Little known cool tips anyone?

[MotherGunner]

I think these were mentioned before but we should keep this list going.  

Push Select at home screen and keep in mind you need to set conditions to play other regions on your system (via mod/converter):

1.  To manage game saves on a Turbo Booster Plus, use the CD-Rom 2.0 system card included with the U.S. TG-CD. 3.0 Works as well.

2.  To manage game saves on a PC-Engine IN ENGLISH, use the CD-Rom 2.0 system card included with the U.S. TG-CD.  <--Especially useful to those of you who keep accidentally deleting your saves!     3.0 Works as well.

[_Paul]

1. Always keep your CD unit plugged into the mains to retains your saved games.

2. Games are best enjoyed whilst sipping a cup of milky tea and munching on biscuits (Rich Tea preferred, Digestives a close second, but only if you dunk)

3. To avoid long term damage, never plunge your Duo into a bucket of ice cold water while the power is on.

[CrackTiger]

Games like Order of the Griffon show you the actual size of your save files.

The U.S. System 3.0 card works on Japanese systems.

The more or less physically identical Turbo CD, PCE CD-ROM and NEC computer CD-ROM are all interchangeable.

The PAL TurboGrafx doesn't run games at full speed, but is compatible with TurboGrafx-16 exp port accessories and has a unique A/V port. It also comes new in two boxes. If you are only buying one box the system will be incomplete. It has no official pack-in game.

You can use a regular stereo double male headphone jack cable as a TE/GT link cable. You can also run english and japanese games against one another in link modes.

Games like Monster Maker and TM Ziria SCD come in extra thick cases. If you try to replace the case with a regular cd case, the manual will not fit.

The Turbo Everdrive fits perfectly in a cd style HuCard case, such as Bomberman '94, Tennokoe Bank, SFII', mis. System cards, etc. It still fits with the optional usb pirt, but must slide in the sleeve with the pins facing upward and the case door will not close compketely. An over sized case such as those mentioned above will close.

Super CD and Arcade Card CD games have warning screens when you use a lower level system card. Some have unique graphics, cinemas, music or interactive content. Some PC-FX games also have warning screens when played on a PCE CD-ROM.

The 1.0 system card does not have a CD player. New features were added to each revision of system cards.

Many CD games such as Dracula X and Snatcher have unique audio warnings when played in a regular CD player.

The orange kisado converter fits perfectly in a rental store style plastic NES cart case.

Not all Games Express CD system cards are interchangeable. Make sure you are getting the right card with a game before buying it.

If a CD games gets lost during a load, the search will reset if you open and close the drive door just enough for the door sensor to release.

The only game Working Designs worked on that actually went to 11 was Dungeon Explorer II. But it was not published by Working Designs.

[LostFlunky]

Up, Right, Down, Left, II at the game select screen on the Gate of Thunder 4 in 1 CD will bring you to the hidden Bomberman game.

[PukeSter]

At the options screen in 1943 Kai, play the songs 07, 07, 07, 07, 09, 03, 10 to go straight to the awesome new stages!

I use this cheat quite a lot, and there are many more cheats available, such as making the game twice as fast.

[ccovell]

HuCards make good keychains if you drill a hole in one of the corners.

PCE-CD "Obi"s can be safely stored out of the way under the plastic CD spindle insert of the CD case.

2P-5P games can be faked with a single pad and careful multitap insertion/removal.

CD games can be listened to in the Turbo/PCE CD player by first putting in a regular music CD, pressing RUN, removing the CD at the player screen WITHOUT hitting "disc change", putting in the CD game, selecting Track 2 on the number pad, then pressing Play.

etc.

[Bardoly]

Interesting info!

But I'm confused by the following:

The only game Working Designs worked on that actually went to 11 was Dungeon Explorer II. But it was not published by Working Designs.

I don't understand the eleven in this sentence.

[VestCunt]

With their love for pop culture references, WD tipped their hat to Spinal Tap in their advertising slogan: "Our Games Go to 11!"

[ccovell]

...their advertising slogan: "Our Games Go to 11!"

They were talking about RPG unit sales.

[NecroPhile]

They were talking about RPG unit sales.

Ha!  And 'our games start at 11' was for when they were talking about the number of variations.

[CrackTiger]

They were talking about RPG unit sales.

Ha!  And 'our games start at 11' was for when they were talking about the number of variations.

It was also the number of years between their games' announcement and actual release date.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Working Delays.

[LostFlunky]

They were talking about RPG unit sales.

Ha!  And 'our games start at 11' was for when they were talking about the number of variations.

It was also the number of years between their games' announcement and actual release date.

It was also the number of arguments Victor Ireland had going at any given time on r.g.v.s.

[BigusSchmuck]

You can rip pce/turbo cds on your pc and replace the audio tracks to the music of your choice and then burn them onto a cdr. A good example is replacing the music in Dynastic Hero with Children of the Bodom and rock out as you are destroying the enemy. Gets people rolling all the time.

[MotherGunner]

CD games can be listened to in the Turbo/PCE CD player by first putting in a regular music CD, pressing RUN, removing the CD at the player screen WITHOUT hitting "disc change", putting in the CD game, selecting Track 2 on the number pad, then pressing Play.

On a U.S. TG-CD and PCE counterpart, you can skip the step of putting in a regular music CD.  From the home screen just press the hardware play button, then the hardware FF button to track 2 to play the music off the game!  =)

[esteban]

PROTIP:Press SELECT when in the CD Player Interface to change color schemes.
KOOLTIP: Hold down SELECT (or frenetically tap the select button like a coked-up orangutan) for a psychedelic experience in the CD Player Interface.
KOOLTIP: "A-B Repeat" can be an invaluable feature for annoying humans/animals within listening distance. CD player will endlessly repeat between user-defined (A) starting and (B) stopping points--creating an endless loop. I suggest putting the chorus/refrain to a song on loop. How many minutes/hours/days can you endure this? KRS ONE's "Sound of Da Police" is a good song for beginners.
KOOLTIP: "WHOOOOP! WHOOOOP! That's the sound of the beast."

[NecroPhile]

The U.S. System 3.0 card works on Japanese systems.

I tried that last night on an RX and got the standard 'wrong region white screen'.

[CrackTiger]

The U.S. System 3.0 card works on Japanese systems.

I tried that last night on an RX and got the standard 'wrong region white screen'.

Its something I tried bitd and again in recent years after finally getting an English one. Maybe it only works on the GT? Still unusual.

[VestCunt]

The TurboGrafx isn't as cleaning intensive as a NES, but the hucard slot should be cleaned every few years.  Skinny Gameboy and Sega cleaning cards from old Doc's and Eliminator cleaning kits work well.
 
Hucard converters need to be cleaned much more often than consoles.

Store hucard converters in a case or ziplock bag.

Cover consoles when not in use.

Remove all of the shrinkwrap from opened boxes or it will warp the box.

Store flash cards in pcmcia cases.

Buttons wear out. Don't store controllers with weight on them or depressed buttons. Don't clean controller rubber with alcohol or solvents.
 
Shipping games in an envelope or bubble mailer? Put a little bit of bubblewrap between the game and manual in the center of the case to reduce the likelihood of cracks.

After beating the game, write down passwords for Ys 1-2, Ys 3, and Order of the Griffon to save memory space and prevent accidental erasure.  

Terraforming, Sherlock 2, Macross 2036 and a number of other "Super CD" games are regular CD-ROM2's. Look them up on pcecp.com (if it comes back online).

Put down the laptop, close that FAQ, and cheat the old fashioned way  - five hint books were published with Turbografx content: TurboGrafx-16 and TurboExpress Secrets by Rusel DeMaria and Andy Eddy (Prima), TurboGrafx-16 and TurboExpress Secrets vol 2 by Andy Eddy and Donn Nauert, The Official TurboGrafx-16 Game Encyclopedia by Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett (Bantam), The Ultimate Hint Book (only 7 pages on the TG) by Leo Pond (Ultimate Game Club), and Jeff Rovin's How to Win at Sega & Genesis Games (15 pages).
 
Different controllers have different rates of fire on their turbo functions. For example, Raiden benefits from the faster RoF on the Turbostick.

Press "select" to view the contents of a Tennokoe Bank.

Use a Tennokoe Bank with a TurboBooster Plus (w/region mod or converter)

Don't waste money on five extension cords, put that multitap on the coffee table!:
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2893.msg36307#msg36307

[esteban]

Terraforming, Sherlock 2, Macross 2036 and a number of other "Super CD" games are regular CD-ROM2's. Look them up on pcecp.com (if it comes back online).

Damn! I was just at pcecp.com recently. When did the site go down? I hope bt keeps it going...

[Bernie]

It's not down as of 7:50 AM this morning. PCECP that is.

[hoobs88]

Terraforming, Sherlock 2, Macross 2036 and a number of other "Super CD" games are regular CD-ROM2's. Look them up on pcecp.com (if it comes back online).

Damn! I was just at pcecp.com recently. When did the site go down? I hope bt keeps it going...

I seem to recall some people having problems with the site depending on which internet browser they were using. You might want to try a different browser.

[CrackTiger]

It's just randomly not accessible for some people sometimes, regardless of browser.

[TurboXray]

Different controllers have different rates of fire on their turbo functions. For example, Raiden benefits from the faster RoF on the Turbostick.

I never owned the Turbostick. I didn't realize that there was a turbo gamepad out there that did analog control for rapid fire. Would be nice to get a schematic of the controller logic.

[ElSeven]

the game Devil's Crush has some pretty interesting passwords, including:

DEVILSATAN
ASSHOLEFUK
and the ever popular PUSSYFUCKN

I'm not sure if those work on the PCE version (Devil's Crash).

[MotherGunner]

Um.. What does each do?

[esteban]

Um.. What does each do?

Each password gives you an extra pair of balls.

[MotherGunner]

Well you can never have enough pairs of balls says me.  Ha ha ha!

[ElSeven]

i love reviving this thread 

Rumor (legend?) has it that Street Fighter 2 was originally supposed to load music off of an included CD, which may explain why the hucard comes in a double case.  The double case could have just been used to make the game look more impressive, since it was a whopping 9800 YEN at release (ouch!).  Either way, the CD was apparently scrapped to help keep the cost down.

Well anyway, the programmers left in the code to turn off the chiptune BGM, so that you may enjoy CD Music with the standard SFII sound effects peppered in.  This procedure requires either a cd-rom2 briefcase setup or TG-CD.  Sorry, no fancy duo units allowed 

1. Startup the game like normal, but let the demo play out
2. Insert a controller into port 3 of the tap and press RUN.  This will pause the demo, letting you know it worked correctly.
3. Insert any CD of your preference.
4. Press RUN on controller 1 or 2 to start the game like normal.
5. Press the PLAY button on the CD unit for the music to start, skip buttons to select track.

maybe this is well known, but I had trouble tracking it down online.  Thankfully the turbolist archives are still online.

Edit: relevant gif is relevant

[Frank_fjs]

Wow that SF tip is a great one, thanks! Will have to try it out...

[soop]

Well anyway, the programmers left in the code to turn off the chiptune BGM, so that you may enjoy CD Music with the standard SFII sound effects peppered in.  This procedure requires either a cd-rom2 briefcase setup or TG-CD.  Sorry, no fancy duo units allowed 

Great tip - but I guess I can't use my sexy SCD unit - no play button

[ElSeven]

Great tip - but I guess I can't use my sexy SCD unit - no play button

just another reason to own the mighty cd-rom2 setup! praise it's light 

[esteban]

i love reviving this thread 

Rumor (legend?) has it that Street Fighter 2 was originally supposed to load music off of an included CD, which may explain why the hucard comes in a double case.  The double case could have just been used to make the game look more impressive, since it was a whopping 9800 YEN at release (ouch!).  Either way, the CD was apparently scrapped to help keep the cost down.

BEST VIDEO GAME RUMOR

[soop]

If you have a Super CD ROM2 and you still have the expansion bus cover for your core unit, you can place it under the front of the unit to keep it flush with the surface.  No more tilting about when inserting HuCards!

[rCadeGaming]

To avoid long term damage, never plunge your Duo into a bucket of ice cold water while the power is on.

I'm not convinced.  Have any proof?

[HercTNT]

To avoid long term damage, never plunge your Duo into a bucket of ice cold water while the power is on.

I'm not convinced.  Have any proof?

LOL, right, pics or it did'nt happen

[Nando]

i love reviving this thread 

Rumor (legend?) has it that Street Fighter 2 was originally supposed to load music off of an included CD, which may explain why the hucard comes in a double case.  The double case could have just been used to make the game look more impressive, since it was a whopping 9800 YEN at release (ouch!).  Either way, the CD was apparently scrapped to help keep the cost down.

Well anyway, the programmers left in the code to turn off the chiptune BGM, so that you may enjoy CD Music with the standard SFII sound effects peppered in.  This procedure requires either a cd-rom2 briefcase setup or TG-CD.  Sorry, no fancy duo units allowed 

1. Startup the game like normal, but let the demo play out
2. Insert a controller into port 3 of the tap and press RUN.  This will pause the demo, letting you know it worked correctly.
3. Insert any CD of your preference.

4. Press RUN on controller 1 or 2 to start the game like normal.
5. Press the PLAY button on the CD unit for the music to start, skip buttons to select track.

maybe this is well known, but I had trouble tracking it down online.  Thankfully the turbolist archives are still online.

Edit: relevant gif is relevant

Hmm gonna have to try this one.

[MotherGunner]

i love reviving this thread 

Rumor (legend?) has it that Street Fighter 2 was originally supposed to load music off of an included CD, which may explain why the hucard comes in a double case.  The double case could have just been used to make the game look more impressive, since it was a whopping 9800 YEN at release (ouch!).  Either way, the CD was apparently scrapped to help keep the cost down.

Well anyway, the programmers left in the code to turn off the chiptune BGM, so that you may enjoy CD Music with the standard SFII sound effects peppered in.  This procedure requires either a cd-rom2 briefcase setup or TG-CD.  Sorry, no fancy duo units allowed 

1. Startup the game like normal, but let the demo play out
2. Insert a controller into port 3 of the tap and press RUN.  This will pause the demo, letting you know it worked correctly.
3. Insert any CD of your preference.

4. Press RUN on controller 1 or 2 to start the game like normal.
5. Press the PLAY button on the CD unit for the music to start, skip buttons to select track.

maybe this is well known, but I had trouble tracking it down online.  Thankfully the turbolist archives are still online.

Edit: relevant gif is relevant

Hmm gonna have to try this one.

This didn't work for me, necro-bump to see if anyone else had success?

[Gogan]

KOOLTIP: "A-B Repeat" can be an invaluable feature for annoying humans/animals within listening distance. CD player will endlessly repeat between user-defined (A) starting and (B) stopping points--creating an endless loop. I suggest putting the chorus/refrain to a song on loop. How many minutes/hours/days can you endure this?

Oh MAN! I still use this feature to this day to figure out guitar phrases to songs I'm learning. It's so easy to select a phrase, and repeat it until you figure it out and are playing right along! Most recent band I did this with:Ghost BC.

[_Paul]

Cool tip #465 - Buying a PC Engine makes you seem 4x cooler than buying a TurboGrafx-16.

[GohanX]

1. Always keep your CD unit plugged into the mains to retains your saved games.

I know this was from quite a while ago, but does removing the CD unit really mess with the save games? I've been removing/swapping drives quite a bit lately and my memory keeps erasing. I figure the save cap was going bad.

[CrackTiger]

Cool tip #465 - Buying a PC Engine makes you seem 4x cooler than buying a TurboGrafx-16.

Cool tip #512: Owning a TurboGrafx-16 actually proves that you are 10x more radical and that nothing else can even compare.

Cool tip #580: BlaZing LaZers > Gunhed.

[csgx1]

i love reviving this thread 

Rumor (legend?) has it that Street Fighter 2 was originally supposed to load music off of an included CD, which may explain why the hucard comes in a double case.  The double case could have just been used to make the game look more impressive, since it was a whopping 9800 YEN at release (ouch!).  Either way, the CD was apparently scrapped to help keep the cost down.

Well anyway, the programmers left in the code to turn off the chiptune BGM, so that you may enjoy CD Music with the standard SFII sound effects peppered in.  This procedure requires either a cd-rom2 briefcase setup or TG-CD.  Sorry, no fancy duo units allowed 

1. Startup the game like normal, but let the demo play out
2. Insert a controller into port 3 of the tap and press RUN.  This will pause the demo, letting you know it worked correctly.
3. Insert any CD of your preference.

4. Press RUN on controller 1 or 2 to start the game like normal.
5. Press the PLAY button on the CD unit for the music to start, skip buttons to select track.

maybe this is well known, but I had trouble tracking it down online.  Thankfully the turbolist archives are still online.

Edit: relevant gif is relevant

Hmm gonna have to try this one.

This didn't work for me, necro-bump to see if anyone else had success?

I didn't know about this and just tried it.  It works as instructed.  I tried it on a PCE CD Briefcase and used a cordless controller switched to player 3 instead of a tap.  Simply hit start when the computer fighting demo begins and it will pause.  Then you basically have access to your CD player functions to play music. 

I also tried it on a Duo.  As stated, it doesn't work on it since there are no separate CD player controls/buttons.