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Demon's Souls now playable in RPCS3 with 60/120fps and 4k

Dontero

Banned
amazing news for fans:



New Demon’s Souls 60FPS+ patch

Hello, I’m Whatcookie, an RPCS3 contributor. I’m here today to talk about the brand new 60FPS patch for Demon’s Souls. But before we discuss the details of the patch, let’s first take a look at some 4K 60FPS gameplay:



Demon’s Souls has long been one of the most popular titles for RPCS3. When it went ingame for the first time it made gaming headlines everywhere. I had been following RPCS3 pretty loosely at the time, but when Demon’s Souls went ingame I finally tried out the emulator. Back then the graphics were quite broken, and I was lucky if the framerate went over 20FPS. But despite all that it was still amazing to me. I thought to myself “Wow, it will be so incredible when the game is playable at 30FPS… maybe in 2 years or so”. The game ended up being very playable much earlier than I expected, all the way back in 2017. Since performance was so solid I thought that it would only be a matter of time before someone out there would make a 60FPS patch.

Fast forward 2 years and there still was no (proper) 60FPS patch. And I had already started to contribute to RPCS3, and created a patch to unlock the framerate in NieR. I assumed that a framerate patch for Demon’s Souls must be impossibly difficult since the only 60FPS patch that was made broke the gamespeed and caused everything to run twice as fast. On a complete whim, I decided to try running Demon’s Souls with the new generic FPS unlocking methods by developer eladash. I knew that since the game used a fixed timestep instead of delta time, the game wouldn’t be playable at proper game speed but I was curious about just how much faster Demon’s Souls was compared to two years ago. Since I’ve had the same quad core desktop PC since the start of 2017, I would be able to see just how much the software has improved.

des230.jpg


Turns out RPCS3 has gotten a LOT faster over the past 2 years!

“Wow, RPCS3 is really fast now. But it’s midnight now, I’ll try investigating a patch for proper game speed at 60FPS tomorrow.” I said to myself. Next morning, before I got breakfast I had the game running at proper speed with high framerates.
The patch simply changes the amount of time that’s advanced each frame from 33.3ms to 16.7ms. Since the patch is meant to be used with Vblank at 120 which doubles the max framerate, this lets us get a correct game speed at 60FPS. After that, it is then necessary to set Clocks scale to 200 to re-enable the games internal frameskipping at 60FPS, without which you will drop game speed every time your computer can’t hold 60FPS. I’ve also included another line that’s commented out by default (has the symbol # at the start of the line) which sets the timestep to 8.3 ms. This is meant to be used with Vblank at 240 and Clocks scale at 400 for proper gamespeed at 120FPS.
I’m sure you’re itching to play Demon’s Souls at 60FPS by now so let’s go over all the steps you’ll need to take to get it running on RPCS3:
  1. First of all, you’ll need the EU or US disc version of Demon’s Souls. Only the disc versions will currently work.
  2. Next, you’ll need to right click on Demon’s Souls in the game list and click Configure.
    On the CPU tab, ensure that SPU block size is set to Safe (which is the default setting).
    On the GPU tab, ensure that Write color buffers is enabled and the Renderer is set to Vulkan.
    Once the above changes are made, hit Save and you’ll be back to the game list.
  3. Right click on Demon’s Souls again and click on “Open custom config folder” and open the corresponding config file. In This file you will need to set:
    Clocks scale: 200
    Vblank Rate: 120
    Log: {sceNp: Fatal}
    Please note that all the above options are case sensitive.
  4. Finally, download the patch here and place it in your RPCS3 folder. If you are on Linux, then place it in ~/.config/rpcs3/.
While the above instructions are ideal at the time of writing this blog post, be sure to check for the ideal settings for this game in our wiki. RPCS3 advances fast and the ideal settings may change from week to week. With the patch enabled at 60FPS, I’m able to get a locked 60FPS 95% of the time on my i7 7700K. If you have a Ryzen 3000 or i7 8000 series desktop CPU then you can reach 60FPS 99% of the time. Of course as the emulator continues to improve further, the system requirements will continue to drop lower and lower.
Users should also note that the FPS counters are inaccurate with Demon’s Souls as the game will automatically output duplicate frames when the framerate drops below its FPS cap. It is for this reason that FPS counters, even third party software like Afterburner will improperly report 60FPS at all times with the patch enabled because the game is outputting duplicate frames. This is not a bug, its just an unfortunate result of how the game works. To properly measure frame-rates you will need to use tools to analyse video footage, or enable the debug overlay and look out for when the draw calls change.

I hope you enjoy the patch. It’s been killing me since I’ve had to keep it secret for a few days so that we could make this blog post and the YouTube video. If you’re happy with the patch then please consider making a donation to our Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina While RPCS3 is already stable and performant enough to run games such as Demon’s Souls at 60FPS, there’s no end when it comes to things that can be improved when talking about emulation of a system as complex as the PlayStation 3.

Closing Words
If you would like to contribute to the project, you can do so either by contributing code, helping the community or becoming a patron. RPCS3 has two full-time developers working on it who greatly benefit from the continued support of the many generous patrons. In exchange, patrons also get special support over on our Discord server and get access to early updates directly from our lead developers. If you are interested in supporting us, consider visiting our Patreon page at the link below and becoming a patron, or join our Discord server to learn about other ways of contribution.
 
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Aintitcool

Banned
I really want to read a feel good story about sony going out to these guys and working with them. Because 60fps on demon souls is a huge accomplishment. The tricks of how to make the gameplay stay consistent at the higher frame rates is the real key info a PS3 emulator on PS5 needs. I hope sony goes with an open format for their emulator where users can create or improve profiles because the PS3 library has the most crazy exotic coding of any console.
 
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johntown

Banned
I have been waiting for this as I tried the original patch and playing the game at 2x speed was not really worth it. The emulator makes the game look really nice at 4k and now with 60fps it will be smooth too.

THANK YOU!
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Its not hyperbole. Its not fanboy drivel. This is literally it for the PS3. Sony just lost their last ace in the hole.
 

Barakov

Gold Member
Running into the Valley of Defilement at 60fps would make that place a little more bearable. Just a little, though.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Doesn't seem to be working for me. Followed the isntruction to a T, but ingame I have 29-30 fps constantly :(

Edit: Fixed it! Changed PPU Decoder option to "LLVM Recompiler" and now I have steady 60 fps. It is freaking awesome!!!
 
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jadefire66

Member
Is there a step by step guide somewhere on how to install this game and make it work properly? Last time I did something like that it worked fine except the game stuttered like crazy every second, despite the emulator telling me I had constant 25-30 FPS and it was completely unplayable. Something about shader cache something, I dunno.
 

#Phonepunk#

Banned
envying the first timers here! i played this after DS3 and was thrilled to see that it is basically Dark Souls 1 but maybe even better? so many things you think began in Dark Souls were in this first entry, I was kind of surprised at how awesome it was. first time through is a lot of fun, you will see a lot of familiar faces and places.

this runs really well damn. they have made some incredible strides! what a glorious way to first experience this game.
 
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johntown

Banned
Can’t seem to get mine to work. Problem with config file. I don’t see any options for Clocks scale or vblank rate? I have tried manually inserting in various places to no effect. Just super slowdown with everything running half speed.

If someone has this working please post the section of the config file where these things go. I do have the Log part at the bottom though.
 
D

Deleted member 738976

Unconfirmed Member
Big deal. The PS3 emulator has been available and full speed even before the PS3 was released.

Someone had to get the movie game joke out of the way but I seriously hope they do more work on Metal Gear Solid 4.
 

Holammer

Member
Installed the latest build and managed to get it to work at 1440p/60, it does bear the indelible stamp of its PS3 origin, but the improved framerate and resolution makes it look and feel amazing. I will definitely give it a proper go later as I never played the game before.
RPCS3 should add a cheat/hack menu to reduce the process to simply clicking a checkbox. I'd hate to do all this again if I download a new build.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Because us true Souls fans predate your little "Praise the Sun".

Now give us a Sticky White Stuff reaction and we will talk.

Umbassa.
Hey, I imported an Asia-region copy just like the rest of the OGs. I'm just sayin', if there's an option to give a Souls reaction, why split hairs?
Qy6SoNx.png
 
demon's souls is still my favorite in the series.

it's got the most broken magic, bullshit environments and cheesy bosses, but it's got that atmosphere and original factor going for it.

boss 3-3 won't carry the same weight but I'd love to piss another 50 hours away on this, will check it out.
 
Obligatory complaining post pertaining to the legality of emulation or the lack thereof because... freeloading.

Done. Other than that this is pretty cool if you already own the game and want to see it in this light.
 

Life

Member
Doesn't the game have to load every other second for cache/shaders or whatever? It's only when you go through areas a second time that these things don't have to load again.

I was excited to try this emu before and hardly anyone mentioned this to me.
 
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Dontero

Banned
Is there a step by step guide somewhere on how to install this game and make it work properly? Last time I did something like that it worked fine except the game stuttered like crazy every second, despite the emulator telling me I had constant 25-30 FPS and it was completely unplayable. Something about shader cache something, I dunno.

That was old build of RPCS3 it also chugged for me too. With this setup i get around 50-55fps in stress situations slowing down a bit game but 0 stuttering. Download latest build and do what article says and you will get stutter free experience. Also first time you get into new area shaders will need to compile such stutter is normal and it happens only once.

Can’t seem to get mine to work. Problem with config file. I don’t see any options for Clocks scale or vblank rate? I have tried manually inserting in various places to no effect. Just super slowdown with everything running half speed.

If someone has this working please post the section of the config file where these things go. I do have the Log part at the bottom though.

ad article itself carefully. Vblank etc is in custom settings not in normal settings and how to find it is in article. Everything you need to run game in in article itself.

Um, quick point of personal privilege, um guys,

Why isn't every single reaction emoji for the OP a
RKkGVGI.png
?

Becuase Praise the Sun comes actually from people saying Umbassa in original Demon's Souls. Later on when most of mainstream people joined dark souls train they got Umbassa changed to Praise the sun.

So heathens should be purged.

Umbassa.
 

Pejo

Member
I watched the entire gameplay video, it looks so good. I'm busy with work stuff this week, but I'm definitely going to dig into this in a week or two. Demon's Souls is still overall my favorite souls game, despite all the refining that's come after it. It has a unique atmosphere, and Maneaters/Flamelurker still gave me more trouble than any other boss in the souls series. Part of that was me being entirely new to the souls formula, but I can't wait to get back in and try again.

Thanks for the awesome OP and your work on the project.
 
i just setup rpcs3 the other day strictly for demons souls - good thing i didn't get too far in!

now if they can somehow get multiplayer working....
 

Patrick S.

Banned
I watched the entire gameplay video, it looks so good. I'm busy with work stuff this week, but I'm definitely going to dig into this in a week or two. Demon's Souls is still overall my favorite souls game, despite all the refining that's come after it. It has a unique atmosphere, and Maneaters/Flamelurker still gave me more trouble than any other boss in the souls series. Part of that was me being entirely new to the souls formula, but I can't wait to get back in and try again.

Thanks for the awesome OP and your work on the project.


It plays good, too :) Feels like an entirely different game, it's a bit hard to get used to the different timing of the moves.
 

Psajdak

Banned
was mgs4 a spu heavy game?
Well, for a while now I only knew that the biggest problem with MGS4 was that it was designed incredibly close to PS3 structure, and most recently that it actually had uncapped FPS, but due to graphics, it couldn't go very high, unless one would activate Night Vision Goggles, so less things would be rendered.
 

jadefire66

Member
That was old build of RPCS3 it also chugged for me too. With this setup i get around 50-55fps in stress situations slowing down a bit game but 0 stuttering. Download latest build and do what article says and you will get stutter free experience. Also first time you get into new area shaders will need to compile such stutter is normal and it happens only once.

Nevermind, my problem is unfixable because I'm on Windows 7. Asked around the rpcs3 discord, they said my version, my PC and my settings are fine, so that's the only thing that's left. For me the game is super stuttery all the time and the framerate is pretty poor too. Guess I'll have to wait longer until I decide to install that piece of crap that is Windows 10 (which will be on a different HDD as I'm never getting rid of 7).
 
Wow, I don't think I've seen any Demons Souls gameplay since I played it back in 2009. The nostalgia is real.

I might have to get this. Do any of the online features work in RPCS3?
 
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