Final Fight Double Impact Requires PSN Connection to Play

[M4R14NO94]

If the GD-Rom is essentially the same as a CD-Rom, how can the GD-Rom have 1gig data space?

Or would it be the GD/CD drives themselves are the same, but the GD has a larger storage medium?

I believe that GD-ROMs are basically like double layer DVDs (like those used for the 360's games) or double layer Blu-Rays. I'm not so sure about this

And about FF: Double Impact (and every other digital download release that's an emulation of an old game these days), I just hate stuff like that. Not the fact that you need a stable connection to play it (which, honestly, is a load of supposed anti-piracy crap), but the fact that they charge you these things for about half the price of a classic games compilation. Seriously, for the price of this game (or probably less), you could buy either any of the Capcom Classics compilations (Capcom Classics Remixed on the PSP has both FF and Magic Sword) instead of some cash-in with some video modes. I remember that in the websites for the Midway Arcade Treasures compilations (1 and 2) it said "20 games for 20 bucks!". Fast forward to 2005-2006, and Midway is selling some of those games on XBLA for 5 times the price they said in their compilations (although UMK3 was never on any compilation, unless we probably count the bonus disc from that special edition of MK: Armageddon). For me, stuff like that is a load of crap. Retro game compilations on discs (or with more than 2 games) FTW

[64k]

GD-roms are for sure not dual layer DVDs...aint no way they hold 8.5 gigs of data. BUT I think you might be onto something? perhaps they're dual layer CDs or just CDs which support overburning?!

[Knuckle Duster]

You're assuming the information written to the disc's are the same block size as standard CDs. The data itself is more compressed by direct comparison. More data is written and stored in smaller space on the disc. It's also written to the outer region of the disc.

I'm no expert on the details of it, nor do I care to look into it, but I assume this:
Dual layer information is essentially an optical trick, similar to writing two things in one spot, one with red ink, and one with blue ink. Throw on a pair of old fashioned 3D glasses and cover one eye at a time to see what's readable. That's as basic as it gets with explaining it, of course it's not related to 'color' outside of that being a variance on how information reflects off the mirrored surface read by the laser.

[17daysolderthannes]

hehehe who's to say man

If the GD-Rom is essentially the same as a CD-Rom, how can the GD-Rom have 1gig data space?

Or would it be the GD/CD drives themselves are the same, but the GD has a larger storage medium?

GD-ROM discs just have a higher bit density. IIRC, CDs vary the drive speed of the spindle as the laser tracks from the inside to the outside of the disc, thus making each revolution contain the same amount of data. On the other hand, I believe GD-ROMs keep the same bit density throughout so that outer tracks actually contain more data than inner tracks. I'm not sure if I have that exactly right as I can't find any clear information anywhere on it, but I know the data density is the difference between two and it's not a dual layer thing.

[M4R14NO94]

GD-roms are for sure not dual layer DVDs...aint no way they hold 8.5 gigs of data. BUT I think you might be onto something? perhaps they're dual layer CDs or just CDs which support overburning?!

That's what I was trying to say

[cj iwakura]

Boneheaded moves like this do more to punish legit gamers than they do pirates.

[kool kitty89]

GD-ROM discs just have a higher bit density. IIRC, CDs vary the drive speed of the spindle as the laser tracks from the inside to the outside of the disc, thus making each revolution contain the same amount of data. On the other hand, I believe GD-ROMs keep the same bit density throughout so that outer tracks actually contain more data than inner tracks. I'm not sure if I have that exactly right as I can't find any clear information anywhere on it, but I know the data density is the difference between two and it's not a dual layer thing.

I think the former point may be true on the density (hence near-standard CD-ROM hardware being able to read it), though I'm not sure if narrower tracks, like Sony's double-density CD format would also work in that context.

On the latter part, I think that's untrue, the GD-ROM drive is constant angular velocity, but later CD-ROM and DVD drives are too, unlike laserdiscs and floppy discs though, I think a constant linear (not angular) data density is maintained and a bitrate is regulated by other methods. (otherwise you'd have higher bitrates externally -which really doesn't matter except for timing sensitive streaming data like video -in which case you could simply limit for the lowest common data rate)

It wouldn't make sense to waste space like that, plus newer CD (and DVD) drives use similar drives. (and the constant angular velocity would be the only thing alluding to constant angular data density of the format)

[Markss]

is this final fight 1,2 and 3 or a complete different game

[17daysolderthannes]

I think the former point may be true on the density (hence near-standard CD-ROM hardware being able to read it), though I'm not sure if narrower tracks, like Sony's double-density CD format would also work in that context.

On the latter part, I think that's untrue, the GD-ROM drive is constant angular velocity, but later CD-ROM and DVD drives are too, unlike laserdiscs and floppy discs though, I think a constant linear (not angular) data density is maintained and a bitrate is regulated by other methods. (otherwise you'd have higher bitrates externally -which really doesn't matter except for timing sensitive streaming data like video -in which case you could simply limit for the lowest common data rate)

It wouldn't make sense to waste space like that, plus newer CD (and DVD) drives use similar drives. (and the constant angular velocity would be the only thing alluding to constant angular data density of the format)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GD-ROM

read the "regions" section, it basically confirms everything I said. The key word here is "higher bit density" which would mean they maintain a small bit size throughout, which is the gist of what I was trying to say.

That section also confirms that a normal CD drive CAN read a GD-ROM if the firmware allows for it.

[16-bit]

is this final fight 1,2 and 3 or a complete different game

Dats a good creschun. If it's just the first Final Fight I'm not going to bother, because I got it for the Xbox on Capcom Classics collection.

[kool kitty89]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GD-ROM

read the "regions" section, it basically confirms everything I said. The key word here is "higher bit density" which would mean they maintain a small bit size throughout, which is the gist of what I was trying to say.

In terms of "outer having more data than inner" only due tot he inner most region containing normal CD-ROM data, the vast majority of the DISC is that "outer" region which should maintain a similar linear bit density throughout....

What, no nevermind, I misinterpreted what you said... I think what confused me was you differentiating between CDs and GD-ROMs... CD-ROMs do the same thing: constant linear bit density, thus there's more data per revolution when moving outwards and also why audio CD drives (and early CD-ROM drives in general) use constant linear velocity rotation to maintain a steady bitrate. (faster/newer drives simply use constant angular velocity and regulate data flow by other methods)

So CD-ROMs and GD-ROMs (and DVDs, blu ray, HDDVD, double density CD-ROM etc) as well as magnetic tapes all have constant linear data encoding on the physical media: opposed to floppy disks, CAV laserdiscs, and vinyl records. (which all utilize constant angular density -except odd formats like C64 and early macintosh disk formats using CAV -the Amiga didn't do that but simply extended the number of writable tracks for its disks -and still exceeded the MAC's 800 MB format)

One note on Double Density CD-ROMs is that they narrowed the track pitch as well as shortening the pit size on the disc, opposed to GD-ROM which appears to have simply doubled the pit density. (halved the pit size -which is more than what DD-CD-ROM did in that area) DD-CD has a slightly higher capacity though. (and probably would have increased further with higher sector count discs as with normal CD-ROMs -unless it was already near the maximum compared to CDs going from 550 to 650 to 700 to 800 to ~900 MB)

[M4R14NO94]

Dats a good creschun. If it's just the first Final Fight I'm not going to bother, because I got it for the Xbox on Capcom Classics collection.

It's Final Fight and Magic Sword in one compilation