Homebrew A Possibility for a GC-Mode "Riivolution?"

[VietGeek]

Hello, I am the leading programmer of a new Super Smash Bros Melee balance patch called Melee: SD Remix. Shameless plug aside, I inquire as if there is any interest/possibly in releasing a Riivolution-like homebrew application supporting GC games?

GC custom content is, without a doubt, sparse in comparison to Wii games' custom content. I do believe, however, that part of this is due to accessibility, or rather, the lack of it. For example, do you want a Melee texture hack of Power Rangers Captain Falcon? Great! You must first obtain an entire game ISO, then replace the file via GCRebuilder or similar, burn the disc, or run DIOS-MIOS (LITE), and with those require cIOS hacks and .wads. It's much more difficult to get custom content working for GC games.

A Riivolution-like application would greatly make such custom content like textures, stage hacks, balance hacks, even dialogue hacks and modifications in other non-Melee titles accessible to the "average Joe." Plus people won't have to perform borderline illegal activity to enjoy such hacks.

With the recent advancements pioneered by DML to "circumvent" the limitations of GC mode (such as the inability to utilize the Wii's USB capabilities), I wonder if there is any interest or possibility of creating such a Wii application that behaves much like Riivolution for Wii games?

I ask as the Riivolution team did do some work with the Project:M team, so I surmised the Riivolution team has at the very least an iota of interest for Smash Bros. and hacking activities related. If I recall correctly, the brains behind Devolution also worked on Riivolution too...so...

it doesn't hurt to ask I suppose.

 

[SifJar]

I'd guess it'd be more likely to happen from Devolution than DM(L). Having said that, with DM(L) I think (although I have never used it) that games are loaded in an extracted format, so you might be able to just replace the files on your SD card or USB drive?

 

[VietGeek]

Yes, with GCReEx you can do direct file replacement so as long as file sizes are the same (GCReEx for some reason pads out most files with empty 00's).

However, for most people, this isn't as convenient as booting a game disc through a homebrew application and letting the app handle the file patching, the end-user just has to provide the files and the media (SD/USB) containing only the patched files and not the entire game ISO.

Some people are simply not tech-saavy enough, and making hacking easier has always been an impetus for greater things to come. Wii homebrew would inevitably be much more limited had accessibility been a problem (luckily, installing HBC is super easy).

In that same vein, I strongly feel that people would be more interested in hacking, understanding, and modifying Gamecube games with custom content and whatnot if there was a Riivolution-like application.