Here is my entry in to Neoflash summer coding competition.
This is a PSP adoptation of Hex-A-Hop, a puzzle game based on hexagonal tiles, by Tom Beaumont.
The objective is simply to destroy all the green hexagonal tiles on each of the 100 levels. As you progress through the game, more types of tiles are introduced which makes things more difficult and interesting (hopefully).



Gameplay video via spoiler

Download via NeoFlash forums:
http://www.neoflash.com/forum/index....ic,4467.0.html


INSTALLATION
--------

The game only runs on PSPs with original firmware versions: 1.0, 1.5 and on custom firmwares, which allow execution of
unsigned homebrew code.
Copy hex-a-hop (and hex-a-hop% for 1.5 fw) folder from the zip file in to /PSP/GAME on your memory stick.

CONTROLS
----------------
[X] SELECT/JUMP
[ARROWS] JUMP UP/DOWN/DOWN-RIGHT/DOWN-LEFT/MENU NAVIGATION
[TRIGGERS] JUMP UP-RIGHT/UP-LEFT
[START] UNDO
[SELECT] PAUSE/MENU/EXIT MENU
[ANALOG] JUMP IN ALL DIRECTIONS/MENU NAVIGATION




GAME PLAY
-----------
After completion of all levels,the user is asked to go for "gold" and find the minimal number of jumps, required to complete each level.
Hints for some levels are available here ...

The 3.52 m33 tutorial with all required files:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EmNCzlYW8cg


Holux released another receiver, compatible with MapThis!
M-1000:


Features:

• 32 parallel satellite-tracking channels for fast acquisition and reacquisition
• High Sensitivity : -158dBm
• Built-in rechargeable Lithium ion battery for up to 17 hours operation.
• Superior Urban Canyon Performance
• Compatible with Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (SPP) completely.
• Compatible with all navigation software
• CE, FCC and RoHS compliant

mhouse974 posted step by step video tutorial on how to install and use mapThis!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlDV1cwF7l8
Click on the video for links to required files and other instructions. ...

Here is a short video of upcoming version of MapThis! [0.5] in action.


The 0.5 version should be available within a week or so.

DIGG THIS

...

pc-mobile.net posted a tutorial on how to create a USB extention cable for PSP camera and GPS-290 unit

http://pc-mobile.net/psp_miniu_extension_diy.htm



You may use one to improve the reception of the GPS unit, have a security camera setup, etc ...

Here is a bunch of tricks and tips to get the most our of your PSP-290 unit:

DIGG THIS



1) Lower the CPU/board frequency. As any electronic device PSP emmits some EM frequencies, that seems to interfere with PSP-290 operation. So lowering the CPU frequency results in generating less EM radiation and therefore slightly better performance of the GPS unit.

2) Use a DYI cable to distance the unit from PSP.
Following mini-B usb extension cable can be tweaked to do this job: http://pc-mobile.net/cmue.jpg
One still needs to pull an extra wire to connect the power port to the left of the USB socket with left power pin on the GPS receiver.
Following thread has more details on the hookup with some photos: http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=62604

Following images "document" my performance testing of the cable. You can see that moving away the GPS unit "adds" 1-2 signal bars:
http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/images/psp290/1.JPG
http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/images/psp290/2.JPG
http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/images/psp290/3.JPG
http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/images/psp290/4.JPG

3) Some people reported better GPS performance after shielding the back and top of their PSPs with metal cover or aluminum foil.

4) Charging battery. Having a full charge seems to make a small difference, according to some reports.

5) Changing PSP or/and PSP-290. It seems that different PSP batches have different EM noise levels. Japanese PSPs seem to do slightly better than others. Also, from my tests, out of 2 PSP-290 units that I own, 1 always seem to do better in terms of sensitivity and presision. So exchanging the unit may help a bit too...

6) Passive cellphone booster stickers - although this does not sit well with the stuff I learned from college physics, some folks tend to believe that sticking one of those stickers on the unit's buttom seem to improve the reception. Feel free to try this theory, if you can get one of those stickers cheap or for free. If not, sticking some aluminum foil to the back of the unit would probably make the same effect (if any at all)

7) Upgrading firmware - This in theory may help a bit, but... SCE has fixed most of the GPS module bugs somethere around FW 3.03, so upgrading to higher firmware probably would not noticably improve the performance. ...

[06/06/2007] GHPSP Cable review:

I finally got my hands on the GHPSP cable and spent some time testing it.
As it's moby competitor, it features solid factory build - everything is sealed in robust plasic, connectors fit well, all contacts are gold-plated, etc.

GHPSP cable scores extra points though:
- It's thinner and softer than the Moby cable.
- It has audio pass-through connector, so one can plug in headphones, car stereo, etc. This is a nice feature, considering that sound support slowly but surely makes it in to MapThis. Also, with programs like IRShell, one can multitask MapThis with mp3 player and listen to music while keeping eye on the map.
BTW, shipping only took a couple of days.. So if you consider using MapThis! with Holux receivers this cable is probably your best solution to the date.




PC-mobile just anounced availablity of new GPS cables, specifically designed for mapThis! map viewer.
The cables and some additional info are available @
http://pc-mobile.net/pspgps.htm

GHPSP - Holux GPSlim 236/240 cable for PSP
One piece non-interchangebale cable, with 3.5mm stereo headphone jack passthrough
Cable length: 120cm $ 16.50


GPSP - Interface for our GPS cables
with headphone passthrough so you can connect headphone or route the sound to external speakers of hi-fi.



The second cable provides a way to connect PSP with other GPS devises like Garmin E-type, R-type; Magellan Meridian/SporTrak GPS; Garmin Rino 110, 120, 130 and many others.

Please note that so far only the GHPSP cable has been officially confirmed to work with MapThis. MapThis! compatibility with other devices mentioned above is still under question. ...

This is a Map Software for the PSP and PSP GPS adapter .

This beta build features:

- basic localization sñpport (read and write in your own language!!)
- basic sound (currently just key beeps and "Speed warning" message if preset speed limit is exceeded
- improvements in geo search logic, allowing more relaxed search

Installation:
make sure that you:
-install PSP-290 version in /PSP/GAME3XX folder (depending on your OE FW version)
-install Holux version in /PSP/GAME150 folder

You folders must have following structure:
/PSP/GAMExx/
mapViewer/
EBOOT.PBP (get appropriate version)
usbacc.prx (psp-290 only)
usbgps.prx (psp-290 only)
system/
maps/
---------------------------------------------------------
I provided a sample language pack as an example (perhaps someone could do a better translation of the labels?)
To install bundled russian_language_pack, copy the contents of russian_language_pack folder in to system folder

To create you own language pack, you need to edit the files in the russian_language_pack folder.
make sure you define your character set in localization.txt and then create corresponding images for your new sets and danzeff keyboards.

Special thanks to MIB.42 & coach777 for helping out with localization and sound support.

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

In this modded KETM version you control Mario in a flying kart and shoot your enemies with eggs, fire and other stuff.
The package also includes original KETM and 1941 mod.

Installation:
drop both KETM folders in /PSP/GAME and run under 1.5 kernel ...

:::: Latest News [03/15/2007] ::::
MapThis 0.497 beta version is released.. more info @ http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/sho...940#post378940

:::: Latest News [02/12/2007] ::::
Google Maps has added subway/metro stations and detailed building outlines to some metropolitan areas.

Details can be found here: http://lifehacker.com/software/googl...ons-235914.php
New version of gmdl (04.4b) is available to download here:
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/sho...=33068&page=40


:::: Latest News [02/10/2007] ::::
Another beta (0.47) is compiled. The archive contains executables for both generic and sony psp-290 receivers. See page 42 for details...

:::: Latest News [02/02/2007] ::::
This does not belong to this thread but may be of interest to some people.
I got my hands on the factory manufactured cable, made specifically to connect PSP with Holux recevers.
I tested the cable with Holux GPSlim 236 and 240 units - works fine and looks much better than any of my hand-made cables. The cable can be acquired from vendors in both China and USA with a promt delivery. So if you consider using holux recevers (which seem to perform better than PSP-290) I stongly recomend getting one.
Details can be found here: http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/sho...=45279&page=27







Update:
Using the 3.02+ fw prx modules seem to slightly speed up the satellite acquisition, as they "memorize" the latest known location and use for faster "warmup" next time. To generate 3.03 prx modules you'll need to use C+D psar dumper with 3.03 FW update psar and user "dump w/o decryption" option..

DIGG THIS

This is the first beta version to support Sony's original GPS accessory (PSP-290)
This version does not have support for generic gps receivers.



Get it here:
http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/bin/MapThis_0461S_beta.rar

NEW FEATURES:
- GPS-290 support (dhaa :-)
- GPS info screen with satellite data
- Screen rotation in map mode
- Trip reset option added to menu. Trip data does not get reset when you switch to map mode.
- Fixed a bug in TRACK UP mode. (should not switch the mode when approaching to map's boundaries.
NOTE: some features, like gps data re-play & wifi-download are disabled in this version...
INSTALLATION:
This version must be ran under 3.03 custom kernel!
It was briefly tested with 3.03 OE-B custom firmware, but may work with older custom FW version
(although installation may vary)
1) Copy mapViewer folder in to /PSP/GAME303/
2) Put usbacc.prx & usbgps.prx in MapViewer folder. Note that prx files are not supplied with this distribution.
I tested with usbacc.prx from 2.71 FW distribution and usbgps.prx bundled with Maplus software.
You can try using usbgps.prx from 2.71 FW, but it seems to have a problem reporting negative longitude;
so if you are in Europe and Asia it may work for you... (the 3.03 FW usbgsp.prx does not seem to work for me)
3) Generate a map for your area with gmdl tool and copy it inside the maps folder.
4) Attach the usb gps-290 accessory and you should be good to go...
CONFIGURATION:
added new variable to config.txt:
INITLOCATION=1
It should accept values 0,1,2 which may affect the initial satelite lookup algorithm..
Play with the values and see if it make any difference...
------------------------------------------------
Special thanks to people who donated money and time to this project.
------------------------------------------------

A few notes about the receiver:
The unit that I got from Play Asia seems to have a pretty bad sensitivity (compared to holux gpslim236). It would take ~5 minutes to get the first fix and frequently drop the connection. My holux receiver would connect withing 45 seconds and never drop the fix under the same conditions, scoring much better precision too.
Please let me know if you experience same problems with PSP-290....



DIGG THIS ...