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Frustration
XeroxBoy - Feb 9, 2004
  XeroxBoy Feb 9, 2004
Well, here's the situation -

I just got my Saturn recently (a dirt cheap model 1), and decided I'd mod it to play burnt games. I had BIN/CUEs of Panzer Dragoon Saga, so I looked up the swap trick and taped the internal switch accordingly. The system now boots up fine playing commericial games, both with the lid open and closed.

I made my first copy of PDS: Disc 1 using Alcohol 120%, and proceded to try it out, but to no avail - I was confronted with a "Game not suitable for this system" error. I checked my BIN and discovered that it was patched for Europe (it was the NTSC game, though - it's marked as MK-81307, without the -50 the PAL version has). I quickly fixed the BIN up, clearing the E country code and replacing it with a nice, shiny U. I burnt again, but the result was another coaster. Growing increasingly frustrated, I attempted to burn the game using CDRWIN as opposed to Alcohol. Still, however, the burn didn't work (and after waiting so long, burning at 1x! ) To check to make sure that it wasn't a fault in my swapping, I attempted to load the game up in Giri Giri, but I met with failure. Another coaster.

I was desperate now. I checked here for help, and lurked around through topics grabbing whatever insightful information I could find. I tried loading the image up in CDMage, which found two corrupted sectors - 150 and 151. I suspect this has to do with my patching of the game's country code, so I didn't repair them.

I then tried to convert the game into ISO/WAV format, and did so with BINChunker. I then grabbed Easy-CD Pro 95, and burnt another copy of the game. I quickly decided to test the game in Giri Giri before going to my Saturn. Success! The game booted perfectly. I was ecstatic. I dashed to my Saturn and began the swap trick like normal.

But this time...something was different. My access light flashed a bit longer than before, with the coasters. Regardless, as soon as it stopped I quickly snatched the CDR out and popped in NiGHTS. Again, however, something was different - and more disconcerting. My Saturn just sat there. Sure, the disc began to spin, but it was halted at the Saturn logo (the gray one - before the black one), and the access light wasn't coming on at all. I tried again a few more times. It still didn't work.

What next, then? I tried doing the alternate swap method, where you insert the burn, let it bring you to the BIOS, swap discs, reset, swap again la. However, when I tried this...it would say "Checking disc format" spin and spin for a while, and then lock up entirely. Even the little animated cursor stopped animating. I then tried it again, this time holding down 'A' while booting. Again, I got a "Checking disc format", but this time it was successful! So I yank out my CDR, pop in NiGHTS, reset, and I'm good to go, right?

Wrong, of course. The Saturn just sits there idly as before, spinning that disc but not once flashing that access light to let me know it's reading it, since it probably isn't.

So, now, I implore you. Do any of you fine folks have a suggestion? Should I adjust my laser power so it may read the media better? Should I try a different 'real' game (NiGHTS has two data tracks, so that might be screwing it up)? Could it have something to do with burning (even though Giri Giri runs it fine)?

I'm at a loss here, and I hope you fine folks could help me in some way.

Much thanks in advance.

 it290 Feb 9, 2004
Hmm, well, this is kind of a shot in the dark, but before you go mucking around with the laser power, you might want to try a different type of media. Also, yeah, trying a different Saturn game for the swap couldn't hurt.

 IBarracudaI Feb 9, 2004
what cd burner are you using?

And that system crashes are pretty strange...

And the country code patch only changes the first sector, sector 0.

 XeroxBoy Feb 9, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			what cd burner are you using?


The CD burner is an ancient Acer 4x4x32, burning onto Maxell 700MB CD-Rs.


  
	
	

		
		

			you might want to try a different type of media


Any recommendations? A FAQ on the site recommended Maxell discs, so I hoped I was in the clear, but...


  
	
	

		
		

			And the country code patch only changes the first sector, sector 0.


Could repairing the "corrupted" sectors 150-151 hurt in any way? The disc and the original BIN run fine in Giri Giri, which seems to indicate (to me, at least) that the actual data is OK, so I'd rather not go screwing around with the file - you know, just in case CDMage is making a mistake.


  
	
	

		
		

			trying a different Saturn game for the swap couldn't hurt.


Much as I hate o admit it...NiGHTS is the only Saturn game I have, at the moment. While I'm more than willing (and I do plan on...) to get some more, I'd rather not rush out - I'm kind of short on cash at the moment - without a good possibility of it working. Considering how the swap trick works - getting TOC from the burn, security code from the original - I have my doubts that it will help.

In fact, the more I think about it, it really does seem like an issue with laser power. Are there any problems with cranking up the laser?

 mal Feb 9, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by XeroxBoy@Feb 10, 2004 @ 08:23 AM



Much as I hate o admit it...NiGHTS is the only Saturn game I have, at the moment. While I'm more than willing (and I do plan on...) to get some more, I'd rather not rush out - I'm kind of short on cash at the moment - without a good possibility of it working. Considering how the swap trick works - getting TOC from the burn, security code from the original - I have my doubts that it will help. 



In fact, the more I think about it, it really does seem like an issue with laser power. Are there any problems with cranking up the laser?


Seriously, I'd consider a different original before messing with the laser.

I say that because it may well be a dual data track issue that you've got. Also, playing with the laser settings can shorten the working life of you're Saturn (if you do it right) or cause it to stop working all together (if you get it wrong).

The other thing that makes me think it isn't the laser is that it reads your CDRs as audio CDs. If the laser wasn't running 'hot' enough, surely it wouldn't read them as anything...

 XeroxBoy Feb 9, 2004
Alright, I guess NiGHTS is gonna have to keep me entertained until pay day...

 CrazyGoon Feb 10, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by XeroxBoy@Feb 9, 2004 @ 04:23 PM



While I'm more than willing (and I do plan on...) to get some more, I'd rather not rush out - I'm kind of short on cash at the moment - without a good possibility of it working.


Short on cash to buy some commercial games? But don't want to get them in case you can't get the commercial games working with the swap trick? Well then fret no further, as it should be pleasing to hear that commercial games run fine without the swap trick!

And as for the region code - in some cases, satcon leaves off the "-50" of european games which have them. So don't trust that your copy is the US version. But either version should work fine in either version Saturn - providing you have a modchip, and/ or are proficient at performing the swap trick. If satcon could load the image without any problems, then the image isn't corrupt. You are either burning it incorrectly, or swapping incorrectly.... or both.

 mal Feb 10, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by CrazyGoon@Feb 10, 2004 @ 10:30 PM



And as for the region code - in some cases, satcon leaves off the "-50" of european games which have them. So don't trust that your copy is the US version.


AFAIK Satconv doesn't touch the product code number at all.

What it could be that you're seeing is that not all European releases have the "-50" code, but are differentiated by version number instead.

For instance:

NiGHTS into Dreams - US : MK-81020 version 1.000

NiGHTS into Dreams - Euro : MK-81020 version 1.001

Virtua Fighter 2 - US : MK-81014 version 1.005

Virtua Fighter 2 - Euro : MK-81014 version 1.001

The US and Euro versions of Virtua Cop, Guardian Heroes, Duke Nukem 3D and House of the Dead are also share product codes but their version numbers differ.

Just some useless trivia for you.

 Pearl Jammzz Feb 10, 2004
try another game. Go get another game off of somewhere, I would reccomen bin/cue as u usually run into less probs. that way. I am not in the know of what Saturn games have issues burning but maybe ppl here know and can help you to avoid these.

Also, if u modded it, why do u need to do the swap trick?

I sumtimes forget to flip the switch into what region I want it and it gives me the same disc unsuitable BS. Again, it could be that.

Burn w/ either Nero or CDRWin and try and buy Verbatim cdrs....they have been the best in my experience.

 mal Feb 10, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by Pearl Jammzz@Feb 10, 2004 @ 11:41 PM



 Also, if u modded it, why do u need to do the swap trick?


I believe he was refering to taping the switch to allow him to swap.

 ExCyber Feb 10, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			I quickly fixed the BIN up, clearing the E country code and replacing it with a nice, shiny U.


I don't clearly recall whether or not just replacing the country code works. ISTR that it works for games with only one country code but fails for multiple country code games and in some other unusual cases. You might want to go down and overwrite "For EUROPE" (or whatever the exact string is) with "For UNITED STATES and CANADA". Or just use satconv...

 CrazyGoon Feb 10, 2004

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by mal+Feb 10, 2004 @ 07:38 AM-->
QUOTE(mal @ Feb 10, 2004 @ 07:38 AM)
 
QUOTE(mal @ Feb 11, 2004 @ 05:27 AM)
 Maybe I was reading too much into it, but they way you wrote it made it sound like a shortcoming of Satconv, rather than a numbering anomaly between software developers. *shrug*