GUIDE: LOCK GAME TO 60FPS (updated with link to Silent's mod)

[Jazzem]

EDIT: Since posting this thread, the user 'Silent' has released a mod that should keep the frame rate stable. You can read up on the mod's workings and download it here:

https://cookieplmonster.github.io/2020/05/16/silentpatch-wonderful-101/

I'll keep the original solution below for sake of reference, but Silent's method seems to be the way to go now.

Big big thanks to both Silent for their hard work on the mod, as well as GIladN for the original solution seen below :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

(special thanks to user GiladN for this solution)

[a version of this guide with screenshots is here: https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-wonderful-101-remastered-goes-up-on-kickstarter.168248/post-33416568]

1.Download the latest version of Special K from here: https://github.com/Kaldaien/SpecialK/releases/tag/sk_0_10_2
(SK_0_10_3.7z at the time of writing, near the bottom of page)


2.Load SKIM64.exe, click on Start Injecting and then load up Wonderful 101


3. If it worked, you should see a banner at the top of the screen with much info on Special K.


Use one of the provided shortcuts to open up the Special K window overlay (Ctrl+Shift+Backspace or Select/Back and Start)


4.Click accept on the terms and conditions window, and then you'll get a window with multiple options.

Click on "Advanced" on the "Framerate Limiter" tab (Where the mouse cursor is and make sure "Sleepless Render Thread", "Sleepless Window Thread" and "Framerate Limit" are all checked.


6. This next step you have two options:


-Always have SKIM64.exe open with "Start Injecting" enabled every time you launch the game. Your settings will be saved.
-Click on File>Install Wrapper DLL for this game in the top left corner of the Special K window.
Now, the Special K wrapper will launch with the game without needing SKIM64.exe open.


WARNING: For the 2nd option, make sure you don't have SKIM64.exe open+injecting when launching the game or it may crash.


5. Exit out of the above window (cross in top right or Ctrl+Shift+Backspace/Start+Select) and enjoy :D

Note: This may stop working after two hours based on GiladN's prior experience with using this on Platinum PC ports, if so simply relaunch the game.

Obviously can't vouch for this working 100% start to finish yet, but it improved things massively for the 45 minutes or so I played :)

[Mhmmm]

He's working on it, he will release it when it's done (he's a known modder, look up "Silent Patch")

[Lethal Placebo]

Originally posted by Mhmmm 2077:

He's working on it, he will release it when it's done (he's a known modder, look up "Silent Patch")

Ohhhh, my apologies, I didn't realize that.

[Bakkus]

Man, why do developers always mess up things lke these in the PC release...

[Lethal Placebo]

Originally posted by Bakkus:

Man, why do developers always mess up things lke these in the PC release...

This is literally a thing I've only ever seen in Platinum releases. Super annoying. On the flip side, I guess we're lucky to be getting PC versions at all...

[Jazzem]

Originally posted by Silent:

I'll just drop it here:
https://twitter.com/__silent_/status/1259917676874551301

I investigated the issue and looks like it has nothing to do with D3D, it's "just" a typical example of game's frame limiter code using Sleep, probably to "save CPU cycles". The issue is, timers on Windows are fairly inaccurate (by design, not a bug), and so it causes the game to "miss the deadline".

Just removing the Sleep makes the frame limiter much more precise! There definitely is more work in that regard (I think it might still be losing precision on some calculations), but it's much better already.

The best part is - the exact same fix works on Metal Gear Rising.

Ah fantastic!! That's so bizarre on the reasoning, whatever CPU cycles it saves surely can't be worth it

Thanks so much for your hard work, can't wait to use this :) Will update opening post with a link to this when it releases

[Bakkus]

Originally posted by Lethal Placebo:

Originally posted by Bakkus:

Man, why do developers always mess up things lke these in the PC release...

This is literally a thing I've only ever seen in Platinum releases. Super annoying. On the flip side, I guess we're lucky to be getting PC versions at all...

I was more referring to the fact that older console games that gets ported to PC pretty much always have some setbacks which is either really annoying or basically game breaking and never gets properly patched. Like, go through every 3D PS1/N64/Saturn game and every 3D DC/XBOX/PS2/GC game ported on here, like 80% of them have many not recommended reviews due to how badly they feel the game runs. Same goes for many games which came out the generation afterwards, too. Examples of this are Beyond Good & Evil, Psychonauts, Legacy of Kain series, Little King's Story. Prince of Persia trilogy, and to a smaller extent, games like Catherine and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. The sole exception to this rule I have observed are SEGA's ports on here. Those are generally well recieved. However, I always see people justify it by making confusing long-winded patch tutorials on how to bypass all of these problems which I have never gotten to work. Heck, it seems like the convoluted download tutorial in this thread only works for an hour at a time...

Oh, well, I still have a Switch preorder for this, so i'll survive.

[Lethal Placebo]

Originally posted by Bakkus:

I was more referring to the fact that older console games that gets ported to PC pretty much always have some setbacks which is either really annoying or basically game breaking and never gets properly patched. Like, go through every 3D PS1/N64/Saturn game and every 3D DC/XBOX/PS2/GC game ported on here, like 80% of them have many not recommended reviews due to how badly they feel the game runs. Same goes for many games which came out the generation afterwards, too. Examples of this are Beyond Good & Evil, Psychonauts, Legacy of Kain series, Little King's Story. Prince of Persia trilogy, and to a smaller extent, games like Catherine and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. The sole exception to this rule I have observed are SEGA's ports on here. Those are generally well recieved. However, I always see people justify it by making confusing long-winded patch tutorials on how to bypass all of these problems which I have never gotten to work. Heck, it seems like the convoluted download tutorial in this thread only works for an hour at a time...

Oh, well, I still have a Switch preorder for this, so i'll survive.

I totally understand your frustrations, though I think that the vast majority of ports are actually pretty decent. In terms of PS1/N64, lots of those games had DOS versions, and those are the versions here on Steam. So yeah, people don't like that they're basically buying a game that they have to emulate.

As for the PS2 era, lots of those games were primarily developed on console, then ported to PC, and PC gaming wasn't so uniform back then. Xinput didn't exist, so they either got half-baked controller support or none at all. Not to mention PCs were just different back then. For me, lots of those games run fine, like Psychonauts or Hitman: Blood Money.

But yeah, PC gaming, everyone's mileage varies.

[johnpinky7]

Originally posted by Silent:

I'll just drop it here:
https://twitter.com/__silent_/status/1259917676874551301

I investigated the issue and looks like it has nothing to do with D3D, it's "just" a typical example of game's frame limiter code using Sleep, probably to "save CPU cycles". The issue is, timers on Windows are fairly inaccurate (by design, not a bug), and so it causes the game to "miss the deadline".

Just removing the Sleep makes the frame limiter much more precise! There definitely is more work in that regard (I think it might still be losing precision on some calculations), but it's much better already.

The best part is - the exact same fix works on Metal Gear Rising.

Yeah that makes sense. That's the reason why using Special K option to keep render thread awake instead of sleep fixes it. However, it seems that the thread changes or something and Special K is not able to maintain the awake status after an hour. I am only guessing, as I am no where near knowledgeable enough to tear game engines apart. I hope you can figure it out though, we're rooting for you!

[FlyingFettucine]

Originally posted by Mhmmm 2077:

He's working on it, he will release it when it's done (he's a known modder, look up "Silent Patch")

Nice, I don't have to support Kaldeos scummy methods of distribution to use Special K

[Silent]

Originally posted by johnpinky7:

However, it seems that the thread changes or something and Special K is not able to maintain the awake status after an hour. I am only guessing, as I am no where near knowledgeable enough to tear game engines apart. I hope you can figure it out though, we're rooting for you!

That seems to be the case with my fix too, which makes sense as right now it's probably identical to SpecialK. However, I think I know what's wrong - my initial suspicion was that the frame limiter calculations lose precision because of them operating on floating points, and it appears like I might have been right after all.

It's obviously fixable, but I don't think it'll be compatible with Metal Gear Rising anymore. That's not an issue though, since I have a WIP patch for it too and so I can throw tailored code to that patch instead of trying to make the same file work with both games.

[Lethal Placebo]

Originally posted by Silent:

That seems to be the case with my fix too, which makes sense as right now it's probably identical to SpecialK. However, I think I know what's wrong - my initial suspicion was that the frame limiter calculations lose precision because of them operating on floating points, and it appears like I might have been right after all.

It's obviously fixable, but I don't think it'll be compatible with Metal Gear Rising anymore. That's not an issue though, since I have a WIP patch for it too and so I can throw tailored code to that patch instead of trying to make the same file work with both games.

You are a god among us mere mortals. I know it's not done yet, but I just wanna say thanks for all your hard work.

[ThreeSon]

Is it only MGR and Wonderful that are affected by this bug, even though all of Platinum's other games use their same in-house "Platinum Engine"? Are Nier, Bayonetta, Transformers Devastation, Vanquish, and Legend of Korra all not affected?

[Lethal Placebo]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

Is it only MGR and Wonderful that are affected by this bug, even though all of Platinum's other games use their same in-house "Platinum Engine"? Are Nier, Bayonetta, Transformers Devastation, Vanquish, and Legend of Korra all not affected?

Transformers: Devastation has it. Bayonetta starts running at a perfectly fine 60FPS, but after some play time, it drops to 59FPS, same as this bug. Nier Automata has it. I dunno about Legend of Korra.

Vanquish is completely unaffected by this bug.

[Silent]

In theory, I assume the same fix (with minor alterations) might work for every of those games, but I just don't have those and it's not something I'd be confident to do blindly.

[SixelAlexiS]

Originally posted by Silent:

In theory, I assume the same fix (with minor alterations) might work for every of those games, but I just don't have those and it's not something I'd be confident to do blindly.

Do your fix works for long period of time or it stop working after one hour or so like SpecialK fix?

p.s. what about resolution bug that doesn't allow to play properly at resolutions higher then 1080p, have you take a look to that too? Thanks.