Netplay?
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So this may be a stupid post to some, but I'm looking for some advice. I'd like to try to set up netplay on my RetroPie so I can play some 2-player games with other people over the internet. Apparently it works for a lot of people, but I've not had any luck.
For starters, I updated RetroArch to the latest source lastnight. I'm now running 1.6.7. I read in the RetroArch documentation that you need the same version as the other player. All of the "rooms" currently showing are all on 1.6.7. So that should be the first step.
The next step is to have the same version of the emulator core. I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I updated all of the installed cores from source lastnight too, in preparation. For instance, I'm running "Snes9x 2010 1.52.4 e3b7fa5". When I look at the other rooms, it's all over the place. "Snes9x (1.54.1 95715f8)", "Snes9x (1.54.1 6fbe93)", etc. I'm not sure if this is causing the compatibility issue or not. My "git" version is definitely different, as is the version number (I have Snes9x 2010, they're using just Snes9x). They also have 1.54.1 while I'm on 1.52.4.
Another stipulation to make it work requires you both to have the same ROM. I have no way of knowing what version my ROMs are. Sure, RetroArch's rooms show their hash codes for the ROM, but how do I know if mine is the same?
All I know is, when I click to join a room, it says "Content not found, try manual load or disconnect from host". I have the same ROM loaded (by name) but it's not getting detected. I also tried scanning my ROMs into playlists, but they don't show up. I think it's because RetroArch is scanning for ZIP files, and I have all mine extracted for better compatibility across different cores. When I go to scan, it just says "Preparing" then "Completed" but it doesn't add anything to the playlist. However, if I manually scan a file, it adds it to the playlist just fine. But for some reason, because the way RetroPie is set up, it can't find the cores when I try to launch the games from within RetroArch.
So yeah. I'm all kinds of flustered trying to figure this out. Should I be using the BINARY update rather than the SOURCE version to better increase my chances of compatible RetroArch and Cores? Should I go back and re-zip all my ROMs? Will doing so allow the CRC hash to be the same? Any help would be appreciated!
Raspberry Pi 3
8gb MicroSD Card (RetroPie files only)
1tb USB Drive (ROMs and Video Snaps only)
RetroArch v1.6.7 (updated from source last night)
EmulationStation v2.6.2RP (updated from source last night)
Snes9x 2010 1.52.4 e3b7fa5 (updated from source last night)Who's Scruffy Looking?
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I have the same problem!
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Same here. I also tried several times with a friend of mine, we are both using the exact same emulator version and the exact same rom. And all the times we get “Content not found, try manual load or disconnect from host”.
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@hansolo77, @pemy, @saccublenda
I wrote a little bit on how to get the Netplay lobby working on RetroPie in this thread.
RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive
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Thanks for the update. I will check and see if things are any better. I've not messed with this any more since my post 4 months ago.
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@mediamogul I followed the instructions in the thread without any luck, I keep getting the same error message. I think the problem regards the ‘Scan Directory’ part, that for me took absolutely no time, like it couldn’t find any rom.
Do the roms need to be in a specific format (i.e. a zipped archive)? Or do they need to follow a specific naming convention? Or do they need to come from a specific romset? -
Zip files should be fine. Did you update the necessary databases from the online updater?
RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive
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@mediamogul Yes, I did update the databases following your thread. My roms are unzipped (i.e.: *.nes and *.sfc), should I zip them and then scan the directory again?
Once a directory is successfully scanned, are the found rom supposed to appear in a playlist? -
@mediamogul I zipped some roms and scanned the directory again, but the result is the same: scan ends in zero seconds and the directory keeps showing “no file” in it.
What exactly are the databases I updated in the step before? A list of roms? If so, I suspect the roms on the pie must match those in the list in order to be found during the scan.
Are these databases stored somewhere on the pie, so I can take a look at them? -
@saccublenda said in Netplay?:
I suspect the roms on the pie must match those in the list in order to be found during the scan.
They do need to match, but supposedly the databases account for most common sets such as 'Good' and 'No-Intro'. For example, I use the older and less popular 'Good' sets, but they're always recognized.
Are these databases stored somewhere on the pie, so I can take a look at them?
They're located at
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/database/rdb/. -
@mediamogul I was able to populate the collection with the games. No luck yet in starting netplay, though.
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If it's still giving the “Content not found, try manual load or disconnect from host” error, try loading the game manually from the collection list in the RetroArch GUI. Are you using a 'No-Intro' set of ROMs?
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If it's still giving the “Content not found, try manual load or disconnect from host” error, try loading the game manually from the collection list in the RetroArch GUI.
It still gives the same error.
Are you using a 'No-Intro' set of ROMs?
I think the roms are from the Good set, anyway they have the same name and checksum, so they are recognized and added to the collection.
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@saccublenda said in Netplay?:
they have the same name and checksum
I'm don't think they're supposed to. Have you compared them directly? I use the 'Good' sets myself and have about a 60-70% success rate on the Netplay pairing. Supposedly it "just works" with the 'No-Intro' sets according to the libretro team.
RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive
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they have the same name and checksum
I'm don't think they're supposed to.
The database contains both the name and checksum of the roms, I think that’s how roms are recognized and added to the collections.
Have you compared them directly?
Yes.
I use the 'Good' sets myself and have about a 60-70% success rate on the Netplay pairing. Supposedly it "just works" with the 'No-Intro' sets according to the libretro team.
I will try the No-Intro set and let you know.
Thank for the suggestions. -
@mediamogul I tried Good and No-intro sets, the games are added to the playlist, but I was never able to start a netplay game. It keeps giving the “content not found” error.
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Some day I'd like to take the time to test the feature under ideal staged conditions, but just like yourself, my success has been limited in the wild.
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I'm still in that same boat too. I've got GoodName and No-Intro romsets, zipped and not, all identified in RetroArch with cover art. I still can't join any games "content not found". I can host games, but nobody ever joins. I've just given up until somebody can figure out the reason, and can make a play-by-play set of instructions complete with screenshots.
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I seem to have had more luck than most people, but still, I've only used the feature successfully about half a dozen times out of the several dozen I've tried.
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So the conclusion then, is that Netplay through lobbies really doesn't work or is not a supported feature in RetroPie, @mediamogul?
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