Metroid Prime (Metroid Prime: Trilogy)

Metroid Prime: Trilogy is an action-adventure video game compilation developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It features Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on a single dual-layer disc.

Metroid Prime in Trilogy has been updated with many features from Metroid Prime 3, such as its aiming system, bloom rendering, 16:9 aspect ratio, and reduced difficulty level (to play the original difficulty, play "veteran" instead of normal). The update also has higher resolution textures, and uses Trilogy's menus, save system, achievements, and unlockable soundtracks.

Game Pages
This page should be used for specific issues with the Metroid Prime sub-game of Metroid Prime: Trilogy. For other Metroid Prime: Trilogy games or launcher information, please see the following pages.



Shader Compilation Stuttering
The Metroid Prime games are some of the most susceptible titles to shader compilation stuttering, thanks to a combination of very complex effects and dynamic loading. The GC and Wii have no concept of shaders - everything runs directly "on the metal" without any APIs. Modern desktop and phone systems do not work in this way, requiring the use of shaders as an intermediary so your system's GPU can perform the tasks that the GC and Wii GPU performed. But shaders have to be created, and since GC/Wii games are not designed to create shaders ahead of time as a PC game would, when a new effect appears Dolphin has to delay the CPU thread while the GPU thread performs the compilation; a pause that does not exist on the consoles. For most games shader generation takes only a few milliseconds, but for the Metroid Prime series and a few other demanding titles, the shaders that they generate are so large that they can result in noticeable stuttering.

Eventually stuttering will reduce as a shader cache is built up, but there is no solution to this problem at this time.

Scan Visor Memory Stride Error
Since, selecting a scan visor triggers an endless stream of assertions saying "Memory stride is too small". Clicking "yes" advances the game by one frame, while clicking "no" crashes Dolphin. This prevents any game progress. Disable Panic Handlers to address this.

Constant Wii Remote Disconnects
Since, when using the MS Bluetooth Stack (the default Bluetooth stack on Windows) the game will think that the Wii Remote is constantly disconnecting. Pressing a button on the Wii Remote will restore it, but it will disconnect again seconds later. Disable "Enable Speaker Data" to solve this problem, or avoid the MS Bluetooth stack by using the DolphinBar or the Toshiba Stack (for instruction of which is available at Wii Remote Plus (RVL-CNT-01-TR) Connection Guide).

Shader Compilation Stuttering
The Metroid Prime games are some of the most susceptible titles to shader compilation stuttering, thanks to a combination of very complex effects and dynamic loading. The GC and Wii have no concept of shaders - everything runs directly "on the metal" without any APIs. Modern desktop and phone systems do not work in this way, requiring the use of shaders as an intermediary so your system's GPU can perform the tasks that the GC and Wii GPU performed. But shaders have to be created, and since GC/Wii games are not designed to create shaders ahead of time as a PC game would, when a new effect appears Dolphin has to delay the CPU thread while the GPU thread performs the compilation; a pause that does not exist on the consoles. For most games shader generation takes only a few milliseconds, but for the Metroid Prime series and a few other demanding titles, the shaders that they generate are so large that they can result in noticeable stuttering.

Eventually stuttering will reduce as a shader cache is built up, but there is no solution to this problem at this time.

Bloom Offset
Like Prime 3 and all the Trilogy games, Prime 1 Trilogy has bloom offset problems. Fortunately, it is not very noticeable with this game. The only solution is to disable Scaled EFB copies, which creates issues of its own. See.

Visors
Visors will only work if EFB Copies to Texture Only is disabled. Though EFB Copies to Texture Only is forced as disabled by the GameINI, visor corruption may still occur if you open the graphics configuration window during gameplay. Disable EFB Copies to Texture Only in the Dolphin GUI to avoid any problems.

Dot
When playing above 1x Native internal resolution, there is a dot in the center of the screen. It's small and easy to ignore, but it's always there. There is no fix for this problem, but the dot can be removed by hiding the helmet display in the game's options (i.e. Visor, the 3rd option below Controller and Display, slide the Helmet Opacity sliders all the way to the left).

The Black Bar
During Shader Compilation, stuttering can become so severe that it desyncs the GPU and CPU threads in Dual Core mode. The game freaks out over this desync, creating a black bar at the bottom of the screen, which takes up 15% of the screen space and "squishes" the game in the remaining space. The black bar will remain there from then on whether stuttering continues or ceases.

After, enabling Virtual XFB or Real XFB will fix and/or prevent the problem. If XFB is disabled the problem may still occur. Details can be found in the September Progress Report.

Refraction/Lava Slowdown
Refraction effects, such as raindrops on Samus' visor, cause slowdown in OpenGL. Even the strongest computers are affected by this issue, and there is no solution with the OpenGL backend at this time. D3D is not affected by this problem in this game. There are also severe slowdowns with OpenGL in the Magmoor Caverns when you look down to a lava basin. Reducing the internal resolution helps a bit. It affects even strong systems. Fixed by.