Morphgear on HTC devices with Keyboards: FullScreen Landscape and Correct Key Mapping

[fire_z]

It seems people trying MorphGear on their HTC devices with Keyboards (HTC Hermes,Tytn II,Touch Pro, Touch Pro II etc.) are having problem with configuring/running MorphGear in full screen landscape and having issues on gamepad mapping in their hardware keyboards.

I have found a way to run playable games in landscape mode full screen with correct keypad mapping without installing anything except MorphGear and it's modules. (even no registry tweaking or adding files)

Although I have a non-HTC device (Acer Tempo M900), I see no reason why my method will not work on HTC devices with keyboards because:

1. They're both Windows Mobile
2. And of course, they all have keyboards.

So it got to work

Though speed may vary due to different processors.

There will be no screen resolution issues too. Acer M900 is WVGA and it runs MorphGear well in full screen landscape. Morphgear was made when VGA and QVGA devices dominated Winmo world.

So if you have an HTC device with hardware QWERTY keyboard and have issues in running Morphgear landscape full screen and glitches with mapping controls, please try my guide and let me know is my method works with HTC devices too, so all of us may enjoy running Morphgear in full screen landscape and use our keyboards as decent gamepad controls. Give me feedbacks if it will work or not If this guide does not work with HTC Devices I'm sorry to waste anyone else's time, I just want to share, like everybody is doing.


How to Install Morphgear in M900 (and make it work in landscape hopefully with HTC devices with Keyboards too)

A. GDI Landscape (Full Screen)

1.Download Morphgear 2.4.0.9 in the official site http://www.spicypixel.com/web/page/morphgear/Home.aspx . Extract the files anywhere on your PC.
2.Connect device with ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Center, run the .exe files and install (to memory card). First install MorphGearSetupPPC2003. exe then others.
3.On the device, Run MorphGear (located in Games folder). Be sure the device is in PORTRAIT mode.
4. Click settings icon (3rd from the right) and select Global Settings.
set the following:

Driver: GDI
0rientation: North
uncheck- Disable full screen
uncheck- use virtual pad
Check- Enable Sound
CPU Throttle: High

5. Soft Reset Device
6. When the device resumes, slide the screen to set screen to Landscape and run Morphgear. After starting Morphgear, make sure that the settings icons and the MorphGear logo are in landscape too. If not, check Global Settings again to configure it correctly.
7. Now depending on what ROM you want to emulate, open settings and choose an emulator, for example, if you have a NES ROM, Open iNES then set Screen Size to Windows Size (for full screen landscape).
8. Scroll down and set Input. Double tap the controls (up,down,left,right etc.) and select keyboard keys(or even hardware keys) to map game controls. Then press ok.
9. You'll return to the main screen. Select the Folder/Open File icon (first icon) to locate your ROM (in this case the NES rom),select it and the game will automatically start. Double Tap screen to activate full screen. Enjoy the game.
10. If you want to play another console rom (like gba,snes,genesis etc.) just repeat steps 7 to 9. To close current game, choose Stop icon (hand) and choose exit game (choose exit MorphGear to exit the app).


It is interesting to note that TurboGrafx-16,NES,MasterGear,Gameboy GB and GBC run well in full screen landscape (based on my M900). SNES,Gameboy Advance and Genesis ROMs will still be playable also, but there is a little speed drop.
To get more fps and smoother speed, adjust video size (step 7) to Fit Windows or smaller. (don't add more frameskip (default is 3), it will just make the speed choppy). There is another option in emulator settings named Image smoothing, which is like anti-aliasing and smooths graphics but noticeably affects speed. (I recommend not using this setting)

Speed

It is interesting to note that using the RawFramebuffer as a Driver gives better speed than GDI,(based on my M900)which works effortlessly in Portrait. But making it work in Landscape mode full screen is a little bit tricky.
To use Rawframebuffer in landscape:

B. Rawframebuffer Landscape: (Full Screen)

1. Repeat step 3 (of the above GDI guide)
2. Do step 4 (above) but change set settings to:

Driver: RawFramebuffer
0rientation: East
uncheck- use virtual pad
Check- Enable Sound
CPU Throttle: High

3. Soft Reset Device
4. When device resumes, slide to reveal keyboard (this will automatically sets screen to landscape).BUT BEFORE running MorphGear, with/while keyboard slided out, change Orientation to Portrait.
5. Run MorphGear. Check if the settings icons are vertically situated in the LEFT side and the MorphGear logo horizontal (if this is the case you're in the right track).
6. Repeat step 7 (above)
7. Now the tricky part, in mapping controls remember that the directions are not what they seem. For example if your using keys W-A-S-Z as UP-LEFT-RIGHT-DOWN (IN GDI landscape mode), WHEN using Rawframebuffer, UP=LEFT,RIGHT=UP, LEFT=DOWN, DOWN=RIGHT.
Yup it's a little bit confusing, but it's the only way to get logical direction controls. If you want to use W-A-S-Z, just set it this way:

UP-A
LEFT-W
RIGHT-Z
DOWN-S
And click ok.

8. Locate and Choose ROM.Tap screen to set Full Screen. Enjoy Game. (Refer to Step 9 above)
9. If you want to play another console rom (like gba,snes,genesis etc.) just repeat steps 6 to 8 on this Rawframebuffer guide.

NOTE: One important thing to remember is NEVER activate the device's LANDSCAPE mode WHILE using the RawFramebuffer or you'll end up a jumbled display. If this happens, just totally exit Morphgear via exit button or via task manager, switch to portrait mode while the keyboard is slided out and run MorphGear.

To sum up things, if you want to have Playable Games in Full Screen Landscape.

1. For TurboGrafx-16,NES,MasterGear,Gameboy GB and GB ROMs,use GDI.
2. For SNES,Gameboy Advance and Genesis ROMs,use RawFrameBuffer(TurboGrafx-16,NES,MasterGear,Gameboy GB and GB ROMs works great in RawFramebuffer too, but as I said, it's a little bit tricky.)

To have more speed.

1. Adjust screen size to Fit Window or Smaller.
2. Disable Image Smoothing.
3. For even more speed, play Games in Portrait Mode ( just set Global Settings/Orientation= North, applicable for both GDI and RawFramebuffer.) But why bother portrait, games are still playable in landscape,and our device have a KEYBOARD remember? (reminds me of the upcoming PSP GO)

Enjoy!

AFAIK this guide works with HTC TYTN I,HTC TYTN II,SE Experia,Acer M900 and TP1,TP2

Note:

I read somewhere that there is a workaround for htc touch pro and pro (button key 229 solution from rhodium thread)

1.
- Go to button setting in Morph Gear.
- before click the assign button press and hold the ctrl key
- then you can enter the hardware key you want

now you can play by holding ctrl and the mapped keys

2-
- go to global menu in Morph Gear
- in the submenu Input: click Polling Method

Miscellaneous:

To use a WVGA compatible Screen Gamepad (to use while playing in portrait mode) check here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=489147

For Game ROMS, just Google it

I also uploaded a video to show all how playable it is with Acer M900. Video is in here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XocdojhNpo

Below is a screenshot of a NES game I'm playing with M900.

[sfactor7]

Thanks for the tip. It worked like a charm. Now I can actually play games the proper way. By the way I have a htc tytn2 with windows 6.1.

[fire_z]

Nice to hear my method worked on an HTC device

Anyone tried my method on other HTC models with keyboard?

[saxsuperior]

Ooookay! Thanx for the superb step-by-step on how to setup MorphGear. I have the TMO TP2 w/stock ROM. I've had this app installed since Sep.15, 3 days after the release and I havent been able to figure out how to configure the console settings. So, I finally have the game up and running but when I got to assign my action buttons (particularly A, B, Select & Start), they all set as "229", whatever that means. What do think the fix to that could be. I'd appreciate any advise. I'm lost!

[Nuallan]

Hay,
I have the same problem, when I try to set the keys its "229"..
Maybe it is because I have the new manila 2.5.1919..?
Did you find away to have it set?

[saxsuperior]

nope... nothins changed. i still cant use my other keys. same results.

[fire_z]

it seems there is really an issue with touch pro/2 keys...

I read somewhere that there is a workaround for htc touch pro and pro (button key 229 problem from rhodium thread)

1.
- Go to button setting in Morph Gear.
- before click the assign button press and hold the ctrl key
- then you can enter the hardware key you want

now you can play by holding ctrl and the mapped keys

2-
- go to global menu in Morph Gear
- in the submenu Input: click Polling Method

[Nuallan]

hey,
I just found your other post in the Rhodium-thread and wanted to add this here, but you already did ;o)
But one should add that you mean the ctrl-key, it confused someone.
Thanks a lot for this advise, it worked with my rhodium!

[audible_paradigm]

Originally Posted by saxsuperior Ooookay! Thanx for the superb step-by-step on how to setup MorphGear. I have the TMO TP2 w/stock ROM. I've had this app installed since Sep.15, 3 days after the release and I havent been able to figure out how to configure the console settings. So, I finally have the game up and running but when I got to assign my action buttons (particularly A, B, Select & Start), they all set as "229", whatever that means. What do think the fix to that could be. I'd appreciate any advise. I'm lost!

I used to have that problem on my hermes until I used the cab from this post. It seems to be connected with the T9 function.

Now that I have a Touch Pro running a wm6.5 rom I am unable to exit from the settings menu, any ideas? it may be something to do with the thinner taskbar.

[huyha80]

Interesting. Thanks