A NESMaker Multi-Games Module

Gunsac

New member
Anyone ever thought of Making a NESMaker Multi-game Module?

Like you could fit 4 Normal UNROM Games 128kb in a NesMaker game of 512kb. As far as I know there is no existing Multi-cart that has just UNROM games, or more than one of them in one Cart. Also there is no NES Mapper 30 Multi-cart AFAIK.

I know NESMaker doesn't import Roms but maybe we could build the 4 games in 1 game our self's inside NESMaker some how. Anyway That is an Ideal I had for awhile. Not that I know how you could do it or if it would be possible.
 

Bucket Mouse

Active member
Here's the problem: a mapper has to be specifically written for this sort of thing. Mapper 30 is not.

Mapper 28 is the homebrew multicart mapper (better known as the Action53 mapper) and it wraps all games into one large ROM. But it has a size limit and it doesn't accept any individual ROM larger than 256kb, nor does it accept Mapper 30 ROMs. You'd have to convert them to Mapper 2 AND a 256kb size. There's a topic on the forums on how to do the former, but to do the latter you have to plan it out from the beginning (i.e. not use half the banks in the NESMaker ROM).

You can also only fit about seven in there at 256kb; to fit more, they'd have to be even smaller. So a lot of NESMaker games just wouldn't work for Mapper 28. As for how they make those bootleg "500 in 1" carts overseas, I don't know.
 

Bucket Mouse

Active member
You guys must be reading my mind. I was looking into this topic over the last week. What do you think about this option @Bucket Mouse ?

Well, that would fix a lot of the problems with the only other multicart compiler available (Action53). It takes Mapper 30 and it can hold a lot more ROMs. BUUUUUT.....

....it's for Famicom, not NES. Which means you can't make a physical version of it that will work on a non-Japanese system.
Why would anyone build it like this? What a waste.
 

Gunsac

New member
Here's the problem: a mapper has to be specifically written for this sort of thing. Mapper 30 is not.

Mapper 28 is the homebrew multicart mapper (better known as the Action53 mapper) and it wraps all games into one large ROM. But it has a size limit and it doesn't accept any individual ROM larger than 256kb, nor does it accept Mapper 30 ROMs. You'd have to convert them to Mapper 2 AND a 256kb size. There's a topic on the forums on how to do the former, but to do the latter you have to plan it out from the beginning (i.e. not use half the banks in the NESMaker ROM).

You can also only fit about seven in there at 256kb; to fit more, they'd have to be even smaller. So a lot of NESMaker games just wouldn't work for Mapper 28. As for how they make those bootleg "500 in 1" carts overseas, I don't know.
Thank you, that explains why there are no Mapper 30 Multi-Carts.

Yup. The board is a Famicom board -- it has the wrong set of pins. You could include a pin adapter, but that would raise the price.
You can get adapters pretty cheap on Aliexpress.
 

RMiao

New member
Well, that would fix a lot of the problems with the only other multicart compiler available (Action53). It takes Mapper 30 and it can hold a lot more ROMs. BUUUUUT.....

....it's for Famicom, not NES. Which means you can't make a physical version of it that will work on a non-Japanese system.
Why would anyone build it like this? What a waste.
Most of the world uses Famicom format, this is a lot better an option than NES.

I'm gonna be looking into building some multicarts with this in the near future.
 

dale_coop

Moderator
Staff member
Most of the world uses Famicom format, this is a lot better an option than NES.

I'm gonna be looking into building some multicarts with this in the near future.

Hmmm.... most of the gamers that would actually buy a physical copy of a homebrew games want a NES cartridge. But making a FAMICOM edition is as simple as NES (just buy the famicom board instead of NES ;))
 

RMiao

New member
Hmmm.... most of the gamers that would actually buy a physical copy of a homebrew games want a NES cartridge. But making a FAMICOM edition is as simple as NES (just buy the famicom board instead of NES ;))
I see it sort of as a chicken / egg scenario: because there is such a limited amount of homebrew available on Famicom format, can we really use those sales as a gauge as to whether the Famicom / Famiclone communities (Japan, Asian regions outside of Japan, South America, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and parts of Africa, etc) would be interested in buying homebrew games or not. I feel there is tons of potential, and things such as the referenced project above being made for Famiclone showcases that.
 

dale_coop

Moderator
Staff member
I'm speaking from personal experience, having significant knowledge of the FAMICOM homebrew market, particularly in Japan, as well as in the American and European regions.

Having developed several NES + FAMICOM games myself, I've consistently observed that the NES versions consistently outsell their Japanese counterparts.

While it's true that some countries utilize FAMICOM carts through FAMIclone systems, in my opinion, attempting to sell games in these regions isn't practical due to the complexities of production costs versus sale prices. While it's possible to manufacture a small quantity of 20-30 copies at low cost, this doesn't constitute what I would consider a viable market opportunity.

On the other hand, in the USA and Europe, there's a robust market for NES games, with hundreds being sold, pricy complete in-box versions.
 

RMiao

New member
I'm speaking from personal experience, having significant knowledge of the FAMICOM homebrew market, particularly in Japan, as well as in the American and European regions.

Having developed several NES + FAMICOM games myself, I've consistently observed that the NES versions consistently outsell their Japanese counterparts.

While it's true that some countries utilize FAMICOM carts through FAMIclone systems, in my opinion, attempting to sell games in these regions isn't practical due to the complexities of production costs versus sale prices. While it's possible to manufacture a small quantity of 20-30 copies at low cost, this doesn't constitute what I would consider a viable market opportunity.

On the other hand, in the USA and Europe, there's a robust market for NES games, with hundreds being sold, pricy complete in-box versions.

This is really off topic, but here is just a bit more food for thought.

It is logical that the NES versions will outsell the Famicom versions, as the majority of the western-developed homebrew is being marketed towards American and (Western) European regions. I suspect that there are several different reasons for this, including differing tastes in games, language barrier, etc especially when dealing with the Japanese market. Similarly most American and European collectors are going to choose a 72 pin version over a Famicom version, something that has even been seen with many prefering "reproductions" of Famicom-exclusive games to the original versions.

The Famicom homebrew situation is emerging / growing, the NES homebrew scene is booming. A few years ago we didn't even have molds for Famicom cartridge shells, but that problem had been overcome for NES homebrew probably over a decade ago. Similarly, many (western) authors don't offer their games on Famicom format - oddly enough though, Mind Kids and a bunch of other shady companies on Aliexpress have been offering Famiclone releases, suggesting that there is some kind of demand. For the record though, I don't agree with stealing and then bootlegging the efforts of homebrew / indie developers.

I guess what I am saying is as someone who has been following Famicom / Famiclone homebrew history since its infancy, I definitely see that is has come a long way since 2014, which was around the time I had first started advocating for Famicom homebrew releases. I also developed and released several Famicom games - the people in Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, etc are generally shocked as they haven't really been introduced to homebrew culture yet, though it has started to hit places like Russia and Poland a bit. So I would say we are an emerging market, whereas America and western Europe are established markets.

Anyways, I'm a fan of the games you and your son did, and although I don't necessary agree with your opinions here, it's really hard to say how things will ultimately be in ten or even five years. :)
 

dale_coop

Moderator
Staff member
I'm well aware of the FAMIClone market (Taiwan, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, and others...). The primary challenge in this market is the demand for cheap cartridges, which unfortunately, homebrew developers struggle to produce at low costs. Given the choice, many would prefer to target the larger Western NES audience. This reality, in my opinion, reflects the current state of the NES/FAMICOM market.

I have a deep affection for the FAMICOM and fully support its homebrew scene. All of my games are released on FAMICOM as well because of my genuine love for the platform. I remain hopeful that in the future, all homebrew games will have dual releases on both the NES and FAMICOM platforms.
 
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