Audio problem with Cool Boarders 2 (PAL) [psx v 1.13]

[The Black]

Hi guys, I'm a new user, and I'm already here asking for help


I have a "little" problem with Cool Boarders 2 (PAL): there is no music in the gameplay and in the menu...

I've checked the compatibility list of psx emulator, but CB2 is not listed (only to say that it's not a known issue, I think)

In the image I've uploaded there's the audio configuration.. should I change something?

[patrickp]

Is there any sound at all in the game, or in other games? Do you get the Playstation sound when the emulator starts, The Black?

My guess is that you're playing the game from an .iso format image, or you're using another format that is missing its descriptor file (see below). Music and much of the sounds in a Playstation game are often placed in extra tracks rather the the main game file (within the image) and the .iso format doesn't support this. Try playing the game from the original CD: if the music works when you do this, this is certainly the case.

The formats that support multi-track reading always have descriptor files, separate from the image, that contain the track information. These formats are .bin/.cue. .ccd/.img/.sub and .mdf/.mds, and the descriptor files are .cue, .ccd and .mds respectively. When using these formats in pSX, you should always play them by selecting the descriptor file rather than the image itself.

.ccd/.img/.sub and .mdf/.mds are the best formats to use, as they also include subcode information from the CD, which is necessary for defeating copy protection - quite a few PAL games are copy protected. .bin/.cue should be just as effective as .ccd/.img/.sub and .mdf/.mds for playing unprotected CDs, but for some reason, never seems to perform quite as well.

You need to re-rip your games from the original CD; it won't do any good to convert your image to another format, because if the multi-track information converting the image is not there in the first place, conversion won't somehow create it.

Edit: I've just looked in the Compatibility Lists and your game isn't actually there. The one that is is Cool Boarders 4; additionally, in the NTSC-US list, there's Cool Boarders: Extreme Boarding. It would be useful for you to post a report in the Game Compatibility section of the official support forum, particularly if we can get sorted out exactly what is happening with your game. If you do, please read the Things to Remember when Posting Reports post linked at the top of the page there before posting for the information you need to supply.

[The Black]

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm using the original PAL cd of the game..

btw thanks for your explanation about iso files and the .ccd/.img/.sub ecc... files

However with other games (FF9, FF8, FF7, Rollcage, Crash Bandicoot 2...) I hear perfectly the sounds (in Wip3out no, but that's a known issue)

When I open the emulator I can hear the bios sounds, and the other sounds..

In the game the situation is:
Menus: all sounds except background music
Movies: all sounds (Probably because the audio is integrated in the video)
Gameplay: all sounds except background music

I really don't know what to think

[jonc2006]

patch the game with a .ppf patch.

[The Black]

Ok, I've googled and I've understood how to apply the file.. but I have not understood much about the file.. there is a unique file for all games or a file for every game? And.. It's allowed to ask here where can I find it?

[jonc2006]

id tell you if i knew but since i dont have any PAL games myself ive never had to use one. i found this link in the epsxe FAQ though. if none of that helps im sure someone who has used them will post eventually and will point you in the right direction.

[patrickp]

Cool Boarders 2 isn't copy protected, The Black; it's Cool Boarders 2001 that is, so you probably won't be able to find a patch, and if you do, it'll only be a trainer or a PAL/NTSC converter, neither of which will make any difference to the sounds.

If you're playing from the original CD, then it's probably a compatibility problem with the game, which makes a report all the more useful - that's how the emulator gets improved. One other thing you could try, though, is starting pSX with the -r switch.

[The Black]

OK I'm going to report it.

patrickp what is an -r switch for pSX? I wasn't able to find anything with google and with the forum search..

[jonc2006]

its a command line switch. you either add it to the end of the target box in a shortcut to the executables properties menu (psxfin.exe -cmdswitch) or you do it via frontend.

edit- this is the frontend if you are intrested.

[The Black]

okok I'm a bit familiar with the command line, so I tried without and with the frontend.

No one of the two solutions worked.

I've screened what appears me when I execute the emu with -r (1st image) and which error I receive costantly when the emulator fails to load the song.


(p.s. Reported)

[patrickp]

It does look like your optical drive or its driver is having trouble reading the game, The Black. Window's IOControl driver isn't very good at reading non-standard format CDs; I keep forgetting that because the Linux one works perfectly. A couple of things to try:

What sort of drive are you running the game in? As a rule of thumb, -RW drives are better at reading non-standard formats than -ROM drives are. Age doesn't really matter: some old drives are better readers than most modern ones.

If you're running in Windows, try a different driver. Download wnaspi32.dll from Nero and put it in your pSX folder. Start the emulator and select ASPI reads on the CDROM tab. As I said, the Linux IOControl driver works fine anyway, so if you're using Linux, don't bother.

[The Black]

Woha, with the ASPI driver the game works fine Thanks a lot

[patrickp]

I thought it might, The Black. I can't help wondering if Window's IOControl driver may be deliberately limited so as to control "piracy..."

[The Black]

Originally Posted by patrickp

I thought it might, The Black. I can't help wondering if Window's IOControl driver may be deliberately limited so as to control "piracy..."

Window's IOControl driver it's part of a Microsoft product.. I've said all

Thanks again for the help

[patrickp]

Always puzzles me why so many people distrust the Redmond Empire and its products, but continue to pay good money for it and be dependent on it.

I changed over to Linux (Ubuntu) a bit over a year ago and I only wish I'd done it sooner.

[The Black]

I used ubuntu (+ Beryl) from 2 years, I'm not a dependent of Win actually I use both the OS