RetroAchievements
| |
| Developer(s) | Scott Breen and the RA Team |
|---|---|
| Latest version | N/A |
| Active | Yes |
| Platform(s) | RetroArch, BizHawk, libretro, etc. |
| Emulates | N/A |
| Website | retroachievements.org |
| Source code | GitHub |
RetroAchievements is an online service which provides users with fan-made achievement sets for many platforms which are listed below. The latest console to get achievement support as of this writing is the GameCube, bumping the amount of total systems supported up to a whopping 52 consoles, handhelds, computers and other platforms.
Contents
Supported Emulators[edit]
RetroAchievements is currently implemented in the following emulators/frontends:
- BizHawk: Multi-system emulator
- Dolphin: GameCube (NOTE: Requires a development version of 2407-68 or higher)
- DuckStation: PlayStation
- PCSX2: PlayStation 2
- PPSSPP: PlayStation Portable
- RALibRetro: Multi-system emulator based on libretro
- RAMeka: ColecoVision, Master System, Game Gear and SG-1000 emulator based on MEKA
- RANes: NES/Famicom Disk System emulator based on FCEUX
- RAP64: Nintendo 64 emulator based on Project64
- RAppleWin: Apple II emulator based on AppleWin
- RAQUASI88: PC-8000/8800 emulator based on QUASI88
- RASnes9x: SNES emulator based on Snes9x
- RAVBA: Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance emulator based on VisualBoyAdvance
- RetroArch: Multi-system frontend
- WinArcadia: Emerson Arcadia 2001, Elektor TV Games Computer and Interton VC 4000 emulator
Supported Systems[edit]
Note: for more details on what systems are supported by what emulators, see this doc.
There are currently 52 supported systems, and they are:
Nintendo[edit]
- Game Boy
- Game Boy Color
- Game Boy Advance
- NES/Famicom
- SNES/Super Famicom
- Nintendo 64
- GameCube
- Nintendo DS
- Nintendo DSi
- Pokemon Mini
- Virtual Boy
Sony[edit]
Atari[edit]
Sega[edit]
NEC[edit]
SNK[edit]
Other[edit]
- 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
- Amstrad CPC
- Apple II
- Arcade
- Arcadia 2001
- Arduboy
- ColecoVision
- Elektor TV Games Computer
- Fairchild Channel F
- Intellivision
- Interton VC 4000
- Magnavox Odyssey 2
- Mega Duck
- MSX
- Standalone (currently just Final Fantasy XI through HorizonXI; in the future, this platform is meant to encompass private game servers, recreations, indie PC games/fangames, etc. that would get direct support from the applications' devs, rather than through emulation)
- Uzebox
- Vectrex
- WASM-4
- Watara Supervision
- WonderSwan
How RA Works[edit]
Note: this is a very simplified explanation. For more in-depth documentation see these pages.
Achievements work by comparing the game's RAM to the achievement code of a set made by an RA developer. Achievement code, also known as logic, is a list of memory conditions chosen by the developer, that when all are simultaneously true on a single frame, will award an achievement.
RetroAchievements also relies on something called hashes, which help to identify different game versions (different regions, revisions, etc.) and are linked in the "Supported Game Files" part of a game's page.
Game Variety[edit]
RetroAchievements does not only support retail games, it also has sets for demos, hacks, homebrew, prototypes and unlicensed games, and some games even have subsets! Hacks and subsets typically require patches, which only contain the altered stuff for the game it should be applied to.
Trivia[edit]
- The first console to ever be supported was the Genesis/Mega Drive and the first game to ever receive a set was Sonic the Hedgehog.
- New sets are constantly being developed and released pretty much daily, and even more consoles will be supported in the future!
Related Links[edit]
- RADocs (documents several aspects of RetroAchievements such as emulator support, how RA works, among other stuff)
- RAGuides (guides for achievement sets)
- RANews (monthly online magazine which talks about many RA-related news and other stuff)
- RAPatches (patches for supported hacks, subsets, etc. on RA)
- Userscripts (official userscripts for RetroAchievements, also links to unofficial ones)
