How to enjoy the taste of the real 80s... piracy?

[Diskun]

EDIT

[ericj]

You can play FDS roms through the FDS using FDSLoader to load the rom. It's a DOS program, so you'll need an older computer with a parallel port to use it. You can buy Chinese bootleg disks to write roms to, but finding them is kinda tough. Keep an eye out for auctions. You'll have to mod the FDS to enable full disk writing, but could possibly get away with not modding it as long as your drive has a 7201 chip and you're using the right copy program (Copy Master, NTSC hack), but the disk header won't get rewritten, which can be problematic. Otherwise, you'll have to perform the power board mod to get full disk writing capabilities with a 7201.

My site shows how to do this: www.famicomdisksystem.com

[Diskun]

Is impossible to find Quickdisks or something similar?

I got a PC with parallel, but is IMPOSSIBLE to play FDS roms WITHOUT a Personal Computer switched-on?

[ericj]

You could get a NES PowerPak from RetroZone and play roms through it, but you can't use the disk system with it, just the cart slot.

Quickdisks are hard to find, plus they need modded to work in an FDS. You're better off finding some pirate disks.

[Diskun]

could you tell me something more about the FDSLoader? how does it work and what i'd need?

[ericj]

Check out my site, it's pretty much all on there.

[Xious]

I'd like to play Famicom Disks System ROMs. And this is ok.

When did this become OK? Handing out candy like this to kids who are only interested in pirating games...  

So the question is: there's a "cheap/easy" to play FDS ROMs on FDS?

Short answer: No. The easy way is to buy legit Nintendo disks and the cheap and somewhat easy way is to buy pirate media, which will save you in the short run, but will only work on some drives. Even if you went out and found someone who could sell you Mitsumi quick-disk media, it isn't going to be less expensive than getting pirated FDS disks from China: In fact, because of how difficult they can be to locate, and because most of them circulating are for musical instruments (with synth data on them), they can cost more than the Chinese disks.

Honestly, this is edging the line on Rule No.9... Essentially asking for a glorified, site-accepted walk-through on ROM-piracy.  

[Diskun]

I'd like to play Famicom Disks System ROMs. And this is ok.

When did this become OK? Handing out candy like this to kids who are only interested in pirating games... 

So the question is: there's a "cheap/easy" to play FDS ROMs on FDS?

Short answer: No. The easy way is to buy legit Nintendo disks and the cheap and somewhat easy way is to buy pirate media, which will save you in the short run, but will only work on some drives. Even if you went out and found someone who could sell you Mitsumi quick-disk media, it isn't going to be less expensive than getting pirated FDS disks fro m China: In fact, because of how difficult the can be to locate, and because most of them circulating are for musical instruments (with synth data on them), the can cost more than the Chinese disks.

Honestly, this is edging the line on Rule No.9... Essentially asking for a glorified, site-accepted walk-through on ROM-piracy. 

Ok, If It's not legit, I change the topic, sorry my friend

[ericj]

This issue (writing FDS disks) has been discussed at length on here many times. I'm not in agreement that it breaks any rules given historical discussions as reference. No one's sharing any roms, so it's essentially no different than asking how to make an eeprom cart game or talking about using the PowerPak or emulators to play roms.

[Xious]

The only difference here is that he essentially came out and said 'I don't own any games and I want to make y own disks using the least expensive media and downloaded ROMs without having to buy anything.', which is seriously not good for the forum in general. Hey, I know people want to do this, and it happens a lot with disk-based games in general for all systems, but the FW forum shouldn't be the place to discuss it. The other side is that it is the topic of post #1, specifically questions about how to intentionally commit SW piracy, and that shouldn't be encouraged. It's not good for the site image...but it's not my decision in the end.

For $3-$5 a disk, he can easily buy pirate games from China already, so I don't know how much less anyone could want to aim. Then you have the issue of the infeasibility of it, as the only way to do this without finding blank or junk media that costs money is to use an FDSLoader system, which is cumbersome, or buy a PowerPak, which isn't the goal (spending money again).

I can honestly say that I don't own any pirated games for which I don't have a corresponding original; I collect them for the novelty factor, and I collect conversions/ports/downgrades as well as Asian original titles. All of the ports, repros, hacks and conversions in my collection are titles for which I have the original released game, so I only dip into the grey area; I dont hold other people to that standard, and in this day and age, I don't even encourage either set of beliefs, being pretty neuttral.

The problem is that blatantly asking how to pirate stuff, and in those exact words, is well past that grey line and shouldn't be encouraged for a variety of reasons. It doesn't stop anybody from doing it, but it does cover the legal behinds of the folks that run this forum, at their own temporal and monetary expense. It is also however slightly different from talking about the PowerPak, as although it can be used for piracy it doesn't have to be, and the sales of it do help keep the market alive. I'm majorly concerned that it will attract the pro-piracy crowd here and thus its best that if anybody desires to discuss this sort of topic to keep it behind closed doors...or at least use more tact when chatting about it over a cuppa.

In essence, it just doesn't belong as a topic, much less an initial post, in a public forum: That's all I'm really trying to get across, which is why I said it was edging the line on the rules...not breaking them. 

[Diskun]

ok, sorry for my topic. i was wrong 'cause i thought that if pirated carts or disks are allowed to be talked about, i thought also this topic was legit. So, i was wrong

[Xious]

Hmm... Again, discussing already pirated games (pre-made disks or carts), or how to back-up your existing games in general is commonplace here.  It's only a matter of how you introduced yourself, and how you phrased your initial topic that caused worries for me. This edited trialogue on how to use FDSLoader is also acceptable, at least, within reason; just be sure to own a at least a few legit titles if you want a broader range of people to help you.

I'm curious: If you don't have any disks, how do you ow that your FDS even works at all?