:'( I'm sad now..

Jaded JAaron77 · Post by **Jaded JAaron77** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:01 pm

for a while I've been looking for Skies of Arcadia for DC and I finally got it at eb games the other day, brought it home today, and put the first disk in my DC.....it showed the "produced by or under license from Sega" screen then went back to the DC's main menu screen. I tried loading the game several times and it wouldn't work, I tried loading the second disk, it wouldn't work. I waited a while and tried again, the first disk still wouldnt load, but the second would. Later, I loaded the second disk and when just told it start new game, I switched to the first like it said, and it started the game, but it froze while loading after the first battle ended. Now I can't even get it to load the first disk again. I looked and there are no scratches on either of the disks. what could be going on? is my DC dying? I've had a few other problems lately with loading games; the third disk of Shenmue dies while loading, I had the FoF demo completely die one day......this is kinda upseting to me..I've wanted to play Skies of Arcadia for quite a while now......

Firthy2002 · Post by **Firthy2002** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:12 pm

Is it a used copy?

MidnightObsidian · Post by **MidnightObsidian** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:15 pm

I'd try doing the little laser potentiometer tweak. For more info, check out the hardware forum.

And to answer your question, it's most likely a combination of the DC and the GD-ROM, but it sounds to me more like a hardware issue than anything.

StriderXg2 · Post by **StriderXg2** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:15 pm

Just return the copy and get it somewhere else. Jeez.

Jaded JAaron77 · Post by **Jaded JAaron77** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:27 pm

...the problem with returning the copy, is I got it in Grapevine mills mall in Dallas...I don't live anywhere near dallas, also it can't be returned if opened, it says, and,

Is it a used copy?

I don't think so, it had no scratches, and everything used in the store had a "used" sticker on it, this one didn't.

I'd try doing the little laser potentiometer tweak.

I'm really kinda scared of doing anything like that, since its my only dc, and I don't have the money to replace it if I screw something up

Post by **|darc|** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 7:52 pm

Try turning the Dreamcast upside down when you turn it on, and leave it like that.

It may seem funny, but try it.

Miko · Post by **Miko** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 8:30 pm

My original DC had a reseting problem. And in the end it's motor blew up. Never spun a disc again

.. so i bought a new one.

P.S. try cleaning the lens with a dry cotton bud (GENTLEY). It stopped my resetting problem.

Michael Barclay

Jaded JAaron77 · Post by **Jaded JAaron77** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 8:58 pm

Try turning the Dreamcast upside down when you turn it on, and leave it like that.

It may seem funny, but try it.

it does seem funny, but that was one of the first things I tried...it no work....

P.S. try cleaning the lens with a dry cotton bud (GENTLEY). It stopped my resetting problem.

I think thats what I'm going to have to do anyway, but I don't know yet if it'll help much, I hope it does, cause I also really want to finish Shenmue

Falcon4 · Post by **Falcon4** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 10:22 pm

Seeing as though the lens on a DC is exposed to everything that goes on around it - no tray - it's not uncommon to have a dirty lens. Go ahead, take a Q-tip or something and wipe it off - gently, though - there are very tiny wires attached to it that, if bent too much, will break and render the whole thing useless. Or you might scratch the lens, and again make it useless. But if you do it just right, it'll be perfect. Or just blow it off.

About the Pot tweak (the "potentiometer"), it's simple. There's one simple little screw-like knob on the laser assembly, which increases or decreases the laser's intensity (I believe). It's worked for me many times on other drives, but is only recommended if your DC can't read a certain type of media (e.g. CD-R, CD-RW).

Have fun!

Jaded JAaron77 · Post by **Jaded JAaron77** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 4:58 pm

..cleaned off the lense, still won't boot the first disk......I set the DC on its side and now I can play the game (in fact, now I'm 3 hours into it) if I start from the second disk (boot disk 2, tell it to load my save then switch disks)....I'm afraid that the only thing to fix it'll be the pot tweak....I may try it some day, but I'll use it as an absolute last option....just in case its gotten somehow off, does anyone know exactly what the potentiometer should be set to normally (ohms)?

Post by **Specially Cork** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 7:20 pm

American refunds policy is strange. If I bought a game from any store, (lets say GAME, which is a games store in the UK) I could take it back for a refund at any other GAME.
Location isnt a problem.

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 9:49 am

And even if it's not the exact same company but owned by the same one. I could take something from PC World back to a Dixons, or something from Electronic's Boutique to GAME.

Gmc · Post by **Gmc** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 10:40 am

And in the UK it doesnt matter if youve opened it or not

area · Post by **area** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 11:10 am

And you can also take back games that you won, and get full price on your trade-in.

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 11:22 am

And you can take a month and simply go back and say, "I thought the game was crap, can I have my money back please"

.

djray · Post by **djray** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 11:34 am

JAaron77 wrote:I set the DC on its side and now I can play the game

but doesn't setting the DC on its side block one of the fans?

Post by **|darc|** » Wed Jul 09, 2003 9:49 pm

WTF is this? Union of the UKers?

And... errr.. you can take things back to a different location at every store I've been to...
Hell.. I've taken things back to a totally different store before..

Safety in Nimbus · Post by **Safety in Nimbus** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:11 am

|darc| wrote:WTF is this? Union of the UKers?

And... errr.. you can take things back to a different location at every store I've been to...
Hell.. I've taken things back to a totally different store before..

I used to take merchandise back to st ores that weren't related (Bestbuy/Toys'R'Us). I would get a gift around christmas that I wouldn't want and I would go to the store that would give me the most for it.

Jaded JAaron77 · Post by **Jaded JAaron77** » Sat Jul 12, 2003 7:37 pm

JAaron77 wrote:
I set the DC on its side and now I can play the game

but doesn't setting the DC on its side block one of the fans?

no, the fan is only on the right side, so I stood it up on the left side

even though I can still play it, its still a lot of trouble getting it to come up again after turning the machine off

And even if it's not the exact same company but owned by the same one. I could take something from PC World back to a Dixons, or something from Electronic's Boutique to GAME.

the problem is, I got it in an EB Games in Dallas and we don't have an EB Games where I live, all we have is a Babbages and a Game Xchange, and Game Xchange is quick to screw anyone over