I get sort of a weird error when loading my iso/cue/mp3.

Warning: The CD size including audio is 190:33:03, which is longer than the maximum of 99:59:74. You may encounter problems with audio tracks not playing correctly.

The game runs fine and I was able to watch the TAS fine, but it uses track 17 for everything. And track 17 is horrible.

Try deleting the .cue file. It sounds like the exact sort of problem caused by a malformed cue sheet.

I quite liked the end of stage music and the ending, although some of the levels were a bit 'meh'. Overall I give this a yes vote.

The audio quality on the bittorrented AVI is terrible. What might be sensible audio encoding parameters for MD games may well not be suitable for CD-quality audio. Just a note for the future.

Having never played Sonic CD myself, watching your run was quite interesting. I must echo the negative sentiments towards the game regarding certain audio aspects, but I can't fault you for that. Keep fighting the good fight against Robotnik, upthorn.

BTW, can somebody fix the title so it has proper capitalization? It looks kinda bad.

I'm using Windows XP SP3 and I'm having desyncs issues when attempting to play this video. At first I thought that it was because I was using Gens 9.5c, but even after upgrading to Gens 10, checking U+D/L+R, removing the SRAM, and making sure that Perfect SegaCD Synchro was checked and that the sound was enabled and set to 44100 kHz, I'm still getting desyncs. Also, since I have a dualcore CPU, I even tried locking Gens on only 1 CPU through the Task Manager, with no luck. I'm using ISO+MP3s roms, and I have all 34 MP3s named correctly. I've tried all 3 gmvs included in the author's comments, using all combinaisions of roms/bioses listed, but it still doesn't work. This is what I see: A new game is started, Sonic looks up for no apparent reason, then starts running right, jumps, and fails to pass the 1st loop. For U(1.10) and U(2.00W), Sonic eventually dies twice, and suddenly the title screen appears. For J(1.00), the game (not the emu) crashes when the in-game timer reaches 4'20"58. Anybody can help? Dump of Gens.cfg:

[General]
Rom path=C:\TASvideos\Gens10\
Save path=.\
SRAM path=.\
BRAM path=.\
Dump path=.\
Dump GYM path=.\
Screen Shot path=.\
Patch path=.\
IPS Patch path=.\
Movie path=.\
Genesis Bios=.\
USA CD Bios=C:\TASvideos\Gens10\[BIOS] Sega CD Model 1 (U) (v1.10).md
EUROPE CD Bios=C:\TASvideos\Gens10\[BIOS] Mega-CD Model 1 (E) (v1.00).md
JAPAN CD Bios=C:\TASvideos\Gens10\[BIOS] Mega-CD Model 1 (J) (v1.00S).md
32X 68000 Bios=.\
32X Master SH2 Bios=.\
32X Slave SH2 Bios=.\
Rom 1=C:\TASvideos\Gens10\Sonic CD.iso
Rom 2=C:\TASvideos\Gens10\Sonic CD (J).iso
Rom 3=
Rom 4=
Rom 5=
Rom 6=
Rom 7=
Rom 8=
Rom 9=
Rom 10=
Rom 11=
Rom 12=
Rom 13=
Rom 14=
Rom 15=
File type index=1
State Number=0
Language=0
Window X=0
Window Y=0
Intro Style=0
Free Mode Color=0
Movie Default Read Only=1
Movie Auto Close=1
Movie Based State Names=1
Slow Down Speed=1
Frame Advance Delay Factor=5
Allow Idle=5
[Graphics]
Full Screen=0
Full Screen VSync=0
Full Screen X Resolution=1280
Full Screen Y Resolution=1024
Full Screen No Res Change=0
Windows VSync=0
Render Windowed=0
Render Fullscreen=1
Never Skip Frame=0
Stretch=0
Software Blit=0
Contrast=100
Brightness=100
Greyscale=0
Invert=0
Sprite limit=1
Frame skip=-1
Clean Avi=1
[Sound]
State=1
Rate=44100
Stereo=1
SoundSoftenFilter=1
Z80 State=1
YM2612 State=1
PSG State=1
DAC State=1
PCM State=1
PWM State=1
CDDA State=1
YM2612 Improvement=1
DAC Improvement=1
PSG Improvement=1
Master Volume=128
YM2612 Volume=255
DAC Volume=255
PSG Volume=255
PCM Volume=255
CDDA Volume=255
PWM Volume=255
[CPU]
Country=-1
Prefered Country 1=0
Prefered Country 2=1
Prefered Country 3=2
Perfect synchro between main and sub CPU (Sega CD)=1
Main SH2 Speed=100
Slave SH2 Speed=100
[Options]
Fast Blur=0
FPS=0
FPS Style=0
Message=0
Message Style=0
LED=1
Auto Fix Checksum=0
Auto Pause=0
CD Drive=0
Ram Cart Size=-1
GCOffline path=GCOffline.chm
Gens manual path=manual.exe
Disable Blue Screen=0
FrameCounterEnabled=0
FrameCounterFrames=1
FrameCounterPosition=5392
LagCounterEnabled=0
LagCounterFrames=1
ShowInputEnabled=0
AutoBackupEnabled=0
[Input]
P1.Type=1
P1.Up=200
P1.Down=208
P1.Left=203
P1.Right=205
P1.Start=28
P1.A=30
P1.B=31
P1.C=32
P1.Mode=54
P1.X=44
P1.Y=45
P1.Z=46
P1B.Type=0
P1B.Up=0
P1B.Down=0
P1B.Left=0
P1B.Right=0
P1B.Start=0
P1B.A=0
P1B.B=0
P1B.C=0
P1B.Mode=0
P1B.X=0
P1B.Y=0
P1B.Z=0
P1C.Type=0
P1C.Up=0
P1C.Down=0
P1C.Left=0
P1C.Right=0
P1C.Start=0
P1C.A=0
P1C.B=0
P1C.C=0
P1C.Mode=0
P1C.X=0
P1C.Y=0
P1C.Z=0
P1D.Type=0
P1D.Up=0
P1D.Down=0
P1D.Left=0
P1D.Right=0
P1D.Start=0
P1D.A=0
P1D.B=0
P1D.C=0
P1D.Mode=0
P1D.X=0
P1D.Y=0
P1D.Z=0
P2.Type=1
P2.Up=21
P2.Down=35
P2.Left=34
P2.Right=36
P2.Start=22
P2.A=37
P2.B=38
P2.C=50
P2.Mode=20
P2.X=23
P2.Y=24
P2.Z=25
P2B.Type=0
P2B.Up=0
P2B.Down=0
P2B.Left=0
P2B.Right=0
P2B.Start=0
P2B.A=0
P2B.B=0
P2B.C=0
P2B.Mode=0
P2B.X=0
P2B.Y=0
P2B.Z=0
P2C.Type=0
P2C.Up=0
P2C.Down=0
P2C.Left=0
P2C.Right=0
P2C.Start=0
P2C.A=0
P2C.B=0
P2C.C=0
P2C.Mode=0
P2C.X=0
P2C.Y=0
P2C.Z=0
P2D.Type=0
P2D.Up=0
P2D.Down=0
P2D.Left=0
P2D.Right=0
P2D.Start=0
P2D.A=0
P2D.B=0
P2D.C=0
P2D.Mode=0
P2D.X=0
P2D.Y=0
P2D.Z=0
LeftRightEnabled=1
StateSelectType=5
OpenROMKey=0,2,79
CloseROMKey=0,2,67
PauseKey0=0,0,27
PauseKey=0,0,19
ResetKey=0,6,82
BootCDKey=0,2,66
OpenCloseCDKey=0,2,86
FastForwardKey=0,0,9
SkipFrameKey=0,0,220
AutoFireKey=0,0,0
AutoHoldKey=0,0,0
AutoClearKey=0,0,192
TraceKey=0,6,191
HookKey=0,6,190
GameGenieKey=0,2,71
NetplayKey=0,2,78
Load1Key=0,0,49
Load2Key=0,0,50
Load3Key=0,0,51
Load4Key=0,0,52
Load5Key=0,0,53
Load6Key=0,0,54
Load7Key=0,0,55
Load8Key=0,0,56
Load9Key=0,0,57
Load0Key=0,0,48
Save1Key=0,4,49
Save2Key=0,4,50
Save3Key=0,4,51
Save4Key=0,4,52
Save5Key=0,4,53
Save6Key=0,4,54
Save7Key=0,4,55
Save8Key=0,4,56
Save9Key=0,4,57
Save0Key=0,4,48
Set1Key=0,2,49
Set2Key=0,2,50
Set3Key=0,2,51
Set4Key=0,2,52
Set5Key=0,2,53
Set6Key=0,2,54
Set7Key=0,2,55
Set8Key=0,2,56
Set9Key=0,2,57
Set0Key=0,2,48
SetNextKey=0,0,118
SetPrevKey=0,0,117
SaveCurrentKey=0,0,119
QuickLoadKey=0,0,0
LoadCurrentKey=0,0,116
QuickSaveKey=0,0,0
LoadFromKey=0,4,119
SaveAsKey=0,4,116
AutoFrameskipKey=0,0,113
PrevFrameskipKey=0,0,114
NextFrameskipKey=0,0,115
NextRenderKey=0,0,123
PrevRenderKey=0,0,122
FullscreenKey=0,1,13
StretchKey=0,4,113
VSyncKey=0,4,114
SoftwareBlitKey=0,4,120
MotionBlurKey=0,0,120
ShowFPSKey=0,0,121
SlowDownKey=0,0,189
SpeedUpKey=0,0,187
ToggleSlowKey=0,0,0
ScreenshotKey=0,4,8
HelpKey=0,0,112
SpritesOnTopKey=0,0,0
LockPaletteKey=0,0,0
GYMKey=0,6,80
WAVKey=0,0,0
ImpDACKey=0,0,0
ImpPSGKey=0,0,0
ImpYMKey=0,0,0
SoundSoftenKey=0,0,0
ConfigInputKey=0,0,0
ConfigGeneralKey=0,0,0
ConfigDirKey=0,0,0
ConfigFilesKey=0,0,0
AllTracksKey=0,6,48
Track1Key=0,6,49
Track2Key=0,6,50
Track3Key=0,6,51
PrevTrackKey=0,4,188
NextTrackKey=0,4,190
RamSearchKey=0,0,0
RamWatchKey=0,0,0
PlayMovieKey=0,0,0
RecordMovieKey=0,0,0
Resume RecordMovieKey=0,0,0
StopMovieKey=0,0,0
ToggleReadOnlyKey=0,2,84
LagResetKey=0,2,82
SpliceInputKey=0,4,83
SeekToFrameKey=0,0,0
[Splice]
SpliceMovie=
SpliceFrame=0

That was a cool run. I've never played Sonic CD but can see why it's so praised. It looks like the fastest and most complex Sonic game yet. It was pretty entertaining, but all the stage skipping made it boring at parts. But overall, yes, good job.

I'm using Windows XP SP3 and I'm having desyncs issues when attempting to play this video. At first I thought that it was because I was using Gens 9.5c, but even after upgrading to Gens 10, checking U+D/L+R, removing the SRAM, and making sure that Perfect SegaCD Synchro was checked and that the sound was enabled and set to 44100 kHz, I'm still getting desyncs. Also, since I have a dualcore CPU, I even tried locking Gens on only 1 CPU through the Task Manager, with no luck. I'm using ISO+MP3s roms, and I have all 34 MP3s named correctly. I've tried all 3 gmvs included in the author's comments, using all combinaisions of roms/bioses listed, but it still doesn't work. This is what I see: A new game is started, Sonic looks up for no apparent reason, then starts running right, jumps, and fails to pass the 1st loop. For U(1.10) and U(2.00W), Sonic eventually dies twice, and suddenly the title screen appears. For J(1.00), the game (not the emu) crashes when the in-game timer reaches 4'20"58. Anybody can help?

My first guess would be that your bios files do not match the ones I used. I would advise you to try replacing those with ones from a trustworthy site, and see if that corrects the issue.

And just replacing the tracks doesn't exactly work - like with Track 2, which is the Metal Sonic sound in the US and the Time Warp in the Japanese...

I physically own the Japanese and American versions, and track 2 is identical between them. Track 2 is the sound that was intended to play during time travel, but the MIDI sound effect was chosen above CDDA in the end. I can't wait til next week, when I can watch this D:

I'm using Windows XP SP3 and I'm having desyncs issues when attempting to play this video. ... This is what I see: A new game is started, Sonic looks up for no apparent reason, then starts running right, jumps, and fails to pass the 1st loop. ... Anybody can help?

In Gens 10, go to "Option > Sega CD SRAM Size" and change it from "None" to the default value "64 Kb".

My first guess would be that your bios files do not match the ones I used. I would advise you to try replacing those with ones from a trustworthy site, and see if that corrects the issue.

I checked by bioses files with GoodTools, they're fine.

In Gens 10, go to "Option > Sega CD SRAM Size" and change it from "None" to the default value "64 Kb".

Huh? It works now? :O That's really odd. Every other time where I tried booting the game/playing the movie with a 64kb SRAM, I was always getting an error message saying that SRAM was not initialized, and the only fix I could find on the intrawebs was to remove the whole SRAM. Why has the message magically disappeared now? Well at least I can watch the movie now, thanks nitsuja! However since I never owned a Sega CD, I'd still like to know why I had the problem and how it fixed itself. And also how to fix this manually if the problem comes back in the future. Thank you very much!

That's really odd. Every other time where I tried booting the game/playing the movie with a 64kb SRAM, I was always getting an error message saying that SRAM was not initialized, and the only fix I could find on the intrawebs was to remove the whole SRAM. Why has the message magically disappeared now?

The message was because of a bug in Gens that I fixed (in Gens 10 Movie), at least for the 64kb case. By the way, I don't know if anyone has noticed that the CD audio is kind of low quality and crackly, but it is, and it's because of a different bug (which goes back as far as Gens 9j). I think Upthorn has already found a fix for it, so it will be fixed in the next release.

I haven't gotten a chance to watch this, but a big thanks to you (nitsuja) and Upthorn for all the work you have both done on Gens. It was the first emulator I used extensively, and all the new features improve its usability greatly. Also, welcome back! (in whatever capacity you decide to be active)

Milestones?

• First CD TAS?
• First movie file smaller than game code? (Or at least smallest movie-to-code ratio)

This is a sweet looking game. Sounds great, too, except for the boss theme, which sounds like some sort of deranged Parasite Eve remix. Love the "half screen, half motion" video at the end. Early CD games were so awful because the entire video game industry tried to emulate Hollywood productions when the obvious solution was to provide enhanced backdrops to established genres. Sonic CD seems to fit the bill. Incidentally, once Sega actually had adequate capacity to store voice samples, why did they drop gears to FM synth for their "Sega!" shoutout? And Robotnik laughs like Santa Claus.

Incidentally, once Sega actually had adequate capacity to store voice samples, why did they drop gears to FM synth for their "Sega!" shoutout?

Because on Sega CD, the Sega shout out screen is actually part of the bios code, rather than the game. And the sega CD bios only has 128KB of storage, most of which is consumed by the graphics for their SegaCD graphical rotation demos.

Sounds great, too, except for the boss theme, which sounds like some sort of deranged Parasite Eve remix.

Didn't the Japanese version have some silly hip-hop music for the boss theme, with a different Robotnik laugh at the beginning?

Thanks for this TAS. I was able to play it with no problems thanks to the perfect synchro feature. I love Erik Frykman's lead guitar sound in the US OST. I also love that you guys get the speed boots a lot since I can't get enough of the yummy bitey mid-grit super smooth sound of the guitar. :)

And just replacing the tracks doesn't exactly work - like with Track 2, which is the Metal Sonic sound in the US and the Time Warp in the Japanese...

I physically own the Japanese and American versions, and track 2 is identical between them. Track 2 is the sound that was intended to play during time travel, but the MIDI sound effect was chosen above CDDA in the end.

Ah, I didn't know that. Actually, I once remember having a Japanese ISO put together with a US soundtrack. Or was it the other way around? Or maybe I just used the Metal Sonic sound...or even that one US beta that was basically the same thing as the final game except with the Japanese soundtrack...it's been a long time. >_> Maybe it was partially the site I got the ISOs and MP3s from (which labeled them as such), or there's something about the ISOs themselves that was causing it to happen. Whatever the case though, that sound effect made much more sense. It synced up well with the music too. If there was a pause before the music like how it worked with the normal CD, the music would start just after the sound effect ended, unlike how the other effect has that weird pause. And if it's an ISO with MP3s like how I had it, it still syncs up well with the effect, and playing over the music slightly is pretty cool. That still doesn't change the fact that the bad future music automatically plays during the race in Stardust Speedway in the Japanese version, though, whereas the US version will still use the good future if you got that. :P

Sounds great, too, except for the boss theme, which sounds like some sort of deranged Parasite Eve remix.

Didn't the Japanese version have some silly hip-hop music for the boss theme, with a different Robotnik laugh at the beginning?

Yeah. Then it degenerated into "WORK THAT BODY YEAH, COME ON NOW, WORK THAT BODY YEAH". And then it went into even more ridiculous stuff. He also speaks in Metallic Madness' bad future theme, parodying the Japanese theme song's lyrics ("you can't do anything, so don't even try."), except there, he sounds like a robot, and disturbingly close to Microsoft Sam.

BTW, can somebody fix the title so it has proper capitalization? It looks kinda bad.

Agreed. I don't see where to change it, I guess it needs to be done by someone who can edit the submission (not the publication). Or I'm solw :P Oh, and: Nice movie. Edit: it's fixed! Thanks, I'm anal retentive that way

I like how Robotnik kinda just explodes and dies at the end of Quartz (is it Quartz? the one with the machine and the conveyor belt).

Because on Sega CD, the Sega shout out screen is actually part of the bios code, rather than the game. And the sega CD bios only has 128KB of storage, most of which is consumed by the graphics for their SegaCD graphical rotation demos.

Thanks, upthorn. I kinda figured, but, at the same time, I also kinda figured Sega could splurge on the 64K ROM space required to store "Sega!" on an attachment costing hundreds. I mean, how much could 64k ROM have cost in 1992? Given the rest of Sega CD's problems, however, I guess I should move on.

I mean, how much could 64k ROM have cost in 1992?

A short answer: more than necessary for it to fulfill its primary duties. :)

The AVI's turning Japanese. I really think so. http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/75032/soniccdjap-tas-upthorn%2Cnitsuja.avi