Retroarch Startup Guide w/ Pictures

[Charco]

Certain games used a different resolution. I guess you can save the overlays on a per game basis though with overides in RetroArch.

[orac31]

is there anyway to stop setting the date every time on the Saturn core please?

[Lordmonkus]

It should only ask for the date and time once per game and right now unfortunately there is no way to prevent this unless you use the stand alone version of Mednafen Saturn.

[orac31]

thank you

[Clutz450]

I have looked everywhere for a good guide for RetroArch and so far yours is the best one that I've found.  Thank you so much for taking the time to make this.  The only other thing I would like to see you add is controller setup.  Mainly because it was so confusing to me until it finally clicked and now I understand it and want to share it for others.  Specifically I want to explain that RetroArch uses a controller that they call the RetroPad.  (I don't know how to put pictures in my posts but click here for a picture.)  As you can see it looks identical to an XBOX 360 controller which is why those controllers will work right out of the box.  But what always confused me was figuring out and remembering what button did what for each different system.  That was until I came across this site here (scroll to the bottom) which shows examples of other system controllers and what buttons on the RetroPad related to what buttons on the controller you are emulating.  The other thing this site helped me with was when trying to map other controllers to RetroArch.  For example, I have an N64 controller to USB Adapter and it was always a guessing nightmare trying to map the buttons.  Mainly because when you set your inputs in RetroArch it told you to hit buttons like X, Y, or right analog stick which the N64 controller obviously doesn't have.  But I was able to use the controller images on that site to help me figure out (for example) that when it wanted me to press the right analog stick it really wanted me to press the C buttons on my N64 controller.  

 

Anyway, I hope you find this helpful and understand what I was trying to say.  I'm a horrible writer and speaker when trying to get my points across which is why I don't write guides. lol.  But your guide was a very big help in understanding RetroArch and the only thing I felt it was lacking was the explanation of the controllers.  Even if you don't feel you need to add it then hopefully at the very least someone else would see what I wrote and it would help them.  Thanks again.

[Lordmonkus]

I am glad you found the guide useful. There is 2 reasons I left the controller stuff out of it though. The first is because at the time of writing it 1.3.6 was and still is the official stable build and things have changed with 1.4.1. The 2nd reason is because different controllers are handled differently and there would be no way for me to cover them all.

[Clutz450]

Yeah I get that you can't possibly cover every type of controller someone may use.  But if you show the pictures I linked to and explain that whatever controller they are mapping they are mapping to a retropad I think that would help people to understand how to set up their controller.  I know those pictures helped me out tremendously and everything just kind of clicked once I understood what the retropad was.   I was just thinking that maybe they would do the same for other people who saw them. 

[Lordmonkus]

Ok I tacked on a short Part 5 at the end of the guide with a link to the the controller configuration page you linked.

[dov_EL]

If we use Retroarch for Nintendo 64, the shaders we set for NES, SNES etc. They do not do well.
Can We Have Different Shaders for Different Core? For example, Hyllian for Nes, Snes etc. And another shaders for Nintendo 64 Core?
What advice for PSX, Nintendo 64?

[Lordmonkus]

Yes, you can have a different shader though I recommend no shader. Just internal resolution boost and anti aliasing in the core options.

You can try using the core override function in Retroarch or just make a custom config and have it load that config when you start it up

-L "cores\mupen64plus_libretro.dll" -c "config\Nintendo64.cfg"

[dov_EL]

1 minute ago, lordmonkus said:

Yes, you can have a different shader though I recommend no shader. Just internal resolution boost and anti aliasing in the core options.

You can try using the core override function in Retroarch or just make a custom config and have it load that config when you start it up

-L "cores\mupen64plus_libretro.dll" -c "config\Nintendo64.cfg"

AH!!! Thank You !! 

Only in some cases even for the same CORE, for example in some vertical scrolilng games (like shot em ups), it would be nice to have a different shader.
So maybe you could act on the launchbox ROM for a custom game configuration?

[Lordmonkus]

You could use the "per game" configs and "per game shader".

[dov_EL]

Here ? 
upload immagini gratiscertificity.com

[Lordmonkus]

You could load per game configs using that if you wanted but there are now "per core" and "per game" config options built into Retroarch since 1.5.0.

[dov_EL]

Where do I find this setting?

[Lordmonkus]

Right below the Shaders menu in the quick menu when you have a game loaded with the core.

[dov_EL]

3 minutes ago, lordmonkus said:

Right below the Shaders menu in the quick menu when you have a game loaded with the core.

Thank You !!

[Zeaede]

Great work much appreciated

[orac31]

lordmonkus  can I ask please what cores are best for low end I'm using mad for ps1 but it struggles big time where espxe stand alone is fine.

[Lordmonkus]

Stick with ePSXe for PS1 then, the Retroarch Mednafen PSX core is heavier on the system requirements. My htpc with a 2.2 GHz cpu can't handle the RA core either so I use ePSXe 2.0.5 on it and its great.