n64k for dummies?

[Stronze]

i feel really really stupid trying to figure out this emulator.

i been using snes emu for a couple of years but with a second deployment coming i needed something better to pass the down time.

i searched thru the forums and the gamefag on the emu but i just cant seem to grasp what im doing.



i "installed" the emu from home site and got roms from another.
its pretty kool that the notes tells me what roms are good and what issues there is but feeling lost i dont know how to get the roms working right.

but even some that are marked green, crash the emu and vista just says it stopped working and looking for solutions which it never does for anything.

some do work but without a controller im not gonna try to play it on my laptop.

cant seem to find a error log within the emu to identify the problem.

i tried to ask for help on the irc chan before posting but no one is answering.

where can i look to learn how to use/set up this emu in barney level steps?
whats the best usb controller to use with emu?
and what plug-in should i get and how do i "install" it?
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 3/31/2009, 18:24:34
Machine name: STRONZE-PC
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: TOSHIBA
System Model: Satellite X205
BIOS: Ver 1.00PARTTBL
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T7100 @ 1.80GHz (2 CPUs), ~1.8GHz
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 1688MB used, 2638MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6001.18000 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

[Agozer]

There isn't really anything that you've done wrong; Project64 crashing after trying to boot a game often indicates that your graphics card drivers are faulty/old. Sure, since you get the generic Windows error message, there could be a dozen reasons why it crashes but often times it has something to do with your drivers.

So, What kind graphics hardware do you have?

whats the best usb controller to use with emu?

There is no such thing as "the best". Whatever works for you and you feel most comfortable with can be considered "the best". As long as the controller has enough buttons and at least one analog stick, you're fine, although many people vouch for the original N64 controller with an USB adapter.

and what plug-in should i get and how do i "install" it?

More like plugins, plural. There aren't that many to choose from, anyway. For graphics (and depending on your video hardware), the default one (Jabo's Direct3D8) or Glide64. If you happen to have an integrated Intel chip, Jabo's Direct3D6 and perhaps glN64 are pretty much the only viable choices.

As far as input plugins go, the default one is usually sufficient, but most people use the N-Rage Input plugin simply because it offers more features and has better support for different controllers.

Audio plugins: Most people use the default one or Azimer's Audio.

Installing: Just copy the plugin DLL file into the Plugin folder, where all the other plugins are stored. If you try Glide64 it's the same deal except Glide3x.dll goes into the emulator folder, not the Plugin folder.

[Stronze]

thanks for the info.

i try to stay on top of updating my drivers but i get a few done and get tired of doing them one by one and vista hates updaing drivers after i updated bios.

i downloaded a few other emulaters like 1964 and nemu.
i havent fully tested it yet but nemu and 1964 play ones that n64k wont.

n64k would only play 5 out of 55 roms i downloaded. and 3 are extremely lacking in graphics or sound.

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 8700M GT
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0409&SUBSYS_FF0011 79&REV_A1
Display Memory: 1013 MB
Dedicated Memory: 245 MB
Shared Memory: 767 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll,nvwgf2um.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.7626 (English)
DDI Version: 10
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/1/2008 05:41:00, 5890048 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes

[Stronze]

updated driver with
NBF MobileForce VS 169.09 M6

tried 4 or 5 roms that didnt work before and same result.

not fully tested yet but it did increase my start up time on vista.
thats a bonus.

[Agozer]

Ah, my bad, I was under the impression that you were talking about the original Project64, not Project64K. I'm not even entirely sure if PJ64K is supposed to run properly in Vista, seeing how it is based on the Project64 1.4.

[Pyromanik]

I would suggest getting Project64 1.6 from their homepage directly. (or donate and get v1.7)
www.pj64-emu.com
It'll probably fix many of your issues.

Nemu is old, but still ok.
1964 is also old, not as old, but runs very well from what I hear.

[Stronze]

this weekend ill test more on nemu and 1964 and a couple others i got.

[Stronze]

i downloaded pj64 like ya suggested and it runs better.

but

Error
SP DMA WRITE
SP_DRAM_ADDR_REG not in RDRam Space

"OK"

Error
Unhandled R4300i OpCode at: 80000514
Uknown EB 7E E2 28

Stoping Emulation !

has half way thru mario party 1 and tha randomly hit me with some horrible sounds.

[Pyromanik]

There is a GameFAQ that comes with PJ64. See if there are any known issues with that particular Game you're playing.
To get to it, select Help -> GameFAQ

Also: As a quick tell, if in the rom browser the text is green, then that particular ROM should be fine. Otherwise there's an issue of some form, might be serious, might not be. Be aware that there are different versions of the same game, and sometimes you may just have a 'bad' ROM.

this weekend ill test more on nemu and 1964 and a couple others i got.

Nemu, 1964, Project64, Mupen64 and maybe Apollo are about the only ones worth trying. Anything else is either old (with bad rom support), half finished, or both.

Mario Party 1 / 2 / 3 Known Issues (what is a 'known issue'?)

* video - this game is composed of numerous "mini games" making it one of the most difficult to get right and to test. I will try to list known issues as clearly as possible by their world numbers, the following are for Mario Party 1:
o one mini-games is slow (World 9-1)
o a few mini-games have some flicker problems (Worlds 1-1,3-3,5-8)
o risk of BSOD with ATI Radeon, see below RE Mario Bandstand (World 7-6)

a special thanks to Gent for gathering this information

Frequently Asked Questions (have you read Common Q&A ?)

* The text is hard to read, how can I improve it?
* Why are some mini-games messed up/unplayable/showing bad graphics?
* Why does my computer reset on the Mario Bandstand game?

The text is hard to read, how can I improve it?
Do not force filtering for this game (video plugin, advanced tab).

Why are some mini-games messed up/unplayable/showing bad graphics?
We have not tested every mini game - this may be an issue with the video plugin, if so look for an alternative plugin/emulator. Also be sure you meet the minimum requirements (see User Manual).

Why does my computer reset on the Mario Bandstand game?
There appears to be a driver problem with some models of ATI Radeon (specifically AIW-8500, i'm told) that can cause a BSOD (system crash). This does not happen with e.g. nVidia hardware. We don't know of any solutions to this problem for effected users.

[Stronze]

thanks on the info for the other emus.

i didnt even think of checking the FAQ for current known bugs.
i did a QUICK search in forums but didnt find anything