Homebrew How to use the Homebrew Channel as a simple loader for games (skip the emulator menu)

[libertyernie]

This probably isn't of interest to most people, but it fits my setup well. I have a Wii U, and most of the games I want to play, I already have copies of (either from eShop or on disc). That leaves a handful of GameCube games and a few SNES games (BS Zelda, I'm looking at you!)

Instead of setting up a loader like Wiiflow or USB Loader GX, I just launch each game from its own Homebrew Channel entry. I've got this working with GameCube games (via Ninendont), Genesis and Game Gear games (via Genesis Plus GX), and NES, SNES, and Game Boy games (through dborth's emulators.)

This isn't so much a tutorial as a way for me to remember this later

Nintendont

Use a version of Nintendont that includes my base64 patch. You can get one at: https://github.com/libertyernie/Nintendont/releases/

(If compiling from source, this patch is the one you need.)

Grab NinCFGEditor (it's a Windows application, but it might work on Mono too) and follow these steps: (edit: Nicoe works too)

1. Put the custom Nintendont .dol file in the same folder as NinCFGEditor.exe, and name it boot.dol

2. Put the GameCube game on your SD card as /games/{name of game}/game.iso (like you normally do for Nintendont)

3. Open NinCFGEditor

4. Use the "..." button next to the Game Path entry area to find and select the game's .iso or .gcm file on your SD/USB; the Game ID will be filled in automatically

5. Turn Auto Boot on (and adjust other settings if you want to)

6. Use Tools > Export All Files to save the files to a folder on your SD/USB directly underneath /apps - this should save boot.dol, meta.xml, and icon.png

7. Make any custom edits to meta.xml or icon.png (if you want to)

Genesis Plus GX

Use a recent version of Genesis Plus GX. 1.7.5RC1 might be too old to autoload games properly. Try using genplus_wii.dol from https://github.com/ekeeke/Genesis-Plus-GX/tree/master/builds.

Genesis Plus GX will share at least some settings (e.g. video size and filter) among all games. These are stored in the /genplus folder in your SD card, which it will create if it does not exist.

Make a folder in your /apps folder with boot.dol (the genplus_wii.dol file you downloaded earlier), icon.png, meta.xml, and the rom file. I like to make sure the folder and rom file names don't have spaces.

Example of meta.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<app version="1">
<name>Rocket Knight Adventures</name>
<coder></coder>
<version></version>
<release_date></release_date>
<short_description>Sega Genesis</short_description>
<long_description> </long_description>
<arguments>
<arg>sd:/apps/rocketknightadventures/</arg> <!-- This trailing slash is necessary -->
<arg>rocketknightadventures.bin</arg>
</arguments>
<ahb_access/>
</app>

icon.png should be 128x48, with transparency. You'll probably want to make one yourself in a program like GIMP.

Snes9x GX, FCE Ultra GX, VisualBoy Advance GX

You'll need to use a version built some time after 30 July 2018. This means fceugx 3.4.0+, snes9xgx 4.3.8+, and vbagx 2.3.7+. These versions have a patch I contributed to make sure this method of loading games works properly.

These emulators store their settings in an XML file in the app folder, so they will vary depending on the game.

You will want to create some folders on your SD card:
* fceugx/saves
* snes9xgx/saves
* vbagx/saves
* vbagx/borders (optional - for saving Super Game Boy borders in SGB mode so you can use them in GBC mode)

Example of meta.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<app version="1">
<name>Tetris Blast</name>
<coder></coder>
<version></version>
<release_date></release_date>
<short_description>Super Game Boy</short_description>
<long_description> </long_description>
<arguments>
<arg>sd:/apps/tetrisblast</arg>
<arg>tetrisblast.gb</arg>
</arguments>
<ahb_access />
</app>

 

[Cyan]

USBLoaderGX can also benefit from launching a game directly using arguments.
if you set a titleID6 as argument, you get autolaunch.

<arguments>
<arg>SMNP01</arg>
</arguments>

will launch New super Mario Wii automatically, without any GUI, using the settings set in USBloaderGX global+individual settings.
You can make multiple different folders, but it can create issues if the loader is not setup correctly and you might have to store multiple settings (unless you use sd:/config/ path). first setup the loader, then add the TitleID6 to argument.

There's no meta editor, you have to edit it manually, but your nincfgEditor is also launched on computer and need a user action to edit it. the config file is overwritten if you edit your settings/use another loader to launch nintendont. So, you'd require to replace nincfg.bin often.
But you can also set a Gamecube TitleID6, it will launch nintendont, with the setting set in USBLoaderGX. it will generate a new nincfg.bin for each launched game, based on settings stored on the USBLoaderGX settings, no need to use a computer's binary file generator anymore.
<arg>GZLP01</arg> will launch nintendont with generated settings and path to Zelda game.


I'm sure Wiiflow has the same feature.

 

[libertyernie]

the config file is overwritten if you edit your settings/use another loader to launch nintendont. So, you'd require to replace nincfg.bin often..

I made sure NinCFGEditor could store the nincfg.bin inside the meta.xml as base64. That's actually the only reason my tutorial uses a patched nintendont. It uses that instead of the actual nincfg.bin file.

But if you have USB Loader GX installed already, it's way easier to just use that.

 

[fatherjack]

Hi,
could these custom boot.dol's be used for a wii sysmenu channel forwarder (wad)?

 

[Cyan]

you can use these dols into a channel, but you'll lose the arguments feature to launch a different game per channel.
it you want a channel with the argument, you'll need to inject a forwarder per channel to that dol, the forwarder will be the one sending the arguments to the loaded boot.dol on SD card.

 

[SaulFabre]

Thanks a lot about this awesome tutorial!!!

Now this means we can make uninjectable VC games for Wii by just making the emulator autoboot the ROM. I just did that with the Snes9X GX v4.5.2 and the game Star Fox 2 which is extracted from the SNES Classic Mini:

Greetings

 

[Zorg07]

Thanks!

 

[Zorg07]

Here is a demo that also works perfectly with RetroArch cores, as if it were a Virtual Console Arcade. I'm using the RetroArch Wii mod (RA-HEXAECO-ESP) from SuperrSonic.

 

[SaulFabre]

Here is a demo that also works perfectly with RetroArch cores, as if it were a Virtual Console Arcade. I'm using the RetroArch Wii mod (RA-HEXAECO-ESP) from SuperrSonic.
View attachment 270887
View attachment 270888
View attachment 270889
View attachment 270890

Great work @Zorg1996
CPS-3, big NEOGEO games and classic MAME arcade games on Wii VC

 

[Delconles]

Nintendont

hello, is there a way to do this:

Put the GameCube game on your SD card as /games/{name of game}/game.iso (like you normally do for Nintendont)

but for usb games ?

grettings!!!

 

[SaulFabre]

hello, is there a way to do this:

Put the GameCube game on your SD card as /games/{name of game}/game.iso (like you normally do for Nintendont)

but for usb games ?

grettings!!!

@Delconles

If you had read the tutorial carefully, @libertyernie states that the Nintendont game autoboot setting can be used also for boot GCN games from USB, by doing the same tutorial for SD with the only difference that you have to put the game in the USB device as mentioned and then select the ROM from USB to load when on NinCFGEditor ot Nicoe.

For explain more this, i've edited some steps in this quote:

Nintendont

Use a version of Nintendont that includes my base64 patch. You can get one at: https://github.com/libertyernie/Nintendont/releases/

(If compiling from source, this patch is the one you need.)

Grab NinCFGEditor (it's a Windows application, but it might work on Mono too) and follow these steps: (edit: Nicoe works too)

1. Put the custom Nintendont .dol file in the same folder as NinCFGEditor.exe, and name it boot.dol

2. Put the GameCube game on your SD card or USB drive as /games/{name of game}/game.iso (like you normally do for Nintendont)

3. Open NinCFGEditor or Nicoe

4. Use the "..." button next to the Game Path entry area to find and select the game's .iso or .gcm file on your SD card/USB drive; the Game ID will be filled in automatically

5. Turn Auto Boot on (and adjust other settings if you want to)

6. Use Tools > Export All Files to save the files to a folder on your SD/USB directly underneath /apps - this should save boot.dol, meta.xml, and icon.png

7. Make any custom edits to meta.xml or icon.png (if you want to)

Greetings

 

[Delconles]

@Delconles

If you had read the tutorial carefully, @libertyernie states that the Nintendont game autoboot setting can be used also for boot GCN games from USB, by doing the same tutorial for SD with the only difference that you have to put the game in the USB device as mentioned and then select the ROM from USB to load when on NinCFGEditor ot Nicoe.

For explain more this, i've edited some steps in this quote:


Greetings

thanks for answering, but even if i select the rom from usb nintendont says that the game is not found in sd:/games/... any suggestions?

 

[SaulFabre]

thanks for answering, but even if i select the rom from usb nintendont says that the game is not found in sd:/games/... any suggestions?

maybe you need to ask @libertyernie about this for autobooting GCN games from USB...
i can't help further in that since i don't use Nintendont (since i don't own a Wii)

 

[alegamer4008]

maybe you need to ask @libertyernie about this for autobooting GCN games from USB...
i can't help further in that since i don't use Nintendont (since i don't own a Wii)

same for me, i put on NinCFGEditor an usb rom and when i load on homebrew channel the dol file nintendont tries to load the game from the sd bruh

 

[CoolMe]

same for me, i put on NinCFGEditor an usb rom and when i load on homebrew channel the dol file nintendont tries to load the game from the sd bruh

What game? GC game? Are you clicking on load from usb when you first launch Nintendont?

 

[alegamer4008]

What game? GC game? Are you clicking on load from usb when you first launch Nintendont?

yes, a GC game, and if you use the .dol file you can't select which drive to use

 

[godreborn]

@SaulFabre , remember how your boot.dol didn't exit correctly? if you used the one from that link above, the exit button is different (was using a pro controller). I found where the code differs:

 

[RetroZone]

im having problems where the rom wont load

 

[SaulFabre]

im having problems where the rom wont load

what homebrew emulator are you using?

 

[B0bTh3Pil0t]

I tried making a wad with the boot.dol file and it loads into Nintendont, gets to the part where it says "Loading IOS58 Kernel", then the screen flashes green and my console resets. What can I do to fix this?