Guide: How to make Demul run at decent speeds

[zxthehedgehog]

If you ever used Demul, you've probably seen that it's VERY slow. However, there actually is a way to change that. Here, I give you, my guide to making DEMUL run at a half-decent speed! Enjoy!

Step 1:

Download the newest version of DEMUL(.582 as of this writing). Extract it to a folder.

Step 2:

Open Plugins and Paths. Make sure the plugins are set as follows:

Video plugin: gpuDX10

Sound plugin: spuDemul(only choice)

GD-ROM plugin: gdrCHD

Controls plugin: padDemul(only choice)

Untick Activate BBA if it is checked.

If there is nothing in Roms and Bioses Paths, create the folder "roms" in the Demul folder and click Add. Navigate to the roms folder in the window that pops up and click on OK. Once done, close Plugins and Paths.

Step 3:

Open the Video tab in Demul. Set the Windows resolution to 640x480, and internal resolution to 1x. Tick Disable Auto Sort, Disable Opaque Modifier, and Disable Translucent Modifier. Click on OK.

Step 4:

Open the Sound tab. Set the Buffer size to as high as it will go, and tick Disable DSP.

There you go! There may be a few issues in 1-2 games but, otherwise, I have yet to discover any problems with it.

______________________________________________________________________________

Issues (fix-related):

Missing lifebars in KOF XI/ Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum, otherwise fully playable

Capcom vs. SNK 1 intro missing text & cutaway from galaxy, otherwise fully playable

Green lens flares in KOF XI

Graphical errors in DolphinBlue, otherwise fully playable

These are all related to Disable Auto Sort, and while turning it off fixes these, it also runs at 1/6 of the speed if you turn it on. Seriously, just don't use it.

________________________________________________________________________________

Issues (DEMUL-related, not related to fix)

Sound bug in DolphinBlue

Buggy Hikaru Emulation

No sound in Hikaru

Inital D won't boot (CARD R/W ERROR!)

Post any questions/comments/issues in the comments, and I will update the post as needed.

[Agrajag]

Thanks a lot for this. I looked at Demul briefly some time ago, couldn't get it working properly, then forgot about it due to being too busy to troubleshoot it. I'll be sure to give these settings a try when I have time!

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk, probably while at work...

[Aceisback]

I have been unable to get Demul to work right on my system, but your suggestions helped.

Thanks!

[albert_c]

Word-up! The only other system that will be in my cab besides MAME is the Dreamcast for arcade action. Thanks!

[Trnzaddict]

If you ever used Demul, you've probably seen that it's VERY slow. However, there actually is a way to change that. Here, I give you, my guide to making DEMUL run at a half-decent speed! Enjoy!

Step 1:

Download the newest version of DEMUL(.582 as of this writing). Extract it to a folder.

Step 2:

Open Plugins and Paths. Make sure the plugins are set as follows:

Video plugin: gpuDX10

Sound plugin: spuDemul(only choice)

GD-ROM plugin: gdrCHD

Controls plugin: padDemul(only choice)

Untick Activate BBA if it is checked.

If there is nothing in Roms and Bioses Paths, create the folder "roms" in the Demul folder and click Add. Navigate to the roms folder in the window that pops up and click on OK. Once done, close Plugins and Paths.

Step 3:

Open the Video tab in Demul. Set the Windows resolution to 640x480, and internal resolution to 1x. Tick Disable Auto Sort, Disable Opaque Modifier, and Disable Translucent Modifier. Click on OK.

Step 4:

Open the Sound tab. Set the Buffer size to as high as it will go, and tick Disable DSP.

There you go! There may be a few issues in 1-2 games but, otherwise, I have yet to discover any problems with it.

______________________________________________________________________________

Issues (fix-related):

Missing lifebars in KOF XI/ Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum, otherwise fully playable

Capcom vs. SNK 1 intro missing text & cutaway from galaxy, otherwise fully playable

Green lens flares in KOF XI

These are all related to Disable Auto Sort, and while turning it off fixes these, it also runs at 1/6 of the speed if you turn it on. Seriously, just don't use it.

While your guide is appreciated, honestly the best solution to get good speed but more importantly Correct emulation by leaving autosort on and using the DX11 gpu plugin, is to get a video card from the specs of about a GTX 650Ti and up, which does the trick for my cab with all Demul arcade titles.

Iirc auto sort affects ALOT more games than you listed, I went through every Atomiswave and Naomi game for cab, and it really needs to be enabled. It's just slow because the emu is just a mess IMO and really unbalanced/unoptimized.

The way the devs are developing this emu right now is heavily influenced by GPU power.

[dark13]

I agree with tnrz, dx11 is usually faster. Dx11 is usually faster than dx10 even in windows games. Moreover disabling opaque modifier and translucent modifier will make 3d graphic worse. This emulator really likes hi-end videocards, demul is the only emulator to got a speed bump when i upgraded from 9800gtx+ to 660gtx.

Sadly there's no "magic wand" for demul/pcsx2/dolphin, you can gain some fps tweaking here and there but you really need an overclocked cpu and a good videocard -.-

Ah... they even dropped x64 build. X64 usually is 30% faster than x86 code, just compare x86 mame or dolphin vs x64 builds...

[Agrajag]

Hmm, I have an overclocked i5 and overclocked 660ti so I obviously needed to spend more time tweaking the settings before abandoning it! Another job for the weekend...

[craiganderson]

whats the most demanding game for sega naomi on demul?

i would like to test my card

i have a nvidia geforce GTX 760

should be ok?

in fact

here are my specs

specs

Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit

Processor: 3.7GHz Intel Core i7 i7-4820K

Motherboard: Intel X79 Express

Memory: 16GB DDR3 SDRAM

Storage Controller: SATA III

Hard Drive I: 60GB - SATA III - SSD

Hard Drive II: 1TB - SATA III - 7200 rpm

Optical drive: 24x DVD±RW

Graphics Controller: NVIDIA GeForce GTX760 2GB Dedicated - PCI Express x 16

Digital Video Standard: 2 x DVI / HDMI / DisplayPort

Audio Output: Integrated ? 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio

Networking: Integrated - 10/100/1000 Ethernet

Expansion Bays (Total/Free): (5/4) External 5.25", (4/2) Internal 3.5"

Expansion Slots (Total/Free): (5/4) PCI Express x16, (1/1) PCI Express x1, (8/4) DIMM 240-pin

Interfaces: 2 x PS/2, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out, 1 x Optical SPDIF-out, 4 x USB 3.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear), 6 x USB 2.0 (6 Rear), 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 6 x Audio Jacks

Feature: Liquid Cooling System

Chassis: CYBERPOWERPC X-Saber Black / Red Mid-Tower Gaming Case

Power supply: 800 Watt - AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)

assuming they are adequate, what would be the settings to make demul run looking the best? and take advantage of my "pretty good" computer?

thanks

craig

[Trnzaddict]

whats the most demanding game for sega naomi on demul?

i would like to test my card

i have a nvidia geforce GTX 760

should be ok?

in fact

here are my specs

specs

Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit

Processor: 3.7GHz Intel Core i7 i7-4820K

Motherboard: Intel X79 Express

Memory: 16GB DDR3 SDRAM

Storage Controller: SATA III

Hard Drive I: 60GB - SATA III - SSD

Hard Drive II: 1TB - SATA III - 7200 rpm

Optical drive: 24x DVD±RW

Graphics Controller: NVIDIA GeForce GTX760 2GB Dedicated - PCI Express x 16

Digital Video Standard: 2 x DVI / HDMI / DisplayPort

Audio Output: Integrated ? 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio

Networking: Integrated - 10/100/1000 Ethernet

Expansion Bays (Total/Free): (5/4) External 5.25", (4/2) Internal 3.5"

Expansion Slots (Total/Free): (5/4) PCI Express x16, (1/1) PCI Express x1, (8/4) DIMM 240-pin

Interfaces: 2 x PS/2, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out, 1 x Optical SPDIF-out, 4 x USB 3.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear), 6 x USB 2.0 (6 Rear), 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 6 x Audio Jacks

Feature: Liquid Cooling System

Chassis: CYBERPOWERPC X-Saber Black / Red Mid-Tower Gaming Case

Power supply: 800 Watt - AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)

assuming they are adequate, what would be the settings to make demul run looking the best? and take advantage of my "pretty good" computer?

thanks

craig

Well, I have a gtx 770 oc'ed and have an oc'ed 4.5 ghz i5 4670k and I cannot upscale past 2x without lag on Sonic Adventure for DC. So that should show you what you are up against. Meanwhile my CPU power is only around 15-20%.

The most demanding game I have encountered on my arcade cabinet is Wild Riders, which is Naomi 2. There is not a single arcade rom on my htpc so I have not thrown that game at my 770. But like I said, even a 780 ti would probably get stutter if trying to go above 2x. It once again boils down to poor optimization.

Dark13, yea I know what happened to that x64 build that was supposed to come out? So much for that. But ya know the Demul devs just do as they please, because they have everyone by the balls because it's closed source. Alls they do all year is post pictures of new games they get to boot, but how about fixing game breaking bugs that have been in the emu for YEARS like the music stopping problem in Dolphin Blue, or the game crash in Initial D?

I would bet money that with the new release that comes those bugs will still not be fixed.

[HazzardActual]

is anyone else randomly loosing sprite layers in Atomiswave mode on demul? On blue dolphin and a few other games entire parts of the level are either bright green or see through.

[Trnzaddict]

is anyone else randomly loosing sprite layers in Atomiswave mode on demul? On blue dolphin and a few other games entire parts of the level are either bright green or see through.

Make sure you are NOT disabling list sorting and are not disabling any of the other video options either. That did not happen to me when I was using the latest Demul for Atomiswave.

Try getting your hands on the Atomiswave to Naomi conversions and run Dolphin Blue on Makaron. That's what I did for Dolphin Blue until they get that nasty music bug fixed...if they ever do.

[zxthehedgehog]

I would recommend the Atomiswave to Naomi conversions (done by Breaking CPS3, Google is your friend) for playing Dolphin Blue. I know this fix causes lots of bugs, but otherwise for most of us who have less-high-end systems, it should load most games with a good deal of speed. Whatever works for you may be quite different from this, but, for me, this is what works the fastest.

If your specs are higher, the DX11 plugin may be a good choice. Personally, on mine, which is built for DX10, it just runs slower, but, if you have a high-class Alienware, Origin, or a custom gaming tower, you may want to try DX11. That mainly has to do for what your graphics card is made to do. It mainly is what works for you.

Also, the bugs I found were mainly the bugs I found while testing the games I had. I have it mainly for arcade emulation, and will update it with bugs as I find them.

[albert_c]

First time ever playing with Demul. So far it is running MVC2 like crap. Can anyone recommend some settings? Here are my system specs:

Dell L720x Laptop

Nvidia GT555M GPU

8GB RAM

Windows 7 64-bit

Messed around with versions 0.582, 0.57, and 0.56, with and without the DX10 or 11 plugin enabled. Runs pretty crappy. I have yet to select different bios versions. So far not much luck. Help.

[albert_c]

Got Demul running decently on another machine which has lower specs than my laptop:

Dell Precision 390

Intel Core 2 Duo 6600 @2.40GHz

4GB DDR2

Gefore GTS450

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Most of the settings in the first post produced mixed results. I found better results with the DX11 plugin, without disabling Auto Sort; Disable Opaque Modifier; and Translucent Modifier. As this machine is lower spec'ed than my laptop and is going to eventually wind up in a cab or a dedicated machine for arcade gaming, this leads me to suspect that Demul is very peculiar with it's setup. I tried running Makaron on my laptop with worse results than Demul. I suspect Makaron may run better on this dedicated machine. Weird.

[urbangangsta101]

I'm currently working on a Demul complete per-game control setup for the Xbox 360 Controller. Atomiswave is complete, Naomi in progress...

Will share when i'm finished...

[albert_c]

I'm currently working on a Demul complete per-game control setup for the Xbox 360 Controller. Atomiswave is complete, Naomi in progress...

Will share when i'm finished...

Quick question: For Atomiswave and NAOMI, are you simply pointing your HLHQ to your MAME roms (if so, what MAME set do you have?) or have you downloaded a different set of roms spefically for Demul?

[urbangangsta101]

Quick question: For Atomiswave and NAOMI, are you simply pointing your HLHQ to your MAME roms (if so, what MAME set do you have?) or have you downloaded a different set of roms spefically for Demul?

Using the correct Demul ROM set as it's different than the current MAME set.

[albert_c]

Ah, cool. Saw an older thread where users with MAME 1.51 were simply pointing Demul to the MAME>roms folder and running Demul without issue. I got MAME 1.54 and a few MAME roms work, most don't.