fooling with m2emu network

[holmes]

Thanks! I like Super Gt 24h and was very disappointed to not being able to play it on LAN.

[Francesco75]

Thank you very much SailorSat, what you are doing for model2emu is really fantastic and even more so the sharing you are doing.
I'm trying to integrate Daytona into my twin cab driven by two PCs. I have added a third pc with two attached monitors, planning to dedicate it as a spectator pc (live cam and stats).
1) is it correct to have the only master in the spectator pc as a special cab so Player 1 and Player 2 will be both slaves?
2) is it possible to have virtual cam and stats on a 2 only linked players instead of 8?
3) assuming my win10 pcs are 192.168.0.161 (spectator pc), 192.168.0.162 (player1), 192.168.0.163 (player2) what are the right per machine configurations files? I'm really a bit lost, and also is not clear if i have to execute the lagfix only on the spectator pc or on all my 3 machines.
Any help will be appreciate.

[anchounio]

Thank you SailorSat !! 
I've been waiting for this upgrade for years !
love you

[buttersoft]

So... finaly made patch of 1.1a (multicpu) that fixes the "newer" games' network initialization. (no more service-menu reset shenanigans)

Sega Ski Super G
SuperGT 24h
OverRev
Sega Touring Car Challenge
Wave Runner

called 1.1b

Gee, that's awesome. I'd love to get this running with STCC

I must admit to always being in the dark as to how to actually use this. I never got the original lagfix working either. Is there a guide to starting from scratch with the rom and the emu, and going from there? Can i just run one version of emu/lagfix and run all M2 games from it?

[MrThunderwing]

I must admit to always being in the dark as to how to actually use this. I never got the original lagfix working either. Is there a guide to starting from scratch with the rom and the emu, and going from there? Can i just run one version of emu/lagfix and run all M2 games from it?

Likewise, I kept meaning to look through the thread to try and figure it out, but I left it a bit too late and the thread got bigger and bigger and then I moved onto other things. A quick start write-up from someone that knows what they're doing with it would be ace!

[jorgenjl2]

I must admit to always being in the dark as to how to actually use this. I never got the original lagfix working either. Is there a guide to starting from scratch with the rom and the emu, and going from there? Can i just run one version of emu/lagfix and run all M2 games from it?

Likewise, I kept meaning to look through the thread to try and figure it out, but I left it a bit too late and the thread got bigger and bigger and then I moved onto other things. A quick start write-up from someone that knows what they're doing with it would be ace!

I third this. My 4 player racing cabinet has flashing cars on Daytona and I am not sure what is wrong with this. At one point in the thread someone says to use similar to what I have below, another person says the network ini should point to another pc instead of the local pc, and at another point someone says the port should be 9000 instead of 9002. So a quick guide or find/replace file for 2p, 3p, and 4p options would be very helpful. Here is what I have but it does not work.

Code: [Select]

Racer1 (192.168.0.2)
--m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.2
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

--m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.2
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.2
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.3
RemotePort=9000


--racer2

--m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.3
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

--m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.3
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.3
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.4
RemotePort=9000


--racer3
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.4
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.4
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.4
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.5
RemotePort=9000


--racer4
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.5
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.5
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.5
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.2
RemotePort=9001

[jorgenjl2]

GPT4o says to try this so I will give it a shot tomorrow. It has the ip's pointing to the next player unlike some other references in the thread I could have sworn said to first point at itself in the network ini and then the m2lagfix ini points to the next ip later. Obviously I could have been mistaken. Anyhow i will give it a shot.

Code: [Select]

# Racer 1 (192.168.0.2)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.3
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.3
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.2
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.3
RemotePort=9000


# Racer 2 (192.168.0.3)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.4
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.4
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.3
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.4
RemotePort=9000


# Racer 3 (192.168.0.4)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.5
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.5
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.4
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.5
RemotePort=9000


# Racer 4 (192.168.0.5)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.2
NextPort=9002
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.2
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.5
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.2
RemotePort=9000


[bandicoot]

you must test this

# Racer 1 (192.168.0.2)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.3
NextPort=9001
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.3
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.2
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.3
RemotePort=9000


# Racer 2 (192.168.0.3)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.4
NextPort=9001
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.4
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.3
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.4
RemotePort=9000


# Racer 3 (192.168.0.4)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.5
NextPort=9001
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.5
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.4
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.5
RemotePort=9000


# Racer 4 (192.168.0.5)

-- m2network.ini
[Network]
RxPort=9001
NextIP=192.168.0.2
NextPort=9001
FrameSync=1

-- m2lagfix.ini
[m2rx]
LocalHost=0.0.0.0
LocalPort=9000
RemoteHost=192.168.0.2
RemotePort=9001
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=192.168.0.5
LocalPort=9002
RemoteHost=192.168.0.2
RemotePort=9000

[SailorSat]

Long Story short...

Start withOUT m2lagfix in the first place.

Grab a copy of the patched m2emulator from http://files.arianchen.de/m2em/emulator_multicpu_11b.zip
( might want to rename it instead of replacing the existing one )

Turn on FrameSync in m2network.ini

If using ONE machine set your RXPort and NextPort
If using MULTIPLE machines only set NextIP the next machine
-- Test your ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- --

Known issues:

Random Freezes
IF you get random "freezes" for about 2 seconds, you might need lagfix.
This happens when packets are lost somewhere. You can try to fix this with m2lagfix.

Sega Rally timer goes haywire
The timer in Sega Rally acts up in multiplayer for unknown reason - Grab a copy of https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/srallyc.lua and put it in your scripts folder.

Indy500 or motoraid show NETWORK ERROR
If Indy500 or MotorRaid error out, you might give the "error patch"-scripts a try.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/indy500d.lua
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/motoraid.lua

Flickering cars (in any game)
No reliable fix known - Works fine if the network is forcefully slowed down, but causes audio stuttering.
Need to "fix" the timers in m2em at some point.
Likewise turning on V-SYNC and running the game at 58Hz helps something, while breaking audio.


M2lagfix should only be used if packets are lost and for splitting off a datastream for my custom daytona live spectator.

[SailorSat]

Games tested...

Game	Romset	2 Players	4 Players	4 Players + Spectator	8 Players	Notes
Daytona USA (Saturn Ads)	daytonas	fine	fine	n/a	fine
ManxTT Superbike (Rev D, Deluxe)	manxtt	fine	fine	fine	fine	sometimes glitches out in race - works fine on next try
Motor Raid	motoraid	fine	fine	fine	n/a
Sega Rally Championship	srallyc	fine*	fine*	fine*	n/a	use lua script to fix timer
Indianapolis 500 (Rev A, Twin, Newer rev)	indy500	fine	fine*	fine*	fine*	spectator = slave
Indianapolis 500 (Rev A, Deluxe)	indy500d	fine	fine*	fine*	fine*	use lua script for reliable connection - mostly works, sometimes gets stuck on transmission selection -- spectator = slave
Over Rev (Model 2B)	overrevb	fine	fine	n/a	n/a
Over Rev	overrev	fine	fine	n/a	n/a
Super GT 24h	sgt24h	fine	meh*	n/a	n/a	gets stuck on link screen most of the time.
Sega Touring Car Championship	stcc	fine	fine	fine	fine	use lua script for reliable link
Wave Runner	waverunr	fine	fine*	n/a	n/a	use lua script for reliable link

[jorgenjl2]

Long Story short...

Start withOUT m2lagfix in the first place.

Grab a copy of the patched m2emulator from http://files.arianchen.de/m2em/emulator_multicpu_11b.zip
( might want to rename it instead of replacing the existing one )

Turn on FrameSync in m2network.ini

If using ONE machine set your RXPort and NextPort
If using MULTIPLE machines only set NextIP the next machine
-- Test your ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- --

Known issues:

Random Freezes
IF you get random "freezes" for about 2 seconds, you might need lagfix.
This happens when packets are lost somewhere. You can try to fix this with m2lagfix.

Sega Rally timer goes haywire
The timer in Sega Rally acts up in multiplayer for unknown reason - Grab a copy of https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/srallyc.lua and put it in your scripts folder.

Indy500 or motoraid show NETWORK ERROR
If Indy500 or MotorRaid error out, you might give the "error patch"-scripts a try.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/indy500d.lua
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/motoraid.lua

Flickering cars (in any game)
No reliable fix known - Works fine if the network is forcefully slowed down, but causes audio stuttering.
Need to "fix" the timers in m2em at some point.
Likewise turning on V-SYNC and running the game at 58Hz helps something, while breaking audio.


M2lagfix should only be used if packets are lost and for splitting off a datastream for my custom daytona live spectator.

Thanks for this. To clarify, m2lagfix only fixes “freezes” of the game and doesn’t fix the cars flashing? What does the patched emulator do and is that only needed for games other than Daytona USA (since I have never had any issues with network on regular besides the flashing/flickering cars). The flickering cars are pretty bad though so I will have to look at your old Daytona videos and see if it is anything like mine. Do you think it is worth trying jumbo frames or will that not help?

[SailorSat]

As for the patched emulator - It introduces a small delay to the network intialization code.
this in practice only affects model2b and model2c games.

those newer games start the comm board and THEN setup the comm parameters afterwards.
real comm hardware takes some time to do a self test - the emulation did not, hence it would start up as "slave" by default.
in the past people cheatet their way in by entering and leaving service mode in the right moment - that is no longer needed.

I've had jumbo frames enabled for the longest time (for performance reasons actually), but had to disable them when I added the NPCAP-protocol.
--

as for the flickering cars in daytona...
on my development machine cars don't flicker at all - doesn't matter if 2 or 8 players
on my 8 player setup, some cars do flicker... like ONE of the 8 cabinets has flickering cars, the others dont - in other instances, only one car is flickering on all cabinets, while the others are fine.

--

long story short, the network code still isn't working correctly.
having dug into the binary for some time now, there are two possible issues right now.

1. the code runs "async" based on some timer - that timer appears to be off somehow.
if I slow down the video (via vsync) funky stuff happens
if I slow down the network other stuff happens.

2. the network code itself - the "buffer" to be exact
received data is handled different in M2EM to how my implementation in MAME does - as MAME links up absolutely fine in all games and M2EM does not, that "might" be a lead - moving stuff around in binary is a tricky thing though.

[jorgenjl2]

As for the patched emulator - It introduces a small delay to the network intialization code.
this in practice only affects model2b and model2c games.

those newer games start the comm board and THEN setup the comm parameters afterwards.
real comm hardware takes some time to do a self test - the emulation did not, hence it would start up as "slave" by default.
in the past people cheatet their way in by entering and leaving service mode in the right moment - that is no longer needed.

I've had jumbo frames enabled for the longest time (for performance reasons actually), but had to disable them when I added the NPCAP-protocol.
--

as for the flickering cars in daytona...
on my development machine cars don't flicker at all - doesn't matter if 2 or 8 players
on my 8 player setup, some cars do flicker... like ONE of the 8 cabinets has flickering cars, the others dont - in other instances, only one car is flickering on all cabinets, while the others are fine.

--

long story short, the network code still isn't working correctly.
having dug into the binary for some time now, there are two possible issues right now.

1. the code runs "async" based on some timer - that timer appears to be off somehow.
if I slow down the video (via vsync) funky stuff happens
if I slow down the network other stuff happens.

2. the network code itself - the "buffer" to be exact
received data is handled different in M2EM to how my implementation in MAME does - as MAME links up absolutely fine in all games and M2EM does not, that "might" be a lead - moving stuff around in binary is a tricky thing though.

It looks like Daytona USA is not a later model b or model c game so I am guessing it won’t help me in my specific case so I will stick with the emulator I am using now. That is good to know if I dive into the other games.

I may try enabling jumbo frames in that case. You just set the mtu (9000?) on the PCs and then the router and that is it? No emulator specific changes right?

Since 8 simultaneous separate instances of m2 emulator running Daytona USA on your one development pc has zero flashing cars, that would probably tell us that the specs of the pc are probably unrelated (unlike SFRush Mame where the emulation lan speed might or might not require heavy spec PCs) and that it is related to sending data over the network. I guess I will just have to deal with the flashing cars. Actually you said only one pc flickers.. is it a pc wirh lower specs or is a random pc each time? I will test again to see what it is like on mine (all besides player 1 flicker or is it only one pc etc).

[SailorSat]

My gaming setup actually consists of 9 identical machines.

i3-4170
4gb dual-channel DDR3
geforce gt730
GigaBit Ethernet with what used to be 5K jumboframes (as the M2EM sends 4k packets)
running (cloned) win7 installations of 128GB SSD

I tried to keep any differences as small as possible.

Live I've said, my MAME implementation of the network works fine, but -as the time of writing- MAME has several issues with the graphics.
Speed is not an issue at the moment, as these machines run most of the 3D racers MAME supports at way over 120% speed, so there should be enough wiggle room.

I will do a test though, changing the way my code handles received data to how the M2EM does - if it breaks something I shall try to patch M2EM in that regard >_<

[MrThunderwing]

Long Story short...

Start withOUT m2lagfix in the first place.

Grab a copy of the patched m2emulator from http://files.arianchen.de/m2em/emulator_multicpu_11b.zip
( might want to rename it instead of replacing the existing one )

Turn on FrameSync in m2network.ini

If using ONE machine set your RXPort and NextPort
If using MULTIPLE machines only set NextIP the next machine
-- Test your ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- --

Known issues:

Random Freezes
IF you get random "freezes" for about 2 seconds, you might need lagfix.
This happens when packets are lost somewhere. You can try to fix this with m2lagfix.

Sega Rally timer goes haywire
The timer in Sega Rally acts up in multiplayer for unknown reason - Grab a copy of https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/srallyc.lua and put it in your scripts folder.

Indy500 or motoraid show NETWORK ERROR
If Indy500 or MotorRaid error out, you might give the "error patch"-scripts a try.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/indy500d.lua
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/master/src/scripts/motoraid.lua

Flickering cars (in any game)
No reliable fix known - Works fine if the network is forcefully slowed down, but causes audio stuttering.
Need to "fix" the timers in m2em at some point.
Likewise turning on V-SYNC and running the game at 58Hz helps something, while breaking audio.


M2lagfix should only be used if packets are lost and for splitting off a datastream for my custom daytona live spectator.

Thanks for this Ariane, greatly appreciated! I renamed the patched M2 exe and added it to an existing 4 player M2 single PC setup I've got (and added the frame sync info to the inis) and all seems good with Daytona. I still get a network error with Indy500 and the D version (I've previously had limited success getting it running in multiplayer in regular M2EMU - sometimes it links, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it links for a bit then fails after 1 game). I know nothing about LUA -How do you apply the patch for Indy? I tried Googling this, but I can't seem to find a simple answer...

[SailorSat]

I know nothing about LUA -How do you apply the patch for Indy? I tried Googling this, but I can't seem to find a simple answer...

Just download that script and place it in the "scripts" folder of the emulator.

[MrThunderwing]

Hey, thanks for the quick reply - I couldn't see anyway to download it from the links, but I recalled this topic came up before on the form and found the info in another part of this thread and was able to figure out how to make the LUA script from a text file. Indy 500 linking ok now 

thanks again!
Edit: Arrghh, no spoke to soon. It looks like it's working initially but it fails without going in game.

[MrThunderwing]

If I click on the link, this is what I get on-screen in attachment one, there's no download option anywhere I can see on screen.

Attachment 2 is what my homemade LUA file looks like though, which I think is the same as what I'd download...? I've put one of these in each of the 4 scripts folder and Indy 500 still gets the network error.

[PL1]

If I click on the link, this is what I get on-screen in attachment one, there's no download option anywhere I can see on screen.

Here's an easier link.

https://github.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/tree/master/src/scripts

- Click on the desired script.

- On the script page, there's a download link.


Scott

[jorgenjl2]

My gaming setup actually consists of 9 identical machines.

i3-4170
4gb dual-channel DDR3
geforce gt730
GigaBit Ethernet with what used to be 5K jumboframes (as the M2EM sends 4k packets)
running (cloned) win7 installations of 128GB SSD

I tried to keep any differences as small as possible.

Live I've said, my MAME implementation of the network works fine, but -as the time of writing- MAME has several issues with the graphics.
Speed is not an issue at the moment, as these machines run most of the 3D racers MAME supports at way over 120% speed, so there should be enough wiggle room.

I will do a test though, changing the way my code handles received data to how the M2EM does - if it breaks something I shall try to patch M2EM in that regard >_<

That would be awesome.

Here is my testing from earlier:

1) M2lagfix with m2network.ini pointed to local ip = master zero flashing cars. All 3 slaves constant flashing cars
2) M2lagfix with m2network.ini pointed to next ip (gpt4o) = master zero flashing cars. All 3 slaves constant flashing cars
3) Take out m2lagfix and have network.ini point to next ip in ring = master zero flashing cars. All 3 slaves constant flashing cars
4) Change mtu to 9000 for all PCs = won’t get past black connecting to network screens
5) Change mtu to 4000 for all PCs = won’t get past black connecting to network screens
6) Change back to mtu 1500 and reboot = no flashing cars first race for some reason
7) 2nd race = 2nd player flashing cars and then eventually all three slaves flashing cars again
Reboot. Same three flashing slaves.

[Super-Becker]

Everything has been working out for me in the link games on M2. I saw that some colleagues' files have different information than mine:

PC1:
m2network.ini:
[Network]
Rxport=11200
NextIP=PUT PC2 IP HERE
NextPort=44405
FrameSync=1

m2lagfix.ini:
[m2rx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=8001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=9002
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=9001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8001

[m2stats]
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8000

PC2:
m2network.ini:
[Network]
Rxport=44405
NextIP=PUT PC1 IP HERE
NextPort=11200
FrameSync=1

m2lagfix.ini:
[m2rx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=8001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=9002
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=9001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8001

[m2stats]
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8000

I ran the emulator using "EMULATOR.EXE" because "emulator_multicpu.exe" caused some problem that I no longer remember. Now I use SailorSat's multicpu_1.1b which is the best version. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you: -Congratulations on your work and thank you very much SailorSat!

I don't use any lua scripts from SailorSat.

I always use m2lagfix in linked games. The flashing cars rarely appear for me, and when they do I just close m2lagfix and the emulator, and open them again. I did several random tests to try to find out what favors flashing cars or not, but I didn't come to a conclusion.

I hope I helped someone.

[MrThunderwing]

If I click on the link, this is what I get on-screen in attachment one, there's no download option anywhere I can see on screen.

Here's an easier link.

https://github.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/tree/master/src/scripts

- Click on the desired script.

- On the script page, there's a download link.


Scott

Scott my dude! Thanks for sharing that link, the OG Indy 500 still keeps failing the link a few seconds after connecting, but the LUA script for Indy 500d seems to be creating a nice stable connection. I'm able to drag windows around the screen to reposition them and the link doesn't immediately disconnect, so that's cool.

[jorgenjl2]

Everything has been working out for me in the link games on M2. I saw that some colleagues' files have different information than mine:

PC1:
m2network.ini:
[Network]
Rxport=11200
NextIP=PUT PC2 IP HERE
NextPort=44405
FrameSync=1

m2lagfix.ini:
[m2rx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=8001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=9002
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=9001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8001

[m2stats]
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8000

PC2:
m2network.ini:
[Network]
Rxport=44405
NextIP=PUT PC1 IP HERE
NextPort=11200
FrameSync=1

m2lagfix.ini:
[m2rx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=8001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=9002
StallDetection=1

[m2tx]
LocalHost=127.0.0.1
LocalPort=9001
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8001

[m2stats]
RemoteHost=127.0.0.1
RemotePort=8000

I ran the emulator using "EMULATOR.EXE" because "emulator_multicpu.exe" caused some problem that I no longer remember. Now I use SailorSat's multicpu_1.1b which is the best version. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you: -Congratulations on your work and thank you very much SailorSat!

I don't use any lua scripts from SailorSat.

I always use m2lagfix in linked games. The flashing cars rarely appear for me, and when they do I just close m2lagfix and the emulator, and open them again. I did several random tests to try to find out what favors flashing cars or not, but I didn't come to a conclusion.

I hope I helped someone.

I will have to try using the new multicpu1.1b emulator and m2lagfix again since my flashing is pretty bad. What does the m2stats do? I thought that was a 9th (or third in your case?) pc that displays where people are on the track but admittedly I did not really look closely at that part yet.

SailorSat - Do you have a m2lagfix and m2network ini settings you recommend for 2p and 4p so we have a single set of ini’s that we know work? I can try what Super Becker has and try to translate to 4p if having the stats doesn’t hurt anything.

[SailorSat]

First of all, please don't quote the whole wall of text every time you reply
the configuration you've posted does not utilize m2lagfix at all.

m2network.ini #1 receives on 11200 and points to ip2:44405
m2network.ini #2 receives on 44405 and points to ip1:11200


Second... I managed to "fix" the receive code - that seems to fix overrev and sgt24h in 4 player mode (no more glitchfest).
But I found yet another issue... (although that is a good thing, as that might be the initial issue all along)

stay tuned

*EDIT*
mhm... I sometimes feel stupid

that "fix" enables OverRev and WaveRunner to boot up quite reliable.
and earlier today I had SGT24H and STCC running with 4 players - I then took a nap.
having changed nothing since, I cant get them to link up anymore.
it feel like once in a 50 restarts, they link up (and play) fine. otherwise they just stay at ther "network check ok!" screen and do nothing.

[SailorSat]

Guess it's time to update the initial post in this thread.

Today I bring you... M2EM 1.1c ( grab a copy at http://files.arianchen.de/m2em/emulator_multicpu_11c.zip )
the network code for receiving data has been fixed - this allows most games to link up.
Super GT 24h still feels like gambling for some reason.

On that note - I fixed the script for indy500 and added scripts for waverunr and stcc to boot reliable.
you can find the scripts at https://github.com/SailorSat/daytona-utils/tree/master/src/scripts

( click on the script you want, then click on the download icon in the top right corner )


As for the flickering cars issue...
I now know for sure there is a timing issue!

If I slow down the network even a little bit, basically all error disappear - be it link up issues (without scripts that is) or flickering cars.
Still trying to figure out the timing logic in m2em... so there may be a 1.1d someday.
I'll do some tests on my setup with slowing down the network by "external" ( m2lagfix 2.0? ) - as I found the offset for the audio rate, I should be able to fix any stuttering that a slight slowdown would introduce.

[SailorSat]

Oh dear... Considering Super GT 24h - You need to have them wired "backwards" (or switch the player number of 2 and 4)

PC1 - Player 1 of 4
PC2 - Player 4 of 4
PC3 - Player 3 of 4
PC4 - Player 2 of 4

and yes, did not work in MAME either...

[Maillouski]

Sailors at, I've been watching this topic since the beginning, it is awesome that you are working again on the flashing cars !

[MrThunderwing]

Nice one Arianne! New Emulator and scripts downloaded, I'll be giving these a try over the weekend. Thanks for all your hard work on this.

[SailorSat]

Nice one Arianne! New Emulator and scripts downloaded, I'll be giving these a try over the weekend. Thanks for all your hard work on this.

If you happen to have issues getting STCC to link... redownload the script pls... turns out the script failed in some edgecase

[SailorSat]

Another week, another thingie...

For those that dare to try...
DayontaThrottle - a rather simplistic piece of software that throttles the m2network to a specified framerate.

My 8-Player Daytona is running cpmpletly flicker free now...

In emulator.ini set Frameskip=0 and ForceSync=0
In m2network.ini set FrameSync=1

As for the throttle itself - think of it as an extra player.
I run mine between Player 8 and Player 1.

You can adjust the speed in throttle.ini
In my test 57.9 works well enough - at least with 8 machines roaring, i barely notice any audio drops from the slowdown.

[jorgenjl2]

Hell yeah I will try this when I am back from vacation in a few days! Thanks SailorSat!

[Dozer316]

Hey there,

This throttled node in the ring completely cured the flickering cars for me in Daytona and 2 nodes stay synced nicely while running in attract mode for about an hour.

As noted, it did introduce some audio stutter / dropout which did seem to change slightly based on the FPS setting under [speed]

Thanks for hacking around in the binary trying to fix this, it's much appreciated.
 

Another week, another thingie...

For those that dare to try...
DayontaThrottle - a rather simplistic piece of software that throttles the m2network to a specified framerate.

My 8-Player Daytona is running cpmpletly flicker free now...

In emulator.ini set Frameskip=0 and ForceSync=0
In m2network.ini set FrameSync=1

As for the throttle itself - think of it as an extra player.
I run mine between Player 8 and Player 1.

You can adjust the speed in throttle.ini
In my test 57.9 works well enough - at least with 8 machines roaring, i barely notice any audio drops from the slowdown.

[xbrunox]

Another week, another thingie...

My 8-Player Daytona is running cpmpletly flicker free now...

Hi SailorSat do you also have a solution to fix the Segarally machines that have sudden jerky movements?

[buttersoft]

Just here for my monthly check-in and delighted i made the effort. This is great stuff, Sailorsat. Thanks for all the hard work!

Downloading now...

OK, it works really well! always connects firs time, no matter who goes first.

I do have a few notes. Firstly, that if you go into service menu and come out, the game will no longer network. Or anyway STCC won't. But now there's really no need to go into service menu when playing, so...

Secondly, a question about scripts. To get this to work properly, i had to get a fresh download of m2 emu 1.1a and overwrite the scripts folder, then place the new scripts on top of that. Is that the correct way? I notice that in the clean download there is a script called "daytona.lua" but the your new script is called "daytonas.lua". Same thing? Different roms? Anything we should be aware of?

[Maillouski]

Can this new hack be also used to cure flickering for multiplayer over Internet ?

[jorgenjl2]

This works so great! Thanks so much!

For my setup I have four pc’s/racers (no m2lagfix.exe involved, just regular m2network.ini. connections) that used port 9001 for both rx and send ports in the m2network.ini’s in a ring. Once I verified that regular 4 player (with flashing cars) worked, I added the throttle exe file to pc1 1st racer. For some reason trying ip 127.0.0.1 and ports 7001 and 7002 in the throttle ini like is shown (even after updating my 4th players m2network.ini didn’t work for me (black startup screens). Probably something minor I was missing. So I instead updated in one go the throttle.ini file to use actual ips (192.168.0.2 twice which is my 1st players ip) instead of 127.0.0.1 and port 9002 LocalPort for receive and 9001 RemotePort and then I updated the 4th racers m2network.ini to have NextPort=9002 (instead of 9001). Everything else stayed the exact same. So now the 4th pc sends the data back to the 1st pc over to port 9002 and then then the throttle exe file reads the 9002 data and then sends it onto port 9001 like normal and everything else is the exact same. Hopefully that is not confusing and helps some. I then added Launchbox “before” scripts on pc1 to start the throttle exe and also “after” scripts to kill the throttle exe. Zero flashing cars and the other players cars also don’t jump around like they used to. So awesome!

[SailorSat]

Hi SailorSat do you also have a solution to fix the Segarally machines that have sudden jerky movements?

I haven't tested Sega Rally that much - The throttle might fix that one too. Need to have some folks around for proper multiplayer

I do have a few notes. Firstly, that if you go into service menu and come out, the game will no longer network.

Noted - might look into that one (probably happens with every game)

To get this to work properly, i had to get a fresh download of m2 emu 1.1a and overwrite the scripts folder, then place the new scripts on top of that. Is that the correct way?

Yes. The original release contains some common script files that get referenced in mine.

I notice that in the clean download there is a script called "daytona.lua" but the your new script is called "daytonas.lua". Same thing? Different roms? Anything we should be aware of?

Those are for different roms - I usually go with the "Daytona USA (Saturn Ads)", as that was the last revision released.
However, the daytona script only contains patches for the "special type" inputs and is not required to play multiplayer

Can this new hack be also used to cure flickering for multiplayer over Internet ?

Yes and No - To get the network synched up properly, the latency needs to be very low.
For the 58Hz network to be in sync a frame needs to pass all players in about 17ms.

I haven't tried though.

[Super-Becker]

Flashing cars at 4:59.

[buttersoft]

I meant to say thanks for the reply, Sailorsat! Still having trouble reaching the forums.