Post subject: BizHawk with OpenGL rendering, testing needed
adelikat
He/Him
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Joined: 11/3/2004
Posts: 4754
Location: Tennessee
We are currently working up a new release, and one of the big features in this upcoming release is the switch from directx to opengl rendering. The downside to opengl is the rather large behavior differences with how various hardware systems deal with it. This is where I'm hoping we can get as much testing as possible. BizHawk 1.7.0 beta I'm hoping people will try this out, and in particular try out some of the "Unmanaged" cores (N64, GB/GBC, SNES) and see how they behave on your system. Currently there is no directx fallback option, and I'm really hoping we don't need it. Please post if you have any regressions (related to rendering and performance) compared to 1.6.1 One known issue with this build is that the Saturn core does not work with the openGL rendering option (but does with software). (There's a number of other features and fixes which I won't mention here, and I'll work up release notes at some point later)
It's hard to look this good. My TAS projects
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Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 1466
Location: Not playing Puyo Tetris
The QuickNES and Gambatte cores worked fine with the few ROMs I tested. No FPS drops or issues. Mupen64Plus core has issues but those are not related to this beta. I had an odd issue with Mario Kart 64 showing a black screen but I can't seem to recreate that issue. Maby the emulator was paused? I am unsure. Gensplus-gx works fine. Tested Virtua Racing and Urban Strike.
When TAS does Quake 1, SDA will declare war. The Prince doth arrive he doth please.
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On a 64-bit Windows 7 PC with an Intel Core i3 processor and Intel HD Graphics, I got regression in the form of (sometimes large) frame drops on every core I tested: GBCHawk with Frogger 2: Regression when throttled. Maximum throttle speed in the menu fell from 398 FPS in 1.6.1 to 238 FPS in the beta. N64Hawk with Kirby 64: After starting the first level and running against the left wall continuously, visible regression from 46-48 FPS in 1.6.1 to 38-40 in the beta. NESHawk (not Quicknes) with Mega Man 2: Regression when throttled. Maximum throttle speed around 95 FPS in 1.6.1 to 74-75 in the beta. Quicknes gets 227 FPS when throttled, which is awesome! SNESHawk with the Compatibility core and Kirby Super Star: Regression in the menu (corkboard) from 40-42 FPS in 1.6.1 to 36-37 in the beta. However, the video in the beta was a lot smoother than in 1.6.1, with no random drops in frame rate. If I were playing casually, I would actually prefer the video output of the beta. Tested Atari2600Hawk with E.T. Regression in the menu when throttled from 115 FPS in 1.6.1 to 81 in the beta. Tested ColecoHawk with Frogger II. Regression when throttled during the first level from a maximum of 346 FPS in 1.6.1 to 178 FPS in the beta. (That's almost half!) Tested SMSHawk with The Ninja. Regression when throttled during the first level from a maximum of 346 FPS in 1.6.1 to 173 FPS in the beta. (That is half!) Tested Atari7800Hawk with Alien Brigade. Regression when throttled on the title screen from 193 FPS in 1.6.1 to 113 FPS in the beta. Let me know if you want me to test more systems. I just tested some ROMs I already had.
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Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 1466
Location: Not playing Puyo Tetris
I am using an NVidia GTX 660 on Windows 7 x64. I was testing to determine if the FPS was maintaining around 60FPS.
When TAS does Quake 1, SDA will declare war. The Prince doth arrive he doth please.
adelikat
He/Him
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Site Owner, Expert player (3575)
Joined: 11/3/2004
Posts: 4754
Location: Tennessee
CoolKirby wrote:
Lot's of detailed and awesome information
Thanks! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for.
Quicknes gets 227 FPS when throttled, which is awesome!
That probably sounds less awesome when you find out I get 1500 fps <_<
It's hard to look this good. My TAS projects
Post subject: A bunch of tests!
Noxxa
They/Them
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Joined: 8/14/2009
Posts: 4090
Location: The Netherlands
I tested out a handful of systems. Results below: 64-bit Windows 7, Intel Core i7 3610QM @ 2.3GHz, Intel HD Graphics 4000
                                    1.6.1       1.7.0-beta  QuickNES
NES:
Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania 3JP) 131fps      122fps      938fps
Super Mario Bros.                   146fps      141fps      942fps
Mega Man 6                          126fps      123fps      925fps

SNES:                                                    
Super Mario All-Stars               106fps      97fps
                 (performance core) 144fps      138fps
Earthbound                          109fps      102fps
                 (performance core) 156fps      135fps
Mega Man X2                         90fps       86fps
                                      
A2600:                                   
Kangaroo                            176fps      165fps
Dodge 'em                           183fps      172fps
Dethstar                            172fps      166fps
                                                
DMG:                                            
Rockman World                       1996fps     1512fps
Minesweeper                         2039fps     1521fps
X                                   1641fps     1233fps
                                                
GBC:                                            
E Mo Dao                            1560fps     1293fps
Mega Man Xtreme 2                   1698fps     1338fps
Project S-11                        1932fps     1491fps
                                
SGB:                                        
Pokémon Red                         53fps       51fps
EDIT: Whoops, turned out I had rewind on on the 1.7.0 beta. Will retime later. EDIT2: Timings fixed. (Also, a note from adelikat that people should make sure to turn off rewind for testing)
http://www.youtube.com/Noxxa <dwangoAC> This is a TAS (...). Not suitable for all audiences. May cause undesirable side-effects. May contain emulator abuse. Emulator may be abusive. This product contains glitches known to the state of California to cause egg defects. <Masterjun> I'm just a guy arranging bits in a sequence which could potentially amuse other people looking at these bits <adelikat> In Oregon Trail, I sacrificed my own family to save time. In Star trek, I killed helpless comrades in escape pods to save time. Here, I kill my allies to save time. I think I need help.