PS3 ps1_netemu - External Configs and Ad Hoc Params

[Ronnie Sahlberg]

I tried using the latest release version pop-fe-ps3 to create a new PKG file of Bloody Roar 2 PAL.
The config is found as the command window shows.
Nothing forced, tried ps1_netemu and ps1_newemu and getting the same results.
Very slow gameplay, after going in a match in arcade mode.
Can you confirm that a fight plays at normal speed without huge lag on your case?



What could be the case if MultiMan using ps1_netemu at 576p is running great,
And pop-fe using ps1_netemu at 576p doesn't boot?

Bloody Roar 2 PAL is a very special case. mrjaredbeta has found one issue for why force ntsc failed to apply properly
so I have added a fix for this.
Please try the latest build with 'Force NTSC' once it finishes and let us know how it goes.
https://github.com/sahlberg/pop-fe/actions/runs/6228240162

 

[mrjaredbeta]

@Desz5 I can confirm that the build above correctly inserts the config and runs the game without slowdown when Force NTSC is selected now.

If this works for you, then there is probably an issue with command not working in PAL video mode. If this does not work, then it must point to something on your end that is not correct.

 

[Jayglass]

Something i noticed with the lastest build of pop-fe if you make pkg and edit the PARAM.SFO and tick only 1080p you will get higher resolution.

 

[Ronnie Sahlberg]

Are CDDA tracks still convertible to bin cue format but in a way that requires extra steps?

Yes. You may need to extract the ATRAC3 audio and convert them back into CDDA format and then create a new cue file for all the files (the .img data track and the newly created CDDA tracks)
It is a lot of work and I feel it is not worth it since the ATRAC3 format is lossy and poor audio quality so you would end up a re-created disc image with poor quality audio tracks. :-(

If you really really really want it, I could try using ffmpeg and have dump_pbp do the conversion automatically.
It would be a fair amount of work but doable.

 

[RoboKing's Cosmos]

Okay tried to dump eboot of tomb raider the last revelation it shows an empty img file and a dat file of same size

 

[Ronnie Sahlberg]

Okay tried to dump eboot of tomb raider the last revelation it shows an empty img file and a dat file of same size

Hmmm. Ok, I only created dump_pbp for my own debugging purposes so somehting might have broken.
Let me look into this and test it over the coming weekend. I can try adding "convert ATRAC3 into CDDA tracks" then too.
Let's switch this conversation over to PMs and let the thread focus on the config and ppf stuff.

Send me a PM and start a conversation and we can work on the dump_pbp stuff.

 

[Desz5]

Bloody Roar 2 PAL is a very special case. mrjaredbeta has found one issue for why force ntsc failed to apply properly
so I have added a fix for this.
Please try the latest build with 'Force NTSC' once it finishes and let us know how it goes.
https://github.com/sahlberg/pop-fe/actions/runs/6228240162

@Desz5 I can confirm that the build above correctly inserts the config and runs the game without slowdown when Force NTSC is selected now.

If this works for you, then there is probably an issue with command not working in PAL video mode. If this does not work, then it must point to something on your end that is not correct.

I've downloaded the newest release of pop-fe.
I copied the files from the master.zip to the same folder and overwrite the existing files.
I created a new pkg for Bloody Roar 2 PAL Force NTSC.
The audio gets higher pitched and the loadscreens are faster. So it's running at 60hz.
But the actual gameplay is still slow, the same as before.
What am i doing wrong?
I don't know how i can use the link Ronnie Sahlberg posted other than downloading the new master.zip and overwrite it.
Is there a different way?
Like you stated @mrjaredbeta, something maybe wrong on my end, but i don't know what.

 

[mrjaredbeta]

You need to download the pop-fe-ui from Artifacts from the link Ronnie posted. It sounds like you are just downloading the source code and not the binaries.

In order to download the build, you need to create a GitHub account and be logged in. Otherwise, the artifact is not downloadable.

 

[Ronnie Sahlberg]

@mrjaredbeta
The guy that reported the initial issue with FearEffect NTSC (which did not work due to a bug in pop-fe) reported that it now works and he played through it, but it only works under ps1_newemu.

Fear Effect NTSC-U SLUS00920, SLUS01056, SLUS01057, SLUS01058 now gets to the start screen at least so that is good.
Do you think a config could help here or should I add a special case in pop-fe to automatically select ps1_newemu?
IF it works on ps1_newemu I think possibly just tagging the game in the database as "needs ps1_newemu" and automatically force it is
probably the easiest way forward.
You are the expert here, are there any drawbacks you can think of by just forcing newemu for this, and other games like it?

Here is his message:
----
Hello
I have downloaded the newest version https://github.com/sahlberg/pop-fe/tree/v1.3 and created a PKG. Disc 1 is now booting up, but when I press start at the title screen, it fades in and the main menu does not appear. The screen is black, and the music is still playing. I created a new PKG with the option "Force PS1 new emu" and this one works. It does not hang when I press start and the main menu is displaying correctly. I finished the first disc without any bugs or issues.
Best regards

 

[mrjaredbeta]

The guy that reported the initial issue with FearEffect NTSC (which did not work due to a bug in pop-fe) reported that it now works and he played through it, but it only works under ps1_newemu.

Weird. I just tested and NTSC version worked fine with ps1_netemu on latest build. The main menu showed up and I was able to start a game, so I think netemu should still be used. This game was also released on European PS Store as a PS1 Classic using ps1_netemu, although it is the PAL version, but it should work fine on netemu without any config. I am not sure why the game was not working for this tester, though.

EDIT: Actually, let me try something and I will re-edit this post.

EDIT 2: Okay, it actually does not seem to work in netemu (was accidentally using newemu in first test). But, the game works fine as BIN/CUE mounted through WebMAN MOD, so it still seems like an issue with the conversion to EBOOT that is causing this issue. It may be related to the previous issue game was having when converted.

 

[Desz5]

I've downloaded pop-fe from Artifacts from the link, but got the same results.
High pitched intro and character selectscreen, and during the match very slow gameplay

 

[nydalap]

I'm the guy that reported the Fear Effect issue. I downloaded the latest version of pop-fe created a PKG but it hangs when i press thr start button. I then deleted the game from my PS3 and created 3 more PKG and every time i got the same result with the game hanging when i press start. Then i created a PKG with the ps1-new emu and it played fine on the first try. I just finished the second disc without any problems.

 

[mrjaredbeta]

Hm, it doesn't make much sense to me why it is not working currently. The game runs fine as BIN/CUE with netemu, and the EBOOT also runs fine in Duckstation (which would make sense, as EBOOT runs fine in newemu). So, I guess that points to something going on with ISO.BIN.EDAT again.

EDIT: Actually, looks like it doesn't work as BIN/CUE either! So I think a config may be needed on netemu's side to fix this. I will look into it.

 

[mrjaredbeta]

Looks like it needs command 0x13:

Fear Effect (SLUS-00920) (Disc 1)

00 00 20 00 00 00 00 00 13 00 00 00 01 00 00 00

Fixes hang after pressing start button on main menu.

I think this would be a better fix than forcing newemu. For reference, Um Jammer Lammy also uses command 0x13 on the Japanese version, but American version forces newemu instead. There are a ton of complaints online about the American release due to input lag and audio glitches. On the other hand, the Japanese version plays great with 0x13. And funnily enough, the European release does not need either command and seems to work fine out of the box.

 

[Ronnie Sahlberg]

Looks like it needs command 0x13:

Fear Effect (SLUS-00920) (Disc 1)

00 00 20 00 00 00 00 00 13 00 00 00 01 00 00 00

Fixes hang after pressing start button on main menu.

I think this would be a better fix than forcing newemu. For reference, Um Jammer Lammy also uses command 0x13 on the Japanese version, but American version forces newemu instead. There are a ton of complaints online about the American release due to input lag and audio glitches. On the other hand, the Japanese version plays great with 0x13. And funnily enough, the European release does not need either command and seems to work fine out of the box.

Nice! I have added the config and it is building right now : https://github.com/sahlberg/pop-fe/actions/runs/6242658676

Do you have a description of what 0x13 does? In case it can help identify common symptoms if other games fail? (I also added a comment on the wiki that this command is needed for scus00920)

Also, should we add this config for Um Jammer Lammy too?

 

[mrjaredbeta]

Kozarovv has stated that it affects the r3000 interpreter, likely when reading from PS1 HW registers, and possibly adjusting how many opcodes are interpreted at once. Every official use of it in the config table only uses parameter 1, but you can go higher, and it results in a heavier and heavier performance decrease. To me, 0x13 set to 1 is just a "magic" command.

It is kind of a "multi-use" config. It fixes Treasure Planet's FMV corruption, Roland Garros hang when loading into match, and now the Fear Effect hang. I am unsure of what it is doing for the other official uses of it as I have not tested those games yet, but it is for sure a very interesting command.

For Um Jammer Lammy, it unfortunately will not work (for US version at least) as the internal config table is read first, and because it switches to ps1_newemu, the command 0x13 will have no effect. Maybe it will be possible to counter it with another 0x38 config to stop it from going to newemu, but this is something I have not tested yet. It should be fine to use for European version, but that official release does not use it.

 

[Desz5]

Apparently there aren't any changes when using the Artifacts link for me.
Am i doing something wrong?
The config is found but maybe not being applied?
The config is taken from the NTSC config of netemu and applied to the PAL version but the NTSC version doesn't have the slowdown issue like the PAL version has, so maybe appling the same config from NTSC doesn't work for PAL, and doesn't address the slowdown issue.
Got other games working just fine.

 

[nydalap]

Hello
I created a PKG using a new pop-fe that i got from Ronnie Sahlberg . The first time I ran the game, the title screen works when I pressed start. When I selected options, the screen turned black and there was only music playing. After resetting the game the options screen loaded I turned on the subtitles and increased the master volume but when I wanted to return to the main menu the game froze again and I got black screen and the music playing. I reset the game again and now options work I can turn on the subtitles and increased the master volume and return to the main menu without the game freezing. I played the game for 15 minutes, saved it and exited to test the option screen, and it sometimes works and sometimes still freezes the game. I did not use the ps1_newemu option when creating the PKG. The error is present when i install the game to PS3 internal hard drive and also when i instal it to a external USB HDD.

 

[mrjaredbeta]

The config is taken from the NTSC config of netemu and applied to the PAL version but the NTSC version doesn't have the slowdown issue like the PAL version has, so maybe appling the same config from NTSC doesn't work for PAL, and doesn't address the slowdown issue.

The NTSC config is *in* netemu, pop-fe does nothing to enable it as it is enabled automatically, so that is why the NTSC version works. I would delete your current install of pop-fe-ui and re-extract if you are always saving to the same exact folder every time. Maybe some files aren't being updated.

Hello
I created a PKG using a new pop-fe that i got from Ronnie Sahlberg . The first time I ran the game, the title screen works when I pressed start. When I selected options, the screen turned black and there was only music playing. After resetting the game the options screen loaded I turned on the subtitles and increased the master volume but when I wanted to return to the main menu the game froze again and I got black screen and the music playing. I reset the game again and now options work I can turn on the subtitles and increased the master volume and return to the main menu without the game freezing. I played the game for 15 minutes, saved it and exited to test the option screen, and it sometimes works and sometimes still freezes the game. I did not use the ps1_newemu option when creating the PKG. The error is present when i install the game to PS3 internal hard drive and also when i instal it to an external USB HDD.

Okay, thank you for testing. This is why it's good to test..as I only tried it once and not multiple times. I will look into it again, I think I may know another command to fix it.

 

[Temperature]

'Tomb Raider II Gold/ Golden Mask PS1 Port' Uploaded by FOGamer89 on July 30, 2023, updated 7 Aug 2023 on archive.org

Also, the Unfinished Business ROM hack on PS1 Tomb Raider engine.