System 1.0 Card

[atr3yu]

So one of my favorite classic games is Altered Beast. I have a Hu card of the game and have been thinking of buying the CD-ROM version as I just got Super Raiden and the audio is soooo much better. So I guess what I am asking is there a use or the System 1.0 card other than allowing my DUO/DUO-RX to play Altered Beast?? I have a chance to get one locally for $25 bucks and it is cheaper than getting one off of Ebay, but if all I get to do is use it for one CD-ROM than I don't think Altered Beast is worth $25 for card and $20 for game. Also has anyone played the CD-ROM version and can tell me how the audio is compared to the HU card game. Also I have a flash cart is it possible to flash a System 1.0 dump onto the cart in order to get this going and save me a few bucks if it i only for one game.

[nat]

No, the audio is exactly the same except I think they added more voice samples (the music itself is the exact same chip track though). The CD version has an added cinema intro, that's it. In fact, the game itself is exactly the same, only worse.  They changed the colors of some in-game graphics SLIGHTLY. Like the sky in the first level was changed from 5,5,5 on the palette to 5,5,6 or something ridiculous like that. Barely noticable unless you do a side-by-side comparison. Also, the CD version has to stop MID-LEVEL to load the second half of the level. That's the processing power of the System 1 card for you.

I'd highly recommend against buying a System 1 card for $25, or even for $5 if you have a flash cart. As you suggested-- just load the ROM onto the flash cart and do it that way if you must play the CD. IMO the cart is superior in every regard except for the lesser amount of voice samples.

[Black Tiger]

The intro is garbage. From what I've seen, there are a few not-so-slight bg changes.

Can't you still buy both the System 1.0 card and Altered Beast CD togethjer for like $40 or less? I know that the game has been steadily coming down in price for years, so by now the two together should be $30 tops. I believe that I bought my last copy new/sealed for $10.

Does the HuCard version even have any voices?

One of the two PCE versions is supposed to be super cheap/difficult.

Since you have flash card atr3yu, if you have or get an Avenue Pad 3, you can play Bonknuts's jump button hack of the HuCard.

[nat]

The "voices" on the cart simply consist of screams and growls. The cart is also the more difficult, but that's no bad thing.

[Tatsujin]

The cart is also the more difficult, but that's no bad thing.

i thinky yes, since it's almost unplayable fu**in' hard on teh huey

my sug. get an MD & the game

[nat]

Real men play the PCE HuCard. And win.

[atr3yu]

Ok I have an Avenue 6 and a DUO-RX pad. Where would I go about finding the ROM hack to quit using freakin' up as jump. That ticks me off!!! And I am going to get the CD just to have for my collection as I have the HU Card already also, I am just going to use my flash cart as a System 1.0 cart. Now about doing this do I just add it to the cart load the ROM and it will go into the CD-ROM selection screen? Because if it is inserted it will go to the ROM selection screen and axxs'ing the CD-ROM can't be done as far as I know.

[nat]

Yeah, load the System 1 card ROM onto your flash cart, then from the ROM selection screen select it as you would any game. It will then go to the BIOS screen where you can boot the CD.

[atr3yu]

Works like a charm, no more glitches on AB. BTW what is the Games Express Card for?? It came in the ROM pack I got for the system 1.0 image.

EDIT
Found it in the Wiki just had to read more in depth, seems as if some company made games for the CD-ROM drives and you need this in order to play them. Had a look on Ebay and I guess they make HU card games also. This is interesting and I am going to look for some of these games. Are they rare because the two on Ebay are fairly cheap. 30 and 40 bucks. Reminds me of the Tengen carts I collected for the NES.

[Black Tiger]

Some of the Games Express titles like Hi Leg Fantasy sell for a lot. I think that there are more than one version of the system cards, so you should only buy their CD games if the card is included(they're incomplete without them anyway).

Strip Fighter II ('Hucard') is moderately sought after for obvious reasons, but its mostly a novelty game. Some people have said that Lady Sword (also a card game) is pretty good and it's fairly cheap.

[atr3yu]

Well I am going to see if I can't find a few ROMS before buying as that is what I do with every purchase. It has saved me form buying quite a few Genny turds but I have enjoyed 90% of the Turbo/PC Engine games. Thanks for the titles names as now i have something to look for.

BTW

 I would like to say thanks for all the help you guys have given me, NEC consoles were alot to figure out at first but you guys have helped alot without -being to hard on me so far. I know the Jag scene was a little "OMG I can't believe you didn't know that already" types. :-/

[termis]

Wait a second -- you can flash the System 1.0 card on to a flash cart? 

AFAIK, you can't flash System 3.0 or ACD images to a flash cart.  What makes 1.0 different from the latter system cards?

[Bonknuts]

The CD 64k base ram is in the upper address range - it's *not* attached to the CD 1.0 or 2.0 cards. It's still accessible when other hucards are plugged in. I had some problems getting it work on my SGX+Super CDROM2 unit(it disables the lower ram and the upper ram on card detect pin), but it worked on a Duo unit with a flash card using 1.0 and 2.0. If you flash a 3.0 rom, the graphics will mess up and possible crash if code is in the 192k area. Dragon Slayer ingame will run for a little while like this. Arcade card has no bios per say. It maps some hardware registers into an open bus area of the address range. Hope that helps.

[termis]

Ah, that does make sense.  Thanks for the explanation. 

[atr3yu]

Nope I have the system 3 card on my flash cart also and no GFX problems that I have seen. It makes it so I don't have to ever pull my flash cart out and ruin it!!! If I want to play a CD game I select system 3.0 rom and bam the screen comes up and I play a cd game flash cart still in pc engine safe and sound. BTW the games express games (cd&hu) work just fine. Strip Fighter 2 is funny.


Oh one last thing the AC is the only system card you can not use on your flash cart.