Multi Disc PS1 games (and save before change)

[nightrnr]

I did a quick search here and heavier searches on google and always come up a bit short.
...and since I need a topic I know I can always find for this...

What PS1 multi-disc games let you save before disc change (besides all Final Fantasy games)?
More specifically and importantly
What multi disc games do NOT let you save at CD swap?

I can list all the multi disc games I know of in an attempt to categorize both.
But it really is the non-saves that concerns me most (I hope for obvious reasons).

I know Chrono Cross and Metal Gear Solid are 2 big ones with no save option at disc change. Lunar Silver Star Story (and probably Lunar Eternal Blue) is another one.

Finally, what games allow/force you to move back and forth between discs with no save prompt (I think Lunar is one as well)? (This particular sub-section should be a short list).

Possibly same questions for PS2, but I think the few 2-disc games give you a save prompt.


I'm happy to follow links for more info as applicable.

[noiseredux]

If I recall Grandia does not let you save before swap.

[nightrnr]

If I recall Grandia does not let you save before swap.

This suggests otherwise:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/19 ... a/41224860

You can't just "pop" Disc 2 in like with those FF games. It won't automatically load on Grandia. When you save at the end of Disc 1, it "turns" it into a Disc 2 save, and the game forces you to turn the game off, change discs, then load the save at the main menu.

See, that's why it's so frustrating. You could have played through the game and not even remember which way it used. This needs documentation.

I had some good links a while back ago on this (not definitive, mind you). I'll have to try and dig them up.

I do appreciate the reply though.
I aim to verify with other sources since the topic seems to get so fuzzy. I'd like to get a rough list going over the weekend maybe.

[noiseredux]

I will have to check the old Together Retro thread but I remember getting stuck emulating on an Nvidia Shield because I had no way to load my save on disc 2 of Grandia. I'll update my findings when I have time.

[nightrnr]

Okay so here's a major link that I was looking for:
https://forums.afterdawn.com/threads/wh ... ro.387786/

Thank goodness for old bookmarks; I never would have found that topic again otherwise.
It was for a slightly different motivation (or maybe not so different), but has the same goal in mind--> listing multi-disc games that allow saving at disc change.
It may not be an absolute authority, but it seems consistent with everything I've heard.

So far, my list of No save before change is as follows:
Arc the Lad III
Chrono Cross
**maybe** Grandia (2 to 1 says it saves)
Lunar
Lunar 2
Metal Gear Solid
Parasite Eve
Thousand Arms
Valkyrie Profile
Xenogears

I will have to check the old Together Retro thread but I remember getting stuck emulating on an Nvidia Shield because I had no way to load my save on disc 2 of Grandia. I'll update my findings when I have time.

Please do
I did peruse the last few pages of that TR thread and you only mention that you were still on the 1st disc.

Maybe I should play that sometime...

And here's a thread that lists most or all other PS1 multi disc games (but missing Riven, so who knows):
http://www.1emulation.com/forums/topic/ ... n-coinops/
I did play though Koudelka once. No idea if it was save at change or not (I think it might have been). And that's the trouble we run into with this: even those that have experience with a game probably don't remember. And most are RPG's, so who has the time to check?

[pierrot]

Just a possibility I thought of, concerning Grandia:

In my experience, every multi-disc Saturn game requires updating the save file, and loading the save after swapping discs, what with the "Open" button resetting to the bios screen. This is also the case for the Saturn version of Grandia. It might not be too likely, but I wonder if the confusion might be between the two versions of the game. I honestly don't know how the PS1 version handles the disc swap for Grandia, though.

Perhaps a look at a website with game saves might help. It might not be perfect, but could give some indication of what games at least allow saving at the swap screen.

[noiseredux]

I did some detective work for you, and... I don't have an answer on Grandia after all. It appears my problem was that I was emulating on a Shield Portable (I had ripped my PS1 disc(s) and was playing it on that) and I was having issues saving to a virtual PSX memory card. I was only able to save state, which meant I didn't have a real save that the second disc would read. So... I'm more inclined to say that it DID save before the second disc, and my issue was I had no way to make the second disc read the save which wasn't present.

Maybe that helps?

I never posted about the issue here apparently, but instead on the Nvidia forums. Here's a quote for posterity (which was never replied to or resolved):

Hey guys, I'm having an issue trying to save to 'memory card' in a PSX game. I'm using the PCSX Rearmed core in Retroarch. At first I was thinking this had to do with the whole write-permissions thing in the latest version of Android - but it occurred to me that I am able to save via savestates no problem. So it shouldn't be that, right?

I don't get an error message or anything, but right now I'm playing Grandia. Like I said, savestates work. But if I try to actually save in-game, it just says like "checking save data" or something along the lines, and nothing happens. It's as if the game can't find a memory card.

I'm hoping I'm just missing something obvious and this can be easily fixed, as I've already sunk nearly 10 hours in and I don't want to end up stuck when it comes time to swap to the 2nd disc...

Thanks!

[nightrnr]

Well, that explains a bit of the mystery on the Grandia claim. I do appreciate the share. Have no idea about the memory card thing. The only systems that I use PS1 virtual memory cards for are Sony systems (PSP, PS2, PS3, Vita), so it's automated.
It's probably something simple though, like a setting needs to be changed and saved.

Hmm, game save research may or may not help (a worthy suggestion), as could looking at walkthroughs (which I'd like to avoid if possible).

I will probably have to come back to this when I have more time though.

[bigpunisha]

And here's a thread that lists most or all other PS1 multi disc games (but missing Riven, so who knows):
http://www.1emulation.com/forums/topic/ ... n-coinops/

Hey, thanks for the link. It actually came in handy for something I was searching for myself. +1

[Jagosaurus]

Awesome topic for PISO & modded PS2/3 users. I remember us touching on this a couple years ago. I honestly have stayed away from emulating 2 disc games bc I'm scared of getting stuck. Looking at PS1 Lunar still on my shelf right now (after my big sale off) bc of this