genres so if you're in the mood to play a
shmup or something but aren't sure which game to pick, you can go right to your shmup folder and
your selection will be narrowed down to make it easier to decide.
TypeIn this folder, sort your games by whatever type of games you want. For example, make folders for 2 Player Games, Power Pad games, Zapper games etc. so when you have a friend over or want to break out the Power Pad, you have a list of games specific for your needs.
PublisherThis is an excellent way to sort your roms but it does take some time on your half. In the end, it's worth it to be able to sort through only games by Nintendo or Konami.
YearThis one is probably the most time consuming as you will have to do some research unless your mind is a virtual index of NES games. Just do what I did and use NA!! In the case of Famicom games, you'll have to look further though I'm afraid.
FavoritesThis one should really be a no-brainer. If there are only a few games you play ALOT put them in here so you don't have to go through the long menus every time.
So there you have it. Sort your games and you'll make your PowerPak much easier to navigate and you can make use of all that free space that would have never been needed. If anyone else would like to share some ideas on how to use extra space or just talk about the PowerPak in general, post now!