Users will frequently use cheat and savestate when playing difficult action games.
Cheat is worked by locking specific locations in memory. Sometimes the code(which is not very accurate) may cause the locked memory address to overflow, causing the game process to lock up.
Savestate is done by backing up the working memory of the GBA to the SD card and loading it from the SD card to the working memory of the GBA when loading. Unlike emulators that have read and write permission to all registers, registers on the real hardware of the GBA have different read and write permission, which results in not all data being fully written to the working memory of the GBA when load the savestate, after using savestate several times, it may completely mess up the working memory of GBA, which will also cause the game process to lock up.
These two theories are also described in the manual.
As far as I know the Chinese user community that there are users who can complete the zero mission without the cheat and savestate. They does not encounter the freeze issue.
Cheat is worked by locking specific locations in memory. Sometimes the code(which is not very accurate) may cause the locked memory address to overflow, causing the game process to lock up.
Savestate is done by backing up the working memory of the GBA to the SD card and loading it from the SD card to the working memory of the GBA when loading. Unlike emulators that have read and write permission to all registers, registers on the real hardware of the GBA have different read and write permission, which results in not all data being fully written to the working memory of the GBA when load the savestate, after using savestate several times, it may completely mess up the working memory of GBA, which will also cause the game process to lock up.
These two theories are also described in the manual.
As far as I know the Chinese user community that there are users who can complete the zero mission without the cheat and savestate. They does not encounter the freeze issue.
After a short conversation with these users, they gave me the following response:
1. The ending of zero mission is showing different ending animations according to the clearance time and unlocked hidden secrets, if you enable unlocked all hidden secrets(which showing as "All sideway essential factor open" in the cheat code) or locking the clearance time, the game may confuse to show which ending animation and freeze. As long as you have activated these codes once and saved once in the game, they will be written to the save file and may cause the ending animation to get stuck even if you don't turn on the cheat function in your subsequent play.
2. Cheat codes for missiles and bombs can also cause memory overflow.
1. The ending of zero mission is showing different ending animations according to the clearance time and unlocked hidden secrets, if you enable unlocked all hidden secrets(which showing as "All sideway essential factor open" in the cheat code) or locking the clearance time, the game may confuse to show which ending animation and freeze. As long as you have activated these codes once and saved once in the game, they will be written to the save file and may cause the ending animation to get stuck even if you don't turn on the cheat function in your subsequent play.
2. Cheat codes for missiles and bombs can also cause memory overflow.
Last edited by EZ-Flash2,
Here are things that I have tried so far.
Copy everything off the SD Card and formatted with FAT 32 Formatter.
Copy to the SD Card using xxcopy.
Started with an empty SAVER folder so a new file is created.
Checked that I was using Kernel 1.09 and Firmware 9.0
Did not use save states.
I used these codes to reach an ending quickly.
I converted these as described in another topic.
[Set_HP]
199=41536,C7,00
[Set_Missiles]
5=41538,5
This is provided in the cheat library.
[Ultra accelerating condition]
ON=41353,FF;413DC,FF
Turned cheats off before using save stations.
Normal difficulty, low percentage run.
Game froze.
Installed Simple 3.6 and tried again.
Game froze.
Copied to computer and used mGBA.
Did not freeze.
Started throwing GameShark codes at mGBA trying to make it freeze.
Still didn't freeze.
It appears the ROM, save, and codes are all okay.
It's the Omega's implementation of them that's encountering a problem.
When the game freezes there is a still image of the ship and the sound is stuck, It's just after the escape vessel has left the screen and just before the the screen flash for the explosion. After that is suppose to be a view of the crater, then space, then the credits, then the temple. So there's a minute of other animations before the specific ending will be shown.
The save file shows the Metroid insignia and the ending that should have been shown is added to the gallery.
Copy everything off the SD Card and formatted with FAT 32 Formatter.
Copy to the SD Card using xxcopy.
Started with an empty SAVER folder so a new file is created.
Checked that I was using Kernel 1.09 and Firmware 9.0
Did not use save states.
I used these codes to reach an ending quickly.
I converted these as described in another topic.
[Set_HP]
199=41536,C7,00
[Set_Missiles]
5=41538,5
This is provided in the cheat library.
[Ultra accelerating condition]
ON=41353,FF;413DC,FF
Turned cheats off before using save stations.
Normal difficulty, low percentage run.
Game froze.
Installed Simple 3.6 and tried again.
Game froze.
Copied to computer and used mGBA.
Did not freeze.
Started throwing GameShark codes at mGBA trying to make it freeze.
Still didn't freeze.
It appears the ROM, save, and codes are all okay.
It's the Omega's implementation of them that's encountering a problem.
When the game freezes there is a still image of the ship and the sound is stuck, It's just after the escape vessel has left the screen and just before the the screen flash for the explosion. After that is suppose to be a view of the crater, then space, then the credits, then the temple. So there's a minute of other animations before the specific ending will be shown.
The save file shows the Metroid insignia and the ending that should have been shown is added to the gallery.
That's impressive. Congrats to the player.
Now since I don't have the benefit of being Chinese I think the next course of action is to back up that save file, enable a cheat to make it freeze, and compare the 2 to identify the cause of the freeze.
Btw, what device is that in the video? It looks like half of a DS that's been modified. I've used a GB Player on GameCube and a GBA SP so far. Could the device that's used make a difference?
Now since I don't have the benefit of being Chinese I think the next course of action is to back up that save file, enable a cheat to make it freeze, and compare the 2 to identify the cause of the freeze.
Btw, what device is that in the video? It looks like half of a DS that's been modified. I've used a GB Player on GameCube and a GBA SP so far. Could the device that's used make a difference?
Last edited by Yemeth,
Also had to finish out the game with my save on an emulator on my computer, game locks up on the EZ-Flash Omega DE during the final cutscene, right as the pirate mothership is about to explode. Starting to think development of the firmware for this flashcart has been abandoned by the EZ-Flash team?
Last edited by RadioCitizen,
I have already pointed out the problem, once the cheat is used, it will cause data overflow, because the ending animation is dependent on the beat speed and the unlocked conditions. When you use cheat, these conditions have been disrupted which causing the game can not play the ending animation with no choice and enter a dead loop.
As long as you do not use cheat and beat the game, the ending animation will be normal.
As long as you do not use cheat and beat the game, the ending animation will be normal.
Had the same problem with my Omega. During the game there were some hiccups as well, such as not recognizing the SD card (this happened only for Metroid).
Did not use cheats, but used save states maybe 5 times, and the save states became unusable after that, freezing the game.
So that must be it.
Did not use cheats, but used save states maybe 5 times, and the save states became unusable after that, freezing the game.
So that must be it.
Last edited by maquiavelmg,
I apologize if this is an old thread. The exact same thing happened to me though with EZFlash IV and I managed to fix it.
The problem was that when I put my rom on my sd, I dropped it directly on the sd. That way the EZ IV when you run it, creates a patch file. That's the problem, if you send the game back to your sd but with EZ Client, that file is not created and the animation runs fine, and you can complete the game. I hope it works for someone else!
The problem was that when I put my rom on my sd, I dropped it directly on the sd. That way the EZ IV when you run it, creates a patch file. That's the problem, if you send the game back to your sd but with EZ Client, that file is not created and the animation runs fine, and you can complete the game. I hope it works for someone else!
Hello everyone. I also encountered this problem and managed to work around it. I hope my case will help someone.
At first I played on GBA SP AGS-101. When the game froze just before the explosion at the end, I tried again and again with different settings, but nothing helped. Then I came across this topic and read that EZ-Flash guys were playing the game on NDS. Then I decided to try inserting a flash cartridge into my DS phat, ran a clean boot, loaded my save, and the game did not freeze at the end, showing the credits. After that, I inserted the cartridge into another GBA SP model AGS-100, and the game did not freeze there either. And finally, after inserting the cartridge back into the AGS-101, I got the same result, the game no longer froze.
At first I played on GBA SP AGS-101. When the game froze just before the explosion at the end, I tried again and again with different settings, but nothing helped. Then I came across this topic and read that EZ-Flash guys were playing the game on NDS. Then I decided to try inserting a flash cartridge into my DS phat, ran a clean boot, loaded my save, and the game did not freeze at the end, showing the credits. After that, I inserted the cartridge into another GBA SP model AGS-100, and the game did not freeze there either. And finally, after inserting the cartridge back into the AGS-101, I got the same result, the game no longer froze.
Similar threads
