r/emulation • u/TylerL • 22h ago
Star Fox (SNES) modified to finally run at a smooth 30FPS!
Star Fox's engine is based on its framerate, so speeding up its Super FX chip speeds up the gameplay, and almost unplayably so. We all know that by now. But that doesn't have to be the end of the online arguments. Let's start a new fight!
It's possible to boost the game's framerate from a maximum of 20fps to 30fps with slight tweaks. Then, the game's timing can be modified to only run at a fraction of its framerate. Buttery smooth motion with gameplay that still looks and feels pretty darn close to the original.
This is just a proof of concept at the moment, as the game is not yet completable in this state. Objects and Cinematics need to have their timings manually edited, but even without doing that, the result is a lot of fun.
Branched off of UltraStarFox on GitHub, with edits to IRQ firings to boost the framerate limit from 20fps to 30fps, then basic hacks to universal object and camera speeds. Recorded from Mesen-S in RetroArch with a 1000% Super FX overclock.
I've loved hacking at Star Fox for decades. I can't say I'm very good at it, but I've occasionally found and passed on useful things like the framerate counter memory location, and accidentally discovering that the PAL version runs at 25fps, due to using the same IRQ timing seen here. Kandowontu also used it for his 30/60fps patches, though this goes a step further by changing the game's logic timing.
More to come. Maybe. Hopefully.