PkR at 16:18, 16 February 2026

2026-02-16T16:18:43Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:18, 16 February 2026
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	== Adding Games in the UI ==		== Adding Games in the UI ==
	In addition to built-in games, ~~but~~ you can add support for more games by clicking the <code>+</code> icon to the right of the Games list and selecting a GDI file.		In addition to built-in games, you can add support for more games by clicking the <code>+</code> icon to the right of the Games list and selecting a GDI file.

	When you pick a GDI file, you will see the following dialog:		When you pick a GDI file, you will see the following dialog:

PkR at 12:01, 13 October 2025

2025-10-13T12:01:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:01, 13 October 2025
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	<code>Comment,Filename,Offset,Type,Count,Value</code>		<code>Comment,Filename,Offset,Type,Count,Value</code>

	In the SA International example above, the patch called "LBA Patch" writes the unsigned 16-bit integer value of <code>11868</code> (<code>2E 5C</code>) once at offset <code>0x65DD50</code> in <code>1ST_READ.BIN</code>. For other value types that can be used in patches, see Creating Mods.		In the SA International example above, the patch called "LBA Patch" writes the unsigned 16-bit integer value of <code>11868</code> (<code>2E 5C</code>) once at offset <code>0x65DD50</code> in <code>1ST_READ.BIN</code>. For other value types that can be used in patches, see [[Dreamcast Image Builder/Creating Mods\|Creating Mods]].

	You can find more examples of game data in the built-in games folder.		You can find more examples of game data in the [https://gitlab.com/PiKeyAr/dreamcast-image-builder/-/tree/main/games?ref_type=heads built-in games folder].

	=== Overriding Built-in Games ===		=== Overriding Built-in Games ===

PkR: Created page with "== Adding Games in the UI == In addition to built-in games, but you can add support for more games by clicking the `+` icon to the right of the Games list and selecting a GDI file. When you pick a GDI file, you will see the following dialog: Add New Game dialog '''Brief Title''' is the internal name used by this program. It will be used as a filename base for files containing game sett..."

2025-10-13T12:00:24Z

Created page with "== Adding Games in the UI == In addition to built-in games, but you can add support for more games by clicking the <code>+</code> icon to the right of the Games list and selecting a GDI file. When you pick a GDI file, you will see the following dialog: none|thumb|Add New Game dialog '''Brief Title''' is the internal name used by this program. It will be used as a filename base for files containing game sett..."

New page

== Adding Games in the UI ==
In addition to built-in games, but you can add support for more games by clicking the <code>+</code> icon to the right of the Games list and selecting a GDI file.

When you pick a GDI file, you will see the following dialog:
[[File:Dreamcast Image Builder Adding Games 1760356619109.png|none|thumb|Add New Game dialog]]
'''Brief Title''' is the internal name used by this program. It will be used as a filename base for files containing game settings. It's recommended to use short but descriptive names for game data files, such as <code>SA1_INT1003</code> (Sonic Adventure International v.1.003).

'''Display Title''' is the game's name that will appear on the Games list. Note that each game configuration must have a unique title.

The settings below are optional.

'''Icon''' is an icon associated with the game. It is only used for cosmetic purposes. Click the box to locate a bitmap or icon file. If you click <code>Cancel</code> in the open file dialog, the current icon will be cleared.

'''Cheats''' locates a RetroArch .cht file associated with this version of the game. If you specify a valid cheat sheet, the <code>Codes</code> tab will appear when this game is selected. If you click <code>Cancel</code> in the open file dialog, the current cheat table will be cleared.

'''Sort List''' locates a file list used for arranging files in a specific order (such as the sort files exported by GD-ROM Explorer). It's only used for building CDI files. If you click <code>Cancel</code> in the open file dialog, the current sort list will be cleared.

'''Boot LBA''' is the value used for selfbooting CDI. It depends on the game and the selfboot method used.

'''CDI Patches''' is a list of hacks for 1ST_READ and other binaries required to boot the CDI. CDI patches are in the following format:

<code>Comment,Filename,Offset,Type,Count,Value</code>

For more information on patches, see the section below.

== Adding Games Manually ==
To add games manually, create a <code>games</code> folder in the same location as <code>DreamcastImageBuilder.exe</code> and add game-specific data to it.

=== Game Data ===
Game data includes the following files:

* INI file with game metadata
* (Optional) Game icon (.ico file)
* (Optional) Cheat table in RetroArch .cht format (for flycast)
* (Optional) Sort file (such as those created by GD-ROM Explorer) with the .str extension

Game data must be placed in the <code>games</code> folder. It's recommended but not required to create a subfolder for each game.

All files for the same game must have the same name, for example if you name the INI file <code>MYGAME.INI</code>, then the icon should be <code>MYGAME.ICO</code>, the sort file should be <code>MYGAME.STR</code> and the cheat table should be <code>MYGAME.CHT</code>.

It's recommended to use short but descriptive names for game data files, such as <code>SA1_INT1003</code> (Sonic Adventure International v.1.003).

=== INI file ===
The INI file is the minimum requirement for Dreamcast Image Builder to be able to build modified GDIs for the game. It's a text file that consists of the following lines:
Line 1: Game title (to be displayed in the UI)
Line 2: Game identifier (used to check GDI versions and mod compatibility)
Line 3: Number of tracks (unused)
Line 4: Boot LBA for CDI (0, 11700, 11702 or 45000)
Line 5 and below: Patches required to boot in CDI mode
'''Important: Do not add comments or extra line breaks between the lines.'''

'''Game title''' only affects the interface of the program. It's recommended to include the full game title and version, such as "Sonic Adventure International 1.003".

'''Game identifier''' is a string used to recognize the specific version of the game. You can retrieve it from the following locations in a GDI dump:

* <code>track03.bin</code>: from 0x50 to 0x70
* <code>IP.BIN</code>: from 0x40 to 0x60

Example: <code>610-7029 V1.00019981016</code> for Sonic Adventure Autodemo.

The text in that area usually takes less than 32 bytes, and the remainder of the string is filled with spaces (<code>0x20</code>). You can remove the trailing spaces, but do not remove the spaces in the middle of the string (between <code>7029</code> and <code>V1.0001</code> in the example above).

'''Number of tracks''' is for compatibility with the old format of game INI files. You can leave the value at 3.

'''Boot LBA''' is the sector ID used to boot the CDI file. It can be different depending on the game and the selfboot method used to make the game boot from a CD.

'''Patches for CDI''' are hacks that need to be applied to <code>1ST_READ.BIN</code> and other binaries to make the game boot from a CD. Each line is a separate patch (see below).

Lines 4 (Boot LBA) and 5+ (Patches for CDI) are not required if you only want to build GDIs.

Here's an example INI file for Sonic Adventure International:<pre>
Sonic Adventure International 1.003
HDR-0043 V1.00319990920
3
11702
LBA Patch,1ST_READ.BIN,65DD50,Uint16,1,11868
</pre>CDI patches are in the following format:

<code>Comment,Filename,Offset,Type,Count,Value</code>

In the SA International example above, the patch called "LBA Patch" writes the unsigned 16-bit integer value of <code>11868</code> (<code>2E 5C</code>) once at offset <code>0x65DD50</code> in <code>1ST_READ.BIN</code>. For other value types that can be used in patches, see Creating Mods.

You can find more examples of game data in the built-in games folder.

=== Overriding Built-in Games ===
If you need to modify settings for a game that Dreamcast Image Builder has built-in support for, you can do so by matching your game data filenames with the built-in names:

* Sonic Adventure (US v.1005): <code>SA1_US1005</code>
* Sonic Adventure 2 (US v.1008): <code>SA2_US1008</code>
* Sonic Adventure Autodemo prototype: <code>SA1_Autodemo</code>
* Rez (Japan): <code>Rez_JP1003</code>
* Rez (Europe/PAL): <code>Rez_EU1003</code>
* Rez (Build 836 prototype): <code>Rez_b836</code>

=== Adding CDI support ===
To add support for building CDIs for a game, the following data is required:

# The INI file must specify the required Boot LBA (<code>msinfo</code> value). At the moment only the value of <code>11702</code> has been confirmed to work.
# The INI file must contain patches for <code>1ST_READ.BIN</code> (and possibly other binaries) to remove the game's GD-ROM protections, if any. There is an experimental setting in the <code>Options</code> tab to bypass common GDROM protections, which may be enough for some games.
# For games that don't use Windows CE, the INI file must contain patches for <code>1ST_READ.BIN</code> to replace the Boot LBA value in cases when it isn't <code>45000</code>. There is an experimental setting in the <code>Options</code> tab to auto patch Boot LBA, which may be enough for some games.

Dreamcast Image Builder/Adding Games - Revision history

PkR at 16:18, 16 February 2026

PkR at 12:01, 13 October 2025