u/GotMepsiPax

Yes yes, I know, another one of these. Sorry.

I got my SuperStation One yesterday, which was very exciting for me. I'm about to order a larger microSD card, but I wanted to get some opinions on controllers. Here's what I was thinking for the big ones:

PS1 - I have a DualShock 2, so no worries there.

NES/SNES - I was thinking of getting a Mayflash adapter for my SNES controller. And I think I'd use it for other systems that have few buttons. There are some USB-A ports in the back, so it should be fine.

Sega - So this is the big one. I don't have a Sega controller. Retrobit has a controller that has the six face buttons and two analog sticks, so that covers quite a lot for Genesis and Saturn games, but the triggers aren't analog. On the other hand, I don't think many Saturn games utilized analog triggers. I have an Xbox controller that I had been using to test the SuperStation, and that could do the job. If I've never played a Sega game before, would I really be missing out if I don't use a similarly-shaped controller?

Thanks in advance!

I checked 4PX yesterday and saw it was at a USPS facility the next city over, so I thought it'd be at least Wednesday before I got it. What a pleasant surprise I came home to today!

Also, I didn't see anything about this on this subreddit or the RetroRemakeInc one, so I thought I'd give a little PSA on component video, as I had to spend about an hour or so troubleshooting this:

Out of the box, the component signal will send out colors incorrectly (it'll look pink-ish), while all the other signals work just fine. This is normal, and you'll have to do a little adjustment with your microSD card.

If you plan on exclusively using component and never using any of the other outputs, take the following steps to get the correct colors:

- On the root of your microSD card, look for the file 'MiSTer.ini,' and open it.

- On the left side of the text file, near the top, you should see 'vga_mode=subcarrier.' Change 'subcarrier' to 'ypbpr,' so it becomes 'vga_mode=ypbpr.'

- This next step may not be necessary, but I moved that line's semicolon to match up with the others after that change.

- Save your change(s) and close the file. You're done!

If you plan on switching between component and other outputs, take the following steps:

- On the root of your microSD card, look for the file 'MiSTer_YPbP.ini,' and open it.

- On the left side of the text file, near the top, you should see 'composite_sync=0.' Change that '0' to a '1.'

- Save your change and close the file. You're done!

I plan on exclusively using component, and after testing a couple games, I can confirm things work perfectly.

I beat the first game just under two weeks ago and just had to jump right into this. Previous part of my journey below, for anyone interested:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shenmue/comments/1t34vnm/i_have_finally_beaten_the_first_shenmue/

Maybe it's just the fact that this is my first foray into Sega's world, but I can't find the words to describe how special this series has become for me. I'd like to call myself a gaming connoisseur, but I have never experienced something like Shenmue before. I'll jot down some random thoughts on II in bullet points.

- The combat has definitely improved here. I no longer felt I was being held back by the D-Pad. I never even needed to use L for running. Could you even do that? I never tried.

- Just walking around each place feels so much more alive than even modern games. I don't what voodoo Suzuki and company did, but none of these other games made me want to slow down and take in the scenery. Maybe they were on to something with setting the analog stick to look around instead of for movement (even though that was an option in this game). It also helps that Hong Kong is a wonderful setting.

- As I was going through Disc 2, I thought to myself, 'Man. I hope we get to see Kowloon in III.' Well, butter my biscuits, I didn't even need to wait that long. That was a nice treat.

- Save-scumming and gambling. I can't name a more iconic duo...

- ...but I CAN name a more necessary duo: Save-scumming and the Ghost Hall Building. My first attempt, I got to the 8th floor and screwed up the very first input. I went, 'Aw, crap, I messed up. Hopefully it starts me back at- ............Oh HEEEEELLLLLLL NO.' Honestly, if the game didn't save my exact position each time I saved, I would have dropped the game right then and there.

- On a related note, I do not enjoy the Freeze QTEs. It feels like even though I'm asked to give multiple inputs, it only gives the same amount of time as a single input in a regular QTE. Also, during one of these, I somehow hallucinated a 'Right' input as 'X.' And I did that twice in a row. Must've been from the frustration of messing up other inputs prior.

- As a sucker for Kung Fu films, I loved receiving training from all these masters. Any time I see old people offer spiritual wisdom and a kickass move I go, 'Hell yeah.'

- As I got to the end of Disc 3, I thought 'This had better be the ending and Disc 4 is some special feature because this does NOT need to be 17 floors. While that was the final high-stakes event, it was still a bit much, in my opinion.

- Speaking of Disc 4, I wasn't sure what to feel about it at first. While it was a nice break from all the action, and it was great to finally meet Shenhua, I kept asking myself where we go from here. Then I saw the ending and went, 'OK. I'm 100% hooked. I need to see this through.'

Admittedly, I chose these two games as my first Dreamcast games because I misread the pre-order deadline for the Collector's Edition of 'Shenmue III Enhanced' (this Monday) as the release date for the game proper. Oh well. No regrets.

Now we wait. 'The Story Continues.' That must've been torture for long-time fans.

Following up from my previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Shenmue/comments/1syja5e/im_a_newcomer_that_just_got_to_disc_3_spoilers/

Not much to add, really. I overall had a great time with it!

- I could honestly do the forklifting stuff all day. It's very relaxing for me.

- Tom is the man.

- Thanks to your tips, I was finally able to get somewhat of a handle on the combat. Still not a fan of the camera and having to use the D-Pad for movement in Free Battle. Whatever. I dealt with it.

- I will definitely be doing another playthrough, as it's become clear I missed A LOT of stuff in the first two discs. But that might be after I beat III.

One thing I should note: On the final boss, I regularly kept my distance to recover health, dealing blows here and there. Wasn't taking any chances after the arcade fight. At one point, all of my green health spheres turned red and started rapidly disappearing. I panicked and dealt one last blow, ending the fight. I can't find any information pertaining to that. Was there an invisible time limit to the fight? It was weird.

Anyway, on to Shenmue II! ...Later. The one thing I'm curious about in terms of story is the actual significance of mirrors. The very existence of Chai has me thinking that there could very well be supernatural forces at play, but the way Chen described the mirrors, it sounds like superstition. Guess we'll see.

A little over a week ago, I finally got my hands on a Dreamcast...

https://www.reddit.com/r/dreamcast/comments/1sqcdm0/ive_finally_joined_the_club/

...And the very first thing I wanted to try was Shenmue after seeing the passion from fans after Shenmue III Enhanced got announced. Yes, I could've gotten the Steam release for cheap, but I like playing on original hardware when I can.

I knew precisely three things coming into this:

- It's a story about a boy trying to avenge the murder of his father.

- Apparently, as of Shenmue III's conclusion, >!that still hasn't happened(?).!<

- There's a guy who used to be Chinese years ago.

So far, this experience has been sublime. For a game originally released at the turn of the millennium, this world is brimming with detail. I didn't quite understand/appreciate how to take in the world until I saw a YouTube comment last night that said something to the effect of:

'Shenmue isn't a brawler like Yakuza; it's a 3D point-and-click adventure.'

Had I come into this game with that mindset, I would've had a much easier time with a few parts. I did have to consult a guide due to >!having no clue how Japanese area codes work. !<But honestly, having no clue what I was doing did make the discoveries more exciting.

I guess I'll just give bullet points of my gripes here:

- Navigating Ryo is a bit awkward, especially when trying to get into tight spaces, but whatever. And yes, I did set movement to R.

- Some QTEs have been a pain, but only because I'm not used to the Dreamcast button colors at all.

- I absolutely SUCK at Free Battle. I'm so glad the two difficult fights I had did not require me to win, but I feel that won't be the case anymore. I'm probably gonna have to watch some tutorials, 'cause I have no clue what I'm doing.

All in all, this has so far been an experience unlike any I've had so far. Also, I was surprised how short these discs were compared to 2D multi-disc games lol