How to make 50Hz WinCE games run at 60Hz?

Nomax · #1 27-09-2002, 15:50

Hi DC folks!

Living in Europe, I'm always afraid prior buying a DC game because I *hate* when it only runs at 50Hz. Some games offer to choose between
50/60Hz at startup (thanx God, Daytona USA does it!) But many others don't (Bust-A-Move 4, Zombie Revenge, Pen Pen, ...) When it's the case with a game I buy, I look for an ISO online and I patch it before burning it, and I play the copy instead of the original (shame isn't it!) Because: IT'S A REAL PROBLEM! Games get a lot slower at 50Hz! There're HEAVY slowdowns in Bust-A-Move 4 when you blast many bubbles in chain reactions for example!!! Some guys on the net calculated the speed difference, it was up to 20% (1 min agains't 1 min 20 for the same lap at max speed in a racing game)!!!

But enough blah-blah, here's the reason why I explained all this shit:
I don't manage to patch any WinCE game with usual patchers such as PAL Patcher by Megalex or PAL2NTSC. The soft says it's patched, and it seems to be since the 50Hz code doesn't appear on a second pass. But IT IS NOT! The game is still running at 50Hz on my PAL DC!!!

So please, HELP ME!
If someone has found the trick to make WinCE games run at 60Hz on a PAL Dreamcast, please tell me!

Thank you in advance!

It's criminal to sell you slower versions of the games!

clarky · #2 27-09-2002, 17:25

i know your pain, it is an arse to play games like sega rally 2 and ooga booga in 50htz

but as for CE, seeing as its CE there doesnt seem to be a way to patch it at al unforunatley, i would love the chance to play virtua cop 2 at 60htz cause on 50 it sucks monkey balls, no way as near as good as the arcade version

but thats life i suppose

roBx^ · #3 29-09-2002, 02:01

I also tried to patch VC2 but no success.. the game sux anyhow cuz the sound is evil (music where?) and the graphics are from the PC version.

also i managed to patch hydro thunder but now the main menu sounds are gone and the game hangs while selecting an option at main menu...

But i don't see a reason to complain just about this 2 games.. i patched the greatest games like ikaruga, shenmue, kof2k, tennis2k2, fatal fury, both space channels and more, all to 60hz.

By the way Bust a move 4 usa cdr also runs 50hz and i couldn't patch it... maybe winCE? Zombie revenge however runs 60hz at my place.. i think i have the usa non selfboot version.. its one of my oldest DC burned games.

Megalexxx · #4 30-09-2002, 09:45

I haven't seen any patch for WinCE games.
It's because to patch those games, you have to completely rewrite the code.
The one who will find a generic way will become famous.

Megalexxx · #5 30-09-2002, 09:47

By the way...
Since Utopia's CD loader makes some games run at 60 Hz, I was wondering if and how it could be possible to use its 1st_read.bin to boot and directly point to the game's 1st_read.bin, without swapping disks. I guess it would be VERY difficult, but would it be impossible ?

clarky · #6 30-09-2002, 12:24

you sure? i had stuff like recv which booted in 50, even with the boot disc until i used a certain tool

Nomax · #7 01-10-2002, 18:26

Damn!

Maybe there would exist a way to make WinCE thinks it's running the game on a US or Japanese DC (by using a special boot-disc?). Maybe we just need to find the region flag WinCE detects to fool him??? But if the code of WinCE is different in PAL DC's ROMs, we should then make a TSR that intercepts the 50Hz switching instruction on the fly... It's just ideas, I'm not a coder so in no way the "we" I used several times above include me

Is there really no solution???

Note to roBx^ -> the Zombie Revenege I got is the original PAL GD-ROM (as well as all games I mentioned in my first post) and it *seems* to run at 50Hz because there're black borders on both top and bottom of the screen. But it's only a guess, maybe it runs at 60Hz after all... (I became a bit paranoiac about this with the time).

clarky · #8 02-10-2002, 06:34

i doubt it, i think it still runs in 50 htz for the us

still, i have been proven wrong before

roBx^ · #9 06-10-2002, 01:37

Nomax: in that case ur zombie revenge is running 50hz. The original aint got a 50 - 60hz selector at start up or options? Lots of sega arcade games do but not all, like sega rally, vf3 etc. My zombie revenge is a USA non selfboot warez release which _does_ run 60hz. And i DO run sega rally 60hz, i got the original japanese GD rom with DC-X boot CD. 2 bad this game messes with FPS from 60 to 25 or so.

Nomax · #10 07-10-2002, 18:42

roBx^: Yep, so I'll look for a backup version of the game (at least a patchable one) since I don't have a coder cable to rip it myself. You talk about a DC CD-X, is it the gameshark disc or another one (so maybe it will run my original CD at 60Hz) (I tried with Code: Veronica US and this one still boots at 50Hz)

clarky · #11 08-10-2002, 12:07

dc cdx is only an import cd loader, not sure if it boot games at 60htz

roBx^ · #12 10-10-2002, 03:50

I meant DC-X, not gameshark CD-X which i also have and SUX. it boots either games at 50 or it messes up the whole picture which can only be restored if the game has a proper screen adjust. Search for DC-X boot cd's which can be bought in stores or online.

It should be a product from Blaze.