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Updated FAQ (markdown)

Themaister 2013-04-29 07:33:48 -07:00
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FAQ.md

@ -3,14 +3,18 @@ Here's a collection of Frequently Answered Questions.
## General
### What is RetroArch?
RetroArch is a frontend for libretro, an API which exposes the functionality of a SNES emulator. libretro started as libsnes with the SNES emulator bSNES, but libretro has since become emulator/game agnostic. RetroArch builds around the emulator/game core to provide a full emulator/game.
RetroArch is a frontend for libretro, an API which exposes the functionality of a game system. libretro started as libsnes with the SNES emulator bSNES, but libretro has since become emulator/game agnostic. RetroArch builds around the emulator/game core to provide a full emulator/game frontend.
RetroArch itself is command-line driven, and relies on a graphical frontend, RetroArch-Phoenix, to deliver a GUI. Thus, RetroArch is suitable for HTPC setups.
RetroArch is suitable as a frontend for retro game emulators, as well as retro-style standalone games.
Some cool features to mention are frame-by-frame rewind (Braid-style), multi-pass GPU shaders, FFmpeg on-the-fly raw video recording and netplay. All these features will work independently of the libretro implementation used.
RetroArch itself is command-line driven, and relies on a graphical frontend to deliver a GUI.
RetroArch has a simple built-in GUI (RGUI). RetroArch-Phoenix can also serve as a RetroArch launcher.
As RetroArch is designed for CLI, it is easy to launch from various dedicated launchers.
### Which platforms are RetroArch available for?
RetroArch runs and is supported on GNU/Linux, BSD, Windows and Mac OSX (PPC/Intel). In addition, it has been ported to many other platforms, including the most popular console systems out there and mobile platforms.
RetroArch runs and is supported on GNU/Linux, BSD, Windows, Mac OSX (PPC/Intel), PlayStation 3, XBox 360, XBox 1, Raspberry Pi, Nintendo Wii, Android, and soon iOS and Blackberry as well.
### Where can I get help?
If you have questions or issues which cannot be resolved easily, you can pay a visit to:
@ -28,16 +32,18 @@ Windows: [[Compilation guide (Windows)]]<br/>
OS X: [[Compilation guide (OS X)]]<br/>
### Which rom types are supported?
RetroArch supports uncompressed roms. Be it headered or not. RetroArch does not support compressed roms directly, but there are various scripts out there which will do this automatically for you :) [Here](http://board.byuu.org/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1941) is one such script.
RetroArch supports uncompressed as well as zipped roms.
### Does RetroArch support patching formats?
RetroArch currently supports UPS, IPS and BPS patching formats.
If you load rom.bin and rom.ups, rom.ips or rom.bps is present, the ROM will be autopatched.
Autopatching only takes place of the libretro implementation supports loading ROMs from memory.
### Does RetroArch support video filters like HQ2x, 2xSaI, etc?
Filters are not built into RetroArch, but it supports filter plugins which you can load into RetroArch.
The filter plugins are the same as used in bSNES (*.filter).
Do note that RetroArch only supports the older filter from bSNES v082 and older (15-bit -> 32-bit filters).
Using newer filters will most likely crash RetroArch due to the lack of means to verify if a filter is compatible.
Do note that RetroArch only supports the older filters from bSNES v082 and older (15-bit -> 32-bit filters).
Using newer filters will most likely crash RetroArch due to the lack of means to verify if a filter is compatible. If you can, prefer using GPU shaders as they are more flexible and much better supported.
### I have a bug to report! Where can I report it?
You can either report issues in the [issues](https://github.com/Themaister/RetroArc/issues) section, or create a thread on the [forum](http://forum.themaister.net/).
@ -46,7 +52,7 @@ You can either report issues in the [issues](https://github.com/Themaister/Retro
## Windows specific
### Where do I download latest RetroArch binaries for Windows?
Latest releases will be found in the [release thread](http://board.byuu.org/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1554&start=150).
Latest PC releases will be found in the [release thread](http://forum.themaister.net/viewtopic.php?id=12).
### I see 'Slim' and 'Full' builds. What is the difference?
Full builds support every feature that RetroArch has implemented. This means shaders, FFmpeg, Python, etc. Since the *.dll footprint of all this is considerable, there is a redist you have to download (just once).
@ -68,20 +74,10 @@ RetroArch and [RetroArch-Phoenix](https://github.com/Themaister/RetroArch-Phoeni
### I downloaded Windows binaries, and it tells me some *.dll file is missing, what do I do?
If you downloaded the full build, you also need the library redist, similar to a DirectX redist or something.
It only needs to be downloaded once. Extract every *.dll from the respective zip below into the SSNES directory.
It only needs to be downloaded once. Extract every *.dll from the respective zip below into the RetroArch directory.
32-bit: [Redist](https://github.com/downloads/Themaister/SSNES/SSNES-win32-libs.zip)<br/>
64-bit: [Redist](https://github.com/downloads/Themaister/SSNES/SSNES-win64-libs.zip)
32-bit: [Redist](http://themaister.net/retroarch-dl/RetroArch-win32-libs.zip)<br/>
64-bit: [Redist](http://themaister.net/retroarch-dl/RetroArch-win64-libs.zip)
### I tried launching RetroArch in Windows with a different program but there's an annoying command line window there. Any way to remove it?
You can pass the -D flag to RetroArch which will terminate the console window if you launch it outside cmd.exe (from a shortcut or something like that).
---
## Linux/Unix specific
### I am using OpenGL driver, and when I do fullscreen, the display stretches over both my monitors. Is this a bug in RetroArch?
Not a bug per se, but rather a quirk of SDL 1.2. To remedy this issue (go fullscreen on a single monitor), you should set the environment variable SDL_VIDEO_FULLSCREEN_HEAD to the index of the monitor you want to use for fullscreen. I.e. you can add `export SDL_VIDEO_FULLSCREEN_HEAD=1` to your .bashrc (or whatever shell you're using).
You can pass the -D flag to RetroArch which will terminate the console window if you launch it outside cmd.exe (from a shortcut or something like that).