Hacking Multi-Game Wii-ISO?

mots · Aug 15, 2008

Hey, as we have a DVD-Library, a way to start Games from Homebrew (see ocarina and GeckoOS) a way to scrub Wii-isos and an open-source apploader, would it be possible to combine all those parts to a tool that creates a Wii-iso containing more than one game, similar to what MultiGame-ISO-Creator does with Gamecube Games?
Again, though I'm not a complete n00b, I'm more of a *nix than a Wii-Coder, so I have no idea if my suggestion would actually work.
So what do you homebrew devs think about this? Could my idea somehow be realized?

sr_corsario · Aug 15, 2008

I personally think that could be "easy" to do. We "just" need a menu o something similar to chouse wich partition (or apploader)we want to load. (as ssbb do with vc trial games) With the marvellous new version of wiiscrubber could be very easy to do a multi partition disc...

Shaunzio · Aug 15, 2008

Well to accomplish this im sure you would have to do some serious scrubbing...but a good idea
It would be nice to change games with out have to get up and look for the game

Dack · Aug 15, 2008

Shaunzio said:
Well to accomplish this im sure you would have to do some serious scrubbing...but a good idea
It would be nice to change games with out have to get up and look for the game

Suggest you might want to read the FAQ on Wiiscrubber 1.31.........

In simple terms, all that is now missing is a menu application.

1. Extract all data files from a partition to hard drive
2. Extract partition.bin and main.dol from disc
3. Rename main.dol to game you want
4. Repeat for second disc etc.
5. merge filesets
6. add menu application as the main.dol with the names defined earlier as the parameters
7. Build disc partition
8. insert partition into iso

Dack · Aug 15, 2008

Well.....I did a bit of experimentation tonight

The problem with having multiple games in one partition is that they all try to use the same save slot (as the Partition title ID is the same).

For anyone who wants to see this:
1. Load House of the dead and extract the data/game partition to a folder e.g. Wiistuff
2. Extract main.dol, partition.bin, boot.bin and bi2.bin
3. Load another ISO e.g. Wiichess
4. extract the data/game partition to the same directory
5. extract main.dol and save as hod2.dol, overwriting the original, into the correct directory in the wiistuff directory (Zexe?)
6. Build a partition using partition builder - wait a bit
7. Choose a copy of an iso image e.g. hotd-copy.iso
8. delete the update partition, delete the data partition, import the partition you created at stage 6.
9 Wait a long time as the partition is inserted.
10. Burn ISO

When you load the ISO into the wii you'll find that it looks exactly like the normal HOTD game...until you try playing HOTD2. At that point the Wii resets (sort of) and loads Wiichess instead. It will then complain about a bad save game and give you the chance of deleting it.

Deleting the save and then exiting wiichess, re-running HOTD and trying again allows it to work. You'll then see a wiichess icon in your save games instead of a HOTD one.

Running HOTD3 instead doesn't seem to run the HOD3.dol file so you can't change that one - unless thats one of the hidden bonuses in the HOTD 3 game.

Just for info of course

jimjim9001 · Aug 16, 2008

i was thinking may be having 2 or 3 data partitions for game data i.e

data partition 1 = game 1
data partition 2 = game 2
data partition 3 = game 3

as wii scrubber allows you to add partitions. then we need to have a boot partition to boot a menu where you can choose a game to load.
i not a programer so it will need someone that can build a menu.dol file that can read each data partition and display the game name and then load the game.

this may sound noob but its just a thought

Dack · Aug 16, 2008

Thats what you have to do.

And if I hadn't spent the last few hours trying to fix this machine after a drive by download from the TehSkeen link to the PS3 backup story (damn antivirus08 scumware - though suprised it got through Opera) - and not checking the rest of my computers here. I might have given it a go.

HowardC · Aug 16, 2008

sr_corsario said:
I personally think that could be "easy" to do. We "just" need a menu o something similar to chouse wich partition (or apploader)we want to load. (as ssbb do with vc trial games) With the marvellous new version of wiiscrubber could be very easy to do a multi partition disc...

Yeah I agree, there shouldn't be much involved. Someone has already made an app that loads the wii menu but hacked so that different banners are shown right? What would be nice from a visual standpoint is if the first partition of the dvd had a dol that loaded the wii menu hacked to load banners stored in each partition on the disc and rather than launching channels, it would of course launch the dols/elfs on the shown partitions. This seems like the smart way to go as time wouldn't be wasted slapping together an interface and my guess (keyword guess) is a lot of coding wouldn't be involved as the wii menu is already designed to load multiple apps and banners in the form of vc/wiiware.... only the paths would have to be changed from the wii's flash drive to the dvd.

It'd be great not only for regular game isos but wiiware and vc titles. That's the main reason I suggest hacking the existing wii menu because having a simple text menu and/or a custom menu you have to make files for yourself wouldn't be so bad when you are dealing with regular discs, since you'll only be able to fit 2 or 3 but when you start adding vc games onto a disc it's gonna get real confusing, as you could fit hundreds on a single disc.

jimjim9001 · Aug 16, 2008

i can see what you getting at with vc games but at the moment they cant be run any other way , other than installing them.

the aim at the moment is to make a multi wii game dvd from wii dvd games....

Dack · Aug 16, 2008

Actuallly got to playing around this evening..........

Found lots of interesting source code hanging about that seems to do the job - will test properly later.

Now where can I get an opening.bnr that says "Multiboot" (for those old enough to remember the Atari 8 bit days)

atomiccow · Aug 16, 2008

This progress is impressive!

This will hopefully be even better when/if the price of DL DVDs decreases. Imagine, squeezing 3-6 games on a single disc..

Dack · Aug 16, 2008

Or the entire DDI set of games at about 30 Meg each - "the complete Shovelware collection"

What the loader comes down to:

1. Open the disc and read the number of partitions
2. Read the partition table(s) in.
3. Display menu of games and wait for selection
4. Switch to correct partition (selected game + 1 as loader is in first partion)
5. Init file system
6. Load and run main.dol
7. Close the partition
8. Cleanup
9. until exit pressed Loop to 3

Currently having fun getting to grips with the dev environment (bit of culture shock at the moment)

sr_corsario · Aug 16, 2008

Dack said:
Now where can I get an opening.bnr that says "Multiboot" (for those old enough to remember the Atari 8 bit days)

Could you wait till tomorrow afternoon?

Allways great tools....

jimjim9001 · Aug 18, 2008

did anyone get any where with this project

jimjim9001 · Sep 6, 2008

is any one working on this project

rokumanxes · Sep 6, 2008

I'm sure this project isn't "dead" with the progress that has been made.
Just be patient, and wait for more info.

Dack · Sep 6, 2008

Maybe sooner than you think..................

Been an interesting development or two

jimjim9001 · Sep 6, 2008

what interesting development has there been

waninkoko · Sep 6, 2008

Dack said:
Maybe sooner than you think..................

Been an interesting development or two

Do you know who is working on this? Looks interesting.

Dack · Sep 6, 2008

I believe some Spanish people are involved in development, and some software was sent to their gmail address a while ago that could be useful.

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