N-SPC Engine/Nintendo

Go back to N-SPC Engine
If you're looking for Super Mario World or Pilotwings, see the Prototype variant instead.

NOTE: The following page is a stub, and is under construction.

Nintendo is the first user of the N-SPC engine, both at launch and with the prototype variant. There are a variety of game-specific or programmer-specific cases in here, and thus have been sorted accordingly.

The raw build sorting notes can be found here for all variants by Nintendo.

TODO most other Nintendo games

F-Zero

This is the first released game to use the standard N-SPC VCMD set starting at $E0. VCMDs $FB-$FF don't exist, though, and the fast forward phrase commands also don't exist here.

Game Name	VCMD Table Location ($E0 and up)	ROM Offset
F-Zero	0x0EE9, relative to 0x0E29	0x01E538 (US & Japanese versions) 0x01841E (European version)

Communication with the SNES

Each CPUIO register has its own individual usage.

CPUIO0 ($2140/$F4)

Command ID	Description
%xyyzzzzz $00-$FE	Play Music/Looping SFX/Second Engine Control
$FF	Load New Data

Play Music/Looping SFX/Second Engine Control (Command $00-$FE)

Input

%xyyyzaaa

Output

bb

• %x, when set, fades out the music over 84 tempo ticks. It causes music VCMD $F5 (echo enable bits and volume) to effectively act as a NOP when this happens.
• %yyy is a looping SFX ID for channel 6, with a range of %001($1)-%100($4), and looping back to $1 after $4. Except for $3, they also don't restore the instrument ID after playing them.
• %z, when set, causes the BRR engine noise generator from $2143/$F7 to output on channels 4-7.
• %aaa is a music ID that is output to the SNES via $2140. %110($6) is a special case, as it utilizes an ID that is defined via loading a single byte to a specific memory location, rather than its own (the ID itself is illegal if forced due to a zero pointer). Music data does not actually need to be loaded in this particular case, as it is all stored in one go.
• bb is the music ID currently playing. This is equal to %00000aaa unless %110($6) was the last input.

Load New Data (Command $FF)

Loads new data when set to $FF. See the source build's Load New Data command for the loading protocol, as it is identical binary-wise to the copy used in this one minus the *Ver S1.20* string.

CPUIO1 ($2141/$F5)

Input

%xyzzzzzz

Output

%00zzzzzz

• %x increases the overall BRR engine noise generator frequency on channel 8. The BRR engine noise generator frequency is designed to hiccup like a gearshift when activating.
• %y plays a continuous beeping tone on channel 6... unless the music that's currently playing is $11, which means a different SFX plays on channels 6 and 8.
• %zzzzzz controls the BRR engine noise generator frequency on channel 8. Disable with zero. This value is what is output to the SNES via $2141.

CPUIO2 ($2142/$F6)

%xyzzaaaa

The value output to the SNES via $2142 is which bits are being utilized to play the SFX. Higher bits have more priority, but CPUIO0's channel 6 SFX has higher priority, which in turn is out-prioritized by CPUIO1's channel 6 SFX.

• %x stops the music and goes BOOM! Channels 3-8 are used, with 5-8 being continuously used afterwards.
• %y plays a UFO-like SFX on channel 6.
• %zz controls the BRR engine noise with vibrato on channel 6.
• %aaaa controls incidental SFX on channel 6. $4 doesn't play anything, and the values wrap around to $1 after $8, except for $C, which plays $8.

CPUIO3 ($2143/$F7)

Input

xy

Output

0x

• x controls the panning of the second vehicle on channel 7, with zero representing left and $E representing right. Sets up a whole bunch of vehicle noises on channels 4-7 if set to $F instead that are not pitch-controllable. This nibble is output to the SNES via $2143 as the low nibble.
• y controls the BRR engine noise generator frequency (and volume) of the second vehicle on channel 7, or several at once on channels 1-5 and 7 if bit %z on $2140/$F4 is set.

SFX Sequence Format

Most of the SFX is hard-coded and the instrument format, when utilized outside of the actual instrument table, is identical to a music instrument's. The only SFX that actually uses a SFX sequence format beyond an array of notes is CPUIO0's bit %yyy ID %010 ($2) (there's actually a second one defined, but it appears to never have been used). These are headerless, unlike a song, and they only support one channel at a time, with the channel used being fixed.

VCMD ID	Description	Arguments
$00	End of SFX
$01-$7F	Note Duration	(xx)
$80-$C7	Note
$C8	Tie
$C9	Rest
$CA-$DF	Percussion
$E0	Instrument	xx
$E1-$FE	Invalid Note
$FF	Restart SFX

End of SFX (VCMD $00)

Terminates the SFX.

Note Duration (VCMD $01-$7F)

%0xxxxxxx (yy)

• %xxxxxxx represents your note length (as seven bits) in tempo ticks.
• yy, if less than $80, represents the volume of the note.

Note (VCMD $80-$C7)

Plays a note and delays the channel for one note length before reading another VCMD.

Tie (VCMD $C8)

Continues playing the previous note and delays the channel for one note length before reading another VCMD.

Rest (VCMD $C9)

Keys off the previous note and delays the channel for one note length before reading another VCMD.

Percussion (VCMD $CA-$DF)

Plays a percussion note.

By default, percussion uses the same instrument set as the song, and all percussion is keyed on with a note of $A4. Note that there is no way to define the base instrument ID used for percussion for the SFX, so it is bound to the music's base instrument ID for percussion instead.

Instrument (VCMD $E0)

$E0 xx

• xx is an instrument ID to an array of instruments. The array used is the same one used for the music.

Invalid Note (VCMD $E1-$FE)

Doesn't crash the sound driver, but does play an invalid note.

Restart SFX (VCMD $FF)

Restarts the SFX from the beginning.

Aging Cassette/Sound Module and Burn-In Test

Game Name	VCMD Table Location ($E0 and up)	ROM Offset
Aging Cassette/Sound Module and Burn-In Test	0x0EE9, relative to 0x0E29	0x0380BA (Aging Cassette) 0x038792 (SNES Burn-In Test Cartridge)

Voice Command Format

VCMD ID	Description	Arguments
$00	Phrase Termination/End of Subroutine
$01-$7F	Note Duration	(xy)
$80-$C7	Note
$C8	Tie
$C9	Rest
$CA-$DD	Percussion
$DE	Instrument	xx
$DF	Panning	%xyzzzzz
$E0	Panning Fade	xx yy
$E1	Vibrato On	xx yy zz
$E2	Vibrato Off
$E3	Song Volume	xx
$E4	Song Volume Fade	xx yy zz
$E5	Tempo	xx
$E6	Tempo Fade	xx yy
$E7	Global Absolute Transposition	xx
$E8	Single Channel Absolute Transposition	xx
$E9	Tremolo On	xx yy zz
$EA	Tremolo Off
$EB	Volume	xx
$EC	Volume Fade	xx yy
$ED	Subroutine	xx xx yy
$EE	Vibrato Fade In	xx
$EF	Note Pitch Envelope To	xx yy zz
$F0	Note Pitch Envelope From	xx yy zz
$F1	Note Pitch Envelope Off
$F2	Fine Tune	xx
$F3	Echo On Bits and Volume	%xxxxxxxx yy zz
$F4	Echo Off
$F5	Echo Parameter Setup	xx yy zz
$F6	Echo Volume Fade	xx yy zz
$F7	Pitch Slide to Note	xx yy zz
$F8	Percussion Patch Base Redefine	xx
$F9	NOP	??
$FA	Channel Mute
$FB	Fast Forward On
$FC	Fast Forward Off
$FD	Master Volume Fade	xx yy
$FE	Mute Right Master Volume	xx
$FF	Noise Clock	%???xxxxx

TODO new music VCMDs (the standard set is offset backwards by two IDs, and three new VCMDs are added on)

Communication with the SNES

All of the commands used are identical to the source N-SPC/Kankichi set with a set of new commands

Command ID	Description	Register Values & Arguments
$00	Stop Music	$00 ?? ?? ??
$01-??	Play Music	xx ?? ?? ??
$80	Run All Tests	$80 ?? ?? ??
$90	Memory Write Test	$90 ?? ?? ??
$91	TODO identify test	$91 ?? ?? ??
$92	TODO identify test	$92 ?? ?? ??
$93	TODO identify test	$93 ?? ?? ??
$F0	Pause Music	$F0 ?? ?? ??
$F1	Continue Music	$F1 ?? ?? ??
$FF	Load New Data	$FF ?? xx xx

TODO new commands

Zootto Mahjong!

Game Name	VCMD Table Location ($E0 and up)	ROM Offset
Zootto Mahjong!	0x0B5B	0xCAE03A

Voice command format is mostly identical to standard N-SPC except VCMDs $FB-$FE are not here, and neither are the fast forward phrase commands.

Communication with the SNES

TODO not analyzed yet (utilizes a command ID system with $2140/$F4 as the command ID, with other CPUIO registers as parameters)

TODO all other Nintendo variant games (that aren't known to be associated with other Nintendo variant games and likely have sound driver command differences between each other)