Serfrosts Cemu Setup Guide

Wanting to add mods to Breath of the Wild on CEMU? Click Here

Welcome!

Consider reading all of the sections to get a good understanding. If you're able to do that, any game should be
of little difficulty to run, as long as you have the hardware and specifications, in addition to it being rated well on
the Compatibility List linked below. Additionally, if the game does not run as desired, please review the game's
designated page on the Compatibility List to see why!

[ Official CEMU Compatibility List ]

Breath of the Wild [BotW] exclusive sections are labeled as such, so take note.

[ Current Version ]
Last Edit: Feb 8, 2019 CEMU Version: 1.15.2+ Cemuhook: v0.5.7.0 or newer. Breath of the Wild - Game Update v1.5.0 (v208) & DLC is recommended. Game Update from 1.4.0 to 1.5.0 is REQUIRED or you will fail to boot (additionally, no FPS++ or graphicPack compatibility.)

Recommended Settings

Cemuhook [Required]

REQUIRED FOR FPS++ , STATIC FPS, TEXT, and VIDEOS Download Cemuhook by Rajkosto from: https://sshnuke.net/cemuhook/ Extract dbghelp.dll & keystone.dll from the Cemuhook ZIP into your Cemu folder, next to Cemu.exe When opening Cemu, make sure to download your Shared Fonts. Open Cemu > Download the Shared Fonts with the link that appears in the main window. These are REQUIRED for various titles to function correctly, such as Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, and Super Mario Maker; along with other titles! Cemuhook also allows the following: Extended Debug Mode with Extra Options, some required for various games. (QPC Mode) Allows you to set up a Gyro-enabled Device / Controller / Phone to use with Motion Control games. Allows in-game cutscenes to play on various titles instead of crashing or a glitchy green-screen. Lets you play games in fast-forward or slow-motion mode under Debug.

Cemu's Properties Settings

Cemu's Properties Settings Open the folder, right-click on Cemu.exe -> Properties -> Compatibility If available, enable the option resembling: Use this setting to fix scaling problems for this program instead of the one in Settings If available, enable the option resembling: Change high DPI settings Override high DPI scaling behavior. Scaling performed by: Application If available, enable Disable fullscreen optimizations Lastly, enable Run this program as an administrator (This is to ensure you have full permissions.) Apply, then click OK.

GPU Settings

Recommended iGPU Settings Recommended iGPU Settings Integrated Graphics are highly advised against for emulation as they do not often meet MANY requirements. Make sure it's running on Maximum Performance Mode. iGPU (Intel Integrated Graphics) Users who experience problems can try this: (Keep in mind this will likely cause other games to fail to boot that would previously.) Users should create a CEMU shortcut, edit its properties, adding -nolegacy to their Target: [ See Here ] Note: As of CEMU 1.15.1, -nolegacy is default. You may try using -legacy instead. If the issue persists, it's one of the following: update your iGPU driver, the game will not work for that specific iGPU, or your iGPU is simply too old. Recommended Nvidia Control Panel Settings Recommended Nvidia Control Panel settings Alternatively for more options, download Nvidia Profile Inspector - https://github.com/DeadManWalkingTO/NVidiaProfileInspectorDmW/releases Open Nvidia Profile Inspector and create a new Profile for CEMU. Attach the CEMU.exe to the profile. Make your changes and Apply. Cemu must be restarted before changes can take effect. Recommended AMD Radeon Settings Recommended Radeon Settings and graphic profile You can see how AMD performs in contrast to public opinion, here: [AMD Videos - Cemu 1.15.2 - Playlist by Darkemaste]

CEMU Settings

Options → General Settings General Tab General Tab Interface: Language: Recommended: User Preference Translates CEMU's UI to the users' preferred language. Discord Presence: Enables Discord Rich Presence when users view your status; shows what Wii U game you're playing, etc. Fullscreen Menu Bar: Enables the menu bar for options while in Fullscreen. MLC Path: Optionally change where installed Game Updates, DLC, Save Files, and other Wii U NAND information is stored. Default location is X:\*\Cemu Folder\mlc01\ Game Paths: Where your games are stored. You can have multiple paths. Graphics Tab Graphics Tab Misc: VSync: Recommended: Enabled Should only be turned off if you're using Gsync or Freesync. Full sync at GX2DrawDone: Recommended: Enabled Syncs the CPU and GPU, much like the Wii U. Will help prevent games from breaking. Use Separable Shaders: Recommended: Enabled Last I heard, this option will be removed soon. Mainly for testing purposes. Disable Precompiled Shaders: Recommended: Nvidia - Enabled AMD - Disabled Precompiled shaderCache does not work for Nvidia GPUs at this time; it does work for AMD GPUs. Upscale Filter: Recommended: Hermite Otherwise Nearest. Test to see which scales better for you. Downscale Filter: Recommended: Bilinear Otherwise Nearest. Test to see which scales better for you. Fullscreen Scaling: Recommended: Keep Aspect Ratio "Stretch" may be good for uncommon display resolutions. Audio Tab Audio Tab General: API: Recommended: XAudio2 You can test the alternative option if you desire. Latency: Recommended: 48ms If you notice crackling audio in games, you should try increasing the latency until it stops. TV: Device: Select which audio device you wish to use for (Main) TV Output. Channels: Stereo is the only option available for now. Volume: Recommended: 100% Gamepad: Device: Select which audio device you wish to use for Gamepad Audio. Channels: Stereo is the only option available for now. Volume: Recommended: 100% Menu Settings (Options / CPU / Debug) Options Menu Options Menu GX2SetGPUFence skip (HACK): Recommended: Disabled Meant only for BotW, additionally FPS++ and Static FPS++ will handle this without you touching it. GPU Buffer Cache Accuracy: Recommended: Low Few games require High, change it on a per-game basis, always keep it Low otherwise. You may set this with a GameProfile by placing the following line under [Graphics] : GPUBufferCacheAccuracy = # ; 2=Low, 1=Mid, 0=High Experimental: Use RDTSC: Recommended: Enabled Enables Cemu's more accurate CPU & Audio timing mode. Note: This should be enabled even if you use another mode in Debug such as QPC. CPU Menu CPU Menu Mode: (Dependent on your CPU type.) Single-Core Interpreter: Not recommended except for debug and testing purposes. Single-Core Recompiler: Recommended for most games, the other choices will likely fail to boot or freeze the game. Testing is welcome. Additionally, recommended for Dual Core CPU owners. Dual-Core Recompiler: On few supported games: 4-Core+ CPUs can see a performance gain. Breath of the Wild is supported. Triple-Core Recompiler: On few supported games: Some 4-Core and most 6-Core+ CPUs can see a performance gain. 4-Core CPUs can see better FPS Stability but lesser FPS, but some will obtain better FPS; possibly increased CPU temperatures. Breath of the Wild is supported. Timer: Required: Host Based Cycle Based is for debugging games, testing crashes and freezes. Try this if you freeze in a game, etc. Affinity: Test each option in-game to see what benefits your performance the most, stick with it for all games. Dual-core CPU Owners should always use "All Logical Cores" 4-Core+ CPU Owners that use Dual-core Recompiler should try each option and see which gives them the best performance. 4-Core+ CPU Owners that use Triple-core Recompiler should likely use "All Logical Cores" Debug Menu Debug Menu (These options will only be enabled with Cemuhook added to Cemu) Custom Timer: Recommended: RDTSC or QPC MM Timer Accuracy: Recommended: 1ms or Highest (Seeing a performance difference is unlikely, but you can test in-game.)

Requirements

Prerequisites
Prerequisites Extract CEMU to a Proper Destination CEMU Webpage Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 X64 Redistributable Click Here Cemuhook Click Here

CPU

CPU Any CPU will work, technically, but AMD CPUs typically lack Single-Thread processing power. Generally speaking (for Breath of the Wild and almost any CPU), you want to be over a 4.0GHz clock speed. Additionally, Dual-Core or Triple-Core Recompiler options should allow better performance in the few applicable games that support it, especially Breath of the Wild. You can check out Darkemaster's AMD FX Compatibility Video list for Cemu 1.12.0 [Here] Single Thread IPC and Overclocking are the most important factors for how well CEMU will perform on your PC! This list ranks CPUs for Single Thread IPC: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html I wouldn't recommend going under a score of ( 2,000 ) if you plan to play Breath of the Wild at 30FPS (Native Wii U Framerate) Experimental Multi-Core Recompiler Info See the Recommended Settings section for what is recommended under CPU Options / Affinity. This experimental setting allows extra cores to be utilized for PPC CPU emulation instead of 1, however not many games actually utilize multiple PPC cores and currently causes stability issues/crashes or offers no benefit for most titles. Dual Core Recompiler [requires] a minimum of 4 Cores + Threads available. Not recommended for Dual Core (2 cores+threads) CPUs; system instability. Triple Core Recompiler [recommends] a minimum of 4 to 6 Cores + Threads available. Not practical to use on pre-8th generation i5 and pre-6th generation i7 Intel CPUs, and most 4-core CPUs.

RAM

RAM We recommend at least 8GB RAM for most games, but preferably 16GB+. If you run out of RAM and have a very slow SATA HDD, you are either likely to stutter relentlessly in-game or you may possibly have Crashes. Solid State Drives (SSD) are a boon to users with lesser amounts of RAM, as your PC will push data to the PageFile on your SSD if you set it to do so. They are much faster than SATA drives and therefore less likely to become unstable and crash with lesser amounts of RAM. PageFile: A pagefile (virtual memory) is essential to have in order to avoid crashing when running out of available RAM. Instead of crashing immediately when exceeding RAM limit, you may experience lower performance when a pagefile is used and may also experience additional in-game stutter when swapping. One way to see if one is using a pagefile while using Cemu is to see their "total commit size" in task manager and pay attention to if the number shown being used exceeds the amount of physical RAM installed within your PC, as pagefile usage is typically not shown under RAM usage statistics. Your GPU vendor can also play a role in what your RAM usage will be in Cemu and will determine how essential a pagefile is, or how often it will be used, if at all. It is recommended to have a pagefile on an SSD or the fastest drive available, and to leave pagefile size as System managed size. Altering your pagefile size may cause your PC to become unstable, resulting in crashes of your entire system. Alternatively, some users suggest to have a custom size of .5 times your physical RAM as Initial size(MB) and 1.5 times your physical RAM as Maximum size(MB). Research is highly recommended before changing your pagefile settings.

GPU

GPU NVIDIA GPUs are recommended; they can take some strain off of your CPU and have better performance through threaded optimization/OGL multi-threading when under heavy CPU workloads. AMD GPUs perform great for all but the heaviest of games, their performance is HIGHLY dependent on your CPU processing capabilities. This may all change with Vulkan implementation in the future. You can see how AMD performs in contrast to public opinion, here: [AMD Videos - Cemu 1.15.2 - Playlist by Darkemaste] Intel Integrated Graphics (iGPUs) are not officially supported but have decent compatibility. A comprehensive list of all known current GPU-vendor specific bugs and available workarounds in Cemu can be found here - GPU Compatibility List GPU power and available VRAM is not very important unless you want to increase your game's internal resolution or reaching higher FPS limitiations. If you lose noticeable performance when playing at a higher resolution it means you are GPU/VRAM limited and your graphics card/VRAM amount is not sufficient to maintain said resolution without a performance loss. It is possible to be GPU/VRAM limited at native resolution with weaker/1GB-2GB GPUs and iGPUs, to determine if you are when under these conditions lower resolution and see if performance improves. [BotW] For 4k @ 30FPS or 1440p (2k) @ 60FPS It is recommended to use a modern GPU with at minimum 4GB VRAM. Reaching 60FPS is almost entirely determined by your CPU. Most users will not obtain 60FPS even with optimal settings. [Any Game] Standard Gameplay at 720p / 1080p Native Wii U Resolution We recommend anything in range of a NVIDIA GTX 600 or AMD HD 7000 series or above.

Installing & Updating CEMU

Setup

Setup First Installation: Download CEMU from http://cemu.info/ and extract the .ZIP to a folder in one of these locations: Recommended: SSD Storage a. ) Desktop b. ) Your C:\ Drive Root c. ) An alternative internal storage drive. d. ) An external storage device. Note: Not recommended unless USB 3.0 or 3.1; depending on the device, it may have slow data read/write speeds. However, even with slower read/write speeds (if you have a full ShaderCache) this should not hinder your performance! Do NOT put it in your Program Files or other system directories, CEMU will lack permission to write saves, shadercache, and other info! Open the folder, right-click on Cemu.exe -> Properties -> Compatibility If available, enable the option resembling: Use this setting to fix scaling problems for this program instead of the one in Settings If available, enable the option resembling: Change high DPI settings Override high DPI scaling behavior. Scaling performed by: Application If available, enable Disable fullscreen optimizations Lastly, enable Run this program as an administrator (This is to ensure you have full permissions.) Apply, then click OK.

Updating

Updating You simply download the new update and extract the .zip'd files over your older Cemu version. That's all you have to do presently, to update Cemu. If you're upgrading from a version before 1.15.1 you will need to delete your graphicPacks. Then use the download button in the graphicPack window to download them fresh. You should always make sure your Cemuhook is up-to-date. https://cemuhook.sshnuke.net/

Older CEMU Versions
Archive of Cemu Releases You can copy the download link from Cemu's download page, paste into your URL bar, and edit the version number to point to the version you wish to download. Choosing of a/b/c/d+ versions not available for download while using this method.

Games, Updates, DLC, and Saves

Getting Started

Getting Started Pre-requisites: Your SD Card available on your PC. If you need to set up Homebrew on your Wii U, I suggest following parts of this: http://compat.cemu.info/wiki/Tutorial:Online_Play If you don't use CBHC (Coldboot Haxchi,) download Mocha CFW. https://github.com/dimok789/mocha/releases/ Place Mocha.elf into your SD:\wiiu\apps folder. Download Disc2App: https://github.com/koolkdev/disc2app/releases/download/v1.0/disc2app.zip Extract the Disc2App folder to your SDCard at the SD:\wiiu\apps\ folder. Download FTPiiU Everywhere: For CBHC (Coldboot Haxchi): https://github.com/FIX94/ftpiiu/releases For Mocha CFW: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/526469047890739220/542145496374837250/ftpiiu_everywhere.zip Place ftpiiu.elf into your SD:\wiiu\apps folder.

Dumping Disc Games to SD/USB & Decrypting

Dumping Disc Games (When using a USB, it must be FAT32, do not let the Wii U format it!) Pre-requisites: SD or USB freespace of 24GB. Enough storage space on your PC to hold double the game capacity. First follow the "Getting Started" area of this section, above. Remove your Game Disc from the Wii U, Disc2App will ask for it later. Insert your SDCard back into your Wii U. Open the Homebrew Channel, available from following Getting Started - through Web Exploit or other method. For CBHC (Coldboot Haxchi): Run Disc2App For Mocha CFW: Run Mocha and the Wii U will restart into CFW (it looks normal.) Open the Homebrew Channel again. Run Disc2App Select either SD or USB. It is recommended to have at least 24GB of free space. USB must be FAT32 formatted. When asked, insert the Disc for your game. The game is dumped to SD*USB:\install\[TitleID Folder] After it finishes, dump your next game or continue. Access the SD or USB from your PC, rename the [TitleID] folder of each game to the name of the game. Find the game's Title ID on: http://wiiubrew.org/wiki/Title_database Move the Game Folders to a storage folder on your PC and keep it open. The games cannot be used in their current condition, continue to the next section below: Decrypting Dumped Disc Games Decrypting Dumped Disc Games Pre-requisites: Your *:\install\[TitleID / Game] folder available on your PC. Enough storage space to hold double the game capacity. Download Cdecrypt v2.0b: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/526469047890739220/539529151095373824/Cdecrypt_v2.0b.zip Extract the 3 files to a safe location. Then copy them into each of the [Game] folders (renamed TitleID from earlier.) Within a [Game] folder, hold down Control (Ctrl) and select both title.tmb and title.tik Drag these onto CDecrypt_v2.0b.exe and the game should be decrypted into Code, Content, and Meta folders. You may now delete all files except the folders Code, Content, Meta; they should permanently reside in your [Game] folder. Move your [Game] folder to a safe location for use with CEMU. We recommend keeping a backup copy as well. Example Game Directory: C:\Users\Serfrost\Desktop\Cemu\#Games\The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild\[Code, Content, Meta] Game ripping and decryption is now complete. However, there is still Update and DLC data missing. (See below.)

Dumping eShop Games, Updates, and DLC to PC

Dumping & Installing eShop Games, Updates, and DLC to PC Pre-requisites: Wii U connected to the same network as your PC. Enough storage space on your PC to hold the game + update + DLC. First follow the "Getting Started" area of this section, above. Insert your SDCard back into your Wii U. Open the Homebrew Channel, available from following Getting Started - through Web Exploit or other method. For CBHC (Coldboot Haxchi): Run FTPiiU Everywhere For Mocha CFW: Run Mocha and the Wii U will restart into CFW (it looks normal.) Open the Homebrew Channel again. Run FTPiiU Everywhere On Windows, open a new Windows Explorer instance. In the Address Bar, type ftp://xxx.xxx.x.xx:XXXX (Your Wii U IP Address & Port on the FTPiiU Screen) and hit Enter. Navigate to storage_mlc/usr/title/* if you installed stuff to System Storage / NAND. Navigate to storage_usb/usr/title/* if you installed stuff to an External USB device. 00050000 is for installed games. 0005000E is for installed updates. 0005000C is for installed DLC. Open the folder that corresponds to what you wish to dump. Inside, locate a folder who's 8 digits match the last 8 of the game's TitleID. Find the game's Title ID on: http://wiiubrew.org/wiki/Title_database Copy this folder to a safe location, after it finishes transfering it should contain Code, Content, Meta folders. If it's a game, move your [Game] folder to a safe location for use with CEMU. If it's an Update or DLC, move it to backup storage space if possible. Rename the 8 digit folder itself to the name of your Game and append text to tell if it's the Game, Update, or DLC. To install Updates or DLC, please use CEMU's File > Install Update or DLC option and use it to open the Update or DLC's *\Meta\Meta.xml file. After the Update or DLC finishes installing, we recommend saving the originals somewhere as a backup in case you have a problem, otherwise you may delete it. Note: We recommend keeping a backup copy of finalized games, updates, and DLCs as you never know when you might get a corrupt file. Updates and DLC installed using the [File > Install Update or DLC] option are stored in the *:\_\Cemu\mlc01\usr\title\00050000\[TitleID] folder. Keep this in mind in the future.

Dumping & Importing Save Files

Dumping & Importing Save Files Prerequisties: Wii U connected to the same network as your PC. First follow the "Getting Started" area of this section, above. Insert your SDCard back into your Wii U. Open the Homebrew Channel, available from following Getting Started - through Web Exploit or other method. For CBHC (Coldboot Haxchi): Run FTPiiU Everywhere For Mocha CFW: Run Mocha and the Wii U will restart into CFW (it looks normal.) Open the Homebrew Channel again. Run FTPiiU Everywhere On Windows, open a new Windows Explorer instance. In the Address Bar, type ftp://xxx.xxx.x.xx:XXXX (Your Wii U IP Address & Port on the FTPiiU Screen) and hit Enter. Navigate to storage_mlc/usr/save/00050000/* if you installed stuff to System Storage / NAND. Navigate to storage_usb/usr/save/00050000/* if you installed stuff to an External USB device. Ensure you are copying data from the right User Account. Accounts are usually in order of creation. Inside, locate a folder who's 8 digits match the last 8 of your game's TitleID. Find the game's Title ID on: http://wiiubrew.org/wiki/Title_database Copy this folder to a safe location on your PC. On your PC, navigate to X:*\*\Cemu\mlc01\usr\save\00050000\* Copy the TitleID folder you just backed up to this 00050000 directory. Your save should now be available for use while playing CEMU. You can also get saves from local websites, i.e: Wii U Save Files Compilation: https://gbatemp.net/threads/wii-u-save-files-compilation.427761/ Loadiine Save File Sharing Thread: https://gbatemp.net/threads/loadiine-save-file-sharing-thread.414878/ If downloaded Saves do not have the TitleID folder format, you can create a folder or create a save using CEMU and then replace the save, etc. If the save seems to crash your game, it may be corrupt or did not transfer correctly. You may try again or use another FTP client.

Online Mode and Online Local Co-op

Online Play
Online Play To connect online you'll require your Wii U with Homebrew support, and a way to dump files from your Wii U NAND onto your SD Card or an FTP client. Follow this guide from Flocker Click Here

Online Local Co-op
Parsec Check out this thread and video to get started; decent internet connection recommended. [Click Here]

Motion Controls & Cemuhook

Cemuhook Download & Info

REQUIRED FOR FPS++ , STATIC FPS, TEXT, and VIDEOS Download Cemuhook by Rajkosto from: https://sshnuke.net/cemuhook/ Extract dbghelp.dll & keystone.dll from the Cemuhook ZIP into your Cemu folder, next to Cemu.exe When opening Cemu, make sure to download your Shared Fonts. Open Cemu > Download the Shared Fonts with the link that appears in the main window. These are REQUIRED for various titles to function correctly, such as Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, and Super Mario Maker; along with other titles! Cemuhook also allows the following: Extended Debug Mode with Extra Options, some required for various games. (QPC Mode) Allows you to set up a Gyro-enabled Device / Controller / Phone to use with Motion Control games. Allows in-game cutscenes to play on various titles instead of crashing or a glitchy green-screen. Lets you play games in fast-forward or slow-motion mode under Debug.

Motion Controls

Motion Controls Motion Controls with Cemuhook using DS3 / DS4 / Android Phone, by Rajkosto: Click Here Motion Controls with Wiimotes, (Cemu now natively supports Wiimotes) -- For older Cemu versions: WiimoteHook, by Epigramx Click Here Switch Pro Controller and Joycon Motion Support using BetterJoyForCemu, by Davidobot: Click Here Motion Controls with Steam Controller: Click Here Motion Controls with Windows Phones & Tablets, UWP MotionSource App: Click Here Motion Controls with iOS devices (iPhones, iPads, etc) MotionSource App: Click Here Motion Controls with iOS devices (iPhones, iPads, etc) No App Installation Requirement: Click Here

Graphic Packs

GraphicPack Menu & Download Method (Cemu 1.15.1+)
Note: If you have older packs from before using the download button, please delete them before using the button!

Download Method for Older Cemu Versions (~1.15.0)
Grab your packs from here, make sure to unzip the archive after downloading. Place them into your graphicPacks folder. COMPLETELY DELETE YOUR OLD OUTDATED PACKS FIRST GraphicPacks Download: Click Here COMPLETELY DELETE YOUR OLD OUTDATED PACKS FIRST Keep in mind the higher resolution you go, the more likely you will lose FPS.

[BotW] Graphic Packs (Recommended & Info)

[BotW] Graphic Packs Recommended for Average Users - Applicable GPU Fix Packs LWZX Crash FPS++ - Preset: 30 or 60 FPS, keep in mind 60 has bugs. No Depth of Field - Only recommended for performance stability, otherwise user preference. Clarity - Preset: User preference, use the Reload Shaders button to preview. Anti-Aliasing - Preset: "Nvidia FXAA" - if you get grayscale color, use "Enabled AA" preset. Resolution - Preset: 1080p or 1440p Shadows - Preset: Medium or High CEMU 1.14.0 and newer Graphic Packs Mods: FPS++ (Dynamic FPS by Xalphenos & Co) Averages framerate then sets the current target framerate the game's engine expects after the average is calculated. Eliminates frame spikes and drops. Fixes arrow trajectory physics, paragliding physics, and Link movement physics. It's a very smooth experience overall and is HIGHLY recommended over a Vanilla game experience. Disable FPS++ if you encounter an in-game permanent freeze - finish that instance with FPS++ disabled and then enable it again for the rest of the game's playthrough. Static FPS (Modified by Epigramx) A set of framerate limiters, made with a modified FPS++ -- omit calculations for Dynamic FPS, going below the target framerate will put the game in slow motion. Monochromia (Incompatible with Clarity) (Currently Unstable) Not recommended to be used until it has been updated to support graphicPack v3. Cheats These packs enable specific cheat codes. Day Length Allows the user to set how long the in-game 24-hour period will last, in contrast to real-life time. Divine Laser Beams Customizer Allows you to disable or change the color of the Red Beams that emit from defeated Divine Beasts. You can click "Reload Shaders" button at the bottom to see the difference in-game. Glow Lights Colors Requires manual editing of the graphic pack. Allows changing the light source color on various Sheikah objects. Pro+ HUD Removes some user interface (UI) displays and should be used in conjunction with the in-game option for "Pro Mode" that also helps disable more UI displays. Will not completely remove all elements. For COMPLETE HUD Removal, look up the Pro Hud mod on GameBanana for Wii U; you will need to make it as a graphicPack as Cemu now allows replacing game files with a graphicPack. Enhancements: No Depth of Field Removes the blur effect when you focus an enemy during battles as well as when using the camera rune; can benefit performance. Clarity Allows you to select a [Color+Tonemap+Brightness+Contrast] preset from the right-hand drop-down menu. You can click "Reload Shaders" button at the bottom to see the difference in-game. LOD Bias Changes the game's mipmap loading. Presets allow you to change for keeping higher quality models loaded at further away, or to minimize quality and slightly boost performance on strained PCs. Enhanced Reflections Increases the ability of Shrine walls & objects to reflect light or mirror objects. May cause a performance hit. Workarounds: AMD / Intel Shadow Fix A necessary fix for almost all AMD GPUs and Intel iGPUs. AMD GPUs on Linux should not require this. (See the AMD area of the Performance section of the guide, below.) Kakariko Torch Shadows Fixes the square lighting around torches in the village. LWZX Crash Not necessary if you use General Settings > Full sync at GX2DrawDone(); otherwise it will prevent certain crashes. NVIDIA Explosion Smoke Before, smoke effects would be rotated incorrectly and flat. This fixes that. Graphics: Anti-Aliasing Select an Anti-Aliasing mode which helps eliminate the stair-stepping effect in order to obtain smoother textures & models. You can click "Reload Shaders" button at the bottom to see the difference in-game. Resolution The best but heaviest form of Anti-Aliasing. Allows you to select a resolution preset on the right-hand drop-down menu. Lower = Blockier. Higher = Smoother, but harder on GPU. Shadow Resolution Allows you to select a shadow resolution preset on the right-hand drop-down menu. Lower = Blockier. Higher = Smoother, but harder on GPU.

ShaderCache

What is shaderCache?

Transferrable ShaderCache - This is the first cache made by CEMU. When created, we do not recommend deleting this cache or you will have to replay the game from the very start to obtain the information again. This cache is converted Wii U GPU Shader Code, readable by PCs; it can also be transferred across PCs as it is not affected by different drivers or hardware. It is created when you first encounter an effect, texture, or other environment factor in a game; while it is being cached, the game will freeze momentarily--this is normal and will happen only once per unique shader you encounter. Once you have a Transferrable shaderCache built, CEMU will use it when booting a game in order to create Precompiled shaderCache. You can find Transferrable shaderCaches online but they are likely semi-corrupt; we do not provide download links because this is considered an act of piracy, as they contain copyrighted Nintendo code, extracted directly from games. Precompiled ShaderCache - [Note: Nvidia GPU users should have Precompiled Shaders disabled until further notice.] During the game's first boot, introducing the first discovery of shaders for your Transferrable ShaderCache, Precompiled ShaderCache is also generated simultaneously. This cache is converted Transferrable ShaderCache that matches your GPU Driver, Hardware, and CEMU version; each time any of these three things change, the Precompiled Cache will become invalidated & unusable. CEMU will usually detect this automatically and delete it for you, but sometimes it is necessary to delete it by hand as a precaution -- if it's corrupt, sometimes errors will cause games to crash or behave strangely as well. Deleting this cache will require you to wait a longer period of time to load a game until CEMU has fully compiled the Transferrable shaderCache back into Precompiled shaderCache & GLCache. GLCache - The GLCache is essentially converted Transferrable/Precompiled ShaderCache used by the OpenGL API of your GPU. When CEMU is compiling your ShaderCache after booting a Wii U Game, you are populating the GLCache for your GPU to avoid stuttering as you attempt to play. With CEMU versions before 1.15.1, this cache gets reset on occasion -- Any games (or applications) that use OpenGL will build a cache and may cause the the size of the GLCache folder to exceed it's threshold of 256MB (Nvidia,) 64MB (AMD), causing the cleaning flag to raise & it is then wiped on the next PC Restart. GLCache will always be wiped after a GPU Driver Update. [NVIDIA Users] As of Cemu 1.15.1, GLCache for Nvidia will now be stored in the X:_/_/Cemu/shaderCache/driver/nvidia/ directory; in addition, the GLCache will now be preserved during system reboots and will allow Cemu to continue writing data to it after it reaches 256MB. You should clean the GLCache after each GPU Driver Update you install. Nvidia's drivers do not like Precompiled Cache, therefore games within CEMU will always stutter when using [only] Precompiled ShaderCache--this is because Precompiled ShaderCache on Nvidia does not populate the GLCache as planned; that said, Precompiled Shaders should be disabled. Users on pre-1.15.1 versions of CEMU can try to mitigate the effect this has on their gameplay by deleting [AND] disabling their Precompiled ShaderCache and clearing their GLCache in order to repopulate the GLCache entirely. [AMD Users] On CEMU versions 1.12.1 and after, there was a bug where Precompiled Shaders could not be used, this has been fixed as of 1.14.0 Precompiled ShaderCache is good for AMD Systems, as GLCache is limited to 64MB. Precompiled ShaderCache does not work on Nvidia Systems and should be disabled within Cemu's options. Windows Users can find the GLCache on pre-1.15.1 Cemu builds with ... Run /or/ Search > %localappdata% > Nvidia /or/ AMD > GLCache Linux Users can find the GLCache on pre-1.15.1 Cemu builds at ... ~/.nv /or/ ~/.amd /GLCache/* (must be viewing hidden files) Download links are prohibited. Note: Older Transferable ShaderCaches from pre-1.8.0 will not work with newer CEMU versions.

[BotW] 11,000 Cache vs 9,600 Cache?

Game Update from 1.3.1 to 1.4.0 invalidated caches. Transferrable Cache that was made collectively with both -/1.3.1 and 1.4.0/+, together, will contain duplicates that will not be detected by CEMU as pointless, effectively bloating your RAM. Non-bloated cache for Breath of the Wild should be roughly 9600 shaders. Caches far exceeding this upper limit are known to be from older versions of the game. All other known games should be fine and should not experience this problem.

Performance

Windows PC Optimizations

Windows PC Optimizations Windows 10 Users: Open Msconfig ( Win Key + R > Type " msconfig.exe " > Press Enter > Navigate to " Services " ) Disable the Following: Xbox Accessory Management Service Xbox Live Auth Manager Xbox Live Game Save Xbox Live Networking Service Apply changes & restart your PC. These services are unnecessary for Cemu and you can see a rough 1~5 FPS increase. For games you want to use them with, make sure to enable the services again. Additionally, make sure all background programs that are running are closed before running CEMU. Simply having Discord, Firefox, or Google Chrome open can decrease your performance. I recommend the following: Process Explorer: Click Here (A more powerful Task Manager) Disable OSD Monitoring Programs (On-Screen Displays): Using OSDs may cause FPS drops while using CEMU. Make sure they're disabled for the duration of play. (This includes Nvidia's overlays, Win10 Xbox Game Bar, Steam Overlay, and other types of rendering software.) Playing BotW on Nvidia? Only have 8GB of RAM? Try this: Within CEMU, right-click your game and go to its GameProfile Under [Graphics], edit the Line: accurateShaderMul = true changing "true" to "min" Note: This may disable some textures, however it can save quite a bit of RAM. ( i.e. Going from 12GB free required to 8GB free required. ) This will help you avoid stuttering when you run out of available RAM, But if you do run out of available RAM, stuttering will be unavoidable. Precompiled Shaders should be disabled on Nvidia Systems. Ensure that you have done this. Afterwards, delete the Precompiled Cache to restore some harddrive space as they are unneeded for Nvidia systems.

Laptops with Dual Graphics

Laptops with Dual Graphic Cards Ensure your laptop is using your desired GPU for Cemu, otherwise you will likely be using Intel Integrated Graphics (iGPU) Nvidia Users: Open Nvidia Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings > Set the preferred GPU for CEMU.exe AMD Users: If you know how to change this setting for AMD users, please shoot me a message on Discord so I can add it here. Serfrost#7643

AMD Users + Linux (+20~50% Performance)

AMD Users + Linux (Better Performance) AMD's lack of performance is due to their deprecated Windows OpenGL support since moving their attention to the Vulkan API. Had AMD added additional compatibility extensions it would not have the problems it does, and to be fair, it's mainly Breath of the Wild that is affected. Will AMD ever improve their OpenGL driver support?--We don't know. Probably not. In the meantime, Linux users can use MESA drivers for AMD which aren't applicable to Windows systems, seeing anywhere between a 20~50% performance increase in contrast. Courtesy of Discord user Johngalt#5368 - https://github.com/CEMULinux/cemutil It's pretty much streamline from there. Linux: Currently, Cemu 1.14.0 breaks compatibility with New Super Mario Bros. U on AMD Vega 8 GPUs Further support for Linux related questions can all be discussed within our Official Discord in the #Linux channel.

Laptops - Disable CPU Parking (Extra Performance)

Laptops - Disable CPU Parking It's highly recommended you research this topic before deciding to attempt it. If you fry your hardware, I take no responsibility. By default, core parking basically makes your processors go into a sleep state known as (C6) and is supported by most new processors. This allows your computer to save power. There is a trade off for disabling parking. If you use a laptop or tablet, you may notice a slight difference in battery life once you disable core parking on your CPUs. If you disable core parking on your CPUs, your computer may have faster benchmarks. (Reported higher frame rates by gamers and power users). How can this speed up my computer? Imagine that you have four engines and every time you stop and start you also turn some of the engines on and off. With all of your CPUs ‘on’, your engines are always ready to go. Does this work on all processors? No. Has there been reported improvements? Yes. ParkControl Download ParkControl Activator (Crack)

Laptops - Disable BD PROCHOT (Extra Performance)

Laptops - Disable BD PROCHOT It's highly recommended you research this topic before deciding to attempt it. If you fry your hardware, I take no responsibility. An informative Reddit post can be found here: Link BD PROCHOT - Stands for Bi-directional Processor Hot. PROCHOT is an emergency throttling system that is used when a CPU hits its maximum temperature (100 or 105C). BD PROCHOT is a system some laptops use where the CPU will be throttled when another component, such as a GPU, reaches a set temperature—even if the CPU is not hot to the point of throttling. Some laptops trigger thermal throttling as low as 60~70c, well below the maximum safe temperature. You can look into ThrottleStop and their documentation, then see if this is what's causing your CPU Core Performance to always drop below Turbo Speeds. ThrottleStop Guide

Extra

Vulkan Support?
Vulkan Support? Cemu's Vulkan support is estimated to begin between Q1 to Q3 of 2019 Further information regarding Vulkan can be found by searching Cemu's Discord: Search from: Exzap#0700 has: vulkan

Gamecube Controller Support?
Gamecube Controller Support? The Mayflash Adapter is natively supported; and though not natively supported, the Official Adapter can be used via: Here Exzap and Petergov plan to add native support for the Official Wii U Gamecube Adapter at some point.

Graphic Bugs & Glitches

Graphic Bugs & Glitches First of all, if you're experiencing any weird anomalies with graphics, check out Darkemaster's GPU Compatibility List. BotW: If you encounter any freezes during cutscenes or issues while facing Bosses, make sure to turn any FPS modifications off. Finish that section, save, then turn it back on. Other Graphic Problems: If you encounter any strange artifacts or issues that don't disappear with a restart of Cemu, you can try deleting your Precompiled cache and rebuilding it. If it's still in error, it may be your Transferable shaderCache; rename it temporarily for the specific game and then delete the Precompiled shaderCache once more. If still persistent, that's when you would want to try getting assistance on our Discord or trying seeing if your GPU Driver is either outdated or corrupt by following the [ GPU Drivers - Updates, Downgrades, and Corruption ] section below.

GPU Drivers - Updates, Downgrades, and Corruption

GPU Driver Updates & Downgrades, Corruption? AMD Users: Each time after updating or downgrading your GPU Driver, you will need to delete your Precompiled shaderCache. Always make sure to be using the newest, or otherwise, most stable GPU Driver to date. If you have some issues, make sure it isn't your driver. If you think your driver is corrupted or your driver isn't behaving as expected, you can use DDU to uninstall your drivers in Safe Mode. Restart your computer. Reinstall your driver of choice afterwards. (DDU) Display Driver Uninstaller Download Note: If reinstalling your driver does not fix the issue, make sure to view the other bugs mentioned below. Ask on the Cemu Discord if any other users are having problems after changing GPU Drivers.

Accurate Emulation with Full Sync @ GX2DrawDone()

Accurate Emulation with Full Sync @ GX2DrawDone() Located at: Options > General Settings This option is recommended to help avoid potential CPU<->GPU desync issues and accurately emulate the CPU<->GPU sync behavior that most games expect. Keep in mind that the higher the resolution you use in-game, the more of a performance hit you will take. [BotW] Issues it fixes include but are not limited to: Stuttery NPCs at a distance, including enemies and wildlife. The Camera Rune being unable to detect objects for photos. Possible rune-related crashes. Fixes Rain / Wet Surface Detection Constant Blood Moons at the wrong periods of time. (aka Blood Moon spam)

Bugs and glitches should be reported on our Discord!

Information & Discord Server
For quick and reliable support, feel welcome to come by the Discord. https://discord.gg/5psYsup The Discord is more than just for troubleshooting. Our main community discussion hub and development are all focused there. MAKE SURE TO READ THE #RULES Message me on Discord if you have any questions regarding the Guide. Thank you.

Donate?

Written & Managed by Serfrost - Special Thanks to Darkemaster and the CEMU Community I keep this guide updated for you guys! If you appreciate it, please consider tipping me - it would mean a lot to me! === PayPal Donation Page ===

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