Author Topic: updated to v0.2.99.12: jan_klaassen's mega super double extra special version  (Read 37677 times)

Offline cliobrando

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Thanks, @jan_klaassen!
I'm waiting for the new build!  :cool:

Offline jan_klaassen

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Just updated the downloads.

Hopefully this version works better. In case it doesn't, I will add a debug version to the downloads later.

Offline cliobrando

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Hi,
I've tested the new build.
I deleted the config folder to start from zero.

First run:
The first rom scanning is a lot faster, took like 2 min, the previous version was like 10 min, not all roms were detected (4162 / 10488).
After the initial rom scanning, FBA started, the window title shows "initializing audio - video subsystem" and it stayed that way until I changed the blitter, after that, it changed to FBA Alpha 2.9.11.
The second run started with the correct window title.

Test all the blitters (DX9, DX7 Enhanced, DX7 Legacy), no crashes, even switching them when playing.

Thanks for all your hard work!

Attached some pictures:
FBA Window title.
FBA Detected roms.
My rom folders.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2018, 01:49:18 PM by cliobrando »

Offline jan_klaassen

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Good to know there are no crashes anymore. It might show you a recoverable error window then you change the display profile in the video > monitor properties menu.

Not detecting your roms is a bit strange, as it has the same ones as the last release of regular fba. Does it show them when you uncheck 'show available only'? If so, maybe it's not finding them because it doesn't have all  paths? (Remember it searches recursively, but there are not 20 base paths.)

I did some cleanup in the code that searches the roms, but nothing that should noticeably affect speed.

I will look at the window title.

Offline jan_klaassen

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Added the debug version.

Offline cliobrando

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Rom detection times:
Delete the config folder, copied the .09 version, run the exe and rom detection started
10 - 11 minutes from start to finish

Next run:
Delete the config folder, copied the .11 version, run the exe and rom detection started
40 seconds from start to finish.

Attached picture from 2.99.11 after rom detection, and deselected "Show available only" (I've the complete romset for FBA 2.97.42)

Offline jan_klaassen

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Looks like it's missing just console games -- are you sure it knows where to find them? If it is that much faster when scanning, that can only really mean it can't find the games.

Remember to point fba to the folder containing the subfolders for individual systems. I mean, if your folder structure looks like this, point it to 'games' and nothing more.

Code: [Select]
games
  |
  |--- arcade --- misc
  |            |
  |            |- neo geo
  |            |
  |            |- deco
  |            |
  |            |- deco32
  |            |
  |            |- pgm
  |
  |--- console --- sms
                |
                |- genesis
                |
                |- pcengine
                |
                |- coleco
                |
                |- msx
   

Offline cliobrando

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I'm using the default order for FBA 2.97.42 (the folder structure is named that way to be synched with the MAME Software List) just put the exe, run without config, automatic scanning starts, all roms are detected (10490/10490).

Btw, what's your preferred blitter (or video configuration)?, I play mostly fighting games, and I've always wondered what's the best combination of video settings to get the best-looking graphics.

Thanks!
« Last Edit: January 08, 2018, 10:46:15 AM by cliobrando »

Offline jan_klaassen

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I'm not imposing any structure on the roms. But other than ./roms (which is really intended to have roms specific to fba), there are no defaults either, since you may be using more than one emulator. There's also no need to copy the roms to the fba directory, you only have to set one directory, and fba will find the roms even if they are in subdirectories. So in your case, click the directories button on the load game dialog, point the 1st path to the fba directory, and it will pick up everything. Now it only sees ./roms which I assume has the arcade ones, and that's what your screenshot shows.

Video settings are a matter of taste, but generally use the advanced blitter. If you don't like scanlines, use the cubic filter with the lightly filtered or perceptual compromise presets. if you do like scanlines, use the crt simulation (which looks most like an arcade monitor), or the cubic filter with one the sharpened presets. You can tune each of those further with the dialogs.

Offline jan_klaassen

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I expect more people will have a similar experience to the above, expecting this version of fba to handle rom directories the same as the regular builds. It doesn't, it uses a recursive scan, doesn't have 20(!) paths to set, and imposes no naming or structure demands whatsoever. It's also cross-platform. None of that's going to change.

All of that works great, but it's not what everyone expects. So I've made a few changes. These take the form of an optional platform-specific callback function call that allows for filtering the list of rom search paths as it is being built.

The Windows implementation of this filters the main fba directory, so that, unless explicitly added, every subdirectory is excluded except the default rom paths of the regular fba. The first path is now also set to . by default, so that the default settings work similarly to the ones in the regular fba.
« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 10:17:25 AM by jan_klaassen »

Offline cliobrando

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Hi!
I was testing the 2.99.11 debug build.
With no config / first run, automatic scanning detected 4162 roms (only "roms" directory was scanned)
after that -> system -> Load game -> Directories... > added the fba root path (".") -> OK -> scanning started
9708 / 10626 roms detected

I want to say thank you for your hard work, the blitters look really nice, I have replaced the original FBA with this build on my pc.

Offline jan_klaassen

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Thank you.

The missing games are probably the bootlegs/hacks, which are hidden by default in this build.

Offline cliobrando

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I forgot something: when I was testing the initial rom scanning this message appeared in the 2.99.10 version (picture attached).

Offline jan_klaassen

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That message means the communication between different parts of fba isn't happening fast enough. It's more of a warning, it doesn't really mean anything is wrong (that's why the normal fba builds don't show it, only debug ones).

If you got that message only while it was scanning, it could just be that your computer is too busy with the harddisk to handle other things at the same time. Maybe it needs to be adjusted for computers with only one or two cpu cores.

Offline cliobrando

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I tested it on 3 PC's  with different configurations:

core i7 950 4C-8T / Nvidia GPU
core i7 920 4C-8T/ AMD GPU
Pentium G3258 2C / Nvidia GPU

And it only happens in that build, I thought that was something related to the massive speed up of the initial rom scanning between the .10 build and the .11 build.