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Emulation Guide #6 - Sega Model 3 using the Supermodel Emulator

The Model 3 arcade board was somewhat unsuprisingly the follow up the Sega's hugely successful Model 2 Arcade Board.  It took the huge leap forward in 3D polygon graphics from Model 2 a further step up with some of the best arcade games of the decade - primarily sequels to the best Model 2 games

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So, how do you emulate those classics -  Daytona USA 2, Sega Rally Championship 2, Virtua Fighter 3 and of course Scud Race?  Keep reading and view the attached YouTube video!

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For Model 3 emulation your best (perhaps only) bet is the Supermodel emulator.  For this tutorial I downloaded the current version (r803) from the Supermodel forum - which you will have to register for to access the appropriate link.  An out of date version can be found on their website - but your best bet is the forum to enjoy the best experience.  Links to both below:

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Supermodel Forum (You'll need to register - the latest version is found in the "CatwalK" section...):  https://www.supermodel3.com/Forum/index.php

 

Supermodel website (Old version):  https://www.supermodel3.com/Download.html

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This emulator is operated via the Command Prompt (Don't panic - it's easy!), there are some unofficial (not developed by the emulator coders) UIs available, but I personally believe it is better to setup the emulator via the command prompt and then if you want a UI use LaunchBox (other arcade front ends are available).  But I may come back to a UI in the future.

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A number of these games were ported in some form to the Sega Saturn/Dreamcast or PS2 - in some ways these are better optimised for Xinput controllers so if you are after a specific title you might want to consider which version to opt for.  But the full fat Arcade version, emulated or not, is my preference.

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You will obviously need some games, and there is a link below to Internet Archive which has the majority of the Roms for the Model 3 stored in their extensive archive.  I can't vouch for all of the ROMS as I have not tested them all - but the Internet Archive generally provides a good source for ROMS. If you do have issues then consider having a look at my wider games hunting advice.

 

Points to note:

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  • Most of us have multi core CPUs, so do use X64 version of the emulator

  • I copy and paste my ROMS directly in to the folder that has the supermodel.exe file, in my case the X64 folder

  • Once you have pointed the command prompt to the correct folder all instructions to the emulator start:supermodel 

  • The emulator does come set up for X input controllers and keyboard encoders - but you will want to make a few changes - specificaly using trigger buttons for accelerating and rahing in driving games.  The instruction to configure controllers is:supermodel -config-inputs

  • To start a game type:supermodel romname.zip 

  • In the start game instruction you can tell Supermodel to adjust the resolution by adding; -res=1280,960  or 1440,1080 it's up to you how high you try and push it if your systenm can handle it,  -fullscreen is pretty self explanatory Also add: -quad-rendering to make the Model 3 graphics rendering authentic.

  • In total then your instruction might be:supermodel daytona2.zip -fullscreen -res=1280,960 -quad-rendering

  • Remember - this is emulating an arcade board and you might need to enter the test menu (Key "3" if you have not reconfigured controls, Key "1" then moves through menu items and "3" selects/actions) to reconfigure cabinet types or recalibrate some controls.

  • Press Esc to exit any game

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If you do want to add these to your LaunchBox setup then the configuration for the emulator setup is in the video

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As ever with emulation nothing is perfect, Sega Rally Championship 2 is a bit glitchy but overall this works realy well - in 1080p with Quad rendering they could pass for games half their age!

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Hope you enjoy the video and give this a try.  Until the next one - Go Well!

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Archive.org links:

Roms: 

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