Dreamcast Software Development Standards

Dreamcast Software Development Standards

Dreamcast Software Development Standards/Ver.1.00E

> The following indicators are used to denote particular conditions of the standards: Required, Recommended, Standardized, and Prohibited

> The meanings of these symbols are as follows:

> Required: These items must be strictly observed during Dreamcast application creation.

> Violating one of these items is cause to refuse acceptance for ROM release.

> Recommended: These items are recommended from the perspective of user friendliness.

> If the recommendation is not followed, the application must take substitute measures.(explanations of the measures taken and their reasons are requested at the ROM check stage).

> Standardized: Reference Example

> Indicates that in this case, the game was made based on past games. Refer to these items if you experience problems.

> Prohibited: This item cannot be used in an application (the reason is shown at the same time).

> 'Unmarked,' 'Required,' 'Recommended,' and 'Standardized' items are applicable to either the Sega Brand trademark (Sega Manufacturing or Sales trademark) or a third-party trademark.

> "Sega Brand" is indicated on items specific to the Sega brand (Sega Manufacturing or Sales trademark). For third-party trademarks, there is no obligation to apply the same restrictions as for "Sega Brand" items, but they may be useful for reference to avoid problems.

> The software creation standards for Katana are simplified by the removal of some items from the Saturn Software Creation Standards (although they may seem larger due to the added Required/Recommended/etc. classifications).

> Although there are few written standards, this is not intended to mean that one is free to do anything one might imagine.

> We have designed these Software Creation Standards to provide as much flexibility as possible, so you are still free to create programs that are easy to use (user-friendly).

> Ver. 0.10 First Draft. Describes 1. Button Settings, 3. Controller Terminals, 5. Soft Reset, 6. Backup, 8. Pokemon Items and 10. CD Changes that were greatly modified from Saturn.

> 4/16/98

> Ver. 0.11 Draft Modification Version

> 4/30/98

> Ver. 0.20 All items except Ver. 0.10. Changes from previous versions are indicated in Green.

> 5/10/98

> Ver. 0.21 Provisional Modification Version

> 5/19/98

> Ver. 0.25 Finished Provisional version of all items except copyright and terminology.

> 5/26/98

> Ver. 0.26 (Changed to HTML from this version) Modified "10. Main Game Screen Display," "14. Ending/Credit Scroll," "15. Backup," "27. VMS Single Application Creation Standards" and "Appendix: Consistency of Terminology."

> 5/28/98

> Ver. 0.27 (HTML versions only from now on) Added "15.10 In case of long save times" to "15. Backup." Modified parts of "15.1.1 Save file name." Provisionally modified "5. Logos" and "6. Title Screen" based on meeting of 6/4. Otherwise, Appendix: modified terms to match terminology.

> 6/4/98

> Ver. 0.28 Removed Green indication from terminology and modifications.

> 6/8/98

> Ver. 0.30 Prohibited terms were modified in "2.3 Case of Controller Removed from Port and "4.2 Soft Reset Button Operations," Prohibited items added to "9.1 Options," added "10.5 Compatibility with Old TVs (sync interval compatibility)," modified "14.1 Operation at Ending/Credit Scroll" and "15.1.5 Visual Comments," added "24.2 Examples of Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights" and "25 List of Display Obligations for Libraries (plan)."

> 6/9/98

> Ver. 0.31 Modified "24.2 Examples of Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights." Moved "9.4 Voice output settings when option is not present" to "3.2 Audio Output Settings Upon Loading an Application," and at the same time, modified the start sequence diagram. Added "23.2 Ethics Concerns for TV Games," modified "15.1 Save File" and "27.6 File Name Registration." Added text and modified "27.2 Title Display (Title Loop)."

> 6/12/98

> Ver. 0.32 Added "22.1 Handling Obvious Clock Errors." Modified "23.1 Ethics Inspection" to the content of the master ROM. Also removed from the required items. Added the Ethics Inspection Office location to "23.2 Ethics Concerns for TV Games." Modified "9.3 Stereo/Monaural Voice Output Settings." Modified "List of Display Obligations for Libraries" in 25. Added "27.8 Connecting Visual Memory to the Main Unit Controller." Added example to "2.1.2 Multi users ..." Added example to "8.2 Start Menu Selection Limitations."

> Ver. 0.40

> Added "10.6 Persistent White Display" and "12.3 Screen Saver Function During Pause" (screen burn-in prevention measures).

> Added "5.1.1 Dragon OS Environment Development" and "5.1.2 Non-Dragon Environment Development" to "5.1 Sega License Logo and Microsoft Logo display." Modified "6.2 Copyright Display." Described the Display size in "5.2 Sega Logo Display." Revised "5.3 Other Logos Display" (related to logos and copyrights).

> Added an explanation of "15.1.1 Name of Save file." Added list of usable characters for file names and VMS Comments to "Table: Usable characters for file names and VMS Comments." Also modified VMS Comment explanation. Modified "15.1.3 Boot ROM comments." Added the case of overwriting a VM Special Game to "15.4 Saving" (related to backup).

> Added "1.1 Various Controller Exceptions" to "1. Button Settings." Modified description for "2.3 Case of Controller Removed from Port." Modified description of "Caution Announcement" in "21. DA Track Control." Replaced remaining occurrences of "Katana" with "Dreamcast." Modified the 3. Sequences Before Game Start. Added a link about word (replacement) of notes related to the logic. Added only a header for "19. Networking Issues."

> Ver. 0.50

> The following refer to ethics, copyrights, logo displays, etc.:
> Modified the text of the license and Microsoft logo in "5.1.1" and "5.1.2" to "Using the Dragon OS Environment." Modified the text of "23.1 Ethics Inspection." Modified "25. License Acknowledgement when using Libraries and Patents" and deleted the ADX item. Provided application items for "Sega Brand," "3rd Party Brand". Modified the text of "5.3.1 Team Logo Display" and "5.3.2 OEM Logo Display."

> The following are related to networking:
> Added "19.1 Network Connection Functions" and "19.2 Application (or function called by application) such as Web Browser, Mailer, Chat, etc." and "19.3 Matching Service Functions" to "19. Networking Issues." Modified the links of "18.," "19." and "20." according to the changes to "19. Networking Issues." Modified the text of "12. Pause" and "19.3 Matching Service."

> Other Changes:
> Modified the text of "27.8 Connecting Visual Memory to the Main Unit Controller." Added the text "`Press A+B`" to "27.3 Game Start" as Title Screen text of VMS execution special application. Changed "0XC0" to "0XC0 or greater" in the text of "12.3 Screen Saver Function During Pause." Changed the description of the 640x480 mode in "10.1 Important Item Display Limitations" to 32 dots vertically. (We are currently considering whether to recommend functions for screen adjustment.)

> Ver. 0.51

> Modified information about file shortage when compressed. Added the "19. Networking Issues" title and links and to Index.html. A link was patched to the prohibited terms in Ver. 0.40, but the text regarding the terms remained in the paragraph, so the text was deleted.

> Ver. 0.52

> Changed "`Next`" to "" and "`Previous`" to "". Changed "`Immediately`" to "`within 10 seconds`" in "18.1 General Rules about Open CD Door."

> Ver. 0.53

> Extra modification for SDK package.

> ``

> Ver. 0.54

> Revised text of "2. Controllers and Control Ports" to incorporate the change of control from ID control in Sega Saturn to control by button keys, if present. Added "2.6 Hardware Keyboard Support."
> A note about lower-case letters was added to "15.1.1 Save File Name."
> The "CD Label Data" file name was updated.
> In the Appendix, R button and L button calls were modified to "R Trigger" and "L Trigger". Calls to Disc were changed from "CD" to "Disc," and calls to "GD" were changed to "GD-ROM."
> For VMS single applications, modified "27.5 Processing When Power is Low"
> A description of the restrictions of use of the Dreamcast logo animation was added to "16. Image and Animation Restrictions." "Note: This Dreamcast version does not support Cybersound" was added to "25. License Acknowledgement when using Libraries and Patents."

> Ver. 0.55

> Minor revision of HTML description
> In "27.6 Visual Memory Single Application File Name Registration", added instruction to give the extension "VMS" to single-application files.
> Added "19.2.1 Downloading VMS files."

> 1998/8/19

> Ver. 1.00 Beta 0

> `Added a section on "`When starting a game...`" to sections 2.1.1, "Single-User, Single-Controller Applications",
> "`2.1.2 Multi-User, Single-Controller Applications"`,
> "`2.1.3 Single-User, Multi-Controller Applications.`"
> Changed title of section 2.5 to "A Controller is Reconnected to a Different Port During the Game."`

> Added the sentence "Internal clock adjustment by applications is prohibited as a general rule, except for automatic time adjustment using a time server such as an NTP server with network-related applications." to 22, "Internal Clock Functions"
> Added sections "22.2 Internal Clock Adjustment During Network Connection" and "19.4 About Internal Clock Adjustment During Network Connection."

> Added "3.2 Audio Output Settings Upon Loading an Application."

> Deleted linking to external URLs from "23.1 Ethics Inspection."

> Revised section "25 License Acknowledgement when using Libraries and Patents ."

> Ver 1.00 Beta 1

> In the Appendiix, changed the nomenclature "CD door" to "disc door."

> Added 1.4, "1.4 Analog Direction Keys, Digital Direction Buttons" to illustrate standardization.

> ####

> Ver 1.00 Beta 2

> Changed "(Logo+Text?)" to "(Logo)" at MPEGSOFDEC section in "25. License Acknowledgement when using Libraries and Patents". Added various logo data.

> Deleted the description of download from the index.

Added a recommendation to "15.1.7 VMS Volume Icon" .

> Added "ADX" to the description of recommended : When BGM is interrupted by a Pause in "12.5 Pause Sound".

> Ver 1.00E (Formal Release)

> Revised "25. License Acknowledgement when using Libraries and Patents".

> Revised "14.1 Operation at Ending/Credit Scroll".

> Revised "18.1 General Rules When the Disk Door is Opened".

> "3. Sequences Before Game Start"(Modified description of when Auto Loading is switched OFF).

> Changed the rules of Sega Logo Display in "5.2 Sega Logo Display" and "6. Title Screen".

> We plan to further rearrange some items and be 1.00 or later.

Dreamcast Software Development Standards

Copyright SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD, 1998