Dosbox on pi 4, game window is fullscreen but not centered on screen

Simrose

I copied your settings exactly also, put scripts in correct place and changed dosbox settings to match yours and ended up with tiny screen in top left. The other settings using output overlay still work ok though.

This is how mine looks maybe i missed something?
I have a 2 files added in opt/retropie/configs/all
called runcommand-onstart.sh
with this code

#! /usr/bin/env bash
echo "Hello logfile - runcommand-onstart checking in here" >&2
#START DOSBOX SECTION - SNIP CONTENTS IF PASTING INTO EXISTING SCRIPT
if [ $2 = "dosbox" ]
then
echo "dosbox detected - changing video mode to 640x480@60hz" >&2
tvservice -e "DMT 4"
fi
#END DOSBOX SECTION

and
runcommand-onend.sh

#! /usr/bin/env bash
echo "Hello logfile - runcommand-onend checking in here" >&2
#START DOSBOX SECTION - SNIP HERE IF PASTING INTO EXISITNG SCRIPT
if [ $2 = "dosbox" ]
then
echo "Reverting display back to preferred mode" >&2
tvservice -p
fi
#END DOSBOX SECTION

and edited dosbox-SVN.conf

fullscreen = true
fulldouble = false
fullresolution = original
windowresolution = original
output = surface
autolock = true
sensitivity = 100
waitonerror = true
priority = higher,normal
mapperfile = mapper-SVN.map
usescancodes = false
frameskip = 0
aspect = true
scaler = normal2x

Thanks Sim

quicksilver

@Simrose what specific game is causing you issues? Can you confirm that your TV is switching to 640x480 resolution?

Simrose

@quicksilver

Arkanoid is the one i tried.

With the other settings it all works fine for me.

Ill test if tv switches correctly. thanks

quicksilver

@Simrose I suspect that your TV isn't switching to 640x480 mode. I just downloaded and tested arkanoid for dos using my settings and I get a fullscreen image. The fact that your seeing the game in a small window in the corner of the screen confirms it for me (at 640x480 display resolution, even if the games render resolution was very low it still shouldn't be a small window like that).

Can you confirm what the permissions and ownership of the two scripts you created are? Also what type of display are you using?

Simrose

@quicksilver

I am just waiting to test again as others are using the tv i need.

Its a 4k uhd samsung display but i am using in my boot config file
hdmi_group=1
hdmi_mode=16
as recommended on here to use 1080p
my info on control shows 1080p
within ES

permissions for the script i transferred over with winscp as pi user and its on pi and they show owner pi

I follow a rule im not sure if right or wrong when i transfer any changes check first what the owner is for files mostly in that folder and stick to the same.

e.g. in my configs\all they are all owner pi user

dosbox-SVN.conf is pi user which was default

the only one from memory i transfer over with root user is es_systems.cfg changes or emulators.

thanks
sim

fede999

@quicksilver seeing that we are running the same game (TIE Fighter Collector's Edition), did you manage to play it wth a joypad?

I have a Xbox 360 knockoff and it seems to calibrate just fine, but for some reason it will only move left and up once ingame. Is there any kind of driver I have to install?

I have the same problem with other games from the same period (Fifa 96, NBA Live 95, for example)

quicksilver

@fede999 Yes I am using a wireless xbox360 controller exclusively. Are you launching your game via a custom .conf file? If not, you should be :) If so, then make sure that under the [joystick] section that

joysticktype  = 2axis
timed         = false

I also used the dosbox key mapper (cntrl+f1) to map all the important controls to my xbox360 controller. That way I dont need to use the mouse and keyboard at all.

quicksilver

@Simrose somehow I missed your response. Did you ever figure it out.

Simrose

@quicksilver I never figured it out and started experimenting with other things. But I would love to get it working as you have.

quicksilver

@Simrose does your TV remote have a button labeled "display" or something similar? My Vizio TV has this, and when pressed it shows the current input selected and the current resolution. Then you can launch a dos game and check to see what resolution it's running in.

A few other things to check. Can you launch a dos game then exit the game. Then go to /dev/shm/runcommand.log and post the contents of that file here?

Also you might try looking up your exact Samsung TV model and see if you can get a list of supported resolutions. Perhaps we are requesting a resolution that your TV doesn't support.

Crush

Great thread, this answers pretty much all the questions i had on this subject really.
But is this an issue that is being worked on to resolve or is it just incompatible with the PI4 drivers and that's the end of story?

quicksilver

@Crush said in Dosbox on pi 4, game window is fullscreen but not centered on screen:

But is this an issue that is being worked on to resolve or is it just incompatible with the PI4 drivers and that's the end of story?

Not much can be done I'm afraid. It doesn't sound like much development is happening on the fkms drivers. But it's possible this isn't an issue on the full kms drivers. Kms seems to be what the rpi devs are focused on right now.

Glaglachel

@quicksilver Very nice workaround, it takes just some time for my projector to adapt the display resolution but as it is automatic, fine for me :-) Thanks !

I even had to slow some games... :-D

Simrose

@quicksilver
The resoltion on tv info says 1920x1080p
so that must be the issue that its not switching and the scripts not activated.
i have them in correct location, do i need to do anything with them before running games.
Sorry took along time to respond
Thanks
Sim

quicksilver

@Simrose try this: drop to the command line (press f4 if youre in emulation station) and type

tvservice -m DMT

Post the output here.

Also do

tvservice -m CEA

And post the output here

Simrose

@quicksilver !
screenshot

quicksilver

@Simrose Ok, so now we know that your TV should support DMT mode 4. Can you verify that your runcommand-onend.sh and runcommand-onstart.sh are named correctly? Can you verify that they are located at /opt/retropie/configs/all/? Can you post the content of each file?

Simrose

@quicksilver

location
runcommand-onend.sh contains
#! /usr/bin/env bash
echo "Hello logfile - runcommand-onend checking in here" >&2
#START DOSBOX SECTION - SNIP HERE IF PASTING INTO EXISITNG SCRIPT
if [ $2 = "dosbox" ]
then
echo "Reverting display back to preferred mode" >&2
tvservice -p
fi
#END DOSBOX SECTION
runcommand-onstart.sh file contanins
#! /usr/bin/env bash
echo "Hello logfile - runcommand-onstart checking in here" >&2
#START DOSBOX SECTION - SNIP CONTENTS IF PASTING INTO EXISTING SCRIPT
if [ $2 = "dosbox" ]
then
echo "dosbox detected - changing video mode to 640x480@60hz" >&2
tvservice -e "DMT 4"
fi
#END DOSBOX SECTION

quicksilver

@Simrose in the start script try changing

tvservice -e "DMT 4"

to

tvservice -e "CEA 1"

also, can you run a dosbox game, quit the game. Then post the contents of
/dev/shm/runcommand.log?

Simrose

@quicksilver said in Dosbox on pi 4, game window is fullscreen but not centered on screen:

CEA 1

/opt/retropie/configs/all/runcommand-onstart.sh: line 10: syntax error: unexpected end of file
Parameters:
Executing: bash /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/+Start\ DOSBox.sh "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/arkanoid.conf"
/etc/timidity/fluidr3_gm.cfg: No such file or directory
timidity: Error reading configuration file.
Please check /etc/timidity/timidity.cfg
DOSBox version SVN
Copyright 2002-2019 DOSBox Team, published under GNU GPL.

CONFIG: Loading primary settings from config file /home/pi/.dosbox/dosbox-SVN.conf
CONFIG: Loading additional settings from config file /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/arkanoid.conf
ALSA:Client initialised [128:0]
MIDI: Opened device:alsa
Two or more joysticks reported, initializing with 2axis
Using joystick Wireless Controller with 6 axes, 13 buttons and 1 hat(s)
Using joystick Wireless Controller with 6 axes, 13 buttons and 1 hat(s)
timidity: no process found
/opt/retropie/configs/all/runcommand-onend.sh: line 10: syntax error: unexpected end of file

I tried both modes DMT 4, CEA 1
still the same.
Thanks
Sim