By default, Retroarch loads a configuration file called retroarch.cfg. When mixing different retroarch versions, this file may cause conflicts and bugs. Here is a quick way to prevent this kind of issue without recompiling the source code. In this example, I'll take one of the mame2003 cores: mame2003_plus_coreA_libretro_wii.dol.

1. You need an Hex editor for your operating system. For Windows, you can use HxD or Frhed(a bit old). For linux, you have Bless.

2. Open the dol with your hex editor with 'File->Open' or by drag'n'drop.

3. In the Search menu, select Find, type 'retroarch.cfg' and click OK. Select retroarch.cfg text in the main window.

Spoiler: Screenshot

4. Now, you're going to replace 'retroarch.cfg' with another name with the same length. Here, we can chose mame2003A.cfg for example.

Spoiler: Screenshot

5. Save your file and copy this modified dol to your sd card. You should have a 'welcome' message when you load this dol. You can check there's a new mame2003A.cfg in sd:/retroarch.

6. This is optional but you could also rename retroarch-core-options.cfg. It's the same process. Just give a name of your choice with the same length as the original cfg.

Spoiler: Screenshot

 

[coraline2]

Hi Wiimphaty, sorry for the inconvenience, but I already got frustrated with so many attempts ...
To want to run some core of mame2003 + in wiiflow, create the folders and the default .cfg file on my sd card.
Could you please tell me which part of the .dol file should I modify so that the cores create and execute the files that I have on my hard drive only?

 

[Wiimpathy]

Not sure but what you're asking has nothing to do with the trick described here. Normally, you don't modify the dol itself to change the paths. You do it in Retroarch's menu or in WiiFlow.
Maybe try if it works in Wiiflow first before doing this optional trick.

Things to check:
- Be sure to download the cores from this thread : https://gbatemp.net/threads/mame-2003-plus.499497/
- Check you have all the .ini in /WiiFlow/plugins/. mameA.ini ...
- The /WiiFlow/plugins/ folder should be on your usb drive. But if on sd card, you may force USB game's partiton by adding rompartition=1 in the .ini files.
- Copy your dol files in /WiiFlow/plugins/retroarch-wii folder.
- On your hard drive, create this folder structure : /roms/MAME2003/coreA /roms/MAME2003/coreB etc...
- Copy your games in the right folder (coreA ...)
- Launch WiiFlow and select a Mame plugin. Change the partition if necessary. Open settings, Game Partitions, Plugins Default Partition and chose USB1.
- Start the game.

Note it's always better to 'start fresh' and delete previous retroarch files before testing.
You may have better support there or in Wiiflow lite thread.

 

[coraline2]

I appreciate your advice and an apology for not knowing where to focus my question, I will try to do what you say, hopefully that is the great solution to my problem ... thank you very much!

 

[MrCrynox]

@Wiimpathy does this mean I can have two versions of RA on the same card ? Is this the intended use for your config file name change trick ?

If so great, as Im currently using your FBANEO version so that I can play the larger games but I have also just started dabbling with your Mame 2003 plus one and at first I thought I could be clever and just copy the A-G cores across but no that didn't work, so I guess I've got to have two different versions of RA but I'm not sure if that's possible on one card ? Sorry for my lack of knowledge, the last time I used RA was years ago on version 1.0.0.2...

 

[kokokool]

@Wiimpathy, wiimote mapping issue while jumping to one core to another can be fixed doing this renaming?

 

[fledge68]

@Wiimpathy is that the only retroarch.cfg that we need to change? when i do a search i find 4 other retroarch.cfg. in mameA dol.

 

[Tetsuo Shima]

@Wiimpathy is that the only retroarch.cfg that we need to change? when i do a search i find 4 other retroarch.cfg. in mameA dol.

Changing the other retroarch.cfg entries seems to make no difference to me, but I may be wrong. However. I always change retroarch-core-options.cfg too
e.g. for fceumm
retroarch.cfg ---> nesfceumm.cfg
retroarch-core-options.cfg ---> nesfceumm-core-options.cfg

 

[Wiimpathy]

There's only 1 retroarch.cfg entry to modify indeed. It should be the first found occurrence just before 'system'.
The other strings are part of the help messages.

 

[SaulFabre]

@Wiimpathy Thanks for the tutorial, but...

Can this be applied to @SuperrSonic's fork of RetroArch Wii (RA-SS / RA-HEXAECO)?

 

[Wiimpathy]

Yes, I guess so.