Okay so I have read the thread(s) regarding FF IX on its various emulation issues etc and have read about a hundred different answers for the same issue. After all this time, now that emulation systems have been advanced, computers have become more powerful and there are even higher emulation systems and games running smoothly that I feel it is time to ask and settle the issues once and for all.If anyone else has other advice to add to this, please feel free to comment. Also, please be aware not all solutions listed may work for you-it depends on your comp's specs, etc. This is just the easiest fix that applies to MOST users.

1. What are the common issues for this rom?

a)Black screen after 1st,2nd,or 3rd disc, or halfway through a cut scene.

b)Freezing after a cut scene or after changing disc images

c)slow/choppy game play

2. How do you resolve this particular issue? (Please list the answers to this in order with the issues listed above).

a)There are a couple of ways around this issue. First, be sure you are using the most up to date emulator available. I recommend ePSXe 1.7.2 (though for some 1.6.0 may work better-try both and see which runs smoother for you). The latest emulators have more kinks worked out of them, and tend to have better overall performance. If you still have this issue you may also get a memory card image saved just after the point where you having issues. I do not recommend the memory card image unless it is a last resort given the character stats,levels,etc may be very different from what you had or would want.

b)Make sure to save before changing disc images as a just in case backup. Reset your emulator and only trade out the disc images without actually playing your game any further. This helps to relieve errors and will save you time troubleshooting. Again, Be sure what emulator you are using. The more up to date it is the less problems/bugs/glitches it is likely to have.

c)Check your FPS setting. (FPS stands for frames per second, a fancy way of saying how fast each movement frame will go. Think stop-motion animation)Your average computer today can run PSOne games without problem. a FPS rate of 100-200 fps is the average for this system. You may change this manually on the ePSXe emulator in the video settings option. If you have a much older computer and have turned up the fps speed, you may just have to bite the bullet and accept playing slowly until you can either burn the image and run it on a actual PSOne console, or upgrade your computer.

3. Does this answer work for mac users or pc only?

I cannot answer this one for you with any degree of accuracy, not using mac myself. However, the popular opinion is that these answers will work provided you are using a mac-acceptable emulator (as far as I know, ePSXe does work on mac though I could be wrong-again, I am not getting this infomation for myself on this issue as I do not use a mac.)

4. What emulator should be used for smoothest game play?

The answer to this will vary depending on what your computer specs are and what games you are trying to play. For this particular game, I recommend ePSXe 1.7.2 or 1.6.0. Try the upgraded version first. If you have a issue with black screens or frozen screens, try 1.6.0. Again, not everyone gets the black or frozen screen issue with the upgraded emulator so it make just be a matter of old comps with poorer specs versus new ones that can handle more memory and cpu usage.

5.What settings work the best for this particular rom?

Again, this is comp specific. Be sure to test the different plugins and find what works best for you computer. Tweet the video/audio/controller settings afterwards. Remember that while most games will run well on the same settings, some games may be special or picky and the options changed a bit here and there to run at a acceptable level.




Again-not all these answers may work for everyone. If you are still having issues, please ask the kind people here at EP forums. I do hope this puts to rest a few questions on final fantasy IX emulation that always seem to pop up. Hope it helps, good luck, and fun gaming!