ffx2

[snipersnake]

i installed the game using winhiip 173 and sing the lastest hdloader..but the game crashes many times..is it not compatible or doest it have any patch???

[Angelus3X]

My retail disk plays fine, installed through HDL.

[snipersnake]

solved it. mode one and timefix2 enabled.

[dlanor]

I have played 2 different versions of FFX-2 using HDL, these being the US version and the PAL-UK version. Both behave identicallly with respect to HDL modes, in that both need the 'Slow HDD access' (aka Mode 1). Without this they will be subject to sporadic freezing without any 'visible' cause. It can happen anytime, though it's more likely to happen with intense graphics updates (implies intense HDD access). It can also NOT happen for long periods of time, which is one reason some lists have missed the need for this mode switch.

NO other mode switches or patches are needed with HDL 0.7c

For those who are interested, the above also applies to the older game 'FFX' (the one where you start as Tidus), though that too has sometimes been erroneously reported to work well without any modes (it can, for a while, but then it will freeze). I have tested that with three different versions of the game, these being the US, PAL-UK, and International versions. (The last is the best. All the new features, plus 60Hz screen [shrinks black border])

@snipersnake:
You report using timefix2, but I don't see how that can have anything to do with your problem. All timefix problems of all 'Square' games (known to me) are solved by timefix1, which is the default used when neither timefix2 nor timefix3 are chosen. The latter two were designed to cater to very special needs of a few special games, so they should not be used when not expicitly needed (they do cause problems for some other games).

Best regards: dlanor

[Angelus3X]

I have FFX-2 PAL UK version and use no modes and I have never had any freezing. Maybe I have just been luky or something but no modes works for me. I would hate to play with slow hdd access so I'm glad I dont lol!!

[snipersnake]

to dlanor: thanks man..i dunno why..but i always enable the time fix2 :P

[thereal_zap]

i have also passed thru the ffx-2 game a couple times without any modes (US version). but i did have it freeze on me, but only 2 or 3 times. the rest of the hours of gameplay were completely unaffected. makes sense, tho, to use the slow hdd access.

[dlanor]

I have FFX-2 PAL UK version and use no modes and I have never had any freezing. Maybe I have just been luky or something but no modes works for me.

So it did for me too, for appx a dozen hours in my first HDL playthrough, until the first freezing occurred. With error frequency that low, and considering how probability works, it is inevitable that some miss it. But if/when they too are struck (as they most likely will be, eventually), it is just as fatal. All they can do then is to hope they have a recent game save to reload.

The frequency of this problem is also affected by various known factors, of such diversity that we also know that some of them remain unknown. Such factors include HDD drive type, console model, in-game settings and even the playing style.

In FFX, for example, the most likely thing to trigger the problem was when using L1 to switch in new characters during a battle. The freezing would then occur after the 'old' character ran off screen, when the 'new' character took his/her first step running on screen. Players who do not switch characters that way might even be able to complete the game without freezing. (Though I wouldn't bet on it, as I got occasional freezing in other circumstances too.)

I would hate to play with slow hdd access so I'm glad I dont lol!!

In fact it isn't all that bad, as the speed isn't reduced all the way to 2xDVD speed. (Which is the speed of the PS2 DVD reader.) Even with the 'slow' setting the speed seems much higher than that, though this may also be due to the fact that a PS2 DVD reader has a pretty bad reliability and may need a lot of retries for some discs. In any case, using HDL with the 'slow' mode setting does give much better speed than using an original DVD disc.

Best regards: dlanor