Issue with playing Shenmue

[Maxwell's Demon]

I'd like to apologize in advance if this was posted in the wrong place.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Dreamcast and a copy of Shenmue. However, I’ve run into an issue.

First time I put the game in, it worked fine, up until the loading screen for ‘Ryo’s Room’. There was music, but it was frozen at the loading screen. I restarted the console, but the game did not load up automatically. I kept trying to start the game, but it kept returning to the Dreamcast home screen. I thought that maybe there was an issue with the console, so I tried the only other game I had (Crazy Taxi), and it loaded fine. I tried the Shenmue disc again. For whatever reason, it worked, and I was able to make it past the ‘Ryo’s Room’ load screen, and play the game briefly. However, after a couple of minutes of play, the game froze up again when I tried to pull up the notebook. I reset the game, but again I was stuck at the home screen, and was unable to start the game. Later, I tried the game again, and had a bit more success. I was able to get to the shrine (where you find the kitten), and I thought that maybe my luck had changed. However, when I took the road to the next area, the game froze at the loading screen again.

So I decided to try the Passport disc to see if there were any problems. I didn’t go through it extensively (in an attempt to avoid spoilers for the game), but I ran into an issue with the movie viewer. I started a video, and it played fine. However, when I tried to play another video, the screen went black, and I was returned to the Dreamcast home screen. I tried booting the Passport disc, but had no luck. At this point, I had looked online a bit about disc read issues with the Dreamcast, and found that some people were able to get their Dreamcast consoles to work by setting them on their sides or placing them upside down. I set the console on the side and was able to boot the Passport disc again. However, I ran into the same problem: played at video in Theater mode, worked fine; tried to play another video, crashed to Dreamcast home screen.

I don’t believe the issue is with the discs, since they all seem to be in perfect or near-perfect condition. Based on what I read in this thread (viewtopic.php?f=3&t=45539), I think the issue might be with the console. There, someone thought the issue might be with the lens, and they provided a video showing how to open the console and tweak the GD-ROM laser/lens so that it could read slower or faster. However, I’m nervous about doing this, as I don’t want to risk damaging the console beyond repair. So I’m providing my experience so far to see if there may be another issue, with an appropriate fix that does not involve opening up the console.

I should also note that the deadline to return the console has passed.

Thanks to anyone who can provide feedback, and I apologize again if this was posted in the wrong place.

[Lan Di-sama]

If I were to guess, and that's all I'm doing, it's probably some sort of combination between the discs themselves and the console you are playing on. A different copy of Shenmue might work fine on your console, but freeze up on my Dreamcast; whereas the copy you are using might be causing you problems on the Dreamcast you have, but work on somebody else's.

My first experience with Shenmue was extremely hampered by this issue, I was unable to progress very far without the game consistently freezing - most of the time, it was at loading screens. I even replaced the copy as I had bought it recently at Gamestop, to no avail.

A year or two later, I decided to give it another shot. It only froze one time on a loading screen, and didn't give me a problem after getting past Disc 1. Over the years, I've had to get a replacement Dreamcast as well as a second copy of Shenmue (I think I was having those issues with freezing again) but now both of my copies of Shenmue work fairly consistently, I don't recall having any problems. I don't think Shenmue is particularly prone to these loading errors, but they aren't uncommon.

This can be extremely frustrating as Shenmue I does not allow you to "save anywhere"; so you often lose progress and are extremely discouraged to finish the game.

My advice is to try to obtain another copy of Shenmue, and then mix and match the discs if one appears to be giving you trouble at a certain time. Hopefully, if you get past Disc 1, like me, you won't run into any issues. All I can say is PERSEVERE! You are embarking on the most magical video game experience possible (assuming you haven't played the game before).

Maybe others here will have more sound advice for you. Keep us posted. I'd be happy to mail you my spare copy of Shenmue if you are having trouble finding or can't afford another copy, and you can hang onto it for as long as it takes.

Good luck! and welcome to the Dojo. Hope you enjoy your Shenmue experience.

[Maxwell's Demon]

Thank you for the offer, Lan Di-Sama. I appreciate it, and I'll keep it in mind.

If the problem is with the copy of the disc, would it be possible to burn an ISO of the 1st disc to a CD-R, and use that as a substitute until I could get to the next disc? I recall reading or hearing somewhere that you could play burned games on the Dreamcast, and I know that there are a few homebrew games that people have made for it, like Gunlord (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunlord)

[nskachu]

Yes, that’s how I did it. First, Shenmue just didn’t load the title screen. So I burned copies and it worked. Then, my fame froze when I wanted to achieve a certain cutscene. That’s why I had to buy 4 Dreamcasts. My last one works fine. It has some cyborg parts from my older broken ones. Just the best of the best. But I think it was still worth it, because Shenmue is truly a masterpiece that deserves the best Dreamcast.

[Maxwell's Demon]

Is there a specific process, software or type of disc that needs to be used in order to burn an image that will work in the Dreamcast?

[Giorgio]

Is there a specific process, software or type of disc that needs to be used in order to burn an image that will work in the Dreamcast?

Try to search for "burn dreamcast games imgburn" on Google, and click on the 1st result. Hope that will help.

[Maxwell's Demon]

Try to search for "burn dreamcast games imgburn" on Google, and click on the 1st result. Hope that will help.

I did this and I found a tutorial that demonstrated the burning process. I tried burning Capcom vs. SNK, and it worked in the Dreamcast.

However, now I have another issue. The Shenmue ISOs I have all exceed the limit for a typical CD-R (700MB or 80minutes). The tutorial recommended to use expanded CD-Rs (900MB/99min), but I'm not sure how easy those will be to find, since they don't seem to be common. I've also read that you can 'overburn' CD-Rs, but I don't know if will work with a 700MB disc.

What I'm doing right now is playing the game via nullDC, and it runs fine, though there are some minor graphical issues, mostly having to do with the sprites/transparent overlays (ex. in one of the flashback scenes, the sepia tone overlay does not fill the screen).

[mylifewithsega]

It sounds like a faulty GD-ROM. I had similar issues with my copy. Try turning your Dreamcast upside down. I know it sounds crazy, but it solved all my problems. Pop in your disc, turn the console upside down, press the "power" button and let it ride. If that doesn't work, the disc's screwed.

There is an option in Ryo's menu where you can save anywhere. Find the VMU icon and save your game. The next time you play the game, choose "Continue" on the main menu and you'll pick up right where you left off. That's how I got around a few issues when recording footage to my DVD-recorder. Give it a shot.