[Dolphin] Share the same save folder between Standalone and Core

Libretro Cores
#1

Hi there,

I’ve been trying to clean things up in my various emus saves folders, and there’s something I’m struggling with right now.

I would like to be able to use the same save folder (using the .gci files instead of Memory Card.raw) for standalone Dolphin and Retroarch core, and be able to load a save from both versions, without the need to mess with folders or moving files…

It doesn’t sound complicated and should be possible, but, right now, it seems Retroarch and the Standalone version are not using the same folder architecture.

Dolphin is able to save in : saves/dolphin-emu/GC/USA

Retroarch wants to save in : saves/dolphin-emu/GC/USA/Card A

If I configure Dolphin to use the same folder as retroarch, it will create this structure : saves/dolphin-emu/GC/USA/Card A/USA

Dolphin seems to be unable to save in a folder where the region is not specified at the end, and Retroarch is unable to save anywhere else than “Card A” or “Card B” folders.

I hope this is clear, not sure ?

Is there any way to tell either standalone or core to modify the way it saves to share the exact same folder between both ?

I’d like, if possible, to avoid the “save to content folder” function, as it can get quite messy IMO the moment you want to delete or manage games.

#2

On Linux, you can just choose a “main” directory for the saves and create symbolic links for any other place you want to share. I don’t know about Windows, but perhaps shortcuts may work.

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#3

I’ve been thinking about symlinks for this problem yeah, I don’t know if this would work, I’ll give it a try if there’s no existing solution.

Ideally, I need the whole thing to be portable, main goal is to have the retroarch installation and games on a external drive I’ll be able to carry around various computers.

#4

I do something similar. There’s a main directory, containing all my saves and configurations for all of my emulators. Then, for each machine, I replace the config folders of those emulators for symlinks to that main directory. Works perfectly, regardless of the software having or not the option to change folder paths. Only make sure that each used app has the permission to read/write on your chosen location.

Also, see if Syncthing helps you. It might simplify what you’re doing.

1 Like
#5

Thank you for help and advices ! I managed to get this working :slight_smile:

I might as well detail the steps for those who’ll need this later:

–

Sharing the same GAMECUBE SAVE folder between Dolphin’s Standalone and Retroarch’s Core

  • I assume here that all your dolphin saves are located in Retroarch’s default Save Folder :
  • C:\Path\To\Retroarch\saves\dolphin-emu\user\GC\USA\Card A

  1. In Dolphin Standalone, go to : Options > GameCube > Slot A and select GCI FOLDER

  2. Just under, the field “GCI Folder Path” : type here a relative or absolute path to a folder in Retroarch’s Dolphin Saves Folder that you’ll create for convenience. I decided to name mine “GCI”.

This folder will NOT contain your save files or any file - it’s just a redirection.

This should be something like :

C:\Path\To\Retroarch\saves\dolphin-emu\user\GC\GCI

Once it is done, close the window and Dolphin.

  1. Navigate to this folder, and open a CMD window in this folder (Shift + Right Click > Open CMD)

  2. In this window, type :

mklink /D "USA" "..\USA\Card A" (fully portable, if you used the same folder architecture as me)

or

mklink /D "USA" "Path\to\Retroarch\saves\dolphin-emu\user\GC\USA\Card A"

This should create a “symlink” - a folder redirecting to another one, which is different from a shortcut, as it is recognized by applications as a real folder.

  1. Give a try playing a game you saved with both Standalone and Core, your save should work on both versions.

–

Hope this is clear enough ? I’m not good at writing guides, hope this’ll help.

Also, I believe this will be useless at some point when the core will be updated to use the same save folder structure as the standalone version, but anyway, for now, this solution works !

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