Can someone test slowdown in PDS on Saturn for me?

[geluda]

So I had my PAL Saturn modded a while ago and when I was playing it I noticed a lot of slowdown in games where I didn't expect it. I'm trying to figure out of its an issue with my Saturn's hardware or if it's just natural for the game. I do know the Saturn suffers from slowdown in some hectic games but this slowdown is kind of surprising which is why I bring up the issue. So one of the games I'm noticing it in is the NTSC version of Panzer Dragoon Saga when played in 60hz, at the start of the game at the excavation site before you get your dragon there's a massive rock covering up the entrance, if you run around the area the game runs fine but as soon as you walk right up against the big rock the game starts to slow down and get laggy. Is this normal? Can someone test to see if this happens on their system too? I've tried it with the prototype and it happens in the exact same place in the exact same way, it's like the system can't handle all the polygons so closely compact in one place and starts to lag. This could very well be normal, but I just wanted to make sure as I've read there's only suppose to be slowdown during beserker attacks and it seems kind of odd to have slowdown in such a small and insignificant area of the game, it happens in other areas too from time to time when your dragon gets too close to walls or bridges or other scenery objects. Any help is appreciated, just wanted to trouble shoot before I start going further with the game because I'd hate to play it when it's not running to its full potential.

[jp.]

The only (non-combat) slow down I recall in PDSaga was when you're in Zoah, if you walk down the hallway to the right as you enter you get a lot.

[Yakumo]

The part of Panzer which you say has slow down is NOT normal. I never remember any slow down there.

Yakumo

[geluda]

Sorry my memory didn't serve me correctly. The part in question is just after you get your dragon and fly through the first section of the game back to the excavation site. I've made videos of the problem, just to clarify my Saturn is a PAL model 2 which has been region/hz modded, I've tested this with the RAM cart in an out and it's the same. Is this deffinately not normal, for a modded system? If that's the case, what could be causing this? Surely it can't be the media I'm using, I've tested this with both the final game and the beta, the lag is there on both. Here's a couple of videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h90rudnYFH0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl9m1Gzp_ls

[Yakumo]

I have no idea for a modded or PAL system but I can tell you that a Japanese Saturn running the Japanese games doesn't have those issues.

[geluda]

Thanks for the confirm. So does anyone know why this would be happening? I'm playing the NTSC-U version btw, do PAL systems have pproblems like this when playing NTSC games once modded? If this really is a problem it's now a matter of finding out why this would be happening and if it could be rectified.

[Druid II]

I just checked it with 3 different machines (1995 model 1 with VA1 board, 1996 model 2 with VA5 board, and 1997 model 2 with VA9 board). It lags a little in 60hz mode exactly like in your video, but doesn't lag at all in 50hz, same results on all 3 machines too. I guess the game has an easier job keeping up 25fps than it has keeping up 30fps. This is using the PAL original disc.

PD Saga does in fact lag a little like this at a LOT of places, if you take the time to look around at every part of the game. It's perfectly normal and tons of other games do this too, both old ones and newest ones.

[geluda]

I just checked it with 3 different machines (1995 model 1 with VA1 board, 1996 model 2 with VA5 board, and 1997 model 2 with VA9 board). It lags a little in 60hz mode exactly like in your video, but doesn't lag at all in 50hz, same results on all 3 machines too. I guess the game has an easier job keeping up 25fps than it has keeping up 30fps. This is using the PAL original disc.

PD Saga does in fact lag a little like this at a LOT of places, if you take the time to look around at every part of the game. It's perfectly normal and tons of other games do this too, both old ones and newest ones.

Thanks for testing for me! Was your machine a PAL machine or an NTSC machine? This is kind of good news. Does anyone have an NTSC machine and US copy of the game to run the same test just for comparisons sake. I know Yakumo stated the Japanese version doesn't have this issue although it would be interesting to see a test from the US version.

[Druid II]

PAL/NTSC machine should not matter because the difference is literally how 1 jumper is wired, which is the same 1 jumper you change around with the 50/60 mod.

I'm not sure if the japanese version is compatible with english saves, so I won't check this just for that. Regardless, you are splitting hairs over such a small, barely noticeable problem that happens all through the game.

[geluda]

PAL/NTSC machine should not matter because the difference is literally how 1 jumper is wired, which is the same 1 jumper you change around with the 50/60 mod.

I'm not sure if the japanese version is compatible with english saves, so I won't check this just for that. Regardless, you are splitting hairs over such a small, barely noticeable problem that happens all through the game.

No problem, just wanted to make sure as I've waited fifteen years to play this game so didn't want to ruin the experience by playing it with unnecessary slowdown. :p

[Druid II]

Well the problem is that you've waited 15 years to play this and you think that it's jesus with cinnamon tits drinking nectar from the holy grail. It's not a perfect game, it is what it is.