Rom Hunter Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Same problem here. My ATI card supports OpenGL 2.0 and in the configurations file the gl_texrect = false, but I still can't do anything with the TV filters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 My nvidia card (with nvidia drivers) has OpenGL < 2.0 but that was not a problem with Stella 2.7.7, I could enable the OpenGL renderer in the UI no problem. Now with version 2.8 every time I enable "opengl" instead of "software" I get an error when I reopen stella, even tough I have not enabled the new TV filters (to be honest, I am not interested, the sharper the picture the better IMO) and gl_texrect = false was set from the start when the config file is created. I think it is unfair to require all users to have OpenGL 2.0 or higher, why not simply disable in the UI those features that require it? I get the following error when opening stella with video = gl: ERROR: Couldn't initialize video subsystem ERROR: Couldn't create launcher This is obviously a bug; it's supposed to work as you say. The requirement for OpenGL 2.0 is only for the filters, not for general OpenGL support. I'll look into it tomorrow. As a side comment, would't it be more appropriate instead of saving the config files in "MyDocuments" to save them in %USER%\AppData\Local\Stella ? Just a thought. Yes, that would be more in-line with Microsoft's guidelines, but the problem is, users can't see that directory in Explorer unless they show hidden folders. I'm considering changing it in the 3.0 release, as it seems to be a sore point with many people. But I want to make the right decision, because once I change it again, that will be the last time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Yes, that would be more in-line with Microsoft's guidelines, but the problem is, users can't see that directory in Explorer unless they show hidden folders. Just because M$ does some stupid default settings, that shouldn't influence your decisions. And I use Total Commander anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Same problem here. My ATI card supports OpenGL 2.0 and in the configurations file the gl_texrect = false, but I still can't do anything with the TV filters. Do you mean the filters in the UI are disabled, or they are enabled but don't seem to do anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) Yes, that would be more in-line with Microsoft's guidelines, but the problem is, users can't see that directory in Explorer unless they show hidden folders. Just because M$ does some stupid default settings, that shouldn't influence your decisions. And I use Total Commander anyway. True, but as the person who has to provide support, I try to pick the option that generates the least amount of questions for me. I'm probably going to move it as suggested earlier in this thread for the 3.0 release, and basically say "that's the way it is, please live with it". EDIT: I also use Total Commander when in Windows, but again, I try to thnk of the average user who probably hasn't heard of that program before. And even if you do use TC, you still have to configure it to show hidden files; it's not the default. Edited June 11, 2009 by stephena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vdub_bobby Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 As a side comment, would't it be more appropriate instead of saving the config files in "MyDocuments" to save them in %USER%\AppData\Local\Stella ? Just a thought. Yes, that would be more in-line with Microsoft's guidelines, but the problem is, users can't see that directory in Explorer unless they show hidden folders. I'm considering changing it in the 3.0 release, as it seems to be a sore point with many people. But I want to make the right decision, because once I change it again, that will be the last time. Why aren't the config files saved to the same folder with the stella app? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Same problem here. My ATI card supports OpenGL 2.0 and in the configurations file the gl_texrect = false, but I still can't do anything with the TV filters. Do you mean the filters in the UI are disabled, or they are enabled but don't seem to do anything? They are still disabled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 My nvidia card (with nvidia drivers) has OpenGL < 2.0 but that was not a problem with Stella 2.7.7, I could enable the OpenGL renderer in the UI no problem. Now with version 2.8 every time I enable "opengl" instead of "software" I get an error when I reopen stella, even tough I have not enabled the new TV filters (to be honest, I am not interested, the sharper the picture the better IMO) and gl_texrect = false was set from the start when the config file is created. I think it is unfair to require all users to have OpenGL 2.0 or higher, why not simply disable in the UI those features that require it? I get the following error when opening stella with video = gl: ERROR: Couldn't initialize video subsystem ERROR: Couldn't create launcher This is obviously a bug; it's supposed to work as you say. The requirement for OpenGL 2.0 is only for the filters, not for general OpenGL support. I'll look into it tomorrow. I'm using Linux, and I have an ATI Radeon 9000 video card with opengl 1.3 support. I can't use the TV filters but the opengl renderer works fine (As it did with older versions of Stella). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 As a side comment, would't it be more appropriate instead of saving the config files in "MyDocuments" to save them in %USER%\AppData\Local\Stella ? Just a thought. Yes, that would be more in-line with Microsoft's guidelines, but the problem is, users can't see that directory in Explorer unless they show hidden folders. I'm considering changing it in the 3.0 release, as it seems to be a sore point with many people. But I want to make the right decision, because once I change it again, that will be the last time. Why aren't the config files saved to the same folder with the stella app? See post #17. And in addition to this, when I had the config files saved in the app folder (or more specifically, didn't have a hardcoded place for them), there were reports of people losing their settings, and the creation of 'state' and 'snapshot' folders everywhere. This was most apparent when you launched Stella from another application, such as an external frontend or the Batari Basic IDE. Basically, it was using the current directory for loading/saving files. This is fine is you launch Stella directly, as the current directory is then the same as the app folder. But if you launch it from elsewhere, the current directory will be wherever that application is, not the Stella directory. Hence, a settings file that was saved in one place will later attempted to be opened from a different place - aka settings are lost. Long story short, I made the location hardcoded and use an absolute pathname, just as it is for every other system that Stella runs on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) Hi, I was one of those who prefers the ini in the stella root and in after past releaes requested it. Any chance this can be made configurable? Say use "%USER%\AppData\Local\Stella" by default for those few who want it there (although I don't understand why), then the rest of us can manually set it to the directory we want ie: the stella root or wherever based on where we launch it, etc.... as I said earlier in this thread great release. Thanks again! JL Edited June 11, 2009 by JL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangamuscle Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 This is obviously a bug; it's supposed to work as you say. The requirement for OpenGL 2.0 is only for the filters, not for general OpenGL support. I'll look into it tomorrow. I'm glad to hear that gl.txt I attached my videocard info just in case it is required. if you need any more info to squish the bug please let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Hi, I was one of those who prefers the ini in the stella root and in after past releaes requested it. Any chance this can be made configurable? Say use "%USER%\AppData\Local\Stella" by default for those few who want it there (although I don't understand why), then the rest of us can manually set it to the directory we want ie: the stella root or wherever based on where we launch it, etc.... as I said earlier in this thread great release. Thanks again! JL As mentioned earlier, there already is an option to do this. From the manual: The settings file has a special name/location depending on which version of Stella you use, which is currently not configurable: Linux/Unix $HOME/.stella/stellarc Macintosh Not applicable; settings are saved in $HOME/Library/Preferences/StellaOSX.plist Windows %MY_DOCUMENTS%\Stella\stella.ini OR _BASEDIR_\stella.ini (if a file named 'basedir.txt' exists in the application directory containing the full pathname for _BASEDIR_) So you create a file called basedir.txt, and in that file, you write the full path to where you want Stella's 'basedir' to be. That is, the directory under which all Stella stuff will be placed. You place this file in the same folder as the Stella executable. For example, if you create the file and put "C:\stella" in it, the config file will be "c:\stella\stella.ini", snapshots will be saved in "C:\stella\snapshots", etc. The issue we were discussing is why the default is %MY DOCUMENTS%\Stella instead of %USER%\AppData\Local\Stella. That is what I'll be addressing in a future release. The ability to override the default location is already there right now, and will continue to be there in future releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) The ability to override the default location is already there right now, and will continue to be there in future releases. great. my apologies for the misinterpretation. Edited June 12, 2009 by JL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangamuscle Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I seem to have made a tiny mistake, it is not: %USER%\AppData\Local\Stella instead it would be: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Stella or %APPDATA%\Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD62780 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) heh, tried the TV effects; they work, but the problem is Stella slows itself down to halfspeed in my case... What would my system need to run 'em at fullspeed? SYSTEM SPECS: Proc: Pentium D model 830 (3.0 GHz, 2x1MB L2 cache, 800 MT/s FSB) OS: Windows XP Media Center Edition (SP2) RAM: 4096MB GFX: ATI All-In-Wonder 2006 PCI-E edition (Radeon X1300) SND: RealTek Onboard High Definition Audio SOFTWARE SPECS: Fullscreen mode: 1920x1080 FS Stretch enabled V-Sync enabled Screen Centered I hope the specs help... Before you ask, I have my PC hooked up to my HDTV, and it's finicky when not in its native resolution. Edited June 12, 2009 by JFD62780 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangamuscle Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Before you ask, I have my PC hooked up to my HDTV, and it's finicky when not in its native resolution. Have you tried 1024x768 or 720x480? Most HDTV accept that resolutions (mine does). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickeycolumbus Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 heh, tried the TV effects; they work, but the problem is Stella slows itself down to halfspeed in my case... It does this for me too, but when I make the screen smaller (2x) it still runs at full speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD62780 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Before you ask, I have my PC hooked up to my HDTV, and it's finicky when not in its native resolution. Have you tried 1024x768 or 720x480? Most HDTV accept that resolutions (mine does). Then I'd have to fiddle with the overscan. Not a pleasant experience. x.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user42 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 OK, I fixed my folder and got the filters working.....I can honestly now say, I love the new Stella! Great job! Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omegamatrix Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) Stephena, what games still don't emulate correctly in Stella? I ask this because in the past I've tried to fix bugs that weren't actually there *points finger at Jungle Hunt*. Also it'd be good if the list was laid out, as someone might have a game to add that has been missed. Edited June 12, 2009 by Omegamatrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 Several people have reported speed issues with the TV effects, so I'll address them all at once. This is new code, and can definitely be further optimized. The TV effects code was written by another group (Georgia Tech Atari Team), and as such, I don't have much experience with it yet. But the group documented that the code could use optimization, and they are working on that for a future release. With that said, there are some alternatives for now: 1) Keep the window smaller; drawback is that you probably have to run at non-native resolution on large LCDs for now 2) Keep the bleed and noise filters on 'low'; having both on 'high' causes even my development system to slow down (Quad core 3GHz, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 9600GT) For those with some OpenGL background, here's some FYI. Stella uses almost the very basics of OpenGL; just simple texturing. I hope to move to FBO at some point in the future, and this will possibly speed things up a little more. But my plate is full ATM with the TIA rewrite and debugger improvements, which will be the bulk of the next major release. If you have programming experience in OpenGL, and wish to help out, please let me know. The OpenGL C++ class in Stella is ~1600 lines of code, and isn't too difficult to absorb by someone with some programming experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 WRT the comments on the location of user data, yes, I'll probably be moving it to a hidden location in the 3.0 release. This will be documented, and it will be final (so I want to make sure it's the right spot before I do it). But when I do that (and even now), there are a few things to remember: 1) The location can be overidden by using the file 'basedir.txt' as previously mentioned in this thread, and further documented in the manual. 2) Almost every single thing that's stored in the base directory can be separately modified to be elsewhere (except for the config file itself). See the Options -> Config Files setting in Stella; all those files and directories can be set to be elsewhere, regardless of the base directory currently in use. I think that with those two options, everyone can be satisfied that they can place the config stuff whereever they want. Hopefully this will end the discussion on the issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 Stephena, what games still don't emulate correctly in Stella? I ask this because in the past I've tried to fix bugs that weren't actually there *points finger at Jungle Hunt*. Also it'd be good if the list was laid out, as someone might have a game to add that has been missed. I'm not aware of any such list, and it's probably not worth doing such a list until after 3.0 is released with the new TIA code. All the emulation errors I've seen are related to sprite positioning because of illegally timed HMOVEs. I can name quite a few of those, but I'd rather (mostly) fix the code first, and then see where we stand. There were errors in the past with the RIOT emulation causing misplacement of sprites, but those have been fixed. Basically, lets wait until I get the TIA code fixed before we look at such a list. The reason being, I'm sure about 95% of the reported bugs will be ones I already know about, and will hopefully be squashed for 3.0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) Still not working. Man, this is getting frustrating. My video card supports OpenGL 2.0, but I still can't figure out how to enable the TV settings. They're still displayed in grey in the UI. Edited June 12, 2009 by Rom Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 2) Keep the bleed and noise filters on 'low'; having both on 'high' causes even my development system to slow down (Quad core 3GHz, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 9600GT) I suppose its the 9600 which is the bottleneck here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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