N64 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where do I download the app?
I'm maintaining links to all the latest market release builds in this link.  The source code is available from the github repository.  I also have source code archived from before the repository was created, and can provide it upon request for anyone who wants it for comparison or anything.

Why aren't there any games?
N64, AE is an emulator.  I am not in any way affiliated or associated with Nintendo.  Like all emulators, N64 Emulator, AE does not come with games (which are called ROMs).  A ROM is a digital backup of a game cartridge.  You must own that game before you can legally use the ROM.  Therefore, for legal reasons, you must provide the ROMs yourself.   While it is easy to google up N64 ROM download sites, it is important to note that it is ILLEGAL to download a game that you do not own.  Your best bet to avoid any legal concerns is to simply backup your own N64 cartridges to ROM files and use those.  The process is fairly simple and doesn't cost much.  I've posted instructions in this thread.

I have some ROMs, why aren't they showing up?
When run for the first time, N64 Emulator checks for the folder n64/roms on your SD card.  If that doesn't exist it defaults to the SD card root folder.  If your ROMs are located somewhere else, you must navigate to whatever folder they are located in.  If you are using a 3rd-party app and don't know where the ROMs were saved, please contact the author of that app to find out where they were placed (or search for them).  Sometimes it is just easier to just transfer the ROMs to the phone from your PC.  That way you know where they are located.

Why is audio so glitchy?
This is actually not a problem with the audio.  Instead, it is caused by emulation not running fast enough (so the audio playback has to repeatedly "wait" for emulation to catch up).  It has been suggested that I should add some buffering, but this would not solve the problem either (it would just increase the time between the skips, which would be longer in duration as the audio had to re-buffer).  One possible fix would be to dynamically change the speed of playback to match the emulation, but this would only be good for minor cases (normal to extreme cases would result in noticeable pitch changes, which would be just as annoying as the skipping).  The only real solution is to improve the emulation speed.  This is something that will improve gradually over time as more and more optimizations are added to the code.  For a list of optimizations you can use now to improve speed a little, see this thread.

Why are games so slow?
Slower phones (especially ARM6 600MHz phones, which are common), have a lot of trouble running this emulator currently.  Even on the most modern devices, many higher-end games (like Conker's Bad Fur Day)  will still run slow.   The emulation speed will improve gradually over time as more and more optimizations are added to the code, but it won't happen over night.  The main settings to check for improving speed are the video plugin (in the Plugins section), frameskip (in the Video settings.. each video plugin has their own frameskip settings), and screen resolution (in the Video settings).

How do I set up my external controller(s)?
See this thread.

How does multiplayer work?
See this post.

Directions don't work on Pokemon Stadium (and some other games)
Some games require the D-Pad.  The default button layout does not have the D-Pad visible.

How do I enable the D-Pad?
Settings->Input->Touchscreen->Button Layout, then choose Digital or Both.

Directions still don't work on Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Snap has a problem in the core.  There are cheats you can use to make the game semi-playable ("Enable All Levels", "Camera Movement Bugfix", and "Picture Selection Bugfix"), but the game is still not 100% at this time.

The buttons are too tiny! (or too large)
Settings->Input->Touchscreen->Button Scale.

Donkey Kong 64, DK walks through the walls and won't enter barrels
There is a bug in Dynarec with this game.  It is playable on fast phones with R4300 emulator set to Cached/ Pure Interpreter (see the plugins section).  Use gles2rice for the video plugin (plugins section) w/ Auto Frameskip enabled (video settings), and turn down volume if skippy.  In-game saves are broken, however, so be sure to save-state often and rotate through the save slots periodically so you don't lose all progress.

How do I use Hi-Res textures?
First you will need to download a Hi-Res texture pack for your game.  If it isn't already, compress it into a .zip format, then put it on your device's SD card.  Select gles2rice as the video plug-in (Settings->Plug-ins->Video->gles2rice), then import the texture pack (Settings->Video->Import texture pack).  Make sure "High resolution textures" is checked.

Is there a list of known bugs posted somewhere?
Bugs are currently scattered around several places.  I would like to have all bugs formally reported as an issue on the github repository here.  If you have a bug to report, please do a little research to see if it has already been reported, and if not then open an issue on github.  Please include as much information about your device and settings as you can, which ROM and version you experience the bug with, and a link to a save-state file demonstrating the bug (if possible)

Why does picking a ROM crash the app back to the menu or home?
There are many causes for this behavior, so there isn't a single answer.  In a nutshell, it means the emulator had some sort of serious problem trying to either open or emulate the ROM, and had to shut down.  Your best bet is to enable crash reporting in Settings->Advanced, enter your paulscode.com username, perform whatever action causes the crash, and then POST A THREAD HERE ON THE FORUM so I can follow-up.  Random crash reports without context are not very useful, and just clutter the reporting system.  When you are finished testing, please disable crash reporting.

How do I map controller buttons?
Navigate to Settings->Input->Controller, press a button on the screen, then press the control you want to map it to.  The same procedure works for Player's 2 - 4 as well.

How do I add buttons or move them around on the touchscreen (or Xperia Play touchpad)?
A tutorial on customizing the touch layouts can be found in this thread.  I will eventually write a Skin Maker app for creating custom layouts, but for now they must be created manually.  If you are not technically minded or artistic enough to create your own, other folks have posted links to custom layouts they've created, and they can be shared and used by anyone!  A list of custom layouts will be maintained in this thread.  To use a custom layout, first unzip the file onto your device somewhere.  There is an option to use a new layout under Input->Touchscreen->Custom layout folder.  Click that and navigate to the folder containing the custom layout.  If the option is grey, choose "Custom" under "Touchscreen layout" to enable it.  Note: the custom layout ZIP file must be unzipped onto your device before you can use it.