P.E.Op.S. Soft plugin.

[Darkblade125]

Hi guys, I like the accuracy of this plugin quite a bit, even though I could use OpenGL2 with very little hassle. What I'm wondering is if there is any way to reduce the crazy OVER pixelated textures even a little? I'm trying to get ePSXe as close to the original hardware as possible, and the soft plugin seems to be my best bet in this regard.

[masta.g.86]

The only solution to this is use ePSXe in Windows XP or older.

The P.E.Op.S. "Soft" GPU plugin uses DirectDraw for video rendering. Due to several major changes to the graphics subsystem in Windows Vista/7, DirectDraw apps are no longer filtered. The P.E.Op.S. plugin is open source though, so maybe someone will update it with Direct2D support to allow filtering.

In the meantime, I just turn off and turn down most features in the OpenGL2 plugin to make it look more like the original system.

[Darkblade125]

That definitely is an option, I would guess the OpenGL2 plugin accurately emulates most of the original console's effects. It's been a few years since I've booted up the old PS1(Due to it having some read issues with dual layered discs), so it's hard to remember exactly. Just out of curiosity, what settings do you use with OpenGL2 for accuracy, if you don't mind me asking?

[masta.g.86]

http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/epsxe-discussion/213367d1293852184-p-e-op-s-soft-plugin-opengl2_native_settings.png

Additionally, you should also try using scanlines. They help reproduce the effect of playing on an older SD resolution TV.

[Darkblade125]

Hmm, I tried that config, and it certainly gets the job done, but with my rig I do believe that the P.E.Op.S OpenGL 1.78 plugin runs this best for me with these settings.

Plugin: P.E.Op.S. OpenGL Driver 1.1.78
Author: Pete Bernert
Card vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
GFX card: GeForce GT 220/PCI/SSE2
OGL version: 3.3.0

Resolution/Color:
- 1024x768 Fullscreen - NO desktop changing
- V-Sync: off
- Keep psx aspect ratio: off

Textures:
- R8G8A8A8
- iFiltering: 0
- Hi-Res textures: 0
- VRam size: 0 MBytes

Framerate:
- FPS limitation: on
- Frame skipping: off
- FPS limit: 60.0

Compatibility:
- Offscreen drawing: 3
- Framebuffer texture: 3
- Framebuffer access: 3
- Alpha multipass: on
- Mask bit: on
- Advanced blending: on

Misc:
- Scanlines: off
- Line mode: off
- Unfiltered FB: on
- 15 bit FB: on
- Dithering: off
- Screen smoothing: off
- Game fixes: on [00001000]


Just for reference my other specs are:
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.20GHZ Hyperthreading
RAM: 1.5GB DDR2
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit

As an aside, the only issue I encounter now, is the occasional frame drops when transitioning between areas/screens, and most of the time when exiting the game menu. Once someone can recommend a fix for that, I should be 100% good to go.

[rui-no-onna]

Just for reference my other specs are:
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.20GHZ Hyperthreading
RAM: 1.5GB DDR2
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit

As an aside, the only issue I encounter now, is the occasional frame drops when transitioning between areas/screens, and most of the time when exiting the game menu. Once someone can recommend a fix for that, I should be 100% good to go.
Was just playing Chrono Cross on these two machines:

Intel Core i7-860 2.80 GHz
MSI GT 240 1GB GDDR5

Plugin: Pete's OpenGL2 Driver 2.9
Author: Pete Bernert
Card vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
GFX card: GeForce GT 240/PCI/SSE2

Resolution/Color:
- 1680x1050 Fullscreen - NO desktop changing
- Internal X resolution: 2
- Internal Y resolution: 3
- Keep psx aspect ratio: on
- No render-to-texture: 2

- Filtering: 2
- Hi-Res textures: 2
- TexWin pixel shader: on
- VRam size: 1024 MBytes

Framerate:
- FPS limitation: off
- Frame skipping: off
- FPS limit: Auto

Compatibility:
- Offscreen drawing: 2
- Framebuffer effects: 3
- Framebuffer uploads: 1

Misc:
- Scanlines: off
- Mdec filter: on
- Screen filtering: on
- Shader effects: 5/4
- Flicker-fix border size: 0
- GF4/XP crash fix: off
- Game fixes: off [00000000]



Intel Celeron E3300 2.50 GHz
integrated GeForce 9300

Plugin: Pete's OpenGL2 Driver 2.9
Author: Pete Bernert
Card vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
GFX card: GeForce 9300 / nForce 730i/PCI/SSE2

Resolution/Color:
- 1212x682 Fullscreen - NO desktop changing
- Internal X resolution: 1
- Internal Y resolution: 2
- Keep psx aspect ratio: on
- No render-to-texture: 2

- Filtering: 2
- Hi-Res textures: 2
- TexWin pixel shader: on
- VRam size: 0 MBytes

Framerate:
- FPS limitation: off
- Frame skipping: off
- FPS limit: Auto

Compatibility:
- Offscreen drawing: 2
- Framebuffer effects: 3
- Framebuffer uploads: 1

Misc:
- Scanlines: off
- Mdec filter: on
- Screen filtering: on
- Shader effects: 5/4
- Flicker-fix border size: 0
- GF4/XP crash fix: off
- Game fixes: off [00000000]



There were no frame drops on the i7. It was running a solid 59.9 fps even during battle transitions. On the Celeron, however, fps drops to around around 50~55 during battle transitions. Nothing drastic, really. I believe both processors are faster than your P4.

Yeah, I know, neither of the settings above provide a "retro" feel but they do tax the system worse than your settings do.

[rui-no-onna]

Ok, I just tried your Openl GL 1.7.8 settings on the Celeron and there were absolutely no frame drops whatsoever. I think all those pixels hurt my eye, though. Ouch.

[Princess Garnet]

You can give the pSX emulator a try. It uses no plug-ins and does not do hardware rendering, so it's look is pretty much identical to ePSXe with P.E.Op.S software plug-in.