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VanLaser / analog-controls-for-armored-core-ps2

QoL enhancements for the oldgen PS1/PS2/PSP Armored Core games.
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FreeMCBoot OPL #10

Open ZedG95 opened 2 months ago

ZedG95 commented 2 months ago

I'm currently trying to run Armored Core 2 on my softmodded PS2 and I keep getting a black screen after the PlayStation boot screen. How do I fix this so I may run the game? I've tried the latest stable release of OPL and the 10th Anniversary Edition of OPL. Both refuse to run the game properly. Assistance is requested.

VanLaser commented 2 months ago

Hello, personally I only tested the pre-patched AC2 (USA version) written on a Verbatim DVD-minus-R at 4x speed, with a modchipped slim PS2 (so, hardmodded) - and that one worked alright. I also got feedback from other people who manged to run it similarly, but on a softmodded PS2, the difference being them having to apply an ESR patch to the ISO before burning it. I mostly emulate, so my experience with OPL and such is not great.

Let's try to keep it short, and apply a 'divide-et-impera' approach: have you tried running the exact same setup, but with the unpatched game? As in, same region, same media source, same settings etc.? If not, try that first, in order to see if the problem is caused by something in the patch (I don't think it's that, since the patched game can be run on the PS2), or something else. You also don't mention if you use a burned DVD, or you run from other storage. Make sure the GSM settings are on default etc.

Also make sure your patched ISO works alright in the emulator first, especially if you patched the ISO yourself, in order to exclude another possible source of errors.

swappy-20240810_161551

EDIT: added image

ZedG95 commented 2 months ago

I can confirm the original unpatched version works as it should. But now you have given me an idea. I wonder, since you got it running on a burned disc, if I were to set the games mode settings to emulate it as if it were an actual disc if that would work. I shall attempt it and report back with my findings.

VanLaser commented 2 months ago

Right now I'm on holidays, away from the city, so I won't be able to test anything on the PS2, but I'm also interested in running these patched ISOs from different media, since I recently bought an MX4SIO unit that would allow me to use an SD card as storage. From what I've read, to run with OPL, the ISO should be placed in a folder named 'DVD' on the root of the drive, and the ESR patch should NOT be applied to the ISO (similar-ish to running from a HDD for fat PS2s).

VanLaser commented 2 months ago

Alright, I managed to test the dual-analog patched AC2, AC2-AA, AC3 and AC-SL (all USA versions) on a PS2 slim, this time with the ISOs loaded from an SD-card placed into the MX4SIO unit, and they all work with no problem, using the settings from the previous post. I also used OPL-Manager to fix names, download art etc. Maybe you applied the patch incorrectly? Try downloading a pre-patched ISO, there is at least one website that offers pre-patched version of all these games. I took a shortcut and bought the MX4SIO unit together with a pre-configured FMCB that already knows how to access the SD-card (from aliexpress), as in the attached image.

PS2-GBS-C

ZedG95 commented 2 months ago

I downloaded the already patched version from CDRomance.

VanLaser commented 2 months ago

I don't know how I can further help, as my knowledge of OPL is super limited. Maybe your ISO wasn't copied correctly to your PS2 storage? Maybe the name has to be changed (shortened) in OPL manager? Maybe you have custom GSM settings, or some cheats enabled that somehow mess with the patched game? Since from my tests the patched AC2 ISO worked both from a burned DVD and from the MX4SIO adapter, the problem has to be elsewhere.