PS2 Open PS2 Loader v1.1.0

[Peppe90]

I have to test RRV with OPL 0.9.2 'cause I don't remember if it was different.

We already talked about this at least one time… However, with current OPLs playing from iHDD you can hear little hiccups on the main menu music (if you enter the option screen the hiccups completely disappear, meaning some kind of performance problems due to the shape of the girl that come and goes maybe ?? Indeed entering the option menu the music become perfect, re-exiting the hiccups return).

Btw from iHDD is hardly noticeable.

From SMB the hiccup is continuous, making the music raucous. Same thing from USB.

Using PS2ESDL 0.821 the music is almost perfect, more or less as OPL with iHDD. That's all, draw your conclusions

 

[Grahf]

First time I'm hearing about these issues via iHDD. Fucked up if true. It might even carry to the racing itself and the gameplay in RRV is relying on a smooth performance.

 

[Peppe90]

The SMB code is dumpster fire. PS2 was never designed for this. It was a kind of dirty hack that allowed it to work, but it's fundamentally wrong in a few ways and people shouldn't expect it to perform like iHDD, or even USB storage.

Indeed, but it's something game related. OPL SMB is generally much more performing than PS2ESDL (USB), in fact you can't play smooth FMV (like Tekken tag one, etc.) with PS2ESDL, but you can with OPL SMB.

But in the RRV case there's some sort of problem in OPL.
As you said from iHDD the performance should be at least as playing from the og CD (being the max Ps2 CD reding speed 3,6mbps), but it's not a matter of performance only.

In fact I just established that with the Ps2ESDL (USB) test. I repeat, as a matter of mere performance, PS2ESDL is much less than OPL-SMB (you can see it comparing loading time and FMV smoothness).

 

[Peppe90]

First time I'm hearing about these issues via iHDD. Fucked up if true. It might even carry to the racing itself and the gameplay in RRV is relying on a smooth performance.

The game plays perfectly. So far I noticed this strange behavior only in the main menu (btw the audio doesn't seems 100% perfect even in the intro FMV to me, but I don't have the og CD to verify).

Sorry my english isn't very well, I don't know if hiccups is the best word to use… Anyway you can check by yourself, just listen carefully once in main menù, you'll hear some imprecisions, then entering the option menu all will became perfect.

 

[Grahf]

I don't have access to PS2 and RRV right now. I will check as soon as I can.

 

[Peppe90]

Another thing that confirm is not a matter of mere performance is that with PS2ESDL the loading before the main menu time is slower than OPL-SMB

 

[Grahf]

All I'm interested in is if the game plays like it should from iHDD. That's the only method for high compatibility. USB and SMB will always be plagued with issues due to their nature.

 

[Peppe90]

All I'm interested in is if the game plays like it should from iHDD. That's the only method for high compatibility. USB and SMB will always be plagued with issues due to their nature.

PS2ESDL is USB only. But aside the fmv stutter I never found problems during gameplay with any game (using rev. 0.821).
RRV plays exactly as from iHDD with it (just a slower loading time).

 

[Grahf]

PS2ESDL is USB only. But aside the fmv stutter I never found problems during gameplay with any game (using rev. 0.821).
RRV plays exactly as from iHDD with it (just a slower loading time).

Only a detailed frame-pacing analysis can confirm that. There might be micro-stuttering which is hard to notice on casual playtroughs. Why would the problem be limited to the menu and intro? Wouldn't the whole game have this problem?

 

[sp193]

First time I'm hearing about these issues via iHDD. Fucked up if true. It might even carry to the racing itself and the gameplay in RRV is relying on a smooth performance.

So you didn't actually experience the performance problems on your own? :/
FYI, @Peppe90 isn't using a genuine network adaptor.

Personally, I never noticed any performance problems... lol. Outside of the issues related to using the patch.

 

[Grahf]

So you didn't actually experience the performance problems on your own? :/

There were none the last time I played it, but it was a long time ago. It might actually have been on both 0.9.2 and 0.9.3. I don't remember if I played it on both. I do remember it played well even way back with HDL 0.8c, but it needed Mode 1 (slow HDD access) and Mode 3 (kill HDL after launch).

 

[Peppe90]

FYI, @Peppe90 isn't using a genuine network adaptor.

Yes is a very genuine one, only natural preservatives

Anyway I done other tests:

Tested the game (RRV) with ESR and even so there's some little imprecisions (easilly noticeable at the beginning of the main menu music). So most probably it's a "problem" on the game itself (like frame drops and similar problems).
To be 100% sure we should test a original copy (or at least play the game from CD with a swap trick, but I can't do it 'cause I don't have a CD game with bigger LBA than RRV).

But I'm 99% it's a game problem.

I tested it from USB with OPL (I'm using the harvest moon build) and actually the game plays as from iHDD/PS2ESDL. So I was wrong about OPL-USB (or maybe I was using a build on which the problem wasn't solved yet).

So it seems a SMB only problem. I'll test it again from SMB as soon as I can.

I'll test it with OPL 0.9.2 too.

 

[Peppe90]

The problem is present only from SMB, the music isn't raucous anymore, it's just the stutter/hiccups every 10 secs @jolek was talking about. It can be eliminated with MODE 2 but then the game freezes before to reach the main menu.

With OPL 0.9.2 (still talking about SMB) the game is fine instead (aside that once you want to exit the game you need to hard-power-off even with MODE 6 ON…).

With OPL 0.9.3 is the same as newer builds, the intro stutters every 10 secs and the main menu too (just for a while, after some time on main menu the hiccups seem to disappear).

 

[jolek]

The problem is present only from SMB, the music isn't raucous anymore, it's just the stutter/hiccups every 10 secs @jolek was talking about. It can be eliminated with MODE 2 but then the game freezes before to reach the main menu.

Yeah, I've only this problem through SMB, however in my config everything is fine with mode 2.
I can pass "PRESS START BUTTON" page, start New game, etc.

 

[Peppe90]

Yeah, I've only this problem through SMB, however in my config everything is fine with mode 2.
I can pass "PRESS START BUTTON" page, start New game, etc.

You can enable MODE 2 from SMB?? Can you link me the exact OPL rev you're using??

 

[Grahf]

But I'm 99% it's a game problem.

If that's the case (which I have never noticed), then it will show on any gameplay footage on YouTube. Just look at the videos uploaded there to see if it's happening on real CDVD and show us a vid if yes.

 

[jolek]

You can enable MODE 2 from SMB?? Can you link me the exact OPL rev you're using??

I can't remember what version was it.
Mostly I'm deleting previous versions, to test new one.
However currently (OPL 1347) through SMB I can't pass 1st green debug screen.

In previous version 1343:

Currently I cannot pass 1st pink debug color in OPL 1343 when I want to load game through SMB.

If you want I can search my PC HDD to find and copy OPL r1319 back again into PS2 to make a test.

 

[Cosmic-R]

Testing OPL 1347 commit df70a87 from akuhak's build bot now i get the PS2 logo but corrupted get stuck at light green debug screen have to hard-shutdown the console disable the PS2 logo only gets to that color faster.
no ammount of tweaking in windows 10 makes it work even tried enabling SMB1 through powershell commands and all that did was make just a handful of games list and even those wont get past green debug screen
OPL 1319 boots games just fine doesnt get affected at all by tweaking stuff (only by enabling SMB1 that made much fewer games to be listed however it still boots them fine) i honestly have no idea what else to change on my end to fix it.

 

[Peppe90]

If you want I can search my PC HDD to find and copy OPL r1319 back again into PS2 to make a test.

Yes, please upload r1319 if you can, I need it for another test too (about VMC mounting…)

 

[jolek]

Yes, please upload r1319 if you can, I need it for another test too (about VMC mounting…)

I'm not sure if you understand me, I want to copy OPL 1319 into PS2 from PC HDD, not upload it here.
If you want, wait few minutes and I'll send you it through PM.

BTW even with OPL 1319, RRV plays fine in my config through SMB with mode 2.