Contents
About Gens
This tutorial is to help you with Gens. Gens is an excellent emulator for Genesis and Sega CD; plus it supports 32X. Gens is like the ZSNES of Genesis/Sega CD emulation. It has a bunch of useful features as well. For a long time Gens was the #1 emulator of its genre. Now it's competing with Kega Fusion and a modified version of Gens called Gens+.
Extracting & Placement
I suggest you make a new folder called "Genesis" within a folder called "Emulation". You don't have to, but it makes things easier for you if you're not too computer literate. Extract all the contents of this emulator's zip file into the Genesis folder. If you don't know how to extract files from a zip file then read this. Put all of your Genesis ROMs into the Genesis folder too. Gens has zip support, so you do not have to extract ROMs from their zip files. Double-click on "gens" to open it.
Setting up the keyboard or gamepad
1. Click on the Option menu then Joypads. This window will pop up.
2. Click on the Redefine Keys button for Player 1, which the red arrow points to in the picture.
3. The "Setting Keys" box will tell you to press a key for the corresponding button. If you have a gamepad hooked up, then press a gamepad button for the corresponding button.
4. Click OK when it finishes.
Possible error: While setting up the buttons with your keyboard keys, Gens might lock up if you attempt to set one for the Enter key. If that happens: press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, click on Gens, and click the End Task button. Don't touch the Enter key next time you set up your buttons.
Loading a game
Click on the File menu then Open, or press Ctrl+O. If you placed Gens in the same folder as your games then you will see them there. Double-click on a game to play it.
Full screen mode
Press Alt+Enter to bring Gens to full screen mode. Pressing Alt+Enter again brings it back to window mode.
Possible full screen bugs
Possible issue #1: During full screen mode, your desktop wallpaper shows above and below the game's screen.
Possible issue #2: During full screen mode, right-clicking the mouse does not bring up the "right-click menu", instead the right-click causes Gens to disappear. Pressing Alt+Enter will force Gens to appear in window mode.
This problem so far has been limited exclusively to English Language Windows XP machines running Microsoft Security Update KB-824141 (information on this security fix can be found here at microsoft.com) First check to see if you have the offending Security Update, From the start menu, click (settings), control panel, add/remove programs. Look towards the bottom of the list, if you have it installed you'll see "Windows XP Hotfix - KB824141". If you do NOT have this hotfix installed, then the problem may be something else on your machine, try downloading the newest drivers for your video card or, try installing the latest version of Direct-X for your OS from here at Microsoft. There is a fix for KB-824141 in a patch labeled KB-833509 (info at microsoft.com). Unfortunately, Microsoft isn't releasing the KB-833509 patch to the public, you can only obtain this patch by calling Microsoft's Technical Support line and paying up to $35 an hour, just to get a patch to fix a problem that they caused. This is an unacceptable solution, instead you can download the fix here.
• WindowsXP-KB833509-x86-ENU.exe {arcadezone.org},
Mirror {hosted here}
Install the KB-833509 patch, reboot, and enjoy the security fix and the ability to use GENS.
Screen renders
There are two types of screen render modes. If you enable a screen render while Gens is in window mode, then the rendering effect will *only* take place in window mode. If you enable a screen render while Gens is in full screen mode, then the rendering effect will *only* take place in full screen mode.
• During window mode
I don't think you should bother with altering the screen render in window mode since you'll most likely be playing your games in full screen mode, but if you really want to:
1. Click on the Graphic menu then Render.
2. You will arrive here. Click on any of those to execute a different screen render.
• During full screen mode
1. Press the right-click button on your mouse.
2. A menu will appear with File, Graphic, CPU, Sound, Option and Help. Click on Option then Render. You will be given the same options as with the window mode render options.
3. Click on any option you want. Try each one out to see if any are to your liking. I suggest you use "2xSAI (Kreed)" because it rules!
INTERPOLATED |
25% SCANLINE |
INTERPOLATED |
2XSAI KREED |
Save states
Save states is a feature that saves the exact spot you are in a game.
1. Once a game is open, press the F5 key to save your game.
2. When you wish to recall your saved state, press F8. Gens allows you to save up to 10 different states per game. You can switch among these slots by press F6 and F7. All of these features can also be accessed manually in the "File" menu.
Brightness
Gens allows you to alter the brightness and contrast of the display. To access it:
1. Go to the Graphic menu then Color Adjust.
2. You will arrive here. Click and hold on that tiny little box on the "Brightness" line and drag it slightly to the right. You will see the brightness changes on the Gens screen as you move it.
3. When you find the desire adjustment, click on the Apply button to make it stay. You can also adjust the contrast, make the screen grayscale, or make all the colors invert.
Capturing screen shots
Press Shift+Backspace to capture a screen shot. You could also do it by going to the Graphic menu and Screen Shot. Gens saves them as a BMP file and places them in the same folder that Gens is in.
• Note! Gens captures screen shots along with the screen renders that you have enabled. For this reason I suggest you always keep window mode with no screen render, which is the "normal" option in the "Renders" sub-menu. So that you can still enjoy the screen renders in full screen mode, then press Alt+Enter to go into window mode whenever you want to capture a screen shot.
WAV dump/GYM dump
Gens allows you to capture songs to WAV format or GYM format. For WAV, go to the Sound menu then Start WAV Dump. When the song ends, go back to the Sound menu then Stop WAV Dump. The WAV will same in the same folder where Gens is in. For GYM do the same thing you did with WAV.
• Tip! If you use an audio editor (to make your captured WAV's begin/end properly) and
WinLame to convert WAV to MP3 then you can make your own professional-style Genesis MP3s. You can do this with Sega CD games too, but keep in mind that most Sega CD games have tracks that can easily be extracted with any regular song grabber program. Also, WinAmp can convert
GYM files to WAV.
• What is GYM? GYM is a Genesis song extracted from the actual programming of a game. If you have
WinAmp with a GYM plugin, then you can play Genesis songs anytime you want as if they were MP3. However, GYM songs are almost as big as an MP3. Sometimes you're better off capturing the song as WAV then convert to MP3.
Go here for more on GYMs.
Using Game Genie
1. First load the game you want to use cheats with.
2. Click on the File menu then Game Genie.
3. The cursor will automatically be blinking in the "CODE" box. Type in the code with no spaces.
4. Press the Tab key when you're done. Type in a short description for the code.
5. Now click the Add Code button.
6. By default, the code will not be activated yet. You need to click on your code in the white box to have it highlighted. The code is active once it's highlighted. If you want to turn off the code then click on it again to remove the highlighting.
7. Click on the OK button.
8. Reload the game for the code(s) to take effect. If the cheat doesn't work then that means you either typed it wrong or it's a bad code.
• Note! You *can* use cheats with multiple lines. You need to enter each line one at a time. I suggest you name each line like "Infinite Weapons 1", "Infinite Weapons 2", "Infinite Weapons 3" so it can be easier to keep track of the cheat. Again, if the cheat doesn't work then that means you either typed it wrong or it's a bad code.
Finding cheats
You have a couple options.
• There are websites that contain complete archives of Game Genie and Pro Action Replay codes. GameGenie.com and About.com seem to be the best resources for that. At About.com, the best way to find their cheats with their search is to type the name of the game then "game genie". Like so: "super mario world game genie".
• The next best source is Google. The best search keywords to use is to type the name of the game then "game genie". Like so: "super mario world game genie".
Frame skip (fast forward!)
Frame skip is the feature that speeds up the game. To access it, go to the Graphic menu then Frame Skip. Click on any of those numbers to speed things up. If you want things back to normal then just click on Auto.
Running 32X Games
First you need to download the 32X BIOS files in order for 32X games to work. You can grab it right here (it's 1.95 KB). And here's how you set them up:
1. Once downloaded, extract the bios files from its zip file and place it in the same folder that Gens is in.
2. Click on the Option menu then Bios/Misc Files.
3. You will arrive here. Look within the red guidlines for "M68000". Click on the Change button for it.
4. In the window that pops up, click on "32X_G_BIOS.BIN" then click on the Save button.
5. For "Master SH2" choose "32X_M_BIOS.BIN" then click on the Save button.
6. For "Slave SH2" choose "32X_S_BIOS.BIN" then click on the Save button.
7. Click on OK.
And that's it. :) Open up a 32X R0M as if you would a Genesis R0M. Just note that Gens's 32X emulation isn't perfect and quite a few games are still buggy. To be honest, when it comes to 32X emulation I recommend Kega Fusion instead.
Q: The graphics are refreshing so slow!
If graphics aren't scrolling smoothly, then it could simply mean Gens isn't refreshing the screen according to your monitor. To resolve this, go to the Graphic menu then click Vsync (short for vertical synch), or press Shift+F3.
• If you have a not-so-fast computer, enabling Vsync may cause the screen to drop frames and suddenly jump as it scrolls.
• To use Vsync in full screen mode, make sure to enable it in full screen mode. To use Vsync in window mode, make sure to enable it in window mode.
Q: I have an older computer and Gens isn't working at all!
Yeah, on an older computer Gens may give you a blank screen or crash upon opening. There isn't a way to resolve this. You can, however, go with Gens' competing emulator, Kega Fusion, which works pretty well on older, slower computers.
Q: Using save states with Sega CD games crashes Gens!
That's happening because Gens does not yet support save states with Sega CD. However if you really want to use save states with Sega CD, you can do so with Gens' competing emulator, Kega Fusion.
Sega CD BIOS
You need to download the Sega CD BIOS in order to boot up Sega CD games. You can grab it here:
• US Sega CD BIOS (91.1 KB) - required for booting US games
• Euro Sega CD BIOS (87.2 KB) - required for booting European games
• Jap Sega CD BIOS (84.9 KB) - required for booting Japanese games
Setting up the Sega CD BIOS
1. Once downloaded, extract the bios from its zip file and place it in the same folder that Gens is in.
2. Click on the Option menu then Bios/Misc Files.
3. You will arrive here. See where the red arrow is? Click on the Change button.
4. In the window that pops up, click on "us_scd1_9210" then click on the Save button. Do the same if you downloaded the Europe or Japanese BIOS's.
5. Click on OK.
Loading Sega CD games
If you're going to play an ISO:
1. I'm assuming you downloaded an ISO/MP3 archive. Most emulation websites distribute their ISO/MP3 archives in RAR files. RAR is like ZIP but compresses better. To extract the contents of the ISO/MP3 RAR archive, you must install WinRAR or any other program that supports the RAR format.
2. Extract the ISO and its MP3 files from the RAR file. You can place them in your ROMs folder or make a new folder for it. Just make sure that you keep the ISO and its MP3s in the same folder.
3. To play the ISO, simply open it up through Gens the same way you would play a Genesis ROM.
4. You will arrive to the screen you see toward the right. Just press start as it says and the game will play.
If you're going to play an actual Sega CD game or CD-R copy:
1. Insert the game into your CD-ROM. Wait a little bit for Windows to do its thing with it. Close the "what do you want to do with this CD?" window if it pops up.
2. Go to the File menu then Boot CD.
3. You will arrive to the screen you see toward the right. Just press start as it says and the game will play.
Gens & Sega CD
Gens treats Sega CD different than the way things work with the real Sega CD system. The real Sega CD system has internal memory (which doesn't hold much) and external RAM carts (which look like Genesis carts and hold much more than internal memory). However, Gens gives each game its own internal memory and its own external RAM cart. Cool huh? There is one string attached, though. With the real Sega CD system, internal memory and each new RAM cart has to be formatted. And since Gens gives each game its own internal memory and RAM cart, you need to be formatting it each time you play a new game (only games that have saves, like rpgs) for the first time. Some games won't even allow you to play them until the memory is formatted. But don't worry! Formatting is quick and very easy to do. I explain the procedure next.
Formatting Sega CD's memory (mainly applies to RPGs)
1. At the pretty outer space scene that first appears when you boot a CD, which is this screen, press the button you set for "B".
2. You will arrive to the CD Player screen (shown below). Move the hand to OPTION and access it.
3. You will arrive to a screen with some memory info, just continue.
4. You will arrive at the screen where you can manage your memory (shown below). The icon with the Sega CD represents the internal memory and the RAM cart (obviously) represents the RAM cart. Go to 
.
5. Choose Yes to format.
6. Go to 
.
7. Choose Yes to format.
8. Now choose Exit.
9. At the CD Player screen, choose CD-ROM to boot the CD.
 The CD Player screen |
 The screen where you manage the memory |
Perfect synchro
To enable Perfect Synchro all you need to do is click on the CPU menu then Perfect Synchro (SLOW). Now boot your Sega CD game. Don't forget to remove the check from Perfect Synchro when you're done playing that game, because having it enabled with games that don't need it may cause problems.
• What is Perfect Synchro? Perfect Synchro is a feature that tells Gens to give less commands with the emulation of a Sega CD game. What do you need it for? Some Sega CD games require this feature to be enabled or else they will lock up at certain points in the beginning. For example, "Popful Mail" won't boot past the Sega logo unless Perfect Synchro is enabled. There are more games like that. I suggest you put a little note in your CD cases of your Sega CD games that need Perfect Synchro to work. You might be asking yourself "Well, how come Gens doesn't automatically enable Perfect Synchro for the games that need it?" ...I have no idea. =P This is something we all have to live with.
CD swapping
Some Sega CD games are two CDs (like Ground Zero Texas & Night Trap). Usually Gens will automatically open and close your CD-ROM for you, but in some cases (like with laptops) you have to open/close the CD-ROM manually. To do so, press Ctrl+V to open the tray then Ctrl+V to close it. This feature is a little bit buggy so you may have to do it a couples times for it to work. I know that when I play Night Trap on my laptop I need to open/close the CD-ROM twice for it to work.
Removing Sega CD LED (the annoying blinking bars)
As you play Sega CD games with Gens you'll notice annoying blinking green and red bars in the lower-left of the screen. Not only are these bars annoying, they're also slapped onto your captured screen shots, to continue to piss you off even when you're not using Gens. Fortunately, you can make them go away.
1. Click on the Option menu then Misc.
2. Look towards the top in the "System" box. Remove the check from Show Sega-CD LED. Click OK.
There are several possible problems that can happen with Sega CD emulation. It was enough to create a whole other section for it. Click on the above link to visit it.
Copying Sega CD games
It's ridiculously easy to copy Sega CD games. The CD copy feature of any burning software can easily create a working copy (I recommend Nero Burning Rom, Easy CD Creator, or FireBurner). Beforehand, you should first make sure your computer can successfully emulate Sega CD games via Gens. If Gens can successfully play Sega CD games, then your burning software can successfully read the games for its CD copy feature. And you should burn the copy at a slow speed, like around 4x-12x. This'll increase the probability of a successful copy.
Burning Sega CD games from ISO/MP3 archives
If an ISO/MP3 archive you downloaded comes with a CUE file, then you have the option of burning the game as a valid Sega CD game for play with Gens or the actual Sega CD system. Note that the Sega CD system does not require modding in order for copies to work on it. ISO/MP3 archives come with an ISO file and a bunch of MP3s.
*If the ISO/MP3 archive you downloaded does not include a CUE file, you can use Sega CUE Maker to generate one.
I. Convert MP3s to WAV
First you need to convert the MP3s to WAV. You can do so quickly and efficiently with an awesome free program known as WinLAME; you can download WinLAME here (1.5 MB). Here are directions to convert MP3s to WAV with WinLAME:
1. Open WinLAME. Click on the 
button, look for the folder where the MP3s are, select them all, then click on Open. You should see the MP3s you selected listed on the white box. Click Next to go to the next screen.
2. You'll arrive at the "Output Settings" screen. Under "Output Module", choose Wave Output, as shown here. Click Next to go to the next screen.
3. You'll arrive at the "Presets" screen. The default is fine, just click Next to go to the next screen.
4. You'll arrive at the "Encoding" screen. Click 
to begin the converting.
II. The CUE File
With the MP3s of your ISO/MP3 archive all converted to WAV, you're now ready to burn it as a valid TG16-CD game. To do so, you'll be needing that CUE file I talked about. Without the CUE file you cannot properly burn the game. What's a CUE file? The CUE file is a set of directions that tells the burning software how to properly burn the TG16-CD game's ISOs and audio tracks. There's one important thing you need to check for with the CUE file. Open it up in notepad and check if the files listed have an MP3 or WAV file extension.
• If they have an MP3 file extension then you need to change all of them to WAV.
• If they're already with WAV then do nothing.
III. Burning with the CUE file
Burning a CUE file is tad different than regular burns. Instead of going to "Burn data CD" as you normally would, you need to use the "Burn Image" option. Most mainstream burning software has such a feature. Software like Nero Burning Rom, Easy CD Creator, FireBurner. If you're too poor (like me) for the good burning software, there's Burnatonce, a 100% free burning program; you can download Burnatonce here (3.81 MB). So to burn the game with these programs:
• Burning with Burnatonce: Click Settings > Device Settings and make sure the proper Read and Write settings are there. And lower the burn speed to 4x-12x speed. Then go to File > Load New Image, choose the CUE file, and burn!
• Burning with Nero Burning Rom: Go to the Recorder menu then Burn Image (but first make sure you're in normal mode instead of Express mode). If you're given the option to burn the game as "Track-at-once" or "Disc-at-once", choose "Disc-at-once". Make sure to burn the game at a slow speed (like around 4x-12x speed).