The Matrix: Path of Neo ?

[Yami Prem]

Hey,

Just wondering if anyone has got a burned copy of The Matrix: Path of Neo working. I've read a lot of people have had problems with it. I've got it to run, but it's a bit 'stuttery'.

Anyone got it running perfectly? Just curious.

[amp2006]

Hey,

Just wondering if anyone has got a burned copy of The Matrix: Path of Neo working. I've read a lot of people have had problems with it. I've got it to run, but it's a bit 'stuttery'.

Anyone got it running perfectly? Just curious.

you havenot post more info like

1- are you running game from USB HDD/HDD/SMB ? using OPL ?
2- are you running game from HDD ? via HDL or what ?

please post more info

[dlanor]

you havenot post more info like

1- are you running game from USB HDD/HDD/SMB ? using OPL ?
2- are you running game from HDD ? via HDL or what ?

He did specify that he wanted info on a 'burned copy', though he did not specify if he is running such a copy himself, nor exactly how he is then running it (unpatched with modchip or swapping, or ESR-patched using an ESR driver).

please post more info

Yes, he definitely should post more info, both on exactly how he is using the game now, and what other potential methods he might have for running a backup of it. A full description of his console setup is also in order, including the SCPH-xxxxx console model and what homebrew and/or backup boot methods he uses.

Best regards: dlanor

[Yami Prem]

Hey, thanks for the replies.

Well, I wasn't really asking for help; I only just wanted to know if it is possible to play a backed up PoN or not.

I guess I should give more detail though. I'm trying to run it through ESR. Gotten other games working with it but not with this one. Checking the forums on the net, it is apparent that this game is a b**** to get running without any hiccups. I'm using a SCPH 50003.

Hence my original question: has anyone got it to run like the actual game itself? If so, which method?

I would buy this game, but I never find any in stores when I do check (cba. eBaying it).

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I can get it to run. Sometimes I may require to eject/replace the disk at the initial loading screen and some freezes for it to run again. Sometimes, that fails and I must reboot the PS2. During play though, I can tell it's frame-skipping quite a bit, AKA the game is not fluid and smooth. (I don't think it's meant to be like that...)

[dlanor]

Hey, thanks for the replies.

Well, I wasn't really asking for help; I only just wanted to know if it is possible to play a backed up PoN or not.

I'm not sure how far it can be played (not really my cup of tea), but it does start just fine here, as an ESR backup.
This is the SLUS_212.73 version of the game, ESR-patched and burned to a 'Verbatim AZO 16x DVD-R' disc, and booted through the MISC/PS2Disc command of uLaunchELF after detecting the disc as being 'ESR(off)' as shown by uLE, running on an SCPH-90004 console booted by SM3coder. (This launch method of uLE invokes the ESR elf similar to how FMCB would do it.)

I guess I should give more detail though. I'm trying to run it through ESR. Gotten other games working with it but not with this one. Checking the forums on the net, it is apparent that this game is a b**** to get running without any hiccups. I'm using a SCPH 50003.

What kind of hiccups are you talking about ? I haven't played this game far beyond the initial 'pill choice', some FMV and a few initial fights.
But everything I have tried to do worked perfectly, so I have no idea what kind of problems you may have had.

That test was, as mentioned above, done on a late slim PSTwo model without FMCB.
I then repeated the test using my SCPH-39004, booting it through FMCB (with DMS4proSE modchip disabled).

First I booted the game the same way as before, the only difference being that uLE was now booted via FMCB on this fat PS2 model.
Here too it booted the game flawlessly which then played well as far as I bothered to go, similar to the previous test.

Finally I booted the game by starting it from the browser menu of FMCB on the same fat PS2 model, with the identical fully working results as in the previous two tests. (Just to test it without launching from uLE.) And this too worked identically to the earlier tests.

Hence my original question: has anyone got it to run like the actual game itself? If so, which method?

Yes, as far as I can tell it works fine for the short tests I made. There might be some problems in more advanced stages of the game, but any outright bugs should have revealed themselves even in a short test like this.

I would buy this game, but I never find any in stores when I do check (cba. eBaying it).

Your piracy status is of no interest to us. We only supply information on what you should and can do with legitimate backups.
If you use that information for other purposes, that is entirely your own business and your own responsibility.

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I can get it to run. Sometimes I may require to eject/replace the disk at the initial loading screen and some freezes for it to run again. Sometimes, that fails and I must reboot the PS2. During play though, I can tell it's frame-skipping quite a bit, AKA the game is not fluid and smooth. (I don't think it's meant to be like that...)

What you describe is typical for burned media of low quality or badly burned, such as by using too low or too high burning speed.
I saw absolutely none of the symptoms you describe in any of my own tests.

For PS2 games you should only use top quality discs, and these are best burned at some speed close to half their certified speed, or possibly using the 'AWS' setting of your burn program (only works well if your burner drive has that disc type in its internal database).

Best regards: dlanor

[Yami Prem]

I'm not sure how far it can be played (not really my cup of tea), but it does start just fine here, as an ESR backup.
This is the SLUS_212.73 version of the game, ESR-patched and burned to a 'Verbatim AZO 16x DVD-R' disc, and booted through the MISC/PS2Disc command of uLaunchELF after detecting the disc as being 'ESR(off)' as shown by uLE, running on an SCPH-90004 console booted by SM3coder. (This launch method of uLE invokes the ESR elf similar to how FMCB would do it.)

What kind of hiccups are you talking about ? I haven't played this game far beyond the initial 'pill choice', some FMV and a few initial fights.
But everything I have tried to do worked perfectly, so I have no idea what kind of problems you may have had.

That test was, as mentioned above, done on a late slim PSTwo model without FMCB.
I then repeated the test using my SCPH-39004, booting it through FMCB (with DMS4proSE modchip disabled).

First I booted the game the same way as before, the only difference being that uLE was now booted via FMCB on this fat PS2 model.
Here too it booted the game flawlessly which then played well as far as I bothered to go, similar to the previous test.

Finally I booted the game by starting it from the browser menu of FMCB on the same fat PS2 model, with the identical fully working results as in the previous two tests. (Just to test it without launching from uLE.) And this too worked identically to the earlier tests.

Yes, as far as I can tell it works fine for the short tests I made. There might be some problems in more advanced stages of the game, but any outright bugs should have revealed themselves even in a short test like this.

Okay ... thanks for reassuring me it works. I may be doing something wrong. One 'hiccup' I remember is during the initial FMV, the sound and visual lag was huge...

Your piracy status is of no interest to us. We only supply information on what you should and can do with legitimate backups.
If you use that information for other purposes, that is entirely your own business and your own responsibility.

Oh. I did own the game mind, but I can't seem to find it anymore.

What you describe is typical for burned media of low quality or badly burned, such as by using too low or too high burning speed.
I saw absolutely none of the symptoms you describe in any of my own tests.

For PS2 games you should only use top quality discs, and these are best burned at some speed close to half their certified speed, or possibly using the 'AWS' setting of your burn program (only works well if your burner drive has that disc type in its internal database).

Best regards: dlanor

Okay. Thanks again. How do I check the SLUS of an iso? o.o

[dlanor]

Okay ... thanks for reassuring me it works. I may be doing something wrong. One 'hiccup' I remember is during the initial FMV, the sound and visual lag was huge...

Lag is frequently caused as much by the TV used as by the software involved. Modern HDTV LED/LCD sets frequently have MUCH more lag than old-fashioned CRT sets. This is because these TVs process the signal in software before sending it to the hardware screen (seldom done with the older CRT methods), and frequently they use several sequential frames buffered in RAM to do this picture enhancing processing really well. But this can cause huge delays that you see as lag between manual gamepad commands and the visual responses.

But from your other descriptions I conclude that most of what you interpreted as 'lag' was in fact caused by CDVD access delays due to sector read failures+retries.

Okay. Thanks again. How do I check the SLUS of an iso? o.o

The easiest way is to just open the iso in suitable software.
eg: mount it in Daemon-Tools and open a directory window to its virtual CDVD drive.

Whichever way you do it, once you see the root directory listing there will usually be only one SLUS or SLES file in there.

A more certain way is to extract the SYSTEM.CNF file from the root directory of the iso file, and then open that CNF file in a text editor to look for its BOOT2 directive, which names the main game file. For the game I tested the BOOT2 directive line looks like this:

BOOT2 = cdrom0:\SLUS_212.73;1

Best regards: dlanor