Cross-Platform Multi-Memorycard Guide. (For RPG Maker 1) By: Lantis ====== Intro ====== As most people know, RPG Maker 1 (RM1) has a limited storage capacity. And because of this, it will take more than 2 memory cards to get a game up and running now a days. To get these games running, it requires the user to get a Dex Drive and convert the data over to a memory card that can then be loaded up in a Playstaion 1 or Playstation 2 console. Now there are more formats in which you can play your RM1 games of which I will cover. The first being the Playstation 1 emulator called the "EPSXE" which basically turns your computer into a playstaion. And the other is the Playstation 3, of which does not use memory cards. The reason why I'm writing this is because the EPSXE and the PS3 can't load more than 2 cards at one time and may be required to do so in some RM1 games. And while I'm sure you may be able to do this on you own, there might be a few out there that would find this useful. So here we go... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- | This guide covers... | --------------------------------------- | | | I. The EPSXE (Playstation Emulator) | | II. The Sony Playstaion 3 | | III. Side information | _______________________________________ ======== I. ESPXE ======== (NOTE: Basic knowlege of how the EPSXE works is suggested, visit http://www.epsxe.com/files/ePSXe_FAQ.txt for more information) So, here's the problem: When you run the EPSXE, you can go into your configuration and select which two memory cards will be in Slot 1 and Slot 2. For people who have sprite models in their games, this may require a 3rd card to get the game to run. So it would seem impossible to get the game to run as you'd have nowhere to place the third card to load. The way around this takes some doing from the creator of the RM1 game. What I suggest is to make your first scenario memory card as small as possible. For example, I have only 3 blocks of scenario data to load to start my game. I was able to place it with the sprites I'm using. So to load my game, I'd be able to get the System data, Scenario data, and Sprite data with just two memory card slots. (NOTE: Sadly, those who require more than 1 sprite card may be out of luck as I haven't found a way around that yet.) Now that you have your game loaded, there is something very important you have to know. This is nothing that the creator has to worry about, just you as the player. Whenever the next scenario kicks in, you will not need the first anymore. IF YOU WERE TO SAVE YOUR GAME AND RESTART, IT WOULD TAKE THE NEW SCENARIO CARD TO LOAD making it impossible to load the game as it would take 3 cards. To get around this you CAN NOT use save points. You will have to use the Save State function within the EPSXE. You can access the Save State function by hitting ESC and going Run>Save State>Slot (whichever slot you Want) and Run>Load State>Slot (whichever slot you want) to continue your game. Doing so will get you out of every haveing to load from the memory cards. But that's only have of the solution. When playing a game and you reach the point in the game where you need to load a new Scenario, the EPSXE will search both Memory Card slots for the next Scenario. IF IT DOESN'T SEE IT, THEN YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTINUE YOUR GAME. RPG Maker 1 does not constantly scan the Slots for new data. It only refreshes when a card it physically taken out. But seeing as it's an emulator, there's no card to physically remove. Here's how to get around it: After you have a game going and everything is loaded, you don't need the data in those slots anymore. So hit ESC on the keyboard. This will bring you back to the ESXPE menu. From here, you can change your Memory Card slots by going Config>Memory Card> (select the card you want to you). Go ahead and put the next scenario that will be needed in one of the slots, so when you reach that point in the game, the EPSXE will have it waiting for RPG Maker 1. All you have to do to continue your game play is go Run>Continue. Then when you play through the previously loaded scenario, and the next one is loaded, go back and change the slots to point to the next scenario in line. This may seem like alot of work... but it's actually quite painless. It doesn't take that much time either. ================= II. Playstation 3 ================= Before you can even load a PS1 file to a PS3, you will need a Memory Card Adaptor. It's a memory card slot that connects to the USB cable you use to charge your wireless controller. I will first walk you through getting your PS1 data on your PS3 Hard Drive. Once connected, go into your game menu and go into your memory cards. Don't create a new one, you are going to copy one instead. When you go into the memory card manager, your card should be located one space up. Select it and name it whatever you want. After the copy is complete, you can set it to a slot by pressing triangle and selecting Assign Slot. Once you have all the data on your hard drive, you can go ahead and load up RPG Maker 1. If you didn't assign the slots yet, that's okay. You can hold the PS button down for around 3 seconds and a menu will pop up. You can select and assign slots from this menu. And you will as it will come into play shortly. Now the PS3 works differently than the EPSXE as far as loading is confirmed. In the EPSXE, when it's reading any memory card at all, you can't change the slots. So if it was loading something in Slot 1, you can't change Slot 2 to something else. This does not apply for the PS3. And because of this, you can load as many memory cards at a time as you want. If your game HAS to have 4 memory cards to load, just assign the slot 1 to the data it needs. While slot 1 is loading, hold the PS button and assign the next memory card to slot 2. While slot 2 is loading, hold the PS button and load the next memory card in slot 1... ect. and it will all load with little problem. But like the EPSXE, you will need to have the scenario card that would be next already waiting in a slot. Because RPG Maker 1 doesn't scan for a memory card change unless you physically remove the card and place another one in the slot. So even if you change it out the virtual memory card, RPG Maker 1 won't see it. So you have to have it ready before it needs it. Again, this seems a little much, but it is actually pretty easy to get use to. Also, it's nice to have all your favorite RM1 games on a hard drive and all you need is just the RM1 disc to play them. ===================== III. Side Information ===================== Currently, there are no working PS2 emulators out that will run RPG Maker 2 or RPG Maker 3. So as for now, the only platforms you can play RPG Maker 2 & 3 titles is in the Playstation 2 or Playstation 3. To get either RM2 or 3 to play on the playstation 3, do everything you would to get the virtual memory card up and running as you would for Playstation 1. Except, all you need to do is assign the slot... nothing more. Nothing more.