Dreamcast Software Development Standards

Dreamcast Software Development Standards/Ver.1.00E

#### 4. Soft Reset

> Unlike Saturn, the Dreamcast Main Unit does not include a hardware RESET button, so a player can reset only by a soft reset function or by turning the power off and on. The conditions of 4.1 should therefore be carefully observed.

4.1 Soft Reset Timing

> Required: A "soft reset" must be possible except during saving and disc access.

4.2 Soft Reset Button Operation

> Required: Except for a gun controller which does not have X/Y buttons (and including keyboards that do not clearly indicate when multiple keys are pressed with the Saturn version?), a soft reset must occur when the A + B + X + Y buttons are all held down and the START button pressed.

> Required: A soft reset must also occur if any other buttons are pressed while the A + B + X + Y buttons are all held down when the START button is pressed.

> Required: In the case of racing and gun controllers or a keyboard where pressing the A + B + X + Y + START button combination is impossible (or very difficult), the soft reset function should be a selectable menu item. Currently, we recommend that the Title Screen menu and the Boot ROM menu be selectable jump destinations at the completion of a soft reset (see 4.4)

> The particular reasons for the above are the difficulty of reaching all the buttons on racing controllers, the lack of X/Y buttons on gun controllers, and the difficulty of simultaneous recognition of the buttons on a keyboard.

> To avoid user confusion, no other button combination except the above (A + B + X + Y + START button) are permitted to execute a soft reset (because it is not possible with a gun).

4.3. Soft Reset and Controllers (Control Ports)

> Required: Soft Reset must be possible from all controllers (ports) in use.

> As mentioned in 2. Controllers and Ports, operation should not be possible from any port that does not have a compatible controller connected, so of course soft reset should not be possible from such ports either.

4.4 Soft Reset Execution

> Check the following conditions A and B.

> A: If the disc contains a single application (refer to 4.4.1)

> B: If an omnibus system with several applications on the disc (refer to 4.4.2)

4.4.1 Simple Application Case

> Required: Soft reset from the Title Loop must jump to the Main Unit Boot ROM Menu.

> Required: Soft reset from the main game (after the application is started) must jump to the Title Screen.

> The process for determining whether an application has started (= in a main game) is described in 6. Title Screen.

4.4.2 Omnibus System Case

> Recommended: Soft reset from within each game should cause a jump to the Title Screen of the corresponding main game.

> Recommended: Soft reset from the Title Loop of any title should cause a jump to the base Title Screen.

> Recommended: Soft reset from the base Title Screen Title Loop should cause a jump to the Main Unit Boot ROM Menu screen.

> If the preceding recommendations cannot be followed (e.g., if no base Title Screen exists), follow the soft reset requirement of 4.4.1.

Dreamcast Software Development Standards

Copyright SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD, 1998