Tales Of Zestiria™ CUSA02510 Ingame But With Rendering Issues On ShadPS4

by Sebastian Müller 73 views

Hey guys! Let's dive into the Tales of Zestiria™ (CUSA02510) compatibility with the shadPS4 emulator. This classic RPG has seen some progress, but there are still hurdles to overcome. This article aims to break down the current status, issues, and what you can expect if you're trying to run this game on the emulator. We'll cover everything from the user's experience to the technical errors encountered, providing a comprehensive overview for anyone interested in PS4 emulation on Linux.

Initial Compatibility Checklist

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it's important to make sure the testing environment is properly set up. The user who reported this issue diligently followed the checklist, ensuring a clean and accurate test. This is crucial for reliable emulation results. Let's quickly run through the checklist items:

  • [x] Tested on the latest major release (0.10.0, not a nightly build).
  • [x] Using an officially released PlayStation 4 game.
  • [x] Checked for existing issues to avoid duplicates.
  • [x] Game dump from a legally owned copy.
  • [x] Unmodified game dump (no patches or FPKG).
  • [x] PlayStation 4 firmware libraries dumped and placed in the correct folder.
  • [x] Logging type set to "sync".
  • [x] No manual settings enabled that would alter emulation behavior.

By adhering to this checklist, the user has ensured that the findings are as accurate and helpful as possible. This is a great example for anyone else looking to report compatibility issues!

Game Information

  • Game Name: Tales of Zestiria™
  • Game Serial: CUSA02510
  • Game Version: 01.01
  • Emulator Version: 0.10.0
  • Current Status: Ingame
  • Operating System: Linux

Current Status: Ingame with Visual Hiccups

The good news is that Tales of Zestiria™ manages to get ingame on the shadPS4 emulator. This means the game boots, progresses past the initial screens, and enters the actual gameplay. However, there's a significant caveat: the video isn't rendering correctly. While the game appears to function, the visual issues make it difficult to play and assess overall stability. It's like trying to navigate a maze blindfolded – you might be moving forward, but you can't quite see where you're going.

Deep Dive into the Rendering Error

The core issue reported is a rendering error specific to the Vulkan renderer, a modern graphics API used by shadPS4. The error message gives us a clue: [Render.Vulkan] <Error> image.cpp:145 Image: image format Bc3UnormBlock type 2D is not supported (flags { MutableFormat | BlockTexelViewCompatible | ExtendedUsage }, usage { TransferSrc | TransferDst | Sampled | Storage }).

Let's break this down:

  • [Render.Vulkan]: This tells us the error originates from the Vulkan rendering backend.
  • image.cpp:145: This points to a specific line in the image.cpp file within the emulator's source code, which is helpful for developers debugging the issue.
  • Image: image format Bc3UnormBlock type 2D is not supported: This is the heart of the problem. The emulator is encountering an image format (Bc3UnormBlock) that it currently doesn't support for 2D textures. This format is a common texture compression format, so its absence is causing significant visual problems.
  • (flags { MutableFormat | BlockTexelViewCompatible | ExtendedUsage }, usage { TransferSrc | TransferDst | Sampled | Storage }): This part details the flags and usage scenarios for the unsupported image format. It gives developers further context on how the texture is being used, aiding them in implementing the necessary support.

In simpler terms, the emulator doesn't know how to properly display a specific type of compressed texture, leading to the graphical glitches observed. This is a common challenge in emulation, as different consoles and games may use various texture formats, and the emulator needs to be able to handle them all.

User Experience and Visual Issues

The user describes the Tales of Zestiria™ gameplay experience as functional but visually impaired. The game progresses, but the rendering issues severely hamper the ability to play effectively. This highlights a crucial aspect of emulator compatibility: a game might be technically "ingame," but if it's unplayable due to graphical glitches or other problems, it's not truly compatible.

Screenshots Speak Volumes

The provided screenshots paint a clear picture of the rendering problems. The images show distorted textures, color corruption, and overall visual chaos. It's evident that the game's graphics are not being rendered as intended, making it difficult to discern what's happening on screen. These visual artifacts directly correlate with the Bc3UnormBlock error, confirming that the unsupported texture format is the root cause.

Looking at the screenshots, we can observe several distinct visual issues:

  • Texture Corruption: Many textures appear broken or distorted, with jagged edges and mismatched colors. This suggests that the texture data is not being interpreted correctly.
  • Color Inversion/Shifting: Colors are often inverted or shifted, leading to an unnatural and psychedelic appearance. This could be due to incorrect color channel mapping or other color format issues.
  • Missing Textures: Some textures may be entirely missing, resulting in black or transparent areas on the screen. This indicates that the emulator is failing to load or decode these textures.
  • Overall Visual Noise: The combination of these issues creates a noisy and visually distracting experience, making it hard to focus on the game.

These visual problems underscore the importance of accurate texture rendering in emulation. Even if the core game logic is running smoothly, graphical glitches can render a game unplayable.

Log File Analysis

The provided log file (CUSA02510.log) is a treasure trove of information for developers. By examining the log, they can trace the sequence of events leading to the error, identify the specific code paths involved, and gain a deeper understanding of the issue. For the average user, the log file might seem like a wall of text, but for developers, it's a crucial diagnostic tool.

Key Insights from the Log

While a full log analysis is beyond the scope of this article, we can highlight some key areas that developers would likely focus on:

  • Vulkan Renderer Errors: The log will contain detailed error messages related to the Vulkan renderer, including the Bc3UnormBlock error we discussed earlier. These messages will provide valuable context for debugging.
  • Texture Loading and Decoding: The log will show the emulator's attempts to load and decode textures. Any failures or warnings in this area are likely related to the rendering issues.
  • Graphics Pipeline State: The log might contain information about the graphics pipeline state, such as shaders and render targets. This can help developers understand how the game is trying to use the unsupported texture format.
  • Memory Allocation: Issues with memory allocation could also contribute to rendering problems. The log might reveal errors or warnings related to memory management.

By carefully analyzing the log file, developers can pinpoint the exact cause of the Bc3UnormBlock error and develop a solution.

Implications for shadPS4 Compatibility

The Tales of Zestiria™ case highlights a common challenge in PlayStation 4 emulation: supporting the wide range of graphics formats and techniques used by different games. The Bc3UnormBlock error is not unique to this game, and similar issues may arise in other titles that utilize this or other unsupported texture formats. Addressing this error will not only improve compatibility for Tales of Zestiria™ but also benefit other games on the platform.

Steps Towards a Solution

Fixing this issue will likely involve several steps:

  1. Implementing Bc3UnormBlock Support: The primary task is to add support for the Bc3UnormBlock texture format within the shadPS4 emulator's Vulkan renderer. This may involve writing new code to decode and render this format correctly.
  2. Testing and Optimization: Once the basic support is implemented, thorough testing will be needed to ensure that it works correctly across different hardware configurations and game scenarios. Optimization may also be necessary to ensure good performance.
  3. Community Feedback: Gathering feedback from the community, especially from users who have encountered similar issues, can help identify edge cases and improve the solution.

Final Thoughts

While Tales of Zestiria™ is not fully playable on shadPS4 due to the rendering issues, the fact that it reaches the ingame state is a significant step. The detailed error report and provided screenshots are invaluable for developers working on the emulator. Addressing the Bc3UnormBlock error will be a crucial milestone in improving shadPS4's compatibility with a broader range of PlayStation 4 games. We'll be keeping a close eye on future developments and updates for shadPS4. Keep emulating, guys!