How to play with nullDC?? problem

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Re: How to play with nullDC?? problem

Postby BakaDoniu » Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:59 am

Also if you have performance problems try out this configuration for nullDC, i find out that it runs very smoothly with shenmue 1 and 2

I´m using MasterChan777 version of null DC, runing on a laptop with intel core i7 160ghz and an AMD HD 6500 for graphics

NullDC Settings:
enable dynarec=on
accurate mode=off
enable CP pass=off
underclockFPU=off

PowerVR:
resolution : native or maximum (runs at about the same speed on both)
aspect ratio:borders
paletted textures:versioned
sort:per triangle (this solves the usual disaperance of ryo´s face when exit or entering a new area)
modifier volumes=off
Zbuffer=mode 2 (solves most of the weird shadow issues)
texture cache mode=delete invalidated
Vsync=Off

Aica:
Config= buffer size= 2048 , sync to audio =on, global focus= on, use hardware Mixing= off
limit speed and sync audio =off
sync audio =on
DSP emulation=off
mute CDDA=off


I Find that with this configuration both games run almost like in my dreamcast, and did complete them without any real issues, hope this config helps :D
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Re: How to play with nullDC?? problem

Postby Himuro » Sun Jun 21, 2015 10:09 am

bishopcruz wrote: I'm getting the same problem as himuro, in nullDC the VMU Seems fine the first time I play, but is corrupted for subsequent plays.

BTW himuro, do you have an archive of your undub LP?


No, I streamed it. We're doing English instead because of the many problems with the Undub.
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Re: How to play with nullDC?? problem

Postby BananaMoonBreeze » Fri Jul 10, 2015 10:21 am

I just wanted to list how I got the Shenmue I undub to work with nullDC somewhere, in case it can help someone else. I had quite a frustrating time of it, but finally got it working in the end. I'm using nullDC 1.0.4 r150 modified by masterchan777 specifically for Shenmue, on Windows 8 64-bit (the later version with the custom Shenmue background, although I think this is the only difference between the two; you can find it here: http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46995)

First, the whole thing with the disc images. I already have Daemon Tools installed, so I used that instead of Alcohol 120%. The images mount fine, everything else in Windows sees them fine, but nullDC just wasn't interested. It would display a dialogue about how the disc was inaccessible or some such.

This was causing me to pull my hair out until I found that while you can't open MDS/MDF files through the File -> Open BIN/ELF menu option, you actually can use them via the "..." ("browse files") option on the "Select Image File" dialogue, which comes up through both "File -> Normal Boot" and "Options -> GDRom -> Swap Disk". So you don't need Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools at all.

Once I discovered that, nullDC would make it through the initial boot-up process, but then completely hang (the program itself, not just the emulation) at the "under license" screen. The log showed a whole bunch of complaints (~40 or so) about "sector totaly[sic] not found", then a couple of "system register writes unsupported" messages.

Doing more digging, I found that this seems to be a long-standing problem with Shenmue I on nullDC. The developers of nullDC have said that it's due to using a bad BIOS dump, but that it's also been fixed. I tried three different BIOS dumps, and had the same problem with all of them. Granted, I didn't find a PAL BIOS before I solved the problem, so I don't know about that (the undub version is based on the PAL release, which is why you get the 50Hz / 60Hz option at the start). Some people said you just had to play it with the 50Hz option and it would work, but that seemed silly to me, plus I wasn't even getting that far. Anyway, I eventually got it working with a US BIOS patched to work for "all regions", which was also the first one that I had tried, so I'm pretty sure it's not a BIOS issue. What I ended up doing was deleting the original config file (which seems to be the nullDC equivalent of "turning it off and then on again", and which didn't fix the problem on its own, but did make a change and might still be important), and then I also went to "Options -> nullDC Settings" and set "System Region" to "EUR" and "Broadcast Format" to "PAL". Even with these forced settings, the game (and nullDC) is still quite happy to run properly even if you pick the 60Hz option. After all, that option was there for PAL 60.

Finally, the game was booting and running normally (with a few minor graphical glitches and the occasional very quiet pop as the sound lost synch), and even working with my XBox-compatible wired controller, but I discovered that I couldn't save. Or to be more accurate, I could save just fine, and if I checked the virtual VMU by booting with no disk, it showed the Shenmue save file as expected, but attempting to load a saved game would result in a warning that my VMU was unformatted, and trying to continue from a restore point would show the correct details on the confirmation screen, but after selecting "Yes" I would be told that the load had failed. Even stranger was the 50Hz / 60Hz screen changed the same way it does if you have a VMU with a 60Hz saved game in the real PAL Dreamcast, so it was still working on some level. The general consensus I found on forums was that this corruption only happens when trying to play the arcade games, and just to avoid that. Unfortunately I was not even making it to the arcade before my save stopped working, so that clearly wasn't my problem. I almost gave up again (not much point in trying to play Shenmue if I can't save, and nullDC understandably doesn't offer save states), until I found an odd suggestion that actually did the trick; boot the game without a VMU plugged in, and wait until you're at the main menu before putting it back in.

What you need to do (assuming that you already have a binary file for a virtual VMU containing a Shenmue save file in your nullDC directory) is first select "File -> Normal Boot", and click on the "No Disk" option. Once you see the Dreamcast menu screen, select "Options -> Maple -> Port A -> Subdevice 1 -> Unplug". You need to boot the virtual Dreamcast first because nullDC will automatically plug the virtual VMU back in on boot to be helpful. After unplugging the virtual VMU, go to "Options -> GDRom -> Swap Disc" and select your image file. Now use the Dreamcast menu to select "Play" and boot your disc image. Make sure to select the same Hz option as you started with. Wait for the game to boot, and go through the various messages (you will also get a warning that you need to insert a VMU, but it will let you continue), until you can see the four main menu options ("New Game", "Load", "Continue", and "Options"). Now go to "Options -> Maple -> Port A -> Subdevice 1" and select "Attach nullDC VMU". With this done, you should be able to load a saved game or continue from a resume point without a problem. I recommend backing up your VMU file frequently, just in case you accidentally boot the game up with the VMU still plugged in and wreck your save file. It's also a good way to keep as many save points as you like, including continue points. I don't recall save scumming being useful in Shenmue I, but I know I did loads of it while gambling in Shenmue II on a physical Dreamcast.

Please note that just unplugging and re-plugging your virtual VMU at the menu screen won't work; the game seems to do some writing to the VMU during the start-up process which actually corrupts the VMU data in nullDC, and if you leave the VMU plugged in during start-up your save file will be ruined.
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