VBA-M

adventure_of_link · Post by **adventure_of_link** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:43 pm

Deathlike, mudlord, snkcube: wouldn't the monitor give a warning if you use an unsupported resolution and/or frequency anyway?

I.S.T. · Post by **I.S.T.** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:32 pm

sweener2001 wrote:i didn't say linux. you've got to be able to find xp for dirt cheap these days. xp can be had legit for 90$ from newegg, and vista home premium for 105. there may be places that have it for cheaper, but that's a suggestion. and if other people use the computer, make them pitch in.

Windows ME should have never been released. It's a buggy piece of crap, and nobody should use it. ever.

I'm broke at the moment, otherwise I wouldn't even be using this piece of shit PC...

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:36 pm

adventure_of_link wrote:Deathlike, mudlord, snkcube: wouldn't the monitor give a warning if you use an unsupported resolution and/or frequency anyway?

Shit happens too.

vigi_lante · Post by **vigi_lante** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:59 pm

mudlord wrote:
mudlord, I'm sure the videocard that you are using support at least 320x240. So, you can reproduce this problem. See if you can select 320x240 from this screen (when using Directdraw) - and not from the window with pre-defined resolutions.
Yes, I can. I can select resolutions from 320x240, right up to resolutions around the 2000's....

Also, added very preliminary OpenGL support to SDL port.

That's odd. I even tried with a different videocard, but still not working.

I have a question about Direct3D - when I specify to have an x and y scaling factor of 1 (no scaling), it scales it to full size anyway. Is that normal ?

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:12 am

I.S.T. wrote:
sweener2001 wrote:i didn't say linux. you've got to be able to find xp for dirt cheap these days. xp can be had legit for 90$ from newegg, and vista home premium for 105. there may be places that have it for cheaper, but that's a suggestion. and if other people use the computer, make them pitch in.

Windows ME should have never been released. It's a buggy piece of crap, and nobody should use it. ever.
I'm broke at the moment, otherwise I wouldn't even be using this piece of shit PC...

if it helps, kubuntu isn't that far from windows. especially if gaming isn't a priority. but then again i suppose you could grab cedega. but meh.

I.S.T. · Post by **I.S.T.** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:56 pm

sweener2001 wrote:
I.S.T. wrote:
sweener2001 wrote:i didn't say linux. you've got to be able to find xp for dirt cheap these days. xp can be had legit for 90$ from newegg, and vista home premium for 105. there may be places that have it for cheaper, but that's a suggestion. and if other people use the computer, make them pitch in.

Windows ME should have never been released. It's a buggy piece of crap, and nobody should use it. ever.
I'm broke at the moment, otherwise I wouldn't even be using this piece of shit PC...
if it helps, kubuntu isn't that far from windows. especially if gaming isn't a priority. but then again i suppose you could grab cedega. but meh.

switching to Linux is not an option. >.< This is a family PC, and I;m pretty sure I could only convince my mom to switch(For a while back in 2000, we used a store bought copy of linux. It's long gone now.), plus the HD has physical damage, so I do not believe formatting it and putting a new OS on it would be a good idea.

This thing's being junked in the next 3-5 months.

So, no one knows why I can't run VBA-M?

Panzer88 · Post by **Panzer88** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:39 pm

dual boot FTW man. That's my setup right now. just torrent the beast, burn it, and install, the only inconvenience will be having to select "Windows" on boot up.

mudlord · Post by **mudlord** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 1:43 am

and VBA-M should work fine on Linux....

Its very odd that it screws up for you. But given that is WinMe we are talking about, I wouldnt rule out OS probs. I only tested this out personally on XP. XP Service Pack 2 w/ all recent Windows updates.

I have a question about Direct3D - when I specify to have an x and y scaling factor of 1 (no scaling), it scales it to full size anyway. Is that normal ?

Full size? It should work like the other modes, unless I missed something when I do my tests before I offer up the SVN compiles.

vigi_lante · Post by **vigi_lante** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:37 am

mudlord wrote: Full size? It should work like the other modes, unless I missed something when I do my tests before I offer up the SVN compiles.

Well, just select Maximum (Fullscreen) Scale to 1 - switch between Directdraw and Direct3D and you will see.

mudlord · Post by **mudlord** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:16 am

Thanks for reporting. It seems to be known by Spacy for a while, and he seems to be back...ish:

http://vba-m.ngemu.com/vbaotherbuilds/vbam_d3dfix.7z

He managed to fix triple buffering and vsync, as well as other things in the Direct3D renderer, as well as beating me to finishing my implementation of a renderer that renders to textures. His changes will get into SVN.

vigi_lante · Post by **vigi_lante** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:58 pm

This version also fix that resolution problem I told you before. Thanks.

I have just one more request: if you select a small resolution through this window...

You get a normal Select ROM window, instead of the compact one (the same you get when selecting 320x240 the window with pre-defined resolutions). See below...

So. It would be nice getting this kind of window instead when selection any resolution below 640x480.

Thanks.

mudlord · Post by **mudlord** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:38 pm

This version also fix that resolution problem I told you before. Thanks.

Spacy's the one that fixed those issues, since he added his new renderer before me.

Anyways, that message is bizziare. Its odd that it occurs...Tried it with newest code, and works for me.

kick · Post by **kick** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:45 am

Mudlord's and Spacy's recent progress on VBA is simply amazing: a new GBA core,tons of video renderer fixes,much improved GB and GBA sound emulation and OpenAL support.The GB PSG sound emulation has always been a weak point of VBA,and now that's history

I wonder if the new OpenAL output will provide lower audio latencies than DirectSound (on XP).
Vista users are going to love this - hardware-accelerated sound under Vista

Can't wait to test the latest snapshot

---------?!? Looks like the 100% CPU munch bug has been fixed (according to the changelog).Must test this now

mudlord · Post by **mudlord** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 4:46 am

Mudlord's and Spacy's recent progress on VBA is simply amazing: a new GBA core,tons of video renderer fixes,much improved GB and GBA sound emulation and OpenAL support.The GB PSG sound emulation has always been a weak point of VBA,and now that's history

Hhehheeheh, blargg's the one that deserves the kudos for the sound emulation. He's been a great guy to work with from the start, and I have learnt a lot from him. Not to mention his knowledge of sound emulation is incredible, and his new audio cores are highly optimized & accurate. There's still some minor kinks in the audio, but they will be smoothed out in due time.

I wonder if the new OpenAL output will provide lower audio latencies than DirectSound (on XP).
Vista users are going to love this - hardware-accelerated sound under Vista

So far the OpenAL output is much better than DirectSound on the new cores. But this needs more testing. Plus, blargg and I need to work on audio save state support still....

Looks like the 100% CPU munch bug has been fixed (according to the changelog).Must test this now

Yes, that bug is completely fixed.

Also, because of your request for HqXxS filters, I have wrote 6 new Kega filter plugins using the algorithm done by Nitsuja in his re-recording versions of VBA. Which means you can use HQ2XS in Kega, and VBA-M.

kick · Post by **kick** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:21 am

Just tested build 176 and here's what I found so far:

- OpenAL output supports only the 'Generic Software' device.Is support for other devices implemented?
- Controls still don't work in OpenGL mode
- Assign additional controls to Gamepad buttons does nothing
- Sound interpolation options are gone - there's just 'On' and 'Off' now
- No HQXxS filters included with this build
- Enabling LCD colors does nothing (I believe this is not implemented yet)
- Skins are only available when using Direct Draw

Nice work,VBA team.No other problems with this build (other than those mentioned above).I experienced just one crash while changing video modes,but that's probably a result of the few OpenGL bugs still present in VBA-M.
I only missed fast-forward without frameskipping,but I know a future build will have that.

mudlord · Post by **mudlord** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:35 am

- OpenAL output supports only the 'Generic Software' device.Is support for other devices implemented?

Yes, if your sound hardware supports hardware accelerated OpenAL, it will use it.

Sound interpolation options are gone - there's just 'On' and 'Off' now

Yes, this is due to blargg's new GB/GBA audio emulation core and the changes that come with it. In future builds, I intend to make filtering configurable.

No HQXxS filters included with this build

If you looked on my forum, you will see that I included 6 Kega Fusion filter plugins, which I personally wrote, based on the HQXxS filter algorithms by Nitsuja, in the pack which I put in the "filter plugins" thread.

However, if you can't find a link, heres a proper working one, with only my plugins (if you already have KarlKoX's filter pack) :
http://vba-m.ngemu.com/personalfiles/hqlqxxS.rar

Controls still don't work in OpenGL mode

They do, if you restart the emulator, after you make the renderer change.

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:13 pm

kick wrote:- OpenAL output supports only the 'Generic Software' device.Is support for other devices implemented?

"Generic Software" is probably the default for the Creative supplied OpenAL driver that anyone can use.

kick · Post by **kick** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:18 pm

I did some more testing and found two more bugs:

1. With the Direct3D renderer,the picture is deformed (the 2 polygons that form the image are misaligned).There's no such problem with OpenGL (any mode) or DirectDraw.

Here's 3 screenshots for comparison:

DirectDraw - Correct Display

OpenGL - Correct Display

Direct3D - Deformed Display

2. The sound buffering sometimes screws up,so sound gets poppy,scratchy and distorted.Changing the renderer,resetting the emulation or even closing the rom and loading another one doesn't help.Only quitting and restarting VBA fixes the issue.
Doesn't happen every time,but when it does,it gets really bad.

kick · Post by **kick** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:27 pm

[Delete this message]

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:58 pm

kick wrote:
Deathlike2 wrote:
kick wrote:- OpenAL output supports only the 'Generic Software' device.Is support for other devices implemented?
"Generic Software" is probably the default for the Creative supplied OpenAL driver that anyone can use.
So that means I must use the crappy Creative drivers and an X-Fi card to get hardware acceleration for OpenAL.

IIRC, the Audigy series have OpenAL drivers (SB Live is SOL).

With the free OpenAL drivers from Creative I'll get only software mixing.

No kidding.

P.S. OK,there's also the Auzentech X_Fi Prelude (with Creative drivers) as an option.
But everyone else is "screwed"

Well, there isn't any competition, and noone feels like putting up an OpenAL client driver other than NVidia (IIRC, NVidia mobos with onboard sound solutions have them).. so it's more like "the tree dropping in a forest and noone hears it analogy" IMO.

I.S.T. · Post by **I.S.T.** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:02 pm

I tried the latest version, and I get two error messages. First one says the file is corrupt, and needs to be reinstalled, the second one says "Windows cannot run this program because it is in an invalid format."

Didn't notice the second one when I was trying it earlier...

kick · Post by **kick** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:14 pm

Deathlike2 wrote:
kick wrote:- OpenAL output supports only the 'Generic Software' device.Is support for other devices implemented?
"Generic Software" is probably the default for the Creative supplied OpenAL driver that anyone can use.

So you're saying that hardware OpenAL acceleration is only available for Creative Audigy / X-Fi cards with Creative drivers and the free OpenAL 'driver' is just a glorified software wrapper that translates calls to DirectSound.If that's the case,then it's better not to use OpenAL with anything other than E-MU10k/20k cards or the SoundStorm.

Didn't know NVidia SoundStorm with its drivers has hardware OpenAL support.
SS was one of the best products from nVidia,too bad they abandoned it. The sound chip is still the greatest onboard APU ever made,it's a shame that motherboard makers didn't use quality parts for the analog outputs.Can you name any other onboard sound chip that has native OpenAL and ASIO support?

[EDIT] So it's about time to put that SoundStorm to good use

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:34 pm

kick wrote:
Deathlike2 wrote:
kick wrote:- OpenAL output supports only the 'Generic Software' device.Is support for other devices implemented?
"Generic Software" is probably the default for the Creative supplied OpenAL driver that anyone can use.
So you're saying that hardware OpenAL acceleration is only available for Creative Audigy2 / X-Fi cards with Creative drivers and with the free OpenAL drivers you'll only get software mixing with any other card.
What's even worse is if you're using a card which has hardware OpenAL support,but you use alternative drivers (not the Creative crap),you're treated like the rest.

I'm specifically talking about the "universal" (aka generic) OpenAL driver provided by Creative on their OpenAL website that anyone can use.. just to be clear. It's simply one big wrapper IIRC.

OK,there is another option - the Auzentech X_Fi Prelude (comes with Creative drivers),but everyone else is "screwed"

It's still X-Fi rebranded.

Didn't know nVidia SoundStorm with its drivers has hardware OpenAL support.
Man,that sound chip was the greatest onboard APU ever made,too bad they didn't use quality parts for the analog outputs.Can you name any other onboard sound chip which has hardware OpenAL and native ASIO support?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=NV ... tnG=Search - You will find what you need to know. Frankly I don't know/care about ASIO support. All I know is NVidia provides a driver... that's it.

mudlord · Post by **mudlord** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:10 pm

I tried the latest version, and I get two error messages. First one says the file is corrupt, and needs to be reinstalled, the second one says "Windows cannot run this program because it is in an invalid format."

Didn't notice the second one when I was trying it earlier...

That is weird. On my previous dev system, this never, ever occured, which was running XP SP2. Having never being able to reproduce the problem, it sounds like it could be a fault on your end.

With the Direct3D renderer,the picture is deformed (the 2 polygons that form the image are misaligned).There's no such problem with OpenGL (any mode) or DirectDraw.

Thanks for the report! I will check this out as soon as my new Core 2 Duo, video card, harddrive and power supply arrives for my new dev system I'm building. I got some updates in mind for the D3D renderer....

. The sound buffering sometimes screws up,so sound gets poppy,scratchy and distorted.Changing the renderer,resetting the emulation or even closing the rom and loading another one doesn't help.Only quitting and restarting VBA fixes the issue.
Doesn't happen every time,but when it does,it gets really bad.

In newest SVN, this is fixed. The sound core now is quite stable and the sound API issues with buffering should be fixed

Tallgeese · Post by **Tallgeese** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:15 pm

I have a question.

As you know, if you load a savestate, it replaces your srm file with one from the state.

Would it be possible to add an option that this not be so, or is that impossible/very difficult?