Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: The games show up in the rom browser, but when I
start one, the Xbox freezes.
A: You most likely edited the Path.ini rompath value
and put a "\" at the end of it. Delete the ending
backslash to solve this problem. Another reason
this will happen is if you try to load a rom in 7z,
jma, or rar format. The rom could also be corrupt.
It can be verified with NSRT and goodsnes.
Q: When I make changes to the GUI, switch skins,
and then switch back, all my settings are gone.
A: This is by design. The way to get around this is:
1) Load each skin (for example Metroid).
2) Make all the changes you need to make.
3) Exit ZsnexBox.
4) Copy the ZsnexBox.ini (called ZsnexBox25.ini,
ZsnexBox26.ini, etc...) from E:\ZsnexBox\ini
to the individual skin folder (for example, the
D:\skins\Metroid folder).
5) Delete the skin's ini (for example
D:\skins\Metroid\Metroid.ini).
6) Rename the ZsnexBox.ini to the skin's ini (for
example, rename ZsnexBox28.ini to Metroid.ini.
Now, every time you switch skins, all your settings
will be loaded.
Q: My game was working fine, but now it isn't.
A: It may be an issue with the emulation, your rom
is corrupt (check it with goodsnes), or you are/were
using cheat codes. Many games use cheat codes
that modify SRAM (like Super Metroid). It is very
possible to corrupt the SRAM and/or cause strange
behavior in the game (even after the code is turned
off). I recommend backing up your sram before using
any cheat codes.
Q: Is it possible to use an Xbox lightgun to play
Super Scope games?
A: No. However, they can be played with the Xbox
controller. Lightgun support may appear in a
later release.
Q: The file selection in the Rom Bowser would be
better if the game selected was in the middle
of the list.
A: I'll probably change this eventually.
Q: Are you going to add a favorites browser?
A: I'll probably add this eventually. An
alternative is to put all your favorite ROMs
into D:\roms and put the rest in a sub folder
in D:\roms called "Other" or something similar.
Q: I can't figure out how to get Far East of Eden
and other graphics pack games to start.
A: First, make sure you have copied all the graphics
files to the correct folder in D:\graphics.
Then, the easiest thing to do is rename your roms
to match the names of the sram files in the
D:\graphics\sram files folder. Then copy these to
the ZsnexBox\sram folder on the E\F\G partition.
No configuration is required.
Q: When I browse to the DVD drive, none of my roms
show up.
A: You didn't make an XISO of the roms before
burning the disc.
Q: When I start ZsnexBox, the skin doesn't load.
A: Delete the ZsnexBox.ini on the save partition
and make sure all the skin files are present. Then
restart the emulator.
Q: Some of the text is not aligned correctly or how I
would prefer.
A: Nearly all the text can be adjusted in the "Text
Options" menu.
Q: How do I get previews to work?
A: Put previews in the E:\ZsnexBox\prev folder. If you
changed the partition letter in the Path.ini to F or G,
then put the previews in the F:\ZsnexBox\prev or
G:\ZsnexBox\prev folder.
Q: Where can I get previews?
A: http:\\xbox.nugnugnug.com
Q: My previews don't show up
A: They must match the game name exactly. SMW.zip must
have a preview named SMW.png. They also must be in the
prev folder created by ZsnexBox. If they still don't
show up, try changing the partition ZsnexBox uses in
the Path.ini. You may have a corrupt filesystem on the
default partition.
Q: Where can I get ROMs?
A: No idea. All requests will be ignored.
Q: Is there going to be netplay support?
A: No
Q: Why isn't there going to be netplay support?
A: I hate Network programming
Q: Is there going to be SMB support?
A: No. There doesn't seem to be a real need for this.
It would be a lot of work for something that isn't
really needed (in my opinion). After all, the entire
USA set will fit on one CD-R.
Q: How fast is ZsnexBox?
A: Blazingly fast! Auto frame skipping is set to on
by default. This means that if the emulator can't
keep up it will skip frames and the FPS display will
drop below 60. You will be hard-pressed to find ANY
games (other than SuperFX) that drop below 60 FPS
for more than a second or two if that (even with most
graphics filters turned on).
Q: Are you going to implement <insert feature here>
in the next release?
A: Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe never.
Q: What version of ZSNES is this?
A: Currently the code is using the 2-28-05 WIP version.
Q: Why aren't you using the latest ZSNES code?
A: Because it is not stable enough. However, versions
1.0 - 1.2 use code from around 3-29-06. If you are
having trouble with a game, you could try one of
these versions since they have a newer ZSNES core.
Q: Are you ever going to update ZSNES to newer code?
A: Yes. This will be done through a multi-core
architecture. The user will be able to select
the core they wish to use on a per game basis.
This will most likely be done last.
Q: When is the next release coming out?
A: When it's ready.
Q: Can I be a beta tester?
A: Thanks, but I will send out requests for beta
testers if I need some in the future.
Q: Are you going to release the source?
A: Yes. I will release the source when I am finished
with the project (worst case scenario) or maybe
earlier. The code needs a lot of cleanup,
optimizations, etc... and it would be most beneficial
to future developers if the code was released later
rather than sooner.
Q: Are you going to merge your changes with the
official ZSNES?
A: That will be up to the ZSNES developers. They will
receive the source and they can do with it what they
wish.
Q: <insert game here> crashes, has graphics problems,
sound distortion, etc...
A: Does it occur in the 2-28-05 windows version? If it
does, then there is nothing I can do about it.
Otherwise, please post the issue on the xbox-scene
board.
Q: Do my ROMs have to be zipped?
A: No.
Q: Does ZsnexBox support 7z or rar?
A: No and it will never support them.
Q: Can ZsnexBox be run off a DVD/CD?
A: Yes. An XISO must be made before burning.
Q: Can you change where the ROM path starts initially?
A: Yes. Change the Path.ini
Q: I found <insert problem here> with ZsnexBox?
A: Is it related to the emulation? If so, does it do the
same thing on the 2-28-05 WIP version? If so, then there
is nothing I can do about it. Otherwise, post the bug on
the forum and I will look into it.
Q: Can I change the background music volume?
A: Yes. The right analog stick can be used to increase
or decrease the volume.
Q: My savestate doesn't work anymore, but I know I have
one because it was working fine.
A: There is a bug in ZSNES where it will incorrectly
name the savestates. This usually happens with games
that have a "." in the name. Like Final Fantasy III
(1.0).zip. Sometimes ZSNES will name the savestate
"Final Fantasy III (1.zst0).zst" or something similar.
It puts the "zst" extension at the wrong place. Just
rename the savestate to fix the problem. I am looking
into a fix for this problem. If you are trying to use
a savestate generated with an earlier version of
ZsnexBox there may be a savestate compatibility issue.
Q: Does Starfox 2 work correctly?
A: Not currently. Starfox 2 will be supported in a
later release. The ZSNES developers are making great
strides in the emulation of this game.
Q: Are you going to continue updating ZsnexBox?
A: Yes. I am trying to make ZsnexBox as polished as
possible. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to add
every feature imaginable.
Q: I see there is surround sound. How does that work?
A: This is a 2 channel surround sound emulation
provided by ZSNES. If the game that is being played has
a surround sound feature, then disable the ZSNES option
if the game option is used.
Q: What is the Low Pass Filter?
A: This is a feature that ZSNES provides that will add
extra bass to the SNES audio. It is not native to the
SNES.
Q: Some of my games work and some don't.
A: Your ROMs may be corrupt. Verify your ROMs with the
free tool NSRT. This is the best tool there is to
determine if an SNES ROM is good or bad.
Q: Can I donate any hardware or money?
A: Thank you, but I must decline. I don't want people to
get the wrong idea about why I am doing this project.
It's not for money or anything else. It's for myself as
well as for all the SNES fans using emulators on the
XBOX. If you really want to help, the best thing would
be to help answer questions in the various ZsnexBox
threads.
Q: What is the best sound frequency to use?
A: 32000. 44100 and 48000 do offer improvements but some
audio will not sound SNES accurate if the frequency is
increased.
Q: What are all these graphics filters? Which one should
I use?
A: These are filters that will enhance the SNES graphics
to make them look better than they did on the actual
SNES. It is really a matter of preference. Try all of
them to determine the one you like the best. Filters
do take extra CPU power to use. Using them doesn't
usually affect games running full speed, but this can
happen at times. HQ2X is the most CPU intensive and
very few games will run full speed with this filter.
My opinion to get the best looking graphics is:
Super Scale 2X + Flicker Filter of 0 + Soften turned
off + Hardware Filtering set to Bilinear.
Q: Would you be interested in porting something else?
A: Maybe. After I'm done with ZsnexBox, I "might" look
into porting other projects. That all depends on whether
Xport (or anyone else) is working on the ones I am
interested in, my interest is still there, and I have
time.
