#73053 - super_kridley - Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:05 am
I was just thinking, would it ever be possible to change that "press the screen to continue" screen to a enter password screen where you press like R, L, A, B etc. and then you get to that screen where you select your game, but could you change that to maybe like where the huge icons are places on the side, and you have a wallpaper or something?
#73055 - Linkiboy - Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:22 am
You mean in the firmware? Someone recently homebrew version of one, so technically it is possible.
#73109 - PhoenixSoft - Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:41 pm
FlashMe removes the health warning screen, and inserts a loader code in it's place, so it would be possible. But I'm not sure whether there would be enough room left in the EEPROM to store FlashMe's loader code (that lets you run DS homebrew without a PassMe).
#73138 - zzo38computer - Thu Feb 23, 2006 5:22 pm
I am making a new firmware called FWNITRO.
I was thinking about adding a password screen, and I could add a password screen, but then I realized that it won't really be any use to have a password screen (anyway, what if you lose your password?). You could use a physical lock that fits in the GBA slot and DS card slot and covers the top, with a lock on it, but I'm not sure how well that would work either.
And about the wallpaper, where would the wallpaper be stored? I'm not sure where there is room to store the wallpaper, especially if it needs code for the firmware as well, and how to change the wallpaper.
... Or maybe I will add a password screen. But where would the password be stored?
#73178 - caitsith2 - Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:28 pm
| zzo38computer wrote: |
... Or maybe I will add a password screen. But where would the password be stored? |
Make an array containing a 16 byte constant value plus however many bytes the password will be. The 16 byte constant value will allow external programs to be able to find the place where the password is stored. That external program could even be the firmware installer.
One thing you do have to remember, is that you are not totally locked out of your DS in case of forgetting your password, if you can somehow use the failsafe routine.
#73207 - Joat - Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:22 pm
16 bytes seems like total overkill IMO
SL1 can be indirectly read via the firmware status register IIRC, so that could be a last ditch failsafe (i.e. have to short SL1 to boot without password), if you don't want something as simple as pushing ABXY, but honestly, what good is a password going to do to protect your DS in the first place?
If it's your brothers/sisters who are trying to use the DS when you're not around, and they find it password protected, are they going to give up, or are they going to take it and hide it, or find some other way to annoy you?
_________________
Joat
http://www.bottledlight.com
#73232 - caitsith2 - Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:25 am
Yeah, true. If you implement a timed lockout after 5 failed password attempts, They could annoy you by purposely getting the password wrong 5 times. In that case, an emergency hard coded password, that is twice as long, could be one way around that lockout.
#73254 - HyperHacker - Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:39 am
Maybe if they don't know it's a password... you show an image of the standard firmware menu, making it look like it's just frozen (or a fake error message), and it stays there until you press whatever buttons.
#73265 - caitsith2 - Fri Feb 24, 2006 7:17 am
The buttons that could be pressed is up/down/left/right/a/b/x/y for the password entry. up/down would appear to select the option as normal. The select button, which is used to execute the selected option, would remain inactive for all options except power off. L/R could also do its normal thing as well. Only at the time the password is entered correctly do all the options get unlocked, and of course, the user could be informed, either directly, or indirectly, depending on how the option is set, that he has correctly entered the password.
The password could potentially contain sequence of having more than one key pressed. An example of such a password could be A+UP, B+Down, Y+Left, A+Right, A+X, B+Y, A.
Nintendo and rare have been known to use multiple button at the same time codes for unlocking various things. One example is debug codes, and another is the alternative means for unlocking the golden eye cheats (I have never unlocked invincibility the legitimate way of beating facility on 00 in 1 minute 42 seconds, but rather by using the following sequence in the cheat menu.)
| Code: |
1. Hold R Button and press left
2. Hold L Button and press down.
3. Press Left
4. Press Up.
5. Press Down.
6. Hold R button and press C-Left.
7. Hold L button and press C-left.
8. Hold L and R buttons, and press Left.
9. Hold L and R buttons, and press right.
10. Hold L Button and press C-Left.
|
Yeah, the potential for multi button passwords does exist, and would be much harder to unlock than single button passwords.
#73286 - Joat - Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:11 am
up up down down left right left right b a
(select) start
FTW
_________________
Joat
http://www.bottledlight.com
#73399 - Sebbo - Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:31 am
in regards to a custom background image, could it (a 256x192 bitmap) be appened to the firmware loader in Windows/Linux/Mac OS, then the firmware loader writes the image into a section of the firmware when it writes the custom firmware to the DS?
as for where in the firmware the image is written to, how big is the space used by the tiled background in the current (original) firmware? (i assume its tiled, its just a grid repeated several times vertically and horizontally)
_________________
Here's some ideas I have for when I know enough to act on them, or for others to have a look at when they're bored: www.wayne.sebbens.com/ds_ideas.htm
#73407 - melw - Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:57 pm
In the original boot menu all the background looks like it could be done with a couple lines of code (couple lines, rectangles, etc. not really requiring a 256x192 image). One thing that crossed my mind though, has anybody found an access to the firmware font, the same that is used in Pictochat? Very nice and small font, wouldn't mind using that as a default font in own applications, especially when it's included with every NDS in any case...