[SOLVED] Making old games work fullscreen on lcd monitor

enigma9o7 · 03-20-2020, 07:19 PM

I have an issue with several old games on my young kids PCs, where I normally edit the desktop files to make their games launch full screen. Running 5.1RC-hwe version of bodhi.

First example is frogatto launched with --fullscreen, it tries to switch to 800x600 at 85 Hz. Or if you launch it normal and press Ctrl-F it does the same thing.

The 1920x1080 monitor I'm trying to use does not support 800x600 at 85 Hz. It does support 800x600 at 72Hz. If I use xrandr to set to 800x600 first, it doesnt help for this game. Ever. I have found no solution to make this game run fullscreen.

Now let me mention another game with similar issue but I cant even understand. circuslinux. This game wants 640x480 for fullscreen. If I use xrandr to switch to 640x480 --rate 72 first, as monitor cant support 60hz it tries to use automatically, it works the second time. Not the first. The first time after reboot, it always opens at wrong freq (and my monitor shows unsupported mode). But second time and later, it works. I don't get it. If I use arandr to do it, it works first time.

Bumprace is another game with similar issues.

Note I have two kids and two pcs set up the same, no such issues with CRT monitor on the other (or this one before I switched to flatpanel).

If anyone wants to play with this, I expect you'll have similar results trying to run fullscreen, unless your monitor supports the refresh rate such games try to force. I'm looking for a solution/workaround, especially for games that work the second time but not the first.

mrmazda · 03-21-2020, 06:13 AM

I did some testing with 3 gfxcards 8 or more years old with 2 displays using Debian Buster, resulting in 12 files containing the full results of testing that you can find on my web site when I have Apache running. It may not be working properly if and when you try, so you might need to wait a while and try again. My broadband provider is sending a tech out to investigate poor throughput on Sunday.

These are some data from those files:

Code:

 Brand   Model    DDX    Monitor  Highest   800x600  640x480  Lowest  ModeCount
AMD/ATI HD6450  modeset aK242    2560x1440  4 rates  5 rates  720x400       19
AMD/ATI HD6450  radeon  aK242    2560x1440  4 rates  5 rates  720x400       19
AMD/ATI HD6450  modeset nEA243   1920x1200  3 rates  4 rates  320x180       49
AMD/ATI HD6450  radeon  nEA243   1920x1200  2 rates  2 rates  640x480       13
Intel   IQ45    intel   aK242    2560x1440  4 rates  5 rates  720x400       18
Intel   IQ45    modeset aK242    2560x1440  4 rates  5 rates  720x400       18
Intel   IQ45    intel   nEA243   1920x1200  2 rates  2 rates  640x480       13
Intel   IQ45    modeset nEA243   1920x1200  2 rates  2 rates  640x480       13
NVidia  NVS 310 modeset aK242    2560x1440  4 rates  5 rates  720x400       19
NVidia  NVS 310 nouveau aK242    2560x1440  4 rates  5 rates  720x400       19
NVidia  NVS 310 modeset nEA243   1920x1200  3 rates  3 rates  320x180       49
NVidia  NVS 310 nouveau nEA243   1920x1200  2 rates  2 rates  640x480       13

Note that no combination would do 800x600 at anywhere near 85Hz, and only one display would do 640x480 at ~72Hz. Few supported widescreen modes preferred other than ~60Hz. The NEC with the HD6450 preferred ~60Hz for every one of its 49 supported modes.

The point of this exercise was to get an idea what variability exists depending on the combination of GPU and monitor, hopefully helpful, but now that it's done I'm not sure I accomplished anything at all useful.

ondoho · 03-21-2020, 07:25 AM

I have no such problems with frogatto.
Try

Code:

frogatto --help

which will give you some options to play with.
You can also try to remove ~/.frogatto to start with a clean config.
Lastly, show us the terminal output from when you start frogatto from a terminal.

BTW, frogatto is not an "old" game.

enigma9o7 · 03-21-2020, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

I have no such problems with frogatto.
Try

Code:

frogatto --help

which will give you some options to play with.
You can also try to remove ~/.frogatto to start with a clean config.
Lastly, show us the terminal output from when you start frogatto from a terminal.

BTW, frogatto is not an "old" game.

I've certainly looked thru help. Perhaps there reason you can do frogatto fullscreen is your monitor supports the resolution/rate it uses. Can your monitor tell you what mode its in, if so confirm its 800x600 at 85hz. Or if its something else, it makes me wonder why... I assumed it must be hardcoded into the game....

Lots of terminal output, but I dont think any related to the fullscreen issue,most of that came up before I ctrl-f to fullscreen (except the last few lines).

Code:

bodhi@MS-7693:~$ frogatto
Frogatto engine version 1.3
LOOKING IN 'modules/frogatto/module.cfg': 1
EXPAND DATA PATHS
SET PREFERENCES PATH: ~/.frogatto/
PARSE ERROR: : Could not find file ./signature.cfg
EXPAND DATA PATHS
Preferences dir: /home/bodhi/.frogatto/
get_dir(): /home/bodhi/.frogatto/


OpenGL vendor: nouveau
OpenGL version: 3.3 (Compatibility Profile) Mesa 19.2.8
OpenGL extensions: GL_ARB_multisample GL_EXT_abgr GL_EXT_bgra GL_EXT_blend_color GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_blend_subtract GL_EXT_copy_texture GL_EXT_subtexture GL_EXT_texture_object GL_EXT_vertex_array GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array GL_EXT_texture GL_EXT_texture3D GL_IBM_rasterpos_clip GL_ARB_point_parameters GL_EXT_draw_range_elements GL_EXT_packed_pixels GL_EXT_point_parameters GL_EXT_rescale_normal GL_EXT_separate_specular_color GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap GL_SGIS_texture_border_clamp GL_SGIS_texture_edge_clamp GL_SGIS_texture_lod GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB GL_ARB_multitexture GL_EXT_framebuffer_sRGB GL_IBM_multimode_draw_arrays GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat GL_ARB_texture_cube_map GL_ARB_texture_env_add GL_ARB_transpose_matrix GL_EXT_blend_func_separate GL_EXT_fog_coord GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays GL_EXT_secondary_color GL_EXT_texture_env_add GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias GL_INGR_blend_func_separate GL_NV_blend_square GL_NV_light_max_exponent GL_NV_texgen_reflection GL_NV_texture_env_combine4 GL_S3_s3tc GL_SUN_multi_draw_arrays GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp GL_ARB_texture_compression GL_EXT_framebuffer_object GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc GL_EXT_texture_env_combine GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3 GL_MESA_window_pos GL_NV_packed_depth_stencil GL_NV_texture_rectangle GL_ARB_depth_texture GL_ARB_occlusion_query GL_ARB_shadow GL_ARB_texture_env_combine GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3 GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat GL_ARB_window_pos GL_ATI_fragment_shader GL_EXT_stencil_two_side GL_EXT_texture_cube_map GL_NV_depth_clamp GL_NV_fog_distance GL_APPLE_packed_pixels GL_ARB_draw_buffers GL_ARB_fragment_program GL_ARB_fragment_shader GL_ARB_shader_objects GL_ARB_vertex_program GL_ARB_vertex_shader GL_ATI_draw_buffers GL_ATI_texture_env_combine3 GL_ATI_texture_float GL_EXT_depth_bounds_test GL_EXT_shadow_funcs GL_EXT_stencil_wrap GL_MESA_pack_invert GL_NV_primitive_restart GL_ARB_depth_clamp GL_ARB_fragment_program_shadow GL_ARB_half_float_pixel GL_ARB_occlusion_query2 GL_ARB_point_sprite GL_ARB_shading_language_100 GL_ARB_sync GL_ARB_texture_non_power_of_two GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object GL_ATI_blend_equation_separate GL_EXT_blend_equation_separate GL_OES_read_format GL_ARB_color_buffer_float GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc GL_ARB_texture_float GL_ARB_texture_rectangle GL_ATI_texture_compression_3dc GL_EXT_packed_float GL_EXT_pixel_buffer_object GL_EXT_texture_compression_dxt1 GL_EXT_texture_compression_rgtc GL_EXT_texture_mirror_clamp GL_EXT_texture_rectangle GL_EXT_texture_sRGB GL_EXT_texture_shared_exponent GL_ARB_framebuffer_object GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample GL_EXT_packed_depth_stencil GL_ARB_vertex_array_object GL_ATI_separate_stencil GL_ATI_texture_mirror_once GL_EXT_draw_buffers2 GL_EXT_draw_instanced GL_EXT_gpu_program_parameters GL_EXT_gpu_shader4 GL_EXT_texture_array GL_EXT_texture_compression_latc 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GL_ARB_get_program_binary GL_ARB_robustness GL_ARB_separate_shader_objects GL_ARB_shader_bit_encoding GL_ARB_shader_subroutine GL_ARB_timer_query GL_ARB_viewport_array GL_NV_vdpau_interop GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt3 GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt5 GL_ARB_base_instance GL_ARB_compressed_texture_pixel_storage GL_ARB_conservative_depth GL_ARB_internalformat_query GL_ARB_map_buffer_alignment GL_ARB_shading_language_420pack GL_ARB_shading_language_packing GL_ARB_texture_storage GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample_blit_scaled GL_EXT_transform_feedback GL_AMD_shader_trinary_minmax GL_ARB_ES3_compatibility GL_ARB_arrays_of_arrays GL_ARB_clear_buffer_object GL_ARB_copy_image GL_ARB_explicit_uniform_location GL_ARB_fragment_layer_viewport GL_ARB_invalidate_subdata GL_ARB_program_interface_query GL_ARB_stencil_texturing GL_ARB_texture_buffer_range GL_ARB_texture_query_levels GL_ARB_texture_storage_multisample GL_ARB_texture_view GL_ARB_vertex_attrib_binding GL_KHR_debug 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GLSL Version: 3.30

Stencil bits: 8
JOYSTICKS: 1
initialized ttf
initialized 1 joysticks
SDL_GetVideoSurface()
LOADTEXTURE: backgrounds/loading_screen.png -> 0x55c7b0699440
failed to load image 'splash.jpg'
LOADING FONT: data/fonts.cfg -> modules/frogatto/data/fonts.cfg
LOADTEXTURE: gui/number_font.png -> 0x55c7b0680300
LOADTEXTURE: gui/outline_font.png -> 0x55c7b0684cb0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/label_font.png -> 0x55c7b06c42a0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/dialog-font.png -> 0x55c7b06daba0
CREATE OBJ: frogatto_playable
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-spritesheet1.png -> 0x55c7b08066f0
LOADTEXTURE: characters/fat-frogatto-spritesheet1.png -> 0x55c7b09088d0
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-spritesheet5.png -> 0x55c7b080cdd0
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-spritesheet2.png -> 0x55c7b0982390
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-spritesheet3.png -> 0x55c7b09bd020
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-spritesheet4.png -> 0x55c7b09c8c90
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-spritesheet-idle.png -> 0x55c7b09ee9d0
LOADTEXTURE: props/items.png -> 0x55c7b09f9c10
LOADTEXTURE: characters/frogatto-tongueB.png -> 0x55c7b09f9bd0
LOADTEXTURE: effects/particles2.png -> 0x55c7b0a94eb0
LOADTEXTURE: effects/powerup-fx.png -> 0x55c7b0ae12f0
LOADTEXTURE: effects/homing-shot-init.png -> 0x55c7b0c847a0
LOADTEXTURE: effects/homing-shot-impact.png -> 0x55c7b0c80bd0
LOADTEXTURE: characters/fat-frogatto-spritesheet3.png -> 0x55c7b0f1e010
LOADTEXTURE: characters/fat-frogatto-spritesheet4.png -> 0x55c7b0f1eca0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/editor-tools.png -> 0x55c7b073afe0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/buttons-and-windows.png -> 0x55c7b1181550
LOADTEXTURE: gui/window-resize-grip.png -> 0x55c7b117e930
LOADTEXTURE: gui/iphone_controls4.png -> 0x55c7b117b7a0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/ipad_controls.png -> 0x55c7b11a78a0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/inventory.png -> 0x55c7b117f1f0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/dialog.png -> 0x55c7b11a7860
LOADTEXTURE: gui/dialog_font.png -> 0x55c7b11a1a00
LOADTEXTURE: gui/hud.png -> 0x55c7b11a77f0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/dialogue-box.png -> 0x55c7b11a92f0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/achievement-background.png -> 0x55c7b11a8f10
TEST absolute_path_test1 PASSED
TEST array_index PASSED
TEST base64_decode PASSED
TEST base64_encode PASSED
TEST base64_encode_bin PASSED
TEST color PASSED
TEST compression_test PASSED
TEST compute_relative_paths_test PASSED
TEST cost_path_search_function PASSED
TEST decimal_div PASSED
TEST decimal_from_string PASSED
TEST decimal_mul PASSED
TEST decimal_output PASSED
TEST directed_graph_function PASSED
TEST dot_precedence PASSED
TEST flatten_function PASSED
TEST formula PASSED
TEST formula_decimal PASSED
TEST formula_fn PASSED
TEST formula_function_default_args PASSED
TEST formula_in PASSED
ARGUMENT: (((x <- [0,1,2,3])))
ARGUMENT: (((x <- [0,1,2,3])))
ARGUMENT: (((x%2 = 1)))
TEST formula_list_comprehension PASSED
TEST formula_quotes PASSED
TEST formula_slice PASSED
TEST formula_test_recurse_sort PASSED
TEST formula_test_recursion PASSED
TEST formula_where_map PASSED
TEST json_base PASSED
TEST json_derive PASSED
TEST json_flatten PASSED
CALLING f...
{
	"value": {
	        "a": 6,
	        "b": {
		                "a": 4,
		                "z": 5
	        }
	}
}TEST json_macro PASSED
TEST level_object_base64 PASSED
TEST map_function PASSED
TEST md5_test1 PASSED
TEST md5_test2 PASSED
TEST md5_test3 PASSED
TEST md5_test4 PASSED
TEST md5_test5 PASSED
TEST md5_test6 PASSED
TEST md5_test7 PASSED
TEST min_max_decimal PASSED
TEST modulo_operation PASSED
TEST rect PASSED
TEST rect_difference PASSED
TEST rect_intersect PASSED
TEST recursive_call_lambda PASSED
TEST short_circuit PASSED
TEST sqrt_function PASSED
TEST test_regex PASSED
TEST test_split_into_ints PASSED
TEST tokenizer_test PASSED
TEST variant_decimal PASSED
TEST variant_foreach PASSED
TEST weighted_graph_function PASSED
TEST where_scope_function PASSED
ALL 55 TESTS PASSED IN 13ms
FRAME BUFFER OBJECT IS SUPPORTED
FRAME BUFFER OBJECT IS SUPPORTED
in level constructor...
building...716
done building...716
LAYER -8 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER -4 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER -1 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER 0 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER 9 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER 26 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER 30 BUILT 0 tiles
LAYER 50 BUILT 0 tiles
done building tile_map...716
done building hex_tile_map...716
CREATE OBJ: dummy_gui_object
LOADTEXTURE: gui/dummy-hud.png -> 0x55c7b118b930
LOADTEXTURE: gui/iphone_controls5.png -> 0x55c7b127e790
LOADTEXTURE: gui/ipad_buttons.png -> 0x55c7b13a8bb0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/ipad_buttons_pressed.png -> 0x55c7b13a80a0
LOADTEXTURE: gui/iphone_controls.png -> 0x55c7b1281250
LOADTEXTURE: gui/iphone_controls3.png -> 0x55c7b13aa100
LOADTEXTURE: gui/iphone_buttons.png -> 0x55c7b13b0a40
LOADTEXTURE: gui/iphone_buttons_pressed.png -> 0x55c7b0a034b0
done level constructor: 16
CREATE OBJ: wood_door_titlescreen
LOADTEXTURE: props/door_titlescreen.png -> 0x55c7b13bc320
PARSE ERROR: : Could not find file /home/bodhi/.frogatto//save.cfg
PARSE ERROR: : Could not find file /home/bodhi/.frogatto//save2.cfg
PARSE ERROR: : Could not find file /home/bodhi/.frogatto//save3.cfg
PARSE ERROR: : Could not find file /home/bodhi/.frogatto//save4.cfg
CREATE OBJ: text_controller
LOADTEXTURE: effects/particles.png -> 0x55c7b13be3b0
CREATE OBJ: level_controller_onetime
SET STARTING CYCLES: 0
WRITE PREFS: /home/bodhi/.frogatto/preferences.cfg
get_dir(): /home/bodhi/.frogatto

no error
EXITING WITH UNVERIFIED SESSION
bodhi@MS-7693:~$

enigma9o7 · 03-21-2020, 01:09 PM

This is all weird to me.

bumprace, for example, wants 800x600. If I use xrandr to switch to 800x600 first, bumprace will switch it to mode my monitor doesnt support. However, if I use arandr to set 800x600 first, then bumprace is fine. But I want something I can put into a desktop file.

Arandr doesnt even have an option to set the refresh rate, and I've had it save the xrandr commands for me, but they dont work the same way as doing it from GUI. So I've tried adding the --rate setting to it to no advantage.

Very confusing.

And like I said, circuslinux, if I use arandr to switch to 640x480 first, will still switch to unsupported mode the first time, but not if executed again the same exact way.

Very weird.

ondoho · 03-22-2020, 04:28 AM

This is more likely to have to do with the GPU, not the monitor itself.
Do you have 2 monitors hooked up to the same machine?
Any case, show us:

Code:

lspci -k | grep -iEA5 'vga|3d|display'

I cannot help with troubleshooting these games since I don't have that problem and you don't provide relevant output.

enigma9o7 · 03-22-2020, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

This is more likely to have to do with the GPU, not the monitor itself.
Do you have 2 monitors hooked up to the same machine?
Any case, show us:

Code:

lspci -k | grep -iEA5 'vga|3d|display'

I cannot help with troubleshooting these games since I don't have that problem and you don't provide relevant output.

Thanks for trying! No, I don't have two monitors hooked up at once to the same computer.

In regards to you not having the problem, just for my sanity, can you tell me which game(s) you've tried, and what resolution/rate your monitor reports when those games run fullscreen? I want to make sure I'm on the right track about the games setting a mode my monitor doesn't support. Besides running those games fullscreen, I can replicate the problem by using xrandr to set to rate my monitor doesnt support (that video card does), so I assumed that's what the game is doing. As that's what it does on my other computer, which has a monitor that does support those resolutions/rates.

Code:

bodhi@MS-7693:~$ lspci -k | grep -iEA5 'vga|3d|display'
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation G84 [GeForce 8600 GTS] (rev a1)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. EN8600GTS
	Kernel driver in use: nouveau
	Kernel modules: nvidiafb, nouveau
02:00.0 USB controller: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller
	Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. [MSI] ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller
bodhi@MS-7693:~$

ondoho · 03-23-2020, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by enigma9o7

Code:

NVIDIA Corporation G84 [GeForce 8600 GTS]

I'm pretty sure those old cards don't work so well with nouveau; you would probably benefit from the legacy proprietary driver. According to this list you need the 340.xx driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by enigma9o7

In regards to you not having the problem, just for my sanity, can you tell me which game(s) you've tried, and what resolution/rate your monitor reports when those games run fullscreen?

Sure, why not :shrugs:

Code:

HDMI2 connected 800x600+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 430mm x 270mm
   1680x1050     59.88 +
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02  
   1280x960      60.00  
   1152x864      75.00  
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00  
   832x624       74.55  
   800x600       72.19*   75.00    60.32    56.25  
   640x480       75.00    72.81    66.67    59.94  
   720x400       70.08

the game is frogatto, as already mentioned.

enigma9o7 · 03-23-2020, 03:32 PM

Thanks. I was hesitant to install nvidia 340 as I use it on my laptop and it made my ttys invisible. But I was out of ideas and you confirming frogatto worked and not hardcoded to 85Hz...... I guess its smart enough to use that mode on my other pc/monitor since it is supported there.

And problem solved. For all games I was having this issue with. With this driver things just work as expected.

Thanks much.