pcem4crt - pcem mod for crt v17.4

[psakhis]

Hi every one,

I patched this great PC emulator for my arcade cabinet and i'm very happy with it.

New features:
   - 320x200@60hz vga timmings (no more 320x200@70hz are needed, more smooth for crt purposes running without slowdowns at full 100%)
   - autoswitch resolutions in fullscreen (borderless / exclusive modes). I strongly recommend fullscreen exclusive mode
 
Download Link: pcem4crt download file
GITHUB Link: https://github.com/psakhis/pcem4crt

Recommendations for automation:
   - Install software inside hdd vhd/img files (one for every different configuration 486, xms, pentium, ems, ...)
   - Configure different machines with these img files
   - Every autoexec.bat of this machines run a floppy a:\start.bat  (360kb img disk file)
   - Every floppy img starts a different software from hdd vhd/img file, configure this floppy img at start emulator.

Thanks for Authors:
 PCEM        https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/
 Switchres  @Calamity

[Substring]

Hey !

Patched with ? May I suggest you take a look at the switchres library that Calamity has exported from GM ? this would make it portable to Linux

[psakhis]

I used libswitchres, it's really easy with wrapper opening .dll/so. Really good @Calamity works 

I needed to modify a lot of pcem src files because BITMAP variable caused conflicts window.h, i should prepare patch files for the future...

All modifications are portable to the linux but i don't have installed any for test. All the src files are included on download file.

Emulator works really really well, just incredible DOS games with CRT.

[Substring]

then give a link to the source and I'll see how linux behaves

[psakhis]

I modified "wx-sdl2-display-win.c", i think "wx-sdl2-display.c" it's the same for linux version. You can see in "src folder" of 7z file.

I think there aren't more files affected for windows vs linux.
When i detected a resolution change i launch an even to SDL for switchres

if (event.window.event == SDL_WINDOWEVENT_MAXIMIZED) {                       
                         if (video_fullscreen_mode == 0) {    
                            if (vid_resize!=0) //patch
                              vid_resize=0;                               
                                pclog("Maximized Switchres %i x %i!!!\n", event.window.data1,event.window.data2);     
                                SetMenu(hwnd, menu);
                      SDL_SetWindowFullscreen(window, 0);
                      SDL_SetWindowSize(window, remembered_rect.w, remembered_rect.h);
                      SDL_SetWindowPosition(window, remembered_rect.x, remembered_rect.y);
                      SDL_WarpMouseGlobal(remembered_mouse_x, remembered_mouse_y);
                      device_force_redraw();                                                       
                                update_switchres(event.window.data1,event.window.data2);
                                window_doinputgrab = 1;                                
                                window_dofullscreen = 1;           
                         }   
                          if (video_fullscreen_mode != 0) {  //needs vid_resize = 1 or 2     
                             if (vid_resize==0) //patch
                              vid_resize=1;                                                                       
                             pclog("Exclusive Switchres %i x %i!!!\n", event.window.data1,event.window.data2);                                            
                                update_switchres(event.window.data1,event.window.data2);                               
                                display_resize(event.window.data1,event.window.data2);                                   
                                window_dofullscreen = 1;     
                               
                         }

[Substring]

Just saw your github repo. If you allow me to share my opinion : you shouldn't embed the switchres code. If there is any update (and there will), you won't benefite from them. Eventually use a github submodule.

But I understood you used the shared library + API, right ? You didn't instanciate a switchres_manager object ?

Anyway, you can make + make install switchres. On linux at least, it will put the required files at their good place, and even drop a pgk-config .pc file. So it's a good way to get things done easily

[psakhis]

I try to do that, i'm a github noob (15 years without programming xD).

Effectively i use API with wrapper, so only needs a .dll/.so switchres file.


_{..
+void svga_switchres_init() {
+const char* err_msg;
+
+   pclog("Switchres %s.\n", LIBSWR);
+
+   // Load the lib
+   dlp = OPENLIB(LIBSWR);
..}

[Calamity]

Hi psakhis,

It's a very nice surprise that you've implemented libswitchres in this emulator, thank you!

[psakhis]

17.2 is out!

Updated to the last switchres version and fixed some super resolutions problems on exclusive mode.

[Substring]

Out of curiosity : what would be left to get it working on linux ?

[psakhis]

Out of curiosity : what would be left to get it working on linux ?

I think similar changes on wx-sdl2-display.c used by OpenGL (aka Linux), it's all. I will do in 17.3 version 

[Substring]

More general questions as I don't know that emulator :
- can it run windows ?
- does it handle any resolution like CGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA ? or it's just a fixed 320x240 for example ?
- how does it run compared to Dosbox ? how is the configuration ?

[psakhis]

More general questions as I don't know that emulator :
- can it run windows ?
- does it handle any resolution like CGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA ? or it's just a fixed 320x240 for example ?
- how does it run compared to Dosbox ? how is the configuration ?

It's a PC emulator, not DOS emulator. Definetily yes, windows runs perfectly. You can choose machine settings (cpu, motherboard, graphics card, sound card, etc.)

I needed to configure msdos 6.0 with floppy disks for boot! It's really impressive at all!

I have different settings depending on the game (486, pentium, xms boot, ems boot, etc.)

[psakhis]

Applied changes to wx-sdl2-display.c for linux building but not tested.

I compared this fork with dosbox-pure (aladdin, caveman ninja, etc.) and only i can say you have to see it for yourselves. Night & Day...

Aladdin for example

[haynor666]

Big thanks psakhis for this version. I'm eager to test Prince of Persia 2 and Turrican II along with some other lores games on my CRT

[psakhis]

Big thanks psakhis for this version. I'm eager to test Prince of Persia 2 and Turrican II along with some other lores games on my CRT

If you need help for configure emulator i can provide you my config files.

I strongly recommend choose Tsleng gpu, some dos game are more compatibilty with this card.

[haynor666]

I finally managed to put Turrican 2 and some other games on VHD but I have difficulties to run games without choppy movement and non stretched screen so I have some questions:

What resolutions I should have generated ? Turrican 2 uses 608 x 457 :|
PCemCRT works with multimonitor setup?
How can I quit emulation from full screen? I know how to go back to window but without any menus.

[psakhis]

I tested Turrican II on my cabinet and works perfect at 15khz

1) Do you configured switchres.ini file with your monitor specs?
2) PCemCRT works on all monitors ruled by switchres
3) Yeah, exit the emulator is not easy by the way. I use a autohotkey script for kill the process with my hotkey button.

#Persistent
#SingleInstance force
DetectHiddenWindows, On
SetTitleMatchMode, RegEx
Joy10::
 
if GetKeyState("Joy12") {
   WinGet, pcem_id, PID, i)^ahk_class PCem
   Process, Close, %pcem_id%     
   ExitApp     
}   
return

Check your machine config for start at fullscreen, too
..
[SDL2]
screenshot_format = png
screenshot_flash = 1
custom_width = 640
custom_height = 480
fullscreen = 1
fullscreen_mode = 1
scale = 1
scale_mode = 1
vsync = 1
focus_dim = 0
alternative_update_lock = 0
render_driver = direct3d
..

[haynor666]

I didn't set up switchres.ini because I need first tests with generic_15. Now I switched to modified custom range.

So far only Prince of Persia 2 appears to be working fine. Turrican 2 is stretched, Pinball Dreams and Doofus has some weird scrolling.

My machines were indeed not configured properly

Turrican 2 appears still to use some stretching. It's clearly visible on loading screen. This hovewer does not use typical 320x200.

[psakhis]

I filmed with my poor phone..but works pretty well i think (no stretched)

[haynor666]

psakhis, could post your generated resolutions? I think I miss something in my system. I'll try to log session (if it's possible).

[psakhis]

I notice pcem_debug.exe was not builded correctly. Download https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TfMMmfzO0V6btXqCwFbcJYbM3V7V__UM/view?usp=sharing

Check switchres.ini modeline_generation
# Enable on-the-fly generation of video modes
   modeline_generation       1

My log only generates 25kb (i don't know why for the moment). Check in pcem.log if bios run as expected
Exclusive Switchres 720 x 400!!!
Orignial resolution expected: 720x400@60.000000-1
Got resolution: 2560x480i@60.000000

[haynor666]

Generation on the fly works, I can see this clearly for example from interlaced to progressive I just don't know why it picks wrong one (if this is the problem) and applaying stretching.

After I corrected configs:
Doofus (very old and quite nasty game - does not like many video cards) works fine,
Pinball Dreams 2 works generally smoth but looks like it has some frame skipping (still much better than running this game from DOSBox)
Prince of Persia 2 works fine
Jim Power is hard examine because game needs specific hardware to run smothly even in DosBOX so I'm skipping tests here

I didn't tested so far any 3D game.

[psakhis]

Attach your config files and switchres.ini and i will test on my cab with your conf.

Can you test Jazz Jackrabbit? It's 320x199 and 60hz.

EDIT: I have pinball dreams 2 with a Pentium machine configured.

[haynor666]

I'm at work so I don't access to my retro PC but I look at Turrican 2 resolution and it uses 304x228 which is not standard for DOS games.
Ideally I should have black borders on top and bottom but game is filling whole screen.

[psakhis]

You are right. I see this resolution on my log file.

Exclusive Switchres 304 x 228!!!
Orignial resolution expected: 304x228@60.000000-0

If you activate verbose mode on switchres.ini you see resolutions changes.

Switchres: normal (304x228@60.000000)->(304x240@60.000000)
   rng(0):  304 x 240_60.000000p 15.600000 [integ] scale(1, 1, 1) diff(0.00, 2.69, 0.0000) ratio(1.000, 1.053)
Switchres: Modeline "304x240_60 15.600000KHz 60.000000Hz" 6.146400 304 316 345 394 240 241 244 260   -hsync -vsync
sr_add_mode: got mode 304x240@60.000000 type(101)
sr_refresh_display: no refresh required
Inside sr_switch_to_mode(304x240@60.000000)
Switchres: Calculating best video mode for 304x240@60.000000 orientation: normal

EDIT: if you have 304x228 modeline installed, switchres changes to it. Or force with user_mode and allow_refresh_mode.

[haynor666]

Ok, I see why I have stretched Turrican 2 - 304x228 is not possible so VMMaker generates 2560x232. 4 lines ekstra.

How to tell emulator to fit 2560x232 without stretching?

[psakhis]

Test with this setting on config machine --> video_fullscreen_scale = 1

[haynor666]

This produced interlaced mode

[psakhis]

I found some blurry with this setting too.. 

Can you try this? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MVlAUMoQjp8tUrQHhwdx57wJPXf2TSK7/view?usp=sharing

With allow_hardware_refresh activated and not.
  - If you active it, probably try to get native resolution
  - If not, probably try super resolution

EDIT: video_fullscreen_scale = 0

[Calamity]

allow_hw_refresh is only usable in the game only switches to 1 mode at the beginning.

The emulator has to manage the borders when using integer scaling, e.g. 228 vs 232 should be handled gracefully by adding borders automatically without the need of user's interaction.

[psakhis]

allow_hw_refresh is only usable in the game only switches to 1 mode at the beginning.

The emulator has to manage the borders when using integer scaling, e.g. 228 vs 232 should be handled gracefully by adding borders automatically without the need of user's interaction.

If i use allow_hw_refresh when i kill PCem.exe process new modelines created are permanent (non delete). If i restart emulator switchres use them.

Tip: no use allow_hw_refresh for this emulator (i like a short list of modelines), if a game needs a very specific modeline, add it manually.

[Calamity]

The idea is the emulator doesn't need x228 or x237, because all those are covered perfectly by x240 by means of integer scaling. I see those RA tutorials adding new super resolutions to the list when it's usually unnecessary.

[psakhis]

The idea is the emulator doesn't need x228 or x237, because all those are covered perfectly by x240 by means of integer scaling. I see those RA tutorials adding new super resolutions to the list when it's usually unnecessary.

Ok i will see if i can do this in emulator. THX!

[haynor666]

Problem is I can't get integer scalling. No matter what I set I still have 228 stretched to 232. Only mode config combination produces black screens.

Since there is possible to generate 2560x200 in VMMaker all games that use 320x200 works without pixel artefacting.

[psakhis]

Yeah, generate normal super resolutions 2560x200, 2560x240, 2560x480 and force use them on switchres.ini

user_mode 2560x0

It's the easy way.

[haynor666]

I attached my configs. Maybe something interesting You will find.

[psakhis]

It's working correctly. Switchres calculate 240p (best mode available) for Turrican II.

Probably i will need check how emulator output when resolution it's higher than mode output without scaling.

EDIT: Test this version https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OwWyjwHHZ00iYFFL_bPScnolLTUN0G6k/view?usp=sharing. I follow @Calamity recomendation and now only needs 240p and 480p modes, others fill screen with border. I recommend use 2560 super resolution on switchres.ini "2560x0" on user_mode for lock non native resolutions.

[haynor666]

Prince of Persia 2 looks ok (320x200), Settlers looks ok (360x240) but Turrican 2 still looks like stretched. I've made screenshot and view it on amiga just to see how it should look.

I don't know what is happening. Hiscore table clearly to me has blurred font on the bottom.

[psakhis]

I doesn't have Amiga and i can't compare versions..for my eyes looks good and patched with 59hz for smooth scrolling..

You can try to add 304x240@59 modeline, but i doesn't see any difference with native and 2560 super resolution