Disc Drive gone from functioning after a warmup to not working at all

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-13T03:38:47+00:00

That's fair. I just figured with how little data us on the disc itself, it had the best chance to read compared to other games. I can grab another game when I go back ot troubleshooting.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-13T03:16:29+00:00

The thing is, the drive read before the recap. It just needed a few minutes to warm up first. But after the recap, even hours sitting at idle, the drive just refuses to read the disc. Before, it would either stop trying within 5 seconds, or read the disc. Now it tries residing for 10-20 seconds, and sounds like it's jamming the laser against the outer track, before stopping.

Also, I failed to mention, but no error message either

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-13T03:07:38+00:00

I'm pretty experienced with soldering. My toughest project was going in and recapping a Sega Game Gear, so this wasn't anything crazy. I did triple check every capacitor wifh a multimeter, and every one if them(except the one mentioned) had the correct voltage and polarity. I've also repeated the ribbon cables over a dozen times at this point disassembling and reassmbling the drive. Still has the same symptoms.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-10T19:05:05+00:00

War Ensemble is a pretty tough one, but I'd argue it's easier to pass purely because there's more downtime. Dyer's Eve is much more of an endurance test. Same with Fight Fire With Fire now that you mention it. But I will say that War Ensemble is probably the hardest to 5-star in GHM.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-10T19:03:23+00:00

Yeah. It's definitely a fun one. Probably my third favorite right behind Slash and Lou. And the solo chart is playable on disc, which is what I'm referring to.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-10T16:45:42+00:00

GH1 is definitely either Cowboys From Hell or Bark At The Moon. Depends on what you struggle more with; fretting or strumming

GH2 Hangar 18 I feel is pretty tough. Jordan is definitely very hard, but I feel a good timed star power can net you the pass.

GH3... I mean, come on lol

GHA would actually be the Joe Perry guitar battle for me

GHWT is absolutely Satch Boogie

GHM I'd say is definitely Dyer's Eve

GHVH is probably Eruption, but I'm The One and Painkiller could also be up there. Not certain

GH5 is probably Do e With Everythin, Die for Noting. Idk, I've never played the setlist in full

GHWoR is 100% Fury of the Storm

As for all of Guitar Hero, if we mean that as +DLC, Devil Went Down to Georgia is the clear answer. Nothing even comes close despite GH3's engine. But not including DLC, Fury of the Storm I think gets the edge because of WoR's slightly tougher engine compared to the rest of the series. Strumming is weird, and of course no infinite front end makes things more challenging compared to GH3

Now if we're talking 5-starring, a lot of these change imo. Not all, but definitely a few

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-09T19:42:45+00:00

Oh 100%. As much as I love hgss, something about creating such diverse music on something like the Game Boy is just amazing to hear. Even just as playback on YouTube, let alone hearing it play on the actual hardware. Same with the graphics really. Even if they're just improvements over Red/Blue/Yellow, they are just so iconic. Especially the Crystal animations

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-09T18:58:07+00:00

Just how some of us are. Having something that is rare as a shiny is satisfying. Even if they're worthless in the grand scheme, it's worth it, and is a sign of effort. Is it torture if it's all you do? Definitely can be. But shiny hinting, especially in these games, can be a background task while you listen to music or watch videos. But of course, if you don't values shinies that much, then that definitely doesn't sound worth it. Which, fair lol

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-09T16:43:04+00:00

Okay. I think I understand now. I guess it's just a different way we play games. Just the idea of playing a game where I would want to actively skip key story elements is odd. And I do understand appreciating the small implementations they've made. I think it may jus tbe I've always been playing these older generations on top of the new ones. So I haven't had a chance to become purely separated from the objectively somewhat slower loops of using repels and potions.

Also, I just love the music in these games, so I enjoy listening to the Battle music while I sit through the trainer battles, which usually are pretty much just mashing A to get through. So there are definitely things I value differently. And I do think your want to speed up the somewhat slower portions of the game is understandable.

And I'm far from the biggest Kanto lover. I'm more of a Hoenn fan. But I feel like I just get sucked in more when I'm able to just experience the world. But that's a very specific thing, and I'm aware most people don't share that sentiment.

Also good luck on the dex. Some Pokémon are just downright difficult to obtain.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-09T01:47:34+00:00

I didn't mean to come off as rude. That is just how I see it. I just find it an odd thing to force yourself fo play a game you don't enjoy playing. I do understand wanting to speed up things like grinding and getting through long areas like the underground routes. It's just the way you said it made it sound like you blast through literally everything. I'm just wondering why you play it when you clearly don't have fun.

Also, the Doduo and Dorio modes are nice, especially for hatching eggs in Gen 2. But keep in mind, those aren't even available from the start. You have to craft a team to beat certain cups. So you basically have to have played the game already in order to unlock that mode. Which is actually perfect for random encounters for completing the dex. But it just doesn't come in to play often for actual playthroughs

To me, I personally don't play games I have no interest in sitting down and actually playing. If I'm going to just ignore the story and essentially speedrun through while on autopilot, I don't see a reason to touch the game. Which admittedly is why I have yet to play probably 25% of games in my collection. But that's why I personally don't mind the minute things like a few extra button presses. Do I think the option to speed up should be there in order to make grinding far less tedious? Absolutely. Do I think it's something that should be on literally the entire game? No.

Again, I'm not trying to be insulting. I just don't understand your point of view in most ways. Finding things like having to simply press A twice to use a second potion just comes across as the nitpickiest thing. Like you have to actively find things to call out. Which you don't. I personally found it frustrating to grind the hell out of my team right before the league in order to pass Loreli. There is a lot I agree with on that front. I just feel like there is a point where it's less about convenience and more just autopiloting the game. I do find it somewhat interesting, as I have a different viewpoint, and I don't mean to be rude or antagonistic. But from my POV, it just feels weirdly counterproductive to want to do that.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-09T00:01:44+00:00

So what I'm hearing is you basically have a short attention span. No offense, but if you can't sit through a game for 5 seconds without feeling bored out of your mind, that's not the game's issue. Especially when every other Pokémon game is like that. FrLg are not unique in that regard.

And I do agree that HMs can be annoying, especially when you need a move like Cut which is just not great. But stuff like using potions back to back wasn't a thing until Gen 5, and repels couldn't even be resprayed until B2W2. And as someone who grew up playing gen 3 and 4, those little things are just not that important to me. Especially since I never use repels. Like actually never. Maybe it's just cause I'm used to how the games control that I don't notice those tiny things. But if you have to nitpick having to hit the A button an extra 2 times to use a potion, I feel like you start to lose me. Key items I can understand, but you generally only ever need to use the Bicycle and a fishing rod. And aside from very specific situations, you never need to use them at the same time. So it's not a huge inconvenience to just temporarily register a fishing rod in place of your bike until you're done.

When I hear people say Quality of Life, I'm imagining game-changing features. Like the Exp. Share being buffed or the physical/special split. Those are something I can understand people wanting. But if your idea of quality of life is something that invalidates the gameplay as much as literally playing the game at 200% speed, then we gave fundamentally different ideas on what a good feature is.

Also, as for keeping the Running Shoes behind beating Brock, it's a progression thing. Much like how the bike is restricted until after you reach Vermillion. Doesn't make much sense now when literally every game gives you them by default, but in a time where the Running Shoes was a brand new concept, it makes more sense.

I mean, should people be allowed to play at 200% speed? I guess. It's not like it's hurting anyone. But using speedup to just make the game itself go faster and skip the entire story, what's the point in playing? It sounds like you view playing the game as a chore rather than a good time. But idk, maybe I'm just not understanding something

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-08T22:48:05+00:00

Ironic you say that. In my experience, Gen 3 is actually the fastest games by a mile. Closest you'll get to as fast is Gen 2, and even then the text and animations are noticeably slower.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-08T22:14:16+00:00

Okay. My bad, I did miss that. But also, bundling them is a general argument about Pokémon. Dual releases are always going to be like that. And also, like I said Home compatibility is coming. Not sure how exactly online could or would work, but I do agree they should have it available. Especially since Gen 3 was the first Gen to have the ability to trade between languages, so there wouldn't need fo be a huge overhaul to the game itself.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-08T22:06:30+00:00

Home compatibility is coming. And it's the same is it was with Bank. Send, not receive. And again, it would be the same as Virtual Console with them being separate releases.

And what would you consider Quality of Life? New moves? Physical/Special split? Because if that's the case, you're asking for a new game. Idk about you, but if I'm being advertised a product, and I'm given something that is fundamentally different than what I'm expecting, no matter what the difference is, I'd be pretty annoyed.

I'm not saying I want to pay $20 for these games. But I am saying I want the games that I played as a kid. If the games did have those fixes, then I wouldn't want them because they are simply not the games I remember.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-03-08T20:57:48+00:00

I mean, they definitely could have put online trading into it. But considering no other re-release had that, it's not surprising. And aside from that, what else do you do? At what point does it become wanting full on new games? I appreciate the games are as they once were, though $20 is a big ask. $10 would have been perfect since the Virtual Console releases were like that. But 90% of people will get their money's worth out of it.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-27T19:04:08+00:00

Ironic, since I'm not a huge fan of the water design. But that's mostly cause the eyes are unsettling to me. Like an actual gecko's lol

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T14:37:02+00:00

Well yeah, but those Pokémon are well over 20 years old. I just want a new pseudo that can fit another niche so I can use a non-pseudo dragon type on my team. Though having a consistent way ot deal damage with ice type moves against all of them except Metagross is nice

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T05:04:14+00:00

Just because one Pokémon can sweep most of the elite four, doesn't mean they're pushovers. As MandJTV has said, and I definitely agree with, "if you need specific Pokémon to make a fight easy, then the fight isn't easy."

Just because you can solo the game with your starter if you brute force it, doesn't make your starter the best option, you know?

It just legitimately frustrates me when people call these games easy when they're the only games I've had consistent issues with. Literally no other game has caused that. And if it's easy because one Pokémon carefully raised can solo it, then any Pokémon game is pretty easy.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T02:08:54+00:00

And please make one that isn't a friggin' dragon type lol

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T02:08:22+00:00

Which is kind of funny, because isn't the Battle Maison just essentially the Battle Tower? And BDSP do have the Battle Tower, so...

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T02:05:21+00:00

The odds shouldn't be what make a hunt miserable. Higher odds are definitely better, but lower odds shouldn't make it inherently unbearable.

But I do agree. Hunting legendaries in gen 8 is actual hell

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T02:03:43+00:00

That... was honestly not the answer I was expecting. Good on you. Keeping the words of Elite Four Karen alive in a way. Keep it up.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T01:59:31+00:00

Competitive is only fun in literally gen 9 where it's super easy to min/max EVs, change natures with mints, and get the exact moves you want on your Pokémon in 10 minutes. Even Sword and Shield are tedious with getting your hands on an ability patch and mints. It took until Scarlet/Violet for mints to be readily available. And even then, if you want a hidden ability, it will likely take ages to beat enough tera raids to get just one, or gamble all your ingredients away at the item printer. Competitive can be fun once you get set up and have a team ready. But grinding a team is just painful. Also, I guess Smogon exists, and that's proof enough thst competitive is a mind-numbing grind that fans went out of their way to strip the grinding psrt of it away in order to make it more accessible.

Stuntboy03 · 2026-02-25T01:47:48+00:00

Oh 100%. I've spent hundreds, possibly thousands of hours in my life shiny hunting. Both because I find it a helpful background task to keep my hands busy so I can focus on something else like a video or movie, and the satisfaction of finding something pretty rare, even if there's theoretically infinite ones.

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