Dolphin Setup
Installation
For online play with both Sonic Riders DX and Sonic Riders Regravitified, you need Dolphin Emulator. We at Extreme Gear Labs have developed a custom build that provides optimizations for both of the riders games. This build is required for all of our tournaments, but is recommended to all players because of the performance improvements, and the fact that everyone in a lobby needs to be on the same version of Dolphin for netplay to work.
Get started by clicking the link below, it will take you to the Github page for the build.
Once you're there, check the "Releases" section, and click the latest version.
As of the time of writing the latest version is "ExGL Riders V1.0.5 Stable Release"
Please read the full excerpt as it explains everything you need to know about various versions available for download. In short, it explains that V1.0.1 is compatible with V1.0, and some builds come with the texture pack preinstalled.
Choose between the 4 versions.
if you are a Windows user and only want ExGL Dolphin, choose the 3rd option "ExGL-Dolphin-V1.0.5-Base_Windows.7z"
if you are a Windows user and would like the Sonic Riders DX HD texture pack preinstalled, download one of the first 2 options
if you are a Linux user, chose the 4th option
Clicking any of the links will prompt a download, save to wherever you'll be able to find it
You'll need an extraction software such as WinZip or Bandizip to extract the file.
Once the software is installed, simply right click the file, and click "Extract Here".
Open "ExGL Dolphin V1.0.exe" to launch the program. ExGL Dolphin is a "portable build". This means that all of its files are found within the folder you just extracted.
Once open, it should look just like this, but before you can play any games, you need to set a games folder, double click anywhere in the bottom section of the window to do this. We recommend creating a new folder called "Games" within the main Dolphin folder, although you can set any folder.
Any .ISO and/or .WBFS files you place in the folder will appear, as shown.
Controller Setup
Click the "Controller" button at the top of the window. A new window will popup.
For both Sonic Riders DX and Sonic Riders Regravitified, you need to configure as a GameCube controller. Don't worry! You can still use any controller you want, this just means that Dolphin will simulate your inputs as if they came from a GameCube controller.
If you are using an actual GameCube controller via an official Nintendo or Mayflash adapter, choose "GameCube Adapter for Wii U" in the dropdown, no setup required!
Otherwise, choose "Standard Controller", then click "Configure", a new window will open.
Profiles
In the top right corner of the screen, you will find that we have included several profiles for various controllers, and keyboard. Check the "Controller Profile Layouts" folder, it includes images that show the mappings of each profile. If you like any of them, select it in the dropdown, and click "load".
Button Mapping
In the top left corner of the screen, choose your controller from the dropdown. If it doesn't appear, try clicking the refresh button, or restarting Dolphin.
To map buttons, click the indicators as shown, then press the button on the controller you'd like to be mapped to that position.
For controllers with an analog stick click the "Calibrate" button, and rotate the stick along the gates in both directions. This allows Dolphin to compensate for any manufacturing issues and give a full range of motion. Repeat this process for the C-stick.
For controllers with digital buttons, simply map the directions as you would a button.
*Note: It is recommended you set the "Dead Zone" to any value above 0. Not doing so may result in dropped inputs, or the wrong direction coming out.
Graphics Settings
ExGL Dolphin comes preset with the optimal settings for performance in the Sonic Riders Series, however, there are a few settings you can change to improve visual fidelity.
First off, make sure that the "Adapter" is set to your dedicated graphics card (GPU) if you have one.
The "Backend" is the rendering engine, we recommend you use "Direct3D 11" or "Vulkan", depending on your machine.
Change the "Aspect Ratio" to 16:9 if you'd like to play in widescreen
Increase the "Internal Resolution" to your liking. Keep in mind that even with the "Sonic Riders DX HD Texture Pack" you will NOT see noticeable differences past "4x Native (2560x2112) for 1440P".
Anti Aliasing reduces jagged edges, but is known to cause minor graphical errors in Sonic Riders.
Anisotropic Filtering noticeably reduces performance for no visual change in Sonic Riders.
Enable the "Widescreen Hack" if you play in 16:9 aspect ratio. This eliminates stretching for 3D objects in the game, although some objects will disappear when they are on the left and right edges of the screen due to culling.