The Tutorial

Hello and welcome to the zbattle.net tutorial, a special walkthrough guide to the wonders of ZSNES online gaming. This is a very elite art, and very few are accustomed to the complicated commands of setting up and playing online emulators. For this reason I have decided to compile this instructional text for those who want to play with their friends but don't have the time to get over to their house. In the following you will find how to set up folders, how to find your ROMS and how to get playing online.

Contents
I. Getting your ZSNES
II. Configuration of the ZSNES
III. Setting up Folders and getting ROMs
IV. Playing ROMs on the ZSNES
V. Setting up zbattle.net
VI. Playing Online
VII. Tips and Tricks
VIII. Troubleshooting
IX. Credits

I. Getting your ZSNES

Okay, to go about getting your ZSNES, head on over to the ZSNES Homepage

II. Configuration of the ZSNES

Alright, this is where the fun begins. Open up the ZSNES and click on the category Config. Under it you should find a link titled "Input #1" Click on this input. This is where you will configure your keyboard or the buttons of a super nintendo controller/Joystick. There are many choices and I will list some of my favorites below. Click on Set Keys and a box should pop up asking you to press a button for Up, Down, Left, Right, Start, Select, and then the buttons on a super nintendo controller. Below are a few of my favorite choices in order of how to set the basic keys.

  1. Numpad 8, Numpad 2, Numpad 4, Numpad 6, Return, Right Shift, A, S, D, F, C, Spacebar. - This is a good setup for any kind of RPG because it allows you to easily and readily access all of the keys and yet move your character with little confusion. To complete this Configuration, you will notice a box in the lower right hand corner of the Input Device box titled Diagonals. To change these, click on the green dashes inside the small boxes. Next to DL Input Numpad 1. Next to UL input Numpad 7. Next to DR input Numpad 3, and next to UR input numpad 9.
  2. Arrow Key up, Arrow Key down, Arrow Key Left, Arrow Key Right, Return, Right Shift, F, G, H, J, T, Y.-This is my favorite for fighting games, because it is tighter and It makes it easier to do moves on the arrow keys than on the numpad. It also allows you to get closer to the screen for a more immersive experience, I would also recommend this for FPS gaming.

These are my favorites, but you can always make your own, which is the point of ZSNES, customizing your experience.

III. Setting up Folders and Getting ROMs

Now before you go all willy nilly with excitement over the massive amount of games you are now able to play on your emulator, you must create a few folders, so you can easily access them when you are ready to play on the ZSNES or on zbattle.net. I am assuming that you save things into My Documents, so that's how this is going to work. Open your My Documents folder, and create a folder titled Emulation. Inside, create three folders: Zips, Online Gaming, and Emulators. This will allow you to separate Zip files from individual games. Remember, this is only an example.

Now, find your ZSNES program and transfer it to the Emulators folder that you just created. Now you are ready to get some ROMs. Go to your website, and when it asks you to download the ROM, save it into the Zips folder.

After it is finished Downloading, go into your Zips folder and right click on the Zip Folder. Choose to extract all files. Now, open the new folder you have extracted, and find your game. It will have .smc after it. For example, if you had Mega Man 7, it would say something like: Mega Man 7.smc.

Move ONLY THE INDIVIDUAL GAME to the Online Gaming Folder. You will have to have all your individual files on hand in that folder so you can play them in zbattle.net.

Do this to all of your ROMs that you download if you plan on playing them online, otherwise, don't mess with them after you download them and just leave them as a Zip Folder.

IV. Playing ROMs on the ZSNES

Alright, now you have ROMs, so now its time to try out the ZSNES. Open the ZSNES, and under Game, click on the Load button. This will bring up a screen titled Load Game. Now, find a way into the Zips folder. If you go into a wrong place, click on the two period icon in the Directory section to take you back one screen. Once you find this folder, all your games will appear in the Filename Category, and all you have to do to play one is select it and click the Load button. The next time you load the ZSNES, you won't have to find the Zips, they will already be loaded for you under the arrow (Quick Launch) button

V. Setting up zbattle.net

Okay, now that you have the gist of ZSNES, its time to go online. I assume you have gone to www.zbattle.net and downloaded the program, but for those of you that haven't, its very easy. Click download on the site, then, depending on your operating system, download one of the programs. You don't need the Winsock program if you're running windows, mine works well without it.

Now, when you get all of that downloaded, find the zbattle.net program and open it. You'll have to make sure your ZSNES is closed, or you won't be able to play. When you open zbattle, under file, click options.

You can use anything for your player name as long as it is ten letters or under.

Now, for the box immediately below your player name that says "Connect on Startup". This governs whether or not the zbattle program will connect to the internet when you start the program. I prefer to leave mine off in case I need to change my player name or some of the other options, as if you wanted to change those you would have to disconnect from zbattle.net.

Now, underneath that box is an option that says- Path to ZSNES program, and next to the text box underneath it is an icon. Click on the browse (...) button and find your Emulators folder and select the ZSNES and select and open it.

Next, underneath that is a similar box. Click on the browse button and find your Online Gaming folder. As for the other options, they govern your hosted games. The top option, Play sound when a player joins, basically means that the zbattle program will play a sound for you to alert the arrival of a player to your created game. There are no sounds installed with the zbattle program, so you'll have to find sounds elsewhere on your computer if you want to activate this option. The one below it, Play sound when a player types, alerts you when a message is sent in your hosted room. Again, you must find a sound if you wish to activate this option. If you do not wish to use sounds after you selected them, there are checkboxes before each option.

Now you're done setting up, click OK.

VI. Playing Online

Next, establish an internet connection if you have not done so already. Under File select Connect. This will connect you to the zbattle.net server, your portal to online gaming. There is one more thing you must do to confirm a connection between yourself and the person you are planning on playing with. Open the ZSNES and under Misc. select About. On the top portion of this screen there will be something that says ZSNES V.---- and there will be a number. Remember the number, it is your ZSNES version. Most people online will play with 1.36, its the older version and also common among recent members as well. Also, another popular version is the latest one, version 1.42. Now, close the ZSNES and go back to zbattle.net. If you are wondering how to attain version 1.42, all you have to do is go to http://www.zsnes.com and download it.

You now have two options, you can join an existing game or you can create on of your own. To join a game, select a game that is not full and double click on it. This will open up a screen with a few options in it, Download, Send, and Cancel. Download is used when you join a game using a ROM that you don't have downloaded. All you have to do is click download and you will eventually recieve the ROM and be able to play. Send is used to send a message you have typed, alternately you could simply hit the return key after entering your message. Cancel is used to exit the game you have joined. The host, or the person that started the game, will start it when you are prepared.

The other option is to create your own game. On the zbattle.net screen, under Game, click Create and a new screen similar to the Join screen will appear, with a few different options. The Send and Cancel buttons are the same, but there are other options present as well. The Select button allows you to select ROMs out of your online gaming folder with which to play. The Start folder allows you to start the game with the current ROM. You must select a rom before starting the game. If the Start button is grey, it either means the other player has selected the wrong folder, or the other player does not have the selected ROM. If they do not have the ROM, be patient and friendly and allow them to download it from you. The Kick button allows you to force a player to leave your room. This is useful when you have created a Reserved room and someone else enters, so that you can then boot them.

When both players are ready and have access to the ROM,the host will click start and ZSNES will begin playing the game.

VII. Tips and Tricks

Okay, here's my tips and tricks section. I would definitely recommend reading this before playing online, as it will help you greatly when making contact with others.

  1. When playing ZSNES online with another person, you have the ability to type. To type, press the "t" key and begin typing. If you have difficulty using this key, you can configure it, among others, in Game Keys, under Misc.
  2. If you have to do something and want to pause the game, you can either pause it using the start key or you can press the ESC key to bring up a chat screen and a few options.
  3. If your game is lagging a large amount, press ESC and move the Latency amount up or down with the Plus or Minus signs. If adding more doesn't work, take some away. If it's too high, ZSNES might freeze
  4. If someone you know wants to play you online, reserve a game for them by naming it "Reserved - *" (* for user you wish to reserve the room for)
  5. Remember your Version, and always ask the other player if they have the same version. If they don't, you cannot play with them online, but most of the time if they have a different version they will have your version too.

VIII. Troubleshooting

I created this section in case you are having problems using zbattle.

1. "You cannot log in twice with the same ip!"

This usually happens after you got disconnect from the internet while zbattle was in operation. Wait 15 minutes for your "ghost" to be purged, or pick a different, but similer username.

2. "You've been banned!"

This dreaded message comes up when you break a rule, or just anger one of the admins. Bans usually least less then a day. If you've been banned for no reason, somebody might of been using a range of IPs, and you might of been in that range. Go to Bamperstand, a spot on the zbattle forums and make your case in there.

3. Your ROM directory constantly resets itself,

zbattle has a tendency of doing that. Put your ZSNES configuration file (zsnes.cfg) under Read-Only. (Right click on folder, choose Properties and selsct the Read-Only checkbox.) You should only do this after you choose your ROM path

4. My ROMs keep vanishing before my eyes!

Simple to fix, just put your ROM directory in Read-Only mode. The reason this happens is because you cancelled a ROM download within zbattle, instead of the person receiving it.

5. I cannot connect to zbattle!

This is obviously a server problem. Go to your zbattle.ini file (should be where the zbattle.net program files are located) and change your server line to these two alternatives:

www.zbattle.net
www.newcon.org

That should allow zbattle to work. Example

6. I cannot connect with my opponent.

Try having both players disable their firewall. If you're too scared to do that, then open ports UDP 7845 and TCP 4000. Same should go for your router as well. If your router is wireless, you should hook it up to your computer if there's no means of the configuration files being updated via Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi). Using Windows XP? Follow these steps (credit to JareX)

In On Windows XP click Start, and then click My Network Places.
Go to Network Tasks, click View Network Connections. (Alternatively, you can right-click My Network Places and click Properties.)
Right-click the connection you use for the Internet and choose Properties
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings. If the Settings button is unavailable, ICF is not enabled on this connection and you do not need to open any ports (they are all already open).
Click Add to open a new port.
Type a name in the Description box, for example, "zbattle UDP port"
Type 127.0.0.1 in the Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network box.
Type 7845 in the External port and Internal port boxes.
Choose UDP, and then click OK.
Reconnect to internet

Still got problems? Either go to the zbattle forums, or contact one of the people who worked on this guide. My name in YIM and MSN is Zbattle_Helper1 and my name in AOL is ZbattleHelper1. The brainchild of this guide has an address too. It's archer_elemental on YIM and ArcherElemental on AIM. We'll either help you, or refer you to one of my zbattle friends (if they're online that is).

IX. Credits

Credit for this documentation goes to Jason W. (archer_elemental, ArcherElemental)
Credit for Proofreading and Troubleshooting goes to Brandon B. (Zbattle_Helper1, ZbattleHelper1)