Dolphin - Emulating Wii and Gamecube Games

Seik said:
By the way, xJavonta, since I saw your Dolphin games list I saw that you could save space by compressing your Wii games into .gcz with Dolphin's tool, just in case you didn't knew. It doesn't affect performance or anything, it makes the file just as big as the original WBFS file. I saved tons of space using this. Just SMG2 could save you like 3Gb. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, I had no idea Dolphin had such a feature lol. I'm running kind of low on HDD space too (241GB left on my 1TB Data drive), so this is actually going to help out. Thanks!

Is there a setting I can enable in USB Loader on my Wii that will compress them automatically after ripping them?
 
So I finally got Dolphin running, have the HBC installed again, but I simply can't rip my discs, my external HDD doesn't seem to work, it's unable to mount it...

Since the Dolphin site only gives me 502 errors I am pretty lost as to how I should go about it. Is there anything I should put on the HDD? Or do I need to format it?


Is there a site where I can read this up, since like I said the original site is 502.

Thanks in advance.
 
Yeah, the original site is down. Which version of Dolphin is the latest? Is 3.0 good enough? If so, I can just get it off cnet, but if there's more that I need...(I already have all the necessary peripherals, have already synced my wiimote to the PC, have a HDD with ripped Wii games, etc.)

Oh, btw - is there a way to rip WiiWare games from your Wii to HDD for use with Dolphin?
 
Dambrosi said:
Yeah, the original site is down. Which version of Dolphin is the latest? Is 3.0 good enough? If so, I can just get it off cnet, but if there's more that I need...(I already have all the necessary peripherals, have already synced my wiimote to the PC, have a HDD with ripped Wii games, etc.)

Oh, btw - is there a way to rip WiiWare games from your Wii to HDD for use with Dolphin?
Click to expand...

Yeah it is unfortunate that all the usefull links in this thread are basically useless now. I wanted to download some of those settings for various games.

Does anyone know how to make Dolphin recognize my NVidia GT630M instead of just the default Intel HD 4000?
 
fabricated backlash said:
So I finally got Dolphin running, have the HBC installed again, but I simply can't rip my discs, my external HDD doesn't seem to work, it's unable to mount it...

Since the Dolphin site only gives me 502 errors I am pretty lost as to how I should go about it. Is there anything I should put on the HDD? Or do I need to format it?


Is there a site where I can read this up, since like I said the original site is 502.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
What format is your HDD in and what USB port on the Wii are you plugging it into?

Dambrosi said:
Yeah, the original site is down. Which version of Dolphin is the latest? Is 3.0 good enough? If so, I can just get it off cnet, but if there's more that I need...(I already have all the necessary peripherals, have already synced my wiimote to the PC, have a HDD with ripped Wii games, etc.)

Oh, btw - is there a way to rip WiiWare games from your Wii to HDD for use with Dolphin?
Click to expand...
3.0 is fine, but I'm using 3.0 751-dirty and it solves any problems that I had playing some games with 3.0

You have to dump your NAND then use a Wad Packer to dump the WW games. You'll need an SD card though.

fabricated backlash said:
Yeah it is unfortunate that all the usefull links in this thread are basically useless now. I wanted to download some of those settings for various games.

Does anyone know how to make Dolphin recognize my NVidia GT630M instead of just the default Intel HD 4000?
Click to expand...
Go to Graphics => Adapter => select "Nvidia GT630M"
 
My i7-3770k arrived earlier today, and ever since it's been installed, all Dolphin games are running beautifully. I still need to test F-Zero GX.
 
Kokonoe said:
My i7-3770k arrived earlier today, and ever since it's been installed, all Dolphin games are running beautifully. I still need to test F-Zero GX.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you'll get better frames than me since you're on an i7-3770k and I'm on an i3-2100 but I have trouble getting more than 45 FPS in F-Zero
 
xJavonta said:
What format is your HDD in and what USB port on the Wii are you plugging it into?


3.0 is fine, but I'm using 3.0 751-dirty and it solves any problems that I had playing some games with 3.0

You have to dump your NAND then use a Wad Packer to dump the WW games. You'll need an SD card though.


Go to Graphics => Adapter => select "Nvidia GT630M"
Click to expand...


Well I solved those problems for now, my main problem now is that even though I set up my Laptop for High performance, Dolphin is mostly running like shit. I tried various versions and I mostly get 15 to 35 fps with various glitches, bugs and crashes. I tried watching if it was my processor, but at a max of 30% usage I doubt that it's actually a problem of my hardware. I'm using 3.0-766.7z and Project Zero 2 works almost perfect aside from the annoying sound distortion in some cutscenes. I have it running at a 20-30 fps, and my cpu just shows 30% stress during that.

Is there a way to download game profiles that optimize the settings for each game or do I have to do that all on myself?

Btw, these are my specs:

i7 3612 QM @ 2.1 GHZ
Nvidia GT 630M
8 GB DDR3 RAM

Is there a way to see if the Intel Turbo Mode is actually engaged or if I'm stuck at 2.1 GHZ which would probably explain a lot.
 
fabricated backlash said:
Well I solved those problems for now, my main problem now is that even though I set up my Laptop for High performance, Dolphin is mostly running like shit. I tried various versions and I mostly get 15 to 35 fps with various glitches, bugs and crashes. I tried watching if it was my processor, but at a max of 30% usage I doubt that it's actually a problem of my hardware. I'm using 3.0-766.7z and Project Zero 2 works almost perfect aside from the annoying sound distortion in some cutscenes. I have it running at a 20-30 fps, and my cpu just shows 30% stress during that.

Is there a way to download game profiles that optimize the settings for each game or do I have to do that all on myself?

Btw, these are my specs:

i7 3612 QM @ 2.1 GHZ
Nvidia GT 630M
8 GB DDR3 RAM

Is there a way to see if the Intel Turbo Mode is actually engaged or if I'm stuck at 2.1 GHZ which would probably explain a lot.
Click to expand...
Yeah there is. I'm not at my computer right now so off the top off my head I'd say it's...

Right click game

Click on properties

Bottom of the window, look for edit config or something similar

Edit that text document based off the config you found (usually found on Dolphin forums)

Save and close.


Also, even though you have an i7 it's clocked at 2.1 GHz. That's a huge limiter. Dolphin only uses two cores, so having a dual core that's clocked at 3.0 GHz versus a quad at 2.0 GHz can make a huge difference.

And try changing the priority of Dolphin in the Task Manager, may help the speed a bit.
 
Guys and gals,

For running Dolphin, how does the Ivy 3570k compare to the Sandy 2500k? Or how about an i7 vs an i5?

Trying to decide how to upgrade my Phenom 2. Hoping to pick something that can properly run Dolphin with a modest overclock. Thanks!
 
So...the sensor bar is optional if playing with a Wiimote on the pc? I need to go out and buy a bluetooth adapter at Best Buy (make sure it is one that is supported) and if I had to I was going to buy a sensor bar. But if I don't need it...
 
xJavonta said:
Yeah there is. I'm not at my computer right now so off the top off my head I'd say it's...

Right click game

Click on properties

Bottom of the window, look for edit config or something similar

Edit that text document based off the config you found (usually found on Dolphin forums)

Save and close.


Also, even though you have an i7 it's clocked at 2.1 GHz. That's a huge limiter. Dolphin only uses two cores, so having a dual core that's clocked at 3.0 GHz versus a quad at 2.0 GHz can make a huge difference.

And try changing the priority of Dolphin in the Task Manager, may help the speed a bit.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the quick reply. I watched the Turbo boost monitor while playing RE4, and whenever the clock went up to 2.8 i got solid 30fps with no hickups. Too bad that the workload fluctuates so it would go to 2.1 and back up again various times, making for some pretty low fps at times. Still playable though.

Also the workload on the 2 cores seems to be very uneven. Most of the time one core had a full workload while the second one got a meager 20%.
 
Kelegacy said:
So...the sensor bar is optional if playing with a Wiimote on the pc? I need to go out and buy a bluetooth adapter at Best Buy (make sure it is one that is supported) and if I had to I was going to buy a sensor bar. But if I don't need it...
Click to expand...

The sensor bar (or anything else emitting two infrared points) is needed as soon as the Wiimote is used for pointing.
 
Xdrive05 said:
Guys and gals,

For running Dolphin, how does the Ivy 3570k compare to the Sandy 2500k? Or how about an i7 vs an i5?

Trying to decide how to upgrade my Phenom 2. Hoping to pick something that can properly run Dolphin with a modest overclock. Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you're looking to get a GPU upgrade too, get the 2500k and spend the extra money towards a good GPU. Dolphin isn't really reliant on the GPU as much as the CPU, but a good OC'd 2500k can rival a 3570k at stock. Of course when you OC the 3570k the OC'd 2500k will fall behind, but with Dolphin it's not exactly a huge deal. Remember, Dolphin uses two cores. Possibly more if you're messing with some HSP LLE audio stuff, which most people don't do since the default audio settings sound good enough.

But a better GPU will help you raise the internal resolution and you can force AA through your GPUs control panel to limit the load on your CPU.

Kelegacy said:
So...the sensor bar is optional if playing with a Wiimote on the pc? I need to go out and buy a bluetooth adapter at Best Buy (make sure it is one that is supported) and if I had to I was going to buy a sensor bar. But if I don't need it...
Click to expand...
You don't need it unless the game relies on the pointer. Skyward Sword is almost unplayable without the sensor bar, for example.

fabricated backlash said:
Thanks for the quick reply. I watched the Turbo boost monitor while playing RE4, and whenever the clock went up to 2.8 i got solid 30fps with no hickups. Too bad that the workload fluctuates so it would go to 2.1 and back up again various times, making for some pretty low fps at times. Still playable though.

Also the workload on the 2 cores seems to be very uneven. Most of the time one core had a full workload while the second one got a meager 20%.
Click to expand...
You're on a laptop right? It's probably downclocking itself to protect the parts. Have you tried elevating it off the surface or a cooling pad? It'll help prevent this and should give you a more stable clock speed when using Turbo Boost.

And yeah, the workload will be uneven. At most, Dolphin uses 2 cores, so one core will usually be doing most of the work while the other supplements it when necessary
 
Hmm NMH2 plays better with a pad you say? I was under the impression that the game had tons of "waggle" inputs and motions.
 
Corky said:
Hmm NMH2 plays better with a pad you say? I was under the impression that the game had tons of "waggle" inputs and motions.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but the second one has CC/CCP support and the game "feels" much better with an X360 pad. It's a personal preference of mine, I'd prefer to use the pad over the Wii Remote's waggle controls any day though. I'm the same person who thinks Skyward Swords motion controls are unnecessary and the game should have come with an option to use a controller. So you may feel the waggle controls are better, but the game feels more fluid to me with a controller.
 
xJavonta said:
Yeah, but the second one has CC/CCP support and the game "feels" much better with an X360 pad. It's a personal preference of mine, I'd prefer to use the pad over the Wii Remote's waggle controls any day though. I'm the same person who thinks Skyward Swords motion controls are unnecessary and the game should have come with an option to use a controller. So you may feel the waggle controls are better, but the game feels more fluid to me with a controller.
Click to expand...

I see, always wanted to play the NMH games and I'd probably go for a pad as well. Well as good as I thought the motion controls were in SS I'm still not a fan of motion controls and would rather pick over a wii-mote any day if possible.
 
Is it just me or the official Dolphin website is down since like, 2 days?

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xJavonta said:
You're on a laptop right? It's probably downclocking itself to protect the parts. Have you tried elevating it off the surface or a cooling pad? It'll help prevent this and should give you a more stable clock speed when using Turbo Boost.

And yeah, the workload will be uneven. At most, Dolphin uses 2 cores, so one core will usually be doing most of the work while the other supplements it when necessary
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just downloaded a custom version and most games now run at a 30 to 50 fps steady. Shame that not all games run with that version, Xenoblade for example doesn't work at all, likewise F-Zero also doesn't work. (12-28 fps)
The version is SVN R 6666M and it allows mobile processors to keep busy instead of going idle every 10 seconds. Judging from my heat monitor, Dolphin isn't even that much of a burden as my laptop/cpu gets a lot hotter when playing Mafia 2 or Just Cause 2.

I get the feeling that I should probably pair my isos with various builds as there is obviously not a single build capable of incorporating the benefits of all builds.
 
Well I guess I tested enough to safely say that with the right build, the laptop that I got is more than enough to run even the most demanding games with an average of 30-40fps (with the exception of some games that no matter what you change stay under 30.

My Laptop is a Lenovo Z580
i7 3612QM @2.1GHz (up to 3.1 with Turbo Mode)
nVidia GT 630M 2GB RAM
8GB RAM
Screen Resolution: 1366x768-15.6"

The resolution isn't the problem, as the GPU is more than capable of handling it. In RE4 I have no fps losses when going from 2x internal resolution to 3x internal resolution and even at 4x IR RE4 is still playable at 20-25 fps (poorly playable) Furthermore my screen resolution is 1366x768 anyway so I only need 2x. I force Anti Aliasing through the GPU, and jaggies are minimal.
As for RAM, Dolphin seems to never really use more than 2 GB so it's fine there.

Resident Evil 4

Running at 28-35 fps
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Click to expand...

Muramasa

running at 50-60fps
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Click to expand...

Project Zero 2

running at 24-32fps
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Click to expand...

I also tested SMG2 and it works at 50-60fps. Such a nice looking game.
 
darkpaladinmfc said:
Have they managed to fix the BGM cutting out?
Click to expand...

Not completely. It jitters at times, but mostly it's fine.

Necrovex said:
One game that I really want to play once I get Dolphin working on my PC. I've been holding off from playing Fatal Frame II, since I heard of its remake on the Wii.
Click to expand...

I found that the newest versions of Dolphin has some problems with the transparencies, but I might just not have experimented enough.
 
@ fabricated backlash

Why aren't you playing Project Zero 2 in proper HD resolution? You're also using imgur and showing jpg screenshots.

Project Zero 2: Wii

 
Lime said:
@ fabricated backlash

Why aren't you playing Project Zero 2 in proper HD resolution? You're also using imgur and showing jpg screenshots.
Click to expand...

What he said earlier, "Screen Resolution: 1366x768-15.6."

I'm getting a Lenovo too, but I made sure the SR would be 1920 X 1080.
 
So now that I'm getting a powerful gaming PC, I have to ask, can dolphin actually run most games at 60 FPS? I'll have an i5 3570k, 8GB of ram and a 7970, so there will be zero hardware limitations.

I wouldn't mind having my entire Wii/GCN collection on my PC running at an internal 1080p if I could.
 
Ichor said:
So now that I'm getting a powerful gaming PC, I have to ask, can dolphin actually run most games at 60 FPS? I'll have an i5 3570k, 8GB of ram and a 7970, so there will be zero hardware limitations.

I wouldn't mind having my entire Wii/GCN collection on my PC running at an internal 1080p if I could.
Click to expand...

Speed isn't an issue for most games, the thing that usually holds the games back from being perfect is glitches with graphics or audio, or random crashing.
 
rjc571 said:
Speed isn't an issue for most games, the thing that usually holds the games back from being perfect is glitches with graphics or audio, or random crashing.
Click to expand...

How common are such problems?

I suppose my best bet is to look through compatibility lists on the games I own.
 
fabricated backlash said:
Yeah, I just downloaded a custom version and most games now run at a 30 to 50 fps steady. Shame that not all games run with that version, Xenoblade for example doesn't work at all, likewise F-Zero also doesn't work. (12-28 fps)
The version is SVN R 6666M and it allows mobile processors to keep busy instead of going idle every 10 seconds. Judging from my heat monitor, Dolphin isn't even that much of a burden as my laptop/cpu gets a lot hotter when playing Mafia 2 or Just Cause 2.

I get the feeling that I should probably pair my isos with various builds as there is obviously not a single build capable of incorporating the benefits of all builds.
Click to expand...
Yeah there are some builds that work better with other games. It's sad but true. And Xenoblade runs at a steady 30FPS for me, which I believe is 100% speed. I'm not a fan of the game though so even if it didn't run full speed I wouldn't care lol

Ichor said:
How common are such problems?

I suppose my best bet is to look through compatibility lists on the games I own.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's a good idea, although not all games run at 60FPS and not all games need to. For many, 30FPS is 100% speed. As for glitches and such, they're usually promptly fixed as soon as they pinpoint what the problem is. New builds are uploaded daily, so in the event that something gives you a problem you could simply try the newest build.
 
xJavonta said:
Yeah that's a good idea, although not all games run at 60FPS and not all games need to. For many, 30FPS is 100% speed. As for glitches and such, they're usually promptly fixed as soon as they pinpoint what the problem is. New builds are uploaded daily, so in the event that something gives you a problem you could simply try the newest build.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear, as long as I can run Xenoblade and Paper Mario: TTYD I think I would be incredibly happy, anything else would just be icing on the cake.
 
Lime said:
@ fabricated backlash

Why aren't you playing Project Zero 2 in proper HD resolution? You're also using imgur and showing jpg screenshots.

Project Zero 2: Wii

Click to expand...

I would if my screen supported it. I will try to play it in Full HD once I get my new 46" Samsung TV, in Fact I could run it in 1080p and above allready since I have almost no framedrops when increasing the internal resolution, but right now it's worthless to me to go above 2x IR, when I still need to sort some other things out. Especially Project Zero has lots of bugs and glitches that make me hold off from playing it with Dolphin.
First and foremost the Audio Glitches like the weird off key effect in some cutscenes and the delayed audio in others is really jarring.
 
Is it easy to load up HBC onto your wii, rip a game or two, then remove it? I don't want to deal too much with homebrew. I just want to rip RE4 and maybe Metroid: other M and remove that crap.

I just remember people with homebrew having trouble due to Nintendo updates and I don't want any difficulty. I just want my Wii to be okay so I can transfer my games to my upcoming wii u.
 
skinnyrattler said:
Is it easy to load up HBC onto your wii, rip a game or two, then remove it? I don't want to deal too much with homebrew. I just want to rip RE4 and maybe Metroid: other M and remove that crap.

I just remember people with homebrew having trouble due to Nintendo updates and I don't want any difficulty. I just want my Wii to be okay so I can transfer my games to my upcoming wii u.
Click to expand...

What? You can transfer games to your Wii U? Like WiiWare games?

Also, I don't even think there's been a new Nintendo update. I think 4.3 is the latest one and that one is fully homebrew compatible. Maybe early on in the scene people have had problems with Nintendo updates but now it even asks you if you want to block Nintendo updates so you don't get your HB screwed up. So there's really no point in removing HBC, if you use your Wii it's really useful to have around for multiple reasons.
 
I'm having trouble ripping my games to usb. I've tried using USB Loader GX and I can't get that to work. It just doesn't recognize any device I plug in.

I am running 4.3U and all my homebrew software seems to be up to date. Any suggestions?
 
Seik said:
IDK for Wiiware games, but I think that, yes, every VC games bought are supposed to be transferable on the WiiU.
Click to expand...
Did they specify how that's going to work? Is it going to be by using your credit card you bought the VC games with? It's all very confusing since Nintendo doesn't exactly have a foundation for this type of stuff built.

TheCongressman1 said:
I'm having trouble ripping my games to usb. I've tried using USB Loader GX and I can't get that to work. It just doesn't recognize any device I plug in.

I am running 4.3U and all my homebrew software seems to be up to date. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Have you tried both USB ports on your Wii and is it formatted as NTFS, FAT32 or WBFS?
 
Sorry for the double post, but here's an update on my situation.

I noticed something weird when booting the program. When I start up GX, it says under the logo that a cios can't be found. Shouldn't there be one installed since I did install homebrew through letterbomb, or is this another step I never did?

Edit: Ok, I fixed that. I installed a new cios and the program boots up normally, but it still can't detect my usb drive. All I want to do is back up Skyward Sword and play it on my computer. Is there any other way?
 
xJavonta said:
Did they specify how that's going to work? Is it going to be by using your credit card you bought the VC games with? It's all very confusing since Nintendo doesn't exactly have a foundation for this type of stuff built.
Click to expand...
They didn't state how it would work. I assume am app that you will have to download on both systems or a Nintendo network system update for Wii that is already on the U.
 
skinnyrattler said:
They didn't state how it would work. I assume am app that you will have to download on both systems or a Nintendo network system update for Wii that is already on the U.
Click to expand...

Yeah, pretty much. You would probably use the app on the Wii (TV) while using the Gamepad on the WiiU, and then bind all your Wii content to the WiiU, with an online verification through Nintendos servers. I'd imagine that this process would wipe clean your Wii from all licenses, savegames and other userdata. (just a hunch) It's probable that you'll only be able to transfer the content of one Wii to any given account on the WiiU.

But so far that's just a guess.

I'm currently searching for a good build to play the Last Story and MP3. Any suggestions? I decided to basically search for the best builds for each game and play that way.
 
Already running Dolphin on my main i5, 560ti setup but was wondering if anyone has any experience of it running on the AMD A4 Fusion chipset using just the integrated graphics?
 
Could I have some help in getting Xenoblade to run on my system? I just can't stand playing this on an SDTV knowing the beauty this game is capable of producing.

I ripped the game, downloaded Dolphin, looked up someone's build, and I get to the 'Reading Disc' screen before it fades to white and then eventually fades to black. I don't want maximum graphics and full 1080p, I just want something better than the letterboxed 480i I have to deal with on my TV.

Intel Core i5-2400
3.10GHz
8GB RAM
Windows 7 x64

I would appreciate any help.
 
Can someone please tell me how are we to make changes for specific games without screwing up the settings for other games? DO you all run separate copies / folders of the emulator?? I cant find a way to save specific settings per game!
 
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