Metroid Prime (GC): Difference between revisions

Metroid Prime (GC) (view source)

Revision as of 19:58, 3 October 2015

508 bytes added , 3 October 2015

Copying over shader compilation stuttering from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii), some updates. As of the visor and texture fixes, there is no need to use EFB to Ram for this game!

MayImilae

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 == Problems ==
-=== Micro-stuttering Due To Shader Generation ===
+=== Shader Compilation Stuttering ===
-All of the Prime games suffer from stuttering caused by shader generation, though this game does not suffer the "black bar" issue that plagues the later installments. The only "fix" is to simply play the game; building up the shadercache will alleviate the issue over time.
+The ''Metroid Prime'' games are some of the most susceptible titles to shader compilation stuttering, thanks to a combination of very complex effects and dynamic loading. The GC and Wii have no concept of shaders - everything runs directly "on the metal" without any APIs. Modern desktop and phone systems do not work in this way, requiring the use of shaders as an intermediary so your system's GPU can perform the tasks that the GC and Wii GPU performed. But shaders have to be created, and since GC/Wii games are not designed to create shaders ahead of time as a PC game would, when a new effect appears Dolphin has to delay the CPU thread while the GPU thread performs the compilation; a pause that does not exist on the consoles. For most games shader generation takes only a few milliseconds, but for the ''Metroid Prime'' series and a few other demanding titles, the shaders that they generate are so large that they can result in noticeable stuttering.
+Eventually stuttering will reduce as a shader cache is built up, but there is no solution to this problem at this time.
 === Dolphin Savestates ===
 Dolphin savestates may randomly fail, especially if a lot of activity is happening on screen when making the save. Use in game save stations to avoid any issues.
-=== Visors ===
+=== {{s}}Incorrect Textures{{/s}} ===
-The Thermal Visor will only work if '''EFB Copies to Texture Only''' is disabled. However, '''EFB Copies to Texture Only''' is disabled as default within the game INI, normally preventing the user from using anything but that setting for this game. Such can be overridden by opening/editing configuration options post the start of the game or modifying the game .ini, which can cause the issue to reoccur.
+When using '''Store EFB to Texture Only''', some environment textures may be EFB Copies instead of proper textures. Fixed by {{revision|4.0-7630}}.
-More problematic, however, is the X-Ray Visor, which becomes impossible to see through in most rooms after acquiring the Phazon Suit; usually, upon activation Samus's sight will be obscured by a static image, usually an extreme closeup of a wall or a giant Grapple Beam symbol. Unfortunately, the reasons for this glitch are unknown, as are the means by which it can be averted.
-=== Background Music Stops ===
+=== {{s}}Visors{{/s}} ===
-Background music can stop randomly with any configuration; this could be caused by a lot of on-screen activity or changing map areas.
+The Thermal Visor and Xray Visor will only work if '''Store EFB Copies to Texture Only''' is disabled. However, '''Store EFB Copies to Texture Only''' is disabled as default within the game INI, normally preventing the user from using anything but that setting for this game. Such can be overridden by opening/editing configuration options post the start of the game or modifying the game .ini, which can cause the issue to reoccur. Fixed by {{revision|4.0-5561}}.
 === {{s}}Refraction Slowdown{{/s}} ===