A game that's supposed to be fixed on Dolphin Emulator won't start

[FamShoppa]

I'm trying to launch the GameCube version of 'Happy Feet' via LaunchBox+RetroArch. It loads fine during the introductory screens. But then it says 'Press any key to continue' - and when you do, it just freezes.

I searched online and came across these two articles that explain it used to be an issue - but was subsequently fixed:
Happy Feet (GC) - Dolphin Emulator Wiki (dolphin-emu.org)
Dolphin Emulator - Dolphin Progress Report: June and July 2021 (dolphin-emu.org)
Relevant information:
- I've tried over 20 GameCube games in LaunchBox+RetroArch, and none have given me any errors
- Windows 10 x64 environment
- Latest updates of stable LaunchBox and RetroArch.
- No exotic customizations in RetroArch - except for "Mega Bezels" and "Vulkan Driver" enabled.
- My RetroArch "Dolphin" core settings are default (I know very little about emulators, so don't mess around there).
- My copy is "Happy Feet (USA) (En,Fr).rvz" and sized at "1.17 GB".

I'm not sure where to ask for help, so I figured I'd start here in case someone could point me in the right direction.
I can also provide any screenshots or files needed for troubleshooting.

[FamShoppa]

I can't edit the above post, so I just wanted to add an update. I downloaded an alternate copy of the game via a popular source. This is "Happy Feet (USA) (En,Fr).ciso" and "1.33 GB". Again, it produces the same problem. 

So this is not a problem of the game file itself being bad. 

[Lordmonkus]

Try the stand alone version of Dolphin instead of the RA core.

[neil9000]

10 hours ago, FamShoppa said:

So this is not a problem of the game file itself being bad. 

Why not? A pool of two isnt a great way to state that as a fact, it is highly likely it is your rom, or rom format that is the issue. My rom is named "Happy Feet (USA) (En,Fr).rvz" and loads up just fine, no issues at all.

[FamShoppa]

2 hours ago, neil9000 said:

Why not? A pool of two isnt a great way to state that as a fact, it is highly likely it is your rom, or rom format that is the issue. My rom is named "Happy Feet (USA) (En,Fr).rvz" and loads up just fine, no issues at all.

 

Hi @neil9000, my copy of the game is the same as yours (see highlighted):

Are you using LaunchBox+RetroArch to load the game?

I don't think the issue is the download source. My sources are a popular torrent collection where the uploader claims to have tested these before inclusion - and the popular repository everyone uses. I don't use any exotic download method, just default saves.

What makes me most confident is that my situation perfectly resembles the reported bug (described in the earlier link). The game loads, then only freezes when you have to 'Press any button" to start. This happens with both the "RVZ" and "CISO" copies.

===============

Hi @Lordmonkus, I'd like to save changing emulators as a last resort - because I love using Duimon's Mega Bezels. I don't think those are available without RetroArch.

Edited March 26, 2023 by FamShoppa

[neil9000]

You say this is a new fix to dolphin, but you are not using dolphin, you are using retoarch with the dolphin core, these are not the same things, the core is very far behind the standalone version of dolphin. We do not recommend the dolphin retroarch core to anyone, it is simply nowhere near as good or up to date. So it sounds like you want to use a new fix in a old emulator it seems, thats not going to work if the emulator you are using is old and does not contain the fix you need.

[FamShoppa]

2 minutes ago, neil9000 said:

You say this is a new fix to dolphin, but you are not using dolphin, you are using retoarch with the dolphin core, these are not the same things, the core is very far behind the standalone version of dolphin. We do not recommend the dolphin retroarch core to anyone, it is simply nowhere near as good or up to date. So it sounds like you want to use a new fix in a old emulator it seems, thats not going to work if the emulator you are using is old and does not contain the fix you need.

Oh! Okay, I'm a noob and only have basic knowledge. I assumed both the RetroArch-Dolphin and standalone-Dolphin were basically the same (hence, would have the same bug fixes).

But I understand now what you're saying.

I guess first I'll try going to RetroArch github and reporting this bug. If I get no response, then I'll switch to standalone Dolphin.

I just really love my Bezel setup (I think only available via RetroArch), and was hoping I wouldn't have to give it up lol!

[Drybonz]

There's a lot of people hoping that the Dolphin core in RA will catch up with the standalone.  There are other cores too that lag behind in RA for various reasons... it really just takes someone having time to work on them I guess.