Sega genesis - Decap Attack troubleshooting?

Author

Decap Attack troubleshooting?

Ettien27@hotmail.com

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

Hmmm, is this a known problem or a busted copy?

So last night in the dead of the night I popped in Decap Attack. Game
looks fine. I am playing with a six button "Super Pad by Performance"
controller. I watched the intro, and then it came to the "press start"
screen. I then pressed start, but nothing happens. I then try several
times, but to no avail. I only have one controller, so I couldn't test
with another.

I turned off the game and figured maybe the controller just broke. So
I pop in SSF 2 and it plays perfectly fine. Same with Altered Beast.
I go back to Decap Attack. No good.

Any ideas? Is it the game or the pad? =/

Daniel W. Rouse Jr.

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

<Ettien27@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140334548.731079.304700@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

quote:

> Hmmm, is this a known problem or a busted copy?
>
> So last night in the dead of the night I popped in Decap Attack. Game
> looks fine. I am playing with a six button "Super Pad by Performance"
> controller. I watched the intro, and then it came to the "press start"
> screen. I then pressed start, but nothing happens. I then try several
> times, but to no avail. I only have one controller, so I couldn't test
> with another.
>
> I turned off the game and figured maybe the controller just broke. So
> I pop in SSF 2 and it plays perfectly fine. Same with Altered Beast.
> I go back to Decap Attack. No good.
>
> Any ideas? Is it the game or the pad? =/
>

Decap Attack is an earlier Genesis game and there were some issues with
six-button controller compatibility for some ealier games. (Someone may know
where that short list of games is located, but I remember that games such as
Ms. Pac-Man and Forgotten Worlds were two of the games on that list.)

To work around these incompatibilties, genuine Sega Genesis six-button
controllers had a Mode button that would force three-button mode, for those
few games that did not work properly with the default six-button mode. The
Mode button had to be held down when the console was powered up with the
game loaded; however, at least one game--Arcade's Greatest Hits Sega
Genesis--also used the Mode button as an in-game 3/6-button mode toggle for
some games like Robotron 2084 and Defender II.

So, if the Super Pad by Performance controller has a Mode button, use that
as a troubleshooting step. Hold the Mode button down while powering on the
console with the Decap Attack game loaded and, just to be sure, keep the
Mode button down until the game's title screen appears.

Now, release the Mode button and try starting the game by pressing Start.

If that works, then the issue was that the game wasn't working with the
controller's default six-button mode. If that still fails, other
troubleshooting steps may be required.

Ettien27@hotmail.com

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

Hey thanks a ton man. I appreciate that. Yeah, I had a feeling it was
due to its early release and 3-button setup.

Scott H

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

Ettien27@hotmail.com wrote:

quote:

> Hey thanks a ton man. I appreciate that. Yeah, I had a feeling it was
> due to its early release and 3-button setup.
>

It should still work then if you hold down the 'mode' button from before
you turn the game on until the title screen. But then, if I recall,
Forgotton Worlds really messes up with a six button controller, regardless.

--
Scott

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Benjamin

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

Daniel W. Rouse Jr. wrote:

<Cookie>

quote:

> To work around these incompatibilties, genuine Sega Genesis six-button
> controllers had a Mode button that would force three-button mode, for those
> few games that did not work properly with the default six-button mode. The
> Mode button had to be held down when the console was powered up with the
> game loaded; however, at least one game--Arcade's Greatest Hits Sega
> Genesis--also used the Mode button as an in-game 3/6-button mode toggle for
> some games like Robotron 2084 and Defender II.

Technoclash used it as well, though all the six-button controller's
extra buttons were basically just single press short cuts for a
three-button controller's button combination actions.

<Crisp>

Benjamin

BelPowerslave

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

> Decap Attack is an earlier Genesis game and there were some issues with

quote:

> six-button controller compatibility for some ealier games. (Someone may know
> where that short list of games is located, but I remember that games such as
> Ms. Pac-Man and Forgotten Worlds were two of the games on that list.)
>

This is a good topic to shoot off the original with, see if we can come up with
a list of what doesn't work with the 6 button pad. I don't know if even Sega's
official manual for the 6 button pad had all the games on there.

quote:

> however, at least one game--Arcade's Greatest Hits Sega
> Genesis--also used the Mode button as an in-game 3/6-button mode toggle for
> some games like Robotron 2084 and Defender II.
>

Here's another great topic: See if we can find games that actually use the Mode
button. I know Star Wars 32X will use it to switch from cockpit to 3rd person
view.

Bel
--
Whip XXX Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/

"I love collecting big guns! It looks so Unreal!"
- Sam Stone, Serious Sam II

BelPowerslave

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

> however, at least one game--Arcade's Greatest Hits Sega

quote:

>
> Technoclash used it as well, though all the six-button controller's
> extra buttons were basically just single press short cuts for a
> three-button controller's button combination actions.
>

Sounds like SoR 3's use of the extra buttons as well. Was pretty nice...

Bel

--
Whip XXX Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/

"I love collecting big guns! It looks so Unreal!"
- Sam Stone, Serious Sam II

BelPowerslave

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

Ettien27@hotmail.com wrote:

quote:

> Hmmm, is this a known problem or a busted copy?
>

Hopefully you got it working. Pretty much any game that just freaks out, or
doesn't work at all with a 6 button pad needs to have that method, that
others have mentioned, applied. As far as I've seen, there aren't that
many...

As for DecapAttack itself...man I love that game. Give it a good, serious
try once you get it running...it's great!

Bel
--
Whip XXX Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/

"I love collecting big guns! It looks so Unreal!"
- Sam Stone, Serious Sam II

Tim Miller

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

BelPowerslave wrote:

quote:

>
> This is a good topic to shoot off the original with, see if we can
> come up with a list of what doesn't work with the 6 button pad. I
> don't know if even Sega's official manual for the 6 button pad had
> all the games on there.
>

It certainly didn't in the UK. The 'manual' was a single sheet of
a paper with very basic "plug it in, maybe hold down 'mode'"
instructions printed in 53,974 different languages.

Tim (tm)
--
tim (at) economic-truth.co.uk
http://www.gamerwiki.com - the videogame encyclopedia
http://xexyz.blogspot.com - Tim's Gaming Diary

BelPowerslave

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

> > This is a good topic to shoot off the original with, see if we can

quote:

> It certainly didn't in the UK. The 'manual' was a single sheet of
> a paper with very basic "plug it in, maybe hold down 'mode'"
> instructions printed in 53,974 different languages.
>

Yeah, I've noticed that with a lot of stuff I get from the UK and
whatnot. I'll pop open the game and almost pass out when I see the
thick-XXX manual...after reading it, I notice why it's so thick. ;)

Also, check out Daniel's post "Six button controller game issues (was:
Re: Decap Attack troubleshooting?)" for a reproduction of what was in
the US version's manual(well, insert).

Bel
--
Whip XXX Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/

"I love collecting big guns! It looks so Unreal!"
- Sam Stone, Serious Sam II

Tim Miller

2006-02-25, 9:16 pm

BelPowerslave wrote:

quote:

>
> Also, check out Daniel's post "Six button controller game issues
> (was: Re: Decap Attack troubleshooting?)" for a reproduction of what
> was in the US version's manual(well, insert).
>

But at least that gave you a list of some of the games that you might
need to use it on. The Euro one didn't, as far as I can recall.

Tim (tm)
--
tim (at) economic-truth.co.uk
http://www.gamerwiki.com - the videogame encyclopedia
http://xexyz.blogspot.com - Tim's Gaming Diary