Best emulator for Paper Mario?

[msw]

I have only tried PJ64 1.6 (well, I also tried Mupen64, but I can't get it to work at all), but noticed that there is an epileptic seizure-inducing flickering problem in most of the toad town areas.

My question is, is there an emulator that works well with Paper Mario?

I also have a suggestion (loosely related) that would require a lot of work: A comprehensive compatibility chart of N64 emulators and known ROMs. This could save a lot of headache for newbies like me who don't know the ins and outs of emulation yet.

[axcc123]

what is your computer specs and i will tell ya

[msw]

I know I need to get a video card for most emulators. Is there one that emulates PM well using integrated video? I

OS: Windows XP PRO SP 2

CPU: Intel P4 3.2 Ghz

integrated video-when I go to change my screen resolution it says "...Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family"

Memory: 1024 MB DDR2 SDRAM

Sound Card: Integrated audio-I don't care about the sound so much

[Doomulation]

To play Paper Mario, the best PLUGIN would be this (http://www.emuxhaven.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6123).
However, don't expect it to run flawlessly on that video card of yours.

[msw]

The test program for that wrapper failed miserably. Guess I need to buy a decent video card if I want to play PM properly...Any suggestions on one that will work but isn't too expensive?

[Doomulation]

Geforce 6XXX series or raedon equalient would be the best card to get now that can actually play other things then emulation.

[msw]

Geforce 6XXX series or raedon equalient would be the best card to get now that can actually play other things then emulation.

But I don't care about anything other than emulation. I want the cheapest way to be able to play my N64 games without having a seizure or getting a bunch of graphics errors. I can't afford to buy video games on top of an expensive video card. I am a graduate student with a 4 year old, so I don't have much spare money.

[Doomulation]

Well, I think that a simple Geforce 4 might just do the trick, but I urge you to get a little better card if Pj 1.7 bumps the requirements and for future reference. Thes absolute minmum would then be Geforce FX (very crappy cards) or raedon equality (good cards).
Check newegg and see what cards are available.

[msw]

would a 3D Fuzion (I guess this is a crappy brand) Geforce 6200 be a good choice? it's listed on newegg at 27.99, very affordable.

One of my limitations is that I don't have a PCIE x16 OR AGP slot on my motherboard, so it's either regular PCI or PCIE x1. :(

[Doomulation]

I would think it will suffice. I will look out a graphics card chart and see.

[msw]

Doom, which version of OpenGL needs to be supported/whatever in order to use Hacktarux's Glide Wrapper? His "test program" says it tests for needed openGL extensions, but doesn't say which version is required. Will any version do?

I am still looking into that geforce 6200 card on newegg. Specs:

Brand 3D Fuzion
Model 3DFR6200P

Interface PCI

Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
GPU Geforce 6200
Core clock 350MHz
PixelPipelines 4

Memory Size 128MB
Memory Interface 64-bit
Memory Type DDR

DirectX DirectX 9
OpenGL OpenGL 1.5

D-SUB 1
DVI 1
TV-Out S-Video Out
VIVO No

Tuner None
RAMDAC 400 MHz
SLI Supported No
Cooler Heatsink and Fan

Operating Systems Supported Windows 98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP

System Requirements:
Intel Pentium III, Celeron, AMD Duron, Sempron, or Athlon class processor or higher
128MB of RAM
CD or DVD-ROM Drive
An available PCI 2.0 slot
35MB available hard disk space (50MB for full installation)
Microsoft Windows 98 or higher, ME, 2000, XP, NT4.0 with service pack 4 or 5
A minimum 300W system power supply

Features NVIDIA CineFX 3.0 engine
Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 support
NVIDIA Ultrashadow II technology
64-bit floating point texture filtering and blending

Package Contents DVI-I to VGA dongle
Driver CD

[Doomulation]

Shrug, I don't know. You had better ask.
I forgot about that comparison list >_< I'll try to find one soon.

UPDATE:
Here should be an informative article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/02/08/nvidia_geforce_6200_turbocache/

[ScottJC]

There is one way of finding out if it works, try it perhaps? Instead of waiting hours for answers try it out and see what happens.

[Doomulation]

Try it by buy it? What if it's no good?

[msw]

There is one way of finding out if it works, try it perhaps? Instead of waiting hours for answers try it out and see what happens.

I can't afford to spend $33 on something that won't work. I want to be sure it will work before I buy it.

[ScottJC]

OpenGL OpenGL 1.5
Bah, the curse of me not reading properly strikes again anyway Glide64 requires this:

http://www.emuxhaven.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6123


Requirements: good video card with OpenGL 1.5 support (any DirectX9 card should work). I have tested it on Radeon 9600 and GeForce 5200.

So yes, that card of your current choice is more than good enough. $33 isn't much so you have nothing to lose and besides that cards specs is pretty decent. Way better than your intel onboard chip.

[msw]

Thanks a lot Scott JC. Now I just have to buy a 300W power supply to run the thing-my current one is only 230W...I'm off to do my research on that.

[Clements]

Regardless what that spec sheet says, All NVIDIA 6 series cards support DX9.0c and OpenGL 2.0 in hardware. Hacktarux's wrapper will work.

3D Fuzion is BFG's value line, so is a good enough brand.

[vtnwesley]

I think to make sure things run (smoothly), a mid-range video card would be a good idea. Something like a Geforce 6600 or 7600 series card or a Radeon 9600 or x600/x700 series. They usually cost around $100-200 depending on specifics of the card, but this will let you use emulation with a little room to spare. The Nvidia options mentioned do happen to be better in terms of performance in general, as well as performance-vs-price.

Anything lower will be wonky and not always work 100% of the time. $30-50 video cards tend to perform similarly (if slightly better) than integrated video. Buying such a card would probably be a lateral move. You don't want to be replacing your video card every other month just because you don't want to buy a REAL video card, ya know? $30-50 can add up quick.

Side note: You may want to verify which chipset you are on exactly. Anything with the "GV" suffix has no video card expansion option of any type (or at least not one that would offer an upgrade from what you have now). GV is basically the Intel code for "integrated graphics, value line". "Value" in this case meaning them rip you off by arbitrarilly removing your upgrade option. Any other varient of the 915/910 chipset line should have one PCIe x16 slot for video cards.

BTW, I usually lean toward eVGA lately, but video card brands are a real gamble these days. I'd recommend looking at the warrenty on the box. If it is a "3 year" or "lifetime" warrenty, it's probably as reliable as it's going to get.

[Doomulation]

There are some points there...


I think to make sure things run (smoothly), a mid-range video card would be a good idea. Something like a Geforce 6600 or 7600 series card or a Radeon 9600 or x600/x700 series. They usually cost around $100-200 depending on specifics of the card, but this will let you use emulation with a little room to spare. The Nvidia options mentioned do happen to be better in terms of performance in general, as well as performance-vs-price.
For emulation, all that is required is a gfx card. It can be intergrated, too. Most integrated cards, save for nvidia/ati (especially intel) are mostly bad because they lack features (like they can't do a backflip while a geforce 6600 gt can). Emulation isn't about gfx power - leave that to games.


Side note: You may want to verify which chipset you are on exactly. Anything with the "GV" suffix has no video card expansion option of any type (or at least not one that would offer an upgrade from what you have now). GV is basically the Intel code for "integrated graphics, value line". "Value" in this case meaning them rip you off by arbitrarilly removing your upgrade option. Any other varient of the 915/910 chipset line should have one PCIe x16 slot for video cards.
Any budget card for agp/pcie depending on what you want will do fine for emulation. For other games, however, a card around $100-$200 is to recommend for good performance.

[vtnwesley]

Well, I think it partly depends on what kind of emulation you are doing. 16-bit kind of stuff will run on almost anything, integrated or otherwise. PS1 and some N64 emulation has been spotty for me personally. Some budget cards work, some don't, some only sometimes work. $100-200 cards are usually a emulation silver bullet, low risk kind of thing. Like for example, a fanless $120 Geforce 7600GS on newegg. I realize a cheaper card CAN do this or that. I have a Geforce 6200 in a system right now that is used primarily for emulation. It's in use because the better card died. The problem is, while I can still use emulator A, B, and C, I now CAN'T use D, or E. I always recommend avoiding scraping the bottom of the barrel, because it almost always results in fast replacement purchasing. A Geforce 6600/7600 card would promise some product longevity, regardless of your uses. I mention this specifically because we are talking about N64 emulation. It helps to have a little extra oomph, especially since you have enough power to heavily filter your graphics this way.


Any budget card for agp/pcie depending on what you want will do fine for emulation. For other games, however, a card around $100-$200 is to recommend for good performance.

I'm not fully sure what you mean in relation to the integrated chipset on the GV boards. The Intel "GV" motherboards have no AGP or PCIe slot (which is basically what the "V" signifies)... so... Looking before buying a new video card is definitely a good idea. The driver will always say "Intel 915 series" but WHAT 915 chipset for the mobo is important to know. Those 865/915GVs will bite you in the rump everytime. If you have a "GV" intel northbridge, you have no good upgrade path. Just felt pointing it out was a good idea. Most people who buy retail PCs don't realize there is no AGP/PCIe slot on half the Intel based systems.