Standard Def Steve wrote:Also, the MMX version of Virtual On: Cyber Troopers needs some serious CPU power. This game has a hidden 60 fps mode. I don't re […]
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Also, the MMX version of Virtual On: Cyber Troopers needs some serious CPU power. This game has a hidden 60 fps mode. I don't really blame Sega for hiding it; no 1997 machine even comes close to 60. To play in high res mode and sustain 60 through even the most demanding scenes, you need a 1GHz+ P3. I tested this game on several machines:
A P200MMX is only good for low-res @ 15 fps.
1997's best, the P2-300, can do low res @ 30, or high res @ 15.
A P3-550 can do high res @ 30.
A P3-1000EB (FSB133) or Celeron-1400 (FSB100) is necessary for a perfect HR/60fps experience. But man is it gorgeous. Playing it with the twin-stick and 21" CRT is almost like being at the arcade again!
The 60 fps mode is not hidden, it can be accessed via the options window alright, but the two options involved have stupid, counter-intuitive names and terminology.
I've tried the hidden debug menu option, and never noticed any difference between the debug 60 fps mode and the one accessible via the options window. I've also played the Sega Saturn version, which is locked at 30 fps max., and the difference with the PC version is very noticeable. If you're used to the PC version, the Saturn version is quite unplayable, slow, ugly graphics and slow controls. The PC version is very smooth with little slowdown (except when there are a lot of projectiles on screen), and it runs just fine on my Pentium II machine, on high resolution and 60 fps (but possibly the amount of memory and graphics card in that system help).
Although I will note that the Virtual On CD I have is a later reissue of the game from Sega's Ultra 2000 range of budget rereleases, so perhaps it has tweaks over the original MMX version in a cardboard box or the original with MMX patch.