Sega/Mega CD Emulation Issues
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Hello everyone. Most games run fine but I'm wondering if there is some secret setting or tweak I can implement to correct some issues I've been having. In the game Snatcher certain scenes freeze for several minutes before continuing, and one scene near the end of the game in Act 3 seems to freeze indefinitely. The freeze seems to occur when a new area/dialog is loading. I know it's not a bandwidth issue because the Sega CD only transfer ed at 150 kbps I believe and my SD card reader on my Pi3 is overclocked which has allowed me to obtain some impressive transfer speeds. Has anyone else experienced this and know of a fix, or is this just a characteristic of the emulator? I also get a strange issue with audio in the game Microcosm, where the notes in the music for a level are literally out of order. This makes the music sound very strange to say the least. Any suggestions/input will be helpful.
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I should also state that even though these appear to be very different problems, I suspect they may be related. Perhaps some kind of synchronization issue? I'm just grasping at straws.
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@drake999 said in Sega/Mega CD Emulation Issues:
one scene near the end of the game in Act 3 seems to freeze indefinitely.
I reported and helped in testing the solution to this same problem in 'Genesis Plus GX' for the Nintendo Wii a few years back. At the time, the project leader said it was an issue that likely affected most Genesis emulators and to his knowledge the fixes implemented made the Wii version the only version capable of completing the game. I imagine the same corrections would have to be implemented upstream in RetroArch before the game can be finished here. So, if you want to report it, you can point them to the following link for a look at what that guy did to potentially save some time.
https://bitbucket.org/eke/genesis-plus-gx/issues/289/snatcher-hangs-after-explosion-in-morgue
Looking a bit further at this, it seems that since that time, his emulator became the basis for the one found in RetroArch. That being the case, I don't know why those changes wouldn't be found here. Perhaps this is another issue.
On a side note, the Wii version of 'Genesis Plus GX' is one of the best ways to experience 'Snatcher' in emulation to get the full effect. Since the Wiimote is supported as a light gun, all it takes is a nice gun attachment like the 'Nyko Perfect Shot' to feel like you're playing the original game, only wirelessly! It's definitely one of the top five best experiences I've had in game emulation, if not the best. In the fullness of time, I'd love to see light gun support work it's way into RetroPie through the various gun-mouse solutions available.
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@mediamogul Thanks for the reply. Sounds like I might just have to hang tight for a fix then, or try playing the game as you suggest. Considering how intense some of those shooting sequences are, I doubt I would be very good with a light gun lol.
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@drake999 said in Sega/Mega CD Emulation Issues:
Sounds like I might just have to hang tight for a fix
They might not even know there's a problem. It's worth checking with them to find out. Seeing as how RetroArch is being implemented in so many projects, solving this one issue will prevent a ton of people getting stuck in your location. By the way, was the end of act three, where you said it freezes, the scene in the morgue where you have to avoid the explosion?
Considering how intense some of those shooting sequences are, I doubt I would be very good with a light gun lol.
There's nothing easier than aim, shoot and blast with a light gun. Although, when I had my Sega CDX, I didn't have a light gun at the time and I got to where I could nail a head shot almost every time in Mad Dog McCree with only a standard Sega controller. Heck, it was absolutely required to beat Mad Dog himself.
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@mediamogul Ok thanks for the tip, I will check with them. (Spoiler Alert) For me the game froze during the scene where Gillian finds his wife in the Snatcher nest, but I was able to get past it after a couple retries.
Yeah I have lots of light gun games for my Wii, so maybe it would be worth a shot. That's cool that you owned a CDX since only a few thousand were ever built. Coincidentally I owned one in my childhood as well. :-)
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@drake999 said in Sega/Mega CD Emulation Issues:
That's cool that you owned a CDX
It was nice. I ultimately traded it in to get money for my Nomad. Sega was making some really unique hardware at that time. Too bad none of it was especially popular with the masses.
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@mediamogul Yes very true. I'm kicking myself because I wore it out using it as a discman once the playstation came out if you can believe that. Little did I know it would be a collectors item in the future. As always hind site is 20/20.
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That it is my friend.
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