Videomode file ignored if game override cfg file exists?

stevas

That's my TIL for today then! Every day a school day...

mitu

The log doesn't have debugging enabled. When launching the game, use the Runcommand launch menu and run with verbose logging enabled. This should add more information in the log file.

mitu

I tried with a MD game and cannot reproduce the issue.

created an 'Alladin (USA).cfgwith justvideo_vsync=false`.
chose 800x600 as ROM video mode during the launch, the video mode gets applied

$ grep KMS /dev/shm/runcommand.log
Executing: SDL_VIDEO_KMSDRM_CRTCID=49 SDL_VIDEO_KMSDRM_MODEID=5 /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-genesis-plus-gx/genesis_plus_gx_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/megadrive/retroarch.cfg "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/megadrive/Aladdin (USA).md" --verbose --appendconfig /dev/shm/retroarch.cfg
[INFO] [KMS]: New FB: 800x600 (stride: 3200).
[INFO] [KMS]: New FB: 800x600 (stride: 3200).
[INFO] [KMS]: New FB: 800x600 (stride: 3200).

if I don't specify the video mode, then the game will run at default display resolution:

$ grep KMS /dev/shm/runcommand.log
[INFO] [KMS]: New FB: 1600x1200 (stride: 6400).
[INFO] [KMS]: New FB: 1600x1200 (stride: 6400).
[INFO] [KMS]: New FB: 1600x1200 (stride: 6400).

Are you sure you don't have any other configurations in place ?

stevas

Hey there. Thanks a load for confirming this at least should work as I believe.

That is partly what I was asking, what else could there be? What other configurations are there?
I've went with the default retroarch.cfg files and all I've added is a game override? I've not messed with core overrides, and all I've changed is maybe integer scaling as a general setting.
Since a full rebuild (as I assumed, as you've confirmed, that I'd clearly done something previously to break it) all I have updated is:
WiFi
Updated packages
Updated shaders/overlays
Setup Bluetooth devices
Larger font
Swapped A and B
That's it.

As for:
The log doesn't have debugging enabled. When launching the game, use the Runcommand launch menu and run with verbose logging enabled. This should add more information in the log file.

That's what I was saying earlier, I do this? I interrupt the load to get to the runcommand, launch with verbose logging...
And all that appears to happen is the text "--verbose" gets added to the log? I get none of those "stride" lines you do - that pastebin is all I get? An I missing some other setting which enables this correctly?

mitu

@stevas said in Videomode file ignored if game override cfg file exists?:

And all that appears to happen is the text "--verbose" gets added to the log? I get none of those "stride" lines you do - that pastebin is all I get? An I missing some other setting which enables this correctly?

I see, the verbose log should look more detailed - like this.

EDIT: How are you copying the file, for uploading it ?

stevas

Yeah, I figured. I have no idea why mine isn't like that.

I'm moving it across to the PC via the share //retropie, then opening it there to cut and paste. And if I open it with nano on the pi itself, I can see the exact same output.

Wait, is it possible the unrelated error is stopping verbose output? How do I get rid of that CDROM error?

mitu

@stevas said in Videomode file ignored if game override cfg file exists?:

Wait, is it possible the unrelated error is stopping verbose output? How do I get rid of that CDROM error?

I don't think so - that error message is benign and comes from RetroArch's real cdrom support. I think that if you update to the latest RetroArch version (from the RetroPie-Setup), the message is gone.

stevas

Interestingly though, if I remove the thumb drive (which works fine, and I'm using symlinks to it incidentally) I get a different error at the end of the same, truncated log file:
[CDROM] no sg devices found and sg kernel module is not loaded.

What's the easiest way for me to get this all updated to where you are? And please don't say rebuild from that image...

mitu

@stevas said in Videomode file ignored if game override cfg file exists?:

What's the easiest way for me to get this all updated to where you are? And please don't say rebuild from that image...

Just use the normal update from RetroPie-Setup. Maybe install/update RetroArch from source.

stevas

Updated all core packages from binary, all that did was remove the benign error as you said.
Same annoying behaviour. Same truncated log file.
Updating retroarch from source didn't change things at all.

dankcushions

@stevas
megadrive_hacks is a rom folder that comes with a famous third party image. are you telling us porkies?

stevas

Haha, entirely coincidental I assure you!

I've edited es_systems.cfg to include that (apologies, something else I did was copy across that file from the previous build in order to test that particular game, as I wanted to use a game I KNEW was previously causing this issue).

Edit: though that's an interesting point. I'll investigate what happens if I reset that file...
I should add, I did just try Aladdin (which is in the original megadrive folder) and got the same issue. Though that's with my edited es_systems, which may well be a/the problem here (as I can think of nothing else presently).

mitu

Did you modify the default retroarch.cfg configuration file or used the RetroArch menu in RetroPie to change the global options ?

stevas

I changed a couple, yeah. From memory, integer scaling off, and some qol stuff like swap A/B.

I literally just reimaged. Plan was to do as little as possible, get Aladdin on there.

Annnnnnd... now I'm getting even weirder stuff happening. Like, either it won't list SSID's, or it will eventually list them (and they appear to double up), and if I select mine it takes an age to connect before just... not.
Maybe I'll run a check on this SD card.

stevas

Update:
I've re-imaged (again again), and it's working here now. That is: it switches resolution, and I get a full verbose log.
Thanks both for the help - it at least convinced me I needed to start again and do literally the bare minimum to get it working.
Lord knows what I did to break it; as I didn't get too far through the setup process I'll go step by step now to figure that bit out (of course, we all know it'll continue to work fine, and I'll never see that behaviour again...)

stevas

I'm back. It's late. But I just want to get this posted... Mainly so I bloody remember it, tbh.

Should I just plain NOT be creating a full retroarch.cfg with the option to in Retropie (i.e. selecting RETROARCH in the emulation station Retropie menu, then saving a full new configuration)?
Now is the point for someone to step up and say "yeah... You just shouldn't be doing that anyways, dude."

Because if I go in there, and save my config, I get this issue.
As long as I was using the skeleton retroarch.cfg file (the one that's mainly comments), I was fine. Switched resolution no problems.
Soon as saved over that (in the way described above), boom, doesn't switch. Again, it's only when a game override cfg is present, and the log is truncated as before (at the exact point it tries to append said override, I might add).
At the moment I have an override for Aladdin which is just loading and saving a state. That's it. I also have a shader preset for that core. (Because why not.)

I can switch the problem off and on literally by either using the backup skeleton retroarch.cfg I have, or saving a configuration over that through the retroarch menu!

Bed now.

mitu

@stevas said in Videomode file ignored if game override cfg file exists?:

Now is the point for someone to step up and say "yeah... You just shouldn't be doing that anyways, dude."

Well, yes. We usually recommend to save an override (core/game/content dir) instead of saving the full config back. The RA configuration has grown to such a dimension it's getting difficult to pinpoint how seemingly unrelated options affect the overall program's behavior; it's easier to keep the base configuration small and simple to get a good starting configuration and manage game/core settings through overrides.

The preferred (but not the easiest) method would be to add the configuration option to that file by editing, so only the bare essential configuration options are added. Or use the Configuration Editor to edit the most important options (shaders, resolution, video smoothing, etc.).

That being said, can you post the offending .cfg so we can take a look at it ? It's worth a shot to see if we can accommodate the video mode switching with this kind of configurations.

stevas

You don't say.

I can see the problem clearly now, as, yeah - that file is getting ridiculous, isn't it?
Is there a definitive guide/help on this? Because I ended up doing this after a load of Google results pointed me towards it being fine to just let retroarch do this (mainly of the "just delete that file, retroarch will recreate it" with people asking "what do I do to return this to the default?" type).

Anyway, lesson learned, I'll be just building my own simple cfg in future... still, I'd be interested to see exactly what is upsetting res switching in there, as I thought I'd tried commenting out everything that made sense - i.e. settings clearly messing with a resolution, viewport stuff, etc.

https://pastebin.com/raw/w3xJ9rft

Thanks again for the help.

mitu

@stevas said in Videomode file ignored if game override cfg file exists?:

https://pastebin.com/raw/w3xJ9rft

Yes, as suspected, the problem is that the config file contains the video settings and they override the video resolution parameters passed with runcommand (via /dev/shm/retroarch.cfg)

video_fullscreen = "true"
video_fullscreen_x = "0"
video_fullscreen_y = "0"

Unfortunately, the same happens if using an override

if the override is created with default video settings (i.e. no custom video mode selected), then the video is scaled incorrectly
if the override is created with a custom video mode (chosen from the runcommand launch menu), then it's persisted and re-used, regardless of any subsequent video mode choices from the launch menu.

stevas

Good day, mitu.

I'll be brutally honest here, I'm having trouble comprehending what you're saying.

I still don't fully understand why the presence of a game override cfg (one that has nothing in it other than, say, save state autoload) should mean the main retroarch.cfg settings you posted would be used above whatever is selected in the runcommand, while NOT having that game override cfg present means the selected runcommand resolution switch works correctly. Is this a bug, or intended purpose?
Also, I seen no incorrect scaling in either case (screen was filled, correct aspect ratio?)

But maybe I'm just being particularly dense today (understandable, but I won't go into why).

Edit:
Wait... Are you saying if I had those settings in the game cfg (ie. x and y are for the target resolution, say 1280 and 720), then it would work? The presence of an override requires the resolution settings also, otherwise it looks for them in the main retroarch.cfg?