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Description:
A guide, with
screenshots, on how to configure and run the Project64
emulator, which lets you play N64 on your PC. Simple
click-by-click guide that will have you playing N64 on your
computer in minutes. Requires Windows.
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Have you ever wanted to play N64 but couldn't because it wasn't in production? Well now you can, using the free Project64 emulator. Read on to find out how you can do this:
System Requirements (minimum)
- Intel Pentium 3 600MHz or better
- 200MB free hard drive space + 20-100MB per ROM
- 128MB RAM
- Fast video card with 16MB video RAM** (minimum)
- Windows 95 or higher
- DirectX 5 or better
**The following video chipsets have poor performance: 3dfx Voodoo 1/2/3, ATI Rage 128/Rage Pro, Intel i740/i810, Matrox G200/G400/G450, nVidia Riva 128, S3 Savage 4/Savage 2000. Most nVidia chipsets better that nVidia256 work (minimum, though). Almost all ATI Radeon cards work (early models have minimal performance).
Download Project64
Download Project64 1.6 or better. Install the software (install it, if possible, in My Documents. It makes adding ROMs easier). Once installed, proceed to the next step.
Configure Project64
First, go to the Project64 program directory (wherever you installed it). There will already be some folders and files in there. You will have to create 4 new folders in there. Name them exactly:
- Save
- Roms
- Screenshots
- Controllers
When you are done creating your new folders, your directory structure should look like this:
PJ64 Folder Structure (click to enlarge)
If your structure doesn't look exactly like this (a few files missing, ReadMe, etc.), that's OK. If you properly ran Setup and created the right folders, you should be fine. Now, launch Project64. It will ask you for a language, choose English. Follow these steps carefully: In the File menu, choose "Choose Rom directory". Navigate to the "Roms" folder you created earlier. Select the folder and click OK. Go to the System menu and make sure "Limit FPS" is selected. Now go to the Options menu and click Settings. Click on the Plugins tab in the window that appears to see the screen below:
Plugins tab - Settings screen
Make sure that for the Video (graphics) pugin, Jabo's Direct3D8 1.6 or a newer Jabo plugin is selected. For the Audio (sound) plugin, Jabo's DirectSound 1.6 or a newer Jabo plugin is selected. And last, for the Input (controller) plugin, that Jabo's DirectInput7 1.6, or a newer Jabo plugin is selected. Now click the Options tab to bring up the screen below:
Options tab - Settings screen
Now, make sure "Pause emulation when window is not active?" and "Remember selected cheats" is checked also. Make sure "Hide Advanced Settings" is unchecked. If you want, you can check "On loading a ROM go to full screen", but full screen is more of a hassle. Now click OK and at the Project64 main screen, go to the Options menu and choose Configure graphics plugin. click the Settings tab to bring up the below screen:
Graphics configuration
All you do here is choose the Windowed Resolution. Choose whatever depending on your monitor. Choose 1280x960 OR 1152x864 for 17" monitors. Choose 1024x768 OR 800x600 for a 13.8-15" monitor. Click Apply and then OK. Back at the main screen, in the Options menu, choose Configure controller plugin, which will bring up a dialog box. This is complicated. Here, click the Player 1 tab. Make sure "This controller is plugged in" is checked and Memory Pak is chosen from the drop-down menu. The configuration for a keyboard is simple. Here is an example:
Keyboard input configuration
All you do is select "None" for the Game device drop-down menu. Next you set the controls. Click on the little square next to the control and press a key to set it. Set all the controls. Though a keyboard will be sufficient, for the full gaming experience use a USB PC Game Controller. Here is an example of the configuration for one of those:
Controller Input configuration
Here, choose your connected controller from the drop-down menu. The rest is like the keyboard. Click on the little square next to the control and press a button or analog stick on the controller to set it. Once you're done setting up the controls for either device (keyboard or controller), click on the Save Profile button to save the profile for later. Save it in the Controllers directory created earlier. You can also do the same thing for other player tabs (Player 2, 3. 4). So you can have one person on a keyboard and the other on a controller, etc. For adding multiple players, simply repeat the same steps on the other tabs.
Once you are done configuring input, you are done configuration. Time to get games.
Downloading ROMs/Games
ROMs (the game files) can be downloaded from a couple of sources. One, you could get a real N64 game cartridge and rip the ROM file onto the computer using special hardware. Or, you can download them on the internet from a variety of N64 ROM websites (be careful what sites you go on). Anyway, obtain a ROM file. The ROM file should have one of the following extensions: .rom, .n64, .v64, or .z64. The ROM files will be around 10-100MB in size and will most likely be compressed in RAR, ZIP, or 7Z format. Use WinRAR to unzip. Always check ROM files for viruses.
Anyway, once you have downloaded the ROM file for a game, move it into to Roms folder we created earlier inside the Project64 directory. You can have many ROMs on the computer, as long as there is sufficient hard drive space.
Play a game
Launch Project64. In the File menu, click Refresh Rom list (every time you add a game to the Roms folder, you have to refresh). If you chose the correct ROM directory, the game's name will appear in the list (see below):
PJ64 Main menu (click to enlarge)
If that doesn't work, go to the File menu >> Open and choose your ROM file. Either way, the game should launch. Play the game with the controls you specified. If you want to go Full Screen, press the Esc key. Here is an image of Super Mario 64 being played on Project64:
Super Mario 64 - Project64 1.6 (click to enlarge)
Have fun!
Cheats
A nice thing about Project64 is that it has built-in cheats functions/GameShark. Cheats are simple to use. Right click on a game in the main screen of Project64 and click Edit Cheats to bring up a cheat dialog box. Here is an example:
Cheat box - Project 64 (click to enlarge)
To enable a cheat, simply click on the checkbox next to the cheat. Also, the listings that have a + sign on the left, click it to view all the cheats in that section (If you select a section, Slot A above, for example, you will enable all the cheats in that section. To choose a specific cheat, click on the + sign). Most of the time, a description of a selected will appear in the Notes box. Another thing is that if there is a (=> ?) beside a cheat, it means that there are more than one value to the cheat. To see all values and to select a value, double click on the cheat with the (=> ?) next to it. That just about sums up built-in cheats.
Say that you want to add your own cheats because the cheat that you want isn't there, or there are no cheats for your game? Well you can add your own cheats. In the Cheats dialog box (right-click game, choose Edit Cheats from menu), right-click an empty space and click "Add New Cheat" to bring up the below dialog box:
Add Cheat - Project64
Type in a name for the cheat at the top, type in the Code for the cheat (<address> <value>). If you wish, you can add notes for the cheat at the bottom. If the cheat is a valid cheat, then the Add Cheat button will pop out. Click it to add the cheat. If you ever want to delete a cheat you've added. in the main cheat box, right-click the cheat and click Delete.
Game Compatibility
Some games may not be compatible with this emulator. To check compatibility, go to the main Project64 screen and check the Status column. All games that say Compatible should work fine. Games that say Issues work, but have some minor glitches. Another way to check compatibility in-depth is to go to the main screen and click Help menu>>GameFAQ. The FAQ will tell you the issues (if any) with games.
Troubleshooting
1) Slow performance - Most likely because of an insufficient/unsupported graphics card/chipset. The performance will be slow if you don't meet the system requirements either. It may the a incompatible game, too. Check the GameFAQ for compatibility details.
2) Bad graphics/sound - See 'slow performance' above. If your system meets requirements and your game is compatible, change the graphics/sound plugins to an older Jabo plugin or a completely different 3rd party plugin. (Options menu >> Settings) and reconfigure plugin settings.
3) Unsynced sound - If the graphics of a game don't go with the sound (sound comes after proper graphics), then while the game is running, go Options >> Configure sound plugin. Click the Sync game to audio checkbox. Click OK
If you have any other issues other than the ones listed above, then please consult the Project64 Help contents.
Have fun playing the N64 classics.
Use a real N64 controller: There is now a way to use a real N64 controller to play games on Project64. The controller connects to the computer via an adapter called the Adaptoid. Once connected, you can configure the controller like any other controller via the Configure input plugin dialog box (Some say that you need to use an N-Rage input plugin to use the Adaptoid . You will have to test the different plugins yourself).
Plugin downloads: If you need a new/different graphics, sound, or input plugin for whatever reason, visit this site. It contains downloads and ratings to nearly every N64 emulator plugin invented.
Alternate emulator: Certain games that may not work on Project64 may work on a different emulator. The best alternate emulator is 1964. It is in the same class as Project64 and may work with games that Project64 can't play. Instructions are not provided on this page for configuration of 1964 , however, the configuration is similar to Project64.
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