Tutorial The Unofficial Guide of NSMBU Hacking

[AboodXD]

Please don't quote this long post!

Well, we've finally got NSMBU working with custom levels via cafiine. So, here is the unofficial guide of NSMBU hacking:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. MUSIC HACKING
2. LEVEL EDITING
3. EDITING WORLDS' NAMES, AND LEVELS' NAMES
4. CUSTOM TILESETS
5. CUSTOM TEXTURES/OUTFITS
   
6. LOADING CUSTOM STUFF

LET'S-A-GO!

• MUSIC HACKING:

Music and SFX files are BFWAV files, they are all included in some "Wave archives"(BFWARs), all of the BFWARs are included in one BFSAR file.

For the sake of saving time, we're going to extract BFWAVs right from the BFSAR! And skip the BFWARs part like bosses...

Spoiler: How to get all of the BFWAVs out of the BFSAR:

Step 1: Get your BFSAR file ready.
Step 2: Download VGMToolBox.
Step 3: Go to this page and right-click, click "Save page as", and click "Save".
Step 4: Move "wiiufwav.xml" to "\plugins\AdvancedCutter\" inside VGMToolBox folder.
Step 5: Launch "VGMToolbox.exe", and go to "Misc. Tools>Extraction Tools>Generic>Advanced Cutter/Offset Finder", like in the photo:

Spoiler: Step 6:

Spoiler: Step 7:

Spoiler: Step 8:

Done!

Quick tip here: If you want to listen to BFWAVs on your computer, download foobar2000, and install this component.

Spoiler: Editing music:

Spoiler: Making BFWAVs

Soon!™, @soneek is working on it.

Spoiler: Editing BFSAR

Soon!™, @soneek is working on it.

• LEVEL EDITING:

There is a thread for sharing custom levels. See here. For that thread, I will tell you how to edit/make levels.

Download Reggie! NSMBU by @RoadrunnerWMC, or my version for faster loading and texture rendering(You can get it from my Github, TESTED ON WINDOWS ONLY!!).

Spoiler: How to run Reggie!:

Download and install the following:

• Python 3.4 (or newer) - http://www.python.org
• PyQt 5.3 (or newer) - http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/intro
• cx_Freeze 4.3 (or newer) (optional) - http://cx-freeze.sourceforge.net
• PyQtRibbon (latest version) - https://github.com/RoadrunnerWMC/PyQtRibbon
• TPLLib (latest version) - https://github.com/RoadrunnerWMC/TPLLib
• Pillow (if using my version of Reggie! NSMBU) - https://pypi.python.org/pypi/Pillow

Run the following in a command prompt:

python3 reggie.py

You can replace python3 with the path to python.exe (including "python.exe" at the end) and reggie.py with the path to reggie.py (including "reggie.py" at the end)

Spoiler: Decompress Levels for faster loading:

Levels in NSMBU are compressed SARC archives, let's decompress them for faster loading.
This isn't recommended, because the size of all the levels DECOMPRESSED: 4.46 GB (4,798,389,810 bytes).....!
Step 1: Download yaz0dec by thakis.
Step 2: put "decomp.bat" and yaz0dec in the same folder as the levels.
Step 3: run decomp.bat, wait.

Spoiler: Level editing:

This is where real editing begins!
You can't create new levels due to the editor limitations, so... edit an existing one!
Step 1: Open reggie.py and run it, choose a level, SARC or SZS, choose 1-1.sarc/szs for example
Step 2: Edit the level however you want(don't mess things up, otherwise your level might crash!)
Step 3: Once you're done, click "File", then "Export Level As...", choose a name, it must end with ".sarc"! (example:1-1.sarc)

Spoiler: this screen will pop up

, don't panic! You have to choose a name again, it must NOT end with ".sarc"(example:1-1).

Done! Now we compress the level.

Spoiler: How to Compress levels:

In NSMBU, you must compress levels back to SZS.

Spoiler: METHOD1: Using fake_yaz0.exe (Recommended):

Step 1: Download.
Step 2: Create a New Text Document and rename it to comp.bat.
Step 3: Right-click, Edit, type:

fake_yaz0.exe input.sarc compressed.szs

Step 4: replace "input.sarc" with path and name of your level, Example: "B:\Course\1-1.sarc".
Step 5: replace "compressed.szs" with the name you want(ends with .szs), Example: "1-1.szs".
Step 6: Save and run, wait.

Spoiler: METHOD2: Using Every File Explorer:

No steps available, yet.

Spoiler: METHOD3: Using Wiimms SZS Tools:

Step 1: Download.
Step 1.5: Double-click "sendto-install.bat", and wait. You might need to restart your PC after this.
Step 2: Create a New Text Document and rename it to comp.bat.
Step 3: Right-click, Edit, type:

wszst compress input.sarc --dest compressed.szs

Step 4: replace "input.sarc" with path and name of your level, Example: "B:\Course\1-1.sarc".
Step 5: replace "compressed.szs" with the name you want(ends with .szs), Example: "1-1.szs".
Step 6: Save and run, wait.

Spoiler: METHOD4: Using YAZ0COMP.EXE:

Download.

Spoiler: Follow this video:

You're now done with compressing the level, now, let's go PLAY THE LEVEL!

To be completed soon!™
STAY TUNED!

Special thanks to:
Whoever made VGMToolBox.
Whoever made YAZ0COMP.EXE (yaz0kit).
Whoever made fake_yaz0.exe.
@MrRean, @RoadrunnerWMC, @Hiccup, Grop, Treeki, and any other person that worked on Reggie! Next.
@soneek.
Thakis for yaz0dec.
@NWPlayer123, @Marionumber1, @Hykem and anyone who made Wii U hacking possible.

 

[2manyGames2play]

Thnx, i'll be keeping an eye on this whenever i decide to jump into hacking/editing levels myself :-)

 

[AboodXD]

Added how to compress levels.

 

[AboodXD]

@Don Jon Models can't be replaced, but, you can make custom textures, I'll add a tutorial in the first post.

 

[Don Jon]

What the hell is wrong with the mods around here?
How can my post be offtopic?
Smh
Anyways
Can models be loaded to 3ds max?
And than exported at least?

 

[AboodXD]

What the hell is wrong with the mods around here?
How can my post be offtopic?
Smh
Anyways
Can models be loaded to 3ds max?
And than exported at least?

Yes.

 

[SpencerlyEverly]

You borrowed that thread idea from me, didn't you?

Yeah. I like this thread. Keep it up!

 

[AileenLumina]

Is yaz0dec/SZS to SARC made by you? Because it's on your github while you're not crediting anyone.

 

[AboodXD]

Is yaz0dec/SZS to SARC made by you? Because it's on your github while you're not crediting anyone.

Eh, it's for the internet. Who cares?

No, I didn't make it, I uploaded it to github.com because it's easier to do.
Also, I recognize you from RHCafe, you asked if you can decompress more than an szs file in a time, hope this tutorial helps because it tells you how.

Step 1: Download yaz0dec.
Step 2: put "decomp.bat" and yaz0dec in the same folder as the levels.
Step 3: run decomp.bat, wait.

 

[AileenLumina]

That wouldn't even work. You have to use a Powershell command to properly rename the files.

Just one thing: Can you at least add who has made yaz0dec (mrysav), YAZ0COMP.EXE and Reggie! NSMBU (MrRean et al.)? If you'd do that, nobody would complain.

 

[AboodXD]

That wouldn't even work. You have to use a Powershell command to properly rename the files.

Just one thing: Can you at least add who has made yaz0dec (mrysav), YAZ0COMP.EXE and Reggie! NSMBU (MrRean et al.)? If you'd do that, nobody would complain.

Yes, it works, did you try it? At least I did.
I mean, try it, and if didn't work, I'll try to help you.

mrysav didn't make yaz0dec... it was made by thakis.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Also, the yaz0dec.exe in my github isn't the original yaz0dec, it's an edited version.

 

[Ohad1th]

So you make super mario level , why not play mario maker lol
Nice effort tho

 

[AboodXD]

So you make super mario level , why not play mario maker lol
Nice effort tho

Super Mario Maker is a good game, I admit it.
But, it's actually limited! Anyone who isn't new to Mario hacking scene would know this.
That's way I chose NSMBU over SMM.

 

[Ohad1th]

Super Mario Maker is a good game, I admit it.
But, it's actually limited! Anyone who isn't new to Mario hacking scene would know this.
That's way I chose NSMBU over SMM.

Guess you're right lol , too bad I habe 5.5.1 and I'm not good with these stuff lol

 

[AboodXD]

Guess you're right lol , too bad I habe 5.5.1 and I'm not good with these stuff lol

Well, I'm on 5.5.1 too, but I never lost hope on hacking NSMBU, I currently use Cemu to test my custom stuff.

 

[TheTrueScruffy]

Thanks for the tutorial! Also the levels that are contained in SARC archives contain all the Tilesets and Objects/Sprites used in the level. This means that you are limited to whatever this level supports. Example: Placing a Rolling Hill in 1-1 will crash the game once you get near it, this happens because the file "circle_ground" doesn't exist in 1-1.szs. Though you can't modify 1-1 with placing a Rolling Hill in it, you can modify 1-3 then save it as 1-1. The only thing is that 1-3 might not contain anything else like a Red Coin Ring needed to remake 1-1 from NSMBW (Which is what i'm trying to do.) Maybe (IF it's possible) Someone can create a mod for ReggieNSMBU where you can place sprites in a level that don't exist then select the SARC where the sprite exists in and then save like that. (It isn't possible to just copy the file over because there must be some Database in the file where it knows where all the sprites are and it just crashes whenever I try to load the level ins NSMBU Reggie.)

 

[AboodXD]

Thanks for the tutorial! Also the levels that are contained in SARC archives contain all the Tilesets and Objects/Sprites used in the level.

You're right

This means that you are limited to whatever this level supports. Example: Placing a Rolling Hill in 1-1 will crash the game once you get near it, this happens because the file "circle_ground" doesn't exist in 1-1.szs.

You're wrong!!
Placing a rolling hill will work, even if circle_ground doesn't exist inside 1-1.szs. (It's probably that you didn't use the correct settings for it)

Yes, every level has its own tilesets.
A new level editor (Satoru) will be released soon, and it will fix that issue.

 

[AboodXD]

WOW, THIS THREAD IS SOOOO OUTDATED!

I have been able to do a lot of fancy stuff.

 

[markehmus]

Satoru??

 

[AboodXD]

No, but if you want to know what fancy stuff I'm talking about, check out my channel.