Re: Brand New to Emulation - PSX Help
Posted by Sooj on .
Thank you very much for that detailed post - I really appreciate the time spent! Looking to get into Suikoden as soon as I get a spare enough moment.
No problem.
First thing you'll need is the emulator, of course. I prefer ePSXe, which you can find on this very site. Once you've downloaded and extracted it into its own folder, run the emulator and choose "Wizard Guide" in the "Config" menu.
Most of the configurations should be pretty simple stuff. Choose your preferred BIOS files (the emulator recommends the good ones itself, such as SCPH-1001; you may also need to download these separately), and then you get to the crux of the matter: the graphics plug-in. I like to use Pete's OpenGL2, because it has the highest compatibility with the best results. You can click on the quick setting buttons, "Fast" and "Nice" and it'll work well. However, to make this guide complete, I took a screen shot of my own settings here: https://i.imgur.com/LK1m5JR.png
These have been custom-tuned to give great and accurate results (as much as I can tell; if anyone has tips to make it better, go ahead and post). That is to say, a crisp, clean and sharp image, without compromising any pixels or destroying the original aspect ratio by making an overly wide image. You can disable fullscreen if you'd like, and it will still look good.
Next you'll be opted to choose a sound plug-in. The ePSXe SPU Core works wonderfully for most games. If not, you can go with Eternal SPU. Finally, you'll have to configure the CD-ROM plug-in and the controller. Since you're likely playing from an ISO, the CD-ROM plug-in can be set to the default. Configure the controller however you like, though it's recommended you follow the general pattern because there's more than one game that relies on it.
Once all that's done, all you need to do now is to select "File" and then "Run ISO" from the menu. Locate your extracted game and choose the larger file. You're ready to play now!
A few more tips:
- If Pete's OpenGL2 doesn't work for you, you can try other plug-ins and set them up similarly. Worst case scenario, try the P.E.Op.S. Soft Plug-in, as it will work with pretty much anything. It blurs the screen a bit due to its inherent soft filter, but it's better than nothing.
- The PSX used memory cards, as you may know, and this emulator emulates them as well. They have only 15 blocks, and some games use a ton of blocks, so if you ever run out of space, then you can just make new memory cards by changing the number of the card to a new one while the emulator is running (not while a game is running though; I haven't tried it, but it doesn't sound like a good idea). The emulator will then create your brand new card for you. This can be accessed from the "Config" menu.
- As usual with many programs, Alt + Enter will exit out of full screen mode. If you'd like to pause emulation entirely, then just press Esc. You can continue the game from the "Run" menu, by choosing...well, "Continue". A word of warning, however, that this will sometimes cause an error where the game's sound is muted for a while after restarting it. You can also reset the game from the same menu. Another warning: some games are unfriendly with this sort of tampering, and will crash your emulator. Nothing to be worried about, but it's best you know beforehand.
- Related to the above: ePSXe will keep on running if you exit out of it normally. To make it actually stop, press Esc first to pause emulation, and then exit the program.
Finally, here's the link for all the ePSXe plugins you might need, if they're not already packaged into the emulator on this site:
http://www.pbernert.com/html/gpu.htm
A final note is that I use Windows 7 and an older version of ePSXe because I'm lazy. If things don't work, fiddle around with the settings a bit and it should be fine.
Good luck. Suikoden is a wonderful and unique game, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you have any more questions, I'll be glad to answer if I know the answer.
First thing you'll need is the emulator, of course. I prefer ePSXe, which you can find on this very site. Once you've downloaded and extracted it into its own folder, run the emulator and choose "Wizard Guide" in the "Config" menu.
Most of the configurations should be pretty simple stuff. Choose your preferred BIOS files (the emulator recommends the good ones itself, such as SCPH-1001; you may also need to download these separately), and then you get to the crux of the matter: the graphics plug-in. I like to use Pete's OpenGL2, because it has the highest compatibility with the best results. You can click on the quick setting buttons, "Fast" and "Nice" and it'll work well. However, to make this guide complete, I took a screen shot of my own settings here: https://i.imgur.com/LK1m5JR.png
These have been custom-tuned to give great and accurate results (as much as I can tell; if anyone has tips to make it better, go ahead and post). That is to say, a crisp, clean and sharp image, without compromising any pixels or destroying the original aspect ratio by making an overly wide image. You can disable fullscreen if you'd like, and it will still look good.
Next you'll be opted to choose a sound plug-in. The ePSXe SPU Core works wonderfully for most games. If not, you can go with Eternal SPU. Finally, you'll have to configure the CD-ROM plug-in and the controller. Since you're likely playing from an ISO, the CD-ROM plug-in can be set to the default. Configure the controller however you like, though it's recommended you follow the general pattern because there's more than one game that relies on it.
Once all that's done, all you need to do now is to select "File" and then "Run ISO" from the menu. Locate your extracted game and choose the larger file. You're ready to play now!
A few more tips:
- If Pete's OpenGL2 doesn't work for you, you can try other plug-ins and set them up similarly. Worst case scenario, try the P.E.Op.S. Soft Plug-in, as it will work with pretty much anything. It blurs the screen a bit due to its inherent soft filter, but it's better than nothing.
- The PSX used memory cards, as you may know, and this emulator emulates them as well. They have only 15 blocks, and some games use a ton of blocks, so if you ever run out of space, then you can just make new memory cards by changing the number of the card to a new one while the emulator is running (not while a game is running though; I haven't tried it, but it doesn't sound like a good idea). The emulator will then create your brand new card for you. This can be accessed from the "Config" menu.
- As usual with many programs, Alt + Enter will exit out of full screen mode. If you'd like to pause emulation entirely, then just press Esc. You can continue the game from the "Run" menu, by choosing...well, "Continue". A word of warning, however, that this will sometimes cause an error where the game's sound is muted for a while after restarting it. You can also reset the game from the same menu. Another warning: some games are unfriendly with this sort of tampering, and will crash your emulator. Nothing to be worried about, but it's best you know beforehand.
- Related to the above: ePSXe will keep on running if you exit out of it normally. To make it actually stop, press Esc first to pause emulation, and then exit the program.
Finally, here's the link for all the ePSXe plugins you might need, if they're not already packaged into the emulator on this site:
http://www.pbernert.com/html/gpu.htm
A final note is that I use Windows 7 and an older version of ePSXe because I'm lazy. If things don't work, fiddle around with the settings a bit and it should be fine.
Good luck. Suikoden is a wonderful and unique game, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you have any more questions, I'll be glad to answer if I know the answer.
Replies:
| Re: Brand New to Emulation - PSX Help | Gray -- 10/7/2018 11:22 pm UTC |