[REQUIRED] How to use dgVoodoo2

# **THE STEPS IN THIS GUIDE ARE REQUIRED FOR SUBMITTING ALL SPEEDRUNS!**

# Why do I need dgVoodoo2?

Starting June 4th, 2023, dgVoodoo2 is required for all future speedruns. The reason for this is simple: consistency for speedrunning. The program provides a compatibility layer for DirectX 7 and Glide, and most importantly, it allows us to force VSync to be on. This is important because the game seems to have been designed around VSync. It acts strangely when it's off - for example, the Minis on Loading screens move way too fast, Yellow falls extremely fast when walking off of platforms, and collision detection is slightly different. There's a few spots where the collision detection is noticeable - the easiest example is in Level 5-A. If you hold forwards as soon as the level starts, you'll notice Yellow will walk forward a few steps before getting stuck on some invisible wall. With Vsync on, this wall isn't there.

Forcing Vsync to be on also fixes the game running way too fast if you turn the Music Volume completely off in the Options menu on certain computers.

# How To Setup dgVoodoo2 [DirectX]

1. Before we get started, please make sure that Direct3D is selected in the game's Config.EXE file and that your graphics card is selected in the Device drop-down list. **NOTE: If you're running the game without the CD, please remember that clicking "Apply" in Config.EXE will result in you having to redo the steps needed to run the game without the CD. It will also remove any settings that are set in the in-game Options menu (Picture Quality, Audio settings, Controller settings, etc.)**

2. Go to the [dgVoodoo2 download page](http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/) and download the Latest Stable Version zip file. Open the zip file and extract the following files into the game's installation folder:

- dgVoodooCpl.exe
- dgVoodoo.conf
- The 4 DLL files located in MS\x86\

3. Open dgVoodooCpl.exe. Click on the DirectX tab at the top. At the bottom, make sure "Force vSync" is checked. Make sure to also uncheck "dgVoodoo Watermark" unless you like having watermarks on the screen. When you're done, click "Apply" and "OK".

4. Verify that Vsync is on by using the examples listed in the first section of this guide. If you need to check if dgVoodoo is hooking onto the game process at all, you can temporarily turn on the watermark.

5. **If you experience graphical bugs such as everything looking white, please try setting the Output API (General tab) to use Direct3D 12. If that doesn't work, reset the Output API to "Best available one" and then try using the Glide method below.**

# How To Setup dgVoodoo2 [Glide]

1. Go to the [dgVoodoo2 download page](http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/) and download the Latest Stable Version zip file. Open the zip file and extract the following files into the game's installation folder:

- dgVoodooCpl.exe
- dgVoodoo.conf
- The 3 DLL files located in 3Dfx\x86\

2. Open the game's Config.EXE file and select Glide. Then make sure that "Voodoo2" is selected in the Device drop-down list. **NOTE: If you're running the game without the CD, please remember that clicking "Apply" in Config.EXE will result in you having to redo the steps needed to run the game without the CD. It will also remove any settings that are set in the in-game Options menu (Picture Quality, Audio settings, Controller settings, etc.)**

3. Open dgVoodooCpl.exe. In the General tab, I recommend selecting "Windowed", "Keep window aspect ratio", and "Center app window". Everything else can be left alone. You can switch between Windowed and Fullscreen in-game by pressing Alt-Enter.

4. Click on the Glide tab at the top. At the bottom, make sure "Force vSync" is checked. You can also uncheck "3Dfx Watermark" and "3Dfx Splash Screen". I haven't been able to get the watermark/splash screen to show up on my computer, but maybe they do on other setups. When you're done, click "Apply" and "OK".

5. Verify that Vsync is on by using the examples listed in the first section of this guide.

Fixing Music-Related Bugs

This guide will show you how to:
* Fix the MIDI music sounding strange
* Fix 99% of the music looping lag

# Why is this happening?
You may have noticed that with Windows 8 (and especially Windows 10) that the MIDI Music does not play quite right. You also may have noticed that the game lags every time the music loops. This is because of the default Windows MIDI Out device: Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth. This device is what causes the lag (I assume due to poor buffering methods), and it has been performing worse and worse with each new Windows version. It's also why sometimes instrument tracks cut out, which is why the music sounds strange at times. I don't have a Windows 11 machine to test, but I can only assume that it's as bad as 10.

# How to Fix These Issues
1. You will need to download and install CoolSoft's [MIDI Mapper](https://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/midimapper) and [VirtualMIDISynth](https://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/virtualmidisynth) software. Basically, VirtualMIDISynth is going to be an alternative MIDI Out device, and MIDI Mapper is a program that will allow us to set the default MIDI Out device to VirtualMIDISynth.

2. Find a SoundFont that you like. A SoundFont is pretty much a file that contains a bunch of instruments that will be used to play the MIDI music files. VirtualMIDISynth supports *.sf2 and *.sfz SoundFont files, and there are some links to free SoundFonts available on the download page. If you want the SoundFont that Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth uses, [someone has converted it into SF2 format](https://reddit.com/r/midi/comments/hes9ej/microsoft_gs_wavetable_synth_as_a_sf2/). Once you've found one you like, place it in a permanent location on your computer.

3. After you've installed both programs, open CoolSoft's MIDI Mapper program (C:\Program Files\CoolSoft MIDIMapper\MIDIMapper.Configurator.exe). Select VirtualMIDISynth as the default MIDI device, then click "Apply" and "Ok".

4. Next, open VirtualMIDISynth (C:\Program Files\VirtualMIDISynth\VirtualMIDISynth.exe) and click the green arrow to select your preferred SoundFont file.

5. Go to the Options tab and change "Additional output buffer" from 250 to 0. Click "Apply" and "Ok".

Now you can open the game and see how it sounds! The music loop lag should also be gone (or at least extremely reduced) due to VirtualMIDISynth being a much better MIDI Out device.

# Adjusting The Volume
The Sound Volume and Music Volume adjusters in the game's Options menu are already buggy and confusing to begin with, but thankfully using VirtualMIDISynth actually makes it easier to adjust these settings!

1. Adjust the Sound Volume setting however you like it.
2. To adjust the Music volume, first make sure it's not completely off in the Options menu. Next, you'll have to open VirtualMIDISynth's MIDI Mixer. This can be done by right-clicking VirtualMIDISynth's icon in the taskbar tray, or by using the global shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + M. Once the Mixer is open, just slide the "Master" slider to whatever you like.

How To Fix Issues With Jumping

If you're experiencing problems with Yellow not jumping (more specifically, when you're trying to jump diagonally), it's probably due to what's called Key Rollover. To put it simply, it's because your keyboard cannot handle certain key combinations being pressed at the same time.

My keyboard suffers from this issue when trying to jump diagonally in certain directions with the arrow keys and spacebar.
The solution is simple: Rebind your keys.
I have my movement keys set as the arrow keys, jump as the 's' key, and attack as the 'a' key.
Whether or not my key bindings will work for you depends on if your keyboard can handle it.
It's best to just try things out for yourself to see what works and what doesn't.

If you can't find a comfortable solution, try a different keyboard, or purchase one that's of decent quality.

Run The Game Without CD

This guide will show you how to make the game run without having to insert the original CD or mount an ISO. It will actually make the game portable as well, so you can put it on a USB or something.

1. Make a copy of the game's installation folder on your Desktop and open this new folder. It's best to do it this way because of Windows file permission shenanigans.
2. Delete Unwise.exe and M&M's The Lost Formulas.uns. This step isn't necessary, but these files are just for uninstalling the game and aren't required for the game to run.
3. Insert your original CD or mount your ISO and open it in Windows Explorer. Copy the DATA folder from the CD/ISO into the game's folder, saying Yes to merging folders and overwriting any existing files. You can eject your CD/ISO once the copy process is finished.
4. Open Config.EXE and configure the game however you want. It's important to do this now. I'll explain why later.
5. Open the Setup.cfg file in Notepad. You'll see it saying not to edit this file manually.. Yeah, ignore that.
6. Find the line that says "set G_DataPath". Change its value from whatever your CD drive letter is to the value ".\" (without the quotes).
7. Now make a new line and type the following: set G_NoCDCheck 1
8. Save the changes you made and close Notepad. Try opening the game (MnMs.exe) and see if it works.

**NOTE: If you need to use Config.EXE to change anything, you will have to do steps 7 and 8 again because it will remove this line for whatever reason. It will also remove any settings that are set in the in-game Options menu (Picture Quality, Audio settings, Controller settings, etc.)**

Running the French Version

The only available CD rip of the French version uses copy protection. Because of this, the disc image (MDS/MDF files) needs to be mounted for the game to launch. MDF is a proprietary format that belongs to Alcohol Soft, so Alcohol Portable or Alcohol 120% are required for mounting the disc image. Alcohol Portable is recommended if you do not own Alcohol 120%.

Alcohol Portable: [https://www.alcohol-soft.com/alcohol_portable.php](https://www.alcohol-soft.com/alcohol_portable.php)

Alcohol 120%: [https://www.alcohol-soft.com/](https://www.alcohol-soft.com/)

While there may be other programs out there that can mount MDS/MDF files, they may not be able to mount them properly to perfectly emulate the copy protection. WinCDEmu is one of these programs that do not work.

Setup.cfg Values

These are the values that you can use in the game's Setup.cfg file.

Currently, G_ModeNum and G_RefNum need more researching as to what they do.

G_DataPath - Path to the game's DATA folder. Can be relative.

G_InstallPath - Path to the game's installation folder.

G_NoCDCheck - Boolean to skip checking for a real CD.

G_ScreenX - Horizontal screen size.

G_ScreenY - Vertical screen size.

G_BitDepth - Graphical bit depth.

G_Refresh - Refresh rate.

G_FullScreen - Boolean for whether the game is Fullscreen or Windowed.

G_Renderer - Sets the graphics renderer. 0 = Glide, 1 = OpenGL, and 2 = Direct3D.

G_Device - Sets the graphics device.

G_Antialias - Boolean for using Full Scene Antialiasing.

G_Tripple - Boolean for using Triple Buffering.

G_Trilinear - Boolean for using Trilinear Mip-Map Filtering.

G_VSync - Boolean for whether VSync is on or not.

G_ModeNum - Unknown

G_RefNum - Unknown

G_BinkHi - Boolean for whether the game uses the high-quality or low-quality movie files.

G_BinkFitToScreen - Boolean for forcing the movies to be stretched to fit the screen.

G_Quality - Changes the game's Picture Quality. 0 = High, 1 = Medium, 2 = Low.

G_SwapStereo - Boolean for using reverse stereo for the game audio.

VOLUME_SFX - Sets the volume of the game's sound effects.

VOLUME_MIDI - Sets the volume of the game's MIDI music.

The following is the game's controls configuration.

You can assign 2 keys for every control (CTRL1 and CTRL2) and one Joystick key (CTRLJ).

You can't customize a Joystick key for the Left, Right, Up, and Down controls since the game detects them automatically. You can set a control value to -1 to disable it.

CTRL1_LEFT

CTRL2_LEFT

CTRL1_RIGHT

CTRL2_RIGHT

CTRL1_UP

CTRL2_UP

CTRL1_DOWN

CTRL2_DOWN

CTRL1_JUMP

CTRL2_JUMP

CTRLJ_JUMP

CTRL1_ATTACK

CTRL2_ATTACK

CTRLJ_ATTACK

CTRL1_INFO

CTRL2_INFO

CTRLJ_INFO

CTRL1_MENU

CTRL2_MENU

CTRLJ_MENU

Where To Find All The Formula Pieces

Collecting the Secret Formulas will lead to Bonus Levels every time you finish a Zone with all three pieces collected.

There are 39 Formula pieces in the game, and they only appear in the Start and End Zones of every level EXCEPT for Get Out of Town and The Shocking Truth's End Zone. That means you won't find any in the Math Zones or the Bonus Levels, either.

Each Formula has three pieces, and there are four kinds of Formulas to find:

The Crispy Formula (Blue) - Leads to Ride the Rocket Bonus Level

The Milk Chocolate Formula (Brown) - Leads to Robot Stampede Bonus Level

The Peanut Formula (Yellow) - Leads to Pipe Down Bonus Level

The Peanut Butter Formula (Red) - Leads to Track Trouble Bonus Level

A YouTuber by the name of [Jake Eyes](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChn3IUZXktVj96rlHycCXHA) has made a video that shows where to find all 39 pieces:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ604VRzSiQ

Where To Get The Game (and the Demos)

You can find the game on online marketplaces such as Amazon or Ebay, or you can download it from one of the following places:

M&M's: [The Lost Formulas - English](https://www.myabandonware.com/game/m-m-s-the-lost-formulas-dvh#download)

M&M´s: Las Fórmulas Perdidas - Spanish - No known download.

M&M's: [Les Formules Perdues - French](https://www.myabandonware.com/game/m-m-s-the-lost-formulas-dvh#download) - **NOTE:** Alcohol Portable or Alcohol 120% is required for the French Version to run. [Click here for more info.](https://www.speedrun.com/mms_the_lost_formulas/guides/7ffq6)

M&M's: [Die Geheimformeln - German](https://archive.org/details/formulas_202107)

M&M's: De Verdwenen Formules - Dutch - No known download.

M&M's: הנוסחה האבודה - Hebrew - No known download.

If you know where to download any of the languages that currently do not have a download, or if you know of any other languages that the game was available in that's not currently listed, please let me know!

There were also three Demos that were available for download back in 2000.

You can find them by [clicking here.](https://www.dropbox.com/s/01skjlx2k3gafr7/M%26M's%20The%20Lost%20Formulas%20Demos.zip?dl=1)

The demos are for the following levels:

Get Out of Town (Math Zone)

Oh Chute! (Start Zone)

Track Trouble (Bonus Level 4)

M&M's: The Lost Formulas

Quinchie

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first News post for this game!

# There's been an update to the speedrunning rules for this game
1. I have figured out why the game's physics, collision, and framerate aren't consistent between different computers. The answer is - as far as I can tell - VSync. The g

Naam	Auteur
[REQUIRED] How to use dgVoodoo2	jdl 2 years ago
Fixing Music-Related Bugs	jdl 2 years ago
How To Fix Issues With Jumping	jdl 4 years ago
Run The Game Without CD	jdl 2 years ago
Running the French Version	jdl 1 year ago
Setup.cfg Values	jdl 4 years ago
Where To Find All The Formula Pieces	jdl 4 years ago
Where To Get The Game (and the Demos)	jdl 4 years ago