Since i made a topic about the routes, may as well make one explaining how console and emulator works for Boktai.

Currently, there's 2 ways to play Boktai:

• Using an emulator with the Sunlight Patch
• Using a GBA, NDS, or the GameBoy Player on NGC with a BlackLight OR an UV flashlight.

Using an Emulator with the Sunlight Patch

This is the easier way of playing Boktai. With the patch, you can change the sunlight whenever you want, you can even have it at max, wich rarely happens on console, unless you're using special items and such, but it's not important for now.

But there's one problem: raising the sunlight with the patch can take a bit, and you basically raise it block by block, wich makes some strats do less damages (for example, using the sunlight against the Count will do less damages than with max sunlight).

Using the BlackLight / UV flashlight on a console

Normal light isn't detected by the solar sensor on the cartridges, only UV light are (cos', you know, the Sunlight sends some). Thus, only flashlights that emits UV light will affect the solar sensors. Blacklight emits some too.

Now, about the risks;

• If you're using a blacklight, make sure to turn it off whenever you don't need it (example: dialogs), otherwise the blacklight can get really hot after some time (2 - 3h+)

• Temperature affects the sunlight, in a way, the hotter the blacklight is, the more sunlight you will get, but that also increases your chances of getting an overheat during runs (wich is a reset)

• About UV flashlights, i do NOT know about temperatures, but one thing's for sure; you gotta turn it off whenever you don't need it too. If not for the flashlight itself, do it for the cartridge, would be a shame to break the sensor or anything during runs, right ?

• I'll put a link to an UV flashlight that currently, both I and DarkSun (Boktai 2 runner) uses. I have been told that not all UV flashlight works, so that way, you're sure to find one that works with the games. Plus, this flashlight gives more sunlight right off the bat compared to blacklights.

Anyway, any situation in-game where the blacklight / UV flashlight are better than the Sunlight Patch on emulator... well, there actually IS one. When you switch these ON, unlike with the patch, the sun won't raise block by block. If they're oriented good enough (you know, depending on where the cardtridge is), you will, most of the time, get atleast 4 blocks right away.

This makes some strats better, again, as an example, using skylights will be better, technically. Using the sunlight against enemies will do more damage.

UV Flashlight: https://www.amazon.com/OxyLED-Urine-Detector-Blacklight-Flashlight/dp/B00R18VQ5W/

That's it for now, thanks for reading.

Some additional notes on the nature of the solar sensor.

Given that it's just a light sensor, there are some unique properties to it. The sensor will detect certain wavelengths of light (like different colors or UV light) more readily than others. It is assumed that because the game was meant to be played under a real sun, the sensor will function best under light that has a similar distribution of color concentration as the sun. A common way of measuring this is using the CRI or color rendering index that essentially gives a percentage of how close a light is to the color distribution of the sun.

For example, in my experience with the solar sensor, I have been able to use a powerful 105 Watt fluorescent placed directly on the sensor to yield 4 to 5 bars. When I used a small panel of LED lights, their intensity was much greater than the bulb. However, even placing the LEDs directly on the sensor yielded no bars. This is likely due to the CRI of LEDs being low, at about 70.

Black lights, from my understanding, emit more high frequency light, like UV rays. This means that they may more accurately match the light of the sun. But, this would also depend on the composition of the light. Think about it: if a black light is constructed by putting a normal bulb emitting white light into a container that has a black/violet filter on it, what's actually occurring? No new light is being produced, its just certain wavelengths being blocked. This suggests that a black light made under these conditions should be no better than a normal light bulb at having the sensor detect light than any normal bulb. Some black lights, however, are made specifically for producing that high frequency light, which may cause the sensor to detect more light.

tl;dr You can make the solar sensor detect light even without a black light, but the light bulb must be very strong, direct and somewhat match the light composition of the sun.

Anyways...

As DrHell mentioned above, if you're opting for the non-emulator route, you do have to monitor the light usage closely. Heat is a big concern, as you don't want your skin to burn or the game to suffer damage by melting. In Boktai 2 in particular, too much sun will ruin perishable items, so sun all the time isn't necessarily the best. However, it is useful in the sense that it passively fills up the Solar Station and if you're outside, you can move around while also absorbing more energy.

Also, according to Wikipedia, the relatively low frequency UV rays that are put out by black lights are not enough to cause significantly increased risk of cancer, so as long as you're careful and play in moderation, you should be fine!

In reference to what system you should play on, it's really all preferential. I prefer to use the Game Boy Player because it works well for my light setup and I prefer using the GameCube controller. It also means that I am not directly exposing myself to the light, as I can isolate the GameCube and light system with the controller leading out of the containment unit. But again, as DrHell mentioned, the EU version is not compatible with the Game Boy Player, however NTSC and JP are.

It would seem that emulator is inherently better, just because you can directly control the solar sensor. The most place you would save time from a difference in sun bars would be any time you need to do a solar charge or during purifications. In both of these cases, 10 bars will work much better than 4.

These are just some things to consider when running this game!