Hacking Crap, easy to use channel creator

[the]

@oggzee, I fully support your idea to minimize the loading time by ignoring any theme elements.
I am even trying to go further and get rid of any decorations, I mean to have the only black screen with log messages.
But I am not successful with removing that background gray picture with blue borders... I erased all images under sd:/usb-loader and sd:/usb-loader/ sd:/usb-loader/themes/cfg_Default but the loader still shows this picture when is launched via a forwarder.

Did you embed it into the .dol file of the loader?

There is nothing left anymore to be dreaming about... except a tiny thing, which I mentioned earlier - when CFG loader is launched via forwarders, then its parameter bg_path is set to a strange value builtin, and parameter theme is empty. All these cause displaying the process of loading with wrong colors
Isn't critical of course, but it is incorrect behavior, which looks strange from my perspective
@oggzee, does it work so because you did that with a purpose?

It's on purpose.
If doing the direct launch this code that is run after the config is read

CFG.direct_launch = 1;
CFG_Default_Theme();
CFG.device = CFG_DEV_USB;
*CFG.background = 0;
*CFG.w_background = 0;
CFG.covers = 0;
CFG.gui = 0;
CFG.music = 0;
CFG.confirm_start = 0;

The idea is, since it is used for direct loading, looks don't matter but startup speed does, so everything is set to the basic looks. However one could still change these options with additional parameters on the command line...

 

[oggzee]

@oggzee, I fully support your idea to minimize the loading time by ignoring any theme elements.
I am even trying to go further and get rid of any decorations, I mean to have the only black screen with log messages.
But I am not successful with removing that background gray picture with blue borders... I erased all images under sd:/usb-loader and sd:/usb-loader/ sd:/usb-loader/themes/cfg_Default but the loader still shows this picture when is launched via a forwarder.
Did you embed it into the .dol file of the loader?

Yes, that background is embedded.
I could make it so that it is all black or make that black an option, although not sure if it's worth the effort...

 

[the]

I would agree that it's rather a perfectionism... just wanted to investigate that in case it could be easy fixed without consumption of your development efforts

So thanks, I will try to survive without the black and white log window during loading of a game
:-)

 

[HomebrewEnthusiast109876]

Question: I tried to make a channel for TvC and it says it's write protected every time I try to move it to my I tried both properties and the switch on the card. my other channels work fine and even trying to put them directly on doesn't work.

 

[WiiCrazy]

Write protected for ISO? Weird...

 

[HomebrewEnthusiast109876]

It's a very new game maybe it's a security thing?

 

[WiiCrazy]

It's a very new game maybe it's a security thing?

I've tested and successfully created a channel for this game. Though didn't test on the wii side. Try again, sometimes wad unpacking gives access violations errors... maybe that's the case... In 2.8 I'm changing wad packing & unpacking system entirely by the way.

 

[nitrostemp]

i was just wondering with the mass channel maker part of the program if its possible to drag .ios onto the section with getting the banner file error

 

[WiiCrazy]

Batch feature can only be used along with banners... banners which have the disc id in their filenames... (and especially at the end of the banner file name... like WiiSports-RSPE01.bnr)

Batch mode using ISO & WBFS and stuff is a feature that I'll work in future releases...

 

[DarkoDDio]

Houston, we have a problem
I'm trying to create the channel for Metroid Prime Trilogy using Crap 2.7b:
This is what I do:
1) "open WBFS drive" button, select Metroid Prime Trilogy game and click on "use for channel creation"
at this time only the Banner textbox is compiled
2) I select "Usb Loader 1.6 by WiiCrazy" as Loader
3) Type: USB Loader
4) Alt dol list: rs5mp1.dol (to run directly the first episode)
5) alt dol type: Alt dol from DISC
and nothig else

click "create channel" and I receive "Alt dol feature can't be used in Batch Mode!"
What does it mean? I'm not using the batch mode

I tryied also to select the ISO file after step 1) but I receive the same error
Anyone can help me?

 

[WiiCrazy]

@Darko : This is most possibly a bug, let me compile a quick fix for it... hmm just remembered, can't do a quick fix because I did some major changes... anyway now releasing 2.8a with this bugfix...

this is alpha by the way not even I tested thoroughly... You can fallback to 1.6b where alt-dol feature is introduced for this specific game... by the way, you can't create channels for all three games and play them with saves just to remind as far as I know...

http://www.tepetaklak.com/data/CrapV2.8a.rar

I'm not pasting changes as they are due to change in a proper release...

 

[tHciNc]

Why not just run using usbcfg (no splash screen) I dont see anything on my created channels, all happens in the background i take it, loads isos off ntfs drive flawlessly

 

[DarkoDDio]

@Darko : This is most possibly a bug, let me compile a quick fix for it... hmm just remembered, can't do a quick fix because I did some major changes... anyway now releasing 2.8a with this bugfix...

OMG, what a service!

thanks WiiCrazy, channel created correctly only selecting the game from WBFS drive and settings Alt dol
I will try it this evening (now I'm at work, without my dear wii

)

I have a small question about TitleID: as I understand, it is important to not overwrite already installed channels.
So why it is not equal to the DiscID? Which is the logic behind the TitleID label creation?

(I'm a developer too, so I'm good to find bugs

nothing serious for now)
If I want to create another channel from another game in the WBSF drive, I click again on "Open WBFS Drive", then game list appear, but if I select one of them and then press "Use for channel creation" it ask me to select the drive first
So I see 2 options: hide/disable the games list listbox after channel creation and enable it only after pressing "Get list"
or keep the already selected drive I used for the previus channel creation

Anoher very little bug: look at the sequence titleID-discID, they are swapped in the final filename

 

[WiiCrazy]

@Darko : Well indeed I am aware of these problems

Just I am a bit lazy. Anyhow thanks for reporting, appreciated!

 

[DarkoDDio]

http://www.tepetaklak.com/data/CrapV2.8a.rar

I'm not pasting changes as they are due to change in a proper release...

> you can't create channels for all three games and play them with saves just to remind as far as I know...

Thanks WiiCrazy
version 2.8a works perfectly!
I use Alt dols in the disk to run the single episode (actually I'm playing the first one), and it load automatically the last save

 

[WiiCrazy]

http://www.tepetaklak.com/data/CrapV2.8a.rar

I'm not pasting changes as they are due to change in a proper release...

> you can't create channels for all three games and play them with saves just to remind as far as I know...

Thanks WiiCrazy
version 2.8a works perfectly!
I use Alt dols in the disk to run the single episode (actually I'm playing the first one), and it load automatically the last save

Hmm, if you select the proper game then you are being able to save in game then? so to switch between games one should switch through them booting the game without alt-dol?

 

[GolfDude]

can the config fowarder get updated to the newest 52b2.dol ? i overwrote the actual loader but the channels are just too big, so id love to see that revision as the fowarder so i can save space..

 

[Dialexio]

The forwarder uses the copy of Configurable USB Loader on your SD card.

 

[GolfDude]

will it also work if its on the usb , and not sd?

 

[TyRaNtM]

@WiiCrazy, are you working about the 480p bug?