RetroArch Disc Change With No Disc Change Save File

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Published 2019-07-04
This applies to your Metal Gear-like games that prompt you to switch discs mid-game with no option to make a save file compatible with the second disc from the first. I've looked at various videos regarding this and while none of them worked for me, it took some searching on and off YouTube to grasp how this works. This might not be guaranteed for everyone, but after numerous attempts, this is what works for me.

I've only encountered one issue with this method not working because Retroarch cannot reliably overwrite a save state that is already a disc change save state, which is addressed below in the first step.

6 simple steps:

1. Create a Save State at the disc change screen of the game. (Note: If you have a save state previously saved in this slot that is a disc change screen, use a different save slot as it tends to not overwrite/replace the old.)

2. From the Quick Menu, select Disk Control. Go to Disk Image Append and select the new disc. (Note: This should change the Disk Index automatically after going to Disk Control in the next step.)

3. Select Disk Cycle Tray Status and make sure it's OPEN/EJECTED.

4. Go back to the Quick Menu and select Load State.

5. Now go to Disk Control and Select Disk Cycle Tray Status and make sure it is CLOSED.

6. Press F1 to exit the Retroach menu and the disc you want to play should start.

All Comments (13)
  • @nickleman93
    YOU ARE THE GREATEST HUMAN AT THIS MOMENT. YOU JUST SAVED ME SO MUCH HEADACHE FOR MY LEGEND OF DRAGOON NOSTALGIA. THANK YOU
  • @countzero2118
    Fantastic. I was trying through the top bar menus and that was not working. Finally figured out how to get the Quick menu open like you have in this video and followed your steps. Worked perfectly. Thanks man. You have provided a great community service!
  • @andreiluca9963
    AMAZING! We wasted 40 minutes of our life, then we found your video. Finally. Thank you!
  • @reisukami5878
    You're a fucking legend, man. Finally someone who knows what he's talking about. Thanks dude, you've helped me with my MGS playthrough :)
  • @zhulu1
    Que cara bom! Me ajudou nessa, eu havia derrotado a Sniper Wolf e não sabia colocar o segundo disco, valeu!
  • @HapNep
    THANK YOU SO MUCH YOURE THE BEST❤❤❤❤❤
  • @locke47
    Well, it worked, but.... not really -_- I'm using the trick for Valkyrie Profile, and it works as long as I keep retroarch running. If I close it and try to load state, next time the game has to read the disk (ie going to menu, world map, battle), it will display a "tray open" icon and won't react to anything I try. The Memory Card saves disappear as well, so there is no way to save my progress for a later time, it would only work as long as I don't close the emulator. Any ideas? Thanks for the helpful answer, even if it isn't quite solving my issues!
  • hey dude, I read you're coment on Briana's video and hahaha, glad you enjoy her video ;)
  • I’m trying on Android and I’m still stuck with disk 1 on Parasite Eve for PSX