FAQ

Is Breadbox only a Commodore Simulator?

Currently, yes, but the project has ambitions to incorporate additional computers, extending beyond the Commodore brand.

The actual progress of this goal hinges on the level of support it receives. The project’s expansion is contingent upon sufficient funding.

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Computer power-up takes some time

When you power on for the first time after installing or updating a new emulator, it may be a little slower. Subsequent startups should be faster.

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Computer does not start (emulator is installed)

First, attempt to power off the simulated computer, and then turn it back on. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, exit the Simulator view and give it another try.

Next, consider restarting the Breadbox or performing a reboot of your PC.

Note! This issue also arises on the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck runs on Linux, which is currently not supported.

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Splash screen is blank / computers are not visible in the simulator view

Your computer’s graphics card falls short of the requirements needed to run BreadBox.

Breadbox will only work on GPUs that support DirectX 11 with Shader Model 5.0 or higher.

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Game Controller doesn't work

If your controller is supported, then usually this happens if you plug in your controller when the emulator (the simulated computer) is already running. In that case, restart the simulated computer.

Then, if the problem continues, check if your controller is linked to a virtual joystick. In Simulator view open Settings - Input settings to see if it is selected. Verify also that the correct virtual joystick plug is attached to the computer in the Simulator view.

If the problem persists, detach/attach the joystick plug and verify if you need to use a different control port (C64). Sometimes the classic power OFF and ON (simulated computer) might help.

Also, don't forget to check the known issues related to your controller in the Breadbox Game Controller support section.

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Simulator view responds slowly to user actions / Animations stutter

Breadbox requires an efficient graphics card when used with default graphics settings. Likely, your graphics card is not powerful enough for default settings.

Test with different graphics settings and see how it affects the performance. Graphics settings are available on the Main menu page in the Setup panel. Try a lower resolution and with graphics quality set to Low.

You can also try removing unused items from the view. For example, the cassette has been reported to cause performance issues with lower-end graphics cards.

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The computer doesn't register all my key presses and responses are slow

This is also related to graphics card performance and perhaps also to CPU performance. If the graphics card is not efficient enough for Breadbox, it starts to affect other functions.

Lowering the graphics settings, e.g. resolution, may have a big impact. Zooming to monitor close-up view will also help on this issue.

Unfortunately, this problem strongly indicates that your current graphics card and/or CPU performance of your computer is not sufficient for this software.

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Keyboard input lag

When using the Breadbox with the recommended hardware, we haven't experienced any serious input lag that would affect normal use, including gaming. However, it's a fact that there is more delay in input as well as in output when compared to plain emulator usage.

If you experience input lag when using the Breadbox, it likely belongs to one of the following categories.

1. Hardware requirements

It is known that Breadbox requires high-performance hardware in terms of CPU and GPU. Our tests with various hardware and feedback from users have shown that when the hardware is not sufficient, it significantly affects the input delay.

You should try to lower graphics quality and screen resolution. Graphics settings are on the setup panel in Breadbox Main Menu.

If that doesn't help with this issue, check if the problem is related to other categories here.

2. Audio visual effect delay

In Breadbox there is a difference between the input signal sent to the emulator and between audio-visual effects. The audio-visual effect is the sound and animation of the keyboard key press. When the key press of the real keyboard press starts, it is not possible to start the audio-visual effect in real-time, and its execution can be seen and heard quite clearly with a small delay. As human perception is strongly affected by everything we see and hear, this may create a strong experience of an input lag. Despite the fact that the actual input signal is registered and displayed on the virtual monitor much faster than the audio-visual experience from the effects.

The simple solution is to disable the keyboard sound simulation. It will disable the sounds of key presses from the Breadbox when using the PC keyboard. But the sounds will still work when you use the mouse to click on virtual keys. You can disable the keyboard sounds from each of the computers from the setup panel in the simulator view, just uncheck the option: keyboard sound simulation.

3. It's a bug

There is always the possibility that the problem is caused by a software bug. Please try to analyze how it occurs and if it is still an issue after you restart everything.

Regardless, please report the problem to us.

4. Normal input lag

If the other three options are not effective, then it must be the normal input lag.

This means it is just a normal feature of the product. The normal input lag accumulates from the input (the key press) to the output (what you see on the monitor). Relaying signals requires a little extra work from the software. And perhaps it can be further improved in the future.

In our experience, it isn't affecting normal use, so we consider it a normal feature. But we'll leave the judgment to you, the user. If you experience that the normal input lag is too high, please report it.

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