Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: SNES Chrono Trigger Freeze/Glitch Thread

  1. #1
    Insert Coin (Level 0) Kunk One's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Twin Cities
    Posts
    8
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default SNES Chrono Trigger Freeze/Glitch Thread

    I'm not much of an RPGer, but since everything I've ever heard about Chrono Trigger is 'you must play it, best game ever, want to see my chrono fanart,' I thought I'd give it a shot. Problem is, the game locks up during battles. I can run around and yap at people, play games, etc. Everything seems normal until I fight some robotic cat or beetles, then the characters stop moving and all menus disappear. Music continues, pause works, and I can flip the menu bar from top to bottom, but nothing else.

    Some cart information, which may or may not be helpful:
    -The saved game screen has two slots for new games, the third slot is titled 'What Lies Beyond?' (Time 10:32, Save #36)
    -New Game and New Game + are both available when starting. Previous owner beat the game and I can start anew with all items -- tried it for kicks and got the same freeze.
    -Happens during both Active and Wait battle modes when a new game is started.
    -Also happens during previously mentioned saved game.
    -Soft reset works after the lock takes over.

    Is this a common problem with these old Square carts? I can't imagine its the battery, as it still holds a saved game. The only other thing I can think of is erasing everything on the cart and starting completely fresh, but I'm not sure that's the solution to my problem, either. Any help would be appreciated, any wacky scenario suggestions (name every character a vulgarity!) will be attempted. Thanks.

    I will also accept 'Go play Shadowrun' as a comedy answer, but only once.

  2. #2
    Peach (Level 3) Cinder6's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    679
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    PSN
    Cinder6

    Default

    Go play Shadowrun, seriously.


    Anyways, I doubt a faulty save battery could cause anything like what you're describing (and as you pointed out, the old save game still exists). You might try opening it and seeing if anything inside is broken, and make sure the connector is nice and squeaky clean. I'd also try cleaning your SNES's connector.

    Sorry I can only give general advice, but I've never heard of this problem before.

    Oh, and since you're new here, welcome to the forums
    Knowledge is Power.
    Power corrupts.
    Study hard.
    Be evil.

  3. #3
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    361
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I agree with Cinder6, try cleaning the contacts on the game and system with a SNES cleaning kit.

    The save data shouldn't be causing the problem, but you can still try deleting it: on the save game menu, on controller 2 press start+select on the save you want to delete. Deleting all of them will also remove the New Game+ option.

  4. #4
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I have the exact issue as the OP. (You didn't sell your cart on eBay did you? )

    I have tried cleaning the contacts a bit but I have yet to break open the cart to see if anything inside is broken. Whatever the game uses for the Combat must be bad considering how the rest of the game works just fine up until the first combat encounter.

  5. #5
    Pretzel (Level 4) APE992's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Chico, CA
    Posts
    999
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    APE992

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by IM0001 View Post
    I have the exact issue as the OP. (You didn't sell your cart on eBay did you? )

    I have tried cleaning the contacts a bit but I have yet to break open the cart to see if anything inside is broken. Whatever the game uses for the Combat must be bad considering how the rest of the game works just fine up until the first combat encounter.
    Nothing is likely visibly broken but there are things that can go wrong over time.

    Captainscott sent me his Super Mario RPG cart which you can read up on his problems with here:
    http://digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155527

    I'm testing it right now but it looks like I've managed to restore his cartridge to factory fresh. Boots up each time I've tried it and my brother is playing through to the first boss fight after leaving Bowser's castle. There wasn't anything visibly wrong with the cartridge but that is normal. All it took was reflowing of virtually every solder joint inside the cart, a bit of cleaning and the swapping of a component for a new and higher quality version.


    If you'd like a professional to look at it I'd be happy to.
    I fix things. You name it, I'll work on it. Want something modded? Recapped?

  6. #6
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by APE992 View Post
    Nothing is likely visibly broken but there are things that can go wrong over time.

    Captainscott sent me his Super Mario RPG cart which you can read up on his problems with here:
    http://digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155527

    I'm testing it right now but it looks like I've managed to restore his cartridge to factory fresh. Boots up each time I've tried it and my brother is playing through to the first boss fight after leaving Bowser's castle. There wasn't anything visibly wrong with the cartridge but that is normal. All it took was reflowing of virtually every solder joint inside the cart, a bit of cleaning and the swapping of a component for a new and higher quality version.


    If you'd like a professional to look at it I'd be happy to.
    I will probably have a go at getting inside and taking a look around. It does boot up and save so I am guessing it may be just a bad solder joint. Can the chips themselves actually go bad in these things?

    Now the problem of getting my hands on a adjustable soldering gun. The things aren't cheep, but I do seem to have use for one every few months or so.

    How much would you charge to fix it up on your end?

  7. #7
    Pretzel (Level 4) APE992's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Chico, CA
    Posts
    999
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    APE992

    Default

    Err you don't want a soldering gun, you want a soldering iron.

    No charge if I can't do anything to help just pay return shipping. If I can fix it it'd be $5-10 max.

    Somewhat curious if there might be a CIC problem. IIRC SNES games will freeze with communication between the CIC on the cart and inside the SNES are interrupted. Disabling the SNES side of things would likely fix it but it can be tricky for anyone not experienced in lifting pins with a needle.

    Thing is if it is a CIC problem using a different SNES might solve the problem. OTOH I've seen corrupted saves have some odd behaviors towards the cartridge itself. Many moons ago I used a "play as Metal Mario" code with my GameShark on Super Smash Bros. After that the game automatically forced you to play as Mario no matter what character you selected. Sadly the only fix was to wipe the save and start from scratch. Not sure if the saves on the cart could cause what you're seeing but it is a possibility albeit unlikely.
    Last edited by APE992; 05-08-2012 at 09:30 PM.
    I fix things. You name it, I'll work on it. Want something modded? Recapped?

  8. #8
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Hm. I might have to take you up on that offer. I'll take a look myself before I do however.

    I guess I could try the game in a friends SNES and see what happens.

  9. #9
    Key (Level 9) wiggyx's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    1,844
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Delete the save file(s). It's possible the guy that owned it before used a series of Game Genie codes that caused an issue. Lots of the SNES RPG games would occasionally freak out with certain codes. The instructions for this sort of thing were usually "turn off the GG before saving, then flip back on afterward". He may have forgotten to switch off before saving.

  10. #10
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default Nope

    Well its borked. There are no saves, and the game will screw up even at the start when Chrono gets out of bed. Walk toward the stairs and he disapears lol. Can still access the menu, and the music continues to play fine, but there is no way to continue.

  11. #11
    Pretzel (Level 4) APE992's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Chico, CA
    Posts
    999
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    APE992

    Default

    Deleting the saves doesn't necessary wipe the entire SRAM space.

    Though your cart sounds almost identical to a Super Mario RPG cart I had years ago.
    I fix things. You name it, I'll work on it. Want something modded? Recapped?

  12. #12
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by APE992 View Post
    Deleting the saves doesn't necessary wipe the entire SRAM space.

    Though your cart sounds almost identical to a Super Mario RPG cart I had years ago.
    I was going to ask, is there any sort of button combo or anything to do a cart reset or anything? Haven't had time to dig around on it to see if there is some SNES special hidden feature I have not known about all these years.

    The battery still has some juice left in it since it did have some saves in it when I got it a few years back. :/ It does seem to get progressively worse. When I first got the game, I was able to get as far as the end of the transporter scene, but now I cannot even leave the room and the intro demo has some graphical glitches now too. Maybe I have to dig in with some good cleaning tools as well. I wouldn't think a solder joint going bad would make the game progressively worse now would it?
    Last edited by IM0001; 05-14-2012 at 02:07 PM.

  13. #13
    Pretzel (Level 4) APE992's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Chico, CA
    Posts
    999
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    APE992

    Default

    I suppose one could. I'm not well versed enough in how the SNES accesses data from the cartridge but if the data needed right when it freezes is on a bad address line it could cause the problem. Could be internal degradation of the mask rom too for that matter. Swapping the mask rom onto another cart would be a good way to test that hypothesis but the only fix would be to wire in an EPROM which would make the cartridge suspect to any future buyers as a bootleg/reproduction rather than a legit cart with an unorthodox fix. I don't think a single solder joint would account for everything you're seeing.

    As far as I know there is no button combo to wipe the SRAM entirely. Pulling the battery and leaving it alone for a few days would likely guarantee it gets wiped 100%.
    I fix things. You name it, I'll work on it. Want something modded? Recapped?

  14. #14
    Pretzel (Level 4)
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    819
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I've erased Pokemon carts by shorting the battery for 1-2 seconds, doing that is fairly safe since these batteries can't put out enough power to do any damage like that.

    BTW If I'm reading right the last save slot is the only one used? That is rather unusual as most people use the top slot first, that would tend to favor an SRAM issue. It could be that the battery is dying, some batteries behave erratically before failure.

  15. #15
    Key (Level 9) wiggyx's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    1,844
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Remove/replace the battery and see what happens.

Similar Threads

  1. WTB: Chrono Trigger SNES
    By Solo_Skywalker in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-18-2014, 07:01 AM
  2. WTB: Chrono Trigger Snes
    By John-Lennon in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-28-2011, 10:00 AM
  3. WTB: Chrono Trigger (SNES)
    By Gooch3008 in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-03-2011, 08:57 AM
  4. FS/T - Chrono Trigger SNES - $30
    By Porksta in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-09-2009, 08:40 AM
  5. FS: Chrono Trigger for SNES
    By CronoTriggerfan in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 12-19-2006, 07:52 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •