magmarock64
New member
Hello all, after testing PD on PJ64 for a while now, I have found a few methods for increasing speed and reducing the chancing of it crashing. It invloves changing the RDB file and this method only seems to work on PJ and not 1964.
Anyway here is the guide, please be sure to read it thoroughly and back up your RDB file before modifying it. I take no responsibility for any consequences that occur as a result of using this guide. I also recommend using the video plugin Glide64, as it is the only plugin that I know of that can emulate Perfect Dark and GoldenEye.
Anyway here's please let me know what you think and if you found it helpful.
*********************************************
Introduction.
Project64 uses a file known as an RDB (Rom Data Base) file to determine the default values of each rom for the emulator. Since there are settings that can only be changed though the RDB file I’m going to recommend that you change the settings through the RDB file instead of changing them through the emulator.
Set all Counter Factors to 1
Start by changing “Counter Factor=2” to “Counter Factor=1” for all games.
The easiest way to do that is first; open the RDB file with WordPad, and then launch the replace-tool.
Type “Counter Factor=2” into the “Find” bar and then “Counter Factor=1” into the replace bar. Be sure to match the case and wording exactly.
I also recommend setting the games to use Virtual lookup table through the emulator since the RDB doesn’t provide that particular option.
Setting up Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark is my favorite game of all time, and as proven to be a very tricky game to run on PJ64.
If you try to run Perfect Dark on PJ64 without using some of the suggestions in this guide then you’ll find that the game will crash between levels, if this bothers read on.
EEPROM Trick
I’m not 100% how or why Perfect Dark likes to hang between levels, but I do know a fix. I learned that if you change the save type from 16kbit Eeprom to a different one it will stop the crashing. It will also reduce performance by the next Counter Factor. For example: if you change the save type from 16kbit Eeprom to something different on Counter Factor 1, the game will run as if it was set to CF2 (Counter Factor 2), if done on CF2, the game will run as if it was set to CF3 and so on.
This also means you’ll need to use a controller pack to save your game. If the reduced performance bothers you, then keep in mind the hang only happen between levels and no save data is lost.
Counter Factor 0
However, there is another trick that might interest you. Without changing the Save Type, go to the RDB file and find Perfect Dark and set the Counter Factor to 0 (Warning Counter Factor 0 is highly unstable and do not use it for any other game.)
I have found that Perfect Dark seems to like CF0 for some reason. It only seems to crash when you: ***start, abort, restart the first mission.*** Aside from that it doesn’t seem to crash at all even if you are killed on the first mission and restart it from the death screen. It only crashes when you restart the first mission from the abort screen.
Best of both worlds.
Of course you could go for both options, by setting the Counter Factor to 0 and removing the EEPROM. This will result in a consistent 30FPS no matter what’s happening on the screen. This means the game will never reach 60 but it won’t stutter below 30 either so the choice is yours.
Conclusion
This tricks has been tested with both Perfect Dark (U) (V1.0) and Perfect Dark (U) (V1.1)
All and all I recommend setting one of the version to use Counter Factor 0 and the other ro use the EEPROM Trick.
You might also want to add in the RDB file a note to remind yourself witch version you’ve set to what setting.
If you change the Counter Factor though the emulator and want to get it back to CF0 simply click the “reset defaults” it’ll still say that you’re using CF1 but in fact you’ll be using CF0
Hope this doco has been helpful, Magmarock64.
List of games that work well with Counter Factor 0
1. Perfect Dark
2. 007 The World Is Not Enough
*********************************************************
Anyway here is the guide, please be sure to read it thoroughly and back up your RDB file before modifying it. I take no responsibility for any consequences that occur as a result of using this guide. I also recommend using the video plugin Glide64, as it is the only plugin that I know of that can emulate Perfect Dark and GoldenEye.
Anyway here's please let me know what you think and if you found it helpful.
*********************************************
Introduction.
Project64 uses a file known as an RDB (Rom Data Base) file to determine the default values of each rom for the emulator. Since there are settings that can only be changed though the RDB file I’m going to recommend that you change the settings through the RDB file instead of changing them through the emulator.
Set all Counter Factors to 1
Start by changing “Counter Factor=2” to “Counter Factor=1” for all games.
The easiest way to do that is first; open the RDB file with WordPad, and then launch the replace-tool.
Type “Counter Factor=2” into the “Find” bar and then “Counter Factor=1” into the replace bar. Be sure to match the case and wording exactly.
I also recommend setting the games to use Virtual lookup table through the emulator since the RDB doesn’t provide that particular option.
Setting up Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark is my favorite game of all time, and as proven to be a very tricky game to run on PJ64.
If you try to run Perfect Dark on PJ64 without using some of the suggestions in this guide then you’ll find that the game will crash between levels, if this bothers read on.
EEPROM Trick
I’m not 100% how or why Perfect Dark likes to hang between levels, but I do know a fix. I learned that if you change the save type from 16kbit Eeprom to a different one it will stop the crashing. It will also reduce performance by the next Counter Factor. For example: if you change the save type from 16kbit Eeprom to something different on Counter Factor 1, the game will run as if it was set to CF2 (Counter Factor 2), if done on CF2, the game will run as if it was set to CF3 and so on.
This also means you’ll need to use a controller pack to save your game. If the reduced performance bothers you, then keep in mind the hang only happen between levels and no save data is lost.
Counter Factor 0
However, there is another trick that might interest you. Without changing the Save Type, go to the RDB file and find Perfect Dark and set the Counter Factor to 0 (Warning Counter Factor 0 is highly unstable and do not use it for any other game.)
I have found that Perfect Dark seems to like CF0 for some reason. It only seems to crash when you: ***start, abort, restart the first mission.*** Aside from that it doesn’t seem to crash at all even if you are killed on the first mission and restart it from the death screen. It only crashes when you restart the first mission from the abort screen.
Best of both worlds.
Of course you could go for both options, by setting the Counter Factor to 0 and removing the EEPROM. This will result in a consistent 30FPS no matter what’s happening on the screen. This means the game will never reach 60 but it won’t stutter below 30 either so the choice is yours.
Conclusion
This tricks has been tested with both Perfect Dark (U) (V1.0) and Perfect Dark (U) (V1.1)
All and all I recommend setting one of the version to use Counter Factor 0 and the other ro use the EEPROM Trick.
You might also want to add in the RDB file a note to remind yourself witch version you’ve set to what setting.
If you change the Counter Factor though the emulator and want to get it back to CF0 simply click the “reset defaults” it’ll still say that you’re using CF1 but in fact you’ll be using CF0
Hope this doco has been helpful, Magmarock64.
List of games that work well with Counter Factor 0
1. Perfect Dark
2. 007 The World Is Not Enough
*********************************************************
Last edited:
