Make m64+AE suggest the best settings

[Vincentmrl]

I got an idea that will help the generic user and lower the THE EMU IS SLOW HURR DURR 1 star ratings: making a list of speed/performance etc settings for each rom that we can see by pressing a button in the same menu of restart/continue/cheats. We would need a team that tests the rom on the devices they own, then put the settings they used on a site where it then will be moderated and if good, included with an update. We could give device specific settings too, so the list's code would literally be:

Code: [Select]

If game is listed in setttings (
if game is in device specific list (show it)
else (show generic settings for it))
else (show that there currently are no suggested settings)

We could make the file get updated on request with any m64 version too by using something similiar to buildbot, except for a text file.
How' the idea?

[littleguy]

Yes, something like this would be good, but the most important thing ends up being the maintenance.  First creating the entries and then updating them if things get fixed.  Also important to decouple the data from the app itself.

Dev time is a scarce resource, but if anyone wants to pick it up, I would suggest implementing it as follows.
 - On game launch, show a popup (yes I think it would need to be in your face, judging by some reviewers)
 - Have it simply state: For best results with <rom name>, please see <weblink>
 - The popup would have a little checkbox so the user can hide future popups
 - Also have a button in the Play menu that opens the same popup on command
 - Touching the link opens their web browser to a wiki for that particular ROM (CRC and app version passed as http post data)
 - Have a protected area where registered users can post, and a guest area (or guest comment system) where people can post without having to register (don't make people jump through hoops to contribute, but safeguard the best info as well)
 - Ideally, the comment/edit is tagged with the version so people can decide for themselves if the info is stale

This design would have a few benefits
 - Completely separate from app release/maintenance
 - Easy to implement in app
 - User driven, not dev driven (we're swamped enough)
 - No need to add network permissions to the app

So the key question: is there a wiki that fits this bill?

[Paul]

I think a system similar to Wine's AppDB would be ideal.  Someone browsing would see a system organized by game name and entries tagged by game version, app version, device model, and Android version.  This would allow anyone to make an entry for any game (ease of access) which only they or a moderator can edit (safeguarded info).  Each entry could also have a thread attached, so if someone only had a couple tips to add to an existing entry, they could easily do so without creating a new entry.

Only problem is that it would take more effort to develop than a simple wiki..

[littleguy]

I think the real issue is not the up front development time, but getting people to actively participate.  I'd be willing to sink a little extra time into something if it works really well.

I think initially the focus should be entirely on quantity of contributions.  Comments beget comments.  Hopefully a trickle of contributions turns into a steady stream.  Don't impose too much formality, let it grow organically.  I think guest commenting and minimal structure provide a good climate for that.  Then as the data comes in, registered users can start to collate the best info to the top of the page.  But let the sapling grow a bit before pruning and shaping it.  The formal rating systems and reports should be reserved until much later when there's too much information and the problem is no longer too little data, but rather too much.

[littleguy]

Maybe a wordpress site is more what I'm envisioning.  I think a comment system may be a good capture mechanic initially.  Then as you say, every comment could be tagged with the guest's app-version, android-version, and device-model, for cross-referencing later.  As for ROM versions, might be nice to have all versions of a game on one page, but the comments put into separate sections according to ROM version.  People would quickly see that one version is broken but another is fine...

Then registered users would consolidate/summarize the best info into the body of the wordpress page.

[Vincentmrl]

well the fact about implementing it in the app is that you're not forced to go on internet. Anyways by implementing it I mean thr code that will make this work, and we could easily update the settings database file, so no app update required and you can update on any version with the engine implemented. I don't know if you understand. I think I will do a graphic to plan everything

[littleguy]

Making it an app file/database means that it's either:
 - updated between releases and/or
 - the user has to manually download the database (and put it in the right folder), or
 - the app needs to periodically auto-download the database (requiring network permissions).
And we'd still need to collect all the information, organize it, and serialize it into a database/file.  That's a lot more work for us.

Keeping it on the web somewhere ensures it's always up to date, allows users to contribute immediately, and requires no new app permissions.  A web design is also more flexible and can evolve more easily as needs change.  A lot more bang for the buck IMO.

[Vincentmrl]

well I thought there's something that automatically makes the database taking all the info on the "hypotetical contribution site" and makes the file build, sorta like what orphis's buildbot does with programs. We could make it update every number of time and the user could just choose when to download the last version because auto update isn't liked from everyone

[karl_87]

A good test for this would be Ouya, where every device is the same. Although rather than just comments, there should be a small table which holds data for which video plugin and any other settings etc work best, this can then be expanded to iother devices at a later stage.

The best way I think would be...play rom...a message saying "this game has compatibility infomation stored, do you want to automatically change settings everytime you play this game to the best plugings/settings for your device" and "do you want to read the comments/wiki now?"

Once a game has been setup it will remember it, until a change happens to the table/wiki.

I would also volunteer time to maintain it all.

[Tom.K]

Isn't benchmarking of some ROM for at least 15-30 sec supposed to show the best configuration for specific ROM (even if it takes too long)?

[Vincentmrl]

benchmarking can't tell  device specific settings. The idea to make a list is in my opinion better, but benchmarking could be a good idea that can go with this in case there aren't specific game settings.

[littleguy]

@Tom.K - There is no benchmarking system built into MupenAE to determine "best" plugins for a given ROM/device.  Is that a feature of the PC version?

[Tom.K]

@Tom.K - There is no benchmarking system built into MupenAE to determine "best" plugins for a given ROM/device.  Is that a feature of the PC version?

No, I've only suggested that for MupenAE.