FreeBoot MC Question

So I exploited my PS2 today using the Agent Under Fire method.

What I would like to know is if it's possible to use any of the apps to change the region of my PS2 from PAL to NTSC-U or J.

The reason I ask is because I'm really getting into Gran Turismo 4, sadly progressive scan and 1080i modes aren't supported on PAL systems. I would imagine the code is still in the PAL version (?) and surely tricking the game into thinking it was running on a different system would fix this.

I don't want to acquire a 'back up' copy as I'd rather stick to retail.

True? If so is there anyway I can go about doing it.

The Freeboot configurator has an NTSC option but I think this is just the menu's video output.

Please help.

 

Well, you can often get patches for games that do enable PAL modes in games that otherwise force NTSC. Apparently PAL PS2's do in fact have the ability to output 480p but I'd imagine this is on at least a PAL60 capable tv and likely one that is made to do 1080i. Your main problem is having the appropriate cable for displaying 480p and 1080i which the common composite cable here in the states (the yellow cable paired with red and white) cannot output. I'd imagine there is a SCART cable capable of true RGB output or at least something compatible with 480p and 1080i.

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=79165

http://www.hdtvarcade.com/hdtvforum/index.php?showtopic=1386

Being I'm a dirty, dirty yank I can't comment on what cable you should use and which one you will find to have the greatest availability with TVs available in the UK. I'm guessing you guys didn't adopt the stupidity that was component and kept with up with SCART until HDMI came along.

Though I would suggest finding out if GT4 that was released to retailers in the UK supports 480p/1080i and if it doesn't import an American copy as they surely do. Or go the HDLoader route and apply a patch to a rip you make of your legally acquired game. I'm assuming that the UK doesn't have anything as draconian as the DMCA though. Your legality might vary as well as to how far you wish to bend the law before you feel you've stepped over the line.

Personally I view using HDLoader with a legally purchased game to be nothing more than changing the medium for which the game's data is being accessed. A lawyer would have a very different opinion.

 

Be easiest to buy a US copy and ESR patch it honestly.

You cannot get 480p (or indeed anything above 576i (or w/e)) from SCART too, we did adopt component sort of - but it was very late on and very few CRT have them - only TVs circa 2003 onward ish. All LCD have them though.

Honestly though, 480p GT4 doesn't look that great, and 1080i looks no different to 480i.

 

I use component and all of my games output at 576i on my LCD. I have PAL versions of Black and GT4 which in the US output 480p and 1080i respectively. I'm guessing the code was probably removed from the PAL copies to support the progressive scan and upscaling.

Guess I'll just have to find US copies and hope that ESR will boot them in the right resolutions.

It doesn't really matter too much, they look good anyway, I just wanted to see if it was possible on a PAL PS2.

Thanks to wikipedia I've learnt that you can enable progressive scan in Black by booting holding triangle and X looks great.

 

ESR should boot the US versions fine (with one caveat that I mention later), and if the behavior works the same in reverse as it has in my experience, they should even run in NTSC and 1080i. AFAIK, all PS2 can output the same range of video signals, I know my NTSC-U PS2 has no problems outputting NTSC, PAL, PAL60, and even a hybrid "NTSC50" that I made work with a little tool called GS Mode Selector. In the hardware, NTSC/PAL color encoding (on less-than-component cables) is set separately from screen size and refresh rate. Of course, if you're using component, then it should be moot.

The only issue that I can see is that AFAIK, GT4 is a DVD9 disc, and I never had luck myself with getting burnt DVD9s to work, even with ESR and the Toxic DL patcher. You might have better luck with using FreeMcBoot and setting up Open PS2 Loader to pull games from an SMB share, which also requires absolutely no patching of the ISO.

A third option would be to buy the US version then go download a DVD5 ripkitted version, but I won't discuss that further because it hinges on the fact that to be morally right, you have to buy the US retail disc (and even then, it's still illegal).

 

I would have to agree with you - for the most part. I was using my Dell 2405FPW via component and it's most decidedly a progressive scan display. Using interlaced anything has a noticable quality loss that is best described as looking through a "greased up, ultra thin paper towel". There seems to be a bit more aliasing than a 1080p signal piped into it or even a 720p signal at a 1:1 ratio or even scaled to fit the screen. It is somewhat difficult to tell the difference but it is visible, just not annoying enough to bother getting emotional over. In GT4 the real problem was the fact that everything lacked anti-aliasing and the textures were too low rez to take advantage of 1080i. Might look better on a big plasma display for all I know. :shrug:

I've never attempted to use a burnt DVD+DL disk with a DVD9 PS2 game myself, I've always ripped the disc to an image and uploaded it to the hdd for use on HDLoader. However I don't see why anyone would have a problem making an image of GT4 with, say, ImgBurn and then turning around and burning it and have it run without issue. That is assuming there isn't some odd protection scheme implemented to prevent just that sort of thing (wouldn't surprise me but the last game I can recall having any real protection that wasn't beaten the same month the game came out was Final Fantasy XII. At least under HDLoader).

I'd recommend the HDLoader option if only because PS2 chips are getting harder to come by for a decent price. Furthermore the *decent* quality chips are an arm and a leg and the *good* ones are your first born. Of course this may be your only option if you have a PS2 >v12 or so where they slimmed the thing and took out the HDD bay. Though I know for a fact the first few slim models had the solder points for the HDD on the PCB but it was only there for the first two or three slim models. After that it was removed and the firmware used on the PS2 was really rather shitty.

 

Thanks for all of the tip guys.

Well I've given up on the GT4 idea, I don't care about it enough to fuck around with it.

At the moment I either burn my games to DVD and use ESR or I use USBAdvance which is very quick and easy and allows me to stream games from a USB HD. There's usually some pauses in FMV now and again and the loading times are a little slower but I'm now able to play Katamari for the first time ever after idolising it for years.

 

Since you already have FMCB, you should really consider trying out OPL. It can access games installed to a USB drive (u=in USBLoader format, with ul.cfg), as well as raw ISOs (less than 4GB in size if using a FAT32 drive else must be USB-installed). Compatibility seems to be higher than USBAdvance, and there's also the capability to use virtual MC files either over an SMB share or on a connected USB drive. Plus, OPL can easily be converted over to receive games over LAN, using the very same files that will sit on your current USB drive. OPL also supports the displaying of game-specific boxart, disc art (used as a small icon), and background art, from the same storage device that games are fed from (so can be supported on USB, SMB, or HDD devices). There is only one tiny caveat which might not even affect most of you - if you have an ISO with a non-standard ELF name (say, a scene demo), it currently will not show up in OPL's list, but I've already reported that to the author and he says he put it on the TODO list, so I expect a future version to support such ISOs (and this won't be an issue with commercial games anyway, as they are all named something like XXXX_YYY.YY).

There's also PS2ESDL (PS2 External Storage Device Loader) - it specialises in loading games via USB, and is reported to have extremely good compatibility and loading speed (although I wouldn't try running games like Guitar Hero over USB, too much data needed to load on-the-fly). It can also use USBLoader format files, or its own PS2ESDL-format which allows longer game names (and game names in S-JIS if that tickles your fancy).

 

Awesome stuff. Checking it all out now. Thanks.

 

It's not like I want to pirate games left right and centre. There are just a few imports I really want to play but with a netbook burning DVD's is a real nightmare and I don't have an Ethernet adapter so USB is the only sensible option at the moment.

 

I hope you don't mind the bump and this is slightly on topic......

I want to true playing via my HDD as having finished Yakuza 3 and purchased the 2 earlier games I hear the load times are awful.

Not been able to find any swap magic retailers to enable me to get freemcboot on my mem card, any tips as to the best way?

Google is a mess of old info and bad links. Cheers.

 

Could send me your mem card in the post.

 

If you don't mind opening your console the Agent Under Fire exploit is really easy to do if you have a DVD burner and a little time.

 

Opening the console is not a problem but I thought you needed the retail disk?

 

You do but it won't cost you anymore than £1-2 for a copy.

 

Just won a copy on ebay for a couple of quid. Any guides online you would recommend?

http://freemcboot.psx-scene.com/ps2%20ohje/2e.html This one seems quite good.....

 

The definitive guide http://freemcboot.psx-scene.com/

It's really simple to do, takes about 10 minutes.

 

Now all I need to do is win a network adaptor, ideally in time to finish Yakuza 1 & 2 on HDD bfore Yakuza 4 comes out.

 

Running from a USB drive is good enough.

 

No it isn't..

Faster to run from disc, I think..