I was under the impression that under normal circumstances, a game running in Dolphin can only perform as well as it runs on the actual console. If a game is locked to 30 fps on the Gamecube or Wii, it will be locked to 30 fps in Dolphin as well. If certain conditions cause a game to drop frames when running on a Gamecube or Wii, the same conditions should result in the loss of frames in Dolphin as well. As far as I know, the only 2 ways to get around this are to use game specific hacks, which remove a game's framerate lock to allow it to run as fast as the system can handle, and to Enable CPU clock override, which will overclock the emulated processor to allow games to run at a faster framerate as long as their framerate isn't locked.
I recently tested out the Wii version of Far Cry: Vengeance (don't ask...), and was surprised to find that the game has an unlocked framerate in Dolphin. The framerate is pretty unstable, typically varying from 40-50 fps during shootouts and from 50-60 fps when walking around with no enemies onscreen in the outdoor environments, but in indoor areas it actually holds 60 fps fairly well, even during firefights. I don't think the framerates are being reported incorrectly as the game is clearly running above 30 fps. The thing is, I cannot find any documentation to suggest that the game runs at an unlocked framerate which often approaches 60 fps. A developer stated in a pre-release interview that the game was locked at 30 fps, and reviews at the time noted that the game often drops below 30. Is it possible that Dolphin is improving the framerate even though I am not overriding the CPU or using any other type of speed hack? Or is it more likely that the game actual runs this well on the Wii and the information suggesting otherwise is incorrect?
I recently tested out the Wii version of Far Cry: Vengeance (don't ask...), and was surprised to find that the game has an unlocked framerate in Dolphin. The framerate is pretty unstable, typically varying from 40-50 fps during shootouts and from 50-60 fps when walking around with no enemies onscreen in the outdoor environments, but in indoor areas it actually holds 60 fps fairly well, even during firefights. I don't think the framerates are being reported incorrectly as the game is clearly running above 30 fps. The thing is, I cannot find any documentation to suggest that the game runs at an unlocked framerate which often approaches 60 fps. A developer stated in a pre-release interview that the game was locked at 30 fps, and reviews at the time noted that the game often drops below 30. Is it possible that Dolphin is improving the framerate even though I am not overriding the CPU or using any other type of speed hack? Or is it more likely that the game actual runs this well on the Wii and the information suggesting otherwise is incorrect?