Community The Emulation Thread - When That PC Port Just Ain't Happening

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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Sorry I haven't tried SNES games yet.

Currently messing around with lottes (glow) and it looks pretty good in low res 2D Saturn games though if you're sitting too close it's a bit blurry,

I might switch for less distortion than the mattias and a subtler look than the crt-yo6-KV-M1420B-sharp. I dunno. I should stop that and just play already, lol.
 
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Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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I always use lottes CRT variations for retrogaming these days.
(Without distortion though -- that's too much retro-accuracy for me, and unlike the pixel structure/behaviour of CRT, I doN't think anyone designed graphics specifically to take advantage of distortion ;)).
 
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Knurek

OG old coot
Oct 16, 2018
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Alextended do you have any recommended CRT filters for SNES emulation on RetroArch @ 1440p?
CRT-Easymode-halation is good because a) it looks great, b) it works great with non-integer scaling ratio and c) it's extremely light on GPU.
(seriously, it even works fine on my GPD Win 2, takes about 20% of GPU time @720p)
 
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Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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I thought I found Capcom's first 3D fighting game that I'd somehow never seen before. It turns out it's a game they released years after Street Fighter EX and other great polygonal games after all, it just was a low effort one designed by Capcom proper but developed by a USA studio or something. Glorious specials:

It was very interesting thinking it's their first effort (it even has sidestep unlike EX) but seeing it actually released in 1999-2000, close to Project Justice, Power Stone, etc., it's just wtf, lol. It was made for arcade STV then ported over to home (it's identical, STV was just a Saturn with - mostly - rom cartridge games).
I always use lottes CRT variations for retrogaming these days.
(Without distortion though -- that's too much retro-accuracy for me, and unlike the pixel structure/behaviour of CRT, I doN't think anyone designed graphics specifically to take advantage of distortion ;)).
Maybe for 2D stuff but for 3D I want all the semi-authentic distortions I can get to give texture, hide & homogenize flaws (otherwise even high res doesn't work for me, even PS or DC tier 3D which is far cleaner has so much use of 2D and low quality assets it doesn't look great even when it's not aliased) so mattias it is.

Edit: no shader, lottes glow, mattias in order. Yeah it can be crisper and clearer and that is reduced but it's not like it hides high poly models/high res textures.

That's with Dreamcast running at 2560x1920, granted Project Justice is not its best looking fighter (Dead or Alive 2 is I guess) but not every game is the best looking fighter in asset quality. When I also have low res 3D to deal with as in older systems (or if high res is doing them even less favors than the average Dreamcast game) I prefer mattias. I'm just gonna stick with it even for 2D stuff after all to stop experimenting with others and simply play games already.
 
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Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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Edit: on this version with integer scaling set to on the flycast core gets stretched to fullscreen instead of properly scale, I dunno if it's RA's fault or the core's.
 
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Aelphaeis Mangarae

MetaMember
Apr 21, 2019
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The Xbox version of Half-Life 2 now runs on cxbx. I believe it has stability issues, and there are obviously some missing VFX. The game was fixed with this PR.

This video is slightly outdated, because more a recent PR has improved the sound quality.

RPCS3 has a WIP PR designed to alleviate RSX desynchronization, which the source of instability (usually throwing fatal trap exceptions) in games like Uncharted. It also allows Crysis 3 to boot without crashing. Framerate doesn't look great, though.
 

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
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That doesn't look too bad actually, i was expecting terrible stutter and instead i get massive nostalgia. I have to get XCX running on my rig soon. I'll be playing at 1440p so hopefully my experience will be just as good.

The OST is still one of my favourites ever and controversially i don't hate Tatsu and playing a Lalafell in FFXIV i empathise with him in some aspects. 🥔

edit:
Some hours later...
OMFG! Switched to Vulkan from OGL and i'm now looking at the XCX Title Screen and it's looped 3 times without crashing.
I'll have to try some settings as it's running 1280x720, i think, but before that my next step is to try to transfer my saves from my Wii U. After i check if it will actually get me into a game now but this is the furthest i've gotten.
 
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arcadepc

Junior Member
Jan 3, 2020
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SSF Saturn emulator gives me a "set event" error on startup and refuses to launch. Happened after R12 revision. I sent a message to the author on Twitter at least. First issue I have with this emulator. Few years ago it refused to launch on laptop with dual GPUs, despite setting Nvidia as the preferred card.

The disadvantage of closed source emulators....
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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Are you trying to play Sakura Wars with the fan translation? Don't load the cue file, mount it with daemon tools instead and run it as a disc for it to work in SSF.

Edit: nm, the error the patched SW gets is a cue sheet error so that's not it in your case I guess. Just get back to R12 for now.
I reverted myself due to other smaller issues in R13, the gamepad didn't respond randomly and stuff.
 
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arcadepc

Junior Member
Jan 3, 2020
16
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No, error is irrelevant to cue files. It happens when I click simply on the programm executable. SSF refuses to launch. Problem appeared suddenly out of nowhere. On the other computer I use it runs fine.
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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So, as a useless fuck who just downloaded the core. How can I change between the modes? I think it's about time I play SMB3 again (for the 341st time).
I still haven't played SNES games in RA.

I assume all that stuff will be available when you run a game in bsnes, then open the quick menu and go to the options item there?

It seems that the widescreen mostly works for backgrounds, enemies & other sprites still pop up within the 4:3 parts of the view.

I'd like to see a setting that dims the view outside the 4:3 parts to kinda give them a fog of war-ed look beyond that point.

That should give a reference to where enemies and such will be popping up while still enjoying the wide background.
 
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Alextended

Segata's Disciple
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This looks pretty damn sweet, shame we never got it (and that I guess there weren't any sequels)...

Some inaccuracies (he couldn't figure out you can switch to third person while paused for example) and he spoils all the levels if you care (to show their effects).
 
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Knurek

OG old coot
Oct 16, 2018
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Cool. Wonder if there's a way to magically make gba sound good :p
Depends, if a game uses stock Nintendo driver (maybe 30% of the games do), you could just patch the sound-init routine and increase the frequency to something like 32 kHz - most GBA games mix their audio at 11 kHz or below :blobweary:
Would obviously require CPU overclock to work, as GBA doesn't have a dedicated sound chip (other than the GB one, included for backward's compatibility)
 

Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
Dec 6, 2018
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Downunder.
Nice. NP2kai, Desmume and PPSSPP are included in the list of cores. But the Beetle cores are missing still. :02think:
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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DoesdgVoodoo2 count as emulation? It just got a tiny version increase, not really post worthy but just as an excuse to mention it. I love it, does anyone use it? Currently I use it for MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries (from cd, none of that mektek stuff, it does need a no-cd crack, yet still asks for the cd, haha, the original exe seems to be completely broken for modern systems, perhaps workable with dxwnd but maybe not, yet the crack is not!), Rogue Squadron 3D and SWAT 3. It's pretty sweet to play these in high resolution and/or in windowed mode with AF/AA etc. I used it for Thief 1/2 and System Shock 2 as well but the NewDark based fan patches in recent years made that unnecessary. I'm sure there are plenty more games it's useful for that I'll be coming across as I delve in the past.
 
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Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
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Do we gave a game you remember name you don’t ? I have flashbacks of a 90’s (probably) arcade game. there are levels with a spaceship advancing in a 3d tunnel, and some other levels are on a plane (pretty sure there is another plane as ceiling).
Trippy as fuck at the time.
 
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Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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Not Galaxy Force II, is it?

I've not noticed any problems with this version yet, other than those SNK fighting games not being emulated properly as before.
 
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Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
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Not Galaxy Force II, is it?
I don't think so. It looks too graphically rich to what I have in memory. I tried looking for GF1 screen but that's unfortunately not it either.

Think that but more crude looking. The tunnel is on point. I'm not certain you could fly, I would tend to think you only slided on the tunnel.


And the next level, bam, you were on an horizontal plane.

-

May have found it. Confidence level high, the backgrounds are as trippy as I remember.

Tube Panic

On this memory quest I even learned that there is a whole genre of shoot them up like this one, called 'Tube Shooters'.


I'm... still slightly disturbed at the background and the transition from plane to tunnel.

Edit - I'm old :sweaty-blob:
 
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freshVeggie

almost there
Sep 7, 2018
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Pretty crazy to see a system so close to reaching a comfortable playable state during its lifetime.
 

freshVeggie

almost there
Sep 7, 2018
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Massive performance improvements. Between 5-10fps in many games and +20-30 in Shadow of the Colossus/ICO collection. That game is now "playable".

Come on Killzone 2&3!!!
 
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OP
Theswweet

Theswweet

Dirty Weeb
Mar 12, 2019
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I'm gonna have to see if that improves Anarchy Reigns at all! I know that title has been borderline for a while.
 
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Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
Dec 6, 2018
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Downunder.
I hope this latest core update won't ruin my RA installation like last time. The 1.7.7 updated totally trashed my setup. Framedrops in Beetle HW, CTD in Citra Canary and whatever else. As a result, I've been staying at 1.7.6 for the longest time.
 

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
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OMFG! CEMU 1.17.4 finally lets us use Multicore Recompiler with Xenoblade Chronicles X and it's FABULOUS!
The screen doesn't have an annoying flicker in New LA or some menu screens anymore, frame drops are less jarring and don't flicker the screen to black and the mega-crunchy sound you got at times is pretty much gone.

They're a damned clever bunch!

I'll have to try OpenGL next as i've been using Vulkan because OpenGL just crashes or glitches out dreadfully whereas Vulkan works.