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+--- Thread: Multiple issues. (/Thread-multiple-issues)
Multiple issues. - Hullabaleur - 07-23-2014
I've recently been having a few problems with dolphin.
First off is the typical audio crackling and lag, and then the eventual hellish screeching. I managed to fix that mostly, but there are still instances where audio stutters dramatically on wii games (sometimes accompanied by visual stutters), and then audio lags noticeably behind on version 4.0.2 for gamecube. 4.0.2 also runs most games surprisingly bad, lagging and chugging with no real reason, and combined with the persistent audio issues, I find it unusable. I stress to mention the version, because I still use dolphin 3.5 seeing as it has no issues running the gamecube audio at all, and runs the visuals perfectly as well. However, in version 3.5 I've suddenly been receiving memory card errors that claim that dolphin can not write to the memory card and asks if Im running it from a CD, which I am not. I've tried running as an administrator, and I've tried to change write protections, and neither worked.
I would like to fix my saving issues, but I would much rather find a way to make the new version playable, since I'd like to believe that it actually works better.
Because there's no reason that a severely outdated version should run circles around the new stuff. Especially after I made sure to match the settings exactly.
RE: Multiple issues. - Matrix2525 - 07-23-2014
To start, you should try running one of the latest development builds, which as of this reply, is 4.0-2238. Recent development builds are significantly improved over the 4.0.2 version, which is now over seven months old, and the new builds are usually just as stable as the "stable" builds. There have been changes and improvements to both audio and visual rendering, as well as some speed optimizations to go along with the increased emulation accuracy. If you would like specifics, there are more regular forum members, as well as the developers that could tell you a lot more than that, as well as the progress reports from the last couple of months. My point is, give the latest builds a shot and see how that goes. Unfortunately, I don't know enough to warrant a guess at what's going on with your memory card file.
As far as I can guess about performance, I think your cpu should be able to handle just about all gamecube games fine, and most wii games, at least from other threads I've come across.
RE: Multiple issues. - KHg8m3r - 07-23-2014
That memory card thing sounds like one of the bugs fixed between 3.5 and now, so I wouldn't worry about it, just use the latest dev builds. The older version seems to run the games faster because it was less accurate, which meant there was less stress on the CPU. They also required LLE audio for some games which made it more demanding than current dev builds.
As for some changes from the 4.0.x stable to the dev builds, there is way better accuracy from a fix in floating point integer math (read here: https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2014/03/15/pixel-processing-problems/), much better accuracy overall, and there is no longer a need for LLE audio in games with the Zelda audio ucode (read as Mario, Zelda, and some other Nintendo-made games) due to a audio backend rewrite for HLE audio.
The speed increases come from said rewrites to HLE backend along with some fun OpenGL 4.4 support (which your card supports), the dropping of D3D9 (it was a piece of outdated junk) which allowed D3D11 (now called D3D) and OpenGL to really speed up, and some fixes to the JIT core.
Now, as to your problem, like Matrix said, the latest dev builds will most likely get rid of your audio stuttering because they are faster. Use them. Please. If it still isn't enough, you have an unlocked CPU. Put that to good use and overclock it to like 4 Ghz or something. It's free speed for you
RE: Multiple issues. - Hullabaleur - 07-23-2014
(07-23-2014, 11:16 AM)Matrix2525 Wrote: To start, you should try running one of the latest development builds, which as of this reply, is 4.0-2238. Recent development builds are significantly improved over the 4.0.2 version, which is now over seven months old, and the new builds are usually just as stable as the "stable" builds. There have been changes and improvements to both audio and visual rendering, as well as some speed optimizations to go along with the increased emulation accuracy. If you would like specifics, there are more regular forum members, as well as the developers that could tell you a lot more than that, as well as the progress reports from the last couple of months. My point is, give the latest builds a shot and see how that goes. Unfortunately, I don't know enough to warrant a guess at what's going on with your memory card file.
As far as I can guess about performance, I think your cpu should be able to handle just about all gamecube games fine, and most wii games, at least from other threads I've come across.
I actually tried the most recent dev build first, and if I remember correctly, it was either just as bad or far worse. I mean, if I don't have much choice I can try to give it another shot, but so far everything except the 3.5 was unplayable for me. And even on 3.5, most of the games were broken, except my 2 favorites, and now the saving issue has ruined them as well, and the more recent versions have just performed so sub-par if you ask me. Like, persistent slowness, and even when I could get it to run smoothly the audio lagged behind a good second or two regardless of my settings.
Like I said, if there's no other way, then I'll try and get the newer builds to work, but I have honestly never seen a more finicky program than dolphin. I love what it lets me do, but there comes a point when it just becomes baffling that such a problem can really exist. The new should always improve on the old, and yet these new build have so far degraded the experience so much as to make a great game entirely void of all enjoyment.
But now I really don't seem to have a choice.
I'm currently trying out the most recent build, which for me is 4.0-2241.
This version is newer than the last time I tried the dev builds, and I'm a little more confident since the sound isn't as bad as the others (still has some minor lag), but it still insists on stuttering far more than I'd like. Usually not to bad, a frame skip or two when certain actions are carried out, so its still very annoying, yet not terrible. However, there was at least one section that was practically just slap chopped out of existence, and it wasn't fun. I also want to note at least one crash and a few bits of loud random audio tears.
But even with all of that its not as bad as the last version I had. Still, I need help. And it's still worse than 3.5 by far. But, Id like to think someone can help me fix this.
RE: Multiple issues. - JMC47 - 07-23-2014
Dolphin's GPU accuracy has gone up, making the emulator demanding. CPU accuracy has gone up too, but optimizations have greatly outpaced it. The Shader caching is likely causing those short stutters, and there is currently no solution to it.