some games speedhacked - SMRPG, Starfox, CT

[dantheman]

EDIT 8-18-07: I'm turning this into a thread for overall speedhacks that may need testing. See the bottom of this first post for instructions for applying the patches

Patches already made:

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - may not make anything faster
1B8A0625|Super Mario RPG - Legend of the|4|0|0|0|0|0|A41=42,302FF=42,202E9=42DB,9F5=42

Star Fox - may not make anything faster
8FC4E6D0|Star Fox (V1.2) (U)|0|0|0|0|0|0|15965=42DC,15A3E=42FB

Patches that need testing:

Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 1
02394F36|Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 1|0|0|0|0|0|0|155=421B,D5F=421B

Chrono Trigger - pure speedhacks patch
2D206BF7|Chrono Trigger (U)|0|0|0|0|0|0|2034A=42FC,EC74=42DB,3DEAEF=42FC,D3E47=DBAB,D3B98=42D8,11C47=42D3

Chrono Trigger - additional hacks added, I don't know what they do or if they're needed
2D206BF7|Chrono Trigger (U)|0|0|0|0|0|0|70478=80,703E5=80,7042A=80,704F8=80,705d9=80,7069B=80,2034A=42FC,EC74=42DB,3DEAEF=42FC,7094B=80,D3E47=DBAB,D3B98=42D8,11C47=42D3

Hook (U)(29252) - must be correct version
82FF23BC|Hook|0|0|0|0|0|0|19093=42DB,6B54=42DC,22FC=42D7,190C7=42DC,18D28=42DC,19DE0=EAEA

Kirby's Avalanche
21E658B8|Kirby's Avalanche (U) [!]|10000000|840000|0|0|0|0|FF1=EAEA,106E=EAEA,1010=EAEA,103C=EAEA,CF=42FC,2407B=42DB,5AA=42

Lion King, The
C8FBFAA8|Lion King, The (U)|3|0|0|0|0|0|21A4B=42D8
8A46ED37|Lion King, The (E)|3|0|0|0|0|0|21A4B=42D8

Seiken Denetsu 3 - English translation - this one might freeze at an intro screen. If this is the case, try removing the very last "4A22=42D2" patch
7DBDE871|Seiken Densetsu 3 (J) [T+Eng1.01_NCorlett+LNFT]|0|0|0|0|0|0|3D8350=42,3D837E=42,2C783=421A,3456=DB,298A8=421A,2C77D=423A,2C783=421A,2DC17=42D9,34212=DB,3D8217=42D9,3D84D2=421A,3D84D8=423A,3D8A36=428B,5008A=EAEA,3D8306=80,33E2=42F8,4A22=42D2

Super Metroid - probably won't be a noticeable difference, as the main speedhack is present in the official one anyway, so this just adds a few more that may not speed things up that much
D63ED5F8|Super Metroid (U)|0|0|0|0|0|0|346=42DB,16529=421B,2D1=423B,1606E=423B
AD2CBF9C|Super Metroid (E)|0|0|0|0|0|0|346=42DB,16529=421B,2D1=423B,1606E=423B

Tetris 2
CE3392B1|Tetris 2 (U) (V1.0)|0|0|0|0|0|0|25E8=421B
19B69A57|Tetris 2 (E)|0|0|0|0|0|0|25E8=421B

Yoshi's Island
CF98DDAA|Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi's Island (U) (M3) (V1.1)|0|0|0|0|0|0|F4=423B,B8840=42DB
D138F224|Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi's Island (V1.0) (U)|0|0|0|0|0|0|F4=423B,B8840=42DB



Original post (with instructions):

I've heard reports that SMRPG runs slowly in this emulator, which doesn't surprise me as the game uses the SA-1 coprocessor that is 3 times faster than the SNES CPU itself. Now I know that this emulator uses the SNES Advance SuperDAT file for applying speedhacks, but since the game will never run in SNES Advance, there is no entry for the game (or if there is, it was made using the SAtools autogenerator that's not confirmed to work and in fact is reported to break the game).

I do not have a PSP myself, but I love the game, and I'd love to see it run at fullspeed at a minimal frameskip. From my understanding, a frameskip of about 3 is currently necessary to run the game at fullspeed, and I'd like to make that number lower.

As a result, I learned how to use the SNES9X debugger in order to find loops to speedhack. My friend tested them a bit, and he managed to get 50-60 fps with 0 frameskip most of the time. I now need testers to make sure that the speedhacks work on their setups and, more importantly, that they don't break the game at any point. I already had a patch in there that caused battles to freeze, which my friend helped me identify and remove.

To apply the patches, first download the updated SuperDAT from boards.pocketheaven.com/viewtopic.php?t=3366 and replace the old one. Open it up with Notepad and turn off word wrap. Scroll down to where SMRPG would normally go alphabetically and place this in there on its own line:

1B8A0625|Super Mario RPG - Legend of the|4|0|0|0|0|0|A41=42,302FF=42,202E9=42DB,9F5=42

If the copying and pasting causes it to accidentally add another line break, just delete it so that the entire entry is on a single line (again, word wrap must be off for this to make sense).

Please let me know how it works out. Also let me know if there are any particular areas of the game that are very slow. While most patches work throughout the entire game, certain areas may have different loops to hack.

Thanks in advance, and happy playing.

[exenteth]

I have to say... wow
Battles are now nearly full speed, 57-60 as you say, though /20, but that's good enough for most people (as opposed to the old 45-49/20)
Of course there are slowdowns when special effects occur in battle.. but other then that, works like a charm

Those tests were on frameskip 2.. what boggles the mind is that with frameskip 0 I get a 58/58 O.o 48/48 when effects enter into play (such as the fancy star that appears when you score a hit)

Great job!

[prettzv]

Nice job, I wonder if you have a trick up your sleeve for Star fox? Just kiddin' this was an awsome job. I have an RPG to go through.. If you wil excuse me

[nobody]

I tried out the speedhack and while the game runs at full speed, it makes the sprites move in slow motion. Is anyone else having this problem?

[dantheman]

Slow-motion, hm? Perhaps one of the hacks is causing issues. You can try removing them one at a time to see which one is acting up. They're in the format "XXXX=42XX" (sometimes the final two digits are missing) and separated with a comma, so it should be relatively simple to figure out how to remove them. Just make sure there are no trailing commas or double commas and you should be fine. I haven't asked mog123 to add these to the official SuperDAT yet, so there's still plenty of time for revisions.

I'll look into the big star animation when I get time, and I could try a few speedhacks for Star Fox eventually.

[exenteth]

I believe the slow motion he's referring to is the same slowdown I mentionned when the star appears when you score a hit

It was normal even before the speedhacks were added, it's just a lot more apparent with the speedhacks since everything is running at normal speeds around it

[nobody]

I took out AOD=42F8 and it made the sprites move normally but the game was considerably slower (but still faster than running it without speedhacks)
Actually scratch that, it makes the game run the same as running without speedhacks.

[nobody]

exenteth said:

I believe the slow motion he's referring to is the same slowdown I mentionned when the star appears when you score a hit

It was normal even before the speedhacks were added, it's just a lot more apparent with the speedhacks since everything is running at normal speeds around it

No, when you actually move the characters they move several times slower than normal, even though the game is still running at 60 fps

[dantheman]

So A0D=42F8 is the culprit? Darn, that was one of the best ones. You're saying that with that patch removed, there's no noticeable difference the remaining ones make? Hm...

Do the characters move across the screen at the same rate with just slower animation? Or are all of their movements slowed down and it takes longer to get from place to place? Basically, I'm wondering if the patch should be removed entirely or not.

[nobody]

Basically when you're controlling Mario all on-screen sprites move at around a quarter of their regular speed, so it feels like you're playing in slow motion. Interestingly, during non-interactive scenes the sprites move normally.

[dantheman]

Quick Starfox hack I found in the past 3 minutes. I haven't gotten further than the opening logos, so this hack may only apply there, but it's used pretty much everywhere, in both the Nintendo and Starfox logos and in the fade-in and fade-out sequences (usually fade-ins/fade-outs have different loops).

8FC4E6D0|Star Fox (V1.2) (U)|0|0|0|0|0|0|15965=42DC,15A3E=42FB

I'll keep working on it.

EDIT: apparently that single hack is working in-game as well. I did add another hack I found on the screen where you pick your control layout, but I couldn't find any other obvious loops to hack. I'll try and see what else I can do.

EDIT 2: the first one there is the only one I can reliably find in-game. I did find a couple of other loops, though I'm skeptical about whether or not they will actually work (I expect the game to crash, but there's always the chance that it will help). Could someone try these one at a time? Just add a comma after the last one up above and add one patch and test.

1BDA7=DB6E - found in the "Corneria: The Base" screen, probably won't work
1CBF0=42F9 - found in the "Corneria: The Base" screen, more likely to work
15BA1=DB6E - in-game flying, probably won't work

[dantheman]

Can anyone at least confirm if the first hack speeds up Star Fox at all? You don't need to test the three at the end if you don't want to.

[meatek]

The slowdown he's talking about only happens when there's another sprite other than Mario on screen. The game runs perfectly in the pipehouse when Mario is alone... if someone could find a way around it the game would pretty much run perfectly. Just wish I wasn't useless so i could help

EDIT: I just leveled up and i'm stuck on the bonus screen... it's just a blank box and I can't choose ATK, DEF, and HP or whatever... it won't let me out!

[dantheman]

I'm assuming the same thing doesn't happen with the speedhacks turned off? If you remove the A0D=42F8 speedhack, does it still freeze?

[meatek]

It doesn't freeze, the background is still scrolling and the music is still playing, I just can't get out of the screen.

[seattleman]

Maybe this will help ya

Super Mario RPG:
with A0D=42F8 - Battles run great (minor slowdowns), Mario moves slowly on the field (about 1/3 of the speed that enemies move at), Enemies and music/sounds are all normal speed, Intro sequence runs slowly as well (but music is normal speed). Also on the level up screen, Mario comes out of the pipe slowly and the leveling up options (HP, POW, Magic) do not come up. The background scroller and music do continue though.

without A0D=42F8 - Battles run exactly as w/ code, Mario and enemies are normal speed on the field, Intro seq. is the same as with the code. Same Level-Up problem as w/ code.

Level-Up note: without the speedhacks there is still a problem w/ the level-up screen, none of the text shows up. but, you can still still press a button to have the options come up and then again to choose which one you want.


Star Fox:
I tried all the codes you posted, but didn't see any speed increases. The ROM ran almost exactly the same as if no speedhacks were applied. There is a "Applying Speedhacks" message that pops up when you load a ROM to confirm that they are being applied, so I know they tried to work

[dantheman]

I've stripped out the speedhacks that seem to be causing issues, so I've updated the first post with the "good" version. Removing A0D=42F8 appears to correct the slowdown issues outside of battle, removing 30685=42FA seems to fix the slowed-down cutscenes, and removing 29CA5=42DB fixes the level up screen, leaving only 4 speedhacks left. Can someone confirm that the bugs my previous patch introduced have been fixed? They don't need to be sped up, they just need to be back at pre-patch levels.

[mariorpgfan]

dantheman thank you very much this SMRPG was the only game i had this emulator thank you very much

[megabass]

In SMRPG there is massive, massive slowdown when you're in battle and you access your Special, Defense, or Item menu. Regular attack doesn't seem to be an issue, but FPS absolutely bites it when you check those menus. Where the Attack menu commonly gets about 31-34 FPS, the others slog down to around 9.

Granted it's not the biggest problem, it's still a mild issue that you may or may not want to know about.

[dantheman]

First off, make sure you have the updated patch above. I've already removed several hacks that were found to cause problems.

In any case, does the same behavior occur with the speedhacks disabled entirely? If it's like that before my patches, then I don't think I can speed it up. You can try adding 3FA895=42DB to see if it helps at all, though I don't think it will. If one my patches is the reason it slows down, could you isolate which one it is?

Sorry for the late response. I've been out of town recently.

EDIT: just some more info if you're interested. The main loop I found in battles was 202E9=42DB which remains in my patch above. Hopefully this one doesn't cause problems =/

I did find an additional loop in the battles when using the menus. However, the debugger only showed me a small number of bytes it was working with. I searched through the rom and found the same sequence three times, not knowing which one was the loop I could see in the debugger. One of them was 28F57=42DB and was confirmed by my friend to freeze battles entirely. The second was 29CA5=42DB and was determined by a PocketHeaven user to be the reason the level up screen froze. The third and final possibility is 3FA895=42DB and does not appear to have any ill effects, but my friend reported no speed gain whatsoever, meaning that it's probably not the right one.

[seattleman]

I'm suprised no one's said anything, but SMRPG now runs about as good as anyone should need

i'm using the following:
1) the new Snes9xTYL++ (patched by davex)
2) the speedhack line used in dantheman's first post
3) frameskip set to 2 (1 has a slight slowdown)
4) Emu Engine set to 'PSP accel. + accur. soft.'

accessing non-attack options in the battle menu has a minor slowdown (3-5fps?) along with a graphical glitch (transparent grey box), neither of which seem to post any kind of real problem from what i've seen

[dantheman]

Well, as I've been unsuccessful in speedhacking StarFox, anyone have any other games they want me to look at? Even if a game has an entry in the SuperDAT, it might have been automatically generated with the SATools program, which sometimes misses major loops.

EDIT: actually hold up, I may have found an important one. I looked into the "official" SuperDAT and found that the entries for Chrono Trigger are useless, as the game doesn't run correctly in SNES Advance and will probably screw things up if used in this emulator. Could someone test the following two speedhack I made long ago to see if it improves things at all?

(hacks removed, see first post)

The second one is just an expanded version of the first one with some extra hacks added that I don't honestly know what they do. You usually don't see "XXXX=80" speedhacks, and the only reason I can think of for this would be to fix freezes that occurred as a result of the missing SPC engine. Therefore, I removed them from the first patch in the hopes that they are not needed here. Try the first patch first, as it contains many speedhacks not found in the official version.

EDIT 2: I've decided to post all my "need testing" hacks in the first post. Go there for the speedhacks.

[dantheman]

Yoshi's Island hacked, need testers to see if it helps at all.

[akadewboy]

Thanks for the update, but Yoshi's Island still seems to run around 35-40 FPS on SNES9xTYL ++ (build 32) with or without the speedhacks.

If you put the frameskip on 1, you get 45-50 FPS.

[dantheman]

Then I'm guessing the slowdown is mostly a result of the SuperFX2 chip, as those were the only loops I could find to hack. Oh well, thanks for testing regardless.

I guess that's the problem with speedhacking these games with special chips; you never know if they'll help at all or not. Looking at it in the debugger, the speedhack should have removed at least 25% of the instructions in every frame, but obviously it didn't have any effect. Same thing with Starfox.

Still, thanks again for testing it.