FAQ for Windows Port


Wassail,
This is the much anticipated and highly informative Frequently Asked Questions
article, which contains, believe it or not, Frequently Asked Questions! This
time around we have also included Frequently Answered Answers! I shall be your
host on this gleeful sojourn through a text document where anything can, but
probably won't, happen. On our first section of this mystical journey you shall
see various frequently asked questions, as well as their answers!

The majority of the things in this FAQ are based off the Windows port of Snes9x.
While some of the information is relevant to most, or all, ports, no guarantees
are made that what is said will be accurate for all versions.

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Chapter 1:

Emulator Specific Questions
    Or
  It's Not The Size Of An Emulator That Counts; It's How You Use It.

Q: When is the next version (of Snes9x) coming out?
  A: Chances are it will be coming out when enough changes have been made to
suitably make a release. You can generally guesstimate the release date by
paying attention to the Developers forum at snes9x.com. But don't ask them when
the next release will be.

Q: Why do my games run too fast?
  A: Through proper nutrition and training an increase in abilities is often
found. It is possible that certain ROMs, whilst training for the annual Rohm
race, surpassed a sane limit. Generally not allowing them to run will cause
atrophy, making them somewhat slower. Seriously though, try using the + and/or -
keys to adjust the emulated speed. If that doesn't do anything, try holding down
Shift and pressing the - key a bunch of times first. In the display settings
make sure the "Use Frame Limiter" and "Automatic Frame Skipping" boxes are
checked. Also try pressing Tab and make sure your Tab key isn't stuck down.

Q: Why doesn't Snes9x support transparencies?
  A: It does! Make sure the "Transparency" box is checked in the settings menu.

Q: I recently purchased a gamepad controller. Will it work on Snes9x?
  A: More than likely yes. Any USB compatible controller will work. Generally
this means any controller made within the past 7 years or so. If you are having
problems consider updating drivers and recalibrating your controller.

Q: In Snes9x my gamepad is having trouble inputting any diagonal directions on
the D-Pad. How can I fix this?
  A: While setting up your controller functions in Snes9x, make sure you do not
setup the diagonal buttons; leave them blank. Ye olde Snes only had 4 buttons on
the D-Pad: Up, down, left and right. By pressing two directions you would go in
the appropriate diagonal direction (game specific, of course). If you have
accidently set a value in the diagonal boxes already either select them one at a
time and hit "Escape", or press the "Toggle Diagonals" button.

Q: Soooooo... Why the heck do you have diagonals in the controller setup anyway?
  A: Simple really. Some people enjoy using the keyboard, or have no other
choice. In the next chapter the topic of keyboard input limitations will be
addressed. Being able to input the diagonals can help hinder that occurrence. It
can also make keyboard usage a bit easier... assigning the directional controls
to the number pad for instance.

Q: I gotsid me a translation patch (.ips) for my game. Now what do I do so I can
use it?
  A: Make sure both your ROM image and .ips file are in the same folder. Finally
make sure they have the exact same name (minus file extensions, of course). As
an example "Pie.smc" should have "Pie.ips" and "Super_Pie3(E).smc" should have
"Super_Pie3(E).ips". Now open up Snes9x, load your ROM and voila! It should be
noted that IPS patches are almost always designed for use with a specific dump
of a ROM. If you are positive you are using it correctly, but it still does not
work, consider trying a ROM from a different source.

Q: I think my options in Snes9x got screwed up, how do I reset them?
  A: Snes9x uses a config file, so you can edit your options there in any text
editor if you're having problems. You can safely delete your config file (called
snes9x.conf) to reset all of the options. If it doesn't let you delete or change
it, make sure to close Snes9x first.

Q: I had a bad checksummed game that didn't work so I adjusted the header, but
it still doesn't work :( Why?
  A: It should be noted that while it is possible to plop a ROM into Snestool,
or several other programs, and adjust the header size to be the same as a proper
"good checksum" ROM, this merely mimics the appearance of a good ROM. Any
problems still found within its evil will remain. One could compare it to
covering up a circumorbital haematoma with a paper bag.

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Chapter 2:

Game Specific Questions
    Or
  How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The ROM

Q: Why doesn't game X work?
  A: There are four possible answers to this question, depending on the
scenario. Answer one is that it does work, but your ROM dump is incorrect (this
MAY be fixed by reattaching your cartridge to your copier and redumping). Answer
two is that we have found a solution or a hack to the problem, but have not yet
implemented a fix. Answer three, a subsidiary of answer two, is that we do NOT
know what is wrong with it, and as such have not yet implemented a fix. Answer
four is that Snes9x CANNOT emulate the game correctly due to its poor
implementation around timings between emulated units.

Q: Why doesn't Snes9x display SD3/Secret of Mana/other hi-res games properly?
  A: Some games had resolution changes at certain parts during the game that
affect the pixel size of what is shown on screen. Due to the way this is handled
some games require specific options to keep "right". First, make sure that
Hi-res support is selected in the option menus, that option can slow down
performance on slower machines, although it is now on by default. Second, it is
recommended your filter option is set to anything except "none." "Simple 2X" is
a good choice. Note: In the event the "Hi-res" option is grayed out, make sure
your display resolution is at least 512 x 480.

Q: Why can't I press many buttons at once? Especially in Chrono Trigger.
  A: Most standard keyboards (There are a few exceptions, though only a few) can
only output so much data to the computer at a time. As such your computer is
often unable to carry-out the instructions you have given it. There are
solutions abound, of course, and here they are now: Lovely recommendation one is
to rearrange the keymapping in Snes9x so that all the necessary buttons are on a
single keystroke... That way you can press 1 key and have it do all the actions.
The draw back to this is that if you set "a" to jump and shoot you will be
unable to jump without shooting, or shoot without jumping, until you change it
back. The super sexy recommendation number 2 is to set the ctrl and alt keys to
some of the necessary buttons. The draw back to this is that often these buttons
can cause problems if used in tandem with other keys, due to Windows shortcuts.
You may, for instance, be using alt to jump and while in midair hit f4 to load a
savestate... That will close the program, which is bad. Finally, and the method
I personally recommend, is to purchase a gamepad. The draw backs to this are
that it requires time and money.

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Chapter 3:
All About Netplay
    Or
  More Slow Than A Quadriplegic Ninja Turtle, But Only Half As Entertaining

Q: Snes9x netplay sucks, can I make it better?
  A: Yes, yes you can! Snes9x is open source so all you need to make netplay
better is advanced programming knowledge and a will to improve upon the Snes9x
code. At present time Snes9x is more for LANplay, best used in a small network
of local computers. I recommend ZSNES (http://www.zsnes.com/) and zbattle
(http://www.zbattle.net/) for your random chaotic netplay needs.

Q: I am using a Windows port of Snes9x. My friend is using a Mac. Can we
netplay?
  A: Yes... Just not with each other. Snes9x, at this time, does not support
cross-platform netplay.

Q: Yea who don know dat but when i do what do afta y find som1 (now that I have
someone to play with, what do I do?)
  A: An excellent... ...question. I couldn't have worded it better myself.
Despite my sarcasm however I must cringe at the fact I can actually understand
it enough to answer. The answer depends on if you are acting as the server/host
or the client. If you are the host you must first find your IP address and give
it to the person you intend to play online with. Next open Snes9x, load the ROM
you wish to netplay, and then from the netplay menu, select "Act as Server."
Then you wait until the client connects... Now, if you are the client, first
receive the IP address from the host, open Snes9x, and open the ROM you wish to
netplay. Select "Connect to Server" from the netplay menu, and fill out the
necessary information. Server address should contain the IP address of the host.
After that is done click "Connect." Assuming both parties have done their role
correctly, a netplay match should soon start.

Q: How do I chat with my partner during netplay?
  A: I personally recommend yelling really loudly, but the telephone is also a
somewhat plausible answer I suppose. Seriously.

Q: Can I play with more than 2 players?
  A: Indeed you can. Basically the same steps to starting a multiplayer game
apply, however there are a few important differences. Obviously the game you
wish to multiplay in must support three or more players. Now then, make sure
that you, as well as everyone intending to play, has selected the "Enable
Multitap 5" option from the input menu. If you don't do this it just won't work.

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Chapter 4:
Miscellaneous Questions
    Or
  Q-Bert Is My Only Friend

Q: Is it legal?
  A: This has been asked time and again, and the answer is yes. Developing,
downloading, or using the emulator, Snes9x, is completely legal. Downloading
games, called ROMS, however is not. If you own the original cartridge of a game,
you are still not entitled to download the ROM image of that game. You may
create a single backup image of your own cartridge via proper hardware, but it
must be YOUR cartridge and is only usable in place of the original... so only
one may be active at any time. Many sites claim that you may legally download
ROMs for up to 24 hours before they must be deleted. This is also wrong; you
can't legally download these for "trial" purposes. You can't download ROMs for
educational purposes either. If you wish to use Super Nintendo Entertainment
System games for educational purposes, contact your closest Nintendo Outlet and
discuss educational programming with them. Finally, a small number of ROMs are
labeled "(PD)". This means public domain, and these games are not under
copyright. As such they are legal to download at your hearts content. These
include programs created by internet users such as yourself for use in Super
Nintendo emulators. As of this time there are no commercial videogames in the
public domain.

Q: My friend, Tibby, says that you are wrong and that game companies don't care
if you download games!
  A: Whilst not actually a question, and more of a statement, I am afraid Tibby
is incorrect.  Feel free to peruse the various legal documentation sprawled
throughout the World Wide Web or your local constituency. As for the blatant
generalization that companies do not care; At least one does, and truthfully
many more do as well, as such the statement is obviously a fallacy. For those
who think it is not fair, or shouldn't be the way it is... perhaps not, though
as holders of a copyright it is up to Nintendo to decide how and when their
products are distributed. 

Q: I just purchased your fine program off eBay for $19.89, but my friend says I
can download it for free. Can you guys give me my money back?
  A: Okay, this question hasn't actually been asked, however our free
downloadable program does seem to get sold on eBay more often than it should,
which is to say at all. We cannot reimburse anyone who was unlucky enough to be
scammed into purchasing Snes9x, just as McDonalds cannot reimburse you if you
purchased 100 Happy Meals from a random stranger and he gave you a frozen fish.
If you find yourself in this situation... Purchasing Snes9x, not frozen fish...
Please take the time to inform eBay via their heavily disguised investigations
department, and leave any negative feedback that you wish. It would also be
appreciated by the Snes9x team if you could mention where and when this happened
so that we can take measures to stop it from happening again. While the fact we
aren't making money from the program in no way bothers us (It is freeware after
all), that some grubby bastards are does.

Q: So err, where exactly do I contact y'all, eh?
  A: The most convenient way to contact us would be via www.snes9x.com. There is
a forum that is checked at least 12 times a day by regulars, and at least a few
of us can actually give some advice. E-mail is also a possibility, though it is
much slower, and you'll hafta find the e-mail addresses on your own. Be sure to
read the FAQ and Read me before posting, as things already answered many a time
will probably result in random insults or heavy sarcasm.

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Chapter 5:
The Conclusion
    Or
  That Block Of Words And Various Punctuation Symbols At The End Of The Document
  That Isn't Totally Dissimilar To Something That May, Or May Not, Be Considered
  A Conclusion Given The Contents Held Within The Paragraph(s) It Contains

I hope you enjoyed this jaunt through the magical land of FAQs. Much has been
said but, obviously, there is still room to grow and expand. Should you feel you
have a question worthy of this vast tome of knowledge please leave it in the
"board feedback" section of the Snes9x Forum. I have been your host and shall
return again next time with an even greater FAQ.

I would like to take the time to thank the vast plethora of people who have
helped me conjure this machination of goodness. However, in the annals of time I
have probably forgotten many of those who have given me advice, definitions,
technological information and cookies. It would be unfair to only mention the
small portion of names I remember from an excessively long and ever-expanding
list. As such, I won't. Toodles.

Knowledge is power; Learn it well
