Editing Project64

{{Infobox emulator
|logo = Project_64_logo.png
|logowidth = 93
|version = {{Version|Project64}}
|active = Yes
|platform = [[Emulators on Windows|Windows]]
|architecture = x86
|target = [[Nintendo 64 emulators|Nintendo 64]]
|orig-developer = zilmar<br/>Jabo
|developer = [https://github.com/project64/project64/graphs/contributors Project64 Team]
|website = [http://www.pj64-emu.com/ PJ64-emu.com]
|support = [https://www.patreon.com/Project64 Patreon]
|prog-lang = {{Proglang|C++}}
|license = {{license|GPLv2}}
|source = [https://github.com/project64/project64 GitHub]
|bios = [[Emulator_Files#Nintendo_64|Required for 64DD]]
}}
'''Project64''' is a free and open source, plugin-based [[Nintendo 64 emulators|Nintendo 64 emulator]]. 

==Download==
{| cellpadding="4"
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
|'''[https://www.pj64-emu.com/public-releases Official Public releases]'''
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
|'''[https://www.pj64-emu.com/nightly-builds Official Nightly builds]'''
|-
|colspan="3"|<hr/>
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
|[http://www.emucr.com/search/label/Project64?&max-results=12 Unofficial dev builds]<br/><small>Compiled by emucr, may contain old/deprecated plugins</small>
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
|[http://www.mediafire.com/download/61dvb4n9xk25oo6/Project64.rar Unofficial bundle]<br/><small>Includes PJ64 1.6, PJ64 2.1 and various other plugins
</small>
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
|[https://64dd.org/downloads.html 64DD.org builds]<br/><small>Recommended for 64DD emulation</small>
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Android-big}}
|[https://m.apkpure.com/project64-n64-emulator/emu.project64 2.3.3]
|}

==History==
It first came out as a purely experimental emulator by developers zilmar and Jabo. It quickly revolutionized the N64 emulation landscape. For many years afterward, it was considered to be the best N64 emulator, with only Mupen64 and [[1964]] posing any real competition. By version 1.6, it was touted as being not only highly compatible but also the most stable of the lot.
 
However, upon announcing the development of version 1.7, the project became closed off to most of the public. The only way to keep up with the latest developments was to donate $20 to obtain beta testing privileges. However, there were several development version leaks, most of which turned out to be unstable, prone to crashes, and full of performance and compatibility regressions, which cast doubt upon the competency of the developers. Upon Jabo's departure from the project in 2011, most people came to regard Projec64 as being stuck in development limbo, if not completely dead.
 
In 2013, however, zilmar, now the lone developer of Project64, released version 2.0, including its complete source code. Quickly afterward, version 2.1 was released. However, these versions proved to be a mixed bag in comparison to the older, long-standing 1.6 release, and even the leaked 1.7 betas in some respects. Several compatibility issues were fixed, and the interface was cleaned up, but the default plugins were largely inferior to earlier iterations, and even the core itself saw compatibility regressions in some games. And though the source had been made public, there was no public repository for developers to contribute fixes or pull requests, resulting in the project to becoming dormant again.
 
In 2015, zilmar created a public Project64 repository on GitHub, at last opening the gates for public contributions. Development picked up at break-neck speed and has yet to cease. Many of the issues with earlier versions of Project64 have now been fixed. It has been mostly ported to 64-bit, and there is even an effort underway to make it more portable and eventually work on non-Windows platforms.

As of 2022, PJ64 has been getting ready for the 4.0.0 stable release, and thus the nightly builds are going through a major overhaul. Users should either be careful of potential regressions when installing a new nightly, or stick with 3.0.1 while waiting for the stable release.

==Problems==
===Malware and nagware===
 
Up to version 2.2, the official installer for PJ64 included opt-out malware in the installer. In July of 2016, the malware was removed from both the source code and installers.<ref>https://github.com/project64/project64/issues/468</ref> However, version 2.3 introduced a benign but irritating nagware screen that pops up when launching PJ64 after starting it multiple times, which grows more persistent with successive launches as a forced waiting period is installed. You can type "'''thank you from project64'''" as the notification code, or disable it by modifying <code>project64.cfg</code> to appear as follows: <pre>[Support Project64]Run Count=-1</pre>

Version 2.4.0.1555 introduced a new method, with a per-machine ID that gets generated on the user side and requests a confirmation code associated with it. You can avoid it thanks to [https://github.com/Rosalie241/PJ64Launcher this script] by Rosalie241.

Another way to do so is by using Regedit and removing the <code>user</code> REG_BINARY key from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Project64, then changing the permission from the Project64 folder (on Regedit) to deny Full Control and Read on the user you are currently signed in, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg4L-bcLlxw as explained on this video]. Doing so will disallow Project64 from creating the key again, which is responsible for the nagware screen popup.

===Windows 10 BSOD===
Following the stable release 2.0, Windows 10 users had a high likelihood of encountering a BSOD upon attempting to run Project64.<ref>https://github.com/project64/project64/issues/556</ref> This was fixed before the release of version 2.3, so Windows 10 users are encouraged not to use versions 2.0–2.2.

==Plugins==
{{Main|Recommended N64 plugins}}
Project64 used to ship with Jabo's video and audio plugins, and for many years, used them as defaults (along with his input plugin). These plugins are closed-source, haven't been updated since the 1.7 days, and even have regressions compared to Jabo's 1.6.1 versions. However, Project64 now defaults to its own branded video, audio, and input plugins that are a fork of Glide64, a new audio plugin loosely based on Azimer's and mupen64plus's code, and original respectively. It additionally ships with GLideN64 and N-Rage's input plugin, both of which are recommended over the defaults. Users may still prefer additional plugins for accuracy or feature set, such as Angrylion video, Azimer's audio, and HatCat's RSP interpreter.

==Netplay==
Uses [http://kaillera.com/ Kaillera] or AQZ.

===Downloads===
* [https://www.mediafire.com/?6s0khv97k82e5c5 Project64 1.7 AQZ Version]
* [http://mupen64k.blogspot.com/ mupen64++]

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width: 100%;"
! colspan=2 width="250"|Review (Kaillera)
|-
| '''PROS''' ||
* Support for up to 4 simultaneous people playing
* No fiddling with router settings and port forwarding
* Netplay traffic is handled by dedicated central servers as well as other less populated servers
* Master server list of all servers. As well as waiting games option of cached games in the master server list
* Private game chat support and public chat to speak people outside your game room
* Being able to drop out of a game at any time usually without disrupting your teammate(s)
* Kicking/banning/muting people from your room
* It's a matchmaking service where you can join other people's rooms, too
* Has recording and playback for emulation
|-
| '''CONS''' ||
* Disables Transfer, Rumble and Memory Pack emulation (AFAIK, not 100% sure about Memory Pack)
* It sometimes fails to properly initialize Glide64 video plugins, giving them a black screen when the game starts
* It also seems to hate certain older video plugins,' causing massive FPS drops
* It's slightly (significantly still) prone to freezing/crashing/BSOD (in that order)
* Random, inconsistent FPS drops due to the server trying to keep everyone synced, sometimes stuttering. It's annoying, but rarely does it make it unplayable
* Everyone needs to have the exact same ROM version or netplay won't work (if it somehow does, it'll desync rather quickly)
* After 18 minutes you will desync on Kaillera Servers.
* You need to constantly switch focus back and forth between chat and emulator window in order to chat.
* You will hear no sound while the window is unfocused.
|}

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width: 100%;"
! colspan=2 width="250"|Review (AQZ)
|-
| '''PROS''' ||
* Allows for unlimited connections (4 players only, the rest are spectators)
* Unusually low bandwidth usage
* Can change latency on the fly to smooth out netplay experience at the expense of input lag
* Works very well with 2 to 3 players, even with +200ms
* Only the host needs to open a port
|-
| '''CONS''' ||
* Definitely disables Transfer, Rumble and Memory Pack emulation
* If a client drops while a game is in session, the entire server stops automatically
* The server seems to work reliably smooth with 3 people, but might stutter and lag with 4, regardless of latency
* It sometimes fails to properly initialize Glide64 video plugins, giving them a black screen
* It also seems to hate certain older video plugins, causing massive FPS drops
* It's sometimes troublesome to get it to properly sync during the first few minutes but works flawlessly after you get it working
* Randomly freezes the emulator with no warning
* Very rarely produces a BSOD
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External Links==
* [https://discordapp.com/invite/sbYbnda Discord]
*[https://www.emulation64.com/spotlights/20/ Emulation64 Spotlight Interview with original developer Jabo]

[[Category:Emulators]]
[[Category:Nintendo 64 emulators]]
[[Category:Netplay]]
[[Category:Custom Assets]]
[[Category:Active emulation software]]