SUITE MACABRE QUESTION?

[Neogeoman]

I've just started playing Suite Macabre on my original Colecovision with the super game module installed. Not sure if it's the game or if I'm doing something wrong but when I get to the 3rd screen, when going to the right from the home screen, I lose the picture as it completley goes to a black screen while the music continues to play in the background. This continued to happen no matter how many times I shut the game off and on again ior reinserted the cart. Haven't tried it on my PHOENIX yet to see if the problem continues but has anyone else experienced this? I thought I may need to find an item like a flashlight to continue but watching game play footage on YouTube all you need to do is walk to the right.

[insertclevernamehere]

I've played it on the Phoenix briefly and didn't have the problem you described.  I had a problem with the game using the Edladdin Super CV controller though but that's apparently a console issue (to add to the many), not the game or the controller.

[Neogeoman]

Yea I'm not sure if it's the coleco that's the problem or the cart itself. I know this is a game where you have to explore so when the screen went black but still had the music playing in the background I thought I needed a candle or flashlight to light up the room but after watching YouTube gameplay footage this is not the case. Simply going to the right the next screen should load and mine isnt. Will try it on the Phoenix, if it happens on that system I know it's the cart. I have no other issues with any of my other games and my original Colecovision 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

On 11/30/2021 at 9:21 PM, Neogeoman said:

I've just started playing Suite Macabre on my original Colecovision with the super game module installed. Not sure if it's the game or if I'm doing something wrong but when I get to the 3rd screen, when going to the right from the home screen, I lose the picture as it completley goes to a black screen while the music continues to play in the background. This continued to happen no matter how many times I shut the game off and on again ior reinserted the cart. Haven't tried it on my PHOENIX yet to see if the problem continues but has anyone else experienced this? I thought I may need to find an item like a flashlight to continue but watching game play footage on YouTube all you need to do is walk to the right.

I'm experiencing the exact same issue with my copy. Mine doesn't give a black screen and instead shows a screen of many colored pixel blocks. Looks like corrupted data. I've tried to reach out to Collectorvision through their contact page and a DM through their FB account but haven't gotten a reply. It does it on my main CV and my stock spare CV. So not sure what is up with it but it does seem something is off with the cart. I actually discovered it when I was live streaming during the holiday and popped the game in for the first time to encounter this.

 

Here is the point in the stream at the end where I tried to play the game and encountered the issue.

 

 

[+discotronic]

I have not played this one yet but will dig it out and try on both the Phoenix and regular CV. Might be this evening though. 

[+discotronic]

Just tried the game on an unmodified CV. The same thing is happening with my cart as well. Not the garbled screen. It goes black but you can still hear music and then it stops. Have not tried it on the Phoenix yet. 

[+discotronic]

Went ahead and powered up the Phoenix and the cart works like it should. It goes to the next screen without any problems. This is a first gen Phoenix with ,or at least it should be, the latest CV core version. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

So the issue only appears to affect actual CV consoles then as it does appear to work on the Phoenix? I missed that part I guess?

 

[NIAD]

4 hours ago, discotronic said:

Just tried the game on an unmodified CV. The same thing is happening with my cart as well. Not the garbled screen. It goes black but you can still hear music and then it stops. Have not tried it on the Phoenix yet. 

Check to make sure the screw just above the cartridge connector is indeed in place as it is used as a ground and causes issues with a couple games (Penguin Adventure and IIRC Risky Rick) if missing. There was a lengthy thread on this matter that you would need to search for, but hopefully the answer is as simple as this.

 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by NIAD

[nick3092]

As I recall it wasn't necessarily a missing screw, as much as it was a poor contact with the bottom ground shield even with a screw. Obviously a missing screw would cause contact issues. But I thought it was occurring for people who had the screw, but oxidation, corrosion, or other mechanical issues were causing poor contact.

 

But interesting that several people are suddenly potentially having that same issue. Assuming this is the cause. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

1 hour ago, NIAD said:

Check to make sure the screw just above the cartridge connector is indeed in place as it is used as a ground and causes issues with a couple games (Penguin Adventure and IIRC Risky Rick) if missing. There was a lengthy thread on this matter that you would need to search for, but hopefully the answer is as simple as this.

 

 

Oh..I'm well aware of the issues with Risky Rick. I assure you, I have a good ground at that point a I soldered an actual wire from another ground point nearby directly to the pad on the board where the screw goes in. My bottom RF shield is actually missing that tab completely hence why I had to solder in a wire.

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Anyone else give this game a try on actual hardware with any issues?

 

 

[crisalan44]

18 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Anyone else give this game a try on actual hardware with any issues?

 

 

I just finished giving it a try on my stock RF console, my av modded console , my RGB modded console(TMS Mobius RGB) and my 2nd gen Phoenix with no issues at all and the third screen pops up in all of them. Hope this helps. Cheers.

[NIAD]

4 hours ago, crisalan44 said:

I just finished giving it a try on my stock RF console, my av modded console , my RGB modded console(TMS Mobius RGB) and my 2nd gen Phoenix with no issues at all and the third screen pops up in all of them. Hope this helps. Cheers.

That covers the majority of possible system configurations/mods besides mods like the 5v RAM, alternate BIOS, using on a Stand-Alone ADAM along with the Ground Plane screw, so what’s left to consider:

 

- power supply fluctuations?

- CV board revisions?

- bad Cart PCB contact with cartridge connector… since around 2014/15 some Homebrews have been very finicky when connected to the AtariMax MaxFlash cart to dump but I’ve always been able to find the sweet spot.

Edited December 9, 2021 by NIAD

[+-^CrossBow^-]

My other console is a stock console with the ONLY modification being a replacement power switch to a rocker switch. And on my live stream I was using an OEM PSU that has been working great. This game and Risky Rick are the only two 'brews I've had any issues with so I'm not sure and I'm inclined to state there must be something off with my cartridge in this case. It seems I've got a recent series of bad luck in that regard.

 

If you watch at the point I linked to above, it does the same thing each time I try and enter the 3rd screen and appears to crash the system at that point. 

 

I do own a ColUSB and one of the 1080P's Meanwell supply blocks that I can plug in to see if it makes a difference?

 

[+discotronic]

On 12/3/2021 at 8:38 PM, NIAD said:

Check to make sure the screw just above the cartridge connector is indeed in place as it is used as a ground and causes issues with a couple games (Penguin Adventure and IIRC Risky Rick) if missing. There was a lengthy thread on this matter that you would need to search for, but hopefully the answer is as simple as this.

 

 

When I get a chance I will take a look at this and see if that is the culprit. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Well... in doing some more testing tonight. The game does indeed work on my other full stock CV. But it is also apparent that my original CV PSU is about due to be retired as the connect is just starting to not fit very well anymore causing some hit n miss voltages. But now I'm curious as to why it works on my other CV and not the one I mainly use?

 

My daily driver is an H2 revision if memory serves and even with the ground issue corrected on it for pin 13, Risky Rick still doesn't always load up on it for me which, is why I tend to play that one using my AMax flash cart. The modifications on this CV specifically are:

 

+5 RAM upgrade on the video as the original video had a few faulty chips originally hence the replacements

TMS-RGB

Composite AV board installed (This was before the TMS-RGB was a thing)

New caps about 2 years ago.

It did have the No Delay BIOS on it until the issues with Risky Rick came around. In troubleshooting that game, I put the original BIOS back in and reversed the jumper changes...etc. I never put the replacement BIOS back in.

 

I've not opened up my other CV in many years so I don't recall right off hand what revision it is, but it was also way more compatible with Risky Rick vs my current one. So I'm going to have to go with the H2 revision is just a problem child?

 

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I wanted to provide an update on this. I won't go into details but I was given a ROM for the game to use on my Atarimax SD and...

 

That works without issues on both of my CVs. So I don't know if this means there is something touchy with the carts and specific CVs or what, but I at least have a reliable way to play the game I purchased now.

 

I wouldn't have had to go through this if Collectorvision had just replied back to my inquires about this.

 

 

[digress]

that screen got switch to the low res 64x48 mode when that corruption shows. I've seen it happen before. The mode could just be swapped back as the game continued working. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

3 hours ago, digress said:

that screen got switch to the low res 64x48 mode when that corruption shows. I've seen it happen before. The mode could just be swapped back as the game continued working. 

So is that an indication of some hardware issue that rarely crops up or something else? I do find it odd that a ROM of the game on a flash cart seems to work without any issues. 

[digress]

I'd be guessing. The vdp writeing any data is usually done within the nmi routine and perhaps it ran out of time which caused it to leak to an incorrect memory location.

 

The rom on a flash cart would be loaded entirely into memory so it might access the bank switch quicker so it never comes up but the cartridge is reading from slightly slower real cartridge using bank switching.

 

having the entire program in flash memory might just make the access to data quicker when accessing video memory writes. The video memory is the same speed in both versions but where the data is read from the rom vs the flash memory might have a variation in speed.

 

That is just a guess.

[rodge2001]

I bought this game and then bought it again by mistake. I was surprised when a second one arrived. My first copy is fine and works on my stock CV with or without the SGM. But my second copy doesn’t work with SGM but will work without SGM. So perhaps if game won’t work try without the SGM connected. It seems earlier ones may be fine but later made copies may have this issue for some reason. I had hoped to sell my second copy and I guess still plan to and would just have to point this all out in eventual listing. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

On 12/24/2022 at 11:11 PM, rodge2001 said:

I bought this game and then bought it again by mistake. I was surprised when a second one arrived. My first copy is fine and works on my stock CV with or without the SGM. But my second copy doesn’t work with SGM but will work without SGM. So perhaps if game won’t work try without the SGM connected. It seems earlier ones may be fine but later made copies may have this issue for some reason. I had hoped to sell my second copy and I guess still plan to and would just have to point this all out in eventual listing. 

I do NOT own an SGM. It is pretty much confirmed to be my cart because the game tends to crash almost always on that 3rd screen on other CVs I've tried it own. Even fully stock ones that have NEVER been opened up before.

 

I purchased my cart not long after they were announced so I believe I have an earlier made one. But as there is at least one other person in this thread that had the exact same issue and they also have a stock CV, I do think some of the carts might have issues on actual hardware. I ran into something similar with a 2600 homebrew release around that time. Had a lot of back and forth bickering between the dev and myself about it. I confirmed it was my cart 100% when another friend lent me their copy of the game and it worked without any issues. I finally found a workaround with that particular 2600 brew so I could at least play the game but yeah. For some reason around that time, I was having a bad streak of newly purchased 'brews' not wanting to work for me.

 

 

[digress]

The SGM is built into the phoenix core.

 

I have observed graphical glitches with Bomb'n Blast & Mecha-8 when the SGM was plugged in to a standard colecovision that go away when the SGM is removed.

 

I suspect it is not your cartridge but rather something do with this. Maybe a standard colecovision core without the SGM or f18a could correct this.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

On 12/27/2022 at 7:59 PM, digress said:

The SGM is built into the phoenix core.

 

I have observed graphical glitches with Bomb'n Blast & Mecha-8 when the SGM was plugged in to a standard colecovision that go away when the SGM is removed.

 

I suspect it is not your cartridge but rather something do with this. Maybe a standard colecovision core without the SGM or f18a could correct this.

I'm confused I guess? I'm don't own an SGM or a Phoenix. I do own two actual Colecovision consoles. The main one I use has the +5v RAM upgrade that I did many years ago when the original RAM was failing, and it has the TMS-RGB installed that attaches to the VDP. I also have a separate composite amp board installed to provide that signal to a separate set of RCAs. But aside from that, it still uses the original factory BIOS and had the ground restored to pin 13 on the cartridge slot as I noted earlier in the thread.

 

The ROM copy of the game I have appears to work without issue through my AtariMax cart and is how I play it since the original cart does not go past the 2nd screen on this CV. And again, I've tested it on other CVs sent to me for service and it had the same issues on those. 

 

But it doesn't matter anymore at this point since again I the ROM version works fine on my console hardware so I can at least play the game at this point.