Custom graphics driver for FF7/FF8 [v.1-.7.6]

[Terid__K]

so far i am loving your custom driver, but was wondering if it would be possible for you to add custom fps limits for the game as a whole, as in allowing someone to play at double speed if they wanted to?

That's possible, but it wouldn't work like this generation of games. FF7 was designed to run at low fps, so increasing it would just make the game run in turbo mode. It would be pretty much unplayable.

In other words, it wouldn't run smooth, it would just run fast.

[secondadvent]

thats what i wanted, a "fast" mode ability, similar to increasing fps in epsxe. if THAT is possible (already seen it happen with the gypt patch with the default graphics driver, pressing the movie skip combo (ctrl+s) also turns off the regular fps limit for me outside of battle until the next movie plays, but doesn't happen with the custom driver), then I will be plenty happy, since testing would be so much easier that way (such as scene.bin ai changes, stat changes, etc.).

[moses7]

HELP PLEASE, now I'm using a Macbook Laptop running XP here are the specs.
It's not the PRO but it's kinda new.

Core 2 Duo CPU T8300 @ 2.40GHz
790 Mhz, 1.96 GB of RAM

VIDEO:
ChipvType: Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family
DAC Type: Internal
Memory Size: 128 MB
Adapter String: Mobile Intel(R) GMA X3100

HERE's the APP:
INITIALIZE DD/D3D START
INFO: Auto-detected version: 1.02 US English
INFO: No OpenGL 2.0 support detected, shaders won't be available
INFO: Found swap_control extension
INFO: Original resolution 640x480, window size 640x480, output resolution 640x480, internal resolution 640x480
LOCK UNLOCK TEST
ERROR: unhandled exception

THE SETTINGS:
# ff7_opengl config file

vert_source = shaders/main.vert
frag_source = shaders/main.frag

post_source = shaders/bloom2.post
enable_postprocessing = false

window_size_x = 0
window_size_y = 0
preserve_aspect = true
fullscreen = true

prevent_rounding_errors = false

internal_size_x = 0
internal_size_y = 0

enable_vsync = false

minigame_framelimiter = true

battleswirl_framelimiter = true

crash_fixes = true

linear_filter = false

[Aali]

obesebear: It will never be complete, 1.0 will have everything that isn't mod-related working _perfectly_.

secondadvent: This is a graphics driver, what you're asking for is outside the scope of this project.

moses7: Please provide a copy of crash.dmp
The battleswirl problem you were having is caused by your lack of NPOT texture support, if you don't run in a multiple of 640x480, none of the framebuffer effects are going to work. You should've gotten a warning about this when you started the game.

[secondadvent]

you cannot add the possibility of different frame limits (to speed up the game), when you provide changes to the fps used by the minigames and battle swirl effect? i don't see how fps limits are not related to the graphics driver, since fps are related to it. smack me if i am being noobish, but i don't see why it can't be added into this project.

[Aali]

Limiting FPS means I add one line to my code, removing an already existing limit means I have to patch FF7s code.

But that doesn't really matter because as I said, something like that is outside the scope of this project. It doesn't really improve the game and it's not in line with what was originally intended for FF7PC.

Consider yourself smacked

[moses7]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9P59DXAY Here it is Aali

May I also suggest for a switch that disables 2.0 support or shader support instead of it giving me an error of missing shaders for us with low end PC's.
It also didn't tell me anything about the 1024x768 resolution, it still loads the game but only the battle doesn't start.

Thanks a lot.

[DLPB_]

Aali, 30 fps is too slow for the battle twirl.  Looking at psx version I would say 40-50 is about right.. ?  Either that or  it is just because the twril isnt as good (there is a definate difference to the psx version)

[Red46]

Found a little bug in disc 2. After you defeat diamond weapon, you get to see a FMW where the weapon turns away from cloud and the others, at this point you get a small scene where cloud and the rest of the party runs a bit after her, and barret says "Wassup, Mr.monster? Wassup?". Whilst in that scene, the 3 characters should get the diamond weapon shadow casted over them, however instead of the shadow you get a huge white thing that totally makes the screen white until the weapon is passed by.

[Aali]

moses7: Sorry, I was confusing you with the guy who didn't have NPOT texture support, that's not why you're having problems. That said, I can't figure out why it doesn't work for you, the OpenGL 1.1 backend renders the battleswirl upside-down for some reason but other than that it's fine.
That crash you're getting on the other system is a problem with the Intel OpenGL drivers, nothing I can do about that.

Seifer Almasy: I'm not limiting the battle swirl to 30fps, I'm limiting it to refresh rate / 2. I will not add a framelimiter that doesn't depend on vsync.

Red46: Confirmed, I'll look into it.

[DLPB_]

   I get it.  Still, the minigames and so forth are unplayable without vsync....I take it is to hard to change this...

But not to worry, vsync is better anyway....

[Terid__K]

Battle swirl runs at about 40fps with the limiter on for me, so does the minigames. I have no idea why, since I'm running at 60hz at all times. Still, at least the swirl looks like it's in the right speed.

[moses7]

Actually the game works on the laptop at 1280x960 but the problem is that it exceeds the screen size -- you can't see the button of the screen and you'll miss the name and HP of 1 of your players.
So I tried 640x480 then it crashes.

The 1024x768 is supposed to work? Well it does the battle just can't show.

[Aali]

Found a little bug in disc 2. After you defeat diamond weapon, you get to see a FMW where the weapon turns away from cloud and the others, at this point you get a small scene where cloud and the rest of the party runs a bit after her, and barret says "Wassup, Mr.monster? Wassup?". Whilst in that scene, the 3 characters should get the diamond weapon shadow casted over them, however instead of the shadow you get a huge white thing that totally makes the screen white until the weapon is passed by.

This white thing is there with the D3D driver as well, while the software driver doesn't show anything. Have you ever seen this shadow working in the PC version? The texture is only a big block of the same color so even if it did work it would look like crap.

[Red46]

Well guess that's it. The shadow is there only on the psx version which is the one I was referring to, my bad

[DLPB_]

aali about the odin summon.  Not sure if you are aware but there is a black outline around the sprite now, showing the sprite box up....

[Aali]

aali about the odin summon.  Not sure if you are aware but there is a black outline around the sprite now, showing the sprite box up....

Please provide a screenshot and the first 10 lines of APP.LOG

[DLPB_]

INITIALIZE DD/D3D START
INFO: Auto-detected version: 1.02 US English
INFO: OpenGL 2.0 support detected
INFO: Found swap_control extension
INFO: Original resolution 640x480, window size 640x480, output resolution 640x480, internal resolution 640x480
LOCK UNLOCK TEST
MATRIX INITIALIZE
INITIALIZE DD/D3D END
initializing sound...
creating dsound primary buffer

===========



No sprite box, my mistake but definately black outline

[Covarr]

What the... Why did you censor out your name?

[Aali]

INITIALIZE DD/D3D START
INFO: Auto-detected version: 1.02 US English
INFO: OpenGL 2.0 support detected
INFO: Found swap_control extension
INFO: Original resolution 640x480, window size 640x480, output resolution 640x480, internal resolution 640x480
LOCK UNLOCK TEST
MATRIX INITIALIZE
INITIALIZE DD/D3D END
initializing sound...
creating dsound primary buffer

===========

No sprite box, my mistake but definately black outline

Ah yes, I'm aware of it.. It's a side effect of the optimizations I did to the framebuffer effects. I may be able to get rid of it, but it's not a priority.

[drfeelgud88]

aali, here's the app.log for my ff7 game..
http://www.mediafire.com/?nexjjhhgmmz

[Aali]

That log is from the D3D driver, so either the driver didn't load or FF7 crashed before it could open the log.

[Drahcir]

Slight problem on my laptop. Even with battleswirl_framelimiter and vsync set to true, the swirl isn't working.

Most of the time the game flickers from black to the last rendered frame rapidly while the swirl is meant to be displayed. Other times, it'll just be skipped as if it wasn't there.

APP.LOG contains;

Code: [Select]

INITIALIZE DD/D3D START
INFO: Auto-detected version: 1.02 US English
INFO: No OpenGL 2.0 support detected, shaders won't be available
INFO: Found swap_control extension
INFO: Original resolution 640x480, window size 640x480, output resolution 640x480, internal resolution 640x480
LOCK UNLOCK TEST
MATRIX INITIALIZE
INITIALIZE DD/D3D END

... Cropped

-=-=[END OF WORLD MAP!!!]=-=-
Entering MAIN
Exiting MAIN
Entering FRAME_INITIALIZE SWIRL
Exitting FRAME_INITIALIZE SWIRL
ERROR: GL_INVALID_OPERATION
Swirl sound_effect1
stop_sound
End of Swirl sound_effect1
Entering FRAME_QUIT SWIRL
Exitting FRAME_QUIT SWIRL
Entering MAIN
Exiting MAIN
[BATTLE] Entering FRAME_INITIALIZE
It is probably another limitation with my GL, but I thought I'll mention it in case it is fixable.

[drfeelgud88]

hmm... so to remedy this wut would i need to do? sorry to sound so newbie..

[Goku7]

Aali, 30 fps is too slow for the battle twirl.  Looking at psx version I would say 40-50 is about right.. ?  Either that or  it is just because the twril isnt as good (there is a definate difference to the psx version)

Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed that in some cases in the psx version, if theres a "light source" drawn on the field background (i.e., artwork of a lamp and its light), it tends to get "bloomed" during the battle swirl while the entire image gets defocus'd / depth-of-field-blur'd......and I've yet to see it happen on the PC version.  Perhaps that is the difference?