Playing Sa2 on my windows 7 pc?

Rzion · July 14th, 2012, 04:30

Sonic Adventure 2 on nulldc with windows 7?
Hi all, I really want to play Sa2 on my windows 7 computer, preferably using NullDC. Take a look at my specs, and any Nulldc guru out there, please suggest what combination of plugins to use, what version of Nulldc to try, anything to optimize the game play as much as possible. Thanks!

I know I well more than meet the minimum, but is what I have actually compatible?

Intel core i5
2.5 ghz w/ turbo boost up to 3.1 ghz
Amd radeon hd 7670m
1GB vram
4GB ddr3
500 GB HDD

All running with windows 7 64 bit--probably meaning i would need a little extra memory and processing power than usual, right?..

I ask all of this because right now, when running v. 1.00 beta 1.6 with chankast video, the auto image reader, and elsemi aica, it runs okay with minor graphics errors (solar flares look like black holes) I know with my lesser pc's, playing the game is about as useful as sticking your head in a blender and pressing frappe, so I want to be sure I have what it will take on this pc. And since im not such an expert on emulators, that's where you guys come in. ;D Thanks to all!

hookonsonic2 · July 14th, 2012, 11:29

Take a look at the specs in my signature. Those specs run the entire game (except for the one scene where Amy breaks Sonic out of jail) at a smooth 60FPS on the highest quality settings. The slowdown in that one scene is because of excessive shadows. Your computer will be absolutely fine. You're getting too worried about this. Really

I would suggest using the newest version, v1.0.4 r136. I've used it to play (and beat) SA2, and I can happily report at least 99% problem-free. If it happens to crash, then oh well. Those can happen with emulators from time to time. The graphics options are even labeled according to compatibility, speed, and graphics. You shouldn't have to change plugins unless you're planning on using a controller of some sort. I can't help with controllers since I don't own one. If you plan on using the keyboard for a controller, then you'll have to get used to all the controls being shifted a bit to the left (don't ask why, just deal with it.)

You can download nullDC from their Google Code site here.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

__________________
AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Rzion · July 14th, 2012, 17:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookonsonic2

Take a look at the specs in my signature. Those specs run the entire game (except for the one scene where Amy breaks Sonic out of jail) at a smooth 60FPS on the highest quality settings. The slowdown in that one scene is because of excessive shadows. Your computer will be absolutely fine. You're getting too worried about this. Really

I would suggest using the newest version, v1.0.4 r136. I've used it to play (and beat) SA2, and I can happily report at least 99% problem-free. If it happens to crash, then oh well. Those can happen with emulators from time to time. The graphics options are even labeled according to compatibility, speed, and graphics. You shouldn't have to change plugins unless you're planning on using a controller of some sort. I can't help with controllers since I don't own one. If you plan on using the keyboard for a controller, then you'll have to get used to all the controls being shifted a bit to the left (don't ask why, just deal with it.)

You can download nullDC from their Google Code site here.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

You are my hero, thank you for easing my tensions. However, the newer release doesn't want to quit whining about a bunch of missing dll's. Any advice on this? I know most people download the c++ 2010 redistributable to fix things on this one, but if my computer is fairly new (i bought it brand spanking new from acer within the past 2-3 months) and it auto updates, wouldnt it already have what it needs?

makotech222 · July 14th, 2012, 19:30

Use the dolphin GC emulator and get SA2:B. best of both worlds

__________________

Desktop: [Windows 7 x64][Asus P8P67 Deluxe][Intel i5 2500k @4.4ghz][EVGA GTX 570][Corsair DDR3 8gb] [Corsair 550w][Viewsonic 23inch 120hz 1680x1050 Display]
Lenovo X200Tablet: [Windows 7 x64][L9400 @1.86ghz][Intel GMA 4500MHD][2gb Ram][160GB 7200rpm][LED-lit Touchscreen/pen-abled]

Rzion · July 14th, 2012, 22:18

i'd love to play the extended version of the game that was released on GC, and I have owned both so it would technically be okay for me to do so, but i'd really rather do as little downloading as possible just to relive my childhood again. XD I'd really rather get the DC version going. Thanks for the advice, though.

Rzion · July 15th, 2012, 20:48

Sorry to double post, but I did get it running. I had to install directx on my laptop to do it. Works fine if i keep it windowed, about 600x400, but when I go fullscreen, weird things start happening.. FPS drops, music lags, visualy glitchy, and the screen even blacked out once. Are there some settings I could goof around with to fix it, like dynarec (don't know what that is) or underclocking (no clue what that is either)? Thanks for the support!

hookonsonic2 · July 15th, 2012, 22:21

Keep Dynarec on at all costs. I don't care how fast your computer is, keeping Dynarec off will make ANY game go super-mega slow. Might as well keep underclocking on as well. If you go to Options > PowerVR, most of the settings are labeled so that you can see what will make the game run faster or not.

When I do fullscreen, I never really get any glitches. If you're referring to glitches where the sides of the screen sometimes look funny, that may because the aspect ratio is set to Extra Geom. I would suggest using Stretch or Borders. Other than that, the only other reason I could offer for your low speed is possibly the fact that you're using a laptop. Even though your video card seems pretty good, it IS a laptop one. Those usually aren't as strong.

__________________
AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Rzion · July 16th, 2012, 05:10

After i posted that, i actually read up on some of those terms. Yes, i keep dynarec on, but i read underclocking is a little risky because it can break your game sometimes...? No clue why... So I left it off. It is also set to stretch, too, already.

Huh. Funny though that full screen is acting up. I've played 1/4 the way through the game today in windowed mode (about 600x400) today at a good 100% average, minus the cutscenes dropping me down to 80% a time or two. It's tolerable. i'd love to go fullscreen, but after monkeying with the options I've pretty much decided that's not going to happen on my laptop. ^_^" unless you think underclocking it would help...? i've even tried setting the pvr to the lowest setting to no avail, it still gets choppy during fullscreen. So weird. :/

hookonsonic2 · July 17th, 2012, 00:19

Well, try expanding the window without going fullscreen and see what happens. If the speed starts dropping while the window gets bigger, than it's just a matter of speed. My guess is the underclocking option. I always leave mine on and I rarely get crashes or glitches. Crashes with emulators are to be expected anyway. If you end up having the game maximized but there's no speed loss, then it could be a problem with the video driver.

__________________
AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Rzion · July 19th, 2012, 01:07

I tried manually making the window bigger, but things get a little pixelated, so that's out. i'm on the last story now anyway, and i've made it this far with no crashes or horrible glitches to speak of (aside from it leaning to the left--that has cost me many lives xD) So I consider myself to have it pretty good.

thanks for the assistance, hookonsonic!

hookonsonic2 · July 20th, 2012, 02:48

I'm glad to have helped

__________________
AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Rzion · July 20th, 2012, 03:34

Sorry to bother again, but i do want to ask.. When you say a problem with the "video driver," you mean, like the pvr plugin, right or no? Just curious, because it seems in this version downloaded from the google page I have no other options for an alternative plugin, no chanka, nothing. Do I download them from somewhere else, or can I find them on the nulldc page? Please tell me i can get them from a reputable source.. XD thanks!

hookonsonic2 · July 21st, 2012, 00:02

The Chankast plugin was dropped a long time ago. The default one has been greatly improved upon since the Chankast days, and is the best one nullDC will use. When I mentioned video drivers, I was referring to the software that controls how the PC handles your video card. Outdated versions, such as first releases of the software, can be buggy. Updating is easy and can fix some problems. A plugin is just something that comes with the emulator. Currently, there is no way to import another plugin. It will only use what it came with.

__________________
AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

KrossX · July 21st, 2012, 04:34

What happens if you go fullscreen before loading a game? That should avoid a render restart or two I think. Also, you can change the "Resolution" setting to Native or lower if it's really the resolution what is giving you poor performance.

__________________

Rzion · July 26th, 2012, 05:17

Yeah, I know what drivers are and plugins, the difference between the two. I didn't realize they dropped most of the plugins in this release though. No biggy, just curious.

That's what I did every time. I try to have the settings I'm going to use all set up before the game starts, for example I have to have xpadder open before I even start Nulldc because it simply won't read my controller if I don't. I do fullscreen before booting the image, but It acts funny.

Perhaps you are on to something, hookonsonic. I played it the other day not in fullscreen, but with the window enlarged and it wasn't as graphically unpleasant as I had noticed before when I said the image looked like it had just been stretched and pixelly. I think I may have misjudged that and maybe my laptop wasn't plugged in, as performance goes WAY DOWN when I don't have a constant power source plugged in. Plugged in, however, it looks fine in enlarged windowed mode. I always keep it on native resolution. My drivers are up to date. But, it's something I can live with. No big deal, unless there's just an easy fix for it someone could offer. Till then, I can deal with it the way it is. Thanks again, every one!

hookonsonic2 · July 28th, 2012, 15:28

Well, the speedup after you plug it in is natural for laptops. Video cards can suck up quite a bit of power, which would drain your battery during gaming, so it forces it to go a bit slower when it isn't plugged in. As for the pixeliness when you enlarge it, that's because of the resolution it's set at. Set it higher and the pixels disappear.

__________________
AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Rzion · August 1st, 2012, 23:43

Okay, thanks so much!

July 14th, 2012, 04:30	#1
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	Playing Sa2 on my windows 7 pc? Sonic Adventure 2 on nulldc with windows 7? Hi all, I really want to play Sa2 on my windows 7 computer, preferably using NullDC. Take a look at my specs, and any Nulldc guru out there, please suggest what combination of plugins to use, what version of Nulldc to try, anything to optimize the game play as much as possible. Thanks! I know I well more than meet the minimum, but is what I have actually compatible? Intel core i5 2.5 ghz w/ turbo boost up to 3.1 ghz Amd radeon hd 7670m 1GB vram 4GB ddr3 500 GB HDD All running with windows 7 64 bit--probably meaning i would need a little extra memory and processing power than usual, right?.. I ask all of this because right now, when running v. 1.00 beta 1.6 with chankast video, the auto image reader, and elsemi aica, it runs okay with minor graphics errors (solar flares look like black holes) I know with my lesser pc's, playing the game is about as useful as sticking your head in a blender and pressing frappe, so I want to be sure I have what it will take on this pc. And since im not such an expert on emulators, that's where you guys come in. ;D Thanks to all!

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

July 14th, 2012, 11:29	#2
hookonsonic2 All hail me! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ARK Posts: 417	Take a look at the specs in my signature. Those specs run the entire game (except for the one scene where Amy breaks Sonic out of jail) at a smooth 60FPS on the highest quality settings. The slowdown in that one scene is because of excessive shadows. Your computer will be absolutely fine. You're getting too worried about this. Really I would suggest using the newest version, v1.0.4 r136. I've used it to play (and beat) SA2, and I can happily report at least 99% problem-free. If it happens to crash, then oh well. Those can happen with emulators from time to time. The graphics options are even labeled according to compatibility, speed, and graphics. You shouldn't have to change plugins unless you're planning on using a controller of some sort. I can't help with controllers since I don't own one. If you plan on using the keyboard for a controller, then you'll have to get used to all the controls being shifted a bit to the left (don't ask why, just deal with it.) You can download nullDC from their Google Code site here. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

July 14th, 2012, 19:30	#4
makotech222 The one and only Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 3,611	Use the dolphin GC emulator and get SA2:B. best of both worlds __________________ Desktop: [Windows 7 x64][Asus P8P67 Deluxe][Intel i5 2500k @4.4ghz][EVGA GTX 570][Corsair DDR3 8gb] [Corsair 550w][Viewsonic 23inch 120hz 1680x1050 Display] Lenovo X200Tablet: [Windows 7 x64][L9400 @1.86ghz][Intel GMA 4500MHD][2gb Ram][160GB 7200rpm][LED-lit Touchscreen/pen-abled]

July 14th, 2012, 22:18	#5
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	i'd love to play the extended version of the game that was released on GC, and I have owned both so it would technically be okay for me to do so, but i'd really rather do as little downloading as possible just to relive my childhood again. XD I'd really rather get the DC version going. Thanks for the advice, though.

July 15th, 2012, 20:48	#6
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	Sorry to double post, but I did get it running. I had to install directx on my laptop to do it. Works fine if i keep it windowed, about 600x400, but when I go fullscreen, weird things start happening.. FPS drops, music lags, visualy glitchy, and the screen even blacked out once. Are there some settings I could goof around with to fix it, like dynarec (don't know what that is) or underclocking (no clue what that is either)? Thanks for the support!

July 15th, 2012, 22:21	#7
hookonsonic2 All hail me! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ARK Posts: 417	Keep Dynarec on at all costs. I don't care how fast your computer is, keeping Dynarec off will make ANY game go super-mega slow. Might as well keep underclocking on as well. If you go to Options > PowerVR, most of the settings are labeled so that you can see what will make the game run faster or not. When I do fullscreen, I never really get any glitches. If you're referring to glitches where the sides of the screen sometimes look funny, that may because the aspect ratio is set to Extra Geom. I would suggest using Stretch or Borders. Other than that, the only other reason I could offer for your low speed is possibly the fact that you're using a laptop. Even though your video card seems pretty good, it IS a laptop one. Those usually aren't as strong. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

July 16th, 2012, 05:10	#8
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	After i posted that, i actually read up on some of those terms. Yes, i keep dynarec on, but i read underclocking is a little risky because it can break your game sometimes...? No clue why... So I left it off. It is also set to stretch, too, already. Huh. Funny though that full screen is acting up. I've played 1/4 the way through the game today in windowed mode (about 600x400) today at a good 100% average, minus the cutscenes dropping me down to 80% a time or two. It's tolerable. i'd love to go fullscreen, but after monkeying with the options I've pretty much decided that's not going to happen on my laptop. ^_^" unless you think underclocking it would help...? i've even tried setting the pvr to the lowest setting to no avail, it still gets choppy during fullscreen. So weird. :/

July 17th, 2012, 00:19	#9
hookonsonic2 All hail me! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ARK Posts: 417	Well, try expanding the window without going fullscreen and see what happens. If the speed starts dropping while the window gets bigger, than it's just a matter of speed. My guess is the underclocking option. I always leave mine on and I rarely get crashes or glitches. Crashes with emulators are to be expected anyway. If you end up having the game maximized but there's no speed loss, then it could be a problem with the video driver. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

July 19th, 2012, 01:07	#10
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	I tried manually making the window bigger, but things get a little pixelated, so that's out. i'm on the last story now anyway, and i've made it this far with no crashes or horrible glitches to speak of (aside from it leaning to the left--that has cost me many lives xD) So I consider myself to have it pretty good. thanks for the assistance, hookonsonic!

July 20th, 2012, 02:48	#11
hookonsonic2 All hail me! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ARK Posts: 417	I'm glad to have helped __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

July 20th, 2012, 03:34	#12
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	Sorry to bother again, but i do want to ask.. When you say a problem with the "video driver," you mean, like the pvr plugin, right or no? Just curious, because it seems in this version downloaded from the google page I have no other options for an alternative plugin, no chanka, nothing. Do I download them from somewhere else, or can I find them on the nulldc page? Please tell me i can get them from a reputable source.. XD thanks!

July 21st, 2012, 00:02	#13
hookonsonic2 All hail me! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ARK Posts: 417	The Chankast plugin was dropped a long time ago. The default one has been greatly improved upon since the Chankast days, and is the best one nullDC will use. When I mentioned video drivers, I was referring to the software that controls how the PC handles your video card. Outdated versions, such as first releases of the software, can be buggy. Updating is easy and can fix some problems. A plugin is just something that comes with the emulator. Currently, there is no way to import another plugin. It will only use what it came with. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

July 21st, 2012, 04:34	#14
KrossX クロッスエクス Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Argentina Posts: 3,716	What happens if you go fullscreen before loading a game? That should avoid a render restart or two I think. Also, you can change the "Resolution" setting to Native or lower if it's really the resolution what is giving you poor performance. __________________

July 26th, 2012, 05:17	#15
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	Yeah, I know what drivers are and plugins, the difference between the two. I didn't realize they dropped most of the plugins in this release though. No biggy, just curious. That's what I did every time. I try to have the settings I'm going to use all set up before the game starts, for example I have to have xpadder open before I even start Nulldc because it simply won't read my controller if I don't. I do fullscreen before booting the image, but It acts funny. Perhaps you are on to something, hookonsonic. I played it the other day not in fullscreen, but with the window enlarged and it wasn't as graphically unpleasant as I had noticed before when I said the image looked like it had just been stretched and pixelly. I think I may have misjudged that and maybe my laptop wasn't plugged in, as performance goes WAY DOWN when I don't have a constant power source plugged in. Plugged in, however, it looks fine in enlarged windowed mode. I always keep it on native resolution. My drivers are up to date. But, it's something I can live with. No big deal, unless there's just an easy fix for it someone could offer. Till then, I can deal with it the way it is. Thanks again, every one!

July 28th, 2012, 15:28	#16
hookonsonic2 All hail me! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ARK Posts: 417	Well, the speedup after you plug it in is natural for laptops. Video cards can suck up quite a bit of power, which would drain your battery during gaming, so it forces it to go a bit slower when it isn't plugged in. As for the pixeliness when you enlarge it, that's because of the resolution it's set at. Set it higher and the pixels disappear. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, NVidia GTS 450, 750GB HD, DVD +- RW w/ Lightscribe, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

August 1st, 2012, 23:43	#17
Rzion Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 9	Okay, thanks so much!