Hacking Homebrew Emulator How to prepare latest RetroArch Wii cores as Single ROM Loaders for autoboot single games

[SaulFabre]

Hi there GBAtemp community!!!

I think since RetroArch Wii v1.10.2 it allows to save per-core / per-game configurations / settings via a cfg file which now will be stored in the same directory where boot.dol is stored.

Seeing on WiiFlow Plugins Pack i saw in "Retroarch-Wii" folder that it now also every core uses the core info files for work properly, like the standalone releases of RetroArch Wii.
Example: pokemini_libretro.info (core dol (executable) file) >>> pokemini_libretro_wii.dol (core info file)

Thanks to @RunningSnakes for helping me a bit with this stuff on latest RetroArch.

So, i saw that if i do those steps i can get back the "Save State" / "Load State" buttons on PokeMini core (and also other cores, such MAME 2000, Handy Lynx, Mednafen WonderSwan, etc.) when used for make SRLs or for make autoboot a single game if i do those tinkering:

1. Take the dol file of the core you want to use (for example, for PokeMini core, take the pokemini_libretro_wii.dol file) and rename it as boot.dol
2. Make an "info" folder inside the folder (directory) where your core renamed to boot.dol is stored
3. Open the "info" folder
4. Take the the info file of the core you want to use which you have renamed it as boot.dol (ex. i'm using PokeMini, so i'm taking the pokemini_libretro.info file), and copy it and paste it into the "info" folder of your SRL
5. 
   
   
6. Once copied and pasted the files you need in the "info" folder, rename the .info file of your current core you want to use for your SRL as "boot.info" (the core info detection won't work if not renamed to boot.info, it must match with the name of the dol file you're currently using)
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8. Then return to the folder (directory) where the boot.dol file is stored, then copy and paste the retroarch-salamander.cfg file (download it in the attachments below this post) into the same directory where the boot.dol of your core is stored, then open it wit Notepad and edit the value with the full path of the boot.dol that will be loaded.
9. 
   
   
10. Save the changes made to the retroarch-salamander.cfg file.
11. Now follow the instructions i've posted in this guide for put a ROM to load, and configure the meta.xml file for autoload the game you want: https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-...ls-of-your-favorite-retro-games-d-wii.602640/

Here's a test of a fully functional PokeMini core (from RA Wii 1.10.3) with all its functions (including Save / Load State) when on autoboot game mode:

It's a shame that some RA cores (like PokeMini, MAME 2000, Mednafen WonderSwan) have those tricky detections that won't let us use some features unless an info file was detected, so i decided to make this thread for make me remember it later when making SRLs of RA Wii (most recent versions).

Greetings to all

- saulfabreg (@SaulFabre)

 

[MeXen]

Sounds lovely, but does it allow PER CORE video scaling/aspect ratio configuration like HEXACO ''sorta'' does?

 

[SaulFabre]

Sounds lovely, but does it allow PER CORE video scaling/aspect ratio configuration like HEXACO ''sorta'' does?

Exactly (since version v1.10.2 i think?)