nice job with n64

mediamogul

I will never go back to those crt's

Actually, there are a few really nice ways of presenting the N64 onto modern HD screens. Of course, this too would be an additional expense.

I've only got a passing interest in N64

Same here really. I was a PSX guy during this generation myself. It's why I've never been bothered by the cost of a real hardware solution, or the apparent controversial state of N64 emulation. However, for people I talk to who really love N64 games and want a rock-solid experience without worrying about the ever-changing landscape and nuances that are somewhat unique to N64 emulation, I personally believe that a real hardware solution is the only way to go and is worth the extra cost if it can be spent. That being said, I am still very grateful for the work that has been done in N64 emulation and I'm glad to see that it continues to advance.

Ranma

@mediamogul said in nice job with n64:

...However, for people I talk to who really love N64 games and want a rock-solid experience without worrying about the ever-changing landscape and nuances that are somewhat unique to N64 emulation, I personally believe that a real hardware solution is the only way to go and is worth the extra cost if it can be spent. That being said, I am still very grateful for the work that has been done in N64 emulation and I'm glad to see that it continues to advance.

I think you're absolutely right. Up until recently I had a more powerful Android box which was slightly better at N64, but not really dramatically so, and it wasn't any better at anything else so I got rid of it. For the proper N64 experience though, until the preservation scene improves it, really if you are a massive fan the original hardware is the only way to go. But I have to echo your sentiment - I am massively and incredibly grateful for what we have right now, and it is getting better too. For me, just having a handful of my favourite titles playing so well on the Pi is a minor miracle and enough right now.

sirhenrythe5th

What you Guys are saying is absolutely right! 👍😎
It was never my Intention to say "my way is the best, all other suck!"

I also enjoyed all the improvments in N64 Emulation over the years based on a PC.
When i stopped doing emulation on Windows "Project64" was able to run about 60% of the Games near perfect.
But in the end there will be some games that will never be emulated (those using the miracle U-Codes i mentioned) and this is why i said that it is interesting for those who want it all.
Then the only way is the genuine hardware.

But of course i love my Pi too!
Its so great to have it all in one fantastic Interface.
No more changing between
emulators who all look like database-applications!

One last Word to CRTs :
of course i also own a great SONY Triluminos HDTV.
And i even have a Scanline-Generator that i could use with the N64.
But for me (again: thats my cup of tea, i dont want to say that everyone should do so!) the best experience for retrogaming is a CRT.
I also use Scanlines and shaders with my Pi that is connected to the HDTV.
But it is still a difference to the original picture.
Plus, and that was much more importing to me, the input lag is smaller because the image doesnt have to be processed.
You will really see the difference once you try it, it is this one little millisecond that makes you get all the highscores

quicksilver

@ranma I just beat GoldenEye on my overclocked pi3 using the gliden64 plugin. Most levels ran pretty smoothly only encountering slowdown if there was a lot of action on the screen (I believe this happened to a degree on the original hardware as well). Even with the slowdown I found it very playable otherwise I would have never finished it. This is one title that is right on the verge of being perfect. I think if the next gen pi has a better GPU this will no longer be an issue.

quicksilver

@sirhenrythe5th said in nice job with n64:

What you Guys are saying is absolutely right! 👍😎
It was never my Intention to say "my way is the best, all other suck!"

I also enjoyed all the improvments in N64 Emulation over the years based on a PC.
When i stopped doing emulation on Windows "Project64" was able to run about 60% of the Games near perfect.
But in the end there will be some games that will never be emulated (those using the miracle U-Codes i mentioned) and this is why i said that it is interesting for those who want it all.
Then the only way is the genuine hardware.

But of course i love my Pi too!
Its so great to have it all in one fantastic Interface.
No more changing between
emulators who all look like database-applications!

Never say never. Wasn't rogue squadron one of those games? That game was recently made playable in the last year or two with the gliden64 plugin.

HornsOverIthaca

I hope that one day Goldeneye will work well.

mitu

@hornsoverithaca You just had the previous post saying it works well....

HornsOverIthaca

Hmm... Well I'll try again, but the slowdowns on my previous try were too much for me.

Ranma

@quicksilver said in nice job with n64:

@ranma I just beat GoldenEye on my overclocked pi3 using the gliden64 plugin. Most levels ran pretty smoothly only encountering slowdown if there was a lot of action on the screen (I believe this happened to a degree on the original hardware as well). Even with the slowdown I found it very playable otherwise I would have never finished it. This is one title that is right on the verge of being perfect. I think if the next gen pi has a better GPU this will no longer be an issue.

Really? Admittedly it's been a while since I last tried it. It was pretty laggy as I remember. I'll give it another go, thanks! :-)

Can I ask what version of Retropie you're on? I'm still on 4.3 at the moment. Also, what joypad settings do you use for Goldeneye? That was always another issue with the game for me as I could not find a setup that worked well. Thanks again.

quicksilver

@ranma I'm using the mupen64plus-gliden64 emulator/plugin, retropie 4.3, and my GPU core is overclocked to 575mhz. I'm using an Xbox 360 wireless controller with default mapping (left analog stick is direction control, x and a become a and b and left trigger is z). Ill stress that even with overclock it is not perfect but it was certainly fast enough for me to complete the game. A few levels like the runway, statue park and skyhook were a little slow to be enjoyable but most of the other levels ran pretty smoothly.

Ranma

@quicksilver said in nice job with n64:

@ranma I'm using the mupen64plus-gliden64 emulator/plugin, retropie 4.3, and my GPU core is overclocked to 575mhz. I'm using an Xbox 360 wireless controller with default mapping (left analog stick is direction control, x and a become a and b and left trigger is z). Ill stress that even with overclock it is not perfect but it was certainly fast enough for me to complete the game. A few levels like the runway, statue park and skyhook were a little slow to be enjoyable but most of the other levels ran pretty smoothly.

Sorry for late reply. Given it a go and yeah it's not too bad is it? Still a bit laggy on the intro, but the game runs largely pretty well. Tried also on lr-mupen64plus and it's pretty good there too. The funny thing is it got me thinking how people seem to expect perfect frame rates from N64 games, but the original hardware was often laggy when things got busy. Despite it's "64 bit" status, I often thought the PSX outperformed it.

On Goldeneye, what settings for your pad do you use in-game? I have a Logitech F710 dual analogue thing, but I just can't get the right set-up in-game.

Spent a couple of hours with N64 on the Pi 3 today. Really nice. Lots of Wave Race, SM64, Wipeout 64, Banjo...there's like a real hardcore of good games that do play very well indeed.

quicksilver

@ranma I used the default mapping for my Xbox 360 controller. Since retropie 4.0 I believe, it will automatically generate a config for you in mupen64plus. So my left analog is the the analog stick, left trigger is z, l and r are unchanged. The only thing that is a little awkward is the right analog stick controls the c buttons but there isn't a good way around this. How is your controller configured in mupen64plus?

Ranma

@quicksilver
Sorry, I meant from in the game. There's a number of presets in Goldeneye but I can't get one that suits. There's Solitaire, Domino, Goodnight and others. Ideally I'd like one that simply puts the 'look' function on the C buttons (right analogue) rather than the left stick. I play like an idiot otherwise!

quicksilver

@ranma I think I play with the default (honey something?) It definitely takes a bit of getting used to. Or should I say re-used to? It's amazing how little standardization there was in video game controls back then. Go try to play turok on N64, I suppose it's ironic that it's controls are quite primitive :)

Ranma

@quicksilver said in nice job with n64:

@ranma I think I play with the default (honey something?) It definitely takes a bit of getting used to. Or should I say re-used to? It's amazing how little standardization there was in video game controls back then. Go try to play turok on N64, I suppose it's ironic that it's controls are quite primitive :)

Yeah I've tried to play Turok, and yeah it drives you crazy! I suppose there's nothing for it - I have to get (re)used to it. :-)

Or maybe I could try one of those USB N64 knock-offs? God I wonder how an N64 pad would feel after all these years!

Then again, nah, I'll stick with the Logitech!

quicksilver

@ranma N64 controllers feel awful imo and the analog sticks are garbage. Really the only thing that doesn't translate to a modern controller is the c buttons, it's a little awkward having them mapped to the right analog.