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Low fps in Zelda MM; fix?!

Smiff

Emutalk Member
yes, with low framerates every 1 fps makes a difference.

a lot of confusion here, i'll try to sort this out :)

real N64:
outputs perfectly constant FIELDS per second. must do because TVs have to sync to a PAL or NTSC signal, which have fixed timings.
renders a variable frames per second (unlike simpler consoles like SNES, where the game timing was directly locked to the tv output signal). you don't see tearing because it's double buffered (usually), but you do see slowdown. this is controlled by both the game (which chooses a target framerate) and hardware, which is not always fast enough to keep up.

to summarise, the real framerate on an N64 depends on:
1) the game's programmed framerate. (this is all software controlled).
2) whether the N64 hardware can keep up with this

PJ64:
"Fields per second" is now an abstract internal, and slightly varying number. the emu tries to match the real N64 speed (asumming your system is fast enough it keeps perhaps +/- 2%) but the timing is a bit iffy. this is mainly important for the audio (where it will be noticeable), not the video (where it won't be).

PJ64 does not have a video framerate counter. "FPS" is showing the internal fields per second timer. FRAPs is giving you the real output frames per second, which is proportional to PJ's "FPS".

so the real framerate in PJ64 depends on:
1) the game's programmed framerate.
2) how fast the emulator core is running ("FPS" indicator). real framerate is directly proportional to this for any game.

Zelda appears to be written to run with a 1/3 ratio of frames to fields because it has more complex graphics and the n64 needs more render time (it also makes the game more "cinematic" and keeps the framerate more constant). so:
NTSC = 60Hz /3 = about 20 frames per second
PAL = 50Hz /3 = about 16.66 frames per second
this is simplification but you get the idea of whats going on?
most games are written for a 1/2 ratio (30frames/s for NTSC), or very ocassionaly 1:1 (60frames/s for NTSC) (like F-ZeroX). games can even change this whenever they want, e.g. if the game designer knew there would be too much happening, they can drop the framerate for parts of the game (a constant low framerate is better for players than a wildy fluctuating framerate).

and Fields per second (FPS) = Vertical interrupts per second (VI/s) = Cycles per second (Hz)
all different ways of saying the same thing here.
using FPS for Fields is bad because its normally used for frames, id like to change this in pj64 its confusing people but thats how zilmar always shows it.


ok that was a really crap explanation i'll try better some time
 
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OP
J

Jenslyn87

New member
I've played through the swamps now and am about to enter the first temple :D

Pro's of using emulator:

Easy to play, and you can do everything on your computer while your playing
The resolution can be made much better than on the TV
More ways of improving graphics like anti alaising (or something like that)
The possibility of saving when you want
Customization features

Con's of using emulator:

I miss the controller, it feels better and I have a bit of a tough time controlling link in stressed situations on the keyboard. I hope it will improve with time :)
Minor graphical glitches (nothing to worry about though)
A tiny bit of the "feeling" gets lost. I guess it's because you haven't got the controller.


All in all it's cool =)
 
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squall_leonhart

The Great Gunblade Wielder
Jenslyn87 said:
I've played through the swamps now and am about to enter the first temple :D

Pro's of using emulator:

Easy to play, and you can do everything on your computer while your playing
The resolution can be made much better than on the TV
More ways of improving graphics like anti alaising (or something like that)
The possibility of saving when you want
Customization features

Con's of using emulator:

I miss the controller, it feels better and I have a bit of a tough time controlling link in stressed situations on the keyboard. I hope it will improve with time :)
Minor graphical glitches (nothing to worry about though)
A tiny bit of the "feeling" gets lost. I guess it's because you haven't got the controller.


All in all it's cool =)

i find it easy to play on an modified Xbox controller :p
 

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