Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are things that we often get asked about Project64, with the official answers from the PJ64 team, thanks to users for contributions.

New PJ64 users: please take the time to read through these pages - use the search too! - so we don't have to keep answering the same questions on the forum. You'll get a quicker answer and save our time!
 

 

  • General

    The most frequently asked frequently asked questions ;)
  • Plugins

    General questions about plugins. For Qs about particular PJ64 plugins see categories below.
  • Common GameFAQs

    Common questions about games. For questions about specific games please see the Games section .
    • Why does the game not work even though Project64 says it is Compatible?

    • What does it mean when the game is marked Region issue (blue) or Broken (brown) in the browser?

    • What are the best settings for the game?

    • Why is the game slow?

    • Why does the note say the game is slow, but it isn't slow!?

    • Why is the sound bad?

    • Why does the game jerk/pause occasionally?

    • Why are the graphics messed up?

    • Why does the game seem very dark?

    • Why does the game have black borders?

      First, if the borders are in pairs, that is on the left AND the right and/or the top AND the bottom, especially if they are equal size, you do not have a problem and cannot and should not try to correct it. These games are designed this way, on a television you might not see it because of something called overscan (advanced users: you may be able to extend the viewable area by using the external geometry pipeline, however this often causes artifacts because you are seeing an area you are not meant to see plus there are the usual weaknesses of that pipeline). One unusual solution to this is to "simulate" overscan by adjusting the range on your monitor so the inside of the black border is sitting on your physical screen edge. You will probably want to pick a resolution that you don't normaly use so this is only used for Project64! This of course only works for fullscreen. We experimented with various methods of stretching the display to fill the area, but all caused too many problems and we decided to leave them out.

      If the the border(s) are only on the right and/or bottom of the screen, or of mismatched size, then it's likely that the plugin has not detected the resolution of the game properly. Resolutions are calculated from the top left corner. The RDB should automatically handle any custom settings that are needed here for you, but if not advanced users can try adjusting emulated width and height via the video plugin ROM Settings tab. You may need to window switch (fullscreen<>windowed) to let changes take effect. 320x240 is a good starting point if you do not know the res and lowering numbers tends to shrink borders.

    • Why can you see through things when they're close to the screen?

    • Why does the HUD or menu text look blocky?

    • Why does there seem to be a line around sprite edges?

    • Why is the game difficult to control?

  • Rules

    Everyone has to have some :/
  • Saving & Loading

  • Performance

  • Video

    Questions mainly relating to Jabo's Direct3D plugins (we do not support other video plugins).
  • Audio

    Questions mainly relating to Jabo's DirectSound plugin (we do not support other audio plugins).
  • Input

    Questions mainly about Jabo's DirectInput plugin (we do not support other input plugins).
  • RSP

    Questions about Project64's Reality Signal Processor (RSP) plugin.