Hello everyone, i’m here today asking for some advice, about swaping the discs, i have no idea how to do it. I’ve tried a lot of things, all failed as you can imagine. I was playing Xenogears, (always saving inside the game) and when the game asked to change discs i couldn’t find a way to do it. I tried to change roms but the memory cards seemed empty. So after searching a lot on the internet i am here asking for your help. Thanks for the time.
I don’t know if this can be of some help,
I play on an Android device and to change disks I have to open up the retroarch GUI when I am running the core and go to disk options. Then when you are told to switch disks you append the disk. I haven’t actually done it but I know that’s where the option to do it is located. I think you put the disk index from “1” to “No Disk”, then you would select “Disk Image Append” and choose your second disk. You might not need to change the disk index though since appending means to add to it…
Anyway, hopefully someone will chime in with the for sure way of doing it but you should be able to give it a try if you can find the option.
Shifted got it right, but I think you set the disc index to 2 instead of “no disc” before appending. Maybe try both 
You can also use the official Mednafen method by creating .m3u files that have the filename of each .cue file for a game as described here. You can set your disc eject and next disc keys/buttons in Phoenix in the Misc section.
I Tried creating .txt files then changing the extension, but when i want to load the .m3u file reatroarch doesn’t load it.
It should just be a textfile called Xenogears (Disc 1).m3u in the same folder as your .cue and .bin files. With the contents:
Xenogears (Disc 1).cue
Xenogears (Disc 2).cue
Or whatever your .cue files are named. The reason the .m3u file should have the name Xenogears (Disc 1) is that if your first disc’s .cue file is named that, the .m3u file also has to be named that to load the same memory card file that was created when you loaded Xenogears (Disc 1).cue. Unless you go in and rename your memory card file.
Out of ALL the bullshit hassle this has been, THIS WORKED FOR ME. I was testing out how to swap discs because I didn’t want to end up at a part of the game where I would be stuck. Instead I tried to figure this out ahead of time before I started playing.
The best game for me to try this early was “Amored Core - Master of Arena”. At the very beginning of the game, you can access “EX Arena” but it requires that you swap to Disc 2. I’ve tried LOTS of suggestions on MULTIPLE threads from tons of google searching, yet this was the response that finally did it!
I wish I could access the .m3u file in collections but I guess it won’t work that way? Anyways, when I found the “create a notepad txt file and change it to .m3u file of the same file of the game” threads, this is what I did at first; I would run the .m3u file in my folder that had the game files of the 1 game I was trying to play, and test out proper disc swapping but WOULD NOT WORK. It had the following; -“Amored Core - Master of Arena (USA) (Disc 1).bin” -“Amored Core - Master of Arena (USA) (Disc 1).cue” -“Amored Core - Master of Arena (USA) (Disc 2).bin” -“Amored Core - Master of Arena (USA) (Disc 2).cue” -“Amored Core - Master of Arena (USA).m3u”
ONCE I changed the .m3u file to; “Amored Core - Master of Arena (USA) (Disc 1).m3u” and THEN RAN THAT .m3u FILE, I was then able to switch disc index to 2.
Thank you SO MUCH @Awakened This helped me so fucking much. What a %$@# hassle yet excellent relief all thanks to you. <3 (note: NO OTHER PERSON I’ve seen on forums/ threads has said to do exactly this, so yeah, you rock.)
Now, gonna do some more testing to see how I can switch back to disc 1 after saving on disc 2, or see if it works in general.
Will this work if I am on a game like Final Fantasy VIII that has 4 discs? Would I have to rename the .m3u file to disc 2? run that ,m3u file so I can get to disc 3? and so on with disc 4? etc.?
I don’t quite understand how to rename the memory card file as I am still new to this.
You just add all four discs to the .m3u. The memory card filename will match the .m3u filename, so all discs will read the save from that file. One thing that can be annoying is that every time you boot from the .m3u, it starts from disc 1. So when you are on disc 2, 3, ect. you have to remember to open the tray and switch to that disc during the Sony boot logo, or switch when the game prompts you after loading your save.