1353 replies to this topic

[shadowshd]

@Toxie : yes Scared Stiff v1.2 and Medieval Madness X tables use modulated flashers.

 

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[bolt]

Hi fuzzel, with the new 2859 has the F1 - F3 Key no funktion. 2854 works.

[Ark Malmeida]

I've also noticed significant lag in 10.2 it started in the last few revs.

Sometimes animations seem to run in slow motion..

I've seen it too.  Been going crazy the last few weeks trying to figure out what I changed/messed up to suddenly be getting bad stuttering, as I had not been getting any before.

 

I've been using Scared Stiff as my test table because that one in particular stutters quite a bit.  Playing on 10.1 with all the latest scripts from the 10.2 beta release does make things much better as shadowshd said.  I wonder if it's a combination of changes made for VP and pinmame since there's been so many updates to them lately, and I've grabbed the latest VP, pinmame, B2S and DOF code releases as they've come out.

 

One thing that I did notice on Scared Stiff is that I sometimes see a spike in the script percentage (up in the high 30% range) under those F11 stats.  Don't know if that's normal or not but thought I'd point it out.

[shadowshd]

Playing on 10.1 with all the latest scripts from the 10.2 beta release does make things much better as shadowshd said.

Ark, in my case SC and MMX with VPX 10.1 executable + 10.2 VBS run smoothly with no stutter or lag at all, with FPS/Vsync = 1, brute-force AA and ambiant occlusion on

 

I didn't notice if I had less "light show" with VPX 10.1 than with 10.2.

 

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[toxie]

somebody has an idea when directly the stuttering started to occur (e.g. which rev)?

[shadowshd]

Sorry I can't tell you Toxie, I don't keep older revs of 10.2 :/

[TerryRed]

@Toxie : yes Scared Stiff v1.2 and Medieval Madness X tables use modulated flashers.

 

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Can you guys just clarify what is meant by modulated flashers and modulated solenoids with VP?

 

I assume modulated flashers just means dimming or pulsing flashers, instead of just instant flash on and instant flash off?

 

I have regular solenoids in my cab for flippers, bumpers, etc...     but modulated solenoids? What exactly would these be used for in a virtual pinball cabinet? 

 

 

I've been adding DOFLinx DOF feedback and lighting to alot of Future Pinball tables in the last 2 months. I've become sort of the arngrim of Future Pinball DOF!  

 

I've been using dimming and fading flasher functions as well as normal flasher functions to create some really cool unique effects that you have not seen in any other pinball games, I dare say!  

 

Check out my recent demo videos at my channel to see what I mean.... really cool stuff!

 

https://www.youtube....SbPC1-AgqRgZkBg

 

 

Anyways.... not trying to hijack the thread..... I just see modulated flashers and solenoids brought up with VP alot lately and wanted to know you guys meant.

Edited by TerryRed, 09 December 2016 - 06:37 PM.

[arngrim]

hehe terry
mod flashers have an intensity of 255 steps while 0 or 1 before, also along with that change there is a better gi rom control, but i don't know more about it, just it is better

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[bolt]

What's wrong with the Function Key F1 - .....??

[TerryRed]

hehe terry
mod flashers have an intensity of 255 steps while 0 or 1 before, also along with that change there is a better gi rom control, but i don't know more about it, just it is better

Sent from tapatalk

 

OK...so they are dimmable flashers then. Makes sense.

 

Arngrim...I tried to PM you, but you can't receive messages here, or elsewhere. I wanted to talk more about DOF and what I'm doing. Where would be a good place to get your feedback about the DOF work I have done, and what I have shown in my videos?

[arngrim]

the truth is, i don't have fp, i removed it from my system 2 years ago i think, graphics are cool but physics were great than i didn't follow, also i removed unity, i never tried pbfx2, i am a vp guy

 

but i just checked the jaws video, and some tutorial videos about doflinx, i wish i have your patience and talent to show my work too, maybe one day

it looks pretty cool and quite similar like i the original tables that we have here, i never some fp code before actually, i have cleared some pm now

[zorb34]

I have 2 tables, X-Men & Ironman, created by VPUPatcher from FS tables that work fine in my old 10.1 setup but not in my current 10.2beta (rev2847) installation. Both tables throw up the same script error in VP:

 

    Line XXX, Game Name not found! .... with '.GameName = cGameName' highlighted in the script

    cGameName is defined a handful of lines above, being the rom name (eg. Const cGameName = "xmen_151")

The roms are there of course. My 10.2beta installation is in all other respects working really well, running a wide variety of tables developed for 10.1 and 10.2. I'm running this in a desktop only, single monitor setup. VPinMAME is also up-to-date.

Any ideas as to whether this error is fixable? Appreciate any feedback, including if I am posting in the wrong forum!

[Guus]

What's wrong with the Function Key F1 - .....??

 

Same issue ! Doesn't work since last release!

 

Playing on 10.1 with all the latest scripts from the 10.2 beta release does make things much better as shadowshd said.

Ark, in my case SC and MMX with VPX 10.1 executable + 10.2 VBS run smoothly with no stutter or lag at all, with FPS/Vsync = 1, brute-force AA and ambiant occlusion on

 

I didn't notice if I had less "light show" with VPX 10.1 than with 10.2.

 

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We have the same issue, major stuttering since the last release. Can't be the hardware (1070 GTX + i7 newest).

 

Even when reinstalling an older 10.2 release; the stuttering still occurs. So maybe it's something that changed in the settings? What settings are changed automatically since the last release? Any input is welcome.

 

EDIT: IMPORTANT: We did some testing, we're lucky to keep a few old releases. Version VPX_2_beta_rev2806.zip is still perfectly smooth, but all the newer versions that were released after this have major suttering. So please check out what's going on, and the last release also has the F1 - F2 - etc. function keys issue.

Edited by Guus, 09 December 2016 - 10:23 PM.

[toxie]

In my own build the F keys work, so that must be a glitch..

 

Thanks for testing all the releases, will check the revisions after that..

One more hint maybe that you could give me: Whats the directly next revision you tested that shows the stutter?

[ICPjuggla]

I'd say I've noticed the stutter since the new lighting has been introduced. I updated those files and now the last two revs stutter for me..

[DJRobX]

 

Can you guys just clarify what is meant by modulated flashers and modulated solenoids with VP?

 

 

 

They are one in the same thing.  If you look in the test menu of ROMs you'll find flashers are often inside the solenoid test menu.   To be more specific, games can rapidly toggle (modulate) an output to control the voltage being supplied to a device.   It might be a light.  It might be a shaker motor with varying intensity.   It might be a wheel moving faster or slower.    

 

VPM has always had logic to "smooth" these pulses.   When the game script turns modulated solenoids on, VPM passes the average amount of time that the solenoid was on, instead of a simple on/off value.   This allows us to see more detailed lighting effects as intended by the game code.   This also has secondary benefit to DOF users, who are able to use these varied pulse levels directly for matching DOF effects.

 

I think Kingpin has an endgame mode where the flippers are supposed to get weaker and weaker.    With modulated solenoids you could probably read the game's intended flipper strength.   The actual implementation of such a thing might be complicated to do, but that's just an example of something other than a flasher. 

[TerryRed]

 

 

Can you guys just clarify what is meant by modulated flashers and modulated solenoids with VP?

 

 

 

They are one in the same thing.  If you look in the test menu of ROMs you'll find flashers are often inside the solenoid test menu.   To be more specific, games can rapidly toggle (modulate) an output to control the voltage being supplied to a device.   It might be a light.  It might be a shaker motor with varying intensity.   It might be a wheel moving faster or slower.    

 

VPM has always had logic to "smooth" these pulses.   When the game script turns modulated solenoids on, VPM passes the average amount of time that the solenoid was on, instead of a simple on/off value.   This allows us to see more detailed lighting effects as intended by the game code.   This also has secondary benefit to DOF users, who are able to use these varied pulse levels directly for matching DOF effects.

 

I think Kingpin has an endgame mode where the flippers are supposed to get weaker and weaker.    With modulated solenoids you could probably read the game's intended flipper strength.   The actual implementation of such a thing might be complicated to do, but that's just an example of something other than a flasher. 

 

 

Has the actual "use" of PWM flashers with VP been more of a recent event with the work you guys have done lately with PinMAME?

 

Or is it more because only certain "newer" table roms have actually been able to utilize this, whereas older table roms didn't have this capability?

 

For example, the newer Medieval Madness X is supposed to use PWM flashers now....

 

Or is it a feature that is new with DOF R3? etc....

 

I'm just trying to track what is and isn't new, and why certain new table releases are a big deal that have this feature....

[arngrim]

williams bally wpc, stern whitestar and sam roms natively support mod solenoids and gi rom controlled, vp, vpm have been adapted to use it and the tables using these systems can be adapted to benefit from these functionalities, so lots of tables can be, like the recent tables out

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[TerryRed]

williams bally wpc, stern whitestar and sam roms natively support mod solenoids and gi rom controlled, vp, vpm have been adapted to use it and the tables using these systems can be adapted to benefit from these functionalities, so lots of tables can be, like the recent tables out

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So, it seems that the very "recent" work on both VP and PinMAME is what has changed to allow the use of these features, and not DOF itself?

 

So does that mean that the (rom controlled) tables themselves need to be completely updated to utilize this? Or would just updating the triggers, calls, switches,etc in DOF Config Tool, be enough to do it?

Edited by TerryRed, 10 December 2016 - 08:06 AM.

[arngrim]

dof already accepted modulated effects with the nobool functionality, so S17 only in the configtool is ON or OFF, S17 nobool receives any intensity value between 0 and 255.

djrobx updated dof to not have funny feedback behaviour because it's not on or off anymore when usevpmsolmod is activated in the script, that allows the modulated flashers

he also updated b2s.server that had limitations to pass solenoid or lamps under a certain value, plus other changes, all the non official, and soon to be integrated into official vpm, dof b2s.server can be found here

 

http://vpuniverse.co...-board-support/

 

i will update the dof configs of the tables that are updated officially or almost published with modulated effects

Edited by arngrim, 10 December 2016 - 08:29 AM.