And suddenly no ScummVM Games are working...

10vorne · 5 Aug 2023, 21:51

After I asked about a problem with Dreamweb and Scummvm in another thread and was able to solve the problem, a much bigger problem has now arisen...

Before my problem with Dreamweb everything was going great with the scummvm games. I only used the standard version of scummvm and always started the games via the GUI and not via the automatically created shortcuts in ES. On the way to solving the Dreamweb problem, I installed lr-scummvm and updated the whole system, updating Scummvm from 2.6 to 2.7 afaik. Now not a single game runs with the standard version, which previously all ran with it. I can also re-add games, they are recognized correctly by scummvm. When starting the game, I end up back in the emulation station just after the runcommmand box. I don't know where to start. I reinstalled scummvm, uninstalled lr-scummvm again, removed and added games via ScummVM-Gui....no changes. What can I do?

I already deleted all shortcuts and restarted ES.

mitu · 9 May 2023, 03:40

Delete the scummvm.ini file from \\retropie\configs\scummvm. Start ScummVM again and re-add your games.
If you still have issues, then post the log file /dev/shm/runcommand.log, there should be an error from scummvm in the log file.

10vorne · 9 May 2023, 07:37

@mitu /dev/shm is empty, no runcommand.log. I thought it would be better to look in the log first than re-add all the games. I'll try that now. I think there is no "quick" way to do that, so I have to add every single game via the ScummVM-GUI, right?

10vorne · 9 May 2023, 07:50

@mitu Ok, I deleted scummvm.ini (after I made a copy). I restarted Emulationstation, started scummvm (game list empty) and added a game (Beneath a steel sky). After starting the game via the gui, the same happened. Deleting scummvm.ini got no effect.

Do you think it makes sense to uninstall and reinstall ScummVM? Since I don't have any log files, further troubleshooting is probably rather difficult. Maybe it also has something to do with the new version 2.7 and a downgrade (if possible) would make sense?

mitu · 9 May 2023, 13:33

@10vorne said in And suddenly no ScummVM Games are working...:

dev/shm is empty, no runcommand.log.

The log appears only after you run an emulator and it's erased on every boot. The full path is /dev/run/runcommand.log.

I thought it would be better to look in the log first than re-add all the games. I'll try that now. I think there is no "quick" way to do that, so I have to add every single game via the ScummVM-GUI, right?

You can add the entire scummvm folder and it will be scanned for any game. I think there's an option for that when you add the games, not sure if it's enabled by default.

Deleting scummvm.ini got no effect.

Hm, I'll check again, but I think this is where all settings are saved for anything related to ScummVM.

Do you think it makes sense to uninstall and reinstall ScummVM? Since I don't have any log files, further troubleshooting is probably rather difficult.

I don't think it will help.

Maybe it also has something to do with the new version 2.7 and a downgrade (if possible) would make sense?

I don't think so, I've run the new version on Pi3/Pi4 and there's nothing inherently broken in that version. Seems to be related to your settings - didn't it work at some point, before 'suddenly' not working ?

10vorne · 9 May 2023, 14:35

@mitu

No, everything went fine except for three games for which I then installed lr-scummvm and did a system update. Then the three games ran with it and then I later started the "normal" ScummVM and wanted to play a game and...well...

Log-Entries after starting the "normal" ScummVM

Executing: bash "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/scummvm/+Start ScummVM.sh"
Using game controller: iBuffalo SNES Controller
Virtual keyboard pack 'vkeybd_default' loaded successfully
WARNING: initWithU32String: Fribidi not available, will use input strings as fallback.!
Using game controller: iBuffalo SNES Controller

Log-Entries after starting a game

User picked target 'sword25' (engine ID 'sword25', game ID 'sword25')...
   Looking for a plugin supporting this target... Broken Sword 2.5
Running Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars (Latest version)
data.b25c: 880a8a67faf4a4e7ab62cf114b771428, 827397764 bytes.
* failed to add service - already in use?

mitu · 9 May 2023, 17:14

Configure ScummVM to use the Software Renderer instead of the OpenGL one for running games.

10vorne · 9 May 2023, 21:33

@mitu

The graphics settings of all games are set to standard. Open GL and SDL Surface are additional options I can select. All do not work in "normal" ScummVM, logs follow. lr-scummvm is running.

Kings Quest 1

User picked target 'kq1' (engine ID 'agi', game ID 'kq1')...
   Looking for a plugin supporting this target... AGI preAGI + v2 + v3
Running King's Quest: Quest for the Crown (2.0F 1987-05-05 5.25"/3.5"/DOS/English)
logdir: 10ad66e2ecbd66951534a50aedcd0128, 315 bytes.
AGI: Using PC-BIOS font
* failed to add service - already in use?

3 Skulls of Toltecs (OpenGL)

User picked target 'toltecs' (engine ID 'toltecs', game ID 'toltecs')...
   Looking for a plugin supporting this target... 3 Skulls of the Toltecs

Broken Sword 2.5 (SDL Surface) - longer Log-Version

Executing: bash "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/scummvm/+Start ScummVM.sh"
Using game controller: iBuffalo SNES Controller
Virtual keyboard pack 'vkeybd_default' loaded successfully
WARNING: initWithU32String: Fribidi not available, will use input strings as fallback.!
Using game controller: iBuffalo SNES Controller
User picked target 'sword25' (engine ID 'sword25', game ID 'sword25')...
   Looking for a plugin supporting this target... Broken Sword 2.5
Running Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars (Latest version)
data.b25c: 880a8a67faf4a4e7ab62cf114b771428, 827397764 bytes.

Beneath a steel sky in lr-scummvm (running)

Executing: bash "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/scummvm/+Start V2_lr_scummvm.sh"
User picked target 'sky' (engine ID 'sky', game ID 'sky')...
   Looking for a plugin supporting this target... Beneath a Steel Sky

windg · 5 Oct 2023, 06:24

Try to set Graphic Mode to OpenGL and Renderer Engine to Software.

10vorne · 10 May 2023, 07:58

@windg If I select Open-GL under Global Options for graphics and press OK, ScummVM breaks down just like with the games. I can only select software for 3D renderer, which also works without a crash. In terms of problem with starting games, however, it does nothing.

I had also played around with various individual settings in the games before. In the individual settings of the game I can select Open-GL (and SDL Surface), after OK nothing happens and I stay in the ScummVM GUI, but the game does not run. It doesn't matter what I choose.

I have the feeling that we are running out of options here. Actually, I just did a system update and installed lr-scummvm. What might have happened there?

Using lr-scummvm exclusively would also be an option. However, there are a few other problems here, for example when using the keyboard.

I would have said I'd reinstall Retropie, but I have the feeling that I'll get the same problem again with the restored config folder?

I'm thankful for every idea...

windg · 5 Oct 2023, 20:15

Ok, i try with a RPi3 B+ this time. I did a clean install of the latest RetroPie and i did all the latest updates.

I can confirm the issue. The same roms that are working in RPi4 they don't work with RPi3. I test all combination of Graphic mode and 3D rendering engine and the games are crashing back to ES. Also, when i try to change the graphic mode to opengl, scummvm is crashing back to ES.

I try also a backup (9 weeks old) of RetroPie it have scummvm 2.7.0. Here the games are working if i change to opengl and software, and they are stll working if update the system. I am a little confused.

windg · 5 Nov 2023, 06:23

Maybe the issue is with the scummvm.ini file. When i change the Graphic mode from global menu, the change didn't saved. Also, when i change the gaphic mode, when i add the game, the game will work only from created shortcut.

I add manually to the scummvm.ini file those parameters and now the games are working, from menu and from shortcut :

gfx_mode=opengl
renderer=software

10vorne · 5 Nov 2023, 14:14

@windg @mitu

First of all, thank you for taking the time and trouble to understand the problem!

It worked for me too, it's unbelievable that the solution was so "simple". I'm also relieved that I don't have to do a reinstallation, etc. phew And strange that there is this difference between the Pi 3 and the Pi 4, would that be a case for a bug report?

Funny: The games I installed lr-scummvm for now also run with the new "normal" version :)

I have still one question. In some games (including ScummVM) I notice that some stutters or videos do not play smoothly. That's why I'm considering buying a Pi 400, also because of the form factor and the integrated keyboard.

Is it possible to keep the four backup directories (rom, config, bios, scans) of my Pi 3 installation in sync with the 400 because I have two Pi installations and would like to continue using them. So one runs on the 400 and one on the 3B and I sync the folders? Or are these not compatible between the 3 and the 4?

mitu · 11 May 2023, 13:21

It worked for me too, it's unbelievable that the solution was so "simple". I'm also relieved that I don't have to do a reinstallation, etc. phew And strange that there is this difference between the Pi 3 and the Pi 4, would that be a case for a bug report?

No, why ? They're different systems with different GPU drivers and different capabilities.

Funny: The games I installed lr-scummvm for now also run with the new "normal" version :)

I don't think this is related.

windg · 5 Nov 2023, 15:01

@10vorne said in And suddenly no ScummVM Games are working...:

@windg @mitu

First of all, thank you for taking the time and trouble to understand the problem!

It worked for me too, it's unbelievable that the solution was so "simple". I'm also relieved that I don't have to do a reinstallation, etc. phew And strange that there is this difference between the Pi 3 and the Pi 4, would that be a case for a bug report?

I don't know if this is a bug. The only thing that i find strange was that my changes in global mode didn't saved. To be sure, i did 2 clean installs with the same result and the most weird is that my older back up don't have this behavior.

Funny: The games I installed lr-scummvm for now also run with the new "normal" version :)

I have still one question. In some games (including ScummVM) I notice that some stutters or videos do not play smoothly. That's why I'm considering buying a Pi 400, also because of the form factor and the integrated keyboard.

With what game do you have issues? If you have the slowdowns with lr-scummvm then yes, this emulator doesn't run some games in full speed, even in Pi 400.

Is it possible to keep the four backup directories (rom, config, bios, scans) of my Pi 3 installation in sync with the 400 because I have two Pi installations and would like to continue using them. So one runs on the 400 and one on the 3B and I sync the folders? Or are these not compatible between the 3 and the 4?

You will not have problem with roms, scans, bios but i am not sure about configs.

10vorne · 11 May 2023, 14:00

@mitu So you don't think that the described ScummVM crash is due to a bug in the version you're using?

As for the games. All I can say is that at the time all but three games were running on the "normal" version of ScummVM. Then I installed lr-scummvm for the three games. Then I did a system update (incl. ScummVM update), then suddenly no more games ran in ScummVM and after the tip with the manual addition in the scummvm.ini all games are now running again including the three games in the normal version.

Where would you rather suspect the error if not in ScummVM?

10vorne · 11 May 2023, 20:56

@windg The games I had problem with stuttering videos are for example Zork Inquisitor or Kyrandia 3 (GOG).

I thought its a bug, because ScummVM crashes to ES, while startging games and after changing options in PI 3. But yes, that doesn't have to be a bug.

windg · 5 Dec 2023, 06:48

@10vorne Ι try Zork - Grand Inquisitor (DVD Windows) with a Pi 400 and scummvm v2.7.0, the intro videos and in game animations are all smooth.

10vorne · 12 May 2023, 08:38

@windg I do think that the 400 is noticeable in some games / emulators in terms of performance. I hope especially with the N64.

But first I have to know / clarify whether I can continue to use my Pi 3 installation that has been built up for a long time, or what I lose if I cannot take over the config folder. What is stored in it? The scrape info? Or is all the information on this stored in scans/?

And if I think about it, there would be problems anyway, because then I can no longer sync in the future, because one of the two installations would be my reference, which I mirror / synchronize to the other installation. So I would have to switch both to the 4er anyway... ^^

windg · 12 May 2023, 10:10

@10vorne
You will found the info about scraper media paths here : https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Scraper/

Of course it is possible to copy the configs folder. Inside you will find configuration files about emulators, retroarch,controllers, emulationstation and some others important files.

You can read about backup options here : https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Updating-RetroPie/#making-a-backup-option-2