(Outdated - Check Desc) How to Emulate (almost) Every Ace Combat: Part 2 The PlayStation 2 Trilogy
1,504!!!ATTENTION!!!
This guide is now obsolete and replaced by my new guide. Don't use this guide or I will hurt your toenail.
Updated Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PKzXTElL_UoSS-nZk7G0eyNhSOOSNDuiqdSb1aMNx0Q/edit?usp=sharing
!!!ATTENTION!!!
!!! Please take note of the System Requirements for PCSX2 before you continue (Especially your CPU's Single Thread Rating on PassMark) !!!
PCSX2 System Requirements: https://pcsx2.net/getting-started.html
Welcome to my full emulation guide for the PlayStation 2 Ace Combat games (V1.2), covering Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, as well as Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. My goal is to have all the information you need to emulate almost any Ace Combat game located in one playlist. I also want to highlight any new advancements in emulation as many of the older guides are either outdated or are not as in depth, and new discoveries in emulation have made some of the games much more playable in the last couple of years.
Some of the newer advancements with emulating the PS2 Ace Combats include:
- A black plane workaround for AC04 allows the airplane texture to be properly displayed on newer versions of PCSX2, meaning hanger textures work as well. Also AC04's Sun is also now fixed thanks to a newer version of its No Interlacing code.
- AC5's Cutscenes also run its original 60 FPS thanks to an updated No Interlacing code.
My Ace Combat Emulation Guide Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtMZYKa56Fbz_WY0gBQodgqDI_e30L6ZX
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Start
0:48 - Guide Intro
2:43 - Section 1: Emulator Setup
4:14 - Section 1: BIOS Files
4:36 - Section 1: Download PCSX2
5:10 - Section 1: Download Spectabis
5:25 - Section 1: PCSX2 Initial Setup
12:35 - Section 1: No-Interlacing Codes + Widescreen Patches
15:19 - Section 1: Setting Up Spectabis
17:07 - Section 2: Getting The Games
18:43 - Section 2: Getting The Games Method 1
19:37 - Section 2: Getting The Games Method 2
21:06 - Section 3: Setting Up The Games
21:11 - Section 3: Ace Combat 04 Black Plane Fix (With Python)
23:47 - Section 3: General Settings Walkthrough (and getting the games into Spectabis)
31:28 - Section 3: Adjust Volume
31:50 - Section 3: Making Sure Settings Are Saved Properly
33:14 - Section 3: AC04 Recommended Video Settings
33:24 - Section 3: AC5 Recommended Video Settings
33:34 - Section 3: AC Zero Recommended Video Settings
33:44 - Section 3: Reminder of No-Interlacing Codes
34:14 - Section 3: Reminder to Enable Widescreen In Game
34:30 - Section 3: Unresolved Emulation Issues
35:34 - Section 3: Setting Up RivaTuner To Reduce Micro Stutter (Optional)
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Here are all the links mentioned in the video:
Download Emulator (PCSX2 1.6.0): https://pcsx2.net/download/releases/windows/category/40-windows.html
!!! Note that PCSX2 1.7 does reintroduce some issues that have already been fixed. It is recommended to stick to PCSX2 1.6 or the older 1.5 dev builds when emulating Ace Combat games !!!
Download Spectabis (PCSX2 Frontend): https://github.com/valters-tomsons/Spectabis/releases
No-Interlacing Codes :
Ace Combat 04 (Includes Sun Fix): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J-g0B_V7s8SlchVH8--h6gfT5CWV0T9Y/view
Ace Combat 5: https://forums.pcsx2.net/attachment.php?aid=68249
Ace Combat Zero: https://forums.pcsx2.net/attachment.php?aid=67762
Ace Combat Widescreen Patches (From TugaAvenger's Emulation Guide Video): https://www.dropbox.com/s/yxpupovs01agzo7/No%20Widescreen%20Cockpit%20Codes.zip?dl=0
Black Plane Fix for AC04 by death_the_d0g(Deprecated but still works as shown in guide): https://www.moddb.com/games/ace-combat-04/downloads/ace-combat-04-shattered-skies-black-plane-issue-workaround
Latest version of Python needed to run the Black Plane Fix: https://www.python.org/downloads/
Download RivaTuner to help reduce Micro Stutters (Turning on Vertical Sync to standard in PCSX2 may also help): https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/rtss-rivatuner-statistics-server-download.html
Winrar Download: https://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
7ZIP Download: https://www.7-zip.org/download.html
How to Rip PS1 games to PC (By Tech James, Works for PS2 games as well): https://youtu.be/uaQDovo2qb8
IMGBurn Download: https://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download
Check out r/Roms on reddit, the Megathread especially, for how to find game Roms safely.
"NOT RECOMMENDED" because piracy is bad, but I'm not your mom so I can't stop you: https://www.reddit.com/r/Roms/
References and other stuff in the Pinned Comment
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