Cho Ren Sha 68K 1.10 windows just droped

[Lethe]

The windowed mode of the Windows version outputs in multiples of 256^2. Logically therefore 4:3 scaling is a compromise and square is correct, but I doubt Yosshin is particularly concerned either way, or else he would've coded it differently.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Do not forget that there're still ways to display the Windows port at full screen and native resolution on a CRT. Moreover, the Windows port does also belong to the CRT era originally.

[Steven]

Use Proton-GE. It runs flawlessly.

I haven't gone much beyond using Steam's integrated Proton versions, since things have mostly Just Worked™ on that front, so I'm pretty ignorant of what that process entails. I always had the impression that setting up external Proton builds and running non-Steam games took quite a bit of work. Is it annoying to set up?

It'll take you longer to download it than to actually set it up.

All you do is download it, make this directory

~/.steam/root/compatibilitytools.d

and then extract it and put it in there. Then go add the game to Steam, go to the game's properties thingy in Steam and select compatibility and choose GE and you're done. It fixes all sorts of broken stuff on the Steam Deck, and it's my preferred method of running non-Steam games.

[Lander]

I haven't used Bottles--I always thought the "use a different WINE prefix for each title" advice was wildly impractical from a disk space perspective; does Bottles just put a nicer interface on the same process?

Oh I agree - sandboxing is a nice idea, but in practice ends up multiplying dependency-management and chomping up way more disk space than appropriate. That's what Lutris does, and I don't miss it having made the switch.

Thankfully Bottles is more traditional; it manages wine prefixes first and foremost, and lets you choose which one should launch a given game. So you can have a general 'Gaming' bottle, and create special-case ones if you encounter software that demands a specific runner or other esoteric config. I think it can pick up Steam stuff too, though haven't tried that myself.

And GE is great for cases where regular Proton (or regular Wine - GE patches exist for both these days) doesn't cut it, but I wouldn't recommend installing it manually unless you're dead set on using Steam for non-Steam games. Digging through ~/.local/whatever and managing files by hand sucks when they end up needing an update months down the line - much less of a pain to have a dedicated frontend shoulder the cognitive load.

^My point, in fact. The "internal resolution" thing is an arbitrarism when talking of anything from the CRT era.

I'm always entertained at how opposed our perspectives are a CRT can't operate without game-defined internal resolution, so why let the display hardware dictate that geometry when a lower-level source of truth exists by way of its VRAM?

Though I'll concede in cases where a game's art is actually designed to look correct in slightly-stretched form. At that point forcing 1:1 is just kicking yourself.

Moreover, the Windows port does also belong to the CRT era originally.

Empasis on originally; insisting that the just-released-in-202X-for-modern-machines update also belongs in that category is a little dogmatic.

[Bassa-Bassa]

I'm always entertained at how opposed our perspectives are a CRT can't operate without game-defined internal resolution, so why let the display hardware dictate that geometry when a lower-level source of truth exists by way of its VRAM?

Because that source is never ever telling you how's the pixel's aspect ratio. Assuming it's a square is just a byproduct of an LCD-era mindset.

Though I'll concede in cases where a game's art is actually designed to look correct in slightly-stretched form. At that point forcing 1:1 is just kicking yourself.

It's the other way round, though - a game's art is always designed to look "correct" at 4:3 because the screens were 4:3 and they didn't expect the user to modify the screen geometry. We only can go as far as that without being arbitrary. We can then concede there're exceptional cases like CRS where altering that ratio benefits the game's general look.

Empasis on originally; insisting that the just-released-in-202X-for-modern-machines update also belongs in that category is a little dogmatic.

Well, just look at the update - it's the same original version with the new stuff added. Not a case I'd pick to show how to update an old game for newer hardware.

[blazinglazers69]

Is there any way to do level select? I keep getting underpowered at Stage 0 and chain dying.

[Lethe]

It's the other way round, though - a game's art is always designed to look "correct" at 4:3 because the screens were 4:3 and they didn't expect the user to modify the screen geometry. We only can go as far as that without being arbitrary. We can then concede there're exceptional cases like CRS where altering that ratio benefits the game's general look.

Well, just look at the update - it's the same original version with the new stuff added. Not a case I'd pick to show how to update an old game for newer hardware.

Do not forget that there're still ways to display the Windows port at full screen and native resolution on a CRT. Moreover, the Windows port does also belong to the CRT era originally.

It's dead simple. This new Windows version features a new settings screen with new resolution and display options. Instead of adding 4:3 to these new settings, or making windowed mode display at 4:3, or making windowed mode arbitrarily drag-resizable, Yosshin hid the "correct" way of viewing the game behind changing your entire display mode. If you're not willing to go that far you don't deserve to see it in its full glory. In addition to stretching the art, the "correct" proportions also have the added gameplay enhancement of making everything move faster horizontally.

Does it not occur to you that something can be true in one case and not in another? Arguing with cultists is always so strange.

[Bassa-Bassa]

I think you may need to read again what I'm saying? I was questioning this:

CRS is a square-aspect game

Lander wasn't even referring to the Windows version, but anyway, a port is just a port and never the version to use in order to make a statement like that. Said that, I also mentioned that a 1:1 aspect ratio in a case like this even improves the game's look. You've even quoted that.

[Randorama]

The legend is back! Or, more accurately, I can finally play it again. Great new version, but if I can finish the first loop while nursing a swollen (right hand) ring finger, it is easier than I remember it. Not that I can complain

EDIT:

How to edit the keyboard controls? I want the four directions on the numberpad.

[Lander]

I'm not drawing a distinction between the versions for purposes of graphical stuff; they're likely indistinguishable if presented side-by-side on identical displays.

How to edit the keyboard controls? I want the four directions on the numberpad.

Damn, hardcore I don't think you can directly; digging into the INI, it only tracks joystick assignments, so keyboard binds are likely fixed.

The simplest solve is probably to make a custom keyboard layout in your OS. Or use third-party remapping software, though that might introduce some lag.

[Randorama]

Lander:

Slightly more to the right and on slightly bigger buttons, in my case: a bit more comfortable. I will stick to this solution, as the ones you mention are way too complicated for my perennially lazy brain

[Warp_Rattler]

It'll take you longer to download it than to actually set it up.

Thanks, I appreciate that info. Early in Proton's infancy I remember looking at running a few GOG titles that didn't work well under plain WINE but were reported to run fine with Proton. The setup seemed to be a bit more effort than I was willing to put in at the time, so I just never bothered. WINE has made enormous strides in the past few years, and now it's the rare title that I want to play that doesn't work (or that I don't have on Steam or Switch).

Oh I agree - sandboxing is a nice idea, but in practice ends up multiplying dependency-management and chomping up way more disk space than appropriate. That's what Lutris does, and I don't miss it having made the switch.

Thankfully Bottles is more traditional; it manages wine prefixes first and foremost, and lets you choose which one should launch a given game. So you can have a general 'Gaming' bottle, and create special-case ones if you encounter software that demands a specific runner or other esoteric config.

That's good to hear about Bottles--I spent some time on the website but couldn't get a clear sense of just what it was doing in the background. I've seen some poor souls on Reddit who try to have it both ways: separate prefixes for each game and attempts at de-duplicating the shared WINE files. Their reports read like a cautionary tale involving a spiral into madness and hellish symlink management. I can wander off into the weeds on all sorts of stupid quests when it comes to tinkering around on Linux, but I just don't have the energy any more to do it for the sake of playing games.

And GE is great for cases where regular Proton (or regular Wine - GE patches exist for both these days) doesn't cut it, but I wouldn't recommend installing it manually unless you're dead set on using Steam for non-Steam games. Digging through ~/.local/whatever and managing files by hand sucks when they end up needing an update months down the line - much less of a pain to have a dedicated frontend shoulder the cognitive load.

This is also good to know. As I said above, I've avoided messing with GE for a while simply because there are so few titles I have that don't play on WINE/Steam/console, so it's never felt necessary to jump down that rabbit hole. I may give it a shot this weekend to get a feel for the work involved, if nothing else.

[Lethe]

How to edit the keyboard controls? I want the four directions on the numberpad.

Strange, I also play on numpad (well, numpad + down arrow) and I don't have any problems with CRS. Maybe you have a preexisting keymap on the numpad somehow?

Also, if you end up looking for something more challenging, I thoroughly recommend the hard difficulty. It can get very chaotic with all the revenge bullets, but you've also incentive to shoot everything without sealing them as they produce points when spawned, similar to DonPachi (but contributing a huge amount of your score total this time).

[Randorama]

Lethe: argh! I will try to figure out if this (i.e. the preexisting keymap) is the case. I want to 2-All the game again before moving on to the hard version, but that is definitely an option...once my giantly swollen ring finger is back to normal, I guess

[Lander]

Might be worth trying with / without NumLock too - that's about as old and arcane an invocation of directions and nav shortcuts on the pad, please as you can get

Though take it with a grain of salt, since I haven't used a keyboard with a numpad in a long time.

[CaptainKraken]

Is there any way to do level select? I keep getting underpowered at Stage 0 and chain dying.

Bumping to second your question.
Quick perusal of the wiki suggests there was a menu for such a thing in the previous version but it is not known whether or not it exists in the current one.

Anyone know how to access the special menu in the current windows version?