Hacking Possible to Disable the Wii's (De)Flicker Filter?

[Deleted member 663203]

Can someone tell me what are the exact hexadecimal strings to remove the filter in the main.dol?

I know that USB GX already has it implemented but I am using CFG USB and that one does not have that option and I would like to edit the main.dol of my games so I can use them through the alternative dol.

EDIT
I think I already found the hex strings, if I'm not mistaken they are these:

08080A0C0A0808 replace with 00001516150000

 

[NoobletCheese]

Can someone tell me what are the exact hexadecimal strings to remove the filter in the main.dol?

I know that USB GX already has it implemented but I am using CFG USB and that one does not have that option and I would like to edit the main.dol of my games so I can use them through the alternative dol.

EDIT
I think I already found the hex strings, if I'm not mistaken they are these:

08080A0C0A0808 replace with 00001516150000

Yes but different games can use different vfilter values, here are some examples

DonkeyKongCountryReturns,NTSC-U,SF8E01,04041010100404
MetroidOtherM,NTSC-U,R3OE01,08080A0C0A0808
MarioKartWii,NTSC-U,RMCE01,07070C0C0C0707
MarioKartWii,NTSC-U,RMCE01,05050F0E0F0505
SonicColours,NTSC-U,SNCE8P,04040F120F0404
SuperMarioGalaxy,NTSC-U,RMGE01,20002000000000
SuperMarioGalaxy2,NTSC-U,SB4E01,20002000000000

eg. Mario Galaxy you would replace 20002000000000 with 00001516150000

But it's easier and more reliable to just patch GXSetCopyFilter (the function which sets the vfilter) that way the game never gets a chance at setting it.

See also https://gbatemp.net/threads/possible-to-disable-the-wiis-de-flicker-filter.477163/post-9514246

 

[Maeson]

Hey, sorry for waking un this thread, but lately i've been on a GameCube binge, playing both Monkey Ball games and a few others. I decided to play again Resident Evil: Code Veronica X, and at first I did not notice it (mostly because the last time I played it is probably around 2011) but after getting a bit suspicious (specially since it looked a heck of a lot blurrier than the Monkey Ball games mentioned before) and...

It's one of those games like Soul Calibur 2 and R: Racing Evolution where Nintendont cannot remove the Deflicker filter by itself.

I leave a couple of shots between before and after. The difference as usual is quite staggering If I may put it that way.

Deflicker On:

Deflicker Off:

You can open them up in different tabs and swap for easier comparison, as I always said in this thread.

May sound silly but finding all this about these filters and how to remove them still brings me joy and I'm glad for it every time I touch my Wii.

...Maybe not the best way to phrase that last part.

 

[TheBeverage]

...Okay, let's see.

I managed to find the offsets to remove the dark filter for Super Mario 64, Mario Kart and Wave Race.

For all of these, you first need to unpack the WAD, and get 00000001.app. All these three have it decompressed so you don't need to do anything.

THESE ARE FOR NTSC-US versions, beware!

For Super Mario 64, go to offset 46210 and edit 94 21 FF E0 into 4E 80 00 20.
For Wave Race 64, go to offset 44AD4 and edit 94 21 FF E0 into 4E 80 00 20.
For Mario Kart 64, go to offset 46DB8 and edit 94 21 FF E0 into 4E 80 00 20.

They seem to work for me, but please test them yourselves.

View attachment 266106 View attachment 266107
View attachment 266108 View attachment 266109
View attachment 266110 View attachment 266114

I haven't being able to do it for Pokémon Snap, and the N64 logo at the beginning looks brighter than how it looks on these other games, so that one might be like that normally?

Anyone willing to provide an utter idiot’s guide to how I’d manage this with my existing Mario 64 install (or a fresh .wad)?

 

[devlman127]

Is there a better way to patch the ISOs other than manually extracting and packing them?
Also, is there a full list of the games that have the filter enabled?

 

[Maeson]

For WIi games you shouldn't worry, the only game I remember in this conversation that has some sort of filtering even after using USB Loader GX I think it was Disaster: Day of crisis (and even then, removing it cleans it up somewhat).

For GC, I only know of those three, R: Racing Evolution, Soul Calibur 2 and now Resident Evil: Code Veronica that keep it even if you force NTSC or PAL60 video modes on Nintendont. It's not something you can know without trying every game.

Anyone willing to provide an utter idiot’s guide to how I’d manage this with my existing Mario 64 install (or a fresh .wad)?

Grab a Hexadecimal editor, like HXD.

Unpack your wad file with ShowMiiWads, for example. it will create a folder, inside there should be a file named 00000001.app.

Open it with the Hexadecimal editor, and press Ctr+G, and a Go To window will appear. Write 46210 on the box there, and you will be taken to that position of the file. You should see a string of values there, "94 21 FF E0" which you have to overwrite (click on 94 and you write with your keyboard) and change it to "4E 80 00 20". Then save 00000001.app, and repack it with ShowMiiWads (by pointing the folder with the files).

And there you have a wad without the dark filter.

 

[Deleted member 663203]

StarFox Adventures is also one of those where Nintendont doesn't turn off the filter, it is necessary to modify it via hex.

I also found that The Hobbit PAL game crashes when forcing it to PAL60, although using cheat it works without problem but the filter isn't turn off because Nintendont is not forcing the video mode so it would have to be modified via hex as well.

 

[Maeson]

Oh, fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

I never played the PAL version of The Hobbit, and the only time I played the NTSC one was waaaay back, before I even knew there was a deflicker filter at all times to begin with, lol. Pretty fun for a licensed game! The music was great, the theme from Hobbiton and the Shire stuck with me for all these years, alongside Bilbo himself which I found pretty charming.

I'll try and see where I have my copy and check if the NTSC one needs to be also removed manually.

 

[Ouaz]

For WIi games you shouldn't worry, the only game I remember in this conversation that has some sort of filtering even after using USB Loader GX I think it was Disaster: Day of crisis

There's also Samurai Showdown Anthology (which seems to use a built-in filter, it can't be removed via Hex editing)

 

[Maeson]

Ah yes, I remember checking that one out as it popped in a conversation here too. Unfortunate, yes.

I've checked and The Hobbit NTSC does not need to take the Deflicker manually, Nintendont does it as with most games.

 

[Brand Newman]

There's also Samurai Showdown Anthology (which seems to use a built-in filter, it can't be removed via Hex editing)

SS Anthology has more of a blurry filter, but yes it seems to be built-in.

On the other hand, Metal Slug Anthology only has a filter on sprites for its European and American versions : the Japanese one is clearer, and it's the best one anyway, since it lets you use classic gamepads.

 

[Plstic]

So how would you disable the filter on code veronica x if it doesn't get disabled by nintendont?

 

[XFlak]

So how would you disable the filter on code veronica x if it doesn't get disabled by nintendont?

Just so happens we were just talking about that lol

Let's say that I want to change Resident Evil - Code Veronica X.
When searching the string is this:
91 23 80 00 98 83 80 00 91 43 80 00 41 82 00 68
Then I edit it to this:
91 23 80 00 98 83 80 00 91 43 80 00 48 00 00 68

Hit save and that's it. No need to take files or care about anything else but to find the string, and the string is long enough to avoid multiple matches, I've never seen a game with more than one match, and they all were the deflicker filter.

 

[Maeson]

It's a very simple hex editor search, you can use a free one like HxD.

Open the isos (Code Veronica is a two disc game) and press Ctrl+F, a search window will appear.

Copy and paste:
91 23 80 00 98 83 80 00 91 43 80 00 41 82 00 68

Then select Hex Search and do the search. A moment later you'll be taken to the exact point where that data is stored (named offset).

Then you just replace that string with the other one and you are done. Save on both discs and that's it.

I finished Code Veronica yesterday with no issues. I mean, related to the change, the game loves to see you suffer lol.

 

[Disorarara]

It's a very simple hex editor search, you can use a free one like HxD.

Open the isos (Code Veronica is a two disc game) and press Ctrl+F, a search window will appear.

Copy and paste:
91 23 80 00 98 83 80 00 91 43 80 00 41 82 00 68

Then select Hex Search and do the search. A moment later you'll be taken to the exact point where that data is stored (named offset).

Then you just replace that string with the other one and you are done. Save on both discs and that's it.

I finished Code Veronica yesterday with no issues. I mean, related to the change, the game loves to see you suffer lol.

Is this just for Code Veronica or is it also for Soul Calibur 2?

 

[Maeson]

The process is the same for every GC game, it's just that sometimes you have to look for different strings:

Taking this info from Nooblet Cheese's post:

GC games can have one of 4 different strings:

Games compiled with gx.a:
Look for:
91 23 80 00 98 83 80 00 91 43 80 00 41 82 00 68
Replace it with:
91 23 80 00 98 83 80 00 91 43 80 00 48 00 00 68

Games compiled with Dolphin.a
Look for:
91 04 80 00 99 44 80 00 91 24 80 00 41 82 00 40
Replace it with:
91 04 80 00 99 44 80 00 91 24 80 00 48 00 00 40

Games compiled with SN Systems ProDG SDK:
Search for:
91 2B 80 00 98 0B 80 00 91 0B 80 00 41 82 00 5C
Replace it with:
91 2B 80 00 98 0B 80 00 91 0B 80 00 48 00 00 5C

Then you have gxD.a, which is a bit more involved and Nooblet Cheese's post that I linked above explains it well.

The majority of games use the first, so when you want to take the deflicker out always start with that one. It was long ago but I think Soul Calibur 2 uses that one.

In either case, it's as simple as if the first doesn't appear, look for the second, and if not, the third. You're just doing the same thing, you just copy different strings to look for, what you actually edit is the same in all of them.

 

[TheBeverage]

For WIi games you shouldn't worry, the only game I remember in this conversation that has some sort of filtering even after using USB Loader GX I think it was Disaster: Day of crisis (and even then, removing it cleans it up somewhat).

For GC, I only know of those three, R: Racing Evolution, Soul Calibur 2 and now Resident Evil: Code Veronica that keep it even if you force NTSC or PAL60 video modes on Nintendont. It's not something you can know without trying every game.


Grab a Hexadecimal editor, like HXD.

Unpack your wad file with ShowMiiWads, for example. it will create a folder, inside there should be a file named 00000001.app.

Open it with the Hexadecimal editor, and press Ctr+G, and a Go To window will appear. Write 46210 on the box there, and you will be taken to that position of the file. You should see a string of values there, "94 21 FF E0" which you have to overwrite (click on 94 and you write with your keyboard) and change it to "4E 80 00 20". Then save 00000001.app, and repack it with ShowMiiWads (by pointing the folder with the files).

And there you have a wad without the dark filter.

Unfortunately when trying to install the WAD, I get a -1022 error. No idea why.

 

[Maeson]

Unfortunately when trying to install the WAD, I get a -1022 error. No idea why.

What wad manager are you using?

 

[grandosegood]

hey all, uwuvci recently came out with a fork to disable deflicker and dithering on wii virtual console injects. should i re-inject and remove just deflicker, or both deflicker and dithering? thanks.

 

[devlman127]

hey all, uwuvci recently came out with a fork to disable deflicker and dithering on wii virtual console injects. should i re-inject and remove just deflicker, or both deflicker and dithering? thanks.

Link to the fork?
I haven't heard much about dithering but it might be worth it to test it out to see the difference and compare.