keropi wrote:

I tried the new firmware , the scanlines are really stronger in this one! Maybe it's my 24" monitor but they are too strong for my taste tbh... is there a chance of a test fw that has scanlines at some middle value between this last fw and the ones we had until now?

no use the previous one then.

^ this is a non-option actually... for example you have pushed a new version in the mean time that improves mono modes. At least look at these pics and consider the new scanlines implementation.

full-res crt: https://i.imgur.com/ztoPnF5.jpg
full-res old fw: https://i.imgur.com/DRmZzkm.jpg
full-res new fw: https://i.imgur.com/Ebn1pJl.jpg

Ofcourse I know there is no way to get the crt look with the converter's hardware but these really black scanlines are just too intrusive and in my opinion they actually degrade the image quality, not helping it.

I understand everyone likes different things and that's why on expensive scalers (like the framemeister for example) there is a "scanline intensity" option just for this reason but going full 100% black lines just doesn't look good, it's like an early 2000s emulator or something... At any rate that's my opinion and I hope it won't be taken the wrong way.

ok sir

I will work on putting back the 16-composite color mode. Now we have the reset button free, that would be the selector for it.

Ooooooooo! 😮
I have seen the composite videos from Oct-Nov and I was wondering what happened to that mode , I have seen the posts on VCF
You realize this is a huge deal as it would allow the games that support such modes to be fully experienced even by people that only have a ttl monitor or clone cga cards that do not display correct colors...
Can't wait to test this! 😀

😊 😊 😊 😊 😊
16-composite color mode !!!
😊 😊 😊 😊 😊

Ok,

I added the composite support. Only for the 16 color used in King Quest and the one used in Maniac Mansion. Other schemes like Jungle Hunter that changes the color every time not.

Press the RESET button on top to toggle the composite.

Few considerations: I am constrained in the 64 colors used in EGA. So some colors are off because they don't exist in the EGA palette like the dark browns used in the gate.

Other thing: i am reproducing my CGA colors displayed on my TV. I don't have an old CGA and I don't have buttons to toggle between old/new cga.

You have to move the image left/right to find the correct color phase, so the colors will shift until you find the correct one.

This is why I didn't want to include it, because it's meh...

yeaaaa the old scanlines are back! thanks!

I think the composite mode is still useful! ATM I could only try it on my EGA forced to work on CGA mode, Commander Keen 4 Composite CGA Edition doesn't look that bad , KQ1 on the other hand has wrong colors that can't be fixed - but that's to be expected since I am using an EGA card in CGA compatibility mode.

I am attaching some pictures of this just for fun, tomorrow I will test on my XT system with a real IBM CGA old version.

I also have an ATI SMALL GRAPHICS SOLUTION cga card that cannot display color or has wrong colors (as expected) over composite - can't remember which is true, I'll give it a go and see if the color phase adjustment can fix this.
This is a great update in my book, more features! 😊

The KQ1 uses the low intensity 640x200 but it seems you cannot change the foreground color on EGA.

Maybe tweaking the EGA palette before ? You just need to make the 640x200 to use color 7 instead of 15.

Uh, no I guess it would not affect this mode.

Allright I just tried the composite mode with my IBM CGA, both King's Quest and Keen4 are fine

I am not sure about Maniac Mansion though - I have the 1989 version and I looked on the manual on how to activate composite mode but I just don't see it. This doesn't look like composite mode to me, it looks like normal RGBI viewed via the composite output.

I can see the word "COMPOSITE" in the EXE but I have no idea how to enable it 🙁

Also the ATI CGA did not work on my 386DX build but now that I think of it as long as the RGBI patterns are correct the composite mode will be displayed with correct colors since it is generated in the converter and not by the card's composite circuit.

keropi wrote:

I can see the word "COMPOSITE" in the EXE but I have no idea how to enable it 🙁

You would just add it as a parameter. But it doesn't work in the 1989 release it seems.

^ ah that would explain it then since I have the 1989 release... kinda disappointing tbh

did you try moving the image left or right ? if you get the wrong phase the composite will not activate (it needs a 4 pixel pattern)

i added the yellow green, like thexder in the last fw. But jungle hunt not, it would require 200 color table conversion (all remaining 15 colors combinations with the 4 possible palettes)

I found how to enable composite mode on my version, one needs to run the game, save the prefs with Shitt+W and quit. Then edit the file PREFS. in the game's directory (it's self-explanatory how to enable composite) and run the game with "MANIAC P" so the prefs file is loaded. Then composite mode works for my version of the game.
I will post some pics of it tomorrow

It would be really useful to have the ability to save the converter's settings since each power cycle defaults are loaded... retrocanada76 is it at least easy for someone to make his own JIC file with other default values? Is there a place with some kind of rough tutorial on how to clone the github files locally or something and how to compile them?
I am no programmer but I know how to compile the XT-IDE BIOS and my own MAME version with some patches but I had guidelines.... 🤣

open the project in Quartus-II and press the big blue triangle button.

To change the settings go to the schematics.bdf and double click in the ctrl_param box properties. But this only compiles the .sof file.

Then you need to build the .jic file 😒 you open Convert Programming files or whatever the name is, open the .cof file inside output files and press convert. Simple a that.

Thanks for the tips retrocanada76 I will check it out!

I am still fighting with Maniac Mansion, this time I am using the 1988 version. For some reason composite mode is not working through mce2vga but it works fine via the real composite port. I have verified with KQ1 before running Maniac Mansion, mce2vga works fines, colors are correct then I quit KQ1 and load Maniac Mansion.
You can see the results below, mce2vga is in composite mode and at the same time I have another monitor hooked up via composite , the machine is a V20 Hyundai XT-class one with a real old-version IBM CGA card, mce2vga is flashed with the latest fw.

Left is mce2vga in composite mode, right is composite straight from the cga (looking crap in this monitor since it does not really like any kind of composite signal)

and this the same with KQ1, no reboots, no changes in settings just the same deal as above (yes the direct composite connection is really horrible on this right monitor, it just doesn't work well with composite signals)

What could cause this behavior? Anyone else tried the composite function ?

can you send me the exact version you're trying to run ? I'll check it later.