F-Zero GX

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Revision as of 12:14, 14 September 2014 by MayImilae (talk | contribs) (Undo revision 85492 by D0min4nt (talk) Restoring deleted fixed problem.)
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F-Zero GX
FZeroGxGC.jpg
Developer(s) Sega, Amusement Vision
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Series F-Zero
Platform(s) GameCube
Release date(s) JP July 25, 2003
NA August 25, 2003
EU October 31, 2003
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer (4)
Input methods GameCube Controller
Compatibility 4Stars4.pngEdit rating: F-Zero GX
Playable
GameIDs
See also...

Dolphin Forum thread
Open Issues
Search Google
Search Wikipedia

F-Zero GX is a futuristic racing video game for the Nintendo GameCube console. Developed by Sega's Amusement Vision department and published by Nintendo, it was released in Japan, Europe and North America in 2003. F-Zero AX, the arcade counterpart of GX, uses hardware conceived from a business alliance between Nintendo, Namco and Sega. F-Zero GX runs on an enhanced version of the engine that powered Super Monkey Ball. F-Zero GX/AX was the first video game collaboration between Nintendo and Sega. The game received critical acclaim as one of the best racers of its time and the greatest racer on the GameCube platform.

Bugs

Powersliding Glitch

When near the start/finish line while racing on a Lightning themed track, the powerslide effect is glitched out, stretching out like a laser beam toward the finish line. This is a glitch with the game and not Dolphin; this occurs even on a real GameCube. See issue 6042.

Problems

NTSC-J version not booting

Activate "Enable MMU" or "MMU speed hack" to make the game boot.

V-Sync Crashes

If V-Sync is enabled, F-Zero GX will inevitably crash at some point early in play, to the point that it's difficult to even complete a race. Make sure V-Sync is disabled to avoid this.

  • Starting in 4.0-651, V-Sync is forced on in OpenGL and cannot be disabled. Fixed by 4.0-994.

Dual Core Resets

When Dual Core mode is enabled, the game may reset randomly. It generally only resets on the first run and plays fine after that, but it may reset in game. It has been tested and is pretty reliable, but it may reset anyway. Use at your own risk. For an absolute fix, uncheck "Enable Dual Core".

Heat Effect/Blur

Sand Ocean's heat effect cuts speed on even the most powerful computers. The effect can be disabled by turning on "Skip EFB Access from CPU", but this will disable other effects as well, like the boost distortion effect.

Raindrop mask

The raindrops on the Lightning tracks are improperly rendered. Some areas will be inverted: areas that should have raindrops are empty, and areas that should be blank are filled with raindrops. The result is what appears to be a grid of dots scattered across certain tiles. It appears on all backends until 4.0-1192, where it is fixed in the OpenGL backend. D3D still exhibits the error and there is no solution for it at this time. See issue 6041.

Story Mode Cutscenes Blackscreen

As of 4.0-564 the cutscenes in F-Zero GX no longer render in the OpenGL backend. D3D will still render them fine. See issue 6914.

Missing Boulder Shadows

In Chapter 2 of F-Zero GX, the boulders that roll across the track will have no shadows in the D3D backend. To see their shadows properly, use the OpenGL backend. See issue 7183.

16:9

This game has 16:9 display capability, but requires setting the game to the "Widescreen" screen mode in the game's internal options, and setting Dolphin's Aspect Ratio setting to "Force 16:9".

Shadow Distortion

With EFB to Texture, shadows may distort if you open the graphics window or go in and out of fullscreen during a race. Just avoid those things and the shadows will be fine, or use EFB to Ram. If the shadow does glitch out; it will fix itself in the next race.

Custom Cars

If using a bad dump, custom cars show only the pilot floating in mid air and the main body component. Redump the disc to correct the problem. See issue 3240.

Rain on Lightning Track

Rain on the Lightning tracks appears incorrectly on the D3D9 backend. It is present, but more difficult to see compared to the other backends, to the point where it is nearly invisible for most of the race. OpenGL and D3D11 display the effect correctly, so use one of them if you wish to see it better. Fixed with the removal of D3D9 in 4.0-155.

Configuration

Only configuration options for the best compatibility where they deviate from defaults are listed.

Graphics

Config Setting Notes
V-Sync Off Crashes inevitable crashes

Version Compatibility

The graph below charts the compatibility with F-Zero GX since Dolphin's 2.0 release, listing revisions only where a compatibility change occurred.

Δ
5.0-21270 (current)
Δ
Δ
Δ
Δ
Δ
2.0 (r5384)
Compatibility can be assumed to align with the indicated revisions. However, compatibility may extend to prior revisions or compatibility gaps may exist within ranges indicated as compatible due to limited testing. Please update as appropriate.

Testing

This title has been tested on the environments listed below:

Test Entries
Revision OS CPU GPU Result Tester
r4865 Windows 7 x64 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9505 @ 2.83GHz nVidia GeForce 9800 GT With recent fixes, game is now playable at good speed with perfect graphics (except bug with shadows, you can fix by switching EFB Copy to system RAM). Speed varies from 40 to 60 FPS (out of max 60). It's highly recommended to use x64 or IL version, because usual x86 doesn't work yet. Sound and controls work perfectly fine. F-Zero GX (GC) on Dolphin Wii/GC Emulator 720p HD nosound98
r7035 Windows 7 x64 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 3.16GHz ATI Radeon HD 5850 Slows down to 20 FPS at the start of a race sometimes, but runs at a solid min. 35 FPS during the race
r7612 Windows 7 x64 Intel Quad Core @ 3.33GHz nVidia GeForce 9600 GT Between 40-60 FPS depending the race track, big slow down in sand ocean. Crash when using recording device (Fraps & Xfire) Sonic1993
r7670 Windows 7 x64 Intel Core i5-2500K @ 4.1GHz AMD Radeon HD 6850 Works totally fine. Only slowdown is on Sand Ocean, FPS drops to 42 max. MegaJump
^3.0 Windows 7 x64 Intel Pentium E5400 @ 2.7GHz nVidia GeForce GTX 460 Barely playable, 20-30 FPS parasite64
^3.0 Windows 7 x86 Intel Pentium E5400 @ 2.7GHz AMD Radeon HD 3850 Barely playable on DX9 plugin, native resolution, AA 9x , MMU speed hack, Dual Core On (It's work normal now) 30-45 FPS Dark Bard
3.0-177 Windows 7 x64 Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.3GHz nVidia GeForce 8800 GT 60 FPS when "Skip EFB Access from CPUs" is off. Shadows are broken. DX9 supports Dual Core. M
3.0-228 Windows 7 x64 AMD Phenom 2 X4 @ 3.2GHz nVidia GeForce 9600 GT Runs between 50-60 Fps. NO Slowdown at Sand Ocean, NO Shadow Error. Skip EFB Access from CPU ON( Hook in there) / EFB Copies RAM / Direct3D9 Back-end / Disable per pixel depth OFF / It works on 1600x900 Fullscreen 2x Native and Widescreen Hack Shyvo
3.0-267 Linux Mint 11 x64 Intel Core i5 2500K AMD Radeon HD 6670 In 50Hz game mode, runs between 48-50 Fps. Some slowdowns and some shadow errors. Dual Core ON / Accelerate disc transfer rate ON / Skip EFB Access from CPU ON / EFB Copies Texture / It works on 1280x800 Fullscreen Auto Native yg2f
3.0-684 Windows 7 x64 AMD FX-4100 @ 4.5GHz nVidia GeForce GTS 250 (tested with DX9). In the demo video is initially loaded much. In the selection of the starships of the screen is very slow when being dumped in this screen, the graphic shall have no end that Dump!. After a few crashes of the Dolphin emulator works then most of the "Dual Core" option. Best emulation speed, the "external frame buffer" would be (REAL), but very unstable. (sic, Google Translate) Serverbot777
3.0-697 Windows 7 x64 AMD FX-4100 @ 4.5GHz nVidia GeForce GTS 250 (tested with DX9). Fixed a bug with the speed-problem-in vehicle selection. In the game, when the shadow vehicle will not be correctly displayed (Faulty shadow). And in the game during the procedure, the FPS quite sharply between 30 FPS and 50 FPS.(only in the dolphin-hashless version). Serverbot777
3.0-763 Windows 7 x64 Intel Core i5-760 @ 2.8GHz nVidia GeForce 560 Ti DirectX 9, dual core, locked threads to cores, 1080p. 33% speed decrease when all vehicles are on screen, or when large portions of the track are visible. Dolphin just can't crunch this many vertices, as determined by the same speeds being reached using the original EFB size. In all other circumstances, game runs at a full 60 FPS. Dual core causes occasional soft locks, but locking threads to cores seems to dissuade this from happening as often. Dual core is required to reach 60 FPS on this rig. CptnOblivious
3.0-787 Windows 7 x64 Intel Core i5-760 @ 2.8GHz nVidia GeForce 560 Ti DirectX 9, dual core, locked threads to cores, 1080p. UPDATE: This revision sees an increase in speed between 6-10 FPS under full loads in the same scenarios as the previous entry. Everything else remains unchanged. CptnOblivious
4.0 Windows 7 x64 AMD FX-4100 @ 3.6GHz AMD Radeon HD 6770 DirectX 11, everything at default except "Skip EFB Access from CPU". 4xAA, 16xAF, 720p+, 60Hz/FPS PAL. Usualy runs at 60 FPS, with drops in intros and selection screen for drivers, even with 58 FPS emulation of sound start to break with pauses. Playable with slowdowns on start of the race with lots of opponents. leipero
4.0-918 Linux (Arch) x64 Intel Core i5-4670 @ 3.4GHz nVidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti Everything at default except "Skip EFB Access from CPU". 2xAA, 16xAF, 720p+, 60Hz/FPS PAL. Will always run at 60 FPS, even with video recording software running. Game will sometimes crash with V-Sync enabled. breed808
^4.0.2 Arch Linux x64 Intel Core i7-2600 @ 3.4GHz nVidia GeForce GTS 450 Playable. Occasional slowdowns, usually when starting a race. Rare shadow distortion. 10n45

Gameplay Videos