ROM Hack [Tutorial] Edit the HomeMenu

[Thunder Kai]

Once you use part1.bat, the file you want to edit will be ExtractedRomFS\message\*Region*_*Language*\menu_msbt_LZ.bin
For me it was ExtractedRomFS\message\US_English\menu_msbt_LZ.bin
You'll want to download MSBT Editor Reloaded, then use Tools->Manage LZ11->Decompress on that file, which will produce a file called menu_msbt_LZ.bin.bin. You can then open that file using File->Open to start editing.

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Just as a note it contains ALL of the text in the homemenu, so you will have to search for what you want to edit as there is a lot

Part1 won't extract my cia
nvm, edited the .bat and worked

 

[Thunder Kai]

Well... FBI bricked me
What cia installer i use?

 

[nooby89]

Use Big BlueMenu...

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

Well... FBI bricked me
What cia installer i use?

fbi 1.x and 2.x never had any issues for me. Did you install an unmodified homemenu cia first?

 

[Thunder Kai]

fbi 1.x and 2.x never had any issues for me. Did you install an unmodified homemenu cia first?

The unmodified one is the one that bricked me

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

The unmodified one is the one that bricked me

:/ Try BigBlueMenu I guess.

 

[Thunder Kai]

:/ Try BigBlueMenu I guess.

Won't install, says it's already installed

 

[Traiver]

Try DevMenu 11_4, install the unmodified one first and then the modified one. That's how mine works...

 

[TheCyberQuake]

Won't install, says it's already installed

I only had that issue when I was trying to install a modified homemenu over an already-modified homemenu. I know you said you already installed a fresh copy of unmodified homemenu, but I would verify that you actually are installing the unmodified version (download from 3DNUS making sure to get the right one for your region then place directly onto SD to install) and that you have the latest version of FBI.
Bricking from installing a fresh homemenu even after multiple tries could mean you don't have the correct version of homemenu (either incorrect region or potentially not the right cia at all due to typo in 3DNUS)

 

[Thunder Kai]

I only had that issue when I was trying to install a modified homemenu over an already-modified homemenu. I know you said you already installed a fresh copy of unmodified homemenu, but I would verify that you actually are installing the unmodified version (download from 3DNUS making sure to get the right one for your region then place directly onto SD to install) and that you have the latest version of FBI.
Bricking from installing a fresh homemenu even after multiple tries could mean you don't have the correct version of homemenu (either incorrect region or potentially not the right cia at all due to typo in 3DNUS)

I'm positive it was the right one and FBI won't even accept it

 

[Jacklack3]

Would be great to use if 3DNUS worked for me.

Says it's unable to update everytime.

 

[Jacklack3]

I'm guessing we will have to wait until this becomes safer.

Seems cool though!

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

I'm guessing we will have to wait until this becomes safer.

Seems cool though!

There isn't really a way to make this safer.

 

[Jacklack3]

There isn't really a way to make this safer.

Well maybe if you made a tool that could do some of the things because a human can make mistakes.

Not saying theres alot of steps. :3

 

[TheCyberQuake]

I'm guessing we will have to wait until this becomes safer.

Seems cool though!

It isn't really unsafe if you are not doing it in sysNAND without A9LH or if you do it in emuNAND. That way if you brick (which can sometimes just happen even if the modified homemenu.cia is okay.

 

[Thunder Kai]

It isn't really unsafe if you are not doing it in sysNAND without A9LH or if you do it in emuNAND. That way if you brick (which can sometimes just happen even if the modified homemenu.cia is okay.

i bricked on my first time but have a9lh

 

[TheCyberQuake]

i bricked on my first time but have a9lh

Same, but with A9LH I can brick as many times as I need to when attempting to modify homemenu.

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

Was I the only one who didn't brick unless I did something I knew would brick? (I changed some texture size from 8x8 to 64x64)

 

[TheCyberQuake]

Was I the only one who didn't brick unless I did something I knew would brick? (I changed some texture size from 8x8 to 64x64)

I haven't delved deep enough to be able to do that. I barely know how to edit the text. And there isn't very much in terms of help on google and the forums for teaching how to fully modify the home menu. Like I don't even know what software to use on a majority of the files.

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

Okay, this is going to be really dirty because I am trying to recall events that took place back in like July when I pulled an all nighter. Basically, this is what i did to edit textures inside of lz files that are used by the UI. This is very limited because Nintendo is dirty as well.

(THIS IS NOT SOME TUTORIAL, JUST NOTES ON WHAT I FOUND IS POSSIBLE TO DO WITH LZ.BINS)

You will need the following (google these, I'm too lazy to get these for you; this is just a list of things that I mentioned in old logs, most of these should apply if you plan on doing some large overhaul):
png2bclim
some darc (de)compressor (idr if pk3ds works or not, I think it might have been one way or something)
msbt editor reloaded (one that has all the (de)compressors working, latest should be fine)
every file explorer (there is a thread somewhere on here with this)
image editor
hex editor
ohana3ds and ohana3ds rebirth

Basically, what you want to do is take some lz of whatever you want to edit that is part of the home menu (I will be using sleep_lz.bin as that was the one I spent a stupid amount of time editing)
Use msbt editor to extract the file as lz11. You will end up with a file called sleep_lz.bin.bin, throw this into new ohana to extract files from it. bclim are texture files, bclan is for animations (you cannot do much with this afaik, maybe you can with the sdk, but I don't have access to that), and bclyt are for the UI (you can open this in EFE to see changes without installing the cia each time. Note that these previews may not be accurate). Sleep_lz textures are not tiled, but instead stretched I guess is the word. (the pixels look normal vertically, but horizontally, they are stretched out)