General Loading Issue

system · 15 January 2017 03:31

Hey, all. New user here. I’m in Windows 7 and trying to use the 64 bit version of RetroArch.

Anyway, I’m trying to get a command line setup to run just right. I want RetroArch to load up core-specific configs by default.

I used this to run a game specific to the GameBoy libretro:

C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch>retroarch.exe kirby.gb

But I get an error, and it doesn’t load up the gambatte_libretro.cfg file I have in the configs directory.

Here is the output when I use -v:


=== Build =======================================
Compiler: MinGW (4.8.2) 64-bit
Built: Jan  3 2014
=================================================
RetroArch: [CPUID]: Vendor: GenuineIntel
RetroArch: [CPUID]: MMX:   1
RetroArch: [CPUID]: SSE:   1
RetroArch: [CPUID]: SSE2:  1
RetroArch: [CPUID]: SSE3:  1
RetroArch: [CPUID]: SSSE3: 1
RetroArch: [CPUID]: AVX:   0
RetroArch: Loading default config.
=== Config ===
savefile_directory = ":/save files/" 
savestate_directory = ":/save states/" 
libretro_path = ":/libretro/" 
core_options_path = ":/configs/" 
core_specific_config = "true" 
game_history_path = ":/misc/" 
system_directory = ":/system/" 
rgui_browser_directory = ":/roms/" 
rgui_config_directory = ":/configs/" 
config_save_on_exit = "false" 
video_driver = "d3d9" 
video_yscale = "2.0" 
video_fullscreen_x = "0" 
video_fullscreen_y = "0" 
video_windowed_fullscreen = "true" 
video_smooth = "false" 
video_force_aspect = "true" 
video_aspect_ratio_auto = "true" 
video_shader_dir = ":/shaders/" 
video_font_size = "18" 
video_font_scale = "true" 
joypad_autoconfig_dir = ":/autoconfig/" 
screenshot_directory = ":/screenshots/" 
=== Config end ===
RetroArch: Found default config: C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\retroarch.cfg.
RetroArch: Loading core-specific config from: C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\configs\.cfg.
RetroArch [WARN] :: Core-specific config not found, reusing last config.
RetroArch: Searching for valid libretro implementation in: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/bnes_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/bsnes_accuracy_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/bsnes_balanced_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/bsnes_performance_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/dinothawr_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/dosbox_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/fb_alpha_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/fceumm_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/ffmpeg_libretro.dll".
RetroArch [ERROR] :: Failed to load library, error code: 0x7e
RetroArch: Checking library: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro/gambatte_libretro.dll".
RetroArch: Loading dynamic libretro from: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro\gambatte_libretro.dll"
RetroArch: Environ SET_VARIABLES.
RetroArch: Core option:
RetroArch: 	Description: GB Colorization
RetroArch: 	Key: gb_colorization
RetroArch: 	Current value: disabled
RetroArch: 	Possible values:
RetroArch: 		disabled
RetroArch: 		enabled
RetroArch: Version of libretro API: 1
RetroArch: Compiled against API: 1
RetroArch: Environ GET_LOG_INTERFACE.
RetroArch: Loading ROM file: kirby.gb.
RetroArch: Did not find a valid ROM patch.
RetroArch: CRC32: 0x40f25740, SHA256: 0f6dba94fae248d419083001c42c02a78be6bd3dff679c895517559e72c98d58
RetroArch: ROM size: 262144 bytes.
RetroArch: Environ GET_CAN_DUPE: true
RetroArch: Environ SET_PIXEL_FORMAT: RGB565.
RetroArch: [libretro INFO] :: [Gambatte]: Got internal game name: KIRBY DREAM LAND.
RetroArch: Environ GET_VARIABLE gb_colorization:
RetroArch: 	disabled
RetroArch: Environ SYSTEM_DIRECTORY: "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\system/".
RetroArch: Set audio input rate to: 32890.07 Hz.
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/5xbr-retro.cg"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/bead.cg"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/blinky.cg"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/gambatte_libretro.cgp"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/pixellate.cg"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/quilez.cg"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/retroarch.cgp"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/scanline.cg"
RetroArch: Found shader "C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\shaders/stock.cg"
RetroArch: Video @ 480x288
RetroArch: Setting multimedia scheduling for DWM.
RetroArch: [D3D]: Monitor size: 1920x1080.
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Created context.
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Vertex profile: vs_3_0
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Fragment profile: ps_3_0
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Compiling stock shader.
RetroArch: [FVF]: POSITION semantic found.
RetroArch: [FVF]: TEXCOORD0 semantic found.
RetroArch: [FVF]: COLOR0 semantic found.
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Render pass info:
RetroArch: 	Texture width: 256
RetroArch: 	Texture height: 256
RetroArch: 	Scale type (X): RetroArch: Viewport @ 1.000000x
RetroArch: 	Scale type (Y): RetroArch: Viewport @ 1.000000x
RetroArch: 	Bilinear filter: false
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Vertex profile: vs_3_0
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Fragment profile: ps_3_0
RetroArch: [D3D9 Cg]: Compiling stock shader.
RetroArch: Found XInput v1.3.
RetroArch: Enumerating DInput joypads ...
RetroArch: Done enumerating DInput joypads ...
RetroArch: Found joypad driver: "dinput".
RetroArch: [D3D]: Init complete.
RetroArch: DirectSound devices:
RetroArch: 	0: Primary Sound Driver
RetroArch: 	1: Speakers (VIA High Definition Audio)
RetroArch: 	2: VAC Playback (Virtual Audio Cable)
RetroArch: 	3: 625 USB Headphones (2- C-Media USB Audio Device   )
RetroArch: [DirectSound]: Setting buffer size of 12288 bytes
RetroArch: [DirectSound]: Latency = 64 ms
RetroArch: Sinc resampler [SSE]
RetroArch: SINC params (8 phase bits, 16 taps).
RetroArch: [RGUI]: Opening history: C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\misc/.

Hope I can get some help with this. Thanks.

askot · 15 January 2017 04:48

If you want to use a specific core.cfg file in command line, you can send it by


retroarch.exe kirby.gb -c "Path:	o_your\config.cfg"

gambatte_libretro.dll core must be selected on your config.cfg

system · 15 January 2017 04:48

@askot Well I wanted RetroArch to automatically load a specific config depending on whatever kind of ROM I’m throwing at it, but yeah that’s one way to do it.

I just tried this:

C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch>retroarch.exe -L C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\libretro\gambatte_libretro.dll kirby.gb

And it was looking for:

RetroArch: Loading core-specific config from: C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\configs\gambatte_libretro.dll.cfg.
RetroArch [WARN] :: Core-specific config not found, reusing last config.

So now I’m a bit closer. Just have to rename it I guess. I still need to give it the -L command though. I was hoping it’d automatically choose a libretro file depending on what type of ROM file I give it, then it would know what core specific config to load up.

Edit: Also, wouldn’t it make sense if it loaded up the libretro library first, THEN loaded up the core specific config for that library? It seems to be doing it the other way around.

anon24419061 · 15 January 2017 04:48

You can append configs, that’s the best way imho, a general config and append the core config

system · 15 January 2017 04:49

Hey AndresSM, so I’m trying to do it that way.

Can the appended config be bare-bones such as this?:

libretro_path = ":\libretro\gambatte_libretro.dll"
video_shader = ":/shaders/_GAMEBOY/DMG_SHADER/dmg_shader_4x.cgp"
video_shader_enable = "true"
#video_aspect_ratio = "-1.000000"
video_xscale = "4.500000"
video_yscale = "4.500000"
video_fullscreen = "true"

With just the changes in it, different from the default config? I’m asking because the --appendconfig command is giving me trouble. Says it doesn’t find the system directory even though its in the default config.

Here is the command line I’m using:

retroarch.exe -c retroarch.cfg --appendconfig C:\Games\Emulators\RetroArch\configs\gambatte_libretro.dll.cfg kirby.gb

EDIT: Guess not. It only seems to work with a complete config file appended. So whats the point of appending? Just load the special config by default with --config.

anon24419061 · 15 January 2017 04:49

IIRC you have to specify the config with -c and appendconfig. I’m writing a RA guide and I will be covering custom configs… it’ll be a few days till done tho