#Sega Saturn

1 messages · Page 104 of 1

celest lake
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hrm

burnt matrix
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Have you tried deleting your core config

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Getting a new disc image

celest lake
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no wait, I just had it hang with pad 2 disabled

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so it wasn't that

floral saddle
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playing round with a multiregion bios set and one locked up on the sega logo on the bios, a couple went through to the game and a couple black screened. really odd that even through the game is using the bios in the individual region folder it working or not depends what is in the root of the main saturn folder.

celest lake
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i should disable pad one and save myself from this

ripe valley
floral saddle
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so for me it seems like it's the hi-saturn bios being downloaded via update all that is the issue, no problems if it isn't there.

celest lake
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after the first attract loop, right after the sega logo shows up for the 2nd time

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and of course, right after I say that, it's fine

ripe valley
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The white SEGA Logo ?

celest lake
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yeah

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but it's not consistent

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I tried setting the region to USA and now it's in the 2nd attract loop

floral saddle
hallow fossil
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This is the one in BIOS DB:
Saturn%2FBios%20GameNavi%20HiSaturn%201.03.bin
Size: 524288 bytes
Md5: 0306c0e408d6682dd2d86324bd4ac661

floral saddle
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well wadda ya know, scrubbing the core config did the trick. ran update all and now it works even with that bios in the root, cheers @burnt matrix

hallow fossil
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BIOS has been in there for months so not sure why there would be issues now for people

celest lake
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or auto?

floral saddle
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thats the first time i have had to delete a core config, wouldnhave done that ages ago had i considered that to be the problem, sorry to derail

floral saddle
celest lake
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I think there is something else here. I think the CFG wipe did the same thing as the swapping to USA did yesterday. there is some incantation that stops it from reliably booting

ripe valley
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I'm on my 6th loop of the intro, no problem on my side.

celest lake
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yeah, I am having trouble getting it to crash doing a demo loop on USA, swapping to back to auto, and then resetting the core

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but it was crashing reliably before I did that

burnt matrix
celest lake
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and now I can't get it to crash at all. big shrug

floral saddle
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just booted the game using the updateall bios as well to see how that behaved too and no issues, so for me at least the config scrub seems to have solved whatever issue existed before.

burnt matrix
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Unfortunately it doesn’t identify what caused the issue but at least it fixes it lol

floral saddle
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yeah it would have been nice if i could have helped identifiy the issue even if it meant the game didn't work until a fix was implemented.

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ha, spoke too soon. took out the ethernet cable, rebooted the system and guess what? black screen again.

celest lake
floral saddle
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truely strange, this time i really do give up, can't think of anything more to do that will give anything like a consistent result between boots or restarts anymore.

celest lake
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is your image on the SD card?

floral saddle
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redump cue bin on the sd card. after booting a couple of other saturn games and going back it now boots, no settings changed in between. its utterly random.

burnt matrix
ancient surge
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Is the build broken?

dusk hamlet
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can I just leave the DRAM 4M cartridge toggled on without running into any issues?

burnt matrix
burnt matrix
dusk hamlet
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Ok cool. I was just about to start doing individual cfgs before I questioned it

ancient surge
burnt matrix
hallow fossil
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As mentioned before it would be really nice if there was a DB file like the N64 has to set ram pack based on game so you would have the optimal one set on launch

unique coyote
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I've seen mobo replacements for Game Boy, Mega Drive, and Game Gear.

Never thought I would see one for the PSX.

And yes, I also hope there is one for Saturn.

trim nimbus
warped saddle
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you mean mgls? they can't set options on the core

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and expecting people to make mgls for a bunch of games is unrealistic. unless you're "are 2000 symlinks in a directory ok?" Robby

pearl harbor
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Robby is an mgl fiend.

hallow fossil
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Most people probably don't even realise it works this way

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It is so seamless

ripe valley
burnt matrix
hearty marten
wide glacier
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i finally got shinobi to boot, after deleting my old saturn config file as per @burnt matrix's suggestion... only for it to crash at the title screen after the fmv intro

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i also tried virtua cop 2 to see if it would boot, since @wise brook mentioned it, and it also froze after the sega license screen. definitely some weird stuff going on here

ripe valley
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For VC2, we know the issue.

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For Shinobi, we can't replicate it at all.

wide glacier
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then i'm stumped. everyone seems to be having different issues with it, with different methods of fixing them

radiant karma
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Didn't Shinobi crash if you had a second controller enabled?

wide glacier
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yes, but all of this testing has been done with it disabled

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it refuses to boot most times regardless

celest lake
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Yeah, there is something up with shinobi legends for sure. I haven’t done any extensive testing with X

floral saddle
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The latest for me with Shinobi is that it boots if I'm connected to the internet, will also play if I then disconnect and re-boot the game. But if I reboot MiSTer then boot the game it black screens after the bios!

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Absolutely cursed.

pearl harbor
wide glacier
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yeah, it's really weird. definitely something up

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HOWEVER
i just downloaded the latest stable core from github and i have it booting and running without any issue, so i imagine something happened between that build and the most recent unstable one that's causing it to flip out

floral saddle
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My thoughts exactly, we are still in active development with all the news tests being written and implemented, sure it will all come good in time.

celest lake
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Yeah, the stable is fine. It will even boot with pad 2 enabled (which is a bug with the game, not the core, that the stable somehow fixed)

ripe valley
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CDBlock tests are back, new toys for srg320 today.

wise brook
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what’s in the box?
what could it be?
is it a core by SRG?

drowsy hull
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for, not from

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the 3d0 devil has been repelled once again

ripe valley
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Inaccuracies on the CDBlock that will likely need to be corrected.

wise brook
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shout out to Mr. Celeron for these tests he’s been making, the secret sauce to swift core progress

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it feels like it put a real turbo charge on development

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and thank you so much for getting these guys to coordinate/ collaborate

ripe valley
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Without it, there would be no current Saturn core, nor of Ymir.

thorn pagoda
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it does seem kind of like a dream team of developers all working on saturn stuff right now doesn't it

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great to see it finally getting its due

ripe valley
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By pure chance, one day celeriyacon sent me a private message and that all began.

wise brook
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there seemed to be a wall of separation between FPGA and software emu developers until this core came along

ripe valley
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The wall is still partial now, but I'm trying to reach both sides.

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And some competition isn't bad at all.

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srg320 isn't always the first to implement something. But when he does, it's perfect.

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Some parts of the SMPC, SCU and SH-2 are better on the core as of today.

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CDBlock has been ahead of Ymir for at least several days, but it struggles with many games or lacks features.

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I won't open fire, but the test phases are not at all equivalent with external beta testers.

wise brook
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i wonder if the VDP1 mesh hack will be expanded to increase the amount of textures / games it can create transparencies with

ripe valley
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We will not try to get a number on an Excel sheet here or beat an emulator that hasn't been updated in ages and hasn't had access to our new discoveries since.

The goal is rather to be as accurate as possible with all the knowledge available about the console.

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And try to achieve this goal, simply and humbly.

drowsy hull
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is there a public writeup about all this new knowledge?

ripe valley
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Not at the moment. Only a few developers and beta testers have access to it, as everything needs to be verified and cross-checked.

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Once it is established and as solid as possible, I am sure it will be shared with the general public.

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We are not in a way of thinking, like at Analogue or other companies.

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For my part, I check every new test published on at least 7 different Saturn systems and revisions.
Before sharing them with srg320.

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So we are sure of the tools and testroms we use during development.

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And yes, some testroms have failed in the past because something was missing or a value changed between revisions.

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The core works and is detected like the console revision used by srg320.

hallow fossil
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Do you think you will go in a similar depth of testing for the 3DO?

drowsy hull
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thanks for the explanation

ripe valley
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And I won't be part of the 3D0, not directly.

drowsy hull
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AWBacon's time to shine

celest lake
ripe valley
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A more personal note.

Thank you to this community for being so involved, supportive, and with a shared desire to move the project forward.

It makes you want to get involved, and this is reflected in the overall quality.
This hasn't always been the case in situations in the past, at least for me (outside of here).

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On a personal level, I can't currently give as much as I could a few weeks ago, but I try to listen to everyone and pass information back to srg320.
When things are going well, but also when things aren't working or no longer work on the core.

Thank you for your patience, and I hope no one feels left out, even if they don't get a quick response from the user community or user support.

I hope this will continue to be as constructive in the future.

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Thank you, once again.

celest lake
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Thank you, duder. For everything you have done, are doing, and will do

hearty marten
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Zet 🫡

serene thunder
sharp root
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does the core support lightgun? I have a guncon 1 with psx snac and I would like to know if I can use it.

wise brook
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or one of those reflex adapters with the guncon 1

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or snac & original saturn gun

sharp root
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i have a guncon 2 but using on mister directly was not good, black sections on screen not detected, etc

sharp root
pearl harbor
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I use a Guncon 3, and it works great on the core.

wise brook
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Virtua gun

image0.jpg
clear condor
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aka the "Stunner" in North America

upper dust
trim nimbus
burnt matrix
trim nimbus
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I assume at least six for the different versions of magic knight rayearth

dawn drift
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Hey there, where can I find the changelog for all core updates?

hearty marten
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I don’t think there is one as a text file. You could just look at the git commit messages

dawn drift
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is this the right place?

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Asking because the update script pushed me a new saturn core recently and it seems the last commit was in 2023 if I refer to this git

tawny forge
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This is the old repo.

dawn drift
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*This repository was archived by the owner on Sep 19, 2024. It is now read-only. *

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Right. But I can't see a link to the new one 🤔

tawny forge
dawn drift
ripe valley
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Saturnday!

rich violet
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I wonder if that will fix the temperamental Shinobi booting

wide glacier
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i was hoping for that :p

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seems like a bevy of fixes coming soon, so i have my fingers crossed 🤞

rich violet
burnt matrix
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I’ll get to da pinning

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saturn ** 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 **

Saturn (single sdram) - [LINK]

Saturn (dual sdram) - [LINK]

ST-V (single sdram) - [LINK]

ST-V (dual sdram) - [LINK]

MiSTer main (for Saturn seek fixes) - [LINK]

(Last Updated - Aug. 18th 2025)

floral saddle
wide glacier
floral saddle
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unless i connect to the internet lol, then we're all good!

ripe valley
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Must be related to the changes for Crusader on the SMPC, as we need a synchronized timer now.

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I will check later, without an Internet connection.

floral saddle
wide glacier
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i've not ever connected my mister to the internet for what it's worth

wise brook
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It can be really nifty when you need to copy something straight from phone to device

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I was making backups of safe files

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And using the remote app to quickly make screenshots

burnt matrix
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imagine not leaving your mister connected to the internet 24/7, couldn’t be me

wide glacier
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i'm not too savvy with networking-type stuff. my mister is also in my game room, which is full of consoles, but no pc

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i suppose i could connect it wirelessly but i prefer wired when it comes to that sort of thing

hearty marten
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Mine is only granted the privilege of internet access when it’s being updated 😎

ripe valley
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Mine are constantly connected because they need to connect over SSH or FTP for testing.

wide glacier
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sounds like a godsend for troubleshooting

burnt matrix
wide glacier
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owned

radiant karma
tribal needle
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I can confirm that the black screen upon loading Virtua Cop 2 is fixed in the new core, but the bug with the RS3 Reaper light guns support is still reproducible with the latest core and Main.

burnt matrix
radiant karma
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Yeah, I keep it plugged at all times. I removed the dongle to test if Shinobi legends would boot that way as mentioned here.

radiant karma
burnt matrix
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Oh wait, this isn't a problem localized to you, is it

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but you're able to reliably repro it

tribal needle
radiant karma
burnt matrix
ripe valley
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Two of the testroms can't run anymore with the CDBlock changes. Error from my part - I had corruption on these files.
I leave a message to srg320 immediately.
Expect some potential issues in games, as we are modifying the data stream from the CD drive.

floral saddle
ripe valley
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I will need someone else to check if the problem on Groove on Fight ST-V is present, my current eyesight can't support me at all (the graphical bug is not fast for me).
Same for the Decathlete (Saturn) issue.

floral saddle
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greove on fight bug is still present, lemmie check decatlete

ripe valley
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I'm working on the FEDA issue, and after that the Shinobi Legions one.

srg320 is working on the Batman Forever character selction screen and the testroms that don't load anymore.

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For Road Rash, this is really a low priority at the moment, as the game is riddled with bugs and issues from the ground up, even with the audio driver.

wide glacier
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what causes that?

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is it just a badly-programmed game or something

wise brook
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i figured they’d be some sloppy code from the porting process

ripe valley
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It barely works, with lots of duct tape everywhere.

wide glacier
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good thing we'll be able to play the all-powerful 3do version eventually elmorise

floral saddle
ripe valley
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For FEDA Remake, it's a really complex calculation with the VDP1, I'm not up to it, only the srg320 could do something.

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For Shinobi, I'm at least 90% positive that is about the changes on the SMPC and fetching the correct time.

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Issue opened.

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100% reproductible with the latest indications.

radiant karma
# tribal needle See the description here: https://discord.com/channels/647909397477195803/104694...

Just tested using a single rs3 reaper in joystick mode, I have no issues there in virtua cop. Same as usual. Using latest dual sdram unstable. Are you having issues with all lightgun games on the saturn core? No issues in other cores? Edit: tested Virtua Cop 2 and also no issues there with the rs3 reaper lightgun. Could be something in your setup, maybe needs new calibration? Double check bin/cues.

ripe valley
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I tried many other options :
-game on the SD, game on a USB stick, game on a NAS. No change;
-game in CHD, game in BIN/CUE. No change;
-Region Auto or USA. No change;

Only the correct time needs to be fetched for the game before launching it.

ripe valley
floral saddle
ripe valley
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The CDBlock issue and the testroms are fine once more.
The issue was from my part, my files were corrupted after so much copy/paste and tries.
A fresh SD image solved them.

mortal mist
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Fix for shinobi

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Plese test

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Thanks

tribal needle
ripe valley
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Gimme a minute for Shinobi, I'm checking something on the CDBlock.

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@mortal mist Seems solid, 5/5 tries OK.

mortal mist
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Thanks

floral saddle
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Can someone check Last Bronx? Arcade disc on the Japanese version black screens after bios on the latest unstable and the shinobi test build just posted.

celest lake
floral saddle
celest lake
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lookin'

floral saddle
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thanks!

celest lake
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Looks ok here

IMG_3751.jpg
floral saddle
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thank you, will check I haven't done anything stupid with the mgl or game location after i put everything into regional folders, think i must have....

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Nope, mgl and game location are all good, just won't boot.

celest lake
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arcade disc, yeah?

floral saddle
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Yep, disc 1 of the japanese version.

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Been a few months since I played it but definitely worked before with the same bin cue.

celest lake
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doing some tests on SNES and then I can come back and boot it a few more times

celest lake
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Yeah I dunno @floral saddle , maybe check your image. All my dual core misters boot it reliably without issue

IMG_3753.jpg
wise brook
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man, Shinobi-X is so good

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there’s moments where the character movement just f l o w s

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feels so badass, doubly impressive it was done with pre-rendered sprites of real people.
I was always turned off by Mortal Kombat as a kid for how stiff it looked and moved

floral saddle
wise brook
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found another successful vdp1 mesh blur

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Shinrei

ripe valley
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Taromaru.

junior hatch
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Thanks! Turns out it must be the "bliss box" HMDI cable I used for an adapter they had a while back before SNAX came out. I will now get an MA one

upper dust
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Just joined the dual ram gang

20250818_143839.jpg
celest lake
hallow fossil
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Great stuff. @twin canyon will get your membership card made up.

twin canyon
floral saddle
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last bronx hates me, usa region disc, jp region disc, stable or unstable core, nothing is getting this game past the bios screen on my build, everything else works.

floral saddle
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  • one of the recent latest unstable mains at least for me broke it. went back to stable main and now it boots.
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@celest lake I presume you are using unstable main on your machines?

celest lake
floral saddle
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please, if you wouldn't mind.

ripe valley
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I'm testing Funky Fantasy.
The blue line on the upper part of the screen is an original game bug.

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I just compared it with video footage on real hardware and asked a second verification to one of my friends with the real game on a console.

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I need to check 'The Game Tengoku' once more later, maybe I heard something strange during the options screen with my CHD copy.

floral saddle
ripe valley
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I need to test everything on the system that seems a game or a software.

floral saddle
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and for that im very grateful!

burnt matrix
ripe valley
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I'm testing slowly, but I try every option and at least 10-15 mins of gameplay on each game.

celest lake
burnt matrix
floral saddle
celest lake
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@ripe valley Last bronx seems to be busted with the new unstable main

ripe valley
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Nobody wants to check them and we will most probably never recheck these.

floral saddle
ripe valley
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Once done, it's done.

warped saddle
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not me! there were saturn changes too!

floral saddle
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i always worry that im raising a fuss for nothing!

celest lake
burnt matrix
floral saddle
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better safe than sorry innit

celest lake
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days like this only come around so often

burnt matrix
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What did Zakk mess up, I’ll never let him live it down

ripe valley
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It's not me, this time.

floral saddle
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im hoarding a couple of bugs just in case it looks like 3D0 is getting going, i wont let it happen!

drowsy hull
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I believe it were robbys bad vibes!

warped saddle
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it's either the crc calc or the seek thing he did. easy enough to revert them separately and figure it out

celest lake
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I feel bad @floral saddle, had I looked at the actual PR, I would have seen that there were Saturn changes in the unstable main and updated before testing the first time. the new build just mentioned Zakk's fixes so I assumed it wasn't a factor

floral saddle
burnt matrix
celest lake
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@ripe valley do you want me to file it or are you on top of it?

ripe valley
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File it.

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I'm testing obscure games at the moment.

celest lake
ripe valley
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Some games I'm testing seem slower on my MiSTer Pi today.

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I need to perform some more tests about it.

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Like voices being cut or FMVs being sluggish.

ripe valley
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I can confirm, the latest changes on Main broke the voices on Data Mode for Game Tengoku and some FMVs like on Gakkou no Kowai Uwasa Hanako-san ga Kita.

upper dust
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Noticed Dead or Alive's FMV intro was sluggish when testing out my dual ram build

ripe valley
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I left two issues notes just a moment ago, it should also cover Dead or Alive indirectly.

celest lake
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3DNO

pallid pier
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ok, just ran the latest unstable and I'm not running into that Last Bronx problem

ripe valley
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On Game BASIC for SEGA Saturn, I left it as Playable on the compatibility list, as it is booting correctly.
But, you can't use it on software emulation and the core, as you need a computer with Win95, some installed apps and the specific communication cable which goes on the rear of the console.

ripe valley
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I removed the GameWare entries from the compatibility list, as there are interactive demo discs with (funny) ads.
But they are working correctly after my tests today.

tribal needle
ripe valley
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New announcement on the core.

The compatibility list now shows that 66.6% of all games on the system have been tested to date.
To mark the occasion, the game that achieved this figure was HeXen.
So far, 100% are at least playable, and some already controlled as if they were identical to a real system.

burnt matrix
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lol HeXen

burnt matrix
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Could you please add "Dark Legend (USA)" to that list? Thank you.

hearty marten
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But I’ve not seen anyone mention any issues with that game?

warped saddle
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the only 'bad' index is an index 2 on the very last track and pretty far into it. so it just may not be used, or is used in one place/end of the game

ripe valley
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Ymir is experiencing the same issues with the recent additions to the CDBlock tests.
We'll likely need more details on these tests and a review of the code.
The tests passed, but the games regressed.
However, I've checked the tests on seven real systems over the past two days.

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Today, we're trying to see if something is wrong with a specific game with a tester from Ymir.
Yakyuuken Special: Kon'ya wa 12-kaisen!! seems to play the music in a loop after the girl's dance is over.
On the PS1 version, the music stops and never loops; on the 3D0 version, it loops.

We've already tried it on a SAROO and Fenrir systems, and the music loops. But we don't know if this is the correct behavior of the game.
~~
Does anyone here have the real game and a real Japanese console to test it on? My Japanese contacts don't.~~
EDIT : Found someone and the test revealed that the core is working correctly, so does Ymir on this one.

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Just a warning: this is an R18 game about stripping a girl naked after beating her at Jan-Ken-Pon.

marble laurel
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Is Ymir usable for running STV Games ?

ripe valley
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Nope.

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There is nothing related or even started on the ST-V side.

marble laurel
mortal mist
mortal mist
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Last Bronx Arcade Disc works fine

ripe valley
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Game Tengoku is fixed.

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Gakkou no Kowai Uwasa Hanako-san ga Kita with Capcom logo isn't fixed, something broke on the core.
Nothing important and it's only 3 seconds at the beginning, the game is fine on its own.

glossy steppe
mortal mist
ripe valley
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Gimme 5 mins and I will check.

mortal mist
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I wanted to check a few more things

ripe valley
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My Dual RAM system is in another room.

mortal mist
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no prob , thanks 🙂

upper dust
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was also able to set a ram cart with no issues

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Last Bronx and Virtua Cop 2 also working

ripe valley
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This one stays on a black screen.

mortal mist
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ok thanks!

upper dust
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Dead or Alive keeps crashing on dual ram for the 8/18 build and kuba's shinobi revision

rich violet
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Does the new main fix anything?

upper dust
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virtua cop 2 and last bronx

mortal mist
upper dust
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I'll try another rom. Works OK on single

mortal mist
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i use dual sdram

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At what point does it crash?

upper dust
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randomly, opening FMV or demo fight

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I just let it run

drowsy hull
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tinfoilhattime: SRG has a number of defects he is just pushing around in circles to never have to do 3d0

mortal mist
warped saddle
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@mortal mist was there a particular game the new bob looked bad on? I need to test if there are games causing the F1 field to be inverted/incorrect

mortal mist
prisma wraith
#

Hello Saturn fans! We're playing Kyuutenkai: Fantastic Pinball on Saturn for the current #game-challenge if anyone wants to join in. 🙂

upper dust
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just tried a new DoA rom and same issue. I am using a 32mb module with a 128 fwiw

celest lake
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which core are you using? also, which version of main?

upper dust
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testing both the 18th and the shinobi core and the main kuba posted

celest lake
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maybe try the latest unstable?

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and if it doesn't work there, I will spin it up

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latest main just posted - should be the same as the one Kuba posted

upper dust
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latest unstable is 18th right?

celest lake
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latest core? yeah, latest mister main is today

floral saddle
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doa with latest unstable main and shiobi core, no crashes after a half hour so far, will keep it running but seems ok

upper dust
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redownloaded unstable main - the old one may have overwritten the latest one

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nope still crashed - hmm

celest lake
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ok, lookin'

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just the 1M version?

upper dust
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10m - is 1m better?

mortal mist
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yes , with 32mb 2.2 or 128 v2.4 i had same issues

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now i have 2x 128 v2.9 and works fine

celest lake
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checking 10m

upper dust
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so I should use two 128mb modules?

mortal mist
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I used to have no problem with 32 MB, apparently some changes have been made.

upper dust
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ok good to know - probably the issue then. Sorry for the confusion!

cursive tree
drifting frigate
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Paprium is fully supported on MiSTer... you just type rm /media/fat/games/megadrive/P/paprium.md
And boom. It'll never bother you again.

green jacinth
upper dust
trim nimbus
#

Andy is back!

glossy steppe
drifting frigate
#

/y/Yes

/y/Yes/Owner of a Lot of Roms (UK Live Version)

drifting frigate
# trim nimbus Andy is back!

Just for a bit. Then it's back to the edit mines and basically going dark for another few weeks. Movie is coming along well, though!

hearty marten
river wing
muted cradle
#

Yeah. It's like a Spotify abo. Having everything equals having nothing sometimes.

polar mountain
#

Paprium shmaprium.

hearty marten
green swift
drifting frigate
glossy steppe
burnt matrix
#

I split them up by region myself

#

and also if they've been patched or if they're unofficial (homebrew or unreleased)

warped saddle
#

also if they have a train in them

#

0000 - TRAINS/

clear condor
#

Maybe sort by amount of train? Final Fantasy VII has trains, but they're a lot less central to the experience than in Densha de Go

warped saddle
#

he probably has a scoring system for 'train-ness' that takes all this into account

#

like densha de go is a 100, FFVII might be a 32

pearl harbor
#

Whoa, Robby's heart can only take so much more train after the Denshattack announcement yesterday. Let him breath.

hearty marten
#

Thinking about random arcade game ports that never made it abroad

burnt matrix
#

My apologies to all our fallen friends who we'll miss dearly. Take solace that we won't forget your brave sacrifices to #1046941029296779344 and may our paths cross again in the future.

#

LET THE CULLING COMMENCE

visual grove
#

@slow cave look what you’ve done to poor soniccd123

#

He had a family

burnt matrix
visual grove
#

But not a good online handle

burnt matrix
serene thunder
burnt matrix
visual grove
#

Baskets cousin flowsnake

burnt matrix
serene thunder
#

Basket sock

visual grove
#

🫡

slow cave
burnt matrix
visual grove
#

Now Robby is just lusting for death

#

He’s out of control

warped saddle
#

how could you get rid of McNutts

burnt matrix
#

I hesitated on that one

left hollow
#

How is mcnutts going to explain to his kids that he was kicked out of the saturn chat

burnt matrix
#

But the choice was already made

warped saddle
#

I think I need to report a rogue moderator

slow cave
#

Cripes, I just want to share an issue I had with a game I tried. I didn't think I was going to get people removed from the thread.

burnt matrix
#

The blood is on your hands now, Mr. Wilco

visual grove
#

Many bothans died

warped saddle
#

let us hope McNutts is not a vengeful sort

visual grove
#

Pressures on Max

#

What is the question

slow cave
#

Well, I wanted to report a problem I had with Monster Slider (JP). There's an issue with the audio, where cutscenes won't play out properly. After a single line of dialog plays, it won't proceed to the next line and the cutscene will just stall, requiring you to hit a button to skip. When a match starts and ends, the characters have a little quip they say but the dialog doesn't play.

#

I did a search here and saw some discussion of the game having issues (mostly to do with it not working with the .chd), but also because of it having so many .bin files. I'm not 100% sure, but I think there's also some performance issues, because it seemed like there was some slowdown, and dropped inputs. I wanted to try and get some gameplay footage to demonstrate the issues, but I couldn't seem to get my capture device to capture the MiSTer. I don't know if what I provided helps any, but I wanted to share.

#

The game has like 70 .bin files, so I think that's part of the issue.

visual grove
#

Latest unstable main & Saturn core?

wise brook
visual grove
#

I write as though I’m going to verify

wise brook
#

-# it’s the CHD format

visual grove
#

When really it will be some dedicated awesome person like zet

wise brook
#

stop stop stop

warped saddle
#

if you're using CHD it will have issues. if not, uh oh

wise brook
#

it just the chd

#

just rip a clean bin / cue

#

this problem was solved a year ago

wide glacier
slow cave
wise brook
#

you got dual ram or are you missing a stick

green swift
#

Update all won’t net you the unstable main

#

You need to transfer it over manually

slow cave
high bramble
#

"missing" as though to suggest that dual RAM is the normal configuration. 😄

slow cave
#

I bought it off eBay, too, so I'd have to check if I can find the listing and see if it was mentioned.

wide glacier
#

i mean, dual ram is definitely optimal for saturn

high bramble
#

True. It just sounded funny to me.

slow cave
#

The listing I bought described it as '2x 128MB SDRAM'.

wise brook
#

well son, it’s time to take advantage of that sucker

#

grab the latest dual sdram core, copy it to your sd card

high bramble
#

What's strange is that my secondary MiSTer is a dual-RAM in the aluminum MiSTer Addons case... and I never use it. It's been sitting on a shelf behind me for months. It's just easier for me to use my primary one with the MiSTer Multisystem board for everything.

slow cave
wise brook
#

you see the option for pins?

#

orr

#

#unstable-nightlies message

#

tada

slow cave
#

Can I install the dual RAM version alongside the current Saturn core, or does it need to be replaced?

wise brook
#

it’s fine

slow cave
#

I've only done 'update_all', so I'm not sure how to install cores manually.

wise brook
#

you’ve got a few ways to do it

#

with a little setup you can grab them on your phone and wirelessly send it to the mister

slow cave
#

I've been doing it with FTP.

wise brook
#

or just get the sd card from the mister and copy from a computer or smartphone/tablet with a usb to sd card asap

wise brook
slow cave
#

I don't need to do anything additional once it's transferred?

left hollow
#

I just throw em on the root like a basic bitch

#

What are you using to ftp?

wise brook
#

nah, just copy and place in the right folder, maybe rename them to remove the unstable part

#

i’d recommend upgrading to samba

#

then you can just move it to the mister like any other folder on a drive

left hollow
#

If using filezilla make sure to change transfer type to binary

wise brook
#

the absolute convenience

burnt matrix
#

#1046941029296779344 pins

idle vortexBOT
left hollow
#

piss

idle vortexBOT
#

‎ 🎩

🧿👄🧿 pissfingers✨
‎ 🫴

burnt matrix
slow cave
#

I tried the latest dual sdram build, but no luck. Cutscenes still bug out and audio doesn't play.

warped saddle
#

and you're using cue/bin, right?

slow cave
#

Yes.

#

I tried converting the game to .chd at one point, but that just causes more issues.

wise brook
#

once converted consider it damaged goods

#

it’s lost a bunch of important track data

#

chd are literally fine for 99% of the library

#

but some do have information needs chd ignores

warped saddle
#

did you rip it yourself or get it from a redump set?

leaden dagger
#

huh, lot of people got culled today

slow cave
#

From a redump, I think. I tried another version I got from elsewhere, but the same thing happened.

wise brook
#

99% sure it’s just on your end, i was playing it the other day

#

can’t test right now

#

there were some tweaks to the cd reading by kuba just up above and by srg320 himself

slow cave
#

Dumb question: do I need to have the RAM carts in the OSD enabled?

wise brook
#

nah

#

just on the specific games that use them

#

you might also need to set controllers to digital if they’ve ended up on lightgun or something dumb

#

then save the settings so it’s the standard for each time you boot the core

burnt matrix
#

It’s good to have it backed up without any compression.

pearl harbor
#

I survived another purge! Huzzah! 🎉

warped saddle
#

it's probably worth double checking your cue file has all the INDEX entries that game is supposed to have

#

I'm just suspicious because what they're describing sounds almost exactly like how that game freaked out with chd due to lack of INDEX entries

slow cave
slow cave
warped saddle
#

just look at the contents of the cue file. Track 3 should have a bunch of INDEX 01 INDEX 02 INDEX 03 etc type lines

slow cave
wise brook
#

interesting

#

a “quick” test i’d like to run would be a second sd card with a fresh mister install, all the updates and the latest unstable main and core, with the game of course

analog totem
wise brook
#

runs on the Terrassic DE-EZ

slow cave
#

The fact that it had issues, though, made me wonder if it would apply with other Saturn games.

wise brook
#

oh it’s a banger, love the mechanic

wise brook
slow cave
#

Only other Saturn game I've tested is Resident Evil.

#

I'll give Fighters Megamix a look.

wise brook
#

my guy, this library is like a treasure trove

slow cave
#

The other games I've got loaded are some of the fan translations like Baroque, Bulk Slash, Silhouette Mirage.

wise brook
#

if you’re looking for another good puzzle game don’t skip baku baku animal

slow cave
#

Oh, I used to have the PC port of Baku Baku.

wise brook
#

ayy good times

#

hopefully Sakura Wars Columns get the translation treatment

#

obvs the game is still playable without

burnt matrix
#

@slow cave you like the Saturn?

wide glacier
#

baku baku scares me

slow cave
wise brook
#

i used to mod consoles to be able to play the games without the emulator stank

burnt matrix
wise brook
#

this is just so much better

burnt matrix
wise brook
#

Saturn is our future

#

with new fan translations constantly dropping and an amazing homebrew scene you’ll have a lot to play

wide glacier
#

saturn hardware has gotten a lot of love over the last few years but the mister core is shaping up to be my favorite way to play

#

for the convenience alone, if nothing else

lofty spire
#

i'm lucky enough to have a monitor that accepts composite cables so i can just play on a real Saturn (but it is an older LCD monitor so no light gun stuff unfortunately)

wise brook
#

if we can just get analog trigs from sorg…

serene thunder
wide glacier
#

hopefully they'd turn out better than sotn

wise brook
#

and joe engine has already had a successor

wise brook
#

it should’ve blown the ps1 out the water

wide glacier
#

somehow i'd not heard of jo engine until now, thanks for bringing it to my attention

drowsy hull
#

Robby drunk on power again 😔

hearty marten
#

Except that now he seems to be happy about it 😢

burnt matrix
#

lol it’s not like it prevents people from rejoining or being able to read this thread

visual grove
#

You expect McNutts to come back after your stinging rejection?

#

McNutts has his McPride

hearty marten
burnt matrix
ripe valley
#

To summarize, srg320 has partially analyzed how the music works in Road Rash.

There's a playback issue, and the SCSP is overloaded at one point in the core, causing the music to cut out in the menu.

He can't analyze it further; without connecting his logic analyzer to a Saturn with a full optical drive and the actual disc, ODEs can't help us in this case.

hallow fossil
#

Oof, that is a faff. Does he have with a CD drive?

glossy steppe
ripe valley
glossy steppe
#

But you're going to come back to it before working on the 3DO right?

ripe valley
#

Working on the 3D0 ? NEVER!

#

😏

#

-# Yes, we will check it once more when possible.

burnt matrix
#

I hope you buy a 3DO

ripe valley
#

Saturn day!

burnt matrix
#

I AM THE SATURN ROBOT

#

I PLAY FAT BABY GAMES ALL DAY

#

PAK CHOOIE UNF

#

-# UNF

#

UNF

#

UNF

ripe valley
#

Some fixes for today (VDP2 & SMPC).

neon python
#

I have broken Robby and for that I am very sorry

ripe valley
#

There are still a few bugs related to VDP1, and... Road Rash.

Nothing really serious in terms of overall gameplay, but it will require further research and/or waiting for accuracy testing of VDP1.

hearty marten
#

Saturn core feels like it’s constantly adding more 9’s in terms of accuracy. First it was 99%, then 99.9%… when will it end?! NotLikeThis

marble laurel
hearty marten
#

Does the hack in the commit notes imply he’s hacked in a workaround?

#

Or is that for another issue in that game?

mortal mist
#

music in Road Rash works good with this hack

marble laurel
#

he detects ID of the game and applied specific case
if (!strncmp(id, "T-5008H", 7) ||
!strncmp(id, "T-10609G", 8)) satcdd.roadrash_hack = true;

wide glacier
ripe valley
#

We had to rely on a (temporary) hack.

ripe valley
#

To explain simply, the sprite layer on the VDP1 does not exactly follow the NBG3 plane at the same time, during simultaneous X/Y movements.
It tries to compensate on the next frame.

#

And only on this game.

#

So, you can see a quick shimmering on some sprites during those camera moves.

wide glacier
#

ah, i see. i was about to say, that's rather unusual

ripe valley
#

I'll continue testing games later.
For now, I don't feel like it, and I've done too much in such a short time about it.

burnt matrix
#

ok everything updated

ripe valley
#

We're only on the 4th one. 🤣

leaden dagger
#

Zenos (Zetnos? lol) Paradox

wise brook
#

hehehe good reference

#

i was just telling a colleague about zeno the other day

glossy steppe
#

"I asked how accurate the core was but he just kept saying nein, guess I need to keep working on it"

mortal mist
#

As far as I'm concerned, it's just another game that can't cope without fast timings.

burnt matrix
mortal mist
ripe valley
#

I confirm after checking on another screen.

#

I will close the ticket and leave a note.

#

Thanks @mortal mist

#

The timings on a Single RAM don't respond fast enough for the scrolling effects.

#

Sad news, srg320 will work on the 3D0 core once again.

wise brook
#

the road rash fix is a triumph!

hallow fossil
ripe valley
#

Last time, he was struggling with the sound chip and timings.

But we never really talked about it.
And I won't be part of it this time.

hallow fossil
#

Ah yeah, that soundchip looked rough

wise brook
hallow fossil
#

As in complex and rough to try make a core of

wise brook
#

oh i get ya

hallow fossil
#

Sound [52]
16-bit stereo sound[1]
Stereo CDDA playback.
44.1 kHz sound sampling rate[1]
Supports 4-Channel Dolby Surround sound
Custom 16-bit digital signal processor (DSP) with 16-bit I/O and registers but a 20-bit ALU and accumulator, embedded in the CLIO chip.
13 DMA channels of digital input, to be sampled, and distorted by the DSP.

wise brook
#

it’s probably more complex on its own than some entire 3rd gen consoles

hallow fossil
#

Yeah, looks it

wise brook
#

makes me want to find one those crts with built in dolby surround

hallow fossil
#

Does MiSTer support Dolby surround?

wise brook
#

i think so, it’s just an encoding on the stereo output

hallow fossil
#

There are Pro Logic N64 games

wise brook
#

you have to get the decoder

wise brook
#

it’s just stereo sound with hidden data packets

hallow fossil
#

Will need to just pass it through as is and not do any filtering

#

Then let your amp handle it

clear condor
wise brook
#

Best part is if you use HDMI that data will still be received and used by an appropriate AV receiver

ripe valley
#

I've been helping out with as much effort and ideas as I can on this Saturn core project for over two years, playing the role of middleman between the srg320 and celeriyacon.
I've dedicated my free time to testing and managing the backend, plus I've been checking out the (unfinished) compatibility list and the issue log.

I will continue to contribute to the entire MiSTer project, but more sporadically in the coming weeks.
I just want to do something else for a while, relax a little too.

Finally, I also want to emphasize something important.

Without @mortal mist, @floral saddle , @celest lake and so many others, the Saturn core would not have been able to progress so quickly and they were able to find sometimes deep bugs, or even technical solutions.
I don't want them to be forgotten, and to be told that I'm taking the spotlight and the honors.
They deserve your respect as much as you did for me.

To everyone here, one last time, thanks for being so much positive and helpful.

pearl harbor
celest lake
warped cliff
#

Any ideas how much longer until we get a new build available via update script?

hearty marten
#

@ripe valley @mortal mist @floral saddle @celest lake 🫡

#

We are fortunate to have you all

warped saddle
#

current Saturn core with 'new bob'. Seems about on par with how it looks on psx so unless this is terribly broken I'll pr it soon

📎 Saturn_bob.rbf
#

also that's a single ram build because dual ram is for rich people

#

also as a reminder bob is for not having ugly motion comb artifacts. static screens/menus will always look better with weave

#

(also if you are weird and running vsync_adjust=0 with an output framerate vastly different than the core absolutely do not use bob)

celest lake
pearl harbor
#

But I'm a rich person. marioohno

ripe valley
#

$15 for a RAM stick, I'm rich.

#

The new Bob!

#

Our number one guy!

wise brook
wise brook
floral saddle
# ripe valley I've been helping out with as much effort and ideas as I can on this Saturn core...

Bless you Zet, it's been a pleasure to help, without your patience and open ear there is no way I would have been as motivated to test and report issues. This console has been such an important part of my life and you have put in so much time and effort get the core into it's current outstanding state without asking for anything in return, I'm genuinely grateful for your involvement. All the very best to you my friend!

mortal mist
hearty marten
#

sega saturn ❤️

green swift
#

Sounds like it’s time for a new stable release.

#

The Facebook mister normies will be shocked. 😱

ripe valley
#

Just testing it a little bit.

#

Last time, the release was pushed a little bit too soon.

#

And, I didn't had time to check it too.

sharp comet
#

sergey is a hero

sturdy dagger
#

Moving onto something else? Gamecom core confirmed?

(Only joking. Thank you for all your help and support with the cores)

ripe valley
#

Playdia first.

sturdy dagger
#

Hahaha, interesting.

ripe valley
#

The core passes even the new SH2test from today.

cursive tree
#

Will the 32x core get an update too?

hallow fossil
# ripe valley Playdia first.

Unironically he has gone and done the hardest part of the Casio Loopy, the SH-2, and he probably doesn't even realise...

ripe valley
wise brook
#

could srg move to close some of the old forgotten issue tabs?

#

how many are actually real problems anymore?

ripe valley
#

Most of them are feature requests.

#

The remaining bugs are: Batman Forever, Decathlete, and Groove on Fight.
There are also VDP1 bugs with very minor impacts, such as color banding starting at max 200ms on screen or flickering in a very specific scene.
Some issues cannot be fixed, such as Grandia and Pyon Pyon Kyaruru no Mahjong Biyori (even fast timings can't compensate for everything), but for each, it's only a scene lasting a few seconds with no impact on gameplay.

hearty marten
ripe valley
#

What we could do for the next days, do some stress testing on the two cores.

wise brook
#

tried to post this 5 mins ago and it froze

ripe valley
#

I've been testing the two cores too much right now, we need a fresh perspective from people in the project who haven't spent hours on details.

#

After a few days of testing, I think we should be able to ask srg320 if he's okay with a new stable release.

ancient surge
#

Maybe wait for the VDP1 adjustments?

#

Like if the VDP1 gets overhauled to fix the edge cases and it causes some games to break, then it would quickly undermine the stable release.

ripe valley
#

I will see with srg320 within the next days.

#

For now, enjoy the cores (ST-V, 32x & Saturn).

tacit viper
radiant karma
celest lake
#

Psx2xcpu has it. Seeing if anyone notices 🙂

serene thunder
celest lake
serene thunder
#

cheers

hallow fossil
# serene thunder cheers

If you use update all you can press up when the script starts and enable alt cores DB and automatically grab the cores there

wise brook
hearty marten
#

Because if you tell me it’s been around for years while I’ve been manually slinging around rbfs like a peasant, I’m gonna be so upset with myself

spiral rose
hearty marten
#

Thanks

spiral rose
hearty marten
#

That one I knew about 😅

quick sorrel
#

That's amazing 😄

#

omina do that now just for fun~

slow cave
wise brook
#

on it now

slow cave
wise brook
#

no sign of any issues

slow cave
# wise brook

Can I get a list of your settings? I'm thinking maybe there's something I haven't set that's causing the issue.

#

I'll try to check it out tonight, or tomorrow when I get time.

#

I remember you or someone else said something about an update to the Saturn core about how the CD reads.

wise brook
#

just finished the first game cut scene went through fine. They said one line of dialogue. It moved onto the next scene.

slow cave
#

I have to leave for work soon, but could it be there's something about the MisterAddons box that's configured differently?

burnt matrix
#

pins updated and cleaned up organization

radiant karma
#

Is mister unstable needed for anything on Saturn? or just accuracy fixes?

celest lake
#

just the road rash fix hack?

radiant karma
#

Only one game? I can wait then. Thanks.

ripe valley
#

Resident Evil, Virtua Racing and some other games that need accurate seek timings.

mortal mist
#

not just road rash

hallow fossil
#

There is a script that lets you jump into unstable Main that takes seconds to run

mortal mist
#

tweak seek delay calculation

#

too

#

this is an important change

#

The hack for Road Rash is another matter.

rich violet
#

Is the new bob deinterlacing a nice improvement on the 3D fighting games? I'm away from my MiSTer at the moment 😿

warped saddle
#

it's basically the 'old bob' but likely to have less...vibrating

#

but bob will never look as good as weave in low-motion so it is a tradeoff

radiant karma
#

With new bob I can only notice the vibration on some static items like the health bars on Virtua fighter 2. So it is a nice improvement over old bob, you would notice the entire screen vibrating. How it compares to weave+soft filter is really up to your preferences. Sharp but some flicker or soft but stable image.

floral saddle
#

Was testing out the new bob (it's great!) on fighting vipers and got to grace's stage, is it just me or does it sound like there is a constant audio loop playing under the main soundtrack, should be really obvious to hear it end when you win the fight and it suddenly stops, don't hear it on any other stage and can't hear it on hardware footage.
Edit: Turn's out it's olny present on the particular revision of the game that I was using, don't think it's a core issue.

radiant karma
celest lake
winter phoenix
#

As we just debuted live on the SHIRO! Show, Gregori Rasputin and wiredcrackpot are working on an English translation patch for Sword & Sorcery for the Saturn! Read all about it in Gregori's story and download the version 0.2 patch to try it for yourself:

https://www.segasaturnshiro.com/2025/08/22/an-in-progress-english-patch-for-sword-sorcery-is-out-now/

SEGA SATURN, SHIRO!
Rasputin3000
An In-Progress English Patch for Sword & Sorcery Is Out Now

An in-progress patch for an English translation of Sword & Sorcery, a 1996 JRPG by Microcabin, was added to the SegaXtreme extreme resources section today! This patch, which is translating from…

#

(the resource still needs to be approved on SegaXtreme so give that a little time)

wise brook
#

see, even less need for a 3do core

winter phoenix
#

it's up now!

glossy steppe
#

Did NiGHTS always have this much slowdown? Or can the single-RAM core not handle it well? I am also getting weird control issues too in it

wise brook
#

it has no issues my end

#

you tried anything? fast timings? new rip of the game? etc

glossy steppe
#

I havne't tried changing any settings that would effect the emulation

#

I set it to 3D pad, and every time I go collect an Ideya or go back to the shrine after Nights just keeps floating up while spinning, and L/R don't seem to do anything when I am doing tricks either, and there is a lot of slowdown

ripe valley
#

Nights surely needs some Fast Timings activated, and the L/R shoulder buttons on the 3D pad are analog.
MiSTer don't support analog buttons actually, it's independent of the core.

glossy steppe
#

It has no trouble using the analog triggers on my controller as if they were digital buttons in any core I assign them to a button though

#

Also what about how I kept floating up?

crimson hemlock
#

What is the difference where i see stuff like 10m, 1m, 2m etc listed against the same games?

floral saddle
river wing
rich violet
dusty shale
#

Also, I've noticed that in the input section, there is no option for a controller to mimic the Twin Stick.

#

(here's a leverless twin stick I'm working on)

drowsy hull
#

but wasn't the twin stick analog?

dusty shale
#

Hence why I'm not sure it's currently excluded from the Saturn core's input options.

drowsy hull
#

Damn, always thought it being dual analog, does it have more buttons in sum?

dusty shale
#

Exact same as a standard Saturn pad.

drowsy hull
#

so same as pad

#

Assuming the pcbs come from the usual china factories, how much were they be in total (ignoring revisions)?

ripe valley
#

The Twin Stick have an issue ticket opened since some times.

dusty shale
wide glacier
#

this sounds like user error lol

ripe valley
#

Okay, so I will add a note later today.
I don't have a Twin Stick so I trust the users' reports here.

dusty shale
#

Either way, I hope twin stick emulation can be added to the list of input options for USB controllers.

#

We have the mission stick and the dual mission stick, but not the twin stick.

ripe valley
#

Note added, I can't do much for the Saturn core for the next weeks.
Just taking a look sometimes here and the issue log.

mortal mist
#

I will try to fix Batman

green swift
#

Could also be the Saturn female controller connector. There really aren't any good ones outside of Sega OEM.

ripe valley
#

Childhood trauma.

#

Okay, that one was too easy 😂

crimson hemlock
glossy steppe
ripe valley
#

I just finished the last meeting with srg320.
We discussed all open issue tickets and celeriyacon's new internal testing on the SH-2 (from today).

I'll be keeping an eye on the upcoming discussions here, as well as srg320's feedback on the Saturn core.

slow cave
# wise brook

Good news: I ran 'update_all' last night and tried Monster Slider on the standard Saturn core. Was able to watch the first cutscene without issue, and the characters say their line before the match starts.

#

However, when I got to the third cutscene (with the Half-Fish Man), it stalled again after a couple of lines, so I had to skip the rest. However, the dialog still plays before a match.

#

I also think there was some slowdown during a match, but I think maybe that can be fixed by setting 'Hardware' to 'Fast'. Not entirely sure, though.

wise brook
#

you wanna use the dual ram core that is available to compare

ripe valley
#

I tried the game just now on my MiSTer Pi system, with Normal timings.

#

And finished the 4 first characters without any issues.

slow cave
#

It makes me wonder if update_all changed something else that made the difference.

#

I'll try to figure out how to record footage sometime.

marble laurel
rich violet
#

So many Saturndays

ancient surge
#

Lowkey upset the updates don't actually happen on Saturday.

ripe valley
#

We weren't ready yesterday.

ripe valley
#

I tried something with the Saturn core today.
Load a Policenauts save that requires disc 2 or 3.

When prompted to change discs, immediately load the correct disc by clicking "Insert Disc" in the OSD.
And execute the A+B+C+START trick; the game will continue without having to reset the core.

wise brook
#

i’ve been doing that for ages!

#

Sakura Wars got me experimenting

#

especially cause there’s always been that issue ticket claiming the save corrupts, never happened once

ripe valley
#

I'm just writing this for some users who aren't aware of the trick.
Someone during a live stream asked me how to swap disks on a Saturn using the core.

#

It works with J.B Harolds and the Sakura Taisen games for sure.

ripe valley
drowsy hull
#

So does the core not do a proper whatever-is-needed routine when switching/loading discs (motor down, open lid, close lid, spin up)?

ripe valley
#

There is simply no lid open/close option by design on the core.
Everything else is accurately simulated as possible.

drowsy hull
#

I vaguely remember Robert having fun with the PSX equivalent back then

ripe valley
#

When I was working on the early DuckStation beta tests, Stenzek was also having trouble with some PS1 games.
Like Metal Gear Solid, the game wouldn't send a clear interrupt to change the disc and detect the lid like others.

ancient surge
#

I figure with SEGA Saturn games how the disc swapping is handled depends on the game.

wise brook
#

there were official ways to do it, Sega gave devs clear instructions on the do’s and do nots of Saturn programming. i think some devs did none-compliant methods but i’m not even sure who it allegedly was and what difference it required

#

it’s some obscure jp multi disc game if it exists at all

safe trail
#

Don't they have a lid open/close switch (which would obviously be detectable in software) ? Wouldn't need to be an interrupt, just a port...

#

Even PC Engine has this (it doesn't drive an interrupt), but only one game has the possibility of switching discs during play

winter phoenix
hearty marten
#

And that works with the ABC+Start option?

frail token
#

Especially since we don't have per-game settings

hallow fossil
#

I think Zakk mentioned it wouldn't take up really any space and would be done on the Main side. Who did the feature for N64? If I remember someone else led that rather than Robert, but I may be wrong.

warped saddle
#

it's just extracting the game id (which I think is already done for the saturn anyways) and then "doing stuff" based on that. in this case just twiddling status bits.

hearty marten
coarse tokenBOT
# 
if (!strncmp(id,"T-8126H",7) ||
hearty marten
#

Are the status bits the ones covered by calls to user_io_status_set?

#

(I’m interested in taking a look, but I’ve never done anything with the MiSTer code before)

#

Looking at the user_io header, there’s also a confstr thing that sounds familiar. Are there any developer docs I can look at to give me a head start?

warped saddle
#

the conf string is in the core, and it is what main uses to make the core menu. it defines what menu options correspond to which status bits

hearty marten
#

Thanks. That gives me somewhere to start. I’ll fire up my editor in the morning and take a dig around to see what gets called when

hearty marten
coarse tokenBOT
# 
"OLN,Cartridge,None,ROM 2M,DRAM 1M,DRAM 4M;",
hearty marten
#

(For some reason I was looking at an old version. No idea why/how facepalm_girl, but at least looking at the head of main confirmed the 21:23 bit 😆)

warped saddle
#

it counts in order left to right 0 -> 1 -> 2 etc

hearty marten
#

Cool, thanks 👍

#

Should be enough for me to get started later on

#

It’ll probably take me 20 times as long as someone who knows what they’re doing, but I can get there eventually 😄

marsh crypt
#

Any possibility for the Psuedo 8M Memory?

warped saddle
#

the only issue with automatically setting status bits is if the user saves the core settings, they will save those settings too

hearty marten
#

It might be a bit anti-user, but we could go with the database idea and essentially force a “no ram cart if not in database” approach - essentially ignoring whatever was saved, right?

#

That doesn’t mean you couldn’t toggle it back on, but just that on startup it would honour the database

#

(If that makes sense)

warped saddle
#

yeah, that's annoying. so now it randomly turns off my saved settings?

hearty marten
#

It doesn’t do anything because I’ve not implemented anything yet 😄

#

But I’ll have a think

warped saddle
#

how many games require a specific type of ram cart to function?

hearty marten
#

A small number iirc

#

Which was why I was thinking “None” made sense as a default

#

cos there’s no advantage to putting a cart in if you don’t need it?

warped saddle
#

the backup cart exists and might just be set to on by the user in save settings and what you're proposing would turn it off every game load

hearty marten
#

We could honour that setting, but if it’s a game that requires a ram cart, clobber the setting?

#

Or add a setting for “auto” (core change) and do it that way

warped saddle
#

there's no path here that isn't annoying to some set of users

hearty marten
#

Sure

warped saddle
#

if I have to set it to 'auto' now on games I wanted to use the backup cart, I have to go enable it every time

marsh crypt
#

auto might be useless without knowing what ther game supports

hearty marten
hearty marten
#

It could be “honour user setting unless we need a ram cart”

#

Or it could be “use backup cart unless we need a ram cart”

#

(By “user setting”, I mean whatever was enabled before I went through messing with status bits)

warped saddle
#

you probably need another set of 'shadow' status bits for the cart setting that aren't user settable and then flip to those depending on some 'auto' setting

hearty marten
#

I think this is why the N64 options page that essentially just displays what the database picks up (although they can be toggled, they weren’t intended to be) ends up confusing people

#

Because some people try to change things and then they settings get clobbered

#

That said, the number of people who have complained about that seem to be minimal tbh

warped saddle
#

also they added like every retail game in existence to that database

hearty marten
#

Because we only need the ram cart for certain games to function, I guess that’s the only time we’d ever want to intervene and (potentially) clobber user settings imo

#

Fast timings is another thing that could be debated…

#

Since it’s a learning experience anyway, I’ll hack something together to see if I can at least change the settings, then be guided by what we think a good UX is. I agree it’s not good to trample on what people explicitly set, so we probably want to “opt-in” though

warped saddle
#

so much of this would be less complicated if there were any ability to do game specific saving

hearty marten
#

We just have one backup cart for all games?

#

Or do you mean game specific config saving?

warped saddle
#

config

hallow fossil
#

Could you not copy N64 and have a second optional user list that takes precedence over the main list?

hearty marten
#

That's also an option 👍

hallow fossil
#

I am no expert, but I feel the N64 way works well, most people don't even know it exists as it just silently sets everything they need, and if they do want custom entries it is easy to do.

There also isn't a load of hacks and homebrew for Saturn, like N64, so there isn't the issue if a random hack will automatically work or need added to DB

hearty marten
#

But it does have the somewhat confusing behaviour that if you change a setting that's handled by the database and then save your settings, they disappear the next time you load a game

#

So the interface to changing those settings would be via editing the database

hearty marten
hallow fossil
#

So the N64 DB sets loads of different things, what would a Saturn DB change? The ram cart for a few games, and I can't see a usecase for changing the settings to a different ram cart than the selected beyond testing. What else would we want set?

hearty marten
#

That's it, maybe fast timings, but that feels on less stable ground

hallow fossil
#

I don't think there is any tangible benefits setting different BIOS per game, so no point in doing that

hearty marten
#

I think bios would be harder to do tbh

#

(Don't even know if it's possible)

hallow fossil
#

I would suggest "just" copying the N64 format, as it is robust, and if making it read only makes sense then do that

hearty marten
#

Task 1: see if I can even build vanilla MiSTer main 😂

warped saddle
#

most of the things the n64 sets are settings the user isn't going to ever touch, so it doesn't matter if it gets saved and then reset every load

#

that's NOT the case with stuff like the ram cart on saturn

hearty marten
#

Looks like even after hacking at the makefile I can't get dockcross to build main 😢 There's a dockerfile definition in the repo that I missed. We're all good 🎉

hallow fossil
#

Why would you ever not want to use the recommended ram cart on Saturn?

#

Are there examples where you might want to play with different ones? I can't think of any

warped saddle
#

the problem is games that don't require the ram cart

#

like I leave my core saved settings on the backup cart

hearty marten
#

Are there instances where if the game doesn't use a ram cart you wouldn't use a backup cart?

warped saddle
#

I don't know the library well enough to say if there are games that get angry about backup carts vs none

#

but regardless, it's a visible user setting

wide glacier
#

i've not found a game that gets fussy over having a backup cart inserted

#

the only problematic titles i know of come from the few snk games that don't like the 4mb cart

warped saddle
#

but just adjust the core so it has a hidden cart type, and the visible user one is 'default if not forced'

hearty marten
#

I agree, that sounds like the best solution

#

That's kind of what I was getting at with the "auto"

hallow fossil
#

That makes sense, so have it default to auto, which sets cart from the DB, unless you manually change that to something

#

That seems the best of both worlds

hearty marten
#

But Zakk's right that we'd need a core change and some "shadow bits" to prevent overwriting things

#

and confusing the end user

ripe valley
#

And for games that only work properly if you plug in one controller, do you want to have that option in a database as well ?
For games requiring a ROM Cart, how will you manage the database ?

hearty marten
#

rom cart would be the same, I'd have thought? It's the same group of status bits

#

One controller is a good idea, but no idea how hard that would be to do

ripe valley
#

I can't help you with this database integration, but you can check out my list that was done for firstly Mednafen and NOVA here: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Saturn_MiSTer/issues/225
There you'll find the header and names of the games.

GitHub
[FEATURE REQUEST]Auto Set Cartridge For Games · Issue #225 · MiST...

For games that work best with a specific RAM cartridge it would be idea if the core was able to set the best version for the game on launch e.g. Metal Slug has performance issues when the 4MB cart ...

warped saddle
#

it's also just a status bit, but again one of those things that if you set the user visible setting, anytime they save core settings that's what it'll save

hearty marten
warped saddle
#

at least with controllers you could probably just have a 'disable second controller' bit somewhere

#

although that's still wonky

obsidian herald
#

Very little to contribute here other than I love that this idea is getting kicked around. Something I’m missing is: what’s the benefit of the backup cart in the core and why would users want to use it? I just started using the core this weekend and other than the backup cart being slower to save to I’m not sure the difference between the internal RAM and the cart and why I would care if I couldn’t set it. On real hardware the backup cart is obviously important (battery backed RAM in the console WHYYYYY), and things like the Saroo handle this with per game configs based on GAMEID but to my knowledge it hijacks the internal save mechanism for all games and that seems to work.

warped saddle
#

stuff like dezaemon 2 use the backup cart to store entire games that probably don't fit in internal save ram

hallow fossil
#

Can anyone think of a potential reason not to have the "Auto" default to backup cart for the games that don't have their ram cart set? Presumably there aren't games that use both backup cart and a ram cart

warped saddle
#

you can. but at that point why is it even a user visible setting in the UI?

hallow fossil
#

troubleshooting

#

Maybe there is some weird edge case

#

Could move the option to page two or somewhere less visible if the worry is someone will go in change it not knowing what they are doing

warped saddle
#

also this is a lot of complication for not that many games

obsidian herald
#

It really improves the user experience though.

#

My friends who are getting into MiSTer don’t know what a Saturn RAM cart is and just want to be able to experience a relatively unknown library.

thorn pagoda
#

one edge case might be some romhacks where the original game doesn't need the extra ram but the romhack does?

#

like that castlevania one

obsidian herald
#

And personally I’d love to just fire up a game and have it work optimally

#

Yeah ROMhacks are a good reason to keep overrides outside of troubleshooting

#

Otherwise I the states are:

  • 1MB RAM
  • 4MB RAM
  • 8MB RAM (for Heart of Darkness I think?)
  • Backup Cart
  • Player 2 disabled
  • ROM cart
#

With maybe just no carts and player 2 enabled being the default state to reduce saving time?

warped saddle
#

that's the core default state anyways

obsidian herald
#

Yeah which is great

#

It was fun this weekend seeing that no carts are enabled by default, going “wow it really should default to the backup cart” then realizing that was just me thinking about how I have to run my real Saturn lol.

#

My Saturn looks wrong without a cart

winter phoenix
obsidian herald
#

Ah yeah and I forgot to list ROM carts. There are two right? Ultraman and KOF 95?

winter phoenix
winter phoenix
#

Video games of all kinds were featured at Gamescom this year — and the Saturn was no exception! See how Sega's fifth-generation console drew crowds at Germany's massive gaming convention in my story:

https://www.segasaturnshiro.com/2025/08/25/fans-bring-the-saturn-to-gamescom-2025/

SEGA SATURN, SHIRO!
Danthrax
Fans Bring the Saturn to Gamescom 2025

The video game industry descended upon Cologne, Germany, last weekend for Gamescom 2025, and the Sega Saturn was represented well thanks to fans running the SegAddiction booth. Those fans, who incl…

hearty marten
#

I have an initial version of main that auto-selects the cart type based on a database file (nothing else yet, but other options should be easy to add). I don't support a "user" database yet either...

When you load a game it will check the database - if it's not there, it defaults to a backup cart, but otherwise changes to whatever is in the database.

Happy to share if anyone wants to test it out (I don't have that many of the games on the database)

#

But it has all the problems that Zakk listed about clobbering options - so it's not a good solution

#

Actually in hindsight, setting backup cart as default seems bad because it overrides the core default. I'll set it as none, but then if people want to add entries for backup carts in the database, they can do that

obsidian herald
#

Idk that preloading the backup cart or the two ROM carts that certain games require is even really feasible but that would be incredible

hearty marten
#

The ROM cart is handled

#

(or should be - I haven't tested it :D)

obsidian herald
#

Amazing. Does it just expect the ROM image somewhere?

hearty marten
#

I thought you meant the ROM1M cart option – sorry 😅

obsidian herald
#

Ah yeah there are two games that need ROM carts (KOF 95 and Ultraman). Basically bespoke carts with game data on them.

warped saddle
#

how does the core support those now?

hearty marten
#

It selects that option from the menu, but not sure what that does 😅

#

(not in answer to Zakk's question)

obsidian herald
#

I’m not in front of my mister but I think there is a ROM cart option and then an option to mount the image file for it that is always present even if the option is not selected.

#

So that would be fine honestly

#

Selecting between one of two ROMs is nbd. The user would at least know the game required a ROM cart based on the automatic selection.

warped saddle
#

(no they wouldn't)

hearty marten
#

I'm absolutely not a C/C++ programmer, and I have no clue what I'm doing with MiSTer, so use at your own risk...

(Put saturn-database.txt in your games/Saturn directory)

📎 MiSTer 📎 saturn-database.txt
obsidian herald
warped saddle
#

you could probably come up with some file system based autoloader like the megacd core does with 'cart.rom'

#

but again, 2 games so...

obsidian herald
#

Yeah it’s certainly a big ask for two games. Nice that the core can handle it at all!

hearty marten
#

Anyone able to direct me to a list of games that require only a single controller and those which require fast timings?

#

(Also a reliable list of those that support the backup cart would also be helpful)

warped saddle
#

mednefen defaults to the backup cart if the game isn't in their DB, so it's probably safe

obsidian herald
#

It seems like the backup cart takes longer to save to on my MiSTer, is that just placebo?

#

That would be the only reason I’d say keep the defaults.

#

I will dig around for games that require a single controller. I know In The Hunt will only boot with a single controller if it’s in Port 2

hearty marten
#

Okay, got a new version that also handles fast timings and changing the P2 pad – again it's a "use at your own risk" situation. Defaults are now backup cart; original timings; P2=digital pad. Feel free to hack at/improve [the database file](#1046941029296779344 message) - it should be obvious how to change it.

I think we should still consider doing something to improve the UX (and I've no idea what changing the status bit for fast timings on the dual RAM core does – I hope nothing...)

📎 MiSTer
#

NB, if you delete the database file everything should go back to normal (as long as you haven't overwritten your settings)

obsidian herald
#

In the Hunt is the opposite problem where you NEED P2 and P1 should be disabled lol

hearty marten
#

😂

obsidian herald
#

Well, it can be left enabled but there needs to be a controller in P2 it’s wild

hearty marten
#

That's amazing

obsidian herald
#

My VA0 Saturn behaves this way

#

Yeah it took me a while to figure out

hearty marten
#

I don't have any more time today, but just delete that line from the database and you should be back to normal at least

obsidian herald
#

This is incredible work thank you @hearty marten

hearty marten
#

I was really just messing around with it for my own learning tbh

ripe valley
#

In The Hunt and Shinobi (X/Legions/Shin, wherever you want) need the second pad removed.

hearty marten
obsidian herald
#

Are you sure? My VA0 Saturn only boots ITH if a controller is in port 2

#

I’ll double check tonight

ripe valley
#

I wasn't sure about Crusader - No Remorse, but srg320 proved it was a bug in the SMPC implementation a few weeks ago.

obsidian herald
#

I can check on the MiSTer and a couple of real Saturns

hearty marten
#

From what I've read @ripe valley posting here before, I think the "fast timings" list is still very much in flux as the core develops. We may need to add/remove things from there

ripe valley
#

The fast timings database will be more complex.

#

For sure, I can cite :

  • Grandia;
  • Gunbird;
  • Fighting Vipers;
  • Fighters Megamix;
  • Dead or Alive;
  • Pyon Pyon Kyaruru no Mahjong Hiyori.

And, I'm not so sure for Assault Suits Leynos 2.

hearty marten
#

I'll be guided by what people here think. As I said, it was just for learning – it doesn't have to become a PR or anything

warped saddle
#

it's just a timer

obsidian herald
#

Ohhhhh interesting!

#

Okay so it was just a placebo

warped saddle
#

main doesn't even know when it is done

obsidian herald
#

That makes sense! How would it know?

#

It wouldn’t

hearty marten
ripe valley
#

Pyon Pyon Kyaruru no Mahjong Hiyori, it's only the intro in fact.

#

And even with fast timings, you see some corruption for 2 to 3 seconds.

#

@hearty marten FEDA Remake! for the fast timings database Don't forget that one.

#

I bored srg320 with this detail the other day.

hearty marten
#

Added that and Pyon Pyon Kyaruru no Mahjong Hiyori

#

Ah, you can't edit a post and re-add an attachment 🙁

hallow fossil
#

Doesn't look like you have Heart of Darkness DRAM6MDEV

floral saddle
#

I imagine Last Bronx would benefit from fast timings too given the other 480i fighting games it helps.

ancient surge
#

Pyon Pyon Kyaruru no Mahjong Hiyori, of all games, somehow crawling back is kind of funny to me.

#

The catalyst of the fast timings even existing in the first place, all because of a random mahjong game.

hearty marten
#

Or someone else can 🙂

warped saddle
#

it's certainly worth figuring out some UX change for rom carts like an in-core 'auto' setting with a default. fast timings whatever since the default should be off and it doesn't matter if someone saves that setting. the pad stuff I dunno. that seems more annoying and I'm not sure how to deal with it

serene thunder
formal barn
obsidian herald
#

I guess it’s just a placebo since Main is just using a generic timer

warped saddle
#

oh wait no! it's sort of generic but not really it uses a 500 millisecond timer, but disk writes reset the timer. so in theory it's just 0.5 seconds slower. I think an old comment by sorg led me to believe it didn't work like that

#

also the 'Saving....' dialog is skippable

#

just hit the osd button again

topaz tartan
#

Was there ever a reason for the specific delay amount? I'm guessing maybe some cases or cores may have stalls when committing saveram to disk?
Or just a magic "pull out of my ass jutsu" number?

#

Not that it matters tbh, just mildly curious.

warped saddle
#

it's because main doesn't know when the save is done

#

so it's more or less 'if it hasn't written in 500ms I guess it is done'

formal barn
#

I just did some testing using latest unstable single ram 2025.08.24. Testing with Sega Rally Championship Plus Netlink Edition (USA). Played the Desert Course, time attack, set a record, open OSD (autosave enabled), and start a timer. I tried Overwrite my existing save and also creating a new save writing to SD card and NAS. My Mister and NAS are both hardwired over Ethernet.

#

00:01:34.38 - backup ram cart - CIFS (overwrite original save)
00:00:03.73 - internal ram - CIFS (new file)

00:00:05.43 . Backup ram cart - SD (new file)
00:00:05.15 - Backup ram cart - SD (overwrite)
00:00:01.31 - internal ram - SD (new file)

00:00:52:13 - backup ram cart - CIFS (new file)
00:01:43.02 - backup ram cart - CIFS (overwrite original save)

#

Writing saves over cifs_mount with the backup ram cart is very slow for me. I expected writing to the NAS would be slower than the SD card. It’s possible that it’s just my setup causing slowness but it’s kind of strange it’s just the backup cart that’s really slow.

#

On the plus side, I finally beat my ghost while testing this 😁

warped saddle
#

it's just a matter of block count

#

the files are bigger and your setup seems kinda messed up for small writes?

formal barn
#

Yeah, I’ll tinker around with my NAS to see if I can figure out something that’s not configured right. I’m using Unraid for my NAS. I’ll report back if I make any progress. It may not actually be Mister related.

warped saddle
#

the backup cart saves are 1114112 bytes vs 65536 bytes for just the system ram

rich violet
#

17 times bigger then

#

I think it should default to off

#

Smaller is faster to read/write, less likely to corrupt and wears the SD card less

wise brook
#

there’s only a few games i play where i want the extra save slots

#

and a couple where it’s borderline mandatory