PS2 Hacking the PS2
- Thread starter STLcardsWS
- Start date
Sulfvr
Member
Yes, you can do that.
sp193
Developer
I would not say that using a compatible will surely not work with FMCB, but there is a chance it could not. MagicGate was never an open standard and so compatible cards would have been made using reverse-engineered logic. Since the full command set is not required for authentication (and hence saves), we do have compatible cards that only work well for storing saves.
FMCB is just another save folder on the memory card, so you may also save your games to it. One reason to use a different memory card for saves, is to protect the one containing FMCB (particularly if it is a genuine card) from wearing out the NAND. But in that case, you might want to plug the FMCB card into slot 2, as the browser can boot FMCB from either slot but not all games and software support both slots.
FMCB is just another save folder on the memory card, so you may also save your games to it. One reason to use a different memory card for saves, is to protect the one containing FMCB (particularly if it is a genuine card) from wearing out the NAND. But in that case, you might want to plug the FMCB card into slot 2, as the browser can boot FMCB from either slot but not all games and software support both slots.
OPL will firstly search the OPL folder into MC slot 1 and if there is not it will check slot 2. No need to set anything.
For game saves, you should create the generic VMC and save on it. If you're playing via SMB sharing the VMCs will be created in the VMC folder of your shared device/folder.
As you may know some games aren't compatible with VMCs, so you can use your MC into your first slot for them.
Always create 8MB VMCs.
Hello all,
please is it possible to play optical disc backups without a modchip in 2021? I'm running ps2 slim.
(I've used swap magic successfully in the past, but always have been worried about damaging my swap magic, losing access to my backups. I want to become independent of this single (possible point of failure) dvd I have to boot every time).
Thanks
please is it possible to play optical disc backups without a modchip in 2021? I'm running ps2 slim.
(I've used swap magic successfully in the past, but always have been worried about damaging my swap magic, losing access to my backups. I want to become independent of this single (possible point of failure) dvd I have to boot every time).
Thanks
If you have a compatible slim, install free mcboot. Patch iso with esr disc patcher. Load with esr.elf.
If you don't want to reburn your games, there is a SwapMagic.elf out there.
You can also load games from USB or over network with opl.
Edit: esr with only work with DVD based games.
If you don't want to reburn your games, there is a SwapMagic.elf out there.
You can also load games from USB or over network with opl.
Edit: esr with only work with DVD based games.
Last edited:
I don't want to reburn my games, what do I do?
Install free mcboot -> get SwapMagic.elf -> run my untouched backups?
Please can you point me to this SwapMagic.elf?
--
Edit: If I understand it correctly - with latest release of FreeDVDBoot, if my ps2 is compatible can I use it instead of Free mcboot?
Place swapmagic / cogswap on that disc and boot my backup that way?
Last edited:
jolek
Senior Member
ESR also works with CD games if you write them to DVD.
Unfortunately some games (e.g. Quake III: Revolution) have additional LBA checks,
in short these games will not work.
First off... IF you decide to reburn them, patch them with Jabu's FDVDB-ESR-Patcher-GUI! This will make the games bootable on EVERY SLIM!
Second... When you want to swap instead, you can use wLE and an original big-TOC-Disc of your region, to swap with.
Third... I would install FMCB in any case, just because of the possibility of the laser dying and there are a multitude of other reasons.
Regarding the LBA-checks in CD-based games. These can be patched! It takes some time and effort to do it however.
Second... When you want to swap instead, you can use wLE and an original big-TOC-Disc of your region, to swap with.
Third... I would install FMCB in any case, just because of the possibility of the laser dying and there are a multitude of other reasons.
Regarding the LBA-checks in CD-based games. These can be patched! It takes some time and effort to do it however.
Berion
Developer
@jolek Probably all CD based games have security called Media Check. Many games (CD and DVD) have also another layer of security checking on which address (LBA) files are put. Both must be patched if exist.
Some games have even more annoying security based on LBA like i.e FF12 which have not written to TOC any files besides mandatory SYSTEM.CNF + ELF. Everything else is read from LBA and such table is of course scrambled inside executable.
What ESR Patchers doing is only modification of UDF file system table which disguise as DVD-Video content (to fool Mechacon), while ISO9660 stays intact (because games using only this one). Those things are not related each other, and this is only filesystem table modifications, not files itself.
Some games have even more annoying security based on LBA like i.e FF12 which have not written to TOC any files besides mandatory SYSTEM.CNF + ELF. Everything else is read from LBA and such table is of course scrambled inside executable.
What ESR Patchers doing is only modification of UDF file system table which disguise as DVD-Video content (to fool Mechacon), while ISO9660 stays intact (because games using only this one). Those things are not related each other, and this is only filesystem table modifications, not files itself.
jolek
Senior Member
Thanks for explanations.
So far I have tested these CD based games:
I only had a problem with Quake III: Revolution.
I mean the game will not pass the 1st loading screen.
Quake III: Revolution works fine with OPL.
I'm not sure how the situation looks like with Shadow Man: 2econd Coming and its missing textures*:
However I remember that this problem was fixed in OPL:
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/open-ps2-loader.13415/page-16#post-153319.
* - from org disc everything works fine
So far I have tested these CD based games:
- Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
- Gradius V
- Quake III: Revolution
- Shadow Man: 2econd Coming
- Ultimate Pro Pinball
- Virtua Tennis 2: Sega Professional Tennis
I only had a problem with Quake III: Revolution.
I mean the game will not pass the 1st loading screen.
Quake III: Revolution works fine with OPL.
I'm not sure how the situation looks like with Shadow Man: 2econd Coming and its missing textures*:
However I remember that this problem was fixed in OPL:
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/open-ps2-loader.13415/page-16#post-153319.
* - from org disc everything works fine
Berion
Developer
I'm not sure but ESR patching media check on the fly because none of the patchers doing it correctly (Sonic applications), at least AI'm based on good source as I have no knowledge to verify this.
LBA tables cannot be automatically patched, because each games using it in different way (format, address, file etc.) and user can choose any LBAs. So games moved from CD to DVD, should not works on ESR without dealing with this security.
How this looks like in OPL, I don't know.
Quake 3 and TTT for sure are secured by this. However, I remember that some games can be fooled in easy way just recreating LBA order on DVD and putting CNF+ELF on the end. LBAs start user space on DVD is further than on CD (600 (?) for DVD and 23 for CD) so if developer put game files far enough, it can be moved without messing with "LBA Check".
In PS2 AIO You can find mentioned tools in:
LBA tables cannot be automatically patched, because each games using it in different way (format, address, file etc.) and user can choose any LBAs. So games moved from CD to DVD, should not works on ESR without dealing with this security.
How this looks like in OPL, I don't know.
Quake 3 and TTT for sure are secured by this. However, I remember that some games can be fooled in easy way just recreating LBA order on DVD and putting CNF+ELF on the end. LBAs start user space on DVD is further than on CD (600 (?) for DVD and 23 for CD) so if developer put game files far enough, it can be moved without messing with "LBA Check".
In PS2 AIO You can find mentioned tools in:
Code:
\CONTENT\applications for Windows\cd & dvd tools\disc image tools\patch tools\media flag patchers\Bonsoir.
Si je me souviens bien, j'ai réalisé une liste de compatibilité datant d'il y a 7 ans déjà, des jeux lancés sous le ESR.
Je vous en divulgue le lien qui pointe vers une liste vers le "Google-sheet". Si cela vous intéresse encore, j'ai aussi créé un formulaire pour l'entrée de données dans cette liste.
Voici les liens :
Liste ==> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1miGxCSbSeojY4NTIK52173judAthddJbMaPyeHfs3e8/edit#gid=0
Formulaire ==> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1POdJMW3zoL5fTQOhUMYL7Bcm4cLGGiJSU_tivEbr84k/viewform
Bonne soirée.
Good evening.
If I remember correctly, I made a compatibility list dating back 7 years ago, of games launched under the ESR.
I disclose to you the link which points to a list towards the "Google-sheet". If you're still interested, I have also created a form for entering data into this list.
Here are the links:
List ==> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1miGxCSbSeojY4NTIK52173judAthddJbMaPyeHfs3e8/edit#gid=0
Form ==> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1POdJMW3zoL5fTQOhUMYL7Bcm4cLGGiJSU_tivEbr84k/viewform
Good night.
Si je me souviens bien, j'ai réalisé une liste de compatibilité datant d'il y a 7 ans déjà, des jeux lancés sous le ESR.
Je vous en divulgue le lien qui pointe vers une liste vers le "Google-sheet". Si cela vous intéresse encore, j'ai aussi créé un formulaire pour l'entrée de données dans cette liste.
Voici les liens :
Liste ==> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1miGxCSbSeojY4NTIK52173judAthddJbMaPyeHfs3e8/edit#gid=0
Formulaire ==> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1POdJMW3zoL5fTQOhUMYL7Bcm4cLGGiJSU_tivEbr84k/viewform
Bonne soirée.
Good evening.
If I remember correctly, I made a compatibility list dating back 7 years ago, of games launched under the ESR.
I disclose to you the link which points to a list towards the "Google-sheet". If you're still interested, I have also created a form for entering data into this list.
Here are the links:
List ==> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1miGxCSbSeojY4NTIK52173judAthddJbMaPyeHfs3e8/edit#gid=0
Form ==> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1POdJMW3zoL5fTQOhUMYL7Bcm4cLGGiJSU_tivEbr84k/viewform
Good night.
supergamer228yea
Forum Noob
Hi, I want to change the laser on my ps2 slim which is hardware moded (it isn't mobdo chip). If I change the laser, will it still moded?
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