Hacking USB Loader GX

[OriginalHamster]

tit's not "not working, it's just "not written yet 'cause it takes time and no one else is doing it".
It's a project to update and complete it. we just can't tell when it will be complete


For Devolution:

I didn't try, so it's either:
1- put the second disc in the same folder (whatever the filename, it doesn't matter, Devolution always launch disc1 anyway).
2- put the second disc in the /games/ folder (/games/filename_for_disc2.iso)

Devolution is looking automatically for ALL .iso files to find the second disc of the currently played game.

If you launch Disc2, it's searching for Disc1 to launch it instead, so it doesn't cause any problem to keep disc1 game.iso and rename disc2 (game2.iso for example).


I will try to make a proper disc2 detection later.


You can move/copy (even alter) the ISO without re-verification process as long as :
It's on the same Wii
The ISO is on the same device as before
The gameID in the ISO is not changed. (only the first ISO sectors are compared to the verification file to decide if it's already validated or not).

If not, it need a full 1:1 copy to validate again.

Thanks for your explanation, it's working now
I put the second disc direct on the games folder, for some reason when I put disc2 on the same folder as game.iso the launcher kick me out.

The specific problem I have with Killer7 disc2 seems to be related to fragmentation (according tueidj), I only will know in 2 days more, when my HDD is completely defragmented

 

[Cyan]

which one worked?
disc2 in same folder as Disc1, or in /Games/ folder?

 

[airline38]

which one worked?
disc2 in same folder as Disc1, or in /Games/ folder?

Only works to put disc2 in "games" folder (devolution always check this folder).

The "DEVO_CONFIG->disc2_cluster" needs to be defined if you would like
to put disc2 iso in a special folder .(other than "games")

 

[OriginalHamster]

which one worked?
disc2 in same folder as Disc1, or in /Games/ folder?

disc2 in "usb:/games"
disc1 in "usb:/games/name [ID6]"

 

[Maxternal]

... put them in the same folder and renaming automatically with prompt?

But USB Loader GX only can see "game.iso" name, I can't put a different name, thereof it can only can see one disc per folder (disc1 OR disc2).
Furthermore Devolution is extremely picky about name changes, or path changes (it will prompt original disc verification again)

which one worked?
disc2 in same folder as Disc1, or in /Games/ folder?

disc2 in "usb:/games"
disc1 in "usb:/games/name [ID6]"

I was just saying it would be nice if GX could have an automated prompt that would work for both DM and Devolution.
What it could do is store one disk in /games/ID6.iso and the other in /games/blah[ID6]/game.iso (which one is which shouldn't matter since Devolution should automatically detect both and switch to the one it wants).
When set to use DM it could prompt the user for which one and then just do a quick switch places and rename them. That way it wouldn't have to show both disks and the 6-digit handling wouldn't have to be redone.

 

[Cyan]

no, I intend to add it properly:
/games/ Title [ID6]/filename.iso (or folder)
/games/Title [ID62]/filename.iso (or folder)

The ID of Disc2 will have 2 at the end of the ID6, like other homebrew/programs are already using.
The loader will display only one game on the game list
The loader will send the correct info to DM/Devo (Always send disc1 if using Devo and load Disc2 location correctly, Prompt if using DM)


With your idea, it's easier to code, but not compatible with DM right now.
I don't know how DM will implement the Disc 2 yet, we will see later.


and as it can be named anything else than "game.iso", I'll see how to change that and allow /games/ID6.iso and ID62.iso
But each thing at a time.
I'm not working on it yet.

 

[GameGeek]

Say, there isn't any way to hide a game or channel, is there? If not, I think it would be nice to have such a feature, as there might be stuff that the user doesn't want to show up in the loader. For example, a person who configured the app to show channels from a NAND might only want VC and WW games to be displayed, so such a feature would allow them to hide the Mii Channel, the Photo Channel, the Homebrew Channel (both apps and the HBC can be accessed from the loader anyway, so having the HBC show up as a channel is redundant), forwarder channels, etc., without having to uninstall them from the NAND.

Also, I would like the option to tell the app to sort elements by type. For example, it might be nice to be able to make the loader sort channels first, then Wii games, and then GC games. That way they don't get all mixed together (yes, I know you can filter them off, but I think showing all elements at the same time but sorted by type would be more convenient than having to change the filter all the time). Or alternatively, a function to quickly change between different modes that determine what's displayed: there might be a "Games Mode" that displays Wii and GC games and uses a cover view by default, a "Channel Mode" that displays the channels and has the system menu-style view by default, and maybe a "Hybrid Mode" that displays both channels and Wii/GC games (like the app does currently when nothing is filtered off).

 

[Cyan]

It's already included.

There are a lot of way to show/hide a game or a category. (though, you might require a beta past v3.0).

Apply Category to your Titles (download Wiitdb.xml, then go to features menu and select Category item to load them all).
Then go to category icon in the top bar, disable "All" (not checked at all), and enable "VC" and "WiiWare", and voila, you see only VC and WiiWare, not the Photo/homebrew/etc.

There are a lot more you can do to filter games, I won't list it here, I did it many many many times already.
Please search this topic



As for sorting by category, it's already a request from other users (check the issue/request page?)
I don't know how to implement it easily. It should be a new switch, and not an additional sorting method.
You might want to sort by : Genre + alphabetical or genre + most played
I can't sort only by Genre. you need to select another filter too, which means a new menu and many more to code.

And for your third suggestion:
Just use the current "Game Origin" window to select which games you want to see and switch them quickly.
I already thought about multiple memorized settings states, but it's only an idea.

 

[nakata6790]

The suggestion about GX also listing titles that are installed in SD, is a GREAT one. It would alleviate the problems that some games have with emunand (mainly, CSV Rebirth, Swords and Soldiers, Liight, Toki Tori etc.) I have installed some of the ''problematic'' games to the real nand so that GX shows them, but my wii nand is full to the brim already.

A solution to not have lag from multiple sd readings when in GX, is that you could use forwarders (like those by wad2iso for example) for those games in the SD, and only when you load those forwarders does GX see the ''real'' game and starts to load it into the wii's nand.


As for the coverflow mode, i understand.
Please keep it as a thought however, as it seems that people like it.

 

[Maverick Lunar X]

I'd definitely love it. As previously mentioned, it would curb the issue of emunand games not functioning, I've been dying to get back to playing Zelda: MM again without having to use my real nand

 

[Cyan]

You will have to use your real nand, as launching a channel from SD card is temporary installing it to real nand.
It's just that it's deleted when completed to make room for the next game you launch. it only prevent you from deleting it manually.
It's in no way running from the SD card.

 

[Maverick Lunar X]

Yeah, I kinda figured as much.

 

[dimok]

You will have to use your real nand, as launching a channel from SD card is temporary installing it to real nand.
It's just that it's deleted when completed to make room for the next game you launch. it only prevent you from deleting it manually.
It's in no way running from the SD card.

Hmm? Are you guys talking about emunand? It's not installing anything to real nand temporary. The cIOS redirects the read calls to the emunand path/files on SD. The nand isn't accessed in full emulation mode.

 

[Cyan]

I'm talking about the real system menu.
When playing a game stored on SD menu, it's transfered to the NAND before launching it.
If we can read the encrypted channels stored on the SD card using the real system menu, then we could extract them to emuNand.


But what HE wants is that it acts LIKE the SD menu on the real Wii menu, thinking that it's launching directly from the SD, because when he launch from EmuNAND some games are not working. (Toki Tori, Castlevania, etc.)
He thinks that playing directly from SD (like the real menu) will fix his problem of playing from EmuNAND, but the real menu doesn't really play from SD, but extract the game to real NAND first as a temporary channel.

If we add support for SD card menu, we also need to extract them before playing. And extract them to EmuNAND will still have the same problem as playing from EmuNAND.
Adding the SD menu support to USBLoaderGX will not help in game compatibility.

 

[dimok]

Ok I see. Then nvm my comment. I am still on 3.2 and never saw that SD menu in action .

 

[Cyan]

yeah, me too
but I've read that it's not launching from SD directly as the game is still looking in /title/ on the NAND.
The Wii needs enough free blocks to play the game.

Couldn't they have patch the stored games to redirect NAND access into the binary file?
or to use a different IOS with official NAND emu

 

[nakata6790]

I'm talking about the real system menu.
When playing a game stored on SD menu, it's transfered to the NAND before launching it.
If we can read the encrypted channels stored on the SD card using the real system menu, then we could extract them to emuNand.


But what HE wants is that it acts LIKE the SD menu on the real Wii menu, thinking that it's launching directly from the SD, because when he launch from EmuNAND some games are not working. (Toki Tori, Castlevania, etc.)
He thinks that playing directly from SD (like the real menu) will fix his problem of playing from EmuNAND, but the real menu doesn't really play from SD, but extract the game to real NAND first as a temporary channel.

If we add support for SD card menu, we also need to extract them before playing. And extract them to EmuNAND will still have the same problem as playing from EmuNAND.
Adding the SD menu support to USBLoaderGX will not help in game compatibility.

But ofcourse i know they will have to be loaded to real nand, that's the whole point to have perfect wiiware & vc compatibility in GX...

The big advantages to GX seeing the SD are:
1.You only need to leave ~320 free blocks free from the real nand, and all the ''diffucult to get working in emunand'' games could be in the sd, freeing the real nand. Right now i have installed 4 of those games in realnand in order for gx to see and play them, but realnand space is limited.

2. Via forwarders the sd will only copy to the real nand after launch of the channel, so that GX is not burdained with multiple file readings. It will only see the forwarder before the launch confirmation.

3. Most importantly, the user sees all in one convenient place (the GX menu that is) .

 

[Cyan]

I've been replying to Maverick, as he is the one talking about playing "without using the real NAND"

I'd definitely love it. As previously mentioned, it would curb the issue of emunand games not functioning, I've been dying to get back to playing Zelda: MM again without having to use my real nand

But I understand what you are talking about. it should be done right to prevent bricking (extract to temporary folder, then copy to correct folder once extracted, I guess) if the user switch off the wii before the end of the extraction, or if there's a code dump in the extraction process.

We try not to write to real NAND too often (I think the only writing we are doing is done on a temporary folder for recording the play time, and updating the channel version of the loader just updating the dol file)

 

[e2zippo]

Just wanted to post some feedback based on r1201.

* I can't get any GC games to run in 480p, they all run in 480i, even when i try to force 480p.
* I get a code dump and the Wii reboots itself when i switch between GC/Wii/Nand, 3/5 times, reproducable.
* I can't run some NAND channels, for example Snes9x GX, whenever I do that I end up in the original System Menu.

Cheers!

 

[Cyan]

* To enable 480 on DIOS MIOS (Lite), it's the "DML Progressive patch" that you need to set to ON. And to use the settings video mode, you need to use "game settings" instead of "Auto", though "Auto + Progressive Patch" should work best for 480p.
* please post the dump (picture, or copy the numbers with the arrows xxxxx -> xxxxx -> xxxx etc.)
* Did Snes9x worked on previous version? which version broke it? Maybe the video mode I changed broke it. I tested only games, not homebrew, I might check that.