Sega ScreenGopher User Manual

GopherSoft, 2012

E-mail: [e-mail]

WWW: http://screengopher.freehosting.com/eng/index.html

ScreenGopher

User Manual

ScreenGopher – User Manual

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Sega Gopher is 16 bit handheld, being produce since 2007. At first, it was

known as Sega Mega Drive Handheld. Using it, you can play games, that was
originally made for Sega Mega Drive.

Initially it was planned to sell this handheld only on Chinese market, but
becoming popular (due to popularity of Sega Mega Drive and its games), this
console was exported to USA, Russia, Europe and other countries.

The handheld is equipped with an slot for SD-card, which contains user’s
games (ROMS). Console can run this ROMs like original cartridges. Also, there is
a modified version of handheld, equipped with IR-port for wireless controllers.

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_gopher

Popular online encyclopedia

Sega Gopher is an excellent present both for children and people who still
remember those sleepless nights, spent playing Sega Genesis console.

Sega Gopher handheld is equipped with an original Genesis chip, licenced
by Sega company. At present, Sega Gopher is the only licenced game console,
based on original Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).

http://segamd.ru/

Official Sega Gopher dealer in Russia

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Contents

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………….

2. Brief overview of MDB.DAT file structure………………………………….

2.1 Using the MDB.DAT file……………………………………...…………

3. Using the program…..……………………………………………………….

3.1 Game list….………………………………………………………………

3.2 Editing game……………………………………………………………..

3.2.1 About game names………………….……………………………….

3.2.2 Pasting/loading pictures………..……………………………………

3.2.3 Picture formats………………………..……………………………..

3.3 Additional features of the program………….………………………….

3.3.1 Rapid image import…………….…………………………………..

3.3.2 Rapid file list import…………….…………………………………

3.3.3 Record export………………………………………………………

3.3.4 Copying the image…….…………………………………………...

3.3.5 Copying game name……...………………………………………...

3.4 Saving file………..……………………………………………………..

3.5 Brief «how-to» algorithm of creating MDB.DAT
from the start………………………………………………………..…..

4. Program registration (activation)……..…………………………………….

4.1 Registration form (request form)………………………………………..

4.2 Payment size and services………..……………………………………..

4.3 Free registration (activation)……………………………………………

4.4 Re-registration process………...………………………………………..

5. Additional information……………………………………………………...

5.1 Contacts...……………………………………………………………….

5.2 Handheld’s clones.………………………………………………………

5.3 Links……………..…………………………………………………...…

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1. Introduction

ScreenGopher is a software for Microsoft Windows ® (2000/XP/Vista/7
editions) made for assigning your own pictures in game select menu (from SD­card) for Sega Gopher (sometimes known as Blaze or something else) (see also
sect. 2). It is an undocumented feature, but it wouldn’t do harm for your handheld
in any way – it is completely safe.

The main point is an MDB.DAT file – special file, containing pictures,
assigned with game names (by filename). Learn more about this file in sect. 2 –

2.1.
All this word can be illustrated with these photos:

Fig. 1. Preview picture for built-in games.

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Fig. 3. No preview pictures for user’s games (ROMs), uploaded to SD-card.

Fig. 4. Result of using MDB.dat file – presence of pictures for user’s games
(ROMs) on SD-card.

Note: originally, MDB.DAT file could only be found at rare SD-cards,

selling with pre-installed games for Sega Gopher. A little later it became
known which games it was oriented for (a 913 records file is widely spread and
well known). Downloading this file from our site

http://screengopher.freehosting.com/eng/downloads.html/ you can learn this

games list. However, most of its pictures were not satisfying – among them were a
lot of pictures showing garbage or non-informative stuff. ScreenGopher is made to
solve this problem. Since internal structure of MDB.DAT file was understood it
became possible to oneself to organize game list and to assign desired pictures.

So, who and what for is interested in this program?

1. For parents, whose children can’t read and have some problems

navigating menu by game names.

2. Enthusiasts and amateurs, that wish to create their own and unique game
collection for handheld (which are not present in «standard» version of MDB.DAT
file).

3. For people unsatisfied with «standard» MDB.DAT file, especially with its
pictures’ quality (because of their low information value).

4. For people, having any other troubles with navigating in menu.

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2. Brief overview of MDB.DAT file structure

As it was mentioned before, MDB.DAT file contains records about pictures,
assigned to user’s filenames. Files are user’s games (ROMs), with following
extensions: .gen or .bin., uploaded to SD-card.

Schematically, this structure can be represented by following table:

Table 1. MDB.DAT file structure

Game names (filenames) Сопоставленные изображения

Game1 Picture1
Game2 Picture2

... ...

GameN PictureN

Note 1 to table 1: game names may not match the shown above template. It
is just an example. Learn more in sect. 3.2.1 about naming games in MDB.DAT
file.

Note 2 to table 1: game names (text records) in MBD.DAT file should
correspond with filenames of games, uploaded to SD-card.

Note 3 to table 1: games may be placed in non-alphabetical (however, the
feature of sorting is implemented in this program and can be called from menu). If
presence of two same records occurs, the handheld will take picture from the last
of them.

2.1 Using the MDB.DAT file

No matter if you took «standard» MDB.DAT file or made it with the help of
ScreenGopher, it is necessary to do the following:

1. Copy this file to X:\GAME (instead of X the letter of your SD-card is

meant) folder, containing user’s games (ROMs).

2. Rename files (ROM-files with .gen or .bin extensions) corresponding to

records in MDB.DAT file.

For example, if your MDB.DAT file contains 3 records: «Aladdin»,

«SonicTheHedgehog» and «EarthwormJim», the folder X:\GAME have to
be filled, besides MDB.DAT file, with the following files: «Aladdin.gen»,
«SonicTheHedgehog.gen», «EarthwormJim.gen» (or with .bin extension). After
that, while selecting a game in menu you will see a picture for each of this games,
like it was shown on fig. 4.