Hacking WiiFlow - an open source GUI USB-Loader

[Tetsuo Shima]

OMG! Thanks for your work Wiimpathy
I've longed for this day. Finally a full working Scummvm for Wiiflow!

So, in the future, there could be support for The Neverhood, too. I'm so excited! Awesome game, really.
Just one question: what does it mean usbthread removed? That we should use this plugin only from SD cards?
Not a problem in that case, Monkey Island 3 runs much better on SD than USB on the regular app. (Less stutters in dialogues.)

 

[Wiimpathy]

I'm really happy about The neverhood too. Many thanks to the guy working on the engine ! (johndoe123)

The usbthread is a code fix94 added to keep usb alive, for some problematic hdd, I guess.
In my case, that was crashing too much but maybe it's also related to something else.
It seems to work well on usb so you can try if you like.

Edit :
I just realized you can't detect the games with this version, it code dumps... ahem...
It's a bit late now, I'll try to post a standalone app, or else you'll have to edit scummvm.ini manually.

 

[MassiveRican]

I'm really happy about The neverhood too. Many thanks to the guy working on the engine ! (johndoe123)

The usbthread is a code fix94 added to keep usb alive, for some problematic hdd, I guess.
In my case, that was crashing too much but maybe it's also related to something else.
It seems to work well on usb so you can try if you like.

Edit :
I just realized you can't detect the games with this version, it code dumps... ahem...
It's a bit late now, I'll try to post a standalone app, or else you'll have to edit scummvm.ini manually.

No biggie, any plans to keep working on the mod and possibly make a scummvm-mod7, that can detect games and possibly have full neverhood support?

 

[Wiimpathy]

The neverhood engine is already in this version. Apparently, the game is completable but it's still in development. But we'll have to wait the author implements a few things and solve the remaining bugs. I just compiled with this engine and nothing more. I'll look in the detection thing later.

 

[AbdallahTerro]

Thanks guys
here's a full HQ

rename to "Grim Fandango.rvn.jpg" and replace the one in wiiflow\boxcovers\RESIDUALVM

Thanks to Fix94 909 has custom plugin path with partition search so we can use many plugins now without specifying the partition in the path line
Still getting errors with scummvm
I'll update the pack when i find the magic combination of files hopefully later tonight

Edit: Don't give me credits for the cover, it's the first one on google image search

Edit: I'm not happy with scummvm plugin
if I use 1.5 or latest nightly in apps\scummvm I get error msgs about missing files
If I use Wimpath's mod6 many games don't start well and some have missing mouse cursor let alone the code dumps.
So I'll wait for a solution till midnight, if nothing new I'll keep the old file i.e. mod5

 

[kimotori]

mmm
Why do until midnight?
Why hurry?
Is late, is well
AbdallahTerro-San

 

[AbdallahTerro]

@Wiimpath or Fix94 or anyone that can help on this matter,
How to get past this:

I want to use the latest stable or latest development build in \apps\scummvm\boot.elf?

 

[kimotori]

are you using this version of floppy BASS? (0.0348)
please, check and report.
(i'm using a stable version 1.5.0)

 

[papermanzero]

The Retroarch team released a new verison (0.9.9).
https://anonfiles.com/file/704f0a74049d5ce2551da16fd5429332

Sorry for the request, but is anyone going to create a plugin with this release?

 

[matt0620]

@fix94/Fledge68, I believe I found a bug with the sub-folder caching system that was recently implemented. Everything was caching perfectly and I mean just about every theme I threw at it whether it was updated or not was caching just fine, and the cache system created sub-folders in wiiflow/cache for NES/SNES/Wii64/, however when it came to doing anything with GenPlus-GX/VBA/WiiMednaFen it was a no go, the cache folders are never created, and although it looks like the covers are caching, as soon as you pick a game and return to WiiFlow, reset WiiFlow or change the plugin then pick Genesis/Megadrive, the covers start caching all over again.
[/spoiler]

[snip]

I think it's simply that there is no support for deeper sub-folders within the sub-folder cache. I have my cover folders a bit more organized, since I don't want to see 1000+ covers in one folder, e.g my cover folder path for VBA/Gambatte plugins are as follows:

VBA - usb1:/wiiflow/boxcovers/vba/gba; usb1:/wiiflow/boxcovers/vba/gbc.. etc..

I changed my cover folders and .ini for all VBA plugins to

usb1:/wiiflow/boxcovers/vba

and WiiFlow had no problem creating the folder for caching. In this regards I guess this is more of a request to have support for deeper sub-folders if possible in the sub-folder cache system. It's not imperative to even add that level of support since it works as it should if you keep all cover folders one sub-folder deep.

Adding deeper sub-folder support would lead to much better organization capabilities, and much easier cache replacement/deletion/addition when updating covers for same game titles as well as new games. For cover flow'ers like myself which are constantly updating covers from Mastershoes cover collection thread this would be ideal!

Yep, fix94's version is functionally equivalent to my patch, which didn't support subfolders. However as a workaround you can manually create the folders before you start caching.

 

[AbdallahTerro]

are you using this version of floppy BASS? (0.0348)
please, check and report.
(i'm using a stable version 1.5.0)

didn't make any difference.
I tested mod6 again and I found that problems found are also found in mod5, many games work better now though
So mod6 is making it to the pack Thanks Wiimpathy again

 

[Wiimpathy]

I was going to rant a little about this plugin : Wiflow folder fucked up, hdd corrupted, half an hour only to compile but no I won't do it.

There's an issue when setting the cursor. Fix94 put a workaround in mod5 but it doesn't seem enough. You have to push 1 on wiimote
and yeah it's magic the cursor appears! In some games (Beneath a steel sky) no cursor at all though.

A lot of games needs an external file to launch but the plugin fails to load them if it's not in the same folder.
For ex. for Beneath floppy, you need sky.cpt in /wiiflow/plugins.
With mod6 I tried Broken sword 1 & 2 (compressed music/cutscenes or not), some Lucas, Sierra, Simon, 3 skulls of the Toltecs, neverhood with no big problem.

Scummvm pre 1.0.7 here.
This is Not a plugin. You can use it to detect the games (or play ?).

 

[AbdallahTerro]

is this elf standalone or does it need the files that you added to mod6?

Edit: testing Retro 0.9.9 atm i see 3 new dols
nxengine
quicknes
tyrquake

I also see cavestory playable on PC!
If newer dols work fine as plugins I'll replace the old files too

 

[Wiimpathy]

Copy this boot.elf in you /apps/scummvm folder if you have one. The .dat files (and the others) are still mandatory, they contain scripts.
The neverhood.dat in the plugin zip posted before is absolutely necessary to start the game.
It's just like the standard scummvm wii but compiled with more engines and taken from the latest commit. This one can detect games to create scummvm.ini and play games like the "normal" homebrew.

 

[AbdallahTerro]

Latest Retro v0.9.9 working like a charm, all old dols were updated except fb_alpha.dol
I'll include the 3 new dols in the pack after making some icons and covers

New pack with huge plugin update tonight (hopefully)
Thank you

 

[AbdallahTerro]

Anyone for latest not64 in the meantime?

 

[sion_zaphod]

Don't know why abz is getting probs with new scummvm dol. Works fine for me. Maybe its the game data. Anyway bit of info :- if you copy the scummmodern.zip file into plugins/scummvm or to wherever you put the modded dol you get the modern skin with the nice menu system. Well done wiimpathy you've made my day I can now play my broken sword games from plugin without choppy sound and with all the cut scenes.

@Abz any chance you can send me the new not64 and all the new dols or at least a link. I'd rather not dl your whole new pack.

 

[Wiimpathy]

Thanks sion_zaphod, I'm glad you enjoy it.
That'd be cool if someone could solve the invisible cursor bug (at least in Beneath).

 

[sion_zaphod]

@wiimpathy
Invisible cursor? If that happens I normally try going to menu (ctrl+F5 on virtual keyboard) then back to game.

Slightly off topic but does anyone know how to use mission packs with tyrquake? Been trying out the new retroarch cores and got quake1 full game working (albeit not great controls) but cannot use my official mission pack paks.

 

[AbdallahTerro]

Check the Masterpiece website link in my sig
it has both the 7z pack and the extracted pack folder where you can find everything and download the files you just need
as for not64 latest is not20130408.zip and not found in my pack but here: http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/th...ease-Nintendo64-Emulator-for-Wii-and-Gamecube

finished retro stuff everything below is in the extracted pack too:

if not64 ca work as plugin right away I'll update it too before making the 7zip file