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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

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

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    • BuZzB
      BuZz administrators
      last edited by BuZz

      I can confirm the fading issue with system shock. It's likely due to the way the dispmanx driver double buffers and enforces vsync. I will see if there's a workaround in the driver code (but it's an old issue, and I don't think there's a quick fix. Probably better to focus on the libretro cores etc).

      It's been a while since I looked at the dosbox modules also, so I will see. Maybe there are alternatives/improvements for the sdl2 core also.

      To help us help you - please make sure you read the sticky topics before posting - https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

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      • BuZzB
        BuZz administrators
        last edited by

        I will also look at adding dosbox-staging or replacing current dosbox-sdl2 with it if it works better.

        To help us help you - please make sure you read the sticky topics before posting - https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

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        • N
          nemo93
          last edited by nemo93

          @BuZz happy to assist with dosbox-staging if you need. As stated in my other post, it works better (perf wise, no tearing, interesting new features) yet some stuff are still missing like proper fluidsynth (almost done though) or mt32 support. Devs are also looking closely at improving perf on pi platforms too.

          BuZzB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • BuZzB
            BuZz administrators @nemo93
            last edited by

            @nemo93 dosbox staging seems to require fluidsynth 2 which is too new for Debian Buster. But it worked as well as our existing sdl2 dosbox from limited testing.

            To help us help you - please make sure you read the sticky topics before posting - https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

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            • quicksilverQ
              quicksilver @ecto
              last edited by quicksilver

              @ecto I have another solution now for dosbox-svn. It requires running dosbox in an x session but does not require dispmanx for scaling. Performance is better and you don't need to force 640x480 via scripts (like in my previous solution). I'll try to update the thread with details for those who are interested in trying it out.

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              • N
                nemo93
                last edited by

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

                @nemo93 dosbox staging seems to require fluidsynth 2 which is too new for Debian Buster. But it worked as well as our existing sdl2 dosbox from limited testing.

                That is correct. A discussion is ongoing to backport fluidsynth 1.x. Also there's no mt32 support as we speak. Yet I'm confident both will be added and properly added in the coming weeks/months. Devs are extremly supportive, active and simply kind. If you don't mind I'll keep reviewing the various DOSbox ports/forks and report back in my other thread. I'll give you a nudge should new features or additions are interesting enough to be merged within Retropie.

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                • shavecatS
                  shavecat @quicksilver
                  last edited by shavecat

                  @quicksilver
                  Works amazing your scripts.
                  But when i go back to emulationstain its a bit more drak (the screen)
                  but still amazing thanks ! :)
                  will love if u have any news of that

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                  • R
                    realgreg @quicksilver
                    last edited by

                    @quicksilver Can you please post this solution ?

                    quicksilverQ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • quicksilverQ
                      quicksilver @realgreg
                      last edited by

                      @realgreg sorry for the delay, has been a busy past few weeks. I will try to take a moment to do it this week.

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                      • L
                        lazd @quicksilver
                        last edited by

                        @quicksilver did you end up posting your solution anywhere? Thanks!

                        quicksilverQ 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • quicksilverQ
                          quicksilver @lazd
                          last edited by

                          @lazd I did not, sorry keep forgetting. I'll try to get that done.

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                          • quicksilverQ
                            quicksilver @lazd
                            last edited by quicksilver

                            @lazd @realgreg
                            sorry for the delay

                            Below is the best solution I found to get dosbox fullscreen and retain good performance

                            First we will need to install some dependencies:

                            sudo apt install xorg xserver-xorg-input-all
                            

                            Then modify the emulators.cfg located at /opt/retropie/configs/pc/so that its contents look like this:

                            dosbox = "XINIT:bash /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/+Start\ DOSBox.sh %ROM%"
                            default = "dosbox"
                            

                            Next make sure you are launching your DOS games using a .conf file with the right settings for each game, I have included a sample below (make sure to change the launching instructions under the [autoexec] section as needed)

                            # This is the configuration file for DOSBox SVN. (Please use the latest version of DOSBox)
                            # Lines starting with a # are comment lines and are ignored by DOSBox.
                            # They are used to (briefly) document the effect of each option.
                            
                            [sdl]
                            #       fullscreen: Start dosbox directly in fullscreen. (Press ALT-Enter to go back)
                            #       fulldouble: Use double buffering in fullscreen. It can reduce screen flickering, but it can also result in a slow DOSBox.
                            #   fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original, desktop or a fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
                            #                     Using your monitor's native resolution with aspect=true might give the best results.
                            #                     If you end up with small window on a large screen, try an output different from surface.On Windows 10 with display scaling (Scale and layout) set to a value above 100%, it is recommended
                            #                     to use a lower full/windowresolution, in order to avoid window size problems.
                            # windowresolution: Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
                            #                     (output=surface does not!)
                            #           output: What video system to use for output.
                            #                     Possible values: surface, overlay.
                            #         autolock: Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen. (Press CTRL-F10 to unlock)
                            #      sensitivity: Mouse sensitivity. The optional second parameter specifies vertical sensitivity (e.g. 100,-50).
                            #      waitonerror: Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
                            #         priority: Priority levels for dosbox. Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized.
                            #                     pause is only valid for the second entry.
                            #                     Possible values: lowest, lower, normal, higher, highest, pause.
                            #       mapperfile: File used to load/save the key/event mappings from. Resetmapper only works with the default value.
                            #     usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.
                            
                            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
                            
                            [dosbox]
                            # language: Select another language file.
                            #  machine: The type of machine DOSBox tries to emulate.
                            #             Possible values: hercules, cga, tandy, pcjr, ega, vgaonly, svga_s3, svga_et3000, svga_et4000, svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.
                            # captures: Directory where things like wave, midi, screenshot get captured.
                            #  memsize: Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
                            #             This value is best left at its default to avoid problems with some games,
                            #             though few games might require a higher value.
                            #             There is generally no speed advantage when raising this value.
                            
                            language = 
                            machine  = svga_s3
                            captures = capture
                            memsize  = 16
                            
                            [render]
                            # frameskip: How many frames DOSBox skips before drawing one.
                            #    aspect: Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!
                            #    scaler: Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes. If 'forced' is appended,
                            #              then the scaler will be used even if the result might not be desired.
                            #              To fit a scaler in the resolution used at full screen may require a border or side bars,
                            #              to fill the screen entirely, depending on your hardware, a different scaler/fullresolution might work.
                            #              Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.
                            
                            frameskip = 0
                            aspect    = true
                            scaler = normal2x
                            
                            [cpu]
                            #      core: CPU Core used in emulation. auto will switch to dynamic if available and
                            #              appropriate.
                            #              Possible values: auto, dynamic, normal, simple.
                            #   cputype: CPU Type used in emulation. auto is the fastest choice.
                            #              Possible values: auto, 386, 386_slow, 486_slow, pentium_slow, 386_prefetch.
                            #    cycles: Amount of instructions DOSBox tries to emulate each millisecond.
                            #              Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags.
                            #              Cycles can be set in 3 ways:
                            #                'auto'          tries to guess what a game needs.
                            #                                It usually works, but can fail for certain games.
                            #                'fixed #number' will set a fixed amount of cycles. This is what you usually
                            #                                need if 'auto' fails (Example: fixed 4000).
                            #                'max'           will allocate as much cycles as your computer is able to
                            #                                handle.
                            #              Possible values: auto, fixed, max.
                            #   cycleup: Amount of cycles to decrease/increase with keycombos.(CTRL-F11/CTRL-F12)
                            # cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.
                            
                            core = dynamic
                            cputype   = auto
                            cycles = max
                            cycleup   = 10
                            cycledown = 20
                            
                            [mixer]
                            #   nosound: Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
                            #      rate: Mixer sample rate, setting any device's rate higher than this will probably lower their sound quality.
                            #              Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
                            # blocksize: Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering but sound will also be more lagged.
                            #              Possible values: 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 512, 256.
                            # prebuffer: How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.
                            
                            nosound   = false
                            rate      = 44100
                            blocksize = 1024
                            prebuffer = 25
                            
                            [midi]
                            #     mpu401: Type of MPU-401 to emulate.
                            #               Possible values: intelligent, uart, none.
                            # mididevice: Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
                            #               Possible values: default, win32, alsa, oss, coreaudio, coremidi, none.
                            # midiconfig: Special configuration options for the device driver. This is usually the id or part of the name of the device you want to use (find the id/name with mixer/listmidi).
                            #               Or in the case of coreaudio, you can specify a soundfont here.
                            #               When using a Roland MT-32 rev. 0 as midi output device, some games may require a delay in order to prevent 'buffer overflow' issues.
                            #               In that case, add 'delaysysex', for example: midiconfig=2 delaysysex
                            #               See the README/Manual for more details.
                            
                            mpu401     = intelligent
                            mididevice = alsa
                            midiconfig = 128:0
                            
                            [sblaster]
                            #  sbtype: Type of Soundblaster to emulate. gb is Gameblaster.
                            #            Possible values: sb1, sb2, sbpro1, sbpro2, sb16, gb, none.
                            #  sbbase: The IO address of the soundblaster.
                            #            Possible values: 220, 240, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
                            #     irq: The IRQ number of the soundblaster.
                            #            Possible values: 7, 5, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12.
                            #     dma: The DMA number of the soundblaster.
                            #            Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
                            #    hdma: The High DMA number of the soundblaster.
                            #            Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
                            # sbmixer: Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the DOSBox mixer.
                            # oplmode: Type of OPL emulation. On 'auto' the mode is determined by sblaster type. All OPL modes are Adlib-compatible, except for 'cms'.
                            #            Possible values: auto, cms, opl2, dualopl2, opl3, opl3gold, none.
                            #  oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
                            #            Possible values: default, compat, fast, mame.
                            # oplrate: Sample rate of OPL music emulation. Use 49716 for highest quality (set the mixer rate accordingly).
                            #            Possible values: 44100, 49716, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000.
                            
                            sbtype  = sb16
                            sbbase  = 220
                            irq     = 7
                            dma     = 1
                            hdma    = 5
                            sbmixer = true
                            oplmode = auto
                            oplemu  = default
                            oplrate = 44100
                            
                            [gus]
                            #      gus: Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
                            #  gusrate: Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
                            #             Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
                            #  gusbase: The IO base address of the Gravis Ultrasound.
                            #             Possible values: 240, 220, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
                            #   gusirq: The IRQ number of the Gravis Ultrasound.
                            #             Possible values: 5, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
                            #   gusdma: The DMA channel of the Gravis Ultrasound.
                            #             Possible values: 3, 0, 1, 5, 6, 7.
                            # ultradir: Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
                            #             there should be a MIDI directory that contains
                            #             the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
                            #             with Timidity should work fine.
                            
                            gus      = false
                            gusrate  = 44100
                            gusbase  = 240
                            gusirq   = 5
                            gusdma   = 3
                            ultradir = C:\ULTRASND
                            
                            [speaker]
                            # pcspeaker: Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
                            #    pcrate: Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
                            #              Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
                            #     tandy: Enable Tandy Sound System emulation. For 'auto', emulation is present only if machine is set to 'tandy'.
                            #              Possible values: auto, on, off.
                            # tandyrate: Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
                            #              Possible values: 44100, 48000, 32000, 22050, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
                            #    disney: Enable Disney Sound Source emulation. (Covox Voice Master and Speech Thing compatible).
                            
                            pcspeaker = true
                            pcrate    = 44100
                            tandy     = auto
                            tandyrate = 44100
                            disney    = true
                            
                            [joystick]
                            #  joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
                            #                  2axis (supports two joysticks),
                            #                  4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
                            #                  4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
                            #                  fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
                            #                  none disables joystick emulation.
                            #                  auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
                            #                  (Remember to reset dosbox's mapperfile if you saved it earlier)
                            #                  Possible values: auto, 2axis, 4axis, 4axis_2, fcs, ch, none.
                            #         timed: enable timed intervals for axis. Experiment with this option, if your joystick drifts (away).
                            #      autofire: continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
                            #        swap34: swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. Can be useful for certain joysticks.
                            #    buttonwrap: enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.
                            # circularinput: enable translation of circular input to square output.
                            #                  Try enabling this if your left analog stick can only move in a circle.
                            #      deadzone: the percentage of motion to ignore. 100 turns the stick into a digital one.
                            
                            joysticktype  = auto
                            timed         = true
                            autofire      = false
                            swap34        = false
                            buttonwrap    = false
                            circularinput = false
                            deadzone      = 10
                            
                            [serial]
                            # serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
                            #            Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
                            #            Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
                            #            parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq (optional).
                            #            for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
                            #                             (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
                            #            for modem: listenport (optional).
                            #            for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
                            #                           transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
                            #            Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
                            #            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
                            # serial2: see serial1
                            #            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
                            # serial3: see serial1
                            #            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
                            # serial4: see serial1
                            #            Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
                            
                            serial1 = dummy
                            serial2 = dummy
                            serial3 = disabled
                            serial4 = disabled
                            
                            [dos]
                            #            xms: Enable XMS support.
                            #            ems: Enable EMS support. The default (=true) provides the best
                            #                   compatibility but certain applications may run better with
                            #                   other choices, or require EMS support to be disabled (=false)
                            #                   to work at all.
                            #                   Possible values: true, emsboard, emm386, false.
                            #            umb: Enable UMB support.
                            # keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).
                            
                            xms            = true
                            ems            = true
                            umb            = true
                            keyboardlayout = auto
                            
                            [ipx]
                            # ipx: Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.
                            
                            ipx = false
                            
                            [autoexec]
                            # Lines in this section will be run at startup.
                            # You can put your MOUNT lines here.
                            
                            mount c "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/pc/.data/arkanoid.pc"
                            c:
                            ARKANOID.COM
                            EXIT
                            

                            Lastly make sure that dispmanx is DISABLED for dosbox. Dispmanx seriously impacts performance with dosbox on the pi and is not needed if you are using the above method. (Im not entirely sure dispmanx still works when using an x session but it doesnt hurt to turn it off).

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