Fix WOTL effects lag issue?

[karsten]

so you mean that the lag is not due to decompression graphics, but just the effects?

If it lags while decompressing the effect can you feed the decompressed effect directly? psp Vram i way bigger than psx one, so it should fit in easily, right?

i guess it might be possible to asm hack the game so that it'll use decompressed effects or i'm completly off target and the lag is due to something else?

[Xifanie]

This isn't about compression. Decompression of effects and spritesheets probably takes 0.001 second each.
And very few effects are compressed to start with; IIRC about 30-40. If you want to see yourself: http://www.ffhacktics.com/effects.php
any effect with 128 or less height are compressed and paletted. All the other effects are 256 colors and not compressed.

It can't be a CD read slowdown either, because the game will not start drawing an animation until all the effect's data is loaded, which takes a fraction of a second too.

I don't know what the VRAM looks like for WotL when using effects. It shouldn't be trying to do too much stuff as the PSP is way more powerful than the PSX and WotL barely uses more VRAM than the PSX version.

[karsten]

then what is the reason? or we're still clueless? ?_?

[Archael]

WOTL is coded to run those effects at a fraction of the true FPS

it's running that way intentionally, it's not some bug square left in or some hardware limitation on the PSP

(I learned this from Sentinal Blade who told me back when he spent tons of time working with WOTL)

[karsten]

can't believe it's intentional. Must be an aftereffect or programming error! so you could change the code to run them fast? i doubt it...

[Archael]

something in the code is making them play at a fraction of the original FPS, but your guess is as good as mine as to where we can change that

it's probably not as simple as swapping out 1 value

the slowdown is also not present on EVERY effect, it's just some of them, unfortunately the ones players spam the most

example of slow down:

spoiler

fast forward to 3:13

spoiler

fast forward to 7:55

[karsten]

i know it too well

mmmh lovely chalenges... should start again!

[PiotyrHB]

Actually I don't think WOTL is coded to run the effects slower so much as the vsync goes from 30 to 15.
Vsync works like this for those who don't know.

Set it to 60fps and for whatever reason it can't go at 60? Knock it down in half to 30. So the game goes at 30fps native and gets knocked to 15 on effects.
I noticed also that some spells that aren't suppose to be cast the way they are (Break spells with cross bows) break vsync and just make it go as many frames as possible thus making it go insanely fast.
I am not sure if that helps but that's my theory.