Rayman 2

[Snagglebee]

Every computer up to 2005 can play Rayman 2 on 60 FPS locked! It doesn't need such performance. Just MMX and Glide or DX6 that's all.

[Master]

Hm, but Rayman 2 is from 1999.
It's funny that Rayman 2 suffers from a few quirks to us in the modern day, such as its refusal to actually run on widescreen even when the trick is applied.

[Adsolution]

Every computer up to 2005 can play Rayman 2 on 60 FPS locked! It doesn't need such performance. Just MMX and Glide or DX6 that's all.

Regardless of what [insert framerate counter here] says, the PC version does not run at a constant 60 FPS. Back then, engines weren't built to be nearly as scalable as they are now.

[Master]

Indeed, I can tell from eye alone, but I've also had FRAPs show a distinct drop from 60 to 30, and sometimes back up, there's no fluctuating in between, it either is at 60, or 30.

[Shrooblord]

Now you mention it, I've noticed the framerate drops to 30 in menus when using FRAPS, but goes up to 60 when in-game. That's the only difference in framerate I've ever experienced.

[Master]

Mine does that randomly, there's no distinct pattern I can find.

[Adsolution]

Having briefly grazed some primitive 3D engines, I know that there were often specific, busier areas within levels where the designers would choose to slap a on a framelimit to balance out your GPU's usage - or it could be programmed to be dynamic so that when things get busy or your GPU heats up, it drops to 30 (the latter being more risky). In the 90s, GPUs had very poor temperature regulation, and if allowed to run at 60 FPS in said busier areas, could overheat. Back then the 'recommended system requirements' were a lot more literal, as it could be the difference between running close to or at the max framerate, and having a game that crashes your computer every five minutes, potentially causing burst capacitors, (which are actually somewhat physically toxic if they really blow and the fumes are ejected through the case fan), and since back then integrated GPUs were almost solely used (and mostly were only up until the the mid-to-late 2000s, that would mean needing to replace the whole motherboard.

Whether this is the case with Rayman 2 I'm not sure, but I think it's reasonably safe to assume that it is.

[Master]

I see, intriguing.
I guess Rayman 2 wasn't really future-proofed though, in terms of the technology behind it.
Hmm, is this the sort of thing that cannot be changed, as it's too deep? Or something that can be remedied?

[Rulez]

it may b 2deep4u

[Adsolution]

I see, intriguing.
I guess Rayman 2 wasn't really future-proofed though, in terms of the technology behind it.
Hmm, is this the sort of thing that cannot be changed, as it's too deep? Or something that can be remedied?

I highly doubt it's possible to fix, as in the case of it being dynamic, it would be part of the engine itself, and in the case of it being placed manually by the level designers, it would be compiled into the level data. If we're eventually able to decompile the levels from the N64 version like what's been done with Super Mario 64 (Toad's Tool 64), then it's a possibility, but our fanbase doesn't appear to be nearly big or old enough to have members that are known to possess that kind of hacking skill.

[Droolie]

I've got a question for the people with an ear for music here (that's Ad and Shroob and some others probably). Two ears, preferably.
I've been looking for the Rayman 2 samples to make my game's music more Rayman-y (I'm already using a couple of samples I cut from the songs).

Based on Eric Chevalier's old site, he had the following samplers:

• Akai S 6000 X2 / CD 3000 XL
• ROLAND SP 760 X4 / SP 700

I left out the synthesizers because Rayman 2's score doesn't sound synthesized at all.

I listened to several tracks of all of those samplers and I hadn't found any similarity yet. Nor did I find anything about a Roland SP-760, so I just assumed he meant the Roland S-760, which is apparently a lot like the SP-700 which he also listed.
But I may have found a similarity just now.

Some samples used in the song at 1:30 in this video sound quite Rayman 2-like to me. And the drumroll at 2:40 reminds me of one of the Revolution pirate songs even though the sound is not completely the same and it could probably be replicated with lots of different samplers.

Basically, my question is, does anybody think it could be that sampler, or has anybody had any luck finding the right one? (only for those who tried finding it, of course - I know Shrooblord has, for one)
Or am I doomed to live my life in ignorance - never to find out the secret behind the magic of Eric Chevalier?

[Adsolution]

I have no doubt that many of those samples in the S-760 are the same samples used in Rayman 2 (marimba, choir, harp, percussion), they sound too ridiculously similar to not be. Unless we ever find something called the "SP 760", then I'm sure that either this is the one, or this is the closest we can get.

[Shrooblord]

I recognise a lot of instruments from Rayman 2 in what no is Kontakt 5 by Native Instruments. The double bass plays just too similar when I imitate the bass from Riding the Shell (Menhir Hills) and some of the drum noises in some of the drum machines are spot-on the same. I think whatever library of instruments he once used evolved into becoming the Kontakt series. Actually, it was because of you guys that I knew what gear Chevallier had. You are to thank that I now (very happily so) own Kontakt 5.

You're right about some of the sampler's sounds sounding alike. I believe you are right.

[Rulez]

(that's Ad and Shroob and some others probably)

(no mention of Rulez)


yae fuk u 2 drolpee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd gladly help if I had sound at this moment, though.

[Droolie]

Sorry Rulez :'(

I'm considering buying the sample library from here and then converting it to a Kontakt library with CDXTRACT. It just seems a little expensive as I only want a few samples from it and I'm not even sure whether all the samples I want are in there. :/

[Rulez]

Sorry Rulez :'(

sokay!!!!!!!!! i luv ur ass

[Droolie]

Sorry Rulez :'(

sokay!!!!!!!!! i luv ur ass

So do I. ^^

For everyone interested, today I found out both Eric Chevalier and the Rayman M composer Claude Samard used Spectrasonics libraries for their percussion: Liquid Grooves contains lots of Rayman 2 samples (drums only and exact rhythms too), and Burning Grooves contains some Rayman M rhythms. Those two libraries were available for the Roland S760 at the time but are now part of Stylus RMX which is pretty awesome, everyone interested should get it!

[Goldfist]

Mine personally is the PS1 version, that's because that and the PS2 versions are the only ones I have lol and in the PS1 version I love the voice acting and the game is just well put together, even though it has the worst graphics of all versions, and I prefer English over gibberish. PS2 is my least favourite because it's glitchy, has bad quality(mainly in sound), buggy, has bad and rushed voice acting, I don't like the free roaming, and you don't get enough help with what you're supposed to do. Overall it's a badly made game that seems rushed and in desperate need of a clean-up. It's pretty cool that it has English AND gibberish voices though. And I heard Dreamcast is the definitive version, I've got the N64 ROM for my Android N64 emulator Mupen64PLUS, but the game won't play.

[Rayfist]

Did a new topic for this have to be created? I think this could have been posted on the R2 topic...

[Goldfist]

Ummmm is there a way to remove this one? lol