Strange in-game screen problem???

[EmmaLong]

Hello all, when I load up my PS2 game (Haunting Ground) and play it, the screen turns weird. All the menus are fine and perfect, but it's the actual gameplay that's weird. Objects are turning pure black/white, sometimes I see transparent black and white lines on the screen or the screen just turns bright orange altogether... what can I do to solve this problem?

My laptop specs:
Vista 32bit Home Basic
Intel Celeron Dual Core 2.2ghz
3GB RAM
DirectX 11
Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family

I am using version 0.9.6 (I used 0.9.7 (the public beta) but I had the same problem and I read through the forums here that using an old setup will fix it... clearly not) just so you know, using the GSdx MSVC 15.00, SSE2 0.1.4 graphics config. I've tried disabling VU Skip, using and not using native resolutions but the problems I describe occur when I choose different options. Also, my FPS is around 20fps.

Here's an example screengrab:


Help please?

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

All the factors contribute to make the diagnostic difficult. That laptop is not powerful enough to run most demanding games (yes, it's the game and not the emulator which dictates how hard it will be on the machine).

I can't be specific about this particular game, i don't have it and never saw it running with PCSX2, but 20 is 1/3 of required FPS under NTSC standard, almost every event in the game is synchronized with it. If it was in the real PS2 you would not able to see the image at all, it would kill the horizontal and vertical synch in the TV.

So, before trying to attack the image problem you should attempt to get at least above 40 FPS so to things even began to make sense, which will be a Dantesque task with that laptop.

First and foremost, return to the last PCSX2 public version, many problems with geometry (together many other kind of problems) were corrected since then. Only a few games still benefits from running in the 0.96... those posts you read are probably old and related to the first versions of 0.97 and not all them accurate and meaningful today.

If at all possible, try running a low demanding game, like Final Fantasy X, it could be a good indicator of what to expect from the machine in terms of running actual PS2 games.

Although the CPU is below the requisites for most games, the Intel integrated video is yet worst running this kind of applications, to the point where running in software mode may be the only hope in this case. Which leads to another point, the Shadow Hearts game is one which run better and quicker in software mode mattering not how powerful is the machine, it is the kind of game which has some hope to run in acceptable fashion on that laptop.

To that specific game I let the answer to those which actually played it on the emulator, but without getting the FPS at least twice what is now, all efforts are futile.

PS: http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Haunted-G...dware-mode

The above thread treats graphics problems with this game, which tell me it is one those problematic even on powerful desktops.

[Saiki]

try using newer gsdx builds, there have been improvements to the plugin, lots of them. perhaps somewhere along the road it got fixed

[EmmaLong]

Thanks for the help both of you, I switched back to 0.9.7 and I am using the gsdx 3693 (MSVC 15.00, SSSE3) 0.1.16 [gsdx-ssse3-r-3878] graphics config, which seemed to have completely fixed the screen issue, thank you both of you!!! (Unless there's a newer version of it (my laptop can't handle SSE4 apparently).

However...

Now I'm only achieving around 20fps for Haunting Ground, and only around 6fps for RPG Maker 3 (another game I decided to try out). But the strange thing was when I used the 0.9.6 version with the config it came with, I was playing Haunting Ground with around 32fps but I had the problems described above. Maybe it's the graphics that are slowing the game down (but then again I can run games like Fallout and Dragon Age on this crap laptop ) but it's only a PS2 game right? Anybody know how to return the fps rate to 32fps like it was before?

Edit: fps is perfect around menus and things, it's just in the game itself.

[Saiki]

you'll have to wait for 0.9.8, it will most likely be faster. I am using a 2.2 dual as well, the only difference is that my GPU is an nividia 8600GT. are you using native?

[EmmaLong]

you'll have to wait for 0.9.8, it will most likely be faster. I am using a 2.2 dual as well, the only difference is that my GPU is an nividia 8600GT. are you using native?

Under graphics configuration? Yep I'm selecting native.

[Saiki]

try somehting lower. like 384x384

(and of course remove the check from native)

[EmmaLong]

Doesn't make an fps difference sorry.

[Saiki]

then it could be impossible on pcsx2 right now. if I can find a copy of it I'll give it a through test, I'll ask my friends if they have it, but if they don't I won't be able to do anything

[EmmaLong]

Okie thanks alot!

Do you think compressing the ISO will make it run faster?