How to Play Four Swords Adventures ONLINE on Dolphin - 2023 Tutorial (works in 2026)
0:00 Intro
0:21 Downloads
1:01 First Time Setup
5:08 How to go Online
7:52 Host Settings
FAQ in the pinned comment!
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Downloads
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Dolphin 5.0-14690 (newer versions also work) https://dolphin-emu.org/download/dev/...
gba.bin (gba BIOS) http://www.mediafire.com/file/1u8gpnr...
Four Swords is not available for download. You must provide your own copy of the game.
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Other Resources
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mGBA - https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2021/07/...
Dolphin Emu's Tutorial - • mGBA Integration Demonstration - Take GBA/...
Dolphin Netplay Wiki - https://dolphin-emu.org/docs/guides/n...
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My GCN controller settings for D-Pad and Joystick using MAYFLASH Controller Adapter
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(`Axis Y-`&greater_than_sign&0.5)|`Button 12` for "Up"
(`Axis Y+`&greater_than_sign&0.5)|`Button 14` for "Down"
(`Axis X-`&greater_than_sign&0.5)|`Button 15` for "Left"
(`Axis X+`&greater_than_sign&0.5)|`Button 13` for "Right"
Change "0.5" to whatever you want your dead zone to be.
"1.0" means 100% dead zone- you would have to push your stick more than 100% of its range to move in that direction. The closer to "1.0", the more you have to move the stick to move in-game.
"0.0" means 0% dead zone- if the stick is not perfectly centered your character will move in a seemingly random direction. The closer to "0.0", the less you have to move the stick to move in-game.
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Written Directions
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Download Dolphin 5.0-14960 or newer. Everyone must use the same version of Dolphin to use Netplay.
Download the GBA BIOS.
Dump Four Swords Adventures onto an SD card using a modded Wii or GameCube and move that file to your PC.
Launch Dolphin Emu.
Go to Config, Paths
Click "Add..." and create a ROMs Directory.
Go to the "GameCube" tab, ensure that "Slot A" is a "Memory Card" and remove anything in "Slot B" and "SP1" if they're occupied.
For "BIOS", Copy and Paste the directory to the "gba.bin" or "gba.bios" file, or use the "..." to locate it.
Go to the "General" tab.
Make sure "Enable Dual Core" is unchecked. (Alternatively, you can also right click on "Four Swords Adventures" in your ROM list in Dolphin, go to "Properties" and disable Dual Core there if you wish to keep your other games at Dual Core.)
Make sure "Enable Cheats" is disabled unless you all want access to AR/Gecko codes.
Make sure "Speed Limit" is "100%".
Go to the "Interface" tab.
Make sure "Pause on Focus Loss" is disabled.
Exit *Config*.
Go to *Controllers*.
At the bottom, enable "Background Input".
Go to Port 1 and select "GBA (Integrated)" as the controller type.
Click "Configure", select which device you want to use as the controller, and map your controls however you wish. (It is recommended to save these controls to a profile)
Go to *Tools, Start NetPlay...*, select "Traversal Server" from the drop down, and create a nickname/ username. This is not permanent and not visible in-game.
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Host's Instructions
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Go to the "Host" tab and select "Four Swords Adventures" from the list.
Decide whether you want to publicly host and toggle "Show in server browser" depending on your choice.
Click "Host" in the bottom right.
Go to the "Data" tab and make sure "Load and Write Host's Save Data" is selected, as well as "Strict Settings Sync". Sync AR/Gecko Codes if you wish to cheat.
Click "Network" and ensure that "Fair Input Delay" is selected.
Click "Other" and decide if "Hide Remote GBAs" is better disabled or enabled. This decides whether everybody can see ALL GBA screens or only their own.
Once everyone has connected to you, click "Assign Controller Ports" and assign the proper nicknames to the appropriate GC Ports. Enable "GBA Port" for every player. Ignore Wii Remotes.
Decide how much "Buffer" you need. This is a bit finicky, but is typically the sum of everyone's ping, divided by 15. An example is Player 1 with 0ms ping, P2 with 33ms, P3 with 36ms, and P4 with 82ms. The sum of the ping is 0 + 33 + 36 + 82, or 151. Divide 151/15, and you get 10 as your estimated buffer.
Again, this is quite finicky. If you are all experiencing stutter, uncomfortable audio, or lots of frame lag, try increasing the buffer by a couple points until it goes away.
Finally, click "Start". Enjoy!
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Non-host Players Instructions
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Go to the "Connect" tab and make sure you have Traversal Server selected at the top of your screen and a unique nickname. Wait for your Host to boot up the server and then join using the Host Code that's on your Host's screen. Click the "Dolphin Netplay Wiki" under "Other Resources" in the description if you have trouble connecting.
Wait for your Host to start the game. Enjoy!