New Super Famicast & NesterDC SE releases imminent

[scherzo]

Alright, let's all try to stay on track, me included. I'm not giving up on SFC. I know the graphics rendering is a huge bottleneck and I'm going to investigate into streamlining it.

Kind of back on topic / off topic... who knows but...

Did you know that GCC guesses at the branch possibilities of code execution? When you enable any optimization starting with -O, GCC turns on -fguess-branch-probability. I often wondered why sometimes games would run a frame or two more slowly than it just did. I would compile, test, clean, compile, and test and see different speeds.

You can pass GCC -fno-guess-branch-probability to prevent this behavior so that the same code is generated each time but it is not nearly as fast as any of it's guesses.

It feels like chaos theory to me. Nevertheless, I've gained a frame or two from using the subversion KOS compiled with my choice of GCC parameters.

[wraggster]

Scherzo is there anything in the source of the OpenSnes9x emu for the GP32 that could help on the Dreamcast, any little hacks to make speed better.

[scherzo]

The are plenty of hacks in the gfx code that use arm asm. Yoyofr also used an older version of snes9x as his base. It's been difficult to me to see what are differences in original snes9x code and yoyofr's speedups. I really need to look at it again in a more general way to see how I can apply the same ideas to Super Famicast.

Also, SNES Advance has caught my eye as well. Apparently Loopy has devised a way to patch the games so that they run faster. I asked for an explanation in the SNES Advance forums at pocketheaven.com but no one really helped. Maybe it's something that can't be taken advantage of on a system like DC. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the SNES and GBA both have similar graphics mode with sprites and backgrounds.

[wraggster]

I personally was wondering if its better to go back in time to the releases when we were all on pentium 200s and start from there and port a much older source version that actually works on a machine not as powerful as the dreamcast.

[steveola]

Wraggster has a point there!

Nowadays with all the high PC specs, coders can afford to be sloppy. Not so in the old days, everyone had 486's and code had to be uber-clean.

[wraggster]

it just makes me wonder that we need to go back to the older versions of emus to get the speed wwe need.

Then go from there

[DemoniusX]

I just want to state that I also suffer from manic depression, been molested and beat up every day near death at elementry school because kids thought I was "too fat" to live so its kind of predijuce there (sorry if I misspelled} I remember being in the hospital for
broken ribs and couldn't breathe that well, parents worried sick. now I am 22 all that stuff I went through has affected me now, don't care to go outside, don't care to have friends like if your a friend and just dislike me I don't care to save the friendship, don't care
for a girlfriend (got my heart broken in 2k don't care} this is why I have a learning disability, because when I learn something my mind goes elsewhere about all the good stuff that I miss in life therefore I just can't focus. now my parents are divorced dad lives in indiana, brother and sister live on their own. I spend most of my days in my room at home isloating myself because the outside world has done wrong to me, so I don't want any part Â*of this place.



Scherzo I truly understand the "time" thing. last year I worked a lot last summer. I always looked forward to ploping myself on my leather seat with a fan in my face on the computer, winding down from work. (I lost my job a week ago, store budgets,laid off } then friends wanted to hang with me, I had no time to play my video games and I started to get pissed and when I did find time it would be 4:00 am in the morning before work. I
been wanting to play my games but I am concerntrating in finding employment and since america sucks, its hard to find employment. I am 340 lbs (pound man} I am very slow and low energy it is hard to keep a job with the energy of mine. people want energetic people
I lose. Then you might say "hey try to lose weight" well since depression has taken over everything about me all I can say is "I don't care" cuz eventually you get sick of it and Â*give up, I am tired of trying to make it better for me, so here is what my life is going to consist of: work,home,eat,sleep,video games that is it, nice eh? I could care but I learned not to, I learned that friends here in michigan are bull$#@!, so you could call me a "loser" cuz well I am. I may sound like I am whining but people here don't understand me, they just think
I diss,diss,diss. well i got some advice from a great person his name is Ian micheal. so I try VERY HARD not to say anything negative but since I am so pestimistic it is how I fell.

Well scherzo, all I can say good luck on your project and I truly apoligize for the things I stated. if you don't accept my apology that is ok, I don't expect you to, at least I got to apoligize to you. I know if I wasn't retarded and could code, I wouldn't like people to
diss my work, however I would do what i could to improve the problem,so I could please the fans. now you are excused for that because you have family and a child (I dream to be a family man, I know it will never happen} I am glad about the thing coders have given us, and take my advice. Depression is a horrible enemy, don't let it get the best of you like it has me.......

[scherzo]

Apology more than accepted D.

It seems like we've all got our problems here. So not only do we have the love for DC in common, we've got emotional/mental issues too.

Looks like I'll be getting some more "me" time. My wife and I decided to situate our 2 bedroom apartment in such a way that I'll be able to work alone in peace. Let's see how that turns out.

[DemoniusX]

seems like you have a understanding wife that is cool. I am glad you accept my apology :} well don't strain yourself when it comes to projects, I been straining myself trying to figure out commands on RPG maker 2k, :}. I am trying to make Demon Chronicles; Demonius Darkblade, its about a demon who fights in hell and angels are being slaughtered one by one.satans calls out for demonius, and demonius obeys his master and comes forth. Satan orders Demonius to slay the arch angel, as Demonius raises his Blade to slay the angel the Angel looks up at demonius with tears in his eyes, Demonius suddenly felt something that demons can't feel, Remorse and saddness, Demonius Drops his sword and tells satan " I cannot slay this angel for he has done no wrong" satan tells demonius "You are Disobeying me!!??!??" Demonius says "I am for there is no purpose for this slaying, its madness!" Satan yells "DIE TRAITOR!!!!!!!" throws a deadly fireball and the angel uses its last ounce of strength to teleport demonius, the blast destroys the angel. then demonius finds he is on a shore of a beach (like most stories} he awakes and asks "who...who am I" he sees a small town in the distance in hope for some answers. Sound cool? I thought it did. I am offtopic LOL well man, if you continue to work on Super famicast that is cool, like i tell my coder friends as yourself, Don't rush your Genius. good luck and i pray and hope you get the help you need, cuz one men army can do damage, but they can't always win the war :} take care bro.

[lantus]

scherzo, i totally understand your situation. I have a fiance and am married in October this year. Undoubtably with marriage commitments, my time spent coding will diminish. Hopefully i can still find some time to work on my stuff but it will be an interesting year for me.

as for Snes9x - yeah working off an earlier source base might not be a bad idea to compare speeds with. Ever since post 1.39 releases, things have gotten slower (due to the removal of hacks). It has been confirmed by the Snes9x developers themselves. I am all for removing hacks to ensure better compatability - but unfortunatly the side affect of this can hurt console ports.

good luck