Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

General Emulation Discussion

1181921232437

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    Yeah it's a pain now agreed, but it makes things a LOT less painful when you're putting it all together under LaunchBox, and you've very very little set up to do then because you've already done 90% of it.

    Must do's for Dolphin:

    1) Make sure you're running the dev versions, and NOT the latest stable (which is ancient by now). Grab the latest once here - https://dolphin-emu.org/download/

    2) In the Graphics tab, set the following options:
    Backend - OpenGL
    Aspect Ratio - Auto
    V-Sync - ON
    Use Fullscreen - ON

    Shader Compilation - Asynchronous (Ubershaders) (bottom left of the four options)
    Compile shaders before starting - ON

    Then change tab to the Enhancements tab:
    Internal Resolution - Set to 3X (default for 1080p screen)
    Antialiasing - 4x
    Post processing - OFF
    Leave everything else as default, apply & save.

    3) In the Config tab, set the following options:
    Interface Options:
    Confirm on Stop - OFF
    Always hide mouse cursor - ON

    Paths Options:
    Point Dolphin to your GC & Wii games locations

    ^^ That more or less covers the recommended settings, and all that's left to do is config your controls. I'd recommend picking up a Wii U GameCube controller adapter, as Dolphin has native support for it baked in. You can then use a real GameCube controller...but an Xbox One controller will work fine too.

    That's dolphin done then :) Load up F-Zero GX and when you've picked your jaw up from the floor, come back & let us know!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,524 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    And now I can't wait to get home from work to try it out!

    I don't really see my self faffing about with Wiimotes again, so GC emulation is perfectly fine.

    Also, 3DO stuff works great too, had a blast through Need for Speed (All blessings be upon it) and it runs wonderfully.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,846 ✭✭✭Steve X2


    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    And now I can't wait to get home from work to try it out!

    I don't really see my self faffing about with Wiimotes again, so GC emulation is perfectly fine.

    Also, 3DO stuff works great too, had a blast through Need for Speed (All blessings be upon it) and it runs wonderfully.

    Have you had a look at the 3DO emulation settings in retroarch? A few overclocking and upscaling options in there worth checking out(mostly helps 3D rather than 2D games).


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,524 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Steve X2 wrote: »
    Have you had a look at the 3DO emulation settings in retroarch? A few overclocking and upscaling options in there worth checking out(mostly helps 3D rather than 2D games).

    Not as yet, just got it working with the bios files in the right place, and then off to the races, literally!

    Return Fire I'll be trying out later on, love that bloody game.
    And, I don't know if I will have the time to invest in Star Control II, but I wish I did!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    And now I can't wait to get home from work to try it out!

    I don't really see my self faffing about with Wiimotes again, so GC emulation is perfectly fine.

    Also, 3DO stuff works great too, had a blast through Need for Speed (All blessings be upon it) and it runs wonderfully.

    Let me know how you get on with Dolphin. Then I'll talk about Shaders with you for your RetroArch cores....makes a HUGE difference.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 8,930 ✭✭✭Doge


    Came across a Nintendo Switch emulator last night called yuzu iirc. It's definitely in early days but these emulator Devs don't f*ck around!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    Doge wrote: »
    Came across a Nintendo Switch emulator last night called yuzu iirc. It's definitely in early days but these emulator Devs don't f*ck around!

    You only seeing it now? They've made savage progress over the last ~18 months. Check out their Patreon & you'll see why ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    How are you getting on Cidey, have you had a chance to try the above Dolphin settings?


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,524 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Inviere wrote: »
    How are you getting on Cidey, have you had a chance to try the above Dolphin settings?

    I tried Metroid Prime Trilogy and it was a chugging mess at least 50% of the time.
    Which is disappointing.
    Probably a settings issue, but still.
    I briefly tried WiiU emulation...
    Ain't doing that again!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    I tried Metroid Prime Trilogy and it was a chugging mess at least 50% of the time.
    Which is disappointing.
    Probably a settings issue, but still.
    I briefly tried WiiU emulation...
    Ain't doing that again!

    Hmm, something not right there Cidey. Did you use the settings I posted above? Try switching the video backend from opengl to vulkan and see if it improves.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    Also what's the exact version of Dolphin you're using? You definitely have the horsepower for Dolphin, so just a matter of figuring out what the issue is


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,524 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Inviere wrote: »
    Also what's the exact version of Dolphin you're using? You definitely have the horsepower for Dolphin, so just a matter of figuring out what the issue is

    I'll have another root this evening.
    I'm trying to track down all of the rom folders for everything, so I have to assign a core to every individual file or should it do so automatically?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    I'll have another root this evening.
    I'm trying to track down all of the rom folders for everything, so I have to assign a core to every individual file or should it do so automatically?

    Assuming you're using the storage drive for all this, my advice is the following setup:

    1) A folder called Emulators at the root of the drive
    2) A folder called Roms at the root of the drive.
    3) A folder called LaunchBox at the root of the drive.
    4) OPTIONAL - A folder called Rom Archive (this will house full rom sets as they're nearly easier to get than individual roms these days. That way you can just grab a game from the romset to drop into your normal Roms folder at a later date

    Give RetroArch, Dolphin, etc, their own folders in the Emulators folder.
    Give all your roms, e.g. Sega MegaDrive, Sega Saturn, etc, their own folders in the Roms folder.

    In terms of RetroArch cores...all you need to do is get RetroArch up and running. From there on, LaunchBox will take care of the rest (ie, running certain roms with certain cores...LaunchBox will handle this). Install Launchbox (free version for now) into the LaunchBox folder, and we'll get to that soon. Let's try sort out your Dolphin issues, then we'll move to RetroArch (which won't take long), and finally onto LaunchBox (unless you specifically want to do it differently?)

    But firstly Cidey...spend a few mins doing some housekeeping:

    1) Make sure the version of Windows on the machine is up to date
    2) Make sure you install the latest graphics card drivers for the GPU
    3) Make sure the latest DirectX is installed
    4) Uninstall ANY & ALL unneeded software from the machine too
    5) Make sure nothing is running in the background that doesn't need to be

    ^^ the above should only take a few mins, but will ensure you're moving in the right direction and will rule out potential issues.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,524 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    I just tried the recommended settings for Dolphin and it's still frame dropping, as well as a flickering band across the top of the screen.
    More testing later on


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere




  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,524 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Inviere wrote: »
    What version Dolphin Cidey?

    I have no idea, and now I'm in work...

    More reporting later...


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,844 ✭✭✭✭Tom Mann Centuria


    Have got myself a Shield TV, any decent guides for setting that up for emulation? I don't think it's performance is up to GameCube but I think it is competent with older systems?

    Oh well, give me an easy life and a peaceful death.



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    Have got myself a Shield TV, any decent guides for setting that up for emulation? I don't think it's performance is up to GameCube but I think it is competent with older systems?

    It's fine for older systems. I don't know how it'd handle the run-ahead feature as it's more demanding, but for retro systems and things like overlays & shaders it's competent enough. GameCube is very hit and miss, so I'd have to say it's a no for GC and up.

    They're a fantastic little all in one device though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,735 ✭✭✭pinksoir


    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm5JownUOeDWXia3oxGBGh9HOiQaRCFpv

    I generally check out this dude's videos to get info about emulation on the shield. The playlist above covers the performance of the later era retro consoles (Saturn onward). I haven't tried, but it looks like there's good performance for a good bit of Dreamcast stuff.

    He also has a video about setting up Retroarch if you search his vids.

    I've managed to get pretty decent GC performance on quite a few (even most) games (certainly playable), and got some Wii stuff running albeit with some slowdown.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,844 ✭✭✭✭Tom Mann Centuria


    Sorting it out is half the fun, thanks lads. Have all my streaming apps sorted, and have Xbox game pass working quite well (not perfect though) so retro gaming is my next project for tomorrow.

    Oh well, give me an easy life and a peaceful death.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    pinksoir wrote: »
    I've managed to get pretty decent GC performance on quite a few (even most) games (certainly playable), and got some Wii stuff running albeit with some slowdown.

    I'm quite fussy when it comes to emulation. I go by a rule of thumb that means if the hardware being used for emulation can't (at the very least) match the visuals/performance of the original hardware being emulated, then it's not up to the task. The slightest framerate dips really break things for me, which is why imo the Shield isn't a great choice for GC and above.

    That said, Dreamcast emulation on the Shield looked excellent from my limited testing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,857 ✭✭✭The_B_Man


    Got an email update on the Sinden Lightguns
    Kickstarter non-recoil being shipped by October. Indiegogo ones shipped by start of November.
    Then recoil units start being shipped November, and into December, coz apparently there was a hardware issue after stress testing, as well as the firmware being too big to fit in the internal memory of the chip.


    Discord:
    https://discord.gg/B67hgt4


    Wiki:
    https://sindenlightgun.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page


    I'm waiting on 2 recoil guns myself. Was hoping to be using them by now, as per initial date on Indigogo, but it looks like I'll be waiting til Xmas.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,430 ✭✭✭✭McDermotX


    Aye....same here, though i wasn't expecting till Nov in the first place I think, probably a longer wait now.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,735 ✭✭✭pinksoir


    Inviere wrote: »
    I'm quite fussy when it comes to emulation. I go by a rule of thumb that means if the hardware being used for emulation can't (at the very least) match the visuals/performance of the original hardware being emulated, then it's not up to the task. The slightest framerate dips really break things for me, which is why imo the Shield isn't a great choice for GC and above.

    That said, Dreamcast emulation on the Shield looked excellent from my limited testing.

    I'm not quite so fussy but totally agree that dips in frame rate can be a bummer. For example, Mario Kart DD runs pretty well for the most part, yet there's enough slowdown there in parts that it definitely affects the experience (especially the first lap, something related to the assets cache IIRC). By a similar token, Mario Kart Wii is all but unplayable with the drops in FR, where you can be hitting something like 30 out of 60 FPS fairly often.

    But unlike you I'd be a bit more forgiving a lot of the time!

    I mean, a Wii is so cheap (many have one already) that using the Shield in place of it is pointless. But then, my Wii is in Ireland and I live in Spain currently, so for me it's a decent option.

    Dreamcast emulation does look good, and so does the bit of Saturn emu I've seen.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,430 ✭✭✭✭McDermotX




  • Registered Users Posts: 8,930 ✭✭✭Doge


    Ive been having great fun with it!

    So accurate and so fast, its well worth it.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,693 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Got a hankering to sink about 150 hours into Tactics Ogre as it's one of the all time classics that I've never played.

    Tried the latest PSP emulators and they are all still pretty bad. Frameskipping and sound issues and the odd graphical glitch. The same issues I had when I tried FF Tactics. It's a shame. I could play it on PSP or Vita but feel I'll have more success finishing it on PC.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    Got a hankering to sink about 150 hours into Tactics Ogre as it's one of the all time classics that I've never played.

    Tried the latest PSP emulators and they are all still pretty bad. Frameskipping and sound issues and the odd graphical glitch. The same issues I had when I tried FF Tactics. It's a shame. I could play it on PSP or Vita but feel I'll have more success finishing it on PC.

    Seems to be specifically awkward to run. From Reddit:

    "It depends on what part of the game is playing. Turning off Block Transfer Effects really improved performance for me, while having the occasional janky text box or something. The overhead map and rain effects slow down emulation, not too sure why there, plus it almost seems random, since occasionally it's been crystal clear, other times the overhead map murders my FPS. Hardware Transform also really helped."


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,693 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Inviere wrote: »
    Seems to be specifically awkward to run. From Reddit:

    "It depends on what part of the game is playing. Turning off Block Transfer Effects really improved performance for me, while having the occasional janky text box or something. The overhead map and rain effects slow down emulation, not too sure why there, plus it almost seems random, since occasionally it's been crystal clear, other times the overhead map murders my FPS. Hardware Transform also really helped."

    I might just roll out the PS TV and get some use out of it. Soundtrack is spectacular and the constant skips and static noise every so often is especially jarring.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 7,418 ✭✭✭Inviere


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    I might just roll out the PS TV and get some use out of it. Soundtrack is spectacular and the constant skips and static noise every so often is especially jarring.

    Sounds like the best solution for the moment all right


Advertisement