Recommended N64 plugins

From Emulation General Wiki
Revision as of 21:04, 22 July 2013 by GPDP (talk) (→‎RSP)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The N64 emulation scene has been described as a broken mess, the very definition of plugin hell. This page is an attempt to make sense of the madness for the benefit of both the casual and enthusiast looking to get their N64 emulation fix. Note that plugin recommendations for Mupen64Plus are located at its respective page.

Emulators

Project64 2.1 - The most recent version of Project64, now public and open source (though the official download asks you to install useless toolbars). Its RDB is somewhat outdated, and some games have issues with audio and timing regardless of plugin setup unless you mess around with timing settings. Some users have also reported problems with BSODs, which apparently may be an issue with outdated Windows system files. However, the user interface is quite a bit nicer and easier to use, and switching between RSP plugins is far easier than in 1.6. It also fixed a number of games that were completely broken in 1.6, such as Kirby 64.

Project64 1.6 - The older but more stable version. The interface is slightly clunkier, and switching between RSP plugins is a pain (the desired RSP plugin must be named rsp.dll for the emulator to see it and use it), but timing issues are less severe, it has a more up-to-date RDB at the moment, and many of the later improvements were ported back through Jabo's 1.6.1 patch.

1964 - An open source emulator and long-time competitor to Project64. Some of its iterations (such as 1964 Ultrafast) have the ability to overclock the N64's CPU, which results in smoother framerate on games that have a lot of slowdown, such as Perfect Dark and Conker's Bad Fur Day. The last stable version released by the original team was 1.1, though some community members kept it going to version 1.2 and above, with mixed results. It is generally recommended to stick to version 1.1 except on certain special cases. The project has essentially been abandoned, with the last SVN release being r146.

Mupen64 0.5.1 - An open source, multiplatform N64 emulator. Its last official update was in 2005, making it quite old, though it is capable of properly playing many games that the other emulators do not. It features an HLE RSP plugin that is often faster and more accurate than that found in Project64. Its modern, spiritual successor is Mupen64Plus, which chose to depart from Zilmar's plugin spec, rendering it incompatible with the plugins discussed in this page.

This pack has these four emulators, a few older and special or modified versions, and more obscure and largely irrelevant emulators added only for specific fringe cases, as well as every plugin discussed in this page and more.

Video

  • Jabo's Direct3D - Comes with Project64. Very speedy, can potentially look the prettiest due to built-in AA and AF options, and is the only plugin with a widescreen hack. The most recent version included with Project64 2.x (1.7.0.57-ver5) is somewhat buggy and has regressions, however, so the version included in Jabo's 1.6.1 patch is recommended instead for most cases, though the former can run in LLE mode, which can help with a few games. Sadly, it will likely never see another update again.
  • Glide64 - Also comes with Project64 as of version 2.1. Often much more accurate and compatible than Jabo's plugin, and has a wealth of options, though it can be slower on lower end machines, and may not work on integrated graphics. Still, it is overall the best plugin for general use. The 2.0.0.1 version bundled with Project64 2.1 may have some regressions, however, so Glide64 Final may be worth keeping around just in case. Is likely to see some updates in the future as Project64 develops.
  • Rice Video - A fast, highly configurable video plugin famous for its ability to load hi-res textures, making it a popular plugin within the N64 emulation community. The 1964 team eventually annexed it as its official video plugin, renaming it 1964Video. There are many versions and forks of it floating around, either to fix issues or add features. For the most part, however, it has fallen behind in comparison to Jabo's and Glide64, which can now also load hi-res textures. As such, none of its variations are recommended for general use unless there's a very specific fringe case or you're on a toaster.
  • z64gl - A low-level plugin developed by ziggy. It has the capability to render at the N64's native resolution in case you don't like super sharp polygons with low-res textures. Requirements may be heavier than Jabo's and Glide64, and configuration requires editing the config file directly. Needs an accompanying RSP plugin. Overall, it tends to be a little glitchy, but it is one of the only plugins capable of properly displaying difficult games such as Rogue Squadron. May see some updates or future plugins based on its code.
  • Shunyuan's SoftGraphic - Based on angrylion's RDP code and the MAME/MESS RDP, it is hands down the most accurate video plugin of all. Renders pixel-perfect native resolution N64 graphics. However, as it is a pure software renderer, it requires a very powerful CPU to run at an acceptable speed. Has nothing in the way of options other than turning off the N64's internal filtering and anti-aliasing, which gives a good performance boost. Still under active development, so expect future performance optimizations and options.

Audio

  • Jabo's DirectSound - Comes with Project64. It works fine for the most part, but some games may not play nice with it. It is a low-level plugin, so it needs an accompanying RSP plugin. Will probably never be updated again.
  • Azimer's HLE Audio - This popular HLE audio plugin boasts high compatibility. Version 0.56WIP2 is old as hell, but it is the tried and true standard to which audio plugins are compared against. Recently, Azimer came out with version 0.60WIP2, though it has a few issues.
  • Shunyuan's HLE Audio - Needs more testing, but so far it appears to be a great sound plugin. Can run in both LLE and HLE modes despite the name. Under constant development, so expect further improvements. If games run at a weird speed using this plugin, go to the ROM's Game Settings, and disable Fixed Audio Timing and Sync using Audio.

Input

  • Jabo's DirectInput - Comes with Project64. It isn't too bad, but it may have some compatibility problems with some controllers. Should work just fine with the keyboard if you're one of those masochists who emulates without a controller. As usual, do not expect any updates.
  • N-Rage Input - Probably the best input plugin. Has a ton of options and great controller compatibility, including XInput support for use with Xbox 360 controllers. It sees occasional updates.

RSP

  • Zilmar's RSP - Comes with Project64. Quite fast in Recompiler mode, and will work fine for a lot of games, but may need to be set to Interpreter for a difficult few, in which case you may as well use one of the following RSP plugins.
  • Mupen64 RSP - A very fast and compatible HLE RSP. Written by Hacktarux and Azimer. Might be better for some games than Zilmar's RSP.
  • z64 RSP plugin pack - This set of RSP plugins comes with the z64 video plugin, each with their own purpose:
    • Ziggy-z64RSP - This RSP is based on the MAME/MESS RSP code. It is slower, but more accurate.
    • Ziggy-PJ64 - Based on the Project64 1.4 RSP, this plugin is much faster.
    • Angrylion - This RSP is a simple Interpreter, and is required for a few games like World Driver Championship to work correctly with z64gl.
  • FatCat's RSP plugin pack - Hoo boy, this one's a doozy. This is a pack of extremely optimized Interpreter RSP plugins with very specific purposes, from attaining the greatest possible accuracy and compatibility to getting as much performance as possible. Here's how they boil down, from most resource intensive to least:
    • Interpreter - This is a pure LLE plugin. It requires the use of both LLE video and audio plugins.
    • LLE - For use with a combination of an LLE video plugin with an HLE audio plugin.
    • MLE - For use with a combination of an HLE video plugin with an LLE audio plugin. This is recommended for general use.
    • HLE - For use with both HLE video and audio plugins. May trigger error messages in some games.
    • PJ64 - For use with Gauntlet Legends, Stunt Racer 64, and World Driver Championship. Only works on Project64 2.x with LLE video and audio.

Recommended General Setups

  • General Use
    • Glide64 Final or 2.0.0.1
    • Shunyuan's HLE Audio (set to LLE)
    • FatCat's MLE RSP or Zilmar's RSP
    • Either version of the plugin should be fine for most games. Keep both of them around just in case. FatCat's RSP plugins are more compatible, but Zilmar's tends to be faster.
  • Muh Grafics
    • Jabo's Direct3D 1.6.1 (unless there's graphical glitches, in which case switch to Glide64)
    • Shunyuan's HLE Audio (set to LLE)
    • FatCat's MLE RSP or Zilmar's RSP
    • If you computer can handle it, turn up AA and AF as much as possible. You can make use of the plugin's widescreen hack by setting the "Adjust game aspect ratio to match yours" option.
  • HALP MY NETBOOK LAGS WAT DO
    • Jabo's Direct3D 1.6.1 or Rice Video
    • Shunyuan's HLE Audio (set to HLE) or Azimer's 0.56
    • Zilmar's RSP
  • I wanna play Rogue Squadron
    • z64gl
    • Shunyuan's HLE Audio
    • FatCat's RSP Interpreter (RSP LLE for a speed boost)
    • To prevent models from warping all over the screen, you will have to set the Recompiler options in the Game Settings to Interpreter. On the z64gl.conf file, you must force force_swap to 1 so menus will display. Will likely be quite slow. You can try setting the audio to HLE for a small speed boost.
  • ACCURACYYYYYYYYYY
    • Shunyuan's SoftGraphic
    • Shunyuan's HLE Audio
    • FatCat's MLE RSP
    • Do NOT expect to run this at a good framerate unless you have an extremely powerful PC, and even then you may need to disable the N64's filtering and maybe set audio to HLE. This setup can also play Rogue Squadron, but menus don't work for some reason, and it is, of course, even slower.

And if all else fails, refer to this: http://bmgcl.atspace.cc/n64mgcl/N64ConfigList.htm

Retrieved from "https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php?title=Recommended_N64_plugins&oldid=3716"