Hacking Rhapsodii Shima 5.4

[Tetsuo Shima]

@monologued not possibile to change that button's behaviour from the theme, it's hardcoded in wiiflow.

@spinoman backgrounds are automatically assigned to a platform when they match the platform's name and are placed in wiiflow/backgrounds/Rapsodii Shima. Open platform.ini and see how the various platforms are named exactly like the bg images.
There's no simple way to do what you say, and in my opinion is not worth it.
You could create duplicate backgrounds, named after the platforms you wish to add (see the 'Arcades' section of Rhapsodii shima, with many different platforms all with the same bg with the cabinet). However they would replace your individual backgrounds, so you would lose them.
Also, mixing plugins that use different covers sizes or orientation in one single flow (e.g. nes, supernes) will result in wiiflow showing all games with standard DVD cases.
Another way could be replacing platform names with a new one in platform.ini but they'll not work anymore individually.

 

[monologued]

@monologued not possibile to change that button's behaviour from the theme, it's hardcoded in wiiflow.

@spinoman backgrounds are automatically assigned to a platform when they match the platform's name and are placed in wiiflow/backgrounds/Rapsodii Shima. Open platform.ini and see how the various platforms are named exactly like the bg images.
There's no simple way to do what you say, and in my opinion is not worth it.
You could create duplicate backgrounds, named after the platforms you wish to add (see the 'Arcades' section of Rhapsodii shima, with many different platforms all with the same bg with the cabinet). However they would replace your individual backgrounds, so you would lose them.
Also, mixing plugins that use different covers sizes or orientation in one single flow (e.g. nes, supernes) will result in wiiflow showing all games with standard DVD cases.
Another way could be replacing platform names with a new one in platform.ini but they'll not work anymore individually.

Much appreciated, you've saved me a lot of time there! Thanks for all your hard work

 

[fledge68]

hi, i'm on wiiflow 5.4.6.
if in source_menu.ini i create a button that combine two magic number (for instance "sega"+"nintendo") is it possibile to associate it with a generic "games" background that it's not neither sega nor nintendo?
even the default vapor.png should be okay.
the background=tier???.png voice is only available under [GENERAL] section?
thanks, spinoman

when using a source menu button with multiple magic numbers the magic number of the first plugin title alphabetically is used to determine the background. I admit not a optimal solution. I should problably change that to use the 'generic' background of the theme if multiple magic numbers are used.

if sega is the first magic number AND you don't ever use sega by itself (alone) you could just rename that background to keep wiiflow from using it and wiiflow will use the generic background.

if that's not an option then i will make a change to wiiflow. but i see you are still way back on wiiflow 5.4.6 and i am working on 5.5.3.

 

[spinoman]

well, actually i've done it!

i'll describe here how to do it, maybe useful to someone.

what i'm trying to do:
i have kids, i teached them to navigate in wiiflow and use star icon to quickly select their "stargame". the little one can't read yet, so he use images to find what he is interested in.
now, if they can't remember in which section is the game they are looking for, it's all a yelling:
- dad where is tetris?- -under gameboy color!-
- dad where is sonic?- -under the black one (megadrive)-
so i need a way to group all their "stargames" with a star background. there are several steps.

when a button in source menu combines multiple platforms, the background shown is the one associated with the magicnumber's displayname that comes first in alphabetic order.

1) create a new magicnumber in platform.ini (plugins_data folder) and associate it with a new "star" platform:
53544152=STAR

2) create a new ini file in plugins folder. this is my star.ini, only basic informations are needed. to be sure that it's display name will be the first of all the others choose something like 0000

(blank line)
[PLUGIN]
magic=53544152
displayname=0000
(eof)

3) create a new image for the star background and put in wiiflow\background\Rhapsodii Shima\ folder, mine is STAR.PNG;

4) create a new button image and put in wiiflow\source_menu\Rhapsodii Shima\ folder, mine is xstar.png;

6) create a new button in source_menu.ini that combines all the platforms you want plus the star one:

[BUTTON_X]
image=xstar.png
image_s=xstar.png
magic=53544152,magicnumber1,magicnumber2...
source=plugin
title=All Star Games

7) it's working. all games will be shown in dvd case covers.

i attach here the images i'm using, the best i can do without the original templates. i have optimized them with pnggauntlet.

thanks to tetsuo shima and fledge68.
---
edited with advices from fledge68

 

[fledge68]

well, actually i've done it!

i'll describe here how to do it, maybe useful to someone.

what i'm trying to do:
i have kids, i teached them to navigate in wiiflow and use star icon to quickly select their "stargame". the little one can't read yet, so he use images to find what he is interested in.
now, if they can't remember in which section is the game they are looking for, it's all a yelling:
- dad where is tetris?- -under gameboy color!-
- dad where is sonic?- -under the black one (megadrive)-
so i need a way to group all their "stargames". there are several steps.

when a button in source menu combine multiple magic numbers, the background shown is the one associated with the magic number who came first in (hexa) numerical order.

1) create a new magic number in platform.ini (plugins_data folder) who will be always the first, and associate it with a new "star" platform:
30303030=STAR

2) create a new ini file in plugins folder. this is my star.ini, only basic informations are needed:

(blank line)
[PLUGIN]
magic=30303030
romdir=roms
rompartition=0
filetypes=.dummy
(eof)

3) create a dummy file in your rom folder. i've made it with notepad, a blank one file.dummy with 0 bytes size.

4) create new image for the star background and put in wiiflow\background\Rhapsodii Shima\ folder, mine is STAR.PNG;

5) create a new button image and put in wiiflow\source_menu\Rhapsodii Shima\ folder, mine is xstar.png;

6) create a new button in source_menu.ini who combine all the platforms you want plus the star one:

[BUTTON_X]
image=xstar.png
image_s=xstar.png
magic=30303030,magicnumber1,magicnumber2...
source=plugin
title=All Star Games

7) it's working. all games will be shown in dvd case covers. in wiiflow remember to hide the dummy "stargame" using categories.

i attach here the images i'm using, the best i can do without the original templates. i have optimized them with pnggauntlet.
thanks to tetsuo shima and fledge68.

a lot of work but nice job. i'm pretty sure you can just remove the dummy rom and it won't be included in the covers and no need to hide it using categories.

 

[spinoman]

a lot of work but nice job. i'm pretty sure you can just remove the dummy rom and it won't be included in the covers and no need to hide it using categories.

if i remove the dummy rom wiiflow shows the background of the first game it can find.

however, that opens many possibilities...
here's one: if, adding some dummy platforms, it's possibile to associate a background to a button (and not only to a platform) we can create any type of source menus (with helping from categories): a button and a background for fighting games, a button and a background for racing games and so on... that's cool!

 

[fledge68]

if i remove the dummy rom wiiflow shows the background of the first game it can find.

It's not based on the game. all plugins in wiiflow/plugins are added to a list wiiflow creates. and then sorted alphabetically by the 'displayname' of the plugin ([PLUGIN]displayname=). your ini doesn't seem to have a displayname so i'm assuming its first or last.

then wiiflow takes that plugin's magic number and using platform.ini gets the filename for the background image.

however, that opens many possibilities...
here's one: if, adding some dummy platforms, it's possibile to associate a background to a button (and not only to a platform) we can create any type of source menus (with helping from categories): a button and a background for fighting games, a button and a background for racing games and so on... that's cool!

yes thats the idea if you got the time and the graphical talent. I've always thought of just making a nintendo button and clicking it would display only nintendo consoles/games and the same for sega. and like you said you could do a button for racing games and fighting games. it would be like using categories and source menu's combined. and remember the backgrounds are optional. there is a generic background from the theme.

 

[spinoman]

naturally, you was right... i've made the wrong guess on wiiflow sorting. the dummy game was useful for testing, however.
i've checked again with my setup and i confirm that it works with the updated method.
i've edit my post with the correct informations. thanks.

 

[r0bster]

i was wondering if someone can help...when using wiiflow with rhapsodii shima and lets say i navigate to retro console ->snes...i start the game....when i quit i would like to go back automatically where i have been before in rhapsodii...the last plugin selected. Is it possible to "save the position" in shima?

 

[Tetsuo Shima]

i was wondering if someone can help...when using wiiflow with rhapsodii shima and lets say i navigate to retro console ->snes...i start the game....when i quit i would like to go back automatically where i have been before in rhapsodii...the last plugin selected. Is it possible to "save the position" in shima?

There's a setting to change in Wiiflow. Click on the settings button (gear icon) then go go Page 12 and set 'source menu on start' to 'No'

 

[chrondelta]

I made a blank for Pokemon Mini, if anyone's interested in using it.

 

[r0bster]

hi there, i have a strange problem, i already downloaded many wii games cover without problems and after reloading cache, the covers always show up...my latest attempts do not work, after downloading the cover files they wont show after reloading cache. I checked it, they are physically on harddisk but wont be converted after reloading cache. Any ideas?

 

[Tetsuo Shima]

hi there, i have a strange problem, i already downloaded many wii games cover without problems and after reloading cache, the covers always show up...my latest attempts do not work, after downloading the cover files they wont show after reloading cache. I checked it, they are physically on harddisk but wont be converted after reloading cache. Any ideas?

Give us more details. Wii/gc games or plugin games? Full 3d covers or front 2d covers? Which path did you put them in? How are they named?

 

[fledge68]

hi there, i have a strange problem, i already downloaded many wii games cover without problems and after reloading cache, the covers always show up...my latest attempts do not work, after downloading the cover files they wont show after reloading cache. I checked it, they are physically on harddisk but wont be converted after reloading cache. Any ideas?

What version of wiiflow lite? It's a known issue in older versions.

 

[r0bster]

Give us more details. Wii/gc games or plugin games? Full 3d covers or front 2d covers? Which path did you put them in? How are they named?

its full 3d covers for wii, not plugins. I have them in wiiflow/boxcovers on usb1. i tried to copy them over to wiiflow/boxcovers/wii and edit the wii.ini without any result. They are named like the wbfs files.
Should i mentioned that ts nearly 1100 games and 1000 show up, the rest not even if they are donwloaded....

/edit: should be a new version, 5.5.2 i believe....its quite a new build

 

[matto21]

its full 3d covers for wii, not plugins. I have them in wiiflow/boxcovers on usb1. i tried to copy them over to wiiflow/boxcovers/wii and edit the wii.ini without any result. They are named like the wbfs files.
Should i mentioned that ts nearly 1100 games and 1000 show up, the rest not even if they are donwloaded....

/edit: should be a new version, 5.5.2 i believe....its quite a new build

opps

 

[Tetsuo Shima]

You have over 1000 Wii games? Maybe it can be and out of memory issue.
Or you're using an unoptimized version of my theme... You got it from this thread or sonewhere else?

 

[r0bster]

You have over 1000 Wii games? Maybe it can be and out of memory issue.
Or you're using an unoptimized version of my theme... You got it from this thread or sonewhere else?

I downloaded it from this thread...don't think it's memory related I am using a 5tb disk and 128gb SD card, both have lot of.space free

 

[Tetsuo Shima]

I downloaded it from this thread...don't think it's memory related I am using a 5tb disk and 128gb SD card, both have lot of.space free

I'm referring to Wii system memory, not storage

 

[fledge68]

its full 3d covers for wii, not plugins. I have them in wiiflow/boxcovers on usb1. i tried to copy them over to wiiflow/boxcovers/wii and edit the wii.ini without any result. They are named like the wbfs files.
Should i mentioned that ts nearly 1100 games and 1000 show up, the rest not even if they are donwloaded....

/edit: should be a new version, 5.5.2 i believe....its quite a new build

yep its a known issue. you have too many covers.

read this - https://github.com/Fledge68/WiiFlow_Lite/wiki/Known-Issues#issue-downloading-covers