Project M 3.6 Online via Dolphin Netplay Setup + Optimization Guide

[Bebop86]

Having trouble with ending games. It crashes after one complete game is finished. It seems to just do that after anything that is accomplished. For example it will be fine if I go to training mode, quit, then choose a different character and go back and keep doing that. But if a real match ends, it crashes right as the game ends. Or if in training mode I happen to earn some trophy or whatever, that also does it. Any suggestions?

 

[Y-L]

Having trouble with ending games. It crashes after one complete game is finished. It seems to just do that after anything that is accomplished. For example it will be fine if I go to training mode, quit, then choose a different character and go back and keep doing that. But if a real match ends, it crashes right as the game ends. Or if in training mode I happen to earn some trophy or whatever, that also does it. Any suggestions?

What kind of cpu do you have? Dolphin version? Is this online or offline? Do you have Mayflash drivers installed?

 

[Bebop86]

Running on a laptop, with not the best specs, I've worked with some people to try to make it run as best as possible. Yes Dolphin 4.0-652. Offline haven't tried online since it started happening. And I believe my GC to PC adapter is Mayflash.

 

[Y-L]

Running on a laptop, with not the best specs, And I believe my GC to PC adapter is Mayflash.

Could you list the processor you have though? Check your system properties under my computer in Windows 7 and on the right menu under the gear in computer info on Windows 8.
I need to know if you have the Mayflash drivers that go with the adapter or not.

 

[Bebop86]

Processor is Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3120M CPU @ 2.5GHz. Where can I find if I have the Mayflash drivers?

 

[Y-L]

Processor is Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3120M CPU @ 2.5GHz. Where can I find if I have the Mayflash drivers?

Well if you have the Mayflash drivers you used the disc that came with the adapter or downloaded them from their site. I know their drivers have caused issues with Dolphin crashing. It would be under your installed programs list. Your cpu should be fast enough to run Dolphin. However make sure it's not overheating. Maybe try a temperature monitoring program to ensure it's not throttling and causing it to crash that way.

 

[Bebop86]

Okay, so get rid of the drivers if they're there. I'll try to make sure of that.

 

[Y-L]

Okay, so get rid of the drivers if they're there. I'll try to make sure of that.

If it's not that, (which I presume it isn't) my guess is that your cpu is throttling.

 

[Bebop86]

And how do I check that? Sorry, PC noob here.

 

[Y-L]

Try a cpu temperature monitoring program like hwmonitor, coretemp, and see if your temps are getting high (90C+). If that's the case then your cpu is likely reducing its speed in order to prevent itself from overheating which might explain the crash. Laptops tend to get hot fast.

 

[Y-L]

As well, try using a different graphics backend in Dolphin settings.

 

[Bebop86]

If I did this right. Core #0 is floating around 69-70. and Core #1 around 65-67. And the different backend doesn't really seem to do much either unforutnately.

 

[Y-L]

If I did this right. Core #0 is floating around 69-70. and Core #1 around 65-67. And the different backend doesn't really seem to do much either unforutnately.

Yeah but check what the temp is while in game.

 

[Bebop86]

That's what it's saying in game. I'm on dolphin and in Project M right now in training mode. If I'm reading it right then that's where it is

 

[Y-L]

That's what it's saying in game. I'm on dolphin and in Project M right now in training mode. If I'm reading it right then that's where it is

Hmm temps look good. Windows 8 or 7?

 

[Bebop86]

I'm on Windows 8.

 

[Y-L]

I'm on Windows 8.

Try using a different audio backend like Dsound. Worth a shot.

 

[Bebop86]

I tried Dsound, not any different. In fact, seemed a little slower with it. Might have been a lag spike though

 

[Fenrir]

It will have the same amount of lag as on a wii because it's the tv that has the lag, not the game itself.

There could be some differences though. Like if he's hooking up his computer to the TV via DVI or HDMI and sending a 1080p signal to a 1080p screen, the TV doesn't have to upconvert like it does with a 480i or 480p signal from a Wii

The display could still have some lag even without that conversion step but it will likely be less than when coming from an actual wii.

 

[Y-L]

There could be some differences though. Like if he's hooking up his computer to the TV via DVI or HDMI and sending a 1080p signal to a 1080p screen, the TV doesn't have to upconvert like it does with a 480i or 480p signal from a Wii

The display could still have some lag even without that conversion step but it will likely be less than when coming from an actual wii.

Never thought about that, but true. Either way the lag shouldn't be bad.

 

[Y-L]

Wow 11k views. I'm excited that netplay is going to be the future of online Project M.

 

[muleet]

Hi. Thank you for that very nice tutorial, i did again my installation of Project with it.
Though, I have one issue, with my gc controller not working well. I have difficulties to get the inputs you have on your screen, and in game my triggers does not work well. Could you upload your controller profile on the tutorial, next to the screen? I don't know what your OS is, but on W8 it is located in "user > my documents > Dolphin emulator > config > profiles". (Profile files weigh only 1kb.) If it doesn't bother you, and if you think this is a good idea.

Edit : To be more precise, I have the mayflash adapter, and a normal gc controller, that is why I am guessing i should have the exact same input names as you on the screen. And yet, your input names are letters for your sticks and triggers (when mine are numbers, like 1-, 1+), and especially, your triggers have an "r" in Xr-+ that I don't have. I am therefore guessing the emulator considers them differently, and that this is why I have bugs in game, like when I try to shield. (The inputs worked fine with my 360 controllers.)

 

[Y-L]

Hi. Thank you for that very nice tutorial, i did again my installation of Project with it.
Though, I have one issue, with my gc controller not working well. I have difficulties to get the inputs you have on your screen, and in game my triggers does not work well. Could you upload your controller profile on the tutorial, next to the screen? I don't know what your OS is, but on W8 it is located in "user > my documents > Dolphin emulator > config > profiles". (Profile files weigh only 1kb.) If it doesn't bother you, and if you think this is a good idea.

Edit : To be more precise, I have the mayflash adapter, and a normal gc controller, that is why I am guessing i should have the exact same input names as you on the screen. And yet, your input names are letters for your sticks and triggers (when mine are numbers, like 1-, 1+), and especially, your triggers have an "r" in Xr-+ that I don't have. I am therefore guessing the emulator considers them differently, and that this is why I have bugs in game, like when I try to shield. (The inputs worked fine with my 360 controllers.)

Updated the OP with a download link. However are you using the dual port mayflash adapter? Make sure it's set Dinput USB GamePad instead of Dinput keyboard or SDL. There is also another method to manually select what button you map in Dolphin. Right click the box instead of left clicking it and it will bring up a menu to manually configure the buttons.

 

[Gridelin]

Very good guide, the May Flash Adapter part helped me out a lot! If you'd be interested I've found a method to connect a Gamecube Controller to a PC with the use of a Wii, and a Windows7 or XP Computer (so a mayflash wouldn't be necessary). I plan on making a video soon, comparing it to my MAYFLASH adapter to see if there is any input lag difference, but if your interested in the method for your guide, I'l try to write out a thorough walk-through.

 

[Y-L]

Very good guide, the May Flash Adapter part helped me out a lot! If you'd be interested I've found a method to connect a Gamecube Controller to a PC with the use of a Wii, and a Windows7 or XP Computer (so a mayflash wouldn't be necessary). I plan on making a video soon, comparing it to my MAYFLASH adapter to see if there is any input lag difference, but if your interested in the method for your guide, I'l try to write out a thorough walk-through.

Are you plugging your controller into the Wii and then your Wii into usb or something? Sounds interesting I guess I'd like to hear.

 

[muleet]

Thank you, I have now the letters on the input names, and my inputs work fine in the game. That's pretty weird I guess, that I couldn't do the right inputs myself on the game.
I still have a bit problem : sometimes, like every 5 minutes, the game becomes really really slow, like 1-2 fps, for 10 secondes. Do you have any idea on why it would do that?

(Overall, this setup is so much better... it's like, for the last months, I have played another PM, not knowing of the real version... The graphics are way more beautiful and the inputs respond quicker and better.)

 

[Y-L]

Thank you, I have now the letters on the input names, and my inputs work fine in the game. That's pretty weird I guess, that I couldn't do the right inputs myself on the game.
I still have a bit problem : sometimes, like every 5 minutes, the game becomes really really slow, like 1-2 fps, for 10 secondes. Do you have any idea on why it would do that?

(Overall, this setup is so much better... it's like, for the last months, I have played another PM, not knowing of the real version... The graphics are way more beautiful and the inputs respond quicker and better.)

What kind of processor do you have? Laptop or desktop?

 

[muleet]

Y-L > I have a laptop with a i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz.

 

[Y-L]

Y-L > I have a laptop with a i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz.

You shouldn't have a problem playing PM as your cpu is fast enough to run at a consistent full speed. Make sure turbo boost is running, (that cpu turbo boosts to 3.2 ghz) so try checking the clock frequency with cpu-z while running Dolphin.

Other possible problems is that your cpu is overheating and throttling, or reducing it's speed to reduce heat. If the laptop has a dedicated card, you may want to switch the graphics adapter to Intel integrated graphics in graphics settings because most multimedia laptops use the same cooling for cpu and gpu.
Make sure your ventilation is good. You could try a temp monitoring program like coretemp to see if your temps are getting too high (90 C+) after the game starts lagging.

Check out the Dolphin laptop performance guide as well. That should help you out.

Let me know if you sort out the problem!

 

[ndustiny]

When trying to host a netplay game, instead of giving an address code to copy to the client I get "Error: Bad Host".
When trying to connect to a netplay game after inputing a server's address code I get a message box saying "Could not connect to central server dolphin-emu.org".

This has only started now when it had worked fine on multiple occasions in the past.

Any ideas?

 

[muleet]

Y-L > I changed the graphic card that was used for Dolphin, it uses now the nvidia GTX600m instead of the Intel HD Graphic 4000. (I changed it with the explanations in one of your link, on the nvidia panel.)
It worked yesterday for several hours, without crashing a single time, with 4 players at 60fps on most maps. I did not know my pc was able to do that, thanks! (It was not a heat problem.)

 

[Gridelin]

Are you plugging your controller into the Wii and then your Wii into usb or something? Sounds interesting I guess I'd like to hear.

Alright, I wrote a quick text mini guide, I'll try and get a video out soon to help:

A Mini Guide:
Requirements:
• Windows 7, Vista, or XP
• A Nintendo Wii with Homebrew Channel.
• A gamecube Controller, I believe Wavebirds do work
Step 1 (Windows 7 and Vista only)
You will need to download Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b (Link: http://www.ngohq.com/?page=dseo)
Once the program is open, and you have agreed to the two statements, you will see this screen:

You are going to want to “Enable Test Mode”, hit next, and then restart your computer once test mode is enable.
Upon reboot, if performed correctly, you should see:

. In the bottom right hand corner of your desktop

Step 2 Instal PPJoy
This is the most annoying part, and is the part I couldn’t get to work on my friends Windows 8.1 computer.
Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4tiIt1c41d2YW5vbFFJZ1N1Z0E/edit?usp=sharing and extract to a folder, you will need all of the files in this folder.
Right click “ppjoysetup-0-8-4-6(5)” and run as administrator, and then follow the installation. If any problems occur during installation, try running the install file in compatibility mode.
* If this doesn’t work you may want to also look up guides on how to install PPJoy on a Windows 7/Vista Computer, as it is a rather annoying process, you may find a different method that works for you.

Step 3: PadSend
The next step will be on your wii, you will need to open up the homebrew channel, and tap the home button on your wii remote in order to locate your Wii’s IP Address.

Write down your Wii’s IP address in a notepad, and then return to the main menu of the homebrew channel. Now plug in whatever Gamecube controllers you are going to want to use on Dolphin. Leave your wii on the Homebrew channel and return to your computer.
After this is done you can move back to your computer. If you’re on Windows7 or Vista, you’re going to right click the “PadSend Server (2)” file and click properties. Go over to the Compatability tab, and make sure the settings match:

Once the settings are applied, run the “Padsend Server (2)” file, It will open but will be in the windows tray:

Click on the Icon of the file, and then select the Wiiload Client, you might see a box that says “text” just continue, and you will see this box:

Click yes, and paste in your Wii’s IP from the notepad. If done correctly you should see a screen similar to this, on your Nintendo wii screen:

And the PadSend Server, should now be displaying something similar to this:

Now in your Dolphin Gamecube Controller settings, the Controller should be under the name of one of the following (not the keyboard):

Then just map the controller like normal 

NOTES:
• To leave the application on your wii, Hold down L,R,Z,A,Y,START all at the same time.
• This method can be used with up to 4 Gamecube Controllers, but they all have to be individually mapped.

• If you wii IP isn’t 192.168.x.x you may have to hex edit the Padsend and the .dol file

• More information can be found about PADSEND and hex editing from the official thread: http://gbatemp.net/threads/padsend-for-ds-wii-pc-application.295119/ but it hasn’t been updated in a while.
• If people have a lot of trouble with this guide, I do plan on making a video on how to set this up, and compare it to my USB Mayflash adapter, but from my preliminary I notice almost no input lag difference between the USB Mayflash and this method.

 

[NovaSmash]

I'm getting terrible lag when trying to play project m online on dolphin and I have no idea what's wrong. We both followed the setup guide, we both have stable internet and good computers that run project m offline fine at 60 fps. Here's some more info:

My pc:
CPU: AMD FX 6100 @ 3.3ghz
GPU: AMD Radeon 7750 1GB DDR5
RAM: 8GB ram
OS: Windows 8 home premium

His pc is a $1500 laptop so I doubt there's any problem there. We both went to pingtest.net and we get a grade A on our connections. I live in Georgia and he lives in the northeast. Is that too far apart? We're both using Dolphin 4.0-652.

If anyone has any tips I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Plebeian]

I can't do netplay with other people unless I use VPN:s like Hamachi/Tunngle and I don't understand why...

I forced a listen port 27015 (which is for source games on steam, but I'm pretty sure this port is open and thus should work).

We recently switched the router and it still doesn't work

what am I doing wrong ?

 

[Y-L]

I'm getting terrible lag when trying to play project m online on dolphin and I have no idea what's wrong. We both followed the setup guide, we both have stable internet and good computers that run project m offline fine at 60 fps. Here's some more info:

My pc:
CPU: AMD FX 6100 @ 3.3ghz
GPU: AMD Radeon 7750 1GB DDR5
RAM: 8GB ram
OS: Windows 8 home premium

His pc is a $1500 laptop so I doubt there's any problem there. We both went to pingtest.net and we get a grade A on our connections. I live in Georgia and he lives in the northeast. Is that too far apart? We're both using Dolphin 4.0-652.

If anyone has any tips I would greatly appreciate it.

Your cpu is weak for Dolphin.. despite having 6 cores, the single threaded performance is very bad. Dolphin can only utilize 2 cores and needs cpu's with fast single threaded performance (mostly intel) however some AMD's can get the job done. My Athlon 750k can run PM full speed, and that's at the low end of cpu spectrum. Your cpu is 15% weaker in single threaded than mine. So it could be a lack of cpu power.

However it could also be the buffer not set correctly. Make sure your buffer is set according to the ping in Dolphin, (I like to divide ping by 9) and set the buffer to that.

You may just needs to overclock your cpu.

 

[Y-L]

I can't do netplay with other people unless I use VPN:s like Hamachi/Tunngle and I don't understand why...

I forced a listen port 27015 (which is for source games on steam, but I'm pretty sure this port is open and thus should work).

We recently switched the router and it still doesn't work

what am I doing wrong ?

I'm not familiar with internet problems but perhaps this thread may help you out?

 

[NovaSmash]

Your cpu is weak for Dolphin.. despite having 6 cores, the single threaded performance is very bad. Dolphin can only utilize 2 cores and needs cpu's with fast single threaded performance (mostly intel) however some AMD's can get the job done. My Athlon 750k can run PM full speed, and that's at the low end of cpu spectrum. Your cpu is 15% weaker in single threaded than mine. So it could be a lack of cpu power.

However it could also be the buffer not set correctly. Make sure your buffer is set according to the ping in Dolphin, (I like to divide ping by 9) and set the buffer to that.

You may just needs to overclock your cpu.

How can it be my cpu when I can run it 4 players offline at 60fps? If my cpu was that weak I wouldn't be able to play it offline at full speed either. Here's a video of me playing project m on my system, playing at 2x internal resolution and recording with fraps full size and not lagging at all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RlNxLZze-M

 

[Y-L]

How can it be my cpu when I can run it 4 players offline at 60fps? If my cpu was that weak I wouldn't be able to play it offline at full speed either. Here's a video of me playing project m on my system, playing at 2x internal resolution and recording with fraps full size and not lagging at all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RlNxLZze-M

If you're online now I can test it with you.

 

[McSlur]

First off, I want to say THANK YOU! I've used various emulators for a while now, but couldn't get Dolphin to work well with my laptop. With your guide it runs awesome now.

Up until this point PM has been working awesome, but I've recently been having a problem playing PM and Brawl using a Netplay friendly Dolphin. I get an error telling me that Dolphin is trying to reload a title not available in my NAND dump, then Dolphin hangs.
If I delete the "Dolphin Emulator" folder in my docs, Dolphin replaces the folder with a new one when I relaunch it.
WIth the new folder in docs, it works fine. When I try to import my mem cards and GCC profiles, it starts giving me the same error.

Could it be because I have 2 different Dolphin programs, one for Netplay Dolphin and one for single player games?

 

[Y-L]

First off, I want to say THANK YOU! I've used various emulators for a while now, but couldn't get Dolphin to work well with my laptop. With your guide it runs awesome now.

Up until this point PM has been working awesome, but I've recently been having a problem playing PM and Brawl using a Netplay friendly Dolphin. I get an error telling me that Dolphin is trying to reload a title not available in my NAND dump, then Dolphin hangs.
If I delete the "Dolphin Emulator" folder in my docs, Dolphin replaces the folder with a new one when I relaunch it.
WIth the new folder in docs, it works fine. When I try to import my mem cards and GCC profiles, it starts giving me the same error.

Could it be because I have 2 different Dolphin programs, one for Netplay Dolphin and one for single player games?

That error usually occurs when the game tries to return to the Wii menu, which you don't have. Don't make save files on the Netplay one. You can make a save on another build though (I use 4.02 or you can use a dev build).