Magic resolutions not working for some games

[kourampies]

Im having some problems with the latest version.

Im almost done with my cab, and until I find a solution/replacement for the arcade monitor, I just shoved a SCART tv in the cab.

I used this tv before with groovymame and crt emu driver, with the same xp64 installation and ati card, and I have a working monitor preset, almost perfect.

The only change in the setup is that, since I wanted to use hyperspin in the cab, I enabled the options needed in VMmaker, I cant say I knew what i was doing, I just followed some posts on this forum, and after that Hyperspin started working. No changes on the monitor preset.

I didnt test before that. Anyway, Hyperspin works, and many games work, but a lot of them, just take a minor portion of the screen on the left, and look super compressed.

Groovymame/switchres say that a regular 400x256 mode (for example, In the MK series) is used, but it doesnt look like that. By complete accident I logged on teamviewer while mame was active and saw that the screen was super long. The actual resolution is probably something like 1200x256.

I suspect the games run on those weird 1234xsomething progressive modes that I noticed on ArcadeOSD. Still, Groovymame tells me its running on the regular modes that it should run. How to avoid this?

[Calamity]

Hi kourampies,

Those "weird" 1234x modes are what we call "magic" resolutions, they were "invented" to avoid HS crashing. Won't you be using -video ddraw? You need -video d3d to use magic resolutions.

[kourampies]

Hi kourampies,

Those "weird" 1234x modes are what we call "magic" resolutions, they were "invented" to avoid HS crashing. Won't you be using -video ddraw? You need -video d3d to use magic resolutions.

Im using d3d, on mame.ini. Any other suggestions?

[Calamity]

Im using d3d, on mame.ini. Any other suggestions?

Try uninstalling Teamviewer. Remote controlling software installs a mirror driver which conflicts with the normal video driver.

[kourampies]

I tested it a little, and I now understand what the magic modes are. Amazing idea, that also means much less adjustments and service menus. I will need a new/better monitor preset though, but still, its great.

Anyway, its not a mirror driver related problem from what I understand. (I did some tweaking of the monitor preset last time, but didnt test it then, just booted now to test it before posting)

Now most games work properly, and their actual (magic) resolution is reported correctly by switchres.

Midway games though like Mortal Kombat dont seem to work properly. I think its the non standard refresh rate?

Switchres reports using a 400x256 mode, but i think its actually switching to 1234x256, and displaying the 400x256 "windowed" inside the full screen mode.

[Calamity]

Korampies, please remove Teamviewer or any remote control software. Only then, test again and please post a log of mk. Please open a new thread as this is not v0.015 specific and we'll target this issue in there.

[kourampies]

Having an issue where some games only fill a part of the screen, like running windowed inside the fullscreen mode.

For example the MK series. Switchres still reports using a normal, full screen 400x256 mode.

There is no software installed other than windows, drivers, mame and hyperspin. Teamviewer is now removed like Calamity suggested, although like I said there is no mirror driver in teamviewer, unless you specifically choose it.

OS is Windows XP x64, with an ATI X1600, with crt emu drivers.

The monitor preset while not perfect in matters of centering etc used to work fine with the same settings in the past. The only change I made in VMmaker.ini was enabling magic modes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/golijz40p902hbw/IMG_20131128_142806.jpg

[Calamity]

Hi Kourampies,

I moved your posts to this new thread, because I think this topic deserves its own thread so it's easy to find for future reference. It's quite odd that magic resolutions work for some games but not for others. Here are some things I'd test:

1.- Check if other games that use 400x256 (1234x256) actually work. Try 1942 for instance.

3.- Check other games that use 256p (still 1234x256). Try rtype2 for instance (384x256).

2.- If 1942 & rtype2 work fine, then it's something related to Mortal Kombat. If this is the case, it could be because mk changes resolutions internally, that may be the cause. Try:

      - Disabling -multithreading, or...
      - Disabling -changeres, or...
      - Disabling both.

3.- If the problem is general to all games using 400x256, or any x256p resolution, then you'll need to create normal resolutions to cover those games, by adding them to ReslList.txt and running VMMaker again. Finally, you'll need to remove the "magic" 1234x256 modeline, otherwise GM will insist on picking. You can do this by using Winmodelines: http://www.geocities.ws/podernixie/htpc/modeline-en.html

[Calamity]

Any luck with this?

[kourampies]

No luck... A few more logs for you on this post.

Disabling magic resolutions makes everything work fine.

[Calamity]

Hi Kourampies,

I think I'm seeing the possible cause of this issue. For some reason, the modelines are not being updated dynamically. You can clearly see this in your log with -multithreading disabled. In this log, mk is running at 109.90%, this means the active modeline has a refresh of 60 Hz, so it is not being updated to 54.7 Hz as it should. I think this may be the reason why you had enabled -triplebuffer (I hadn't noticed before), in order to have all games running at 100%. I bet you're having jerky scrolling with many games. In fact, -triplebuffer shouldn't be necessary if the dynamic modelines feature was actually working, on the contrary, you should have it disabled. As you disabled -multithreading for making that log, -triplebuffer is disabled internally too, exposing the real issue behind what you're seeing.

So the problem is not actually with magic modelines, it's just where it gets evident, because in this case it's not only the refresh what need to be updated, but the resolution itself. The problem is with dynamic modelines not working. And unfortunately I don't have an explanation for the possible cause. Usually this happens when you create less than 17 modelines, but you have 45 so that shouldn't be the problem. You can confirm the functionality of dynamic modelines by editing a video mode in ArcadeOSD, try to make changes in geometry/centering and see if you get visible changes on the screen. If you don't, it will be clear that dynamic modelines don't work.

[kourampies]

Changes on ArcadeOSD work great. I can change geometry and position. (I turned off magic modes, didnt test with them reenabled yet, will do soon)

I didn't play test a lot this configuration, I noticed some very minor tearing and enabled triple buffering.

I also thought triple buffering shoudlnt be needed if the original modes were generated.

Any suggestions?

[Calamity]

Turning magic modes on/off shouldn't make a difference in ArcadeOSD. So if you can make dynamic changes there, it should work in GM too.

You could just disable magic resolutions, and limit the total number of modes to 70-80, using ModeTableMethod_XML = 1 (dynamic table). Then in ReslList.txt delete everything but the "desktop" resolution. You should achieve a quite decent mode table for GM and still be able to run HS.

The typical test would be switching from Snowbros to Toki (same resolution, different refresh), with -syncrefresh turn on (no triplebuffer). If you can get the proper refresh in both games, this means the dynamic modelines are working.

You should have ZERO tearing with GroovyMAME, -syncrefresh.

Another possible setup, now available, is to use "super" resolutions. This is an alternative to "magic" resolutions. Basically you create a set of ultra wide modes, like:

2560x240@60.000000
2560x256@60.000000
2560x288@60.000000
2560x480@60.000000
2560x512@60.000000
2560x576@60.000000

(you need to add these to ReslList.txt)

Then disable the options to process XML in vmmaker.ini, so only the resolutions from ReslList.txt are processed. Then use this options in mame.ini

resolution 2560x0
cleanstretch 2

Now all modes will use the "super" resolutions, stretching on the horizontal as required, leaving the vertical alone.

[kourampies]

This method works. I see no tearing, and the scrolling is perfect. Hyperspin works.

But I still want to have some of the modes for other emulators, that I had on reslist.

Also, the whole modeline generation thing is getting way too complicated without a proper help file/tutorial, even for me, and computers are my line of work.

I think you should make a tutorial, for people to use VMmaker only in a way that really matches their needs. Otherwise, they just enable everything (like I did) and we end up with bugs that we could avoid. And we do this by collecting inconsistent bits of information, not following one generalized tutorial, so problems are almost bound to exist. Offcourse there is something to be fixed here, that you could potentially solve in the future, but since 99% of peoples usage can be covered with way simpler configurations, that could be a simpler solution.

Unless you are determined to fix all bugs for us

[Calamity]

But I still want to have some of the modes for other emulators, that I had on reslist.

Just go in ReslList.txt and add whatever you need.

I think you should make a tutorial, for people to use VMmaker only in a way that really matches their needs.

Definitely.

Offcourse there is something to be fixed here, that you could potentially solve in the future, but since 99% of peoples usage can be covered with way simpler configurations, that could be a simpler solution.

If still wonder why it wasn't working for you. Have you done the snowbros/toki test? So you confirm dynamic resolutions are working?

I always considered the magic resolutions as a temporary hack until HS was fixed (which didn't happen). Besides, magic resolutions don't work at all in W7. So I will probably make the "super" resolutions method as the default configuration in the near future, making VMMaker as it is now probably useless, and concentrate on creating a set of standard mode list for typical cases. The "super" resolutions have an additional advantage: horizontal centering is *perfect* for all modes.

[kourampies]

Toki and Snowbros have the same position/geometry, switchres shows proper modes selected, and I see absolutely no tearing disabled. Do you want logs? I think its working as it should.

[Calamity]

I mean, if you press F11, is the speed the correct one for both games (100%)?. Also, when you said "this method works", did you mean the second one I suggested ("super" resolutions) or the first one (normal dynamic table)?

[kourampies]

I mean, if you press F11, is the speed the correct one for both games (100%)?. Also, when you said "this method works", did you mean the second one I suggested ("super" resolutions) or the first one (normal dynamic table)?

I cant see the F11 due to overscan, but on closing it says 100.0X% so I guess its running properly, the decimal is from the opening/changing resolution probably. I used the normal dynamic table, I kinda lost my hope on the magic/super resolutions from all this.

[Calamity]

I cant see the F11 due to overscan, but on closing it says 100.0X% so I guess its running properly, the decimal is from the opening/changing resolution probably.

Ok, if this is *without* triplebuffer then yes, it's working ok.

I used the normal dynamic table, I kinda lost my hope on the magic/super resolutions from all this.

Ok, the dynamic table is just fine. The super resolutions are totally different from magic resolutions, they will work for sure. Anyway...

[kourampies]

I cant see the F11 due to overscan, but on closing it says 100.0X% so I guess its running properly, the decimal is from the opening/changing resolution probably.

Ok, if this is *without* triplebuffer then yes, it's working ok.

Its without triple buffer.

Ok, the dynamic table is just fine. The super resolutions are totally different from magic resolutions, they will work for sure. Anyway...

Since it now works, I ll wait either for your in depth tutorial, or my arcade monitors getting fixed before messing with the configuration again. Thanks!