Author Topic: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240  (Read 766 times)

wertz

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 5
pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« on: December 20, 2016, 07:58:36 PM »
hi. anyone has idea of games that uses pixel resolution in most parts of the game other than standard 256x224/240? i have only tested Piacarrot(1024x240), and Chip Chanp that uses 448/480 vertical during the black screen transition parts but most common games i found runs at 256 width regardless of dotclock mode at 1024

thanks.

_joshuaTurbo

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5134
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2016, 02:15:04 AM »
This is an interesting study.  I have no idea of pixel resolution counts, but what about sections of Power League FX (during the pitching/hitting motion) or when a boss explodes in Zeroigar?

Those seem to be at least technically impressive.  :)

elmer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2148
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2016, 01:26:38 PM »
hi. anyone has idea of games that uses pixel resolution in most parts of the game other than standard 256x224/240? i have only tested Piacarrot(1024x240), and Chip Chanp that uses 448/480 vertical during the black screen transition parts but most common games i found runs at 256 width regardless of dotclock mode at 1024.

Errr ... where is this 1024 wide mode, and why would Hudson have included it on a system that only outputs s-video???

Hudson's PC-FX developer documents only mention 256-wide and a 320-wide modes, and the 320-wide mode disables both transparency and chromakey, and so wouldn't be a great choice for most developers.

wertz

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2016, 02:14:17 PM »
i do not know the exact term, pcfx does scales output to ntsc, each game switches resolution internally. Pia Carrots main game(not menu) uses 341/1024 dotclock mode-set this to 256 and the text will be squashed. Chip Chan uses also this 1024 mode, the layer behind the text(the dark colored) when you go to options menu or the back-layer of the high scores. set this 256/341 and there layer will flicker. mednafen does document these dotclock width to use 256/341 or even 1024.

not the screenshot resolutions of the screen captures too:
dotclock@256


dotclock@341

« Last Edit: December 21, 2016, 02:16:37 PM by wertz »

elmer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2148
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2016, 03:49:47 PM »
i do not know the exact term, pcfx does scales output to ntsc, each game switches resolution internally. Pia Carrots main game(not menu) uses 341/1024 dotclock mode-set this to 256 and the text will be squashed. Chip Chan uses also this 1024 mode, the layer behind the text(the dark colored) when you go to options menu or the back-layer of the high scores. set this 256/341 and there layer will flicker. mednafen does document these dotclock width to use 256/341 or even 1024.

According to the docs, the display output from the VCE only has 2 values (5MHz and 7MHz).

The 5MHz value is the same as the PCE's 256-wide mode, and the 7MHz value is the same as the PCE's 341 (aka 320) mode.

The effects that you're describing look like they are a combination of interlacing tricks, and how the VCE subsamples each pixel to determine which layer has priority (1024 times at 5MHz, and 768 times at 7MHz).

But that doesn't mean that your actual graphics on the screen have any higher resolution that 256-wide or 341-wide on each frame.

But you can display a *different* graphic every 1/60s and use a 0.5 pixel shift to make it look like a higher resolution ... a nice effect, but a lot of work for a small improvement.

The PC-FX developer docs are out there on the internet (in Japanese) if you do a search for them.

Mednafen

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 140
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2016, 04:03:54 PM »
RAINBOW and KING pixel clocks are fixed at /4.  VDCs pixel clock can be set to /4 or /3.

wertz:  The Mednafen setting you're fiddling with is meant to allow for emulation to be faster on old, slow systems, and shouldn't normally be modified.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2016, 04:05:48 PM by Mednafen »

Mednafen

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 140
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2016, 09:33:03 AM »
Code: [Select]
KING/RAINBOW @ /4 (~5MHz): AAAABBBBCCCC
         VDC @ /3 (~7MHz): NNNOOOPPPQQQ
      Possible VCE output: AAAOOOBBCQQQ
      Possible VCE output: NNNABBPPPCCC
      (etc)

Mednafen

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 140
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2016, 09:48:28 AM »
Some of the software that use the 7MHz VDC pixel clock mode:

Angelique Special 2
Angelique Tenkuu no Requim
BIOS CD-DA Player
Doukyusei II
Kokuu Hyouryuu Nirgends
Pia Carrot He Youkoso
Tekipaki Workin Love FX
« Last Edit: December 22, 2016, 09:50:35 AM by Mednafen »

wertz

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: pcfx games that uses other than 256x224/240
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2016, 11:01:39 AM »
thanks for the list @Mednafen and thanks for the great emulator.