Ahem...I was hoping to stay out of this thread because the technical details are over my head (yeah, I know my shortcomings). I thought about adding something like "you guys: it would be nice if there was a nice, short, standardized way to refer to these cIOS things", but with all the technical stuff going on, I figured you might want to prefer listening to someone who actually knows how to code.
But wiipower's reply in
this thread convinced me to state that point anyhow. Or rather: to state the importance of elegance.
In that thread, Wiipower is certainly right that there is no such thing as "cIOS236". Or IOS249*. Or something like that. But why do all those damn end users come here, crying that their games don't work, even though they have "cIOS249"?
It's because the name is short. Sure, you can cram your guide with all the needed technical mumbo jumbo that explains everything. But if you're lucky, your end user will just understand and remember things
just long enough to follow the guide to the end without missing a step. If you're unlucky, he just ignores your guide for it being "too complicated" and decides that a youtube video is a better choice (I'll just do exactly what he does!).
It isn't a pleasant truth, but a truth nonetheless: end users are noobs. Which is basically the same as 'morons', except that it's more politically correct.
So my request for a cIOS installer would be based on that: make it more idiot proof. I want to take modmii as an example: it's a good interface, clean and gets you what you need. It's idiot proof. The results: you get bigger idiots. Can you even blame them? modmii allows to download all cIOS you need and even a whole bunch you don't. And it even allows you to pick your own slot and version numbers. The program has more features than my girlfriend!
Unfortunately, for the average user, all these features are just obstacles that stand between him and playing his games.
So my proposition is this: an all inclusive package of all the cIOS you need for USB loading. With standardized places, base IOS'es and a fancy name that end users may actually remember. And if this sounds awefully similar to cioscorp/darkcorp...that's no coincidence. I'm aware of the flaws of that program, but it has strenghts as well. For one: it is fucking simple to use. You click, let it install a bunch of stuff, plug in your backup disc, done. You're ready to play.
Is it so hard to strive toward the same thing with just a handfull of cIOS'es? I haven't followed all the progression on d2x, but by the sounds of it, those cIOS'es are almost enough by themselves to get to 100% of the games on USB loader. In fact, are there
games (or wiiware, VC, homebrew or anything else) for which you need to fall back to another cIOS?
So without further ado...I present "the d2x atom package"**:
-in slot 246: d2x v4 base 56
-in slot 247: d2x v4 base 57
-in slot 248: d2x v4 base 58
-in slot 249: Waninkoko rev17
That way, end users can complain all they want. As long as they can say that they have installed the 'd2x atom package' we'll know what the fuck they HAVE on their wii.
I'd even go as far that loaders could be updated to check for the availability of the pack, they can default the standard to be used cIOS to not 222 or 249 but to what a database says (something "if atom package is detected and the game is black ops, then set the default to be used cIOS to 247"). But that's more a nice to have than something important.
*unless we want to take nintendo's official stub into account. We don't.
**important: the name and the included cIOS'es are rough drafts here. They're NOT meant to be final (the authors of the cIOS are entitled to make a name, and rev17 is for over 99% outclassed by the d2x cIOS'es) but to give an idea what I mean
)