How to get Skies Of Arcadia (echelon) working properly!!!!
- Thread starter aika-san
- Start date
diablo2121
teh diAbLo
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get Hamachou Island? No offense, but the cheapest way...
Hello,
first I'd like to express my admiration for the amount of effort you have put into this patcher of yours. Really great job.
Yet, I'm having trouble using the patcher on the echelon version of skies of arcadia. When i mount both images on daemon tools, start the patcher, it detects the cds, everything seems fine. but when i click to start patching it finishes in 10 seconds, and gives no output at all. no dosbox opens, nothing really happens. Seems a lot like the bug before the 2.0 version (I am also using windows XP, I am using the right version of dtools). I tried checking the posts on this thread for this issue but the only thing that matched was the pre 2.0 issue (might have missed something though - 15 pages is 15 pages
)
On a side note, the first time I ran the patcher, i experienced a strange (non-patcher related) crash. Possibly this could be causing the problem? (maybe some undeleted registry entries or something I would need to delete manually?) After the crash, i restored both the patcher and the cds from backups I had.
Another thing that might be causing problems could be norton antivirus (even though I have it disabled during the process).
Any1 got any ideas / tips? Thanks in advance for any help.
first I'd like to express my admiration for the amount of effort you have put into this patcher of yours. Really great job.
Yet, I'm having trouble using the patcher on the echelon version of skies of arcadia. When i mount both images on daemon tools, start the patcher, it detects the cds, everything seems fine. but when i click to start patching it finishes in 10 seconds, and gives no output at all. no dosbox opens, nothing really happens. Seems a lot like the bug before the 2.0 version (I am also using windows XP, I am using the right version of dtools). I tried checking the posts on this thread for this issue but the only thing that matched was the pre 2.0 issue (might have missed something though - 15 pages is 15 pages
) On a side note, the first time I ran the patcher, i experienced a strange (non-patcher related) crash. Possibly this could be causing the problem? (maybe some undeleted registry entries or something I would need to delete manually?) After the crash, i restored both the patcher and the cds from backups I had.
Another thing that might be causing problems could be norton antivirus (even though I have it disabled during the process).
Any1 got any ideas / tips? Thanks in advance for any help.
- Thread Starter
- #224
Thankyou for your kind comments about the patch.
You will not see the DOS window as it is hidden, mainly because I think DOS windows look ugly. Norton antivirus should not cause any problems. I've not heard of or experienced any crashes while using the patch. It does not use the registry in any way. The patching should take around 5 minutes.
Here's some info about the most common problem/solution people have with the patcher:
DOS sometimes has problems resolving long pathnames that contain weird characters and that may be the cause of your problem. Please put SOAPatcher in a simpler pathname, like:
C:\SOAPatcher
and try running it again. Unfortunately there was no way of programming it without using DOS.
Let me know if this fixes your problem.
You will not see the DOS window as it is hidden, mainly because I think DOS windows look ugly. Norton antivirus should not cause any problems. I've not heard of or experienced any crashes while using the patch. It does not use the registry in any way. The patching should take around 5 minutes.
Here's some info about the most common problem/solution people have with the patcher:
DOS sometimes has problems resolving long pathnames that contain weird characters and that may be the cause of your problem. Please put SOAPatcher in a simpler pathname, like:
C:\SOAPatcher
and try running it again. Unfortunately there was no way of programming it without using DOS.
Let me know if this fixes your problem.
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Hm, I'm using 'C:\SoaP' as the soapatcher directory, alos tried C:\SOAPatcher, doesn't work. also tried moving the cd image to a simple directory, doesn't change anything (don't think it should, anyway)... the patcher still ends in approximately 5-10 seconds with no output (even though it seems to believe it has finished patching successfully).
Well, the only thing I can think of now is that maybe the cdi images I have are somehow corrupt or improperly patched already. Comparing the sizes of the cdi files should confirm whether this is or isn't the case, I think. When I try to run them in chankast, they load but won't run the game (because of the cable error). The size of CD1 is 782,149,568 bytes, can anyone confirm this is correct?
Well, the only thing I can think of now is that maybe the cdi images I have are somehow corrupt or improperly patched already. Comparing the sizes of the cdi files should confirm whether this is or isn't the case, I think. When I try to run them in chankast, they load but won't run the game (because of the cable error). The size of CD1 is 782,149,568 bytes, can anyone confirm this is correct?
- Thread Starter
- #227
The size of my unpatched cd1 image file is 782,154,138 bytes.
I don't think that is the reason why the patcher is not working though. The first thing the patcher does is copy the whole contents of the cd to a temporary location on your hard drive. this location is 'c:\soatp\'. this means that the patcher should take longer than 5-10 seconds before it says it's finished.
here's a few more very important things that will result in the bug you mention:
1. make sure you are not running the patcher from within the Winrar archive. Unpack it first.
2. check that your dos support is working. to do this click your windows start button and select run from the menu. Put the word cmd into the text field and click ok. a dos window should open. in this window type 'xcopy /?' without the quotes. you should see a screenfull of text appear in the dos window. does this happen?
if either of these fails let me know. Assuming you pass both these tests then there's one last thing you can do to help me help you.
- there should be a c:\soatp\cfg directory which the patcher creates automatically. in this directory there should be a set of file named like 'CDPatchx.bat'. There will probably be 5 of these files. can you archive them and upload them so i can see exactly what is going wrong.
I had a walkthrough up before programming the patch, but it was difficult to follow. If you want i can walk you through the process manually though.
I don't think that is the reason why the patcher is not working though. The first thing the patcher does is copy the whole contents of the cd to a temporary location on your hard drive. this location is 'c:\soatp\'. this means that the patcher should take longer than 5-10 seconds before it says it's finished.
here's a few more very important things that will result in the bug you mention:
1. make sure you are not running the patcher from within the Winrar archive. Unpack it first.
2. check that your dos support is working. to do this click your windows start button and select run from the menu. Put the word cmd into the text field and click ok. a dos window should open. in this window type 'xcopy /?' without the quotes. you should see a screenfull of text appear in the dos window. does this happen?
if either of these fails let me know. Assuming you pass both these tests then there's one last thing you can do to help me help you.
- there should be a c:\soatp\cfg directory which the patcher creates automatically. in this directory there should be a set of file named like 'CDPatchx.bat'. There will probably be 5 of these files. can you archive them and upload them so i can see exactly what is going wrong.
I had a walkthrough up before programming the patch, but it was difficult to follow. If you want i can walk you through the process manually though.
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of course i'm not running the program from the winrar archive
but the 2nd test actually failed ... I did check whether cmd opened a dos box before applying the patch, but didn't think about checking xcopy ... which actually doesn't work. Apparently the version of dos i have installed does not know the command 'xcopy', even though copy seems to work perfectly.
but the 2nd test actually failed ... I did check whether cmd opened a dos box before applying the patch, but didn't think about checking xcopy ... which actually doesn't work. Apparently the version of dos i have installed does not know the command 'xcopy', even though copy seems to work perfectly.
- Thread Starter
- #229
about the winrar bit. i was not implying that you are stupid, but i also can't assume you know things like this because i don't know you or your level of knowledge. some people don't even read the manual. the questions i ask may not seem important to you but the answers you give will allow me to track the problem down quickly. i know precisely how the patch operates and things like this are important.
about the xcopy failure. that's your problem. it works fine here. the patch uses the xcopy command a number of times. no xcopy, no patch i'm afraid. i am using windows xp pro with service pack 1. it also works with xp home and service pack 1. can you check whether the following file exists 'c:windows\system32\xcopy.exe'. It should be 28,160 bytes in size.
if it is different in size then you either aren't running XP with service pack 1 or you have a corrupted or virus-infected xcopy command.
if the xcopy.exe file does not exist or it is different in size then you can always use expand and get the file from your Windows XP install CD and place it in the correct location. I can help you do this if thats the problem.
If the xcopy.exe file exists and is the correct size but it still does not work in the test i mentioned then the dos path is not set correctly. I can also help you fix this.
you mention you installed DOS. XP comes with MS-DOS which is the standard. you should not need to install it. Maybe you have you replaced MS-DOS or some of it's commands with a non-standard version.
The problem lies with your computer and not the patch. You need to either fix your dos up or do the patch on someone else's pc who has not got this problem.
about the xcopy failure. that's your problem. it works fine here. the patch uses the xcopy command a number of times. no xcopy, no patch i'm afraid. i am using windows xp pro with service pack 1. it also works with xp home and service pack 1. can you check whether the following file exists 'c:windows\system32\xcopy.exe'. It should be 28,160 bytes in size.
if it is different in size then you either aren't running XP with service pack 1 or you have a corrupted or virus-infected xcopy command.
if the xcopy.exe file does not exist or it is different in size then you can always use expand and get the file from your Windows XP install CD and place it in the correct location. I can help you do this if thats the problem.
If the xcopy.exe file exists and is the correct size but it still does not work in the test i mentioned then the dos path is not set correctly. I can also help you fix this.
you mention you installed DOS. XP comes with MS-DOS which is the standard. you should not need to install it. Maybe you have you replaced MS-DOS or some of it's commands with a non-standard version.
The problem lies with your computer and not the patch. You need to either fix your dos up or do the patch on someone else's pc who has not got this problem.
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justsomeguy
New member
I have a new problem, I think. I'm using the Echelon version with your patch, and right now I'm at Mount Kazai. But whenever I'm underwater, the screen completely is covered with the placeholder screen, which is wiggling slightly back and forth, so I'm guessing it's some kind of 2d effect for being underwater. I've already toyed with the z-writes and wireframe modes, to no good effect. Is this caused by the patch, or is it a Chankast problem? Does everybody encounter this problem, and how do you solve it?
- Thread Starter
- #233
The patch does not cause this problem. All the patch does is modify your cdi so chankast can boot the game. if you can get to the start screen then the patch worked fine. all other problems are related to incompatabilities between chankast and the game.
Unfortunately I can't help with your problem because although I programmed the patch, I have only played a small part of the game. I understand that some people have managed to complete the game using the patch. Maybe one of these people will be kind enough to offer some help on your specific issue.
Unfortunately I can't help with your problem because although I programmed the patch, I have only played a small part of the game. I understand that some people have managed to complete the game using the patch. Maybe one of these people will be kind enough to offer some help on your specific issue.
I can get to the Dreamcast logo, but then it shows a black screen (running ~2 fps) and promptly crashes. The patch/program worked correctly, and I had to downgrade my version of Daemon from 3.4 to 3.29 to clear up the ioControl error box.
And for some reason, the program takes about an hour or so to make the new image, not five minutes.
And for some reason, the program takes about an hour or so to make the new image, not five minutes.
hi!
I'm having some problems with the patcher. :\ I have everythign set up properly, etc. images mounted and whatnot, but while it is patching, I get an error come up that says "The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS applicaitons." and it has close and ignore as the options. I've tried both and got the same results. its happens twice during the patch, from what I can tell, when the first cd fisnihes and when the second cd finihses.
After it finishes and says it has patched succesfully, there are no cdi files anywhere. and the files you said appear in the cfg file arnt there either. :\ so i dont exactly know what im suppose to do. I see the temp folder while the patch is running, and it removes itself like it suppose to, but it doesnt make the cdi at the end.
I'm running winxp sp2, and i've read that there is problems with sp2. if you could give me any help as to how to fix it, it would be much appreciated. ^^
I'm having some problems with the patcher. :\ I have everythign set up properly, etc. images mounted and whatnot, but while it is patching, I get an error come up that says "The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS applicaitons." and it has close and ignore as the options. I've tried both and got the same results. its happens twice during the patch, from what I can tell, when the first cd fisnihes and when the second cd finihses.
After it finishes and says it has patched succesfully, there are no cdi files anywhere. and the files you said appear in the cfg file arnt there either. :\ so i dont exactly know what im suppose to do. I see the temp folder while the patch is running, and it removes itself like it suppose to, but it doesnt make the cdi at the end.
I'm running winxp sp2, and i've read that there is problems with sp2. if you could give me any help as to how to fix it, it would be much appreciated. ^^