Thanks for the reply! The last thing I wanna know is if consoles like the OG Snes or the Super NT make a huge difference when it comes to input delay. I've been wanting to get further into SMW and SMW hack runs but without run ahead the delay feels very unpleasant to me :/ But getting a Super NT here is almost impossible and also super expensive, same goes for a 60Hz SNES and any cartridge that can run hacks.

I am fine with that! As long as it is as accurate and close to original hardware as possible I am fine, though have I experienced varying results with every single emulator so far.. it is weird for sure and my PC is more than capable of running all of them.. might pick up a Super NT one day, but so far it is too expensive for me :/

Looked into a few threads but couldn't find a definitive answer yet... does anyone know what is allowed?

I've seen YouTube videos of emulator setups and people even using run ahead of 2 frames, which is banned for some games, but is nowhere talked about on the SMW threads, which also seem pretty much inactive. The run ahead settings feels amazing to me, like the game feels how it should be but since this setting is so questionable all I am left with is being super confused.

I really don't want to spend a ton of money on a Super NT yet and I also have no idea if that thing even makes such a huge difference. It would be awesome if someone who knows a lot about the rules related to speedrunning smw hacks about what "the most optimal" setup would be could reply or point me into the right direction. So far I am getting huge vibes of being at a disadvantage, just because I don't have the proper console :/

Thanks in advance!

Is retroarch allowed if I use a Snes9x core? And if yes, which one?

Btw I am also interested about run-ahead mode because it just feels so nice.

Trying to read my way through everything rn.. or more trying to find the correct threads.. the general SMW ROM hack forum has no set rules but on some hacks I found similiar questions (with no definitive answers).. Retroarch with the Snes9x core seems fine though, if I find more replies that this particular emulator can be used then I will stick to that one since I've heard that it offers the least delay while still having the actual console delay implemented, as it should be!

Thanks! Though the issue is that I don't even know what I wanna run yet.. I am more looking for a "generally" accepted setup that most SMW hack creators allow, if something like that exists :D

Hey people,

I am new and I am guessing this got asked a thousand times already, but I am a little bit lost on what would be allowed when it comes to emulation. Specifically for SMW hacks.

I do own a PAL SNES but I am pretty sure that thing is unusable for anything SMW because it runs at 50Hz? (and I also don't own a FX Pack or similiar) and getting a Super NT in Europe is almost impossible and also super expensive and that's the main reason I want to use emulation.

So my question is: which emulator offers the best image quality, least input delay and is also accurate enough to be comparable to actual hardware?

So far I've tried Snes9x, which just looks like a blurry mess to me, bsnes (which was super nice, but I am pretty sure things like run ahead are not allowed and that was basically the one option that gave me a similiar feeling to using my actual snes) and I've also heard that some people use retroarch but reddit and other forums didn't really give me clear answers as to if that's a legal emulator.

I've also checked the FAQ on here but it didn't really help me find the "optimal" setup.

In short I just wanna know which Emulator is generally accepted or tolerated, specifically in the SMW hacking and speedrunning community. What settings can I use to make it feel as close to original hardware as possible, with the least amount of input delay, while still using settings that are allowed?

I am a newbie to all of this and I only finished 2 hacks so far, but I wanna set it up it right in case I ever wanna get "serious" about speedrunning something!

Thanks in advance for any help! :)