RetroBit/8BitDO N64 Controller - Anything I need to do?

AlexMurphy

@hansolo77 Not a TOTAL dick, it's kind of a "joke with a jibe"! Sorry, but you are just putting too much into it! When do you actually stop and HAVE FUN??? Yeah, have it as "authentic" as you want. I remember having authentic fun, not worrying about why the C button was the weak punch... Zzzzzz.,.,.

hansolo77

Long as you're just joking. :)

To be honest, I had a working setup using my Xbox 360 controller. But I found the controls confusing because the onscreen instructions would explain how to do certain things. When your "in the zone" in your game, and need that split-second reaction to hit the right button, it's hard to remember what it's mapped to. So I went out and bought this controller in the hopes of making it all easier. At this point, I've got the controller synced with the Pi3, and all the buttons are communicating appropriately. I just need to get them mapped right.

@meleu I completely forgot about custom controller configs. I had gone through the process using that originally, before I learned about and convinced myself xboxdrv was probably the best way to do it. I will attempt a custom controller map next. Do you know if you can set it up with a different hotkey setup? For instance, my default controller config for "toggle RetroArch GUI" is L3+R3 (because I use the xbox controller). Can I change that with the custom controller mapping to something like START+A? What about something like START+L1+L2 to exit? I bet there is a way, I just need to figure it out. I glanced over the link.. seems simple enough. How do you identify what the button numbers are for the xml though? jtest?

meleu

@hansolo77 said in RetroBit/8BitDO N64 Controller - Anything I need to do?:

Can I change that with the custom controller mapping to something like START+A?

Did open the joystick config file? If you look at its content I'm sure you'll figure out how to change the hotkeys buttons!

hansolo77

I spent some more time with this today.. Bad headache right now, so be a little nicer ok? :)

So I've got the controller working inside of ES. I can also use the controller perfectly inside the standalone Mupen64plus-GLideN64. But I want to be able to use RetroArch's version because RetroAchievements are coming soon.

The core "lr-mupen64plus" should be using the autoconfiguration that EmulationStation generates from it's built in mapping tool correct? Well, when I map the buttons and start a game using that core, the controller doesn't work. I've got it detecting the controller (it pops up at the bottom saying it's connected). However, the controller is not being set up as the default player 1 controller. When I execute the toggle to RetroArch's GUI (E+S on the keyboard) I can go in and see that the player 1 controller is mapped wrong. If I change it to the 8bitdo N64 one, the controller then works. However, not all of the buttons are working. The A and B buttons are swapped, and the B button isn't working at all. All of the rest of them work like they should.

So my questions now are... How do I make it so RetroArch will automatically set the 8bitdo N64 controller as the default for player 1 on this core? How can I remap the buttons so A and B are working right?

Also, I found a file located here:
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/autoconfig/8Bitdo N64 Gamepad.cfg
This looks like the file I would need to edit so that the buttons are set right. However, I don't know how to initiate using that config in the core. After editing the file, RetroArch seems to ignore it. Do I have to put a command in the terminal to make those settings get transferred into the regular retroarch.cfg file, or is that done on the fly?

Thanks for any help you guys can give me. I'd like to think I know a lot about all this, but there's always something new that pops up that causes me problems.

hansolo77

Whew! Only took 2 days, some hacking, and elbow grease. But I finally have it working. I can't use my new N64 controller to navigate ES, but that's ok. At least I can use it fully in the games.

My next big hurdle is figuring out a good way to make the emulation look good. All my experimenting I did was inside Super Mario 64 (because most of the buttons can work on the big Mario head right at the beginning). When I actually get a game going, there's a lot of breaking colors. Like Mario's clothes and hat flash and flicker from red to white. I don't know if this is because of some setting for the core, or if it's just a limitation of the hardware. To be honest, I didn't notice anything like that when I was using the non-libretro standalone emulator. So maybe somebody can offer some advice? Anyway, I'm considering this answered now. Thanks.

meleu

@hansolo77 I would not be so enthusiastic about the possibility of earning N64 cheevos on a raspberry pi... The libretro core for N64 has a bad performance on a pi.

hansolo77

Yeah, I've noticed. Still, achievements are a great way to play these games again. Just getting ready.

meleu

@hansolo77 if you test it in a x86 platform it can be possible. And reporting problems in problematic-cheevos issue tracker is always appreciated! ;-)

By the way, I closed your Final Fantasy (NES) issue there. It seems solved for me. Do you have any other problem with that game?

hansolo77

I actually haven't gone back to check yet. I've been playing Final Fantasy II (never played that before either). Judging from the guide I'm using, I'm about to start the final chapter. Once I complete it, I'll go back and check FF1 again.

And I'll definitely be testing N64 cheevos once Leiradel comes up with a working solution/patch.

EDIT - Maybe PSX will be the next system. :)

edmaul69

@hansolo77 when i set up my n64 controller, i used a as a, b as b and the four yellow buttons as analog directions. Works perfectly. Then to fix the exit issue i went into the retroarch controller file and set my left trigger (bottom trigger as the hotkey. The mupen emulators read that hotkey setting i set in the retroarch setting surprisingly.

meleu

@hansolo77 said in RetroBit/8BitDO N64 Controller - Anything I need to do?:

EDIT - Maybe PSX will be the next system. :)

I've heard about NeoGeo, NeoGeo Pocket and Atari2600.