Pcsx2: The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning/Eternal Night Issues

[KinDeDu]

PCSX2 version: Official v1.4.0 release
CPU options: EE/IOP defaults, VUs defaults
Plugins used: GSdx 20160105132032 (MSVC 19.00, SSE41) 1.0.0 (gsdx32-sse4) (hardware and software, dx11), SPU2-X v2.0.0
Description:
Missing HUD and Menu.
The game menu flashes. I tried to change to redering software but the menu disappears completely. Even the texts of the dialogues in the game are missing. I have some screenshots of my configuration. Does anyone have a solution to this?

This is a video showing the problem of the game menu:

https://youtu.be/492htE4V-tM







emuLog.txt

[Nobbs66]

would be nice to see what hardware hacks you're using.

[KinDeDu]

In the graphics settings I enabled "enable HW Hacks" but I have not turned anything.

[MrCK1]

Please close this. This user has illegally downloaded an .iso (Found in emulog.txt)

D:\Nuova cartella (5)\ps2\Legend of Spyro, The - A New Beginning (Europe) (En,Fr,De,Es,It,Nl).iso

[ssakash]

Please close this. This user has illegally downloaded an .iso (Found in emulog.txt)

Please explain, it's not immediately obvious to everyone on how it's a pirated content. Does Nuova cartella mean Downloads (or) something ?

Either way, making accusations isn't really nice without conclusive evidence.

[MrCK1]

Nuova cartella means new folder in Spanish 😋

Anyways I pasted the .iso filename in Google, and it's a duplicate of the same file hosted on an illegal downloading website.

[ghost]

That's how romcenter names files. If you dump the game from a real disc and use the redump.org database and fix the file name it'll be that

[FlatOutPS2]

@MrCK1: I removed the website name from your post. Better not to inadvertently advertise those websites.

I doubt many people who legally own all their games would use an app like romcenter, but it's no proof of illegal downloading.

[jcdenton2k]

Try to disable all speedhacks, widescreen hacks (if any) and cheats (if any) and see if the issues still persist.

[KinDeDu]

I tried, but always graphical problems. With the NTSC version of the game the problem had been solved but for the PAL version the problem persists.

[jcdenton2k]

Curious, this thread in the forums is from 2009:
http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Bug-Report-The-Legend-of-Spyro-A-New-Beginning-PAL

And this is what the wiki shows:
http://wiki.pcsx2.net/index.php/The_Legend_of_Spyro:_A_New_Beginning

It seems that the NTSC version works without issues but the testing report is pretty sparse.
You should try to first use preset 1 (safest) and then uncheck it and make sure you do the following:

-Disable Cheats and Widescreen Patches.
-Try with DirectX 9, DirectX 11, and OpenGL renderers in both software and hardware modes.
-Uncheck the Enable Hardware Hacks. Don't use any hacks at all.
-Finally, do all this with both the stable version and the latest Git version.

If none of this improves or changes the situation then feel free to post an update here. There are far too many variables at the moment to properly diagnose the cause of this issue.

[KinDeDu]

I tested it with the latest dev build, and I followed all your steps but the situation does not change. I tested with DirectX 9, DirectX 11, and OpenGL renderer In both hardware and software modes. I disabled Hardware Hacks but the menu and HUD flickers.

[jcdenton2k]

That's a shame. Hopefully you have your emulogs from your testing and you can send it to the devs so they can look into it.

[MrCK1]

@KinDeDu any status update on this?

[KinDeDu]

With the latest updates have not yet solved the problem. I hope you can solve.

[gregory38]

And without any speedhack on the core ?

[Dreadmoth]

Can also confirm this issue: Menu flicker gif
Occurs without speedhacks.

The only GSdx settings that I've noticed have any effect are the renderer and CRC hack level:
Software: no HUD / main menu / subtitles
Hardware (any): flickering HUD / main menu / subtitles
CRC None: no HUD / main menu / subtitles (even on hardware renderers)

Subtitles over FMVs are partially visible (SW) / don't flicker (HW) if they are drawn on the letterbox area:

[KinDeDu]

Has anyone found a solution for this problem?

[itsTyrion]

Tested it today, on version 1.4.0; the problem is still there. The main menu and subtitles are flickering, subtitles sometimes missing. It seems to have something to do with wether there is animated background behind it or not. That part of the subitltles, that is on the black border doesn't flicker, same for the next in the pause menu, wich has an image as background.I tried slowing the game down and lowering the framerate, by bumping up the resolution, it looks like the flicker rate is 50% of frame rate, probably apperaring/dissappearing with every full frame (it's the count of interlaced frames what you see in the counter, right?)

[MrCK1]

@BlackHawk2306 There's no 1.6.0 stable yet. Not sure what version you're referencing.

[itsTyrion]

oops, my bad, I meant version 1.4.0, I think it's simply too late...

[arturdiez]

any solution found guys?

[Dreadmoth]

@seanwee
Tried 1.2.1 - issues are still present for me on default settings (and all renderers).
Did you have to change any settings?

Maybe there is more than one PAL version of the game?
My disc info:

Detected PS2 Disc = cdrom0:\SLES_543.59;1
Software version = 1.01
Disc region type = PAL
Game CRC = 0x0EE5646B, EntryPoint = 0x00100008

Does yours match? It can be found in [PCSX2 install folder]\Logs\emuLog.txt after running the game.

[seanwee]

I got my iso from _removed_

_we don't support piracy_

[seanwee]

Anyways, does it have to be pal? Why not use an NTSC version?

[Papermanzero]

yes. because of language selection.

[willkuer]

And try to buy an ntsc game in europe. (Which wouldn't even run on your real console because of region lock IIRC)

[willkuer]

The point is

1. We don't support piracy to avoid getting trouble with sony. There is no moral discussion piracy vs no piracy of 20 y/o games and strange copyright laws.
2. Thus we need to buy hard copies in local 2nd hand stores or abroad with large fees for transport
3. There was basically no exchange of ntsc games to pal regions and vice versa because they were not running on other consoles because of the region lock
4. Thus today there are basically no hard copies of ntsc games in pal regions and vice versa

So it is really hard to get a hard copy of an ntsc version in pal countries and vice versa.

---

Additionally the pcsx2 userbase is larger than the people posting at git. Your argument can be used to call the pcsx2 UI and guide translations useless. I actually like to play in English and use the gui in English although English is not my native language. Other people however prefer their native tounge.

[seanwee]

So i guess dreadmoth got the answer he was looking for

[jcdenton2k]

Just a thought:

Much of the last ~dozen comments or so is stuff that would've fit better on a forum or Discord server discussion. Of course this is what happens when the hyperactive forum mods make people feel unwelcome to voice their concerns in a public fashion and resort to cluttering issues on Github with it instead.

I don't agree with what @seanwee posted but I understand why they'd choose to do so here rather than the forums.

If PCSX2 doesn't yet have a Discord server then it may be the time to get one and get some different people (not the current forum mods) who can look over that server instead. Perhaps have the devs hang out there as well and occasionally deign to respond to us poor little peasants who complain loudly and often about something provided for free, hmm?

I'll close out by saying that in this particular case, I've always preferred to run NTSC games in NTSC mode in emulators not just for a smooth 60 FPS (versus 50 for PAL) but also to mitigate bugs and issues like this.

[MrCK1]

@jcdenton2k We do have a discord and even though it's "unofficial" most of us hang out around there as well.

[seanwee]

Eh, im kind of used to it already, this isnt the only place mods do that. Its kinda their responsibility after all ;)

Actually i usually just download variations of the same iso until one works. Havent had the need to upgrade from pcsx2 1.2.1 to whatever is the newest one. Its usually just the iso's fault.

[willkuer]

So let's add some more off topic stuff? I posted 5k posts on the forum and got a single warning which vanished after one month or so. I got the warning in the beginning and I got it rightfully. So, with a sample size of 1 I counter your sample-size-of-1-bad-experience.

The people at forums.pcsx2.net are extremely helpful and friendly helping in their free time. There is basically just one rule you need to follow: Don't openly show that you download games from the web.

[MrCK1]

It doesn't matter what your opinion on the matter is, the policies in place are here to protect the Integrity of the project.

[gregory38]

Seriously guys, this is a working tool, a bug tracker exactly. It isn't the place for this kind of talk.

Besides, the copyright law doesn't allow copy even if it isn't sold. 2nd hand market is allowed. It isn't about money for game developpers, it is about the Law. For example a game developper still get the right to port his game on android. Maybe you find the law silly, but it isn't us that make the Law ;)

[Kyogre]

I had the same "no HUD" problem on the Russian NTSC version. The cause of that bug was game's multiloader (it is menu with language selection that launches right after you open the game). To fix the problem I just applied patch that deletes all language except one and thus deletes multiloader. It is named SLUS-21372_ER-R.7z if you would like to keep only Russian language, SLUS-21372_ER-E if you want only English, SLUS-21372_E-ER if you want to revert the changes back, but I am not sure about the third one, anyway you can find all of them on the internet. After applying the patch my game runs with HUD even if I choose default settings (tested on pcsx2-v1.5.0-dev-2234).

[lightningterror]

This will be hard to fix. Thing is the PAL version, CRC 7ACF7E03 to be precise shares an id with ICO which is another game and has it's own set of CRC hacks, and other texture cache fixes that uses the id.

I need the following:
gs dump or block dump with a savestate so I can run some tests.
Both are preferred.

[lightningterror]

I actually need dumps from the PAL version, but NTSC can help as well. If I can reproduce the issue then I'll know if it's an easy fix or not ( well for me at least ).

[Kyogre]

1. here are GS dumps for menu and ingame https://www.mediafire.com/file/a8m5z62deyqarra/SLUS_21372%20GSdumps.zip
2. I have file named SLUS_213.72(Eng) (2017-11-04 19-10-49).dump that weighs 130 MB. Do you need it? Is it so called "block dump"?
3. I still don't understand what savestate do you need. Tell me, please
4. In first paragraph I gave you dumps with working menu/HUD. Did you want these or those when HUD don't work?
5. I have only NTSC version, so I can't provide dumps for PAL

[lightningterror]

Yea that's the block dump, you can compress it in a zip btw.
As for savestate = sstates, when you press F1 to save your progress.

You should create the block dump from booting the emulator and playing a little in the game, saving the progress and exiting after.

[Kyogre]

So you need dumps when I am using ISO with working HUD. Am I right? Or you need dumps when I am using ISO with broken HUD?
When I need to create savestate: in game's main menu or in game?

[lightningterror]

I need a savestate in game where the hud works/is broken with a block dump.

[Kyogre]

I created block dumps for both conditions. Here they are: https://mega.nz/#!VpdhXCKL!BALzVaBc1fH--i7xnf4d-T_Qekmd4WpbxVwfqw06x9k

[lightningterror]

Oh you didn't compress them in rar or zip before uploading them. Add them in an archive before uploading and make sure you select Best compression. They should be reduced to around 50MB in size.

[Kyogre]

@lightningterror I updated the link in previous post

[lightningterror]

Well this is weird. Hardware mode the HUD keeps blinking.
Software mode the HUD doesn't appear at all. So HW mode is a bit better in that regard. HW misses the dragon logo in the game startup sequence tho.

[Dreadmoth]

@lightningterror If this is the logo you're referring to, it appears if the Preload Frame Data hack is enabled.

Blockdump + GS dump + Save State from PAL version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AQ5vQ25qz7wmisKKYCBB7QY1xrqFtTZ2

[lightningterror]

Ah yea, guess I forgot to test that with hacks.

[lightningterror]

Well the flickering is related to this code here. Clearing depth. Without it hardware behaves the same like software on the menu.

https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/blob/4aa25c497137c0167b43473ffa7b97d50ddb52e0/plugins/GSdx/GSRendererHW.cpp#L1566

[Maedoster]

@lightningterror some news? I'm actually interested in this game and wanna find out what's the problem with flickering ;D

[lightningterror]

Hardware mode should be good now on the PAL version.
Software mode still has issues on both Eternal Night and New Beginning.

[lightningterror]

@Kyogre can you retest latest dev build ?

[Kyogre]

@lightningterror Even if I don't have PAL version? And with which settings I need to test?

[lightningterror]

Please test #2467
Both hardware and software should be fine now.