| | |
Messing with graphics settings, fixing the horrendously maladjusted color and contrast, and trying to play through Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.16: Virtua Fighter 2 for PS2 as Akira Yuki on Easy, with the Arranged soundtrack, using PCSX2 in Windows!
The color adjustment I used in PCSX2: Settings - Game Properties - Graphics - Post-Processing - Shade Boost: Brightness 65, Contrast 69. (Saturation left @ default 50.)
It's obviously a rough first attempt at a Model 2 arcade port on PS2: aside from getting the color/contrast all wrong--or maybe leaving it completely unadjusted in a mistaken "this is how the arcade version works, the user then adjusts their monitor!" idea that was probably not what home users were going to dig--they also did not include move lists, and there's no option to toggle the game between Model 2's 57.5 fps and TV 60 (or 59.94) fps display; Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.19: Fighting Vipers fixes those oversights.
RE: fps, the back of the case says (Google Translate) "Experience the impact of 57.5 frames per second!" & a small note at the bottom: "This software is a direct port of the arcade version developed on the MODEL2 board and reproduces the operation at 57.5 frames/second. However, it is displayed at 60 frames per second on a TV screen, so two identical frames will be displayed in succession at regular intervals. Please note that the input timing is the same as the arcade version."
One thing I overlooked in my Vol.19 video a few episodes back is that these run at 3:2 aspect ratio (or, close: 1.509~ ie 1440/954 px at 1080p) in the game's screen options types A (default) and B; but in that video I switch to type C, stretching the screen vertically to full screen height & 4:3 display--but that's too tall and the characters come out looking a bit skinny.
The AST here is pretty keen.
That Japanese PS3/PS2/Saturn VF2 comparison video with the interesting comments by Japanese players (in Japanese, but you can translate them with the YT phone app) is https://youtu.be/MGUYaTYlH3E . People also say the PS2 textures aren't full resolution.
In that video, PS3 VF2 is running at TALLER than 4:3 aspect ratio (1.29, vs 1.33).
Hmm... The native res of the Sega Model 2 hardware is 496x384. Taken as square pixels, that would be 1.29 aspect ratio. Most of the "real hardware" VF2 Model 2 videos on YT are 4:3 (I found one that was 1.29). Screenshots on arcade flyers https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/videogames/show/1247 are roughly 4:3.
...Okay I reinstalled the PS3 version to check. It only has "Normal/Large/Full" graphics options: Normal is 1.29 aspect bordered, Large is 1.29 full screen height, Full is 16:9 stretch. No 57.5/60 fps toggle option. DOES have move lists. (Throwing feels about the same. : P) Same for PS3 Fighting Vipers.
The screenshots on the back of the PS2 CASE are 1.29!! = P
In fact, I can't find ANYthing saying 3:2 is the native VF2 aspect ratio. Although in its defense, those giant coins in Lion's stage, like at 27:22, are just about perfectly round at 3:2 (a bit closer at 29:54 the coin is maybe a touch wide 'p'), whereas at 1.29 on PS3 for instance, they are very vertical ovals https://youtu.be/7bSi-s_QeFQ?t=296 . So... Gosh. Is this the only version of VF2 with "correct" 3:2 aspect ratio?
(Here's a supposed US VF2 arcade cabinet, rather vertical ovally coins maybe--although side view so hard to say for sure: https://youtu.be/WoUSHb-0Q_g?t=1251 But looks closer to 4:2 than 3:2. MAME runs it--with different terrible color--at 4:3. (Although MAME seems to just 4:3 nearly everything so maybe they aren't too fussy about that.) Could there have been deluxe cabs in Japan with special 3:2 monitors?)
OH. The manual says (Google Translate): "TYPE A: A screen that displays images with the same resolution as the original Model 2 (496 width x 384 height). TYPE B: A screen that enlarges and centers the TYPE A image while maintaining its aspect ratio." (Vol.19: Fighting Vipers (also defaults to 3:2 aspect) manual: "'Type A/B' has the same aspect ratio as the arcade version.") So there you go! 3:2! (Or 1.509...)
(I think I said 16:9 is just as distorted as 4:3 if they're meant for 3:2. That's wrong, I can't do math. ; D 16:9 is 1.78, 4:3 is 1.33, 3:2 is 1.5.)
(Also I might've said NTSC pixels are wider than they are tall. Totally wrong. NTSC 4:3 screen pixels are 10:11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_aspect_ratio#Pixel_aspect_ratios_of_common_video_formats ) |
|
|
| | |
Alternate costume: As Player 1, hold Up while selecting your character to play in their 2P costume.
Expert Mode: On the character select screen, press down twice, up twice, left twice, and right twice, then select your character. If successful, you will hear a confirmation sound, "Expert mode" will appear above your health bar, and the AI will be tougher (and supposedly learn from fighting you).
Expert Mode can be combined with the main menu Ranking Mode: no difference will be visible until Game Over, where you will have no continue option, and will receive a ranking card.
Ranking Mode (main menu option): Puts "Ranking is being determined" (in Japanese) over your health meter, and removes continues. At GAME OVER you are shown points earned for certain moves, and a rank.
(These cheats/modes are also in the PS3 version. That version doesn't have RANKING MODE on the main menu, so to get Ranking Mode on PS3, you do this: At the title screen--after setting difficulty, etc--press all three buttons together with Start when starting a game. Requires precise timing. If successful, "Now ranking mode !!" will appear above your health bar. As in the PS2 version, can be combined with Expert Mode and Alternate costume.) |
|
|
| | |
Comparing input delay between emulated PS2 and PS3 Sega Model 2 fighting game ports of Virtua Fighter 2 (Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.19 on PS2) and Fighting Vipers (Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.19 on PS2), in the PCSX2 and RPCS3 emulators.
I also compared the lag in RPCS3's two renderers: the default Vulkan, and OpenGL.
I was off by one talking about delay variation: the emulated PS2 games varied in their delays by ~4 frames from punch to punch, while the emulated PS3 games varied by ~3 frames.
In past comparisons, I've found that on my set-up, PCSX2 has about the same input delay as the actual PS2. I have not done a comparison between RPCS3 and the actual PS3 because I'm just sick of worrying about the PS3 dying (it's running fine, this is just paranoia on my part) and RPCS3 seems to run be running the games well so I'm just going with RPCS3 for PS3 stuff anyway.
In RPCS3, the OpenGL renderer was *maybe* a hair slower in some cases, but not others. And thanks to accidentally testing it twice for FV, I did notice variation when using it, which could just be down to the different random backgrounds: sometimes 6 or 7 frames delay in the airport stage, with its long-range background view, and sometimes as low as 4 frames in Honey's walled-in stack with oddly projected shadows. Probably kind of a wash but I'd have to do way more testing to verify and I don't feel like doing that; I'll just stick to the default Vulkan renderer.
So overall, in emulation the PS3 games had a response about 2 frames faster than the PS3 games--which to me is pretty significant, so I'll be sticking with RPCS3 for VF2 and FV. I'll miss the funky 3:2 (1.509~) aspect ratio the PS2 ports run in by default (they claim real hard it's the "arcade" aspect ratio; but even the screens on the backs of the game cases are the straight pixel 496/384 1.29 aspect ratio, and all the photos and videos I could find of (US, not sure I found any Japanese ones) have them running at either 1.29 or 4:3 (mostly 4:3 for the actual Model 2 board videos as far as I could tell)), but I won't miss their letterboxed displays, slightly juddery framerates, and--for VF2--lack of move lists. The PS2 versions are good ports, just not as polished as the PS3 ones. (
(Curiously, although they all default to 30 second rounds, the MAX time limits you can set for 2P Vs rounds varies from game to game and port to port, except it's always 60 seconds max for VF2--but you can go up to infinite time for FV on PS2, and 90 seconds for FV on PS3.)
It's definitely emulated rather than actual PS3 for me from here on out. Unlike the PS2 though, the real PS3 is NOT going in the cupboard, 'cause it's used for dumping/ripping the games.
RPCS3 stands for "Russian Personal Computer Station 3" (https://rpcs3.net/blog/2018/01/). |
|
|
| | |
