PSX game freezes in pause menu
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@shieladixon
The things I would try in this order.Increase the emulated PSX CPU clock from 57 to 70.
Use BIOS SCPH-550x, 900x, or romw.bin from PSClassic.
Use the NTSC version of TR2.
Convert the bin files into a single file using CDMAGE.Tombraider 2 is the one where you start at your mansion right? I haven't played much of the game. I explored all the mansion/training/hedgemaze for a couple hours and it didn't freeze on me, I don't know if I saved my game.
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@Efriim I appreciate the suggestions. I wasn't aware of being able to increase the clock. I've done as you suggested but that didn't stop the problem. I am currently already using a single bin file and USA (presumably NSTC) version. I'll check my BIOS.
In case anyone is reading this and is frustrated by the same problem, I've now at least found a way to 'unfreeze'.
I discovered today that hotkey+right shoulder saves state. This is a little different from using the select button and passport. Seems to be an emulator feature rather than Playstation feature. It's instant and it saves to 'slot 0' (for me the passport saves to slot 1 and only offers me slot one, despite attempting to set up multiple slots).
similarly, hotkey+left shoulder does a load state, which again is instant and loads from slot 0.
These two key presses are really nice. They enable very quick saving and loading if you have a tricky jump etc. But take care, there's no confirmation on these.
I discovered by accident that when the game freezes, you can use these key combos to save state and load state. You'd think that you'd be saving the frozen state but you're not. A save state followed by load state pretty much immediately clears the freeze, and does so without overwriting the game that you've saved via the passport.
I'm really pleased to have found that, and I hope it helps someone else.
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@shieladixon said in PSX game freezes in pause menu:
These two key presses are really nice. They enable very quick saving and loading if you have a tricky jump etc. But take care, there's no confirmation on these.
@shieladixon said in PSX game freezes in pause menu:
These two key presses are really nice. They enable very quick saving and loading if you have a tricky jump etc. But take care, there's no confirmation on these.
They are pretty 'standard' hotkeys for RetroArch - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/RetroArch-Configuration/#default-joypad-hotkeys
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@shieladixon
On speculation of the passport drive being a reason for the game to fail. I disclaim the unsusceptibility of usb drives to occasionally and inconsistently operate and provide data on Raspbian operating systems. However I provide no answer for this, it is only something I noticed at one point or another. -
@mitu I'm still new to RetroPie / RetroArch. I was really pleased to discover those keypresses, but the important point is that those two keypresses allow you to continue when the game has frozen. Previously I'd had no option but to exit lr-pcsx and restart from my last saved point. And next time I'd try to save, it might have frozen again. it was taking a lot of time to make any progress.
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@Efriim I don't know whether the problem is related to the passport / saving. The freeze happens when you press the option button for the inventory. So it could happen when you go to the inventory to switch weapon or light a flare or whatever.
The freeze happens after you press the option button but before the inventory appears. Lara is just left frozen on the screen. If you use the 'save state' and 'load state' workaround I've described, then when the state is loaded again, the inventory appears, as if you 'saved state' the moment after hitting the option button but before the inventory started to appear.
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@shieladixon Try setting the emulator to use the built-in HLE bios. There was an issue with Master Blaster Blasting Again, in which it would freeze when loading a screen, and I think you could save and load state around it, but also the HLE bios would work for some reason. Arc the Lad Arena/Monster Tournament, also freezes unless you use the built-in HLE bios.
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@Efriim Thanks, I will try
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@shieladixon I have the same frustration with Tomb Raider (1 and 2) where the game freezes sometimes when hitting inventory. I've tried many things, so I'm happy someone has come with a solution. I play the game on a Playstation Classic with autobleem. The playstation controller doesn't have a hotkey.
- Would an other key do the same function on the standard controller that comes with the PSC?
- Or would buying a new controller with a hotkey be the best solution?
I hope this isn't a stupid question. But I had no clue what a hotkey was until I googled and I'm not sure if an other controller would work. I only just found out that new PS controllers have USB cables.
Thanks in advance. -
I have found a solution. I rented a PS 4 controller form a friend, but couldn't get it to work (although that should be possible). But with the standard controller of PSC you can press 'select + triangle' to do a quick save and load as well, which gets you past the freezing.
Big thanks anyway to @shieladixon for pointing me in the right direction! -
Hi everyone,
This is a way to reproduce this problem: load a level with ambiant background music, like the first level (Great Wall). In the first level this music consists of breeze sounds, wait for a while and this track will suddenly stop playing, keep waiting a bit to make sure it's not looping, then press start and the game will freeze.
I'm running the 1.3 NTSC version of this game.
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Maybe this helps someone.
I had a similar issues on Rearmed core on RetroArch on the switch.
The game would sometimes get stuck in a state if you pressed pause or inventory the game would freeze.
It happened to me in certain sections of the game- on a water level with crumble blocks above spikes after a slide (I somehow wondered back and did more things and I fixed it).
- on the last room of the barkhang monestary after putting in the prayer wheels. It forces you to put in an item and open up the inventory and freezes
I did manage to save the game before this in the pause menu book (you have to do it before getting into that state where pause crashes the game). Copy the save file .srm, play it on PC (same emulator but x86) finish the level, save and reload onto switch (or your retropie).
Sadly if you rebind quicksave and quickload not to pause the game as a workaround it will eventually force you to open the inventory and freeze the game.
Not ideal but possible not to loose all progress and potentially keep playing on
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