PCSX2 - Widescreen Game Patches

[VIRGIN KLM]

No real need to guess, since the answer will be always be a 4:3 value for games that require a widescreen hack.

If 2D overlays are held in a separate buffer before being applied, then all that you have to do is blindly squish that buffer to 4:3 and center it...and you're good.

You could also optionally blindly constrain ALL 2D (and possibly even sprite) rendering to an area maintained at a 4:3 ratio within the render window. This would fix games where things like lens flare effects get stretched in widescreen hacks, along with the HUD.

After a cursory glance, the option to add a couple such "blind" hacks to GSDX isn't out of the realm of possibility, and would fix at least a portion of games in 16:9 (and wider).

Check the updated post I made, what you say is possible for games/emulators like Gamecube and PSOne but not PS2 ones. It's more or less a hardware-software architecture limmitation. I don't say that it's not possible I say that it's not universaly possible, there is no magic thing that can do that.

[Devina]

I'm unemployed right now, so my next computer upgrade will probably be around 2015, or whenever SSDs become mainstream.
Patience really is a virtue when it comes to technology. The more you wait, the better and cheaper it gets.

Nemesis' recent patches prove we can manually adjust the aspect ratio of individual HUDs.
This is definitely an advancement in widescreen patches.

I'll make sure the archive stays updated. Right now, I'm learning how to make patches myself.
Keep spreading the word~

[Leapo]

Check the updated post I made, what you say is possible for games/emulators like Gamecube and PSOne but not PS2 ones. It's more or less a hardware-software architecture limmitation. I don't say that it's not possible I say that it's not universaly possible, there is no magic thing that can do that.

I did read your post. What you said makes perfect sense, and holds totally true, but only on a physical PlayStation 2.

Graphics plugins like GSDX allow additional flexibility in this case. GSDX is aware of requested internal resolution and the aspect ratio of the output window, while a physical PS2 has no idea what the final aspect ratio of its output will be stretched to when it hits a TV. GSDX also loads and processes 2D objects like textures and sprites separately of 3D, before applying them to the requested geometry or render-layers. This gives us an opportunity to modify these resources before they hit the screen.

Since GSDX is aware of the size and shape of the viewport ("viewport" here refers to the window that is displayed on the desktop) at all times, it's trivial to calculate the size and shape of a 4:3 box centered within the said view-port at all times. And with such a shape defined, we have a constant for constraining the rendering of specific elements within the scene. Very easy.

From there, the graphics plugin just needs to be told what layers to constrain (effectively always keeping said layer squished to a 4:3 box in the middle of whatever crazy viewport the user has created by resizing the window). The Skipdraw hack that's already part of GSDX is most of the way there, though it simply skips the rendering of the selected object. For our purposes we'd want to squish anything selected by this value to our 4:3 box rather than skipping it.


If all else fails, there's also a brute-force way to fix this... two render passes.
- 1st pass: renders the requested frame with 3D output totally disabled (Effectively displaying just 2D content on a black background).
- 2nd pass: renders the requested frame with 2D output totally disabled (So you get the 3D scene with all 2D elements missing).

We now have the two images we need from the game, done and rendered. From here on out, the limitations of the PS2 have no bearing. GSDX can do whatever wants with these two versions of the frame.
So, when these hit the output window, overlay the 1st pass on top of the 2nd pass, but constrain the 1st pass to 4:3 at all times. Instant brute-force fix for 2D being stretched (obviously wont work nicely in all games, but it should totally fix a few).

[nemesis2000]

@nemesis2000: I managed to stumble onto at least one value that seriously widens the area before the PS2 culls geometry

DMC3 or DMC2?

I'm seeing some random geometry pop in front of the camera in some scenes.

it means that your value changes render size greatly than view range

[Leapo]

DMC3 or DMC2?

it means that your value changes render size greatly than view range

Final Fantasy X, actually. Mentioned it a few posts back

Your current hack already widens the bounding box that the game engine uses to determine when it should start culling geometry. I need that box even wider. So far, I've only found two values that work (your original one, and one I stumbled upon which is waaaay too high)


Edit: Noticed your Kingdom Hearts 1 (NTSC-U) hack doesn't effect flying around in the gumi ship, it's still 4:3. Not sure if that's fixable or not.

[synce]

Good job with all the new fixes nemesis. Can you give me some tips on patching the 2D portraits for the Persona games? The values provided don't work with the NTSC-J versions

I may look at some other games I didn't bother patching due to 2D portraits being stretched but not sure what to go on

[Leapo]

Some shots from Kingdom Hearts 1, fixed for Eyefinity. I loved this game, but I think Kingdom Hearts 2 is a bit more photogenic:

       
       
       
       

If someone can fix the gumi ship portion for 16:9 I'll see about expanding it to 48:10 as well.


Edit 1: After lots of trial and error, I finally managed to fix Final Fantasy X! No more culled geometry!

       
       
       
       


Edit 2: Went ahead and zipped up all the eyefinity hacks I've got working so far. Download link here:
  Eyefinity Patches (48x10) 01-02-2013.zip (Size: 4,37 KB / Downloads: 871)

[azerty16]

Could you please take a look at Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 greatest hit edition?

[RoseBuddi]

Sorry if someone has asked this question before, but I was wondering if it's possible to widescreen patch a game where all the backgrounds are 2D pre-rendered?

I mean, I know it's POSSIBLE... but chances are that you'll end up with something like this:



I'm asking because I'm wondering what would be best for Shadow Hearts 1, which has pre-rendered backgrounds. Personally I don't mind 4:3 stretched but it seems like a lot of people take issue with it. I just find pillarboxing distracting.

[theCreedIsBack]

Any chance of a suikoden iv and suikoden v widescreen patch?