Please stop making new topics. If you're having problems emulating a GBA game on you PC, please check here before making a new topic...kthx?
First of all, you need the right emulator. (I assume that you're running Windows, if not, go to B, or TO THE STORE AND BUY A REAL OS)
A. What type of game am I trying to play?
1) A Standard, Single-Player Game:
Use kode54's latest VisualBoyAdvance build. Get it HERE. It features improved sound, real LCD colors, the latest fixes from the VBA source, and more.
2) A Multi-Player (Link) Game:
Use VBAlink. Get it HERE.
Note: I don't really talk about how to get Link games working properly, this is just to make sure you're not trying to link with standard VBA. If you need help getting things running, read the FAQs/forums at the official site, and make sure the game you're attempting to run is listed as WORKING on the compatability list. It just may not be supported yet.
Now that you have the right emulator for the job, extract whichever one you got to a new folder. (Using WinRAR, of course.)
Load it up, and see if your problem is fixed. Still having problems? Go on.
B. What exactly is the problem?
1) My game won't run at all, is unplayable due to factor X, or has error Y.
Your game may have some sort of copy protection/special feature, and need a crack/fix to function properly on your PC.
Check for your game on the list below. If it's there, you will need the corresponding crack/fix.
Boktai - The Sun Is in Your Hand (E) (M5)
Boktai - The Sun Is in Your Hand (J) (E3-Demo)
Boktai - The Sun Is in Your Hand (U)
Boktai 2 - Solar Boy Django (E) (M5)
Boktai 2 - Solar Boy Django (U)
Bokura no Taiyou - Taiyou Action RPG (J)
Bouken Yuuki Pluster World - Densetsu no Plust Gate (J)
Bouken Yuuki Pluster World - Densetsu no Plust Gate EX (J)
Bouken Yuuki Pluster World - Pluston GP (J)
Card e-Reader+ (J)
Classic NES Series - Bomberman (UE)
Classic NES Series - Castlevania (UE)
Classic NES Series - Donkey Kong (UE)
Classic NES Series - Dr. Mario (UE)
Classic NES Series - Excitebike (UE)
Classic NES Series - Ice Climber (UE)
Classic NES Series - Legend of Zelda (UE)
Classic NES Series - Metroid (UE)
Classic NES Series - Pac-Man (UE)
Classic NES Series - Super Mario Bros. (UE)
Classic NES Series - Xevious (UE)
Classic NES Series - Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (UE)
Dragon Ball Z - Buu's Fury (U)
Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (E) (M5)
Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (U)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku (E) (M5)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku (U)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II (E) (M5)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II (U)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II International (J)
e-Reader (U)
Famicom Mini - Dai 2 Ji Super Robot Taisen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 01 - Super Mario Bros. (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 02 - Donkey Kong (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 03 - Ice Climber (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 06 - Pac-Man (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 07 - Xevious (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 08 - Mappy (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 11 - Mario Bros. (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 12 - Clu Clu Land (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 13 - Balloon Fight (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 14 - Wrecking Crew (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 15 - Dr. Mario (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 16 - Dig Dug (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 17 - Takahashi Meijin no Boukenjima (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 18 - Makaimura (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 19 - Twin Bee (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 20 - Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 21 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 22 - Nazo no Murasame Jou (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 23 - Metroid (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 24 - Hikari Shinwa - Palthena no Kagami (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 25 - The Legend of Zelda 2 - Link no Bouken (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 26 - Famicom Mukashi Banashi - Shin Onigashima - Zen Kou Hen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 27 - Famicom Tantei Club - Kieta Koukeisha - Zen Kou Hen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 28 - Famicom Tantei Club Part II - Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo - Zen Kou Hen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 29 - Akumajou Dracula (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 30 - SD Gundam World - Gachapon Senshi Scramble Wars (J)
Fruit Chase (Unlicensed) (U)
Iridion II (E) (M3)
Iridion II (U)
Koro Koro Puzzle - Happy Panechu! (J)
Mawaru - Made in Wario (J)
NHL Hitz 20-03 (U)
Rocky (E) (M5)
Samurai Deeper Kyo (J)
Shin Bokura no Taiyou - Gyakushuu no Sabata (J)
Top Gun - Combat Zones (U)
WarioWare - Twisted! (U)
Yoshi - Topsy-Turvy (U)
Yoshi no Banyuuinryoku (J)
Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (E) (M5)
Zoku Bokura no Taiyou - Taiyou Shounen Django (J)
Find it? If so, you can probably find the fix/crack you need HERE. You will need an IPS patcher to apply the fix/crack. I recommend GBATA, found HERE, for all of your GBA needs.
2) My game runs, but only at partial speed.
Read epicenter's awesome guide on optimizing your VBA experience below.
Now, to get 100% performance or near it in VBA, you will probably need at least a 400 MHz CPU.. but you most likely have that. It's also a good idea to have 32 MB of RAM (preferably 64+) and a video card with DirectDraw support.
First off, load up VBA. I am using the 1.7 beta for these examples. Open a ROM and get the emu running, I am using Sonic Advance 2 for this example.
If your speed is 98% or above .. what are you reading this for?
If it's below 98%, continue .. the options below are not listed in order of importance .. so be sure to try them all.
1. Go to the Options menu, turn OFF VSync. (I will use the notation options->vsync in the rest of this post.)
2. Set Priority-> Highest.
3. Go to Video->Render Method. try GDI, DirectDraw, Direct3D, and OpenGL to see which is fastest. OGL and D3D should be used on faster, more advanced video cards (GeForce 1 and above, basically.)
4. If your card supports DirectDraw decently, also turn on Video->Render Method-> DDraw Use Video Memory .. also enable ->DDraw Use Triple Buffering, if you have quite a bit of video memory.
5. Set Filter->Normal.
6. Set Filter->Interframe Blending->None.
7. If your CPU is an intel chip exceeding ~200 MHz, or an AMD chip K6-2 or newer, it probably has MMX Support. If so, turn OFF Filter->Disable MMX.
8. Turn OFF Emulator->Synchronize.
Now, there are 2 possibilities:
A) JESUS CHRIST IT'S TOO FAST HELP
B) Still not quite 100%..
A: First turn Emulator->Synchronize back on .. see if it stabilizes. If not, also turn on Video->VSync. Once you get a proper speed start turning features back on while maintaining proper speed (start with frame skip), until you find the proper middle-ground for your machine. Save your .ini config file somewhere in case your settings are lost, they're a pain to fine-tune again.
B) Time for drastic measures. Try one, or both, of these:
b1. Set Sound->Off. Disabling sound means a lot less hardware to emulate, and therefore approx. 50% higher speed. You might also try decreasing from 44/22KHz to 11KHz or turning off individual channels, though this will not provide anywhere near the kind of speed boost as turning it off entirely, of course.
b2. Set Frame Skip-> 1, 2, 3 .. until it is stable. After 2 it's not gonna look pretty, though.
Any chance you could hook me up with a Sticky on this? I'm always hearing someone w/ VBA speed issues, I'm sure it'd be beneficial.
-- Epicenter
Hopefully, that should have gotten things running smoothly.
If not, you could try an optimized, but less feature-rich version of VBA, available HERE. If that doesn't do the trick, it may be time to upgrade your computer.
C. It is still not running as I'd like it to and/or I am Harsky.
You may need to use the official GBA bios to emulate the game correctly. It is illegal, so I can't give you a link to it. Sorry. :\ The one you want is 16,384 bytes in size and has a CRC32 of 81977335. It is sometimes referred to as the 'TS2' Bios. Happy hunting.
Find it? To use it, open up VBA, go to Options>Emulator>Select BIOS File... and select the bios. Then go to Options>Emulator>Use BIOS File to enable it.
Nothing? Try to get a different copy of the game. Yours may be corrupt.
STILL not happy? Well, sorry to say, but VBA isn't perfect, and it does have bugs. Check the VBA buglist HERE for your problem. If it's there, sorry, you'll have to wait and hope the developers fix it.
If you've read this whole post, and you're still not running your awesome little GBA game smoothly, and it's not a known bug, then, just this once
, feel free to post a new topic about it. If we can't help you, please report your problem to the VBA team, and maybe it'll get fixed.
I hope this makes for less posts about easy-to-fix problems.
-Posted by Skizziks: For Great Justice
Note #1: If you're using a No-Intro set, please get pandylib's latest VBA ini HERE. It automatically turns necessary games settings on for you, and makes things, you know, work. No more complaining about Pokemon not running, correct save type and RTC are turned on already when the rom loads. Cool, huh?
Note #2: Known issues: Donkey Kong: King of Swing - Treacherous Twister bug has been fixed. Graphics issues in Fantastic Children or Madden NFL '06? Search the forums for Gameshark codes to fix your issues.
First of all, you need the right emulator. (I assume that you're running Windows, if not, go to B, or TO THE STORE AND BUY A REAL OS)
A. What type of game am I trying to play?
1) A Standard, Single-Player Game:
Use kode54's latest VisualBoyAdvance build. Get it HERE. It features improved sound, real LCD colors, the latest fixes from the VBA source, and more.
2) A Multi-Player (Link) Game:
Use VBAlink. Get it HERE.
Note: I don't really talk about how to get Link games working properly, this is just to make sure you're not trying to link with standard VBA. If you need help getting things running, read the FAQs/forums at the official site, and make sure the game you're attempting to run is listed as WORKING on the compatability list. It just may not be supported yet.
Now that you have the right emulator for the job, extract whichever one you got to a new folder. (Using WinRAR, of course.)
Load it up, and see if your problem is fixed. Still having problems? Go on.
B. What exactly is the problem?
1) My game won't run at all, is unplayable due to factor X, or has error Y.
Your game may have some sort of copy protection/special feature, and need a crack/fix to function properly on your PC.
Check for your game on the list below. If it's there, you will need the corresponding crack/fix.
Boktai - The Sun Is in Your Hand (E) (M5)
Boktai - The Sun Is in Your Hand (J) (E3-Demo)
Boktai - The Sun Is in Your Hand (U)
Boktai 2 - Solar Boy Django (E) (M5)
Boktai 2 - Solar Boy Django (U)
Bokura no Taiyou - Taiyou Action RPG (J)
Bouken Yuuki Pluster World - Densetsu no Plust Gate (J)
Bouken Yuuki Pluster World - Densetsu no Plust Gate EX (J)
Bouken Yuuki Pluster World - Pluston GP (J)
Card e-Reader+ (J)
Classic NES Series - Bomberman (UE)
Classic NES Series - Castlevania (UE)
Classic NES Series - Donkey Kong (UE)
Classic NES Series - Dr. Mario (UE)
Classic NES Series - Excitebike (UE)
Classic NES Series - Ice Climber (UE)
Classic NES Series - Legend of Zelda (UE)
Classic NES Series - Metroid (UE)
Classic NES Series - Pac-Man (UE)
Classic NES Series - Super Mario Bros. (UE)
Classic NES Series - Xevious (UE)
Classic NES Series - Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (UE)
Dragon Ball Z - Buu's Fury (U)
Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (E) (M5)
Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (U)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku (E) (M5)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku (U)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II (E) (M5)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II (U)
Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II International (J)
e-Reader (U)
Famicom Mini - Dai 2 Ji Super Robot Taisen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 01 - Super Mario Bros. (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 02 - Donkey Kong (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 03 - Ice Climber (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 06 - Pac-Man (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 07 - Xevious (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 08 - Mappy (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 11 - Mario Bros. (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 12 - Clu Clu Land (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 13 - Balloon Fight (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 14 - Wrecking Crew (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 15 - Dr. Mario (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 16 - Dig Dug (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 17 - Takahashi Meijin no Boukenjima (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 18 - Makaimura (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 19 - Twin Bee (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 20 - Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 21 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 22 - Nazo no Murasame Jou (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 23 - Metroid (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 24 - Hikari Shinwa - Palthena no Kagami (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 25 - The Legend of Zelda 2 - Link no Bouken (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 26 - Famicom Mukashi Banashi - Shin Onigashima - Zen Kou Hen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 27 - Famicom Tantei Club - Kieta Koukeisha - Zen Kou Hen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 28 - Famicom Tantei Club Part II - Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo - Zen Kou Hen (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 29 - Akumajou Dracula (J)
Famicom Mini Vol. 30 - SD Gundam World - Gachapon Senshi Scramble Wars (J)
Fruit Chase (Unlicensed) (U)
Iridion II (E) (M3)
Iridion II (U)
Koro Koro Puzzle - Happy Panechu! (J)
Mawaru - Made in Wario (J)
NHL Hitz 20-03 (U)
Rocky (E) (M5)
Samurai Deeper Kyo (J)
Shin Bokura no Taiyou - Gyakushuu no Sabata (J)
Top Gun - Combat Zones (U)
WarioWare - Twisted! (U)
Yoshi - Topsy-Turvy (U)
Yoshi no Banyuuinryoku (J)
Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (E) (M5)
Zoku Bokura no Taiyou - Taiyou Shounen Django (J)
Find it? If so, you can probably find the fix/crack you need HERE. You will need an IPS patcher to apply the fix/crack. I recommend GBATA, found HERE, for all of your GBA needs.
2) My game runs, but only at partial speed.
Read epicenter's awesome guide on optimizing your VBA experience below.
Now, to get 100% performance or near it in VBA, you will probably need at least a 400 MHz CPU.. but you most likely have that. It's also a good idea to have 32 MB of RAM (preferably 64+) and a video card with DirectDraw support.
First off, load up VBA. I am using the 1.7 beta for these examples. Open a ROM and get the emu running, I am using Sonic Advance 2 for this example.
If your speed is 98% or above .. what are you reading this for?
If it's below 98%, continue .. the options below are not listed in order of importance .. so be sure to try them all.
1. Go to the Options menu, turn OFF VSync. (I will use the notation options->vsync in the rest of this post.)
2. Set Priority-> Highest.
3. Go to Video->Render Method. try GDI, DirectDraw, Direct3D, and OpenGL to see which is fastest. OGL and D3D should be used on faster, more advanced video cards (GeForce 1 and above, basically.)
4. If your card supports DirectDraw decently, also turn on Video->Render Method-> DDraw Use Video Memory .. also enable ->DDraw Use Triple Buffering, if you have quite a bit of video memory.
5. Set Filter->Normal.
6. Set Filter->Interframe Blending->None.
7. If your CPU is an intel chip exceeding ~200 MHz, or an AMD chip K6-2 or newer, it probably has MMX Support. If so, turn OFF Filter->Disable MMX.
8. Turn OFF Emulator->Synchronize.
Now, there are 2 possibilities:
A) JESUS CHRIST IT'S TOO FAST HELP
B) Still not quite 100%..
A: First turn Emulator->Synchronize back on .. see if it stabilizes. If not, also turn on Video->VSync. Once you get a proper speed start turning features back on while maintaining proper speed (start with frame skip), until you find the proper middle-ground for your machine. Save your .ini config file somewhere in case your settings are lost, they're a pain to fine-tune again.
B) Time for drastic measures. Try one, or both, of these:
b1. Set Sound->Off. Disabling sound means a lot less hardware to emulate, and therefore approx. 50% higher speed. You might also try decreasing from 44/22KHz to 11KHz or turning off individual channels, though this will not provide anywhere near the kind of speed boost as turning it off entirely, of course.
b2. Set Frame Skip-> 1, 2, 3 .. until it is stable. After 2 it's not gonna look pretty, though.
Any chance you could hook me up with a Sticky on this? I'm always hearing someone w/ VBA speed issues, I'm sure it'd be beneficial.
-- Epicenter
Hopefully, that should have gotten things running smoothly.
C. It is still not running as I'd like it to and/or I am Harsky.
You may need to use the official GBA bios to emulate the game correctly. It is illegal, so I can't give you a link to it. Sorry. :\ The one you want is 16,384 bytes in size and has a CRC32 of 81977335. It is sometimes referred to as the 'TS2' Bios. Happy hunting.
Find it? To use it, open up VBA, go to Options>Emulator>Select BIOS File... and select the bios. Then go to Options>Emulator>Use BIOS File to enable it.
Nothing? Try to get a different copy of the game. Yours may be corrupt.
STILL not happy? Well, sorry to say, but VBA isn't perfect, and it does have bugs. Check the VBA buglist HERE for your problem. If it's there, sorry, you'll have to wait and hope the developers fix it.
If you've read this whole post, and you're still not running your awesome little GBA game smoothly, and it's not a known bug, then, just this once
I hope this makes for less posts about easy-to-fix problems.
-Posted by Skizziks: For Great Justice
Note #1: If you're using a No-Intro set, please get pandylib's latest VBA ini HERE. It automatically turns necessary games settings on for you, and makes things, you know, work. No more complaining about Pokemon not running, correct save type and RTC are turned on already when the rom loads. Cool, huh?
Note #2: Known issues: Donkey Kong: King of Swing - Treacherous Twister bug has been fixed. Graphics issues in Fantastic Children or Madden NFL '06? Search the forums for Gameshark codes to fix your issues.
