[Bug]: Not remembering controls when you set them and not seeing custom.ini per-game files Skyward Sword fix but needs work.

[Redbeiron]

Platform

Windows

Renderer

D3D11

Game exhibiting the issue

Skyward Sword and most games with Swing or want to use Custom .ini file per-game.

Describe the issue

The game i am using for Example is Skyward Sword, you guys forgot to add Swing and Swing/Angle to your ini so for anyone like me can get it to work you have to make the changed via edit the WiimoteNew.ini and then make it Read-only.

For those wonder what mean this is what is missing and what is needed to swing the sword

Swing/Up = !R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:Y1-
Swing/Down = !R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:Y1+
Swing/Left = !R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:X1-
Swing/Right = !R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:X1+
Swing/Angle = 75.0

I Tried doing the ! so it can be more percise when flying the beetle or shooting arrows etc.

SO the core does not see custom ini either, does not matter where the file is put example " SOUE01.ini" for per-game custom use.

and when you change your controls and then leave the game it reverts everything back to like it was never altered so this is why you have to do Read-only so the new core broke the remember changes but never added the Swing feature for games like Galaxy, No one hero, Skyward sword use the swing feature. please can we get a fix on this

Log Output

[Wiimote1]
Device = Libretro/0/Joypad
Rumble/Motor = Rumble
Extension = Nunchuk

Buttons: R2,A,and left Mouse button=A,X&right Mouse button=B, Y=Minus, B=Plus

Buttons/A = R2 | A | Libretro/0/Mouse:Left
Buttons/B = X | Libretro/0/Mouse:Right
Buttons/1 = Start
Buttons/2 = Select
Buttons/- = Y
Buttons/+ = B
Buttons/Home =
D-Pad/Up = Up
D-Pad/Down = Down
D-Pad/Left = Left
D-Pad/Right = Right

Pointer: ONLY active when holding R3

IR/Up = Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:Y1-
IR/Down = Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:Y1+
IR/Left = Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:X1-
IR/Right = Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:X1+
IR/Hrizonal Offset = 10.
IR/Total Yaw = 85.
IR/Total Pitch = 65.
IR/Relative Input = True
IR/Auto-Hide = True

Sword: ONLY active when NOT holding R3

Swing/Up = !Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:Y1-
Swing/Down = !Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:Y1+
Swing/Left = !Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:X1-
Swing/Right = !Button R3 & Libretro/0/Analog:X1+
Swing/Angle = 75.0

Remote Shake: R1

Shake/X = R1 | Libretro/0/Mouse:Middle
Shake/Y = R1 | Libretro/0/Mouse:Middle
Shake/Z = R1 | Libretro/0/Mouse:Middle

Nunchuk: L2=Z, L1=C, L3, and Middle Mouse button=Shake

Nunchuk/Buttons/C = L1
Nunchuk/Buttons/Z = L2
Nunchuk/Stick/Up = Libretro/0/Analog:Y0-
Nunchuk/Stick/Down = Libretro/0/Analog:Y0+
Nunchuk/Stick/Left = Libretro/0/Analog:X0-
Nunchuk/Stick/Right = Libretro/0/Analog:X0+
Nunchuk/Shake/X = L3 | Libretro/0/Mouse:Middle
Nunchuk/Shake/Y = L3 | Libretro/0/Mouse:Middle
Nunchuk/Shake/Z = L3 | Libretro/0/Mouse:Middle

[Wiimote2]
Device = None
[Wiimote3]
Device = None
[Wiimote4]
Device = None

[Redbeiron]

Only issue you do have when using this is the right ranalog needs to be barely touch with the D-pad pushed down when game first launches due to it not seeing the Wii pointer and the Wii IR mode is Right Analog (Relative) but if you get past the first screen the game works really good vertical and horizontal swing of the sword.

Update: I have been able to make it super easy get past the pointer once game is first on by mapping a IR/Recenter button once pressed it puts it in center of screen also made the .ini have DeadZone - 0 so the ghosting stops with the IR and I have now the bird flying with left analog while the right analog does the flap of wings. I have passed first dungeon which is the one most get stuck on due to the Eye Puzzle.

I did all this with WiimoteNew.ini adding things in this and saving pergame Remap .rmp of your buttons and per-game core and changing some things in it. But still not custom .ini files or Profiles yet, so you would have to keep the WiimoteNew.ini read only and when you want to play the game copy it over to that spot that you found it before. This seems to be either with Retroarch or the Core and Hope gets fixed. If you could use Custom.ini where the core would read it instead of the default everyone head-ache with the core would almost be 100% gone.

[matheuswillder]

So, to summarize this, many Wii games needs the controller's motion sensors to be played, and the standalone Dolphin allows all of these sensors to be mapped (in Config>Controllers>Wii Remote 1 (Configure)>Motion Simulation/Extension Motion Simulation), but the Dolphin core does not.

Furthermore, when trying to manually add entries ​​to the controller's configuration file (in /saves/dolphin-emu/User/Config/WiimoteNew.ini), the Dolphin core removes them. And when making the file read-only, the Dolphin core creates new files.

As I mentioned in the issue I opened previously #398, ideally the Dolphin core should support all these sensors as many games require it, but it runs into the current limitation of the RetroPad/Libretro API, which currently limits how many buttons can be bind to only 16 (I think?), which is basically like a PS2 DualShock 2 controller, see libretro/RetroArch#11273 and libretro/RetroArch#16035.

I don't see how this can be easily solved by the Dolphin core, since it's not a limitation of the core, but of the Libretro API.

But I think that, since the Dolphin core apparently can process all the inputs added to WiimoteNew.ini the same way the standalone Dolphin does (according to what was reported above, I haven't had time to try it yet), it would be a good approach to at least stop removing the entries added manually to the file, to let the user edit it freely.

If the user edit it and it works, that's great. If not, it will be up to the user to solve, or to use the standalone Dolphin, until one day the Libretro API can support more inputs so that this can be solved in a better way.

Edit: thinking more about it now, some Libretro cores expect inputs from a keyboard instead of the RetroPad. I wonder if this could be used to increase how many inputs the Dolphin core can use.

[Redbeiron]

So, to summarize this, many Wii games needs the controller's motion sensors to be played, and the standalone Dolphin allows all of these sensors to be mapped (in Config>Controllers>Wii Remote 1 (Configure)>Motion Simulation/Extension Motion Simulation), but the Dolphin core does not.

Furthermore, when trying to manually add entries ​​to the controller's configuration file (in /saves/dolphin-emu/User/Config/WiimoteNew.ini), the Dolphin core removes them. And when making the file read-only, the Dolphin core creates new files.

As I mentioned in the issue I opened previously #398, ideally the Dolphin core should support all these sensors as many games require it, but it runs into the current limitation of the RetroPad/Libretro API, which currently limits how many buttons can be bind to only 16 (I think?), which is basically like a PS2 DualShock 2 controller, see libretro/RetroArch#11273 and libretro/RetroArch#16035.

I don't see how this can be easily solved by the Dolphin core, since it's not a limitation of the core, but of the Libretro API.

But I think that, since the Dolphin core apparently can process all the inputs added to WiimoteNew.ini the same way the standalone Dolphin does (according to what was reported above, I haven't had time to try it yet), it would be a good approach to at least stop removing the entries added manually to the file, to let the user edit it freely.

If the user edit it and it works, that's great. If not, it will be up to the user to solve, or to use the standalone Dolphin, until one day the Libretro API can support more inputs so that this can be solved in a better way.

Edit: thinking more about it now, some Libretro cores expect inputs from a keyboard instead of the RetroPad. I wonder if this could be used to increase how many inputs the Dolphin core can use.

I left all you have to do on liberato here: https://forums.libretro.com/t/dolphin-cores-has-been-updated-to-current-stream-october-2025/48924/97?u=redbeiron, the IR/Recenter = can not be on R3 found out last night, I know it works on down but i would move it to up on the D-pad since it is not used in game. but I have everything working and have beat the Eye puzzle, Key and first dungeon. all is functioning and even the bird just up and down on right analago left and right left analog, reason is i moved the tilt to left analog.

All they have to do is allow custom .ini or profiles and this would fix it all, you can use custom .ini and profiles because other cores allows you too. But for some reason the Dolphin core does not allow custom .ini or profiles have no idea why.

[matheuswillder]

I left all you have to do on liberato here: https://forums.libretro.com/t/dolphin-cores-has-been-updated-to-current-stream-october-2025/48924/97?u=redbeiron

Thanks, but I had already read your comment there, I was just summarizing it in a simple way here.

And, as I mentioned above, the RetroPad/Libretro API currently has a limit on how many inputs you can bind to it, when you map more inputs, others will stop being used. That's what's apparently happening here.

[Redbeiron]

I left all you have to do on liberato here: https://forums.libretro.com/t/dolphin-cores-has-been-updated-to-current-stream-october-2025/48924/97?u=redbeiron

Thanks, but I had already read your comment there, I was just summarizing it in a simple way here.

And, as I mentioned above, the RetroPad/Libretro API currently has a limit on how many inputs you can bind to it, when you map more inputs, others will stop being used. That's what's apparently happening here.

Not if they added if they added a Precise button (ex L2 (Z button on wii) + Right analog would automatically = Swing and the tilt just need to be removed from combine of IR (pointer) and needs to be moved the left analog anyways. but something like that would fix it . but yes fully understand you. Retroarch and 100 Core needs more assistance and work and also I talk to someone and they stated the custom .ini and or Profiles would be with in the core on it locating custom files so idk maybe 1 day it will be fixed. I just got done setting up Galaxy, Galaxy 2, No more heros 1 and 2 and they all work beat the first stage / area and did Skyward sword. only other game that would use motion is Wii play style games and PGA Tour.

I did this as a project was seeing so many say could not be done telling others use standalone, and well i guess provide they were lying because it can and was done by me.