Author Topic: BizHawk emulator - mapping feature requests  (Read 50104 times)

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Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2012, 12:16:48 pm »
I just saw this thread.  I tested it out, and it appears that the colors in this are slightly brighter then zSNES and vSNES.  I tried it out on Chrono Trigger on the Crono sprite, and it is not the same color.  Is there away to adjust this so it matches the colors from zSNES.  Is there a setting I'm missing?  Normally there is not a problem with different emulators using different colors for the SNES even though it happens all the time for the NES.  I thought the SNES had exact color values so it should stay the same from one emulator to another?

Offline TerraEsperZ

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2012, 03:57:01 pm »
Well, the SNES uses 5 bits per color channel instead of 8 bits like modern computers. The translation from 5 to 8 bits value can be done in more than one way depending on whether the coders are looking for accuracy or efficiency, and this is why most emulators for example will use (248,248,248) for pure white instead of (255,255,255).

Fixing this would require some coding to allow for an alternate color rendering routine, which is actually something that Maxim once did with the Sega Genesis emulator Gens KMod.
Current project that are on hold because job burnout :
-Drill Dozer (GBA)
-Sonic 3D Blast (Genesis)
-Naya's Quest (PC)

Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2012, 05:12:23 pm »
Well the color shift means I would not switch to this emulator for a game I already started mapping using zSNES/vSNES.  What is the general feel?  Should we request that they match the colors to zSNES so it all stays consistent, or is it more accurate and we should shift to this new color scheme for future maps?

Offline TerraEsperZ

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #18 on: November 14, 2012, 05:51:09 pm »
Well, we could always ask for an option to display the same colors as Zsnes/Snes9x (assuming they're both identical). It's a rather unimportant issue but if the programmer's looking for suggestions, that would be a good one.
Current project that are on hold because job burnout :
-Drill Dozer (GBA)
-Sonic 3D Blast (Genesis)
-Naya's Quest (PC)

Offline feos

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #19 on: November 14, 2012, 08:50:20 pm »
Probably it can be done with palette files, like in fceux. Will inquire today.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2012, 08:50:31 pm by feos »

Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #20 on: November 15, 2012, 06:47:10 am »
Requested Features:
1. Be able to view sprites in the "Graphics Debugger"

2. Be able to turn on and off different parts of sprites like can be done in vSNES (That way if one sprite is covering another you can uncover it)

3. Have an option to turn off the text displays when saving / loading states and when turning on and off different layers.  It is annoying having to wait for the message to clear before taking a screen shot.  Maybe add to the "View" menu so it can be toggled on or off.

4. Have Fast / Slow motion at different speed options, like 200%, 400%..., or 50%, 25%... that can be set up to toggle with the "+" or "-" keys to slow down or speed up.

5. Be able to set the color pallet so it is the same standard that both zSNES and SNES9x use to keep consistency in mapping projects.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2012, 06:47:38 am by snesmaster »

Offline feos

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #21 on: November 15, 2012, 07:21:28 am »
3) the OSD is not captured in a screenshot by default, but you can toggle the behavior with file -> screenshot -> Capture OSD
4) sounds like the exact feature we already have

Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #22 on: November 15, 2012, 07:28:37 am »
3) Kewl, I just found the "Ctrl + C" to copy to the clipboard, and that works just as well as "Alt + Print screen" and that way I don't need to worry about the text messages.

4) I just looked through again and found it.  Sorry I missed it the first time through.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2012, 07:32:11 am by snesmaster »

Offline feos

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #23 on: November 15, 2012, 08:00:40 am »
Copy snapshot to the clipboard was my suggestion a year ago :D

Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #24 on: November 15, 2012, 08:10:21 am »
Man, I need to look on these forums more often!  Playing F-Zero while watching it live in the Graphics Viewer was awesome!  That would have made mapping that game so much easier then it was when I mapped it with zSNES/vSNES.  Once they implement the color palette to match zSNES / SNES9x I will switch over to this as my main SNES mapping emulator of choice!

Who is your main point of contact?  Are you posting to a forum or in e-mail contact with one of the programmers.  I want to let them know how much I appreciate all the work they are doing.

Offline feos

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #25 on: November 15, 2012, 08:29:36 am »
http://tasvideos.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=64 - register and post a thread were all cooperation between tasvideos and vgmaps could happen.
#bizhawk or #tasvideos on freenode

Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #26 on: November 15, 2012, 09:28:37 am »
Thanks, I just started a thread over there to open up a dialog for the BizHawk programmers and us mappers.

Offline feos

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #27 on: November 15, 2012, 09:38:44 am »
In case anyone wishes to follow:
http://tasvideos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13464

Offline creaothceann

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #28 on: November 15, 2012, 10:26:54 am »
Hi, I'm new here (followed the link from tasvideos). :)

does [bsnes] support all the additional chips that later games featured like the Super FX, the Cx4, the SA1 and S-DD1?

Yes, afaik there's only the special chip(s) for the Japanese Shogi games left.

having to constantly use bgmapper is a pain

What are you using bgmapper for that vSNES can't do?

sprite placement viewer (I know at least one DS emulator has that, but I don't know if the SNES works in a way to allow for it)

Do you mean showing the coordinates as numbers, or the sprites as outlines?

How about an option to export graphics (be it tilesets or maps) with the transparent color actually transparent? Every emulator I've seen always exports the colors completely solid, which can be a hassle to use sometimes. Having an option to export with proper transparencies (by reading how the game uses the palette? I dunno) would be really handy for mapping and sprite ripping.

I don't quite understand what you mean.

I think he means exporting e.g. the sprite layer as PNG with all in-game transparent pixels set transparent (either via transparent color like in GIF, or alpha transparency).

I just saw this thread. I tested it out, and it appears that the colors in this are slightly brighter than zSNES and vSNES.

As TerraEsperZ said it'd be easy to convert 5-bit <-> 8-bit colors, but there seems to be something else going on.

The latest versions of bsnes calculate all colors at 10 bits per color channel, to allow for greater precision for its NES core and the SNES brightness register. This may be where differences might occur.

(I like it when the lowest bits are clear - means I can separate between pure PC white and pure SNES white in the same picture.)

Be able to turn on and off different parts of sprites like can be done in vSNES (That way if one sprite is covering another you can uncover it)

You mean turning off individual hardware sprites (0-127) to reveal parts of software sprites (e.g. the player character).

Offline snesmaster

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Re: SNES mapping - backdrop color solved!
« Reply #29 on: November 15, 2012, 03:37:50 pm »
For the color, will there be a way to have an option to make it match the zSNES / snes9x color pallet?  This is a critical element for keeping the map colors consistent with previous maps that have been created.

For the sprites, I just know vSNES lets you scroll through a window that displays 127 sprite channels and you can click a check box to turn each on on or off.

Sample of changing the transparent color in the Graphics Debugger window:
www.nesmaps.com/share/Sample1.png

Sample of turning on and off sprite parts:
www.nesmaps.com/share/Sample2.png