gsu (superfx) support [work in progress]

[nensondubois]

I just tested Doom again with .08 and I noticed yellow specks in the walls of level 3 E1. I haven't had time to test other games.

[Eyedunno]

RedGuy just released a small v08.2 update which fixes GSU-1 and GSU-2 timings.

Welp, there goes my evening...

[James-F]

@nensondubois
I just played through levels 1-3 and everything is okay.
Please take a photo of the TV next time.

@Eyedunno
lol
Give GSU-2 some love too, I want to see some side by side videos. 
It would be lovely to see the 3 side-by-side videos of StarFox1 you did last time but with v08.2.

[adimifus]

Ack, thought maybe it might have something to do with using the dotsarecool modified menu.bin, so I redownloaded both firmwares and put the original, unaltered menu.bin from each firmware on their respective cards. No difference--still way too loud with the boost on v08, but not on vanilla 0.1.7e.

I also opened up my SD2SNES to confirm the PCB revision. It is NOT revision F, but Revision E1 (I have one of the first StoneAgeGamer SD2SNESes, lucky #013).

I also have an early StoneAgeGamer SD2SNES from their first batch (#26) I can check later if I have similar issues, although I think mine is rev E2. I'll double check that when I get home later, too.

EDIT Turns out mine is rev E1-- even says so on the sticker on the back of the cart. No idea why I thought it was an E2...

[Eyedunno]

@Eyedunno
lol
Give GSU-2 some love too, I want to see some side by side videos. 
It would be lovely to see the 3 side-by-side videos of StarFox1 you did last time but with v08.2.

That's the plan, but this time, I'll probably just compare it side-by-side with the original cartridge, since you can check the other video to see how flawed the SNES Classic Edition is. Then I will play it all the way through to see how it plays in general, and how the end credits sync with the music.

The thing about GSU-2 is that I'm much less familiar with those games, and Doom and Yoshi's Island are the only ones I own the carts of (and I kinda prefer fast mode for Doom, honestly, inaccurate though it may be). I may still compare Yoshi's Island at some point though. Is "Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy" a good level to compare? Would be sweet if someone could send me an SRM file (Japanese version!) so I can just pop right into that level. I own Yoshi's Island, but I've only ever played a few levels.

I also have an early StoneAgeGamer SD2SNES from their first batch (#26) I can check later if I have similar issues, although I think mine is rev E2. I'll double check that when I get home later, too.

Thank you so much!

[ErivandoXP]

RedGuy just released a small v08.2 update which fixes GSU-1 and GSU-2 timings.

Copy this over v08:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/430550791552630800/439066633458417684/fpga_gsu.bit

I have compared Stunt Race FX (GSU-2) intro+'first yellow car demo' and StarFox 2 demo (GSU-2), both stayed in sync almost to the frame.
Also, Vortex (GSU-2) looks pretty spot on.
Moreover, GSU-1 timing improved and now the ship explodes by the two rockets 95% of the time, and timing matches more closely.

Have Fun.

Works with "vTest"?

[Eyedunno]

Okay, managed to find time to do this on my lunch hour:

https://youtu.be/-6D_F2cZO8w

The catch is that this is the revision 1.0 (North American) rom. With the revision 1.2 rom, the timing is off at least as much as it was, for some reason, if not more so. Still, impressive. I will check out the end credits this evening with the 1.0 rom.

Edit: Insane that there are no more replies since my last post 7 hours or so ago. Oh well, recorded myself beating the last two bosses and getting the credits sequence, and spoilers: still a nope. Credits sequence takes about 15 seconds too long, so if I'm accurate about where the final music cue starts, it's about 9% too slow. Video below:
https://youtu.be/0abVzoWDeac

[James-F]

Thanks @Eyedunno.
I get exactly the same timing for SF1 and SF1.2, the explosion of the ship when it is on the ground is spot on.
Yes, the credits are off, but the rest of the game is more accurate than any emulator or SNES-Classic, try snes9x credits.

[adimifus]

I also have an early StoneAgeGamer SD2SNES from their first batch (#26) I can check later if I have similar issues, although I think mine is rev E2. I'll double check that when I get home later, too.

Thank you so much!

I opened up my SD2SNES, and it turns out I have a rev E1. Not sure why I thought it was an E2-- it even says "rev E1" on the sticker on the back of the shell...

I did a comparison of Super Road Blaster on stock 0.1.7e (top) and 0.1.7e-gsu-v08 (bottom):
https://i.imgur.com/z70jPoG.png
They seem pretty much identical to me.

Here's a quick video I put together comparing them along with Super Mario Odyssey MSU-1 (since it uses both MSU-1 audio and regular sound effects to show the difference between them):
https://youtu.be/HOK_s3atsFk

[Eyedunno]

Thanks @Eyedunno.
I get exactly the same timing for SF1 and SF1.2, the explosion of the ship when it is on the ground is spot on.
Yes, the credits are off, but the rest of the game is more accurate than any emulator or SNES-Classic, try snes9x credits.

Funny. I tested it with 1.2 three times at lunch. Two out of three times, I hit the top of the arch thingy where you get the Twin Blasters. The other time, I died a little later than on the cart. I tested it just now on my S-video modded mini though, and the timing was indeed fine. I'll check on the Super Nt again in a sec.

Edit: Just checked 1.2 on the Super Nt again, and it too was fine. Must've been a fluke earlier, though the fact that it was three times in a row is sure weird. Oh well.

I will maybe check level 2 tonight.

I also have an early StoneAgeGamer SD2SNES from their first batch (#26) I can check later if I have similar issues, although I think mine is rev E2. I'll double check that when I get home later, too.

Thank you so much!

I opened up my SD2SNES, and it turns out I have a rev E1. Not sure why I thought it was an E2-- it even says "rev E1" on the sticker on the back of the shell...

I did a comparison of Super Road Blaster on stock 0.1.7e (top) and 0.1.7e-gsu-v08 (bottom):
https://i.imgur.com/z70jPoG.png
They seem pretty much identical to me.

Here's a quick video I put together comparing them along with Super Mario Odyssey MSU-1 (since it uses both MSU-1 audio and regular sound effects to show the difference between them):
https://youtu.be/HOK_s3atsFk

Thank you so much. That was a crazy amount of work, and you know what I hadn't bothered to check? The version on my regular SD card! It was a USB version of the firmware that I haven't used in almost a year and forgot I ever installed. Evidently the boost wasn't working right there, and I guess maybe my cart audio setting was too high on the Super Nt. The audio still clips at +12dB, even on an original SNES, but at least I know it wasn't the GSU-1 firmware after all.

Sorry to have wasted so much of your time on that.

[olivil]

Would it be possible to have an estimate of the equivalent SuperFX clock speed in the "fast" setting?

[adimifus]

Thank you so much. That was a crazy amount of work, and you know what I hadn't bothered to check? The version on my regular SD card! It was a USB version of the firmware that I haven't used in almost a year and forgot I ever installed. Evidently the boost wasn't working right there, and I guess maybe my cart audio setting was too high on the Super Nt. The audio still clips at +12dB, even on an original SNES, but at least I know it wasn't the GSU-1 firmware after all.

Sorry to have wasted so much of your time on that.

No big deal. Glad you got it figured out.

[nensondubois]

@nensondubois
I just played through levels 1-3 and everything is okay.
Please take a photo of the TV next time.

@Eyedunno
lol
Give GSU-2 some love too, I want to see some side by side videos. 
It would be lovely to see the 3 side-by-side videos of StarFox1 you did last time but with v08.2.

https://twitter.com/nensondubois_/status/990097877509668865

Here are the pictures I took in Fast mode.

[James-F]

That is perfectly normal.

[Eyedunno]

Stage 2 comparison.
https://youtu.be/or2Sstdy7fE

Also, I touched fuzzy and got dizzy.
https://youtu.be/Pus2I9aPUY4

Yoshi's Island really looks terrific to me, but I don't know the game very well and don't know what's RNG as far as the fuzzy spawns and the color changes go. (Incidentally, I synced them up to start exactly 60 frames before the first fuzzy hits.)