Project M 3.6 Online via Dolphin Netplay Setup + Optimization Guide

[Y-L]

As of Project M Version 3.6 this guide is UP TO DATE.

A lot of people have difficulty setting up Project M for Netplay (or offline) use so I've decided to make this guide to answer any questions people might have. The reddit thread isn't updated very often and a lot of smashboards members don't know about it/are still asking questions with easy solutions. If I could possibly get this stickied that would be great. OUTDATED METHOD [Iso builder] (Windows/Mac/Linux)

DOLPHIN NETPLAY MATCHMAKING ROOM
Anther's Ladder

WHAT YOU NEED
NTSC copy of Super Smash Bros Brawl.iso [no links/asking where to get one, you need to do this on your own]
2 GB of Hard Drive Space
Dolphin 4.0-7161 (Dolphin is updated very frequently. We only update when it benefits Smash/Netplay)
Project M 3.6 Virtual SD Card

HARDWARE (Courtesy of Serris)

Minimum Requirements (2 player, 480p/60 FPS):

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 or AMD Phenom X2 555
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD 4770
Operating System: Windows Vista 64-bit or OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" 64-bit
​

Recommended Specifications (4 player, 720p/60 FPS):

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Phenom X4 955
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7850
Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit or OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" 64-bit​

MAKING THE ISO

Spoiler

1) Extract the zipped files.

2)
Go to Documents > Dolphin Emulator > Wii and delete the current SD card in there. Replace it with the sd.raw found in the pack.

Mac Users: Please Follow this Guide in finding your file location/directory: http://imgur.com/a/4L3WJ

3) Place the PMNetplay.elf and Brawl into the same directory as the rest of your ISOs or Direct a path in dolphin to it.

4) In dolphin, right click your Brawl.Iso and set it as the default.

5) To make sure you made Brawl your defaut ISO, go to Config > Paths to clarify:

6) Go to Config > Wii and select "Insert SD Card."

To play on Netplay, click on the PMNetplay.elf. This will forward to the Customized Gecko OS Launcher where it applies the SD Card Codes. From then, just press "A" to Launch Game. DO NOT PRESS START!

PLAYING ON NETPLAY

Spoiler

*note that you preferably want to play someone from your region, or ping might be too high

To host a Netplay lobby, go to Tools->Start Netplay, head to the Host tab, then select the game that has PMNetplay. Copy and give your opponent the 8 character code that appears. After your opponent joins, set the buffer by dividing the ping by 16, then rounding up (I.E. 35 ping, 35/16 = 2.19 = 3 buffer).

To join a Netplay lobby, go to Tools->Start Netplay, paste the 8 character code from the host, and hit connect.

FAQ/TROUBLESHOOTING

Spoiler

• 
  
  
  • • What kind of GC adapter should I get/how do I set it up correctly in Dolphin?

I highly recommend the Nintendo or Mayflash 4 Port GC to USB adapter. Amazon and eBay will have it the cheapest. Follow the guides on Smashladder to configure your controller properly.

• 
  
  
  • • I can't connect to Netplay/My opponent cannot connect to me?

Ensure that you and your partner are using Dolphin revision 4.0-6554. Developer versions or stable versions will not work. If this does not solve the issue it may be a connection issue, which is common in apartment complexes, universities, and other public internet connections. For solution see below:

Spoiler

If someone is in an apartment complex or are using internet at a university, they may find that they are unable to change router settings. These routers also have uPnP disabled so you cannot portmap around them to make UDP port breaking available. (UDP port breaking is what is used by the dolphin netplay code system). So they must connect by TCP. This means a port must be forwarded by the host. If people go into config>general, and set Force netplay listen port to a port they have forwarded, then people who cannot enable UDP port breaking will be able to join. Just a heads up as far as hosting optimization goes.

• 
  
  
  • • My opponent is doing weird movements and jumping off the cliff, and they said I'm the one doing that. What happened?

This is a desync. Essentially you two are both viewing different games. This could either be your fault or your opponents fault. Ensure that Wiimotes and Insert SD Card are off and disabled by both parties. If this does not resolve the issue, the player at fault must rebuild their iso as they built it incorrectly. Verify your md5.

• 
  
  
  • • Dolphin runs slow on my laptop. Help!

Try using the Dolphin laptop performance guide. Also keep in mind multimedia laptops are not designed for gaming. The most common problem is that your cpu is overheating and throttling (reducing performance) to reduce heat. Most multimedia laptops share the cpu heatsink with the gpu so under graphics settings in Dolphin switch to integrated graphics.

• 
  
  
  • • Why can't my computer run Project M at full speed? I have xxxx CPU/xxxx GPU

Dolphin relies almost entirely on single-threaded CPU speed. Most AMD CPU's have pretty bad single-threaded performance. In addition, you cannot compare PC games to dolphin, as PC games are reliant on GPU, whereas with Dolphin GPU is hardly a factor.

• 
  
  
  • • I'm planning on building a new computer that will run Project M at full speed. What should I get?

Spoiler

If you want to build a budget computer that will play on NetPlay, you should head over to the Dolphin Hardware Subforum. They're very good at recommending budget setups. Just let them know you're on a budget and provide the games you'd like to play.

My recommendations on the budget intel side (which will have vastly higher single threaded performance [better in Dolphin] but inferior multithreaded performance [general computing]) are the Pentium G3258 and the i3 4130. The Pentium has a solid single threaded performance which will certainly play Project M at full speed. It's one of the best price per performance processors - I believe it is around $60. Don't let the Pentium label deter you it's using the newest Haswell architecture. When overclocked, its Dolphin performance compares similarly to the 4970k at stock.

If you're really willing to dig deep the i5 4690k or the i7 4790k are the way to go. They will be much more future proof and will run most Dolphin games at full speed, as well as blow the previously listed processors out of the water for everything else. They cost $230 and $340 respectively. The i7 is generally considered one of the best processors to date.

tl;dr: Pentium G3258 will be the best for a budget cpu catering Project M. Do not get AMD because they are very slow for single threaded performance.n If you want a more future proofed cpu invest in the i5 4690k or the i7 4790k.

Also check out PC Part Picker to pick out the parts for your rig. It's amazing because it makes sure all the parts are compatible, and finds the best deals online. For the rest of your build, just make sure you get a decent cpu cooler (you want a good one because Dolphin does a great job and generating heat, but you don't need liquid cooling or any of that ****), 4gb RAM (unless you want more for your other needs), a decent video card and keep in mind Dolphin requires almost no video card to run due to the fact that it's almost all cpu but if you want to play with 4x IR I recommend the GTX 750 ti, a PSU that has enough power usually need 400w+, and a hard drive that has enough space for all your Dolphin isos. Good luck building!

• 
  
  
  • • How can I increase dolphin performance? I changed all the settings!

Unfortunately if those do nothing for you your options start to get limited. You can overclock your CPU, or upgrade to a new one.

• 
  
  
  • • My controller isn't working?

Go to Options->Gamecube Pad Settings and configure your controller there.

• 
  
  
  • • What does WC, EC, MW, EU mean?

West Coast, East Coast, Midwest, Europe, respectively. People often want to fight people in their own region to prevent high pings.

Want to support Netplay? Post this in your siggy:

[url="smashladder.com"][img]http://i.imgur.com/9rgWoyD.png[/img][/url]

 

[Serris]

Some of your tips for optimization are inaccurate or flat-out detrimental to Dolphin's performance.

• Use EuRGB Mode (PAL60) offers no benefits. It doesn't give any framerate speed-up. The setting only exists for image/color correction when playing PAL games on 60 Hz displays.
• Setting your internal resolution to Auto (Window Size) forces the GPU to render less pixels due to fractional scaling, so it's better for performance than Auto (Multiple of 640x528).
• Scaled EFB Copy will decrease performance.
• Vertex Streaming Hack in the OpenGL backend will provide a substantial performance boost to anyone with an nVidia graphics card from the GTX 4xx series or above.

You may want to include a minimum and recommended specs section under "What You Need" so people know what they're getting into.

Minimum Requirements (2 player, 480p/60 FPS):

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 or AMD Phenom X2 555
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD 4770
Operating System: Windows Vista 32-bit or OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" 32-bit
​

Recommended Specifications (4 player, 720p/60 FPS):

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Phenom X4 955
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7850
Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit or OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" 64-bit​

 

[Y-L]

Some of your tips for optimization are inaccurate or flat-out detrimental to Dolphin's performance.

• Use EuRGB Mode (PAL60) offers no benefits. It doesn't give any framerate speed-up. The setting only exists for image/color correction when playing PAL games on 60 Hz displays.
• Setting your internal resolution to Auto (Window Size) forces the GPU to render less pixels due to fractional scaling, so it's better for performance than Auto (Multiple of 640x528).
• Scaled EFB Copy will decrease performance.
• Vertex Streaming Hack in the OpenGL backend will provide a substantial performance boost to anyone with an nVidia graphics card from the GTX 4xx series or above.

You may want to include a minimum and recommended specs section under "What You Need" so people know what they're getting into.

Minimum Requirements (2 player, 480p/60 FPS):

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 or AMD Phenom X2 555
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD 4770
Operating System: Windows Vista 32-bit or OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" 32-bit
​

Recommended Specifications (4 player, 720p/60 FPS):

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Phenom X4 955
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7850
Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit or OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" 64-bit​

Thanks for the tips I'm updating the guide now.

 

[Auvic]

Under 'Process,'

2. Insert your NTSC Super Smash Bros Brawl.iso into the folder

The words 'the folder' caught me off-guard and I didn't know which folder to put it in. I figured it out though, it's the Builder folder. If you could clarify that for the noobs like me, that'd be coolz.

 

[Y-L]

Under 'Process,'



The words 'the folder' caught me off-guard and I didn't know which folder to put it in. I figured it out though, it's the Builder folder. If you could clarify that for the noobs like me, that'd be coolz.

Yeah it's the builder folder. I'll change that for future reference.

 

[xandre]

"no valid source files found"

for some reason the builder doesn't recognize my brawl iso, so i can't build it into p:m. runs fine in dolphin though.

also, disabling sound entirely is the way to go for me. sped things up, stopped some hitching i was having. not really a loss considering how laggy the sound is anyway.

 

[Y-L]

"no valid source files found"

for some reason the builder doesn't recognize my brawl iso, so i can't build it into p:m. runs fine in dolphin though.

also, disabling sound entirely is the way to go for me. sped things up, stopped some hitching i was having. not really a loss considering how laggy the sound is anyway.

I assume you're running PM through an SD card instead? I found the audio really lags when you run it that way, but not with the injected iso. Can you explain to me when you get the error message? Are you sure it's the brawl iso? Try running winmd5 on the brawl iso and tell me what you get. Also maybe try renaming the brawl iso to RSBE01.iso

 

[xandre]

I assume you're running PM through an SD card instead? I found the audio really lags when you run it that way, but not with the injected iso. Can you explain to me when you get the error message? Are you sure it's the brawl iso? Try running winmd5 on the brawl iso and tell me what you get. Also maybe try renaming the brawl iso to RSBE01.iso

i wasn't running it through an sd card. i had the same audio lag with melee, though i didn't notice it with skyward sword. i was getting the error message in the builder. it searches the directory for a valid iso file, and doesn't seem to recognize my brawl file. i ended up just finding a iso that someone already built into p:m netplay that works.

 

[Serris]

i wasn't running it through an sd card. i had the same audio lag with melee, though i didn't notice it with skyward sword. i was getting the error message in the builder. it searches the directory for a valid iso file, and doesn't seem to recognize my brawl file. i ended up just finding a iso that someone already built into p:m netplay that works.

It won't recognize any 4.7 GB DVD5 ISOs that only contain the first layer of the disc. You need a full 8.9 GB DVD9 ISO, which can be acquired by ripping the disc image from your Wii with USB Loader GX. Please don't discuss using ISOs you haven't personally built. It's a legal grey area.

As for your audio problems, what kind of processor do you have?

 

[Y-L]

Serris is correct. It needs to be the full 8.9GB iso. The injected one will be 7.2GB.

 

[SnuggleBubbler]

PROCESS

Once the builder is finished you should now have ProjectM_RSBEPM_K-sav.iso in the in the builder folder. That is your Project M iso, so you may now play Project M on Dolphin!

​

Everything is fine until this step. I do everything exactly how it says and yet there is no ProjectM_RSBEPM_K-sav.iso in the Builder folder once I am done with the Builder.

EDIT: Nevermind, I feel like an idiot, checked the Builder_ISO's text and it said that it couldn't create due to lack of space on the computer, so disregard

 

[Spooky Skook]

What's the deal with the md5 code?
I've had pm working on my computer for the past two weeks and wanted to try getting into netplay, but I'm concerned that something will screw up cause my iso's md5 code isn't the same as the one you posted. At first I thought it was because I hadn't copied over the RSBE01.gct from the homebrew. But even when I did that and made the iso again I got the same md5 code I had before. Remaking the iso again seems to yield the same md5 code.

So what exactly is the md5 code for and what can I do to change it?

 

[Kally Wally]

The md5 code is there to confirm that you have the same ISO file as everyone else. It's hard to know what the issue is, without knowing more about your setup. What is the file size of your Brawl ISO? What files are in the builder folder? How many cats are in your house?

 

[Spooky Skook]

In order:

1. The brawl iso I'm using is about 7.92 GB
2. The files in my builder folder include the files from the homebrew pm download, the smashbros sound brsar, the RSBE01.gct from the pm homebrew, the builder itself, and the new project m iso.
3. I'm running dangerously low on cats at the moment. Will call my local cat farm to refill my stock.

 

[Y-L]

Just to let you know creating the ISO will have no effect on your brawl iso whatsoever as it creates a copy to use as the Project M iso, so rest assuredly, and give it a shot.

 

[Kally Wally]

You didn't list the Brawl ISO. That should be in there, of course.

Are there any other folders in the homebrew.zip than the "projectm" folder? Try only putting that in, and nothing else, if applicable.

 

[Spooky Skook]

You didn't list the Brawl ISO. That should be in there, of course.

Are there any other folders in the homebrew.zip than the "projectm" folder? Try only putting that in, and nothing else, if applicable.

Sorry bout that. Yea my brawl iso is in there as well. About the folders, it looks like everything in the homebrew is in the projectm folder.
I'm going to see if I'm using the right pm homebrew RSBE01.gct. Maybe I accidently put the wi-fi safe in the builder by mistake.

 

[Y-L]

Sorry bout that. Yea my brawl iso is in there as well. About the folders, it looks like everything in the homebrew is in the projectm folder.
I'm going to see if I'm using the right pm homebrew RSBE01.gct. Maybe I accidently put the wi-fi safe in the builder by mistake.

You should have the homebrew full set projectm folder and the RSBE01.gct in your builder folder. That's all you need from the homebrew folder.

 

[Spooky Skook]

You should have the homebrew full set projectm folder and the RSBE01.gct in your builder folder. That's all you need from the homebrew folder.

Well I'm definitely using the right RSBE01.gct, but I'm still coming up with a different md5 code. I'm at a loss

 

[Y-L]

Well I'm definitely using the right RSBE01.gct, but I'm still coming up with a different md5 code. I'm at a loss

I would do the following:

• Be absolutely sure you have the right projectm and RSBE01.gct from the homebrew full set. the projectm folder itself should be whats in the same directory as the builder.bat, not the files inside. RSBE01.gct needs to replace the one currently in there.
• Ensure that you have an NTSC copy of brawl, not PAL. You can determine this by checking the flag logo in dolphin.
• Try running the builder and read what the .bat is saying while it builds. Look for any sort of error messages (aside from cygwin.dll), the it might say it cannot find a certain file and continue trying to build, resulting in a bad md5.

Most of the time, a bad md5 is the from the wrong projectm folder and RSBE01.gct, just as a heads up.
If you have no luck, post a picture of your folders and the md5 you're getting.

 

[Spooky Skook]

I would do the following:

• Be absolutely sure you have the right projectm and RSBE01.gct from the homebrew full set. the projectm folder itself should be whats in the same directory as the builder.bat, not the files inside. RSBE01.gct needs to replace the one currently in there.
• Ensure that you have an NTSC copy of brawl, not PAL. You can determine this by checking the flag logo in dolphin.
• Try running the builder and read what the .bat is saying while it builds. Look for any sort of error messages (aside from cygwin.dll), the it might say it cannot find a certain file and continue trying to build, resulting in a bad md5.

Most of the time, a bad md5 is the from the wrong projectm folder and RSBE01.gct, just as a heads up.
If you have no luck, post a picture of your folders and the md5 you're getting.

First I want to say thanks a million for taking the time to help me.
I was finally able to get it to work by using the RSBE01.gct from the projectm full folder instead of the codes folder in the homebrew. I don't really know why there is multiple RSBE01.gct files around.

 

[Y-L]

First I want to say thanks a million for taking the time to help me.
I was finally able to get it to work by using the RSBE01.gct from the projectm full folder instead of the codes folder in the homebrew. I don't really know why there is multiple RSBE01.gct files around.

Strange, I believe I got my RSBE01.gct from the codes folder, however if it worked for you then that's great. No problem.

 

[Kally Wally]

Question: I've seen desyncs caused by custom music, but is there any form of custom content that doesn't screw up netplay? Stage textures, character skins, only wifi safe stuff obviously. Or will any modification break it? If so, what makes netplay different from wifi?

 

[Y-L]

Question: I've seen desyncs caused by custom music, but is there any form of custom content that doesn't screw up netplay? Stage textures, character skins, only wifi safe stuff obviously. Or will any modification break it? If so, what makes netplay different from wifi?

I would just not use custom modifications with dolphin Netplay. Music does cause desyncs, albeit less frequently, but it does nonetheless. Custom textures will probably do this too. I'm not sure why this is, but I have experienced it myself.
What makes Netplay differ from Wifi is the delay. If you've played over Wifi iit has a considerable amount of lag. It is probably around 20 frames of buffer. With Netplay you can play with 3-9 frames of buffer. Which is extremely noticeable. I don't see how anyone could play with 20 frames of buffer.

 

[Kally Wally]

By "what makes netplay different from wifi?" I meant "why does wifi safe stuff not work over netplay?"

 

[Y-L]

Yeah I'm really not sure I didn't think custom songs would have any effect on desyncing.

 

[iLLuMinati_EYE]

alright i have a problem for some reason when i download dolphin 4.0 648 or 652 my game runs like **** but with the current version dolphin 3.5-339 it runs at a smooth 60 fps and i can play friends with netplay 90% of the time without desyncing issues, so is there a reason for this does 4.0 require more power from the computer. btw thanks in advance

 

[iLLuMinati_EYE]

nvm i fixed it i just moved the applications extensions from dolphin 3.5-339 to 3.5-2468

 

[iLLuMinati_EYE]

what does port forward upnp mean in dolhpin netplay??

 

[Y-L]

Port forwarding was required in previous versions of dolphin to host. Dolphin builds 4.0-xxx made it possible to host without port forwarding your router.

 

[Y-L]

Bumping this thread.

 

[MoonlapseOpethian]

I may just be stupid, but this is way too complicated. I mean, I can probably take my time and figure it out, but 90% of the WiFi community is going to have no idea how to run this. Hope a simpler version gets created by May.

Anyway, my only question right now is: Is a graphics card actually needed? I hope not, because I don't want to have to spend money I don't have just to play this.

 

[Kally Wally]

This is about as simple as you can make the process, I think. It's really not that difficult, all the steps are there, you just have to follow them. Sometimes it fails to work for insane and baffling reasons, but this is rare. Most of the time, anyone with basic reading comprehension skills can set it up just fine.

As for video cards, Dolphin does care more about your CPU, but having a strong GPU can help.

 

[Y-L]

I may just be stupid, but this is way too complicated. I mean, I can probably take my time and figure it out, but 90% of the WiFi community is going to have no idea how to run this. Hope a simpler version gets created by May.

Anyway, my only question right now is: Is a graphics card actually needed? I hope not, because I don't want to have to spend money I don't have just to play this.

You can play on Netplay with an integrated GPU fairly easily. Dolphin runs almost entirely off of CPU. A good GPU will give you visual enhancements such as internal resolution increases/anti-aliasing. My laptop has an i7 400MQ which has Intel HD4600 Integrated graphics and I can run 2.5x internal resolution so don't worry about that.

As for this being over complicated, it really isn't. The process section is all you really need, which is only a few steps. The rest is for optimization and preventing of issues.

 

[MoonlapseOpethian]

You can play on Netplay with an integrated GPU fairly easily. Dolphin runs almost entirely off of CPU. A good GPU will give you visual enhancements such as internal resolution increases/anti-aliasing. My laptop has an i7 400MQ which has Intel HD4600 Integrated graphics and I can run 2.5x internal resolution so don't worry about that.

As for this being over complicated, it really isn't. The process section is all you really need, which is only a few steps. The rest is for optimization and preventing of issues.

My friend told me today that my PC should already have a graphics card, so all that's left are the steps. Another friend of mine said the process was easy, so I think I can tackle it.

I'm guessing that this iso Brawl thing is a torrent copy of Brawl, or whatever. My friend is going to send me those files.

 

[Y-L]

My friend told me today that my PC should already have a graphics card, so all that's left are the steps. Another friend of mine said the process was easy, so I think I can tackle it.

I'm guessing that this iso Brawl thing is a torrent copy of Brawl, or whatever. My friend is going to send me those files.

If you want some advice please post your specs. You can find what kind of graphics card you have by going to run->dxdiag and check what device name you have under the Display 1 tab. As well, post what kind of processor you have which is under the system tab as Dolphin is mainly reliant on CPU. I can let you know what kind of performance/graphics you should be able to achieve.

Brawl is a pretty lightweight game in terms of Dolphin so most mid level CPU's can run it.

The "Brawl thing" is an iso image of the game that would be on the disk. It is true that people often obtain copies of the game illegally by torrenting it but it is not a torrent file. Please refrain from talking about torrenting or other illegal activities on this forum. What you need is a super smash bros brawl.iso file.

 

[garcky]

I used a wbfs 7.9 gb, I think all well but when I go to play online it tells me there is not save data, unable to acces nintendo wtc.

that I can do?

 

[garcky]

We pass ISO and following all the steps of the tutorial, when I connect to netplay tells me disconected.

 

[Spooky Skook]

My friend told me today that my PC should already have a graphics card, so all that's left are the steps. Another friend of mine said the process was easy, so I think I can tackle it.

I'm guessing that this iso Brawl thing is a torrent copy of Brawl, or whatever. My friend is going to send me those files.

Just a heads up, I ran into some issues when it came to the brawl iso. If theres an issue like lag or graphics issues, it could be the iso you're using. Some isos are better then others, so make sure that the one you download isn't corrupted/missing files/etc before you assume it's your computer not being able to handle the game. The first brawl iso I downloaded had corrupted sound files, which made the sound stutter and lag a lot. At first I thought it was my computer not being able to handle the load, but after trying another download everything worked out.

 

[Y-L]

I used a wbfs 7.9 gb, I think all well but when I go to play online it tells me there is not save data, unable to acces nintendo wtc.

that I can do?

Try using a wbfs to iso converter. Those are easy to find online.