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


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