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documentation:games:region_locks_and_compatibility
The 3DO Opera platform does NOT have system wide region locks. There is no 'region' for which the consoles or software are tagged like many other systems. However, that does not mean all software will work across all consoles. There are compatibility issues which cause some software to fail to run. Whether these incompatibilities are accidental or purposeful and for what purpose they may have been introduced will depend on the title.
There are a few compatibility issues:
- Kanji ROM: Japanese systems have a 1MB ROM that can be bank switched into the memory space the main ROM sits and stores Kanji fonts. Games which use this are limited but they can fail to run due to not having the ROM on US and EU systems.
- Resolution / Frequencies: The 3DO Opera was released in NTSC and PAL regions and the consoles in those regions only supported the local standard. Some software was coded to use a particular standard and simply fails when used on another. Others will check and report that it is incompatible.
- Newer OS versions using slightly more memory: When the system boots it starts with the OS from the builtin ROM and if the OS on the CD is newer it will boot that instead. Some games use so much memory that when used with newer versions of the OS found on later consoles are used the game can error.
- Game specific region locking: Some games check the supported output formats and refuse to run if different than expected.
- “240p” mode: There is a pseudo 240p mode on some Japanese FZ-1 consoles. This mode is also on some consoles via mods. This mode causes the video DAC to double pump a VSYNC counter that some games use to manage game logic. Those games can run upwards of 2 times as fast as normal as a result.
Game List
This list is not complete. New entries are added as discovered. Anything with a “Region” == “all?” have been shown to have the issue on at least one release but not yet confirmed for all releases.
| Title | Region | Incompatibility |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Dead 13 | all? | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Bust a Move | U | FZ-10 w/ Anvil chip: Similar to Road Rash |
| Dragon's Lair | all? | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Escape from Monster Manor | U | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Lemmings | all? | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Novastorm | all? | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Out Of This World | all? | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Road Rash | U | FZ-10 w/ Anvil chip: The OS on the system is newer than the one on the disc so is loaded instead. The newer OS allocates a bit more ram which causes the kernel to be loaded at a different location which effectively reduces the amount of RAM available to the game. The game then loads and consumes a large portion of the RAM and when it launches the music player after the intro there isn't enough RAM for the music player and the interface indicates an error trying to play the music. |
| Space Ace | all? | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo | all? | Not really a compatibility issue per se but the intro sequence often has audio desync'ed from the animation. This appears to be a bug in the intro sequence code as it does not happen in the Super Street Fighter II X - Grand Master Challenge (J,EU) demo (IE it is perfectly synced.) |
| Ultraman Powered | J | 240p mode: Fails to boot (black screen). |
| The Way of the Warrior | E | US NTSC console: Presents a screen which says “SORRY, THIS VERSION OF WAY OF THE WARRIOR IS FOR A EUROPEAN PAL MACHINE BUT YOUR MACHINE IS U.S. NTSC, SEE YOUR DEALER FOR THE CORRECT VERSION.” |
| Wolfenstein 3D | E | Any NTSC console: Presents a screen which says “WOLFENSTEIN 3DO CAN NOT RUN ON A NTSC 3DO.” |
| 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. | ||
| Wolfenstein 3D | U | 240p mode: Runs game logic twice as fast as it should. |
| Yuu Yuu Hakusho | J | 240p mode: Crashes after starting story mode, or at character select screen. |
documentation/games/region_locks_and_compatibility.txt · Last modified: 2023/06/22 15:51 by cobra
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