Multi Disc Dreamcast Games

gomineko

Is there an easy way to keep multi disc games tidy for Dreamcast?

I’ve set up m3u files on PS1 and it seems to work well. I came across this thread, https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/25378/dreamcast-multi-disk-games, which seems to suggest that the same should work for Dreamcast, but it doesn’t seem to.

I set up a m3u file and change the CHD extension to CD1, CD2, etc on the relevant files (as with PS1), but it just launches to the Dreamcast menu screen. If I keep the extensions as CHD then it seems to work, but you end up with a cluttered game list.

One option that I assume would work would be to rename the multi disc games as CHD (all caps) and then keep the single disc games as chd (lower case) and then edit the es_systems.cfg file so ES only shows chd and not CHD files.

Circling back round to my original question - is there an easier way to do this? Any help is greatly appreciated.

My setup, if you need it:

RPi4 (4GB)
Retropie 4.7.1
I’m using lr-flycast as my main Dreamcast emulator

quicksilver

@gomineko IIRC the dreamcast doesnt disc swap. When its time for a new disc the game data is saved and then the system is rebooted when the 2nd disc is loaded. Im fairly certain this is why m3u playlists and disc swapping isnt implemented in dreamcast emulators.

BadFurDay

@quicksilver lr-flycast does have m3u and disc swapping support. It worked for me but not using the CD1 or CD2 naming convention. I kept them as chd and it works.

G30FF

@gomineko You could store the multi disc CHDs in a different directory, and then update your m3u to look for the path. For example, create a directory in roms called dreamcast-multi, then in your m3u in the dreamcast directory, call the files like ../dreamcast-multi/game1.chd.

gomineko

@badfurday
Thanks certainly what I’ve found as I’ve tried different things.

gomineko

@g30ff
I never thought of that. I’ll give it a try at the weekend. Thanks.

Will that stop multiple entries appearing in the game list?

G30FF

@gomineko Yes it will, because the hypothetical "dreamcast-multi" directory is not listed in es_systems.cfg.

gomineko

@g30ff
That’s worked perfectly. Many thanks.