Hacking USB Loader GX

[blackb0x]

If 56 is in slot250, it has the same speed than having 56 in slot 249. no difference, really.

If you manually configured the loader to use cIOS 250 then you'd be correct.

And the loader should set itself to ANY slot where 56 is located (it could even be 251 or 248), the loader should know where all the bases are located, and pick the one where 56 is located at boot.

I opted not to add automatic cIOS selection for the loader itself because some people use a specific cIOS for drive compatibility or because they're using a LAN adapter. So although it might speed things up for some people it'd also cause a lot of headaches for many others. And sure, I could perform checks to see if a config file exists, how you launched the loader and if you're using a LAN adapter and then set the cIOS based off of that information. But I think due to the projects age it's best to keep things simple and stick to what's worked for over a decade.

If someones got a HDD that's slow to initalise then they should just install d2x v11 and follow the new cIOS guide.

I can play Kirby's Dreamland (not my fave!) from SD using GX.

Although when played from an SD card new saves might not work. But this is something that I'm working on for my next release.

Can this thing still download cheats?

Yes. Although sometimes the server screws up and you won't get valid cheats.

Eventually I'll upload the cheats elsewhere, since I'd rather use a reliable source that provides cheats that retain information about the cheat modifiers.

 

[Sypherone]

Although sometimes the server screws up and you won't get valid cheats.

@JuanBaNaNa
As http://codes.rc24.xyz/ recieves updates from gamehacking.org by a script of Larsenv.
I downloaded them once at all GC+Wii cheatfile`s by XFlak,s Modmii. Its created 11/03/22 for all Regions to use with USB Loader GX and only a few MB.

 

[blackb0x]

As http://codes.rc24.xyz/ recieves updates from gamehacking.org by a script of Larsenv.

That's the server that I was referring to as the loader uses it too. But it's got all of these issues...

• There's missing cheat files
• There's duplicate cheats
• There's invalid cheats because GameHacking attempts to convert gecko codes into gecko codes and that breaks some of them
• There's invalid cheats because any cheat that contains a modifier ends up as 00000000 or a blank line
• Notes that tell people how to set the modifiers are removed
• Sometimes cheat files contain Cloudflare error pages

So roughly 70% of the cheats are broken in one way or another. And that's not Larsenv's fault, since all of the issues come from GameHacking.

 

[Cyan]

Okay, now I understand the decision better
I also thought you reworked the launching sequence and had better HDD initialization with your version by using 58+init and reload to cIOS. But, if some people still have issue, I also understand you can't always use Auto IOS at loader's launch.
That's too bad. We could have made something nice if all devices were working fine


I tried to re-plug my HDD and my Wii, it didn't detect the HDD which worked fine years ago without any changes, and the loader boots without USB. even if I go to settings>hdd>force mount by clicking first line, still nothing.
I plugged the HDD on PC ... it still works. I try it back to the Wii ... now it's detected O_O
So strange. like it needed a boost haha

 

[blackb0x]

Okay, now I understand the decision better
I also thought you reworked the launching sequence and had better HDD initialization with your version by using 58+init and reload to cIOS. But, if some people still have issue, I also understand you can't always use Auto IOS at loader's launch.
That's too bad. We could have made something nice if all devices were working fine

Yeah. If the project was much newer then I'd of likely gone that route, since I know exactly how I'd like to do it. But there's just too much old code and too many configurations to worry about.

I'm really happy with where the projects at though, since it's stable, it's faster than ever, it can make games look better than ever and game compatibility keeps increasing. Plus it seems to be the only Wii project that you can edit and compile from the cloud via GitHub's Codespaces.

So strange. like it needed a boost haha

Almost as if your Wii needed to stretch it's legs a little first

 

[Brand Newman]

Jon Cartwright from Good Vibes gaming has released a video that really gives justice to your work more than mine:


He says that RE4 displays in 4:3 ratio when framebuffer is ON, though (I'll have to check if it does the same for me).

As far as I'm concerned, the only game I ran into issue with was Excitebots (couldn't display picture with framebuffer, as if I'd chosen the wrong video mode), but luckily we have the possibility to set a specific profile.

Do any of you own Excitebots, and can tell us if they had met the same problem?

Anyway, great job, and I hope this video helps people be aware of it!

 

[Maeson]

More like fixed in 2021 and further improved in 2023, disabling the deflicker filtering was one of the biggest things to happen in the wii scene to me in quite some time!

I remember trying RE4 with framebuffer on and the resulting screen is very horizontally narrow but vertically it is just like 16:9, while playing RE4 on real 4:3 setting gives you a very small aspect ratio, so they're different things. I don't think most people will like using framebuffer on RE4.

But that's par for the course with RE4, all the Standard Definition versions did always do very weird things with the aspect ratio. If I remember right, I just left it forced 16:9, framebuffer default and disabled deflicker filter or alternatively apply the weakest filter, as like most third party games, RE4 uses the strongest and blurriest one, so setting a weaker one is still an improvement.

I have just tried Excitebots, it works on my end with framebuffer turned on and deflicker off. Other video options are default, on a PAL Wii. I was just going to check but I ended playing a few races, it is way too fun.

 

[Brand Newman]

I have just tried Excitebots, it works on my end with framebuffer turned on and deflicker off. Other video options are default, on a PAL Wii. I was just going to check but I ended playing a few races, it is way too fun.

Hello Maeson, glad to read from you!

You're right, deflicker was already a game changer, I keep on revisiting games I've already completed because of it.

As for Excitebots, I take it you've forced NTSC, since the game never was released in Europe? I know my setting is set on "force NTSC" because of that : I can't display any Japanese or American game if I leave the "PAL" setting on.

I'll make some tests and see if my configuration might be the culprit!

 

[Maeson]

I have "Video Mode" in USB Loader GX Loader settings as "Disc Default", and because of that on Excitebot's settings Video Mode is Use Global. I have really nothing more going on I think, and it worked just normally.

Usually I have all my NTSC games' Video Mode forced to NTSC 480p like you do, but for that game in particular game is different, I guess I forgot.

 

[Maeson]

-- Stupid double post issue --

 

[CheatFreak47]

Hi, I am running the latest USB Loader GX from the github seems to be making Wii games display box colors incorrectly from wiitdb.xml in the description screen.

Wii games should default to white, Gamecube games to black, and cases where it is special it will be specified in the XML, but as you can see here, it is defaulting to black for everything, even games with specified colors, like New Super Mario Bros.

I don't know if this is a known issue, but I figured I'd report it here in the hopes it gets patched. Glad to see USB Loader GX still maintained after all these years.

Edit:
In addition, it seems I can't get the network to init either for downloading covers, updates, or files, like wiitdb or nintendont versions.

Some additional details about my setup:
- running on a Wii U vWii
- I have cIOSs installed as recommended, latest nintendont, and latest wiitdb.xml

 

[blackb0x]

As far as I'm concerned, the only game I ran into issue with was Excitebots (couldn't display picture with framebuffer, as if I'd chosen the wrong video mode), but luckily we have the possibility to set a specific profile.

When the framebuffer settings enabled I think the loaders failing to find a good place to put the patch in memory. So I'll see if I can shrink things down, without breaking anything for other games.

Hi, I am running the latest USB Loader GX from the github seems to be making Wii games display box colors incorrectly from wiitdb.xml in the description screen.

That's something that I've already fixed for the next release.

In addition, it seems I can't get the network to init either for downloading covers, updates, or files, like wiitdb or nintendont versions.

Are you using a LAN adapter? If you are then set loaders cIOS to 251 and restart the loader.

 

[CheatFreak47]

Are you using a LAN adapter? If you are then set loaders cIOS to 251 and restart the loader.

Nope, I am not, it's just a basic WPA2 Wi-Fi connection, but digging into it myself, it looks like this might be a problem with my router. It hasn't quite been right since Xfinity completely removed all control we have over the gateway. I'll probably have to set up a dedicated repeater for my Wii/WiiU it seems if I want vWii to connect to the internet again.

Edit: Okay I figured out what happened, Xfinity just decided arbitrarily that I am not allowed to run a 802.11b connection, and have completely shut off access to b/g/n mode on my router at some point, so yeah I need to set up a repeater for Wii mode connections. Fucking comcast.

Edit 2: Okay! Can confirm my previous assessment was in fact, correct. I now have a dedicated mac filtered Wi-Fi repeater providing a b/g/n connection for Wii mode and even a secure connection I can use for playing NDS games online as a bonus. Comcast can still suck it though.

 

[Clector]

When the framebuffer settings enabled I think the loaders failing to find a good place to put the patch in memory. So I'll see if I can shrink things down, without breaking anything for other games.

Is this also why cheats may not work with it enabled?

Jon Cartwright from Good Vibes gaming has released a video that really gives justice to your work more than mine:

He says that RE4 displays in 4:3 ratio when framebuffer is ON, though (I'll have to check if it does the same for me).

Note that that video seems to have been made using a Wii U, having the problems from the Wii mode on the image and that the VI emulation on the Wii U does strange things sometimes.

 

[blackb0x]

Is this also why cheats may not work with it enabled?

Cheats should work, but some cheats aren't valid because of GameHacking doing some bad conversions. So you could check to see what the cheats look like from GeckoCodes.

 

[Clector]

I think it may just be the game or the code I'm using specifically I guess.
The code/s work fine without the framebuffer patch, but doesn't get applied with it. Kirby's Return to Dreamland/Hoshi no Kirby Wii, SUKE01 and SUKJ01.

 

[tsmvengy]

Jon Cartwright from Good Vibes gaming has released a video that really gives justice to your work more than mine:


He says that RE4 displays in 4:3 ratio when framebuffer is ON, though (I'll have to check if it does the same for me).

As far as I'm concerned, the only game I ran into issue with was Excitebots (couldn't display picture with framebuffer, as if I'd chosen the wrong video mode), but luckily we have the possibility to set a specific profile.

Do any of you own Excitebots, and can tell us if they had met the same problem?

Anyway, great job, and I hope this video helps people be aware of it!

Wow, thank you for posting this video! I had no idea about the deflicker filter. Makes things look way better. Not sure about the framebuffer setting though - looks like most games have been designed with the stretch in mind.

 

[Brand Newman]

looks like most games have been designed with the stretch in mind.

I agree that some games might have had, like they did in the 16 bits era.

But while I prefer 4:3 to 8:7 for this reason with old consoles, the visual improvement with framebuffer on Wii is generally quite noticeable, and it's not like games look super deformed with it (apart from RE4, as previously stated).

Anyway, since you can set profiles, I tend to activate framebuffer in general settings, and deactivate occasionally with some games. I believe it's the way to go!

 

[TRDavid2B]

Hi sorry for my english,
First of all, thanks for your great work,
But i encounter an issue with the vwii, i can't install the d2x v11, i have a real wii and no problem but with my vwii, i dont understand, someone can help me ?
I donwloaded the d2x installer 3.1 with vwii d2x v11,
Thanks

 

[blackb0x]

But i encounter an issue with the vwii, i can't install the d2x v11, i have a real wii and no problem but with my vwii, i dont understand, someone can help me ?
I donwloaded the d2x installer 3.1 with vwii d2x v11,

Download the vWii d2x v11 installer package that's attached to this post.