Exploring Glitches: Bugs in Tomb Raider Chronicles and The Last Revelation

[CrisMod]

Hello everyone, after several weeks of testing to get the right settings for launching my game library with my IDE/SATA-modified Dreamshell Dreamcast, I stumbled upon two titles that hold a special place in my heart from my childhood, having known Tomb Raider from its earliest chapters.

In brief, let me explain the bugs or glitches that affect these two Dreamcast titles. After spending weeks debugging the console with my Raspberry Pi, consulting the "ISO Loader 0.8.x Beta" section on this site, and discussing the issue with other users regarding "Tomb Raider Chronicles," I discovered that this game freezes after about 10 minutes of gameplay or if you use the "Look" button (L button) multiple times, or if you press the "START" button to access the in-game menu. These freezes occurred randomly without a clear pattern and didn't always replicate at the same point. Some suggested it might be a problem with the modification, but the modification shouldn't cause issues with just 1 or 2 titles. Besides, the modification worked flawlessly with everything else, so I tried various images (debugging) created by different users from different regions. I experimented with all the ISOLoader settings and even tried the original physical games, but they all presented the same problem.

Until yesterday, when my modems for my 3 Dreamcasts arrived, and an unexpected result emerged. It's worth noting that I'm not sure how the developers of the Tomb Raider series associated it with the Dreamcast Modem/BBA (Broadband Adapter), but the game "Tomb Raider Chronicles" no longer has in-game freezes (tested for over 4 hours). As for "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation," it fixed some issues with pixel rendering in certain parts of the game resulting in white/purple/gray pixels. Regarding "Tomb Raider Chronicles," it has problems with in-game freezes without a modem/BBA, so you can only play it if you have the modem (this also applies to the physical game).

In disbelief, I tried to delve deeper into this issue with some internet research, and indeed, I found a few posts that casually mentioned this problem. The two reference sites are here: `https://github.com/p1pkin/demul/issues/479` and
here: `https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=155377`.

This makes sense because those involved in their significant work of providing the community with their lists of settings to make games work with the best Dreamshell/ISOLoader settings test them with modems. Thus, they couldn't have noticed this defect for those who don't have a modem. This issue occurs with all three scenarios: Dummy Modem Semi-Real (with the card inside but without the circuitry), Dummy Modem Full Plastic, and removing the modem, leaving the Dreamcast with no accessories attached.

Now, to explain and show the glitch that occurred in "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation," I can no longer replicate it because, since I attached the real modem, it fixed the minor color pixel issues that were not visible on certain objects. Even detaching or attaching the Dummy Modem doesn't affect the game anymore because the "FIX" must have stayed in memory. I will try to replicate it again later, and if I have the images, I will post them here (I believe I will need to reset the console by removing the battery, etc.).

However, "Tomb Raider Chronicles" is replicable even with Emulators, and from my side at least with my model, which is the Dreamcast with Motherboard VA0 (the other revisions should also be included unless the circuitry of the new revisions at that time SEGA improved something in the interface where they knew it could create such a problem in a special circumstance).

I will post this post here and on Dreamcast-Talk Forum with the wish that this information will help other users.

[SWAT]

I had the same issue because BBA was installed. Thanks for info!

BTW. When I answering, "RE:" is added to you post subject, which causes the error of the subject being too long.