New Advanced Configuration Utility for ArcadeVGA 3000

[AndyWarne]

A beta version of the new ArcadePerfect utility is now available here:
http://www.ultimarc.com/arcadeperfect.html

This utility allows you to change the video timings on the fly while a game is running, including refresh rates, to exactly match the original.
Then you can save the resolution to a file, and run the program from a command line to change to the newly-created settings next time you run the game.
The program will work with all ArcadeVGA 3000 cards.

[Osirus23]

Awesome, can't wait to try this out.

[Paul Olson]

I will test it out hopefully this week. I haven't had a chance to install the card yet.

[bitbytebit]

Ah Ha, this is cool knowing the ArcadeVGA 3000 can be programmed from an application similar to custom modelines in the normal Radeon ATI drivers.  So are you going to release the API publicly so we can utilize this in other utilities, I'd love to put the ability to utilize ArcadeVGA 3000 cards in switchres like I can with normal ATI Radeon cards and Soft15khz.  Would be great to allow them to work too, and make the ArcadeVGA 3000 card even more desirable knowing people can dynamically setup modelines to it too.  Looks like the one missing thing to the these AVGA cards they needed, the ability to dynamically configure the modelines and match refresh rates perfectly.

[AndyWarne]

Ah Ha, this is cool knowing the ArcadeVGA 3000 can be programmed from an application similar to custom modelines in the normal Radeon ATI drivers.  So are you going to release the API publicly so we can utilize this in other utilities, I'd love to put the ability to utilize ArcadeVGA 3000 cards in switchres like I can with normal ATI Radeon cards and Soft15khz.  Would be great to allow them to work too, and make the ArcadeVGA 3000 card even more desirable knowing people can dynamically setup modelines to it too.  Looks like the one missing thing to the these AVGA cards they needed, the ability to dynamically configure the modelines and match refresh rates perfectly.

As I see it this utility does all of that and even allows you to change the refresh while playing the game but if there are going to be any benefits in an API I can produce one. Note this utility does not use the drivers at all.

[AndyWarne]

Thinking about this some more:

I am not sure producing an API for this is really appropriate because the approach I have taken is very different. I am not concerning the user with video modelines as users dont need to know anything about pixel clock, horizontal totals etc etc. All the user needs to know about, and change, is the picture size, position and refresh rates. So this is what the utility does. Then it stores the settings and invokes using a command line.
Not sure if adding the ability to change all the video mode timings add any benefit for the user.

[bitbytebit]

Thinking about this some more:

I am not sure producing an API for this is really appropriate because the approach I have taken is very different. I am not concerning the user with video modelines as users dont need to know anything about pixel clock, horizontal totals etc etc. All the user needs to know about, and change, is the picture size, position and refresh rates. So this is what the utility does. Then it stores the settings and invokes using a command line.
Not sure if adding the ability to change all the video mode timings add any benefit for the user.

I'll have to look at this more and play around with the the utility.  I'm sure there's a way switchres can use it to improve how it acts with an AVGA card.  I like the idea of the API, just because from my testing I've seen that modelines can do a lot of different things for timings that different monitors are picky about.  Sure a person can fiddle with it themselves, but you can predetermine it all from the testing Calamity and I have been doing.  So for the most part, the advantage would be to be able to tell the card what we want after calculating it ourselves from the Mame XML information.  I am not sure how the rsi format is setup, I'm really curious since it sounds like I might for the most part be able to setup .rsi files of what I want the resolution to be and run them with your utility, hence avoiding manually creating them with the utility but use it to pass things to the card we calculate. 

I guess the main thing is that not all modeline calculators are equal, and the one we are using is developed by Calamity and an amazing one from what I have seen.  So a neat feature would be to see these modelines calculated to the desired specs pushed onto the AVGA card, so far they seem to have done pretty well.  Also the way I've done things, my program basically avoids having all those little .ini files statically setup, they are dynamically produced, so that combined with feeding the resolution the .ini file would have had but dynamically calculated, plus using your utility and feeding it more of the timing information we feel the monitor likes, that would be really a cool combination.

[ZeroPoint]

Just getting "card not found" with this utility... 

The ArcadeVGA 3000 card is working properly with Win7 32 bit. Also tried it on XP with no luck.

I also have to run it as administrator or it will say "driver not found" or something !?

Anyone that can help, please ?!   

[clutch]

Decided to play around with this.  Have a few questions:

1) What is the hotkey(s) for switching the refresh rate?
2) Ctrl-End throws it to 640x480 but the game still stays on top.  Can't see the save dialog.  Have to exit game/Mala to do so and then resolution is mega huge.
3) Dumb one here - any way to know what the perfect proportions are?  I know we can see and tweak a pixel at a time, but how would I know Pac-Man should be [--] this wide and not [-----] that wide?  Other than the fact that pac-man is oval shaped instead of round. 

[AndyWarne]

The hotkeys are displayed if you click "Help" or on http://www.ultimarc.com/arcadeperfect.html

The ctrl-end should save the settings then jump to 640 x 480 but you could also try the hotkey which jumps to 640 x 480. You can close the game if necessary before saving. The ctrl-end keeps the settings saved internally even before you save the config file.

The proportion question is a tricky one, I think you would need to calculate this for each game using the original resolution but its made more complex when running vertical on a horizontal monitor. At the end of the day very few monitors on original machines were perfectly adjusted with no overscan at all. I would have though a visual check would be enough. Running vertical on horizontal is always going to be a compromise.

[clutch]

Thanks!!

The hotkeys are displayed if you click "Help" or on http://www.ultimarc.com/arcadeperfect.html

I still don't see it.  Does adjusting the size/position also affect the refresh rate?    I really need to adjust on the fly because just about every game gets screen tear no matter what I set the refresh rate for before-hand in mame settings.

The ctrl-end should save the settings then jump to 640 x 480 but you could also try the hotkey which jumps to 640 x 480. You can close the game if necessary before saving. The ctrl-end keeps the settings saved internally even before you save the config file.

Makes sense.  Just exit the game then save.

The proportion question is a tricky one, I think you would need to calculate this for each game using the original resolution but its made more complex when running vertical on a horizontal monitor. At the end of the day very few monitors on original machines were perfectly adjusted with no overscan at all. I would have though a visual check would be enough. Running vertical on horizontal is always going to be a compromise.

Yeah, because of my huge monitor, I can comfortably run vertical games horizontally.  I have found that using the utility that sets the resolutions for every game is hit or miss and usually needs to be tweaked.

Thanks again for your help.

[clutch]

Any ideas why Missile Command won't line up on the screen when using ArcadePerfect?  It looks perfect, I save the .rsl and then when I run again, the screen is shoved to the right about 1/4 of the way.  I'm running on a 29" inch horizontal arcade monitor.  If I don't run the .rsl, it looks fine (except for the slight tweaks in size and position that I want)

.rsl contents:

res: 256 x 240
HP 64
VP 16
HS 177
VS 221
HR 15.8
VR 61.1

[AndyWarne]

I still don't see it.  Does adjusting the size/position also affect the refresh rate?    I really need to adjust on the fly because just about every game gets screen tear no matter what I set the refresh rate for before-hand in mame settings.

.

Ahem that was stupid, I missed the most important hotkeys off the list! The refresh rate keys are numpad + and -

I will amend the help screen later.

[8BitMonk]

Thanks, I was wondering about that as well.

[M.Bison]

I know this topic hasn't been commented on in a few years but I have a similar issue to one poster that didn't receive a reply in that when I launch Arcade Perfect it says card not found and when i click on any of the adjustments i get a runtime error and the progran crashes, I have an ArcadeVga 5000, has anyone had the same issue?