Emulation central - recommendations in 1st post

[Vorark]

MHXX with full english patch on Citra. Bumped up resolution 4 times installed reshade and fiddled a bit with setting to get that soft touch of older games. Light ambience is kind of neat as alternative to shitty bloom as it kind of emulates crudely ambient lighting.

Still i am shocked how good this 3DS can look with enough interest in it. If Citra devs would give ability to override textures like in Dolphin (they are working on it) this would look even better especially with something like AI enchanced textures.

Maybe it'll be possible to backport the GU textures, similar to what happened to the translation. I remember the ground textures were redone and looked great, especially in areas like A. Steppes.

Btw, does it play better on Citra than the hardware itself (cannot test atm)? The 3DS has dips despite being locked at 30.

 

[Perkel]

Yeah as long as texture override will be working and devs say that something actually is happening on that front (just yesterday i talked with them) backporting will be easy.

As for framerate as long as emulator itself doesn't have issues like with broken implementation all games run at max speed possible via their internal framerate cap.

MHXX have slight slowdowns on roars but overall it runs non stop 30fps.
MH4U is much more broken especially with current build but overall it runs non stop 60fps.

As for textures themselves imho MHXX issues is that those textures are very blocky not that they are bad. So with reshade you can run smoothing filter on them and they will lose some detail but they will actually look much better, which is precisely what i used in above video.

Imho aside from blocky textures i don't think high res textures "fits" MHXX because game has very low polygon count. Those highly detailed textures always look weird on low poly models especially without bumpmapping.

 

[ColonelTeacup]

 

[aweigh]

Yeah as long as texture override will be working and devs say that something actually is happening on that front (just yesterday i talked with them) backporting will be easy.

As for framerate as long as emulator itself doesn't have issues like with broken implementation all games run at max speed possible via their internal framerate cap.

MHXX have slight slowdowns on roars but overall it runs non stop 30fps.
MH4U is much more broken especially with current build but overall it runs non stop 60fps.

As for textures themselves imho MHXX issues is that those textures are very blocky not that they are bad. So with reshade you can run smoothing filter on them and they will lose some detail but they will actually look much better, which is precisely what i used in above video.

Imho aside from blocky textures i don't think high res textures "fits" MHXX because game has very low polygon count. Those highly detailed textures always look weird on low poly models especially without bumpmapping.

Is it possible to overclock Citra/3DS and increase frame rate on 3DS games locked at 20fps, like for example the 3DS port of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eather (which would be the best version of the game if it wasn't locked to 20fps).

 

[Perkel]

Yeah but you are talking now about hex editing memory much like you can remove 30fps limit in PSP version of Monster Hunter Tri or Zelda BOTW. The point here is that emulator does not slow down like original hardware.

 

[aweigh]

But i've seen videos of people overclocking physical 3DS and Vitas and getting higher frame rates and faster loading in games.

 

[Perkel]

But i've seen videos of people overclocking physical 3DS and Vitas and getting higher frame rates and faster loading in games.

Yes you can do that with actual hardware but results of that are often varied from frame lock to just bump in framerate.
Though i still don't know what this has to do with what he said. We are talking here about emulator and if there are dips in framerate compared to actual hardware.

either way cat gif

 

[Baron Dupek]

incoming C&D letter after this announcement in 3...2...1...

 

[aweigh]

I fired up Shining Force 3 with the english fan-translation patch and had to go through quite a few emulators before finally finding one that works.

- SSF runs it but sound skips.
- Yabause runs it but has slow performance/frame rate.
- Kronos runs it but has even slower performance and frame rate.
- RetroArch saturn cores:
- RA mednafen saturn core runs it but with TERRIBLE performance and stuttering.
- RA yabause core doesn't work.

Finally found YabaSanshiro, the modern incarnation of yabause (a different dev forked yabause and has been steadily updating it) and finally got joy:

- YabaSanshiro runs it at 100% speed without sound skipping AND also offers custom internal resolution.

In any case I don't have any particular opinion on the game as I have barely played a few minutes' worth but I do have to say it is a profundly ugly game in terms of aesthetics. It did NOT age well. Sadly i can't use CRT shaders because I'm not on RetroArch and YabaSanshiro doesn't feature any.

Here's a screenie (notice the 720p resolution barrels to the left of the room while the 2d art is raw and ugly):

TLDR: SF3 currently only runs at 100% and with correct sound on the YabaSanshiro saturn emulator; normally this would be fine but the emulator has no options for custom shaders to help the 2d and 3d blend better. Game doesn't work on RetroArch saturn cores and/or runs slower than it does on YabaSanshiro, which hasn't been ported to RA.

EDIT: Another quirk of YabaSanshiro is that it doesn't let you map multiple inputs, for example you have to choose whether you want to map the DPAD inputs to your controller's DPAD or to the analog stick. I normally like mapping to both simultaenously in order to move around the map with the left analog stick but navigate menus with the DPAD, unfortunately YabaSanshiro doesn't allow that.

Does anyone know of any way I can my controller's left analog stick send DPAD inputs simultaenously? I tried using x360ce in order to map the dpad to the left analog stick but it didn't work in-game/in-emulator.

EDIT 2: Is there any way to implement CRT shaders if you're not on RetroArch? Like I said, none of the saturn cores in RA run SF3 well enough, and YabaSanshiro doesn't feature custom shader support. Maybe reShade? Is that a thing? This game really needs something because it is a very harsh blend of 2d and 3d.

 

[samuraigaiden]

Why isn't Mednafen recommended in the first post?

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

Why isn't Mednafen recommended in the first post?

muh upscaling, muh 1080p

 

[flyingjohn]

Why isn't Mednafen recommended in the first post?

muh upscaling, muh 1080p

Also it is command line only,which is a pain in the ass for many people.

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

Also it is command line only,which is a pain in the ass for many people.

Frontends.

 

[Steamboat Willie]

Beetle PSX is a fork of Mednafen.

 

[aweigh]

Guys, I found a decent CRT shader for SweetFX/ReShade.
First image raw 1080p of Shining Force 3, absolutely no filters whatsoever of any kind:

Second image at 1080p as well but also with the CRT shader I mentioned for SweetFX/ReShade:

I think maybe a tiny bit too soft? Can tweak the blurring parts (I think it uses Gaussian) a bit. The custom CRT shader for SweetFX/ReShade I'm using is one someone made for Shantae games, however it is by far the best one I've found on ReShade. I stress that because yes, I know RetroArch has Easymode and Royale. But like I said, this pack is the best I've found on ReShade. Anyway here's a link to it. Original page where I found the filter pack::https://steamcommunity.com/app/345820/discussions/0/618460171316648954/

BTW, here's how the filter looks when used on the game it was created for:

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Finally got Beyond The Labyrinth running on Citra by using a decryption batch file I got from GBATemp on an already-patched CIA of the game:

Thanks for the infos. Now I am playing it, interesting blobber on a grid.. But... wait a moment. You can move diagonally! I cannot believe it. Heresy!!!

 

[samuraigaiden]

Also it is command line only,which is a pain in the ass for many people.

Frontends.

Precisely. Mednafen with MedGUI Reborn is as easy to use as any other emulator, if not easier. And it's the best Saturn emulator right AFAIK, while also being fantastic for PS1, Virtual Boy, TG-16 and a couple of other systems.

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

Also it is command line only,which is a pain in the ass for many people.

Frontends.

Precisely. Mednafen with MedGUI Reborn is as easy to use as any other emulator, if not easier. And it's the best Saturn emulator right AFAIK, while also being fantastic for PS1, Virtual Boy, TG-16 and a couple of other systems.

It's gonna be sad when the dev inevitably loses interest and ceases development.

 

[aweigh]

mednafen = no high resolution

does it have good filters though? also the RA mednafen core doesn't run SF3 well

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

also the RA mednafen core doesn't run SF3 well

More like the SF3 fan patch was made for PCSX or ePSXe, and thus shits the bed on anything close to actual hardware, I'd wager. It's "This patch only works with ZSNES!" all over again.

 

[glass blackbird]

also the RA mednafen core doesn't run SF3 well

More like the SF3 fan patch was made for PCSX or ePSXe, and thus shits the bed on anything close to actual hardware, I'd wager. It's "This patch only works with ZSNES!" all over again.

I'd be pretty amazed if you got Shining Force 3 working on a PS1 emulator

 

[aweigh]

good to know! Well at least that explains why it didn't work.

Another thing (that I think) mednafen saturn beetle core doesn't have: I believe mednafen doesn't have perspective correction either on the saturn core? Because YabaSanshiro, the current up-to-date incarnation of Yabause, does have it.

If it doesn't have it then that means mednafen doesn't have neither high-resolution or perspective correction for the polygons. Why would anyone choose it over YabaSanshiro then?

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

also the RA mednafen core doesn't run SF3 well

More like the SF3 fan patch was made for PCSX or ePSXe, and thus shits the bed on anything close to actual hardware, I'd wager. It's "This patch only works with ZSNES!" all over again.

I'd be pretty amazed if you got Shining Force 3 working on a PS1 emulator

Disregard, am retarded.

1. How does the English Patch work?
The English Patch works by taking the original discs (Scenario 1, 2, 3 and the PD) and creating an ISO file for each of them, whilst replacing the Japanese from the original disc with the English translation. Each ISO can then be burned to a CD and played on a mod chipped Sega Saturn. Although a mod chipped Saturn is the recommended way to enjoy the translation, the Swap trick (search YouTube for Sega Saturn Swap Trick) can be used if a mod chipped saturn isn’t available. The ISO can also be played using a Sega Saturn emulator, such as SSF or Cassini. See Emulation page for additional information.

If it's confirmed working on an actual Saturn then by definition the patch cannot be at fault...

I fired up Shining Force 3 with the english fan-translation patch and had to go through quite a few emulators before finally finding one that works.

- SSF runs it but sound skips.
- Yabause runs it but has slow performance/frame rate.
- Kronos runs it but has even slower performance and frame rate.
- RetroArch saturn cores:
- RA mednafen saturn core runs it but with TERRIBLE performance and stuttering.
- RA yabause core doesn't work.

Finally found YabaSanshiro, the modern incarnation of yabause (a different dev forked yabause and has been steadily updating it) and finally got joy:

- YabaSanshiro runs it at 100% speed without sound skipping AND also offers custom internal resolution.

In any case I don't have any particular opinion on the game as I have barely played a few minutes' worth but I do have to say it is a profundly ugly game in terms of aesthetics. It did NOT age well. Sadly i can't use CRT shaders because I'm not on RetroArch and YabaSanshiro doesn't feature any.

Here's a screenie (notice the 720p resolution barrels to the left of the room while the 2d art is raw and ugly):

TLDR: SF3 currently only runs at 100% and with correct sound on the YabaSanshiro saturn emulator; normally this would be fine but the emulator has no options for custom shaders to help the 2d and 3d blend better. Game doesn't work on RetroArch saturn cores and/or runs slower than it does on YabaSanshiro, which hasn't been ported to RA.

EDIT: Another quirk of YabaSanshiro is that it doesn't let you map multiple inputs, for example you have to choose whether you want to map the DPAD inputs to your controller's DPAD or to the analog stick. I normally like mapping to both simultaenously in order to move around the map with the left analog stick but navigate menus with the DPAD, unfortunately YabaSanshiro doesn't allow that.

Does anyone know of any way I can my controller's left analog stick send DPAD inputs simultaenously? I tried using x360ce in order to map the dpad to the left analog stick but it didn't work in-game/in-emulator.

EDIT 2: Is there any way to implement CRT shaders if you're not on RetroArch? Like I said, none of the saturn cores in RA run SF3 well enough, and YabaSanshiro doesn't feature custom shader support. Maybe reShade? Is that a thing? This game really needs something because it is a very harsh blend of 2d and 3d.

Bingo. What's your CPU again?

 

[aweigh]

i5 8400 6-core

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

i5 8400 6-core

GHz? I'm getting a huge value range for that model.