Hacking CFG USB Loader - NTSC-J game won't load with forced PAL

[miruki]

I just recently got my Wii (PAL) and I'm a sucker for the whole hacking thing in general. I somehow managed to softmod it completely following the instructions of xzxero's guide. After trying out various USB Loaders CFG was the only that would recognise my Hitachi 160GB 2''5 HDD so I stuck with that. NTSC and PAL games have all run without problems so far and I was happily playing Xenoblade the past few days.

I noticed that Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 was also released for the Wii so I wanted to try it out.

So now I ran into my first problem.

After applying all the usual settings (mainly Force PAL 50 & Video Patch ON) CFG Loader's loading screen appears and after it's done I get a blackscreen and the Wiimote turns off. I tried all other settings as well and finally came to the conclusion that the game starts as long as I don't force PAL (shaking like crazy and b/w). So, is there any way to play this game (No official scene release as far as I know, so it got no Number, but it was released under the name "Harukanaru Jikuu no Kade 4" which is a misreading of the Kanji.. XD) on a PAL Wii & TV?

I'm not fully grasping the whole cios/ios stuff and everything, but I'm willing to listen and try working things out, so it would be nice if someone could help me.

A 2 hour google search has given me no useful information yet. :/

 

[Hielkenator]

Have you forced the language to JAP also?

 

[WiiPower]

The language is not the issue here, it's the video mode. Does CFG finally have the sneek video mode patches? If anything, then these have a chance to work. VIDTV patch is also worth a try. If CFG doesn't have sneek's video patch, then you migth want to try NeoGamma, but it only supports Waninkoko's cIOS/d2x and wbfs formatted drives. If your drive is not wbfs formatted, it might be too much hassle for a low chance to get the game to work.

 

[Hielkenator]

Really?

Try booting Dragon Ball Z- revenge of king piccolo NTSC Without setting language to English from PAL Wii.

You have to force the language to what's on the disc.
Note: this is from my user point of view.

But you are right in this case Wiipower, his tv is incompatible with NTSC display.
Sneek video patch would be the best option in trying to force it to a PAL signal.

CFG supports all Sneek video patches.

 

[WiiPower]

Well, if there's some odd that that works with NTSC video mode, and allows to force PAL only if jap language is forced at the same time, i doubt that, but trying doesn't harm.

Sneek has only 1 video mode patch, but combining it with the others should be tried if it doesn't work alone.

 

[Hielkenator]

Well, if there's some odd that that works with NTSC video mode, and allows to force PAL only if jap language is forced at the same time, i doubt that, but trying doesn't harm.

Sneek has only 1 video mode patch, but combining it with the others should be tried if it doesn't work alone.

Yes : Sneek + All.

 

[miruki]

Oh, replies..

 

[Cyan]

It's too bad that your drive is not recognized in every loaders.

Sometime, using a different cIOS to launch the loader can help.

You can check the configuration files of the loaders to change the default cIOS to use.
there are 3 main cIOS :

Hermes : they are installed in slot 222/223/224
Compatible with FAT32 and NTFS.
usually installed with version 4 or 5.
There's also a modified version by Rodries, it should recognize more HDD.

Waninkoko : They are usullay installed in slot 249 and 250.
The last version is rev21.
FAT32 and NTFS HDD are compatible starting from rev18 only.
Rev17 is good but works only with WBFS partition.

d2x : This is a modified and enhanced version of latest waninkoko's cIOS rev21.
this is the latest version of cIOS avalable.
You can install it in any slot from 200 to 255.
Usually installed in 249 and 250 too, as it replace the old cIOS from waninkoko.



USBloaders use generally the slot249 by default.
so you can try to set the cIOS to either 222, 223 or 250 and see if it helps.

In the guide you followed, you installed:
222 : Hermes cIOS v5 based on IOS 38
223 : Hermes cIOS v5 based on IOS 37
249 : d2x v6 based on IOS 56
250 : d2x v6 based on IOS 57

A custom IOS is an original IOS modified to add USB HDD support, and installed in a slots unused by Nintendo.

The "base" is the "IOS" used by Nintendo. (think as if it was the internal function of the wii)
They made different IOS to allow different features (webcam/microphone/usb support/instrument for music games/etc.)
So using a different IOS as based can help in game compatibility.



Base56 is the best one as it contains almost all the features needed by all games, except two games which require a base57 (Call of Duty).
Base56 has also the faster USB2.0 access.

I hope it helps you understand a little better what you installed in your wii when following the guide.
Understanding what you are doing is always better in hacking

 

[Hielkenator]

Oh, replies..

 

[miruki]

@ Cyan: Thanks a lot for that detailed explanation, I've already noticed that some games require a different ios, opposed to the usual 249 one, I also kinda realised thath there's different versions good for different things and whatnot... it's certainly a lot to wrap your head around to. I already tried choosing different the different ios available in the options menu for the game in cfg. But that didn't really help either, I'm not sure if I installed all ios correctly tho, as I ran into that code dump problem with the suggested way of installing them and had to manually install them with the other way explained there via Wii Mod v2.6 etc. I'm just glad I did get it running somehow, as I spent 2 days figuring out what to do and which files I need (most of the time was taken up by downloading the files, as I currently only have a 64k mobile connection to my avail.... orz)

I haven't got a chance to try out that other USB Loader again yet... I actually do think it should recognise my HDD tho, as it's on that list of compatible USB drives I found somewhere.

Ah well, I'll try out a few things tomorrow and if I can't get the game to run without spending hours of figuring all this out then I guess I'll just leave if be for now... I'm very much a novice to all this, as all I ever had to do with hacking consoles/handhelds before was sending my PS2 in so someone else could implent a modchip and order a M3/Supercard DS Two for my DS... ^^; I tried to help my little bro hack his PSP once, but screwed up completely with that, so yeah, I clearly don't have very much experience with this stuff, heh.

I'll post again tomorrow after fiddling around with the Wii some more.


Edit: As the USB Loader GX download was just finished I quickly put it on my SD card and tried loading the game with various settings (suddenly GX was able to recognise my HDD instantly.. XD) - anyways, the game loads with forced PAL but it doesn't force PAL on it at all, it's still NTSC, so black and white and all shaky... ;_; I didn't try any different ios yet, just fiddled around with the settings turning on/off the video patches and stuff... is there still a chance the game can be somehow forced into PAL at all? :/

 

[Hielkenator]

@ Cyan: Thanks a lot for that detailed explanation, I've already noticed that some games require a different ios, opposed to the usual 249 one, I also kinda realised thath there's different versions good for different things and whatnot... it's certainly a lot to wrap your head around to. I already tried choosing different the different ios available in the options menu for the game in cfg. But that didn't really help either, I'm not sure if I installed all ios correctly tho, as I ran into that code dump problem with the suggested way of installing them and had to manually install them with the other way explained there via Wii Mod v2.6 etc. I'm just glad I did get it running somehow, as I spent 2 days figuring out what to do and which files I need (most of the time was taken up by downloading the files, as I currently only have a 64k mobile connection to my avail.... orz)

I haven't got a chance to try out that other USB Loader again yet... I actually do think it should recognise my HDD tho, as it's on that list of compatible USB drives I found somewhere.

Ah well, I'll try out a few things tomorrow and if I can't get the game to run without spending hours of figuring all this out then I guess I'll just leave if be for now... I'm very much a novice to all this, as all I ever had to do with hacking consoles/handhelds before was sending my PS2 in so someone else could implent a modchip and order a M3/Supercard DS Two for my DS... ^^; I tried to help my little bro hack his PSP once, but screwed up completely with that, so yeah, I clearly don't have very much experience with this stuff, heh.

I'll post again tomorrow after fiddling around with the Wii some more.

Edit: As the USB Loader GX download was just finished I quickly put it on my SD card and tried loading the game with various settings (suddenly GX was able to recognise my HDD instantly.. XD) - anyways, the game loads with forced PAL but it doesn't force PAL on it at all, it's still NTSC, so black and white and all shaky... ;_; I didn't try any different ios yet, just fiddled around with the settings turning on/off the video patches and stuff... is there still a chance the game can be somehow forced into PAL at all? :/

The black and white means your tv in not capable of processing NTSC signal.
I suggest getting a newer tv, if you really want to play this game.
But have you tried the vid patch on Sneek + all setting? ( in cfg loader? )
For video mode you have to choose PAL 60.
( as NTSC is 60 hz )

So:
Language = JAP
video mode = PAL 60
Vid patch-=Sneek + All

 

[Cyan]

I'm glad you got USBloaderGX working.
but it's strange that no video signal is helping you to get the color (maybe there's a bug in the settings?).


I have a friend with a TV not accepting NTSC, with old (original yellow/white/red) composite video cable, and she has all NTSC games in black and white.
Usually, the black and white problem is fixed when setting the video signal to "auto" (and I think VidTV enabled too).

If you can connect a Component cable on your TV (red/green/blue instead of yellow) and set to EDTV in the Wii setting, it's also good to get the video output in color without messing with the video settings in the loader.


The color problem has nothing to do with the cIOS.
Use cIOS249 for all your games and you should be fine.

 

[miruki]

The black and white means your tv in not capable of processing NTSC signal.
I suggest getting a newer tv, if you really want to play this game.
But have you tried the vid patch on Sneek + all setting? ( in cfg loader? )
For video mode you have to choose PAL 60.
( as NTSC is 60 hz )

So:
Language = JAP
video mode = PAL 60
Vid patch-=Sneek + All

It doesn't matter if I chose PAL50 or PAL60, b/w and shaky messed upness remains. It's like it's not even forcing anything on it.

Also... I don't think my TV supports 60hz, so forcing PAL60 might not be useful in any case. All of my other NTSC-U games run perfectly with forced PAL50 - just tried running Dokapon Kingdom with PAL60 and yeah, it's colourful & shaky. So my TV doesn't support 60hz, but that's what force PAL50 is for, right? ;_;

Anyways.. I'm sad now as the game ran so perfectly fine on my modded PS2, but won't run at all on the Wii. :/ Hopefully this won't happen with all NTSC-J games.



QUOTE(Cyan @ Sep 13 2011, 12:32 PM) I'm glad you got USBloaderGX working.
but it's strange that no video signal is helping you to get the color (maybe there's a bug in the settings?).


I have a friend with a TV not accepting NTSC, with old (original yellow/white/red) composite video cable, and she has all NTSC games in black and white.
Usually, the black and white problem is fixed when setting the video signal to "auto" (and I think VidTV enabled too).

If you can connect a Component cable on your TV (red/green/blue instead of yellow) and set to EDTV in the Wii setting, it's also good to get the video output in color without messing with the video settings in the loader.


The color problem has nothing to do with the cIOS.
Use cIOS249 for all your games and you should be fine.

I don't really mind the colour actually, but a stable non-flickering shakey image would be nice... ^^; Hmm, I remember having black & white troubles with my US DVDs on the PS2, I'm not sure but I think I had to use another Scart cable to fix that. I've never heard of these other component cables with red/green/blue tho (nor seen them... oO) , I guess I might try that then. Or I'll just wait til I've got enough money for a LCD TV... which might also fix the problem, since thy do support up to 100hz, right? (Or most of them or whatever, I rememer our old one from Samsung being capable of that. But that one's also with an ex.... the sad and tragic story of my life.. XD)

 

[Cyan]

That's strange that your other NTSC games are working fine, but not this unique game.

Maybe it doesn't include the PAL signal at all.
But forcing a missing signal should result in a green screen on boot, not a black and white/shakey image.


There's a way to add missing signals back in the game, but it require editing a file manually. If you want to try, let me know.
(Or maybe that's what WiiFrii already did)


edit :

Spoiler: component vs composite

component on the left, composite on the right.

Each color signals are sent on a separate cable, preventing parasites and making a clearer picture quality (It allows progressive scan option in games).
But you need a TV with component connexions.

Result :

 

[miruki]

That's strange that your other NTSC games are working fine, but not this unique game.

Maybe it doesn't include the PAL signal at all.
But forcing a missing signal should result in a green screen on boot, not a black and white/shakey image.


There's a way to add missing signals back in the game, but it require editing a file manually. If you want to try, let me know.
(Or maybe that's what WiiFrii already did)

Ah, I see now... I've never had a TV with either compononent or composite connections (not too sure about the Samsung LCD TV, as I'd think it probably has one or the other besides the HDMI and Scart connections, I never cared so I never checked - but all my 3 old non-flatscreen TVs did only have a Scart connection and a connection for the cable which is for receiving TV channel signals) - the TV I currently have has audio out slots tho.. XD

Anyways, I don't think it's the cable and yeah, I already thought something like that might be the case with the game - I'm just wondering, as I had no trouble with the original PS2 version (I bought the super pricey special edition of the game with two artbooks and a necklace and postcards and err... yeah XD), if there was no PAL signal in the PS2 version either, does that mean the modchip in my PS2 somehow emulated that? Or is the PS2 a whole different matter when it comes to stuff like that? Just wondering if one of these Wii Region Free discs you can buy would be able to solve the problem or if it would still remain? (You know, these discs that trick the Wii into thinking you're playing a PAL game or something.. XD)

I wouldn't mind messing around with the file itself as well, as long as it's nothing too complicated. I'm not sure what Wii Frii exactly did - when I applied it, it said it changed the region successfully - when I loaded the edited iso in Wii Backup Manager it was still marked as NTSC-J tho, but I'm not sure if that is supposed to change anyways - I guess I could try that with some other game again and see if there's any change.

I'm not really THAT desperate to play the game, as I've already played through it twice and if nothing works I could force ask my best friend to lend me his PSP, as there's also a PSP version of it - tho I'm not sure if it's the original game or a sequel. But by now I'm rather curious as for WHY it doesn't run on my Wii.. XD

 

[Ultraseven]

I've had this game for a while and I live in the States so I'm NTSC. I also use USB LoaderGX and the game starts up fine but the problem is when you get to the first battle 15 minutes into the game, it freezes. I could never figure out why but I suspect it has something to do with the cIOS though I think I remember playing around with that a while ago to see if it could work and I still had the same problems; even when switching to a totally different loader. I usually have no problem playing Japanese or PAL games except that one, Sakura Wars (US version), Monster Hunter Tri, Red Steel 2, TinTin (PAL), Prince of Persia, and Tales of Graces. But all those other ones dont start up at all while this game did. Strange.