Final Fantasy X NTSC running real-time (59.94 FPS) on latest beta using Pentium 4 HT

[Urisma]

DangerousD: What you're describing is a static recompiler. That's exactly what it does. The translation unit grabs insctuctions, translates them into C code, and then compiles it. The flaw in your mentality is that its easy to port things from one architecture to another. It's not. at all. Especially when you don't have the code for the original game. Translated code from assembly and code a programmer would write look COMPLETELY different. The translated code will be a gigantic goto block that emulates every instruction based on where it is in memory. Normal C code you would write looks like this

Code:

for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++) prinf("hi");

the translated code looks like this

Code:

L_0x8000:
     MOV( Reg_01, 0);
     doFlagAndWhateverElseStuff();
L_0x8003:
     call _printf (hello);
     doFlagStuffAndWateverElse();
L_0x8005:
     cmp (Reg_01, 10);
L_0x8007:
     goto *some label*
L_0x8009:
     goto L_0x8003;

Or something like that. That's hard to port. Plus a static sweep is impossible to accomplish because you will translate data into code and then execute data. And you can't execute that because first of all, you can't input with it so youll probably hit an infinite loop. Second, and memory access will be screwed up because you translated data into code. Your idea of porting is much too simplistic. My other post on the last page outlines a few more problems with static recompilation.

And also, pcsx2 has a compiler. And someone that knows about ps2 code won't do any good for a ps2 emulator. It's true. Sony couldn't make an emulator any better than the dev team has. It's all about x86. NOT MIPS ASSEMBLY. EVERYTHING ABOUT EMULATION IS BASED ON UNDERSTANDING THE ARCHITECTURE YOU ARE EMULATING TO NOT FROM AHHHHH!!!!!!!!.

Sorry. I get *really* pissy when people think its as easy as getting a ps2 dev to write an emulator. It's not that easy. Writing a recompiler is all about the emitter into native code for your platform. Take for example the R5900 interpreter. It's in one file. Maybe 25kb. That's small and takes no work. I have an R4000 interpreter that's less than a thousand lines. The emitter is the problem. Theres a huge x86 emitter folder in the pcsx2 common folder that shows just how complicated it is. No having to worry about instruction encoding in an interpreter. There's hundreds on lines in the emitter dedicated to fixing the mod r/m byte for the compiler. No worrying about that in an interpreter. I guarantee you that no MIPS architect will be able to help you with that. Or instruction encoding, prefixes, the problems with variable instruction length, addressing, a thousand other things.

Emulation is not easy. Period. You can't "just write a compiler" or a dynarec. or an interpreter. Or a GS, SIF, SIO, VU0, VU1, FPU, VFPU (***** to emulate, i swear) DMAC, RDRAM SDRAM scratchpad ram graphics swizzle floating points conversions data lengths data conversions memory addressing addressing modes register usage jumps branches pipelines input output data buses....

[Dangerousd777]

I don't know much about coding, but I understood every last bit you said [whereas my friends would only get what is in plain English and Layman's terms]. From that perspective it's a pure, concrete and absolute impossibility in my mind (as are most things that are too thoroughly explained in detail to where I can't keep track of what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't usually get lost like regular people when it comes to complex concepts, but when I tried to learn C++ to begin with it all seemed very abstract and difficult to grasp.)

It would be simplest to buy a better CPU, overclock it and just wait another year or two for the emulator to improve further, at least in terms of compatibility but not speed. I'm sure you could agree with that too.

And I know exactly how you feel I get pretty agitated when people misinterpret about 90% of what I say with the people I know that have limited understanding of most of the things I took time to research and study and they'll misunderstand or take things out of context... sometimes it even confuses me how they end up at such strange conclusions.

Luckily the brain is a quantum computer, and most people don't have any problems procedurally generating visual and synthesizing aural information when it comes to thoughts and dreams. You could just imagine anything and it should be realized within real time. If only there was some way we could use our brain to achieve immensely difficult computational tasks (in x86 terms). The problem once again is the architecture difference that you've stated, our brains function in trinary mainly as a biological pharmacy, utilizing electro-chemical computing [much different than your run of the mill processor]. Because our brains function electrically then you could interpret simple functions so far... (like moving a mouse cursor)

So yeah, my CPU is much too slow, and I'm much too stupid when it comes to CPU architecture, but if I begin to have my period of 'realization' and it just hits me when I'm researching as much as possible from A to Z then I would be able to comprehend, and my brain would have optimized it's innate interpretation.

Anyways if your looking to "overclock" your brain in terms of used capability it's time to get some Piracetam with choline bitartate (without a source of choline you'll get a headache) or Neuro-PS. I've only tried the latter a total of about 2 or 3 months along with Omega-3 fish oil. Profound differences, my memory is much sharper, my thought is fluid, my dreams are vivid, colors are brighter, my eye for detail is better and I can see outlines more clearly, it also improves your mood a lot too.

In terms of cost-efficiency it'd be worth it to improve myself down from where it counts and where my personality and humanity comes from rather than improve my time-vampire of a computer (in terms of crap processing efficiency and how much I tend to use it everyday...)

Anyways I need to study up on assembly and some programming languages. I have a friend that codes in C++ and he was trying to code a OpenGL plugin for Project 64... unfortunately it was a flop and he gave up on it after a while. He's probably at least twice as comprehensive as me when it comes to different architectures and about the code being executed on that architecture, but he's about 3 years older and I have not really started learning as much as have been able to until the last 3 - 3 1/2 years... but luckily I know plenty of brilliant people that could assist me in 'catching up' (so to speak) in just about everything.

So yes, excuse me for my sheer lack of understanding and ignorance. Most people don't like to admit when they're wrong... well, I find it quite refreshing to be wrong about a lot of things -- it shows that I'm never going to get bored learning and seeking truth by getting my facts straight to begin with before I attempt to teach others [which teaching and doing are the absolutely most effective means of learning, while many ask me how I know all that I do.. it's simply because I've made sure it was right which involved cross referencing, then I remembered it better, tried or taught it and it became something difficult to forget].

Some people think they're not smart, but they just don't attempt to fully utilize their mental capabilities to achieve more effectively. Every day we can learn, there are another couple thousand cells spawned in the hippocampus every day [probably during sleep] and whichever are not storing information and networking with other cells will be pruned off and wasted.

Still though, my best bet is on Piracetam and Neuro-PS.. after a couple weeks to a month of regular use you would notice some pretty profound differences in the way that you are conscious and aware of your consciousness. These are literally assist cognition and memory in their gradual proliferation, and Google as much as you want you'll get only the best of reviews and information about these nootropics. Smart drugs. Nootropic comes from the Greek roots meaning "Acting on the mind".

The efficacy on the cross-hemispheric connection and the connections between neurons are the most important and the most profound benefits I would say.

But then again you can improve those with merely music with window frequencies, harmonics, binaural beats and etc. Brainwave therapy is an aural nootropic, and it is undoubtedly immediately effective. Try Beta or Gamma, your waking states of alertness, focus and concentration, you'll feel your thoughts race at unmanageable pace if you listen for far too long.

Brain Sync. They're good, don't quite agree with all the New-Age concepts since they obviously conflict with my beliefs but the affirmations are what you should believe and do a lot of good in themselves once they become subconscious. If you listen to some of these for 30 minutes to an hour a day over a week or two you'll start noticing synchronicities... Like sometimes I'll hear something and see it a moment later, or I'll think something and someone will say it.

Musical LSD: someday sound will be able to achieve profoundly immediately and gradually over time (like Piracetam) what drugs only could temporarily produce and then would destroy.

*By the way: w00t! 100 posts reached in like 3 days. Good thing I didn't have to no-life for it, lol. [otherwise I would have had a monstrosity of an obsessive posting streak that would get everyone to dislike me for all my random babble and low quality posts... but I would have had 250.]

[Urisma]

Interesting post about brain overclocking lol. Interesting stuff. And musical LSD is trippy stuff (haha. pun). Amazing how it works. And sorry If I sounded mad at you. I definitely wasn't trying to direct that at anyone. I mean I'm definitely no expert in the stuff. I've been studying emulators for about a year now, and have learned a lot since. Being 16 helps haha but actually you do eventually just get an epiphany about it. It's what happened to me at least. Not big picture, but a lot of smaller epiphanies that happen fairly rapidly.

[Dangerousd777]

Interesting post about brain overclocking lol. Interesting stuff. And musical LSD is trippy stuff (haha. pun). Amazing how it works. And sorry If I sounded mad at you. I definitely wasn't trying to direct that at anyone. I mean I'm definitely no expert in the stuff. I've been studying emulators for about a year now, and have learned a lot since. Being 16 helps haha but actually you do eventually just get an epiphany about it. It's what happened to me at least. Not big picture, but a lot of smaller epiphanies that happen fairly rapidly.

Epiphany! Excellent word selection. Epiphany is the correct way to describe it because you do get a great realization of truth, but in bits and pieces... like a regular epiphany or revelation split into several sequential, the first just occurs to you that you finally begin to understand something and by the end of your 'journey' you become somewhat of an expert on the subject.

I've been studying over various things in chemistry, biology, quantum mechanics and physics that are all very interesting. (The observer effect is one of my favorite, quite inspiring too if you think about it... being able to affect matter on a subatomic level with merely thought, because we perceive the world from the eyes out, not the other way around like most people believe.)

Whatever you do avoid head injuries... I've had quite a lot of those, some were pretty bad (forceful smacks on concrete... ouch) however because I've experienced all of this and I've been in different perceptive views due to my consciousness being altered by... the herb and a few other things per se... I've been able to analyze my cognition - metacognition - as it's called. Via metacognition (knowing how you think) you can be most productive with the very gifted mind of yours and continuously excel where others bottleneck because you can keep pushing the boundaries.

The brain is the best at compensation and implementation... processors will fail from electromigration over a lifespan of 20+ years, but the brain can survive up to 122 and literally healing the brain finally IS possible. It IS, but it's going to be a while before we see any humans go from a vegetative state to below average [only because they have to redevelop their skills again]

Intelligence is not a constant. Age-related cognitive and memory decline is completely reversed with piracetam and neuro-PS! I'm serious, there are even *significant* improvements in children with traumatic brain injury. It's almost like the opposite of alcohol on your brain both in the short and long term... or like speed but instead your moods are stabilized and you get smarter every passing day (completely non-toxic).

Hydrogel is what can heal any tissue without needing stem cells, it creates a medium for the cells to grow in thus 'tricking' the surrounding tissues into growing and repairing quicker. It's 99% water, with certain compounds that can help transfer resources to help neural growth and proliferation it can take a rat with a brain lesion to 95% PHYSICAL brain recovery in only 12 weeks.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/brain-injury-gel.html

phosphatidylserine is what is in Neuro-PS and it's especially abundant in the brain, basically it helps bulk and supply this nutrient and phosphatidylcholine to your brain which help with production of acetylcholine and vasopressin which are used for regulation of intelligence and memory in the brain. It helps improve your mood, memory and intelligence by helping regulate and restore neurotransmitters basically. PC is in every cell of your body and you can get PS from food, mainly from cow brains but fish are also high in PS. Soybean has relatively low PS content but it's the source for neuro-PS... the formulation also comes with other nutrients too.

Neuro-PS is literally the best brain food you could fit in a capsule. You'll feel it the first day you try it. Your moods get sharper and your mind gets clearer and you feel more motivated and alert.

A cup or two of coffee or tea everyday is also neuro-beneficial and so are small to moderate amounts of alcohol. B-vitamins especially B12 and vitamin C will help improve your mood and intelligence (I love energy shots like Stacker2 Xtra or 5 hour energy, they actually are pretty harmless and maybe even good due to their amount of taurine which is in bile to break down fats and the potent concentration of B-vitamins that definitely beats out energy drinks)

Exercise improves your intelligence and circulation. Hydergine is an isotope of LSD that improves circulation and boosts metabolism in the brain, also dilating blood vessels and bringing in oxygen. It's very effective and sometimes prescribed to stroke or drowning victims but it's expensive... at least the proprietary Hydergine formulation by Sandoz labs.

And on the musical LSD... the harmonics and window frequencies energize your nervous system and stimulate activity of neurons and the firing between synapses. The binaural beats [two different tones say 100 and 107 hz played in separate ears and your brain synchronizes to the difference between them allowing you to go into states only possible by sleep, meditation or drug use] also can allow you to improve your intelligence, creativity, mood and memory on a short and long term basis.

Yes, there is a plethora of things you can do to make improve your brain, and if you improve your brain, you improve your life by increasing your efficiency, productivity and rate of success.

The cost pays for itself immediately, I believe.

Have you ever heard of I-Doser? It works... but you need good headphones and you have to have tried it a time or two before.

'Musical LSD' needs good headphones, but every playing of it is free afterwards!

I interpret things differently than other people the way I remember though. (having mild/moderate Asperger syndrome)

When I think of acetylcholine, I think of red/brown... because that's what I saw in the neuro-PS capsules is this sort of reddish brown gel that seems to do wonders for having such a plainly odd apperance. When I think of vasopressin, I think of purple, and those soft little 'candy' looking buttons you only usually see in Mac OSX or Snow Leopard. Neat way of remembering huh? It's pretty reliable too... I often remember entire sets of data just by associating the image of a place or area to it, and within a couple different places within an area I could have... at least several hours worth of collected information. I used to go on the chatrooms on Xat.com a lot so back in the old days when I owned my own room and I had some friends that I was always talking to I associated the memories with the cafeteria and kitchen I aided 1st period at my middle school in 8th grade, mainly the kitchen though... and it works! I don't know why but it just does.

By the way I managed to get FFX running even 30% faster in execution speed than I was able to before in this thread but I had to test around with a couple different builds to see what was working best for me. Now I have yet to test plugins and etc. I got some pointers from a guy I met around the forums and it looks like I got myself set up, I don't see frame dips that slow the game down and now I can call it completely playable and pretty smooth.

[Dangerousd777]

I hate to double post after a couple days, but I've got excellent news.
I've managed to get the game running smoothly with sound, if you use a framelimiter with the speedhack it makes framerate choppier for some strange reason (especially if your frame skipping instead of limiting).

Using the bios I dumped from my slim PS2, it's a good thing I had plenty of spare CDs and my 1 GB flash lying around. (It's SCPH-70012 CB, I have an old V12 slim)

This video shows how well the game is at 4 ghz. I'll be able to play through the entire game without having to expend 20% more time waiting for the EE. Awesome.

[diegochiha]

nice one man,really nice,this thread is pretty similar to the one i made a couple of months ago,showing the power of the celeron 420 overclocked from 1.6 ghz base clock,to 3.3 ghz http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-example-o...some-games

[Dangerousd777]

nice one man,really nice,this thread is pretty similar to the one i made a couple of months ago,showing the power of the celeron 420 overclocked from 1.6 ghz base clock,to 3.3 ghz

Dang, haha the Celeron really had some potential then, I believe it too was probably faster than the Pentium 4, so you would get similar if not better results.

Edit: Yes, it's based on Core 2 architecture, so it could be seen as a single-core equivalent.

Also, I really understand what Urisma means about interpreting code, it's *much* slower to interpret than recompiling. I could interpret most N64 games' code at a playable speed with Project 64 except Goldeneye 007 (it's the only game I think, but it's still 52 FPS).

My 8600GT will be a bottleneck later once I get a dual core.

Update: 3.2 ghz without hyperthreading scores about 50 FPS in speed with speedhacks. With HT it would be almost playable.
At 4 ghz with HT it gets about 70-85 in speed with speedhacks, and at 4.25 it gets 75-92.

So 3 - 3.6 ghz single core Pentium 4 or 2.8 - 3.2 with HT is all that's really needed. As the polygon count rises the framerate drops though, and it becomes very difficult to get a decent framerate when 2,000-4500 polygons isn't a challenge but on mi'hen highroad it rises as far as 22,000 (and framerate is halved, unfortunately).

Hyperthreading gives an expected 15-20% boost, so at 3.2 with HT and speedhacks I could get full speed in the simpler scenes.

This means the cheapest, weakest dual core you could buy would have no issues with this game, most likely.

Luckily though all the 'action' in this game is contained within battles, so as long as your getting 30+ FPS wandering around, it's playable.