Addressing RAM - CDDA Challenges in DC Games

[CrisMod]

Welcome to the new topic dedicated to exploring and addressing the challenges related to RAM and CDDA management in some 3D heavy DC games.

List of Games with CDDA / RAM Issues:

1. Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX.
2. Pen Pen.
3. Quake 3 Arena.
4. Railroad Tycoon II - Gold Edition.
5. Racing Simulation 2.
6. Re-Volt.
7. Sega Extreme Sport.
8. Sega GT.
9. Sega Rally 2.
10. Toy Commander.
11. Toy Racer.
12. Vanishing Point.

Throughout this discussion, we will delve into the issues encountered in these games, where CDDA audio may lead to crackling and malfunctions. Additionally, we will discuss potential solutions and advice provided by @SWAT.

Response from CrisMod:
In my response to Freudi93 (if you are interested check it out here: http://www.dc-swat.ru/forum/thread-4041.html ), I shared the results of my tests on specific games. I highlighted how enabling CDDA can cause audio crackling in the games, while disabling CDDA allows the user to hear sound effects but not the background music. I theorized that this is due to the management of background music in games that require more RAM, with the audio (a part of it usually music) constantly loaded (from IDE interface) and unloaded (from RAM) in small blocks due to limited space in RAM.

Response from @SWAT:
@SWAT has provided valuable insights on how to address the issue. In response to my theory, which aligns with my observations of how the Dreamcast operates and interacts with Dreamshell/Isoloader code, he explained that for the PCM track (game audio), the available RAM might not be sufficient, leading to playback in small segments. He suggested exploring the possibility of changing the location of the HEAP (memory allocation) as a solution to resolve this issue.

Conclusions:
This topic has been created to discuss, share information, and seek solutions regarding RAM and CDDA-related issues in some Dreamcast games (as we know are 11 for now, if you have others please share and will be added to the list). We hope to find ways to optimize the gaming experience and resolve any audio issues. We invite you to actively participate in the discussion and share your experiences and solutions.