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?

      This first thing to establish that no background task on your PC is taking CPU time away from Project64. This could be something like a virus scanner, any scheduled tasks, disk activitity, just about anything. Use Task Manager to investigate and shut down as much as possible, also consider turning off services that your don't need (Win2/Xp) and programs that start with your computer (startup folder and registry).

      One you have ruled out external causes, there are several things within the emulator that could cause this. The first is a plugin stalling the core, for example a video plugin flushing textures (occasionally unavoidable) or an audio plugin syncing game to audio. Eliminate these causes by changing plugins or adjusting plugin configuration respectively. The final possibility is that the core itself is pausing for one of several reasons, such as a compiler reset (rare but unavoidable) or some configuration options, Advanced Block Linking being a particularly likely culprit - try disabling ABL via Advanced tab to turn it off in all games where it's not essential (don't forget to reboot ROM to take effect). Other Settings that may help are Larger Compiler Buffer, Self-mod. Code Method, and Counter Factor. Please consult the manual for further details and do not adjust these settings unless you understand what you're doing. Some pausing may be unavoidable, depending on the game, but we have found that most IS avoidable.

    • Why are the graphics messed up?

    • Why does the game seem very dark?

    • Why does the game have black 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.