Wii Twilight Hack

[bigtimecow]

i won't provide any links! so don't ban me

anyway, does anyone else on here use this for virtual console games + other emulation? i've used it for multiple VC games and some wiiware titles, all working flawlessly. someone even made a WAD of super smash bros 64 (not released on VC!). also, i've used scummvm with it and it's superb, with wiimote support!

anyone? anyone?

[MarioRPG]

With the recent release of the hbc I just need to buy an sd card reader and I'll be set.

[darkvare]

i use it for gameboy color games and nes

[Mockery]

bigtimecow, can you explain how it works exactly and how to get ScummVM on the Wii? I heard about Twilight Princess having an exploit, but never understood exactly how it worked...

[darkvare]

you need a copy of zelda twilight princess but i think you may look in wikipedia it well explained and they offer the files you will need

[Fathom Zero]

It's a glitch that allows for the loading of arbitrary code. Which would be considered bad, unless you're the hacker yourself.

[Phoenix Gamma]

It's not necessarily bad persay; homebrew is all well and good until piracy gets involved later down the line. When the people who made the hack were working on the code, they just wanted to get homebrew software running.

Now that the Homebrew Channel is out and working, I'd like to see some more Wii apps. Forcast Channel and stuff like that is all well and good, but it'd be awesome if someone could get tunneling to work like they did back on the Gamecube. That, and people could theoretically develop their own games for the Wii. Maybe something that uses head tracking? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw)

[Fathom Zero]

I mean execution of arbitrary code, not the broader "Is hacking right?" topic. I loved my PSP. Best emulator machine, hands down, to include Playstation and N64 emulation.

[Phoenix Gamma]

Ah, then yes, you're correct. And yea, the PSP is a bitchin' homebrew handheld.

Also, I'm not sure if the TP hack tramples on any warranties with either the game or the system. You need to be careful with that stuff, just incase something goes wrong. I'm not sure if Nintendo checks for tickets, either. When you download stuff from their store, you get a ticket, and if you have software without a ticket, then they'd be able to catch you. I have no clue if they actually perform checks during updates, so I'd be careful with that as well.

[Fathom Zero]

It doesn't, unless it flashes the firmware. In which case, you're probably screwed out of a warranty. However, if TP is the only way to activate the exploit, I think you're golden. It shouldn't leave any residual data on the Wii.

[Mockery]

Speaking of PSP, does anybody know if there is an emulator for it? I've always wanted to play Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins, but don't want to buy an entire system just to play that one game.

[MarioRPG]

TP is the only current way to access the exploit.

It works by invoking a glitch that has the horse's name containing too many letters. It essentially crashes, but then the code runs and apps ahoy. That's what the first google result says anyway.

All you need is a copy of Twilight Princess, SD card / reader, and a will to not care about TP save data.

EDIT @ Mock: A search turned up Potemkin, and PSPE, neither of which got really fantastic reviews.

[Phoenix Gamma]

Actually, you can run Homebrew with the Homebrew Channel. It's designed so that you don't need to run it every time, though you still need the game to install the channel initially.

[MarioRPG]

That... makes a lot of sense. Now I'll only need to borrow an SD reader. Thanks :D

[bigtimecow]

the only reason why i'm opposed to the homebrew channel is i've read that it can very rarely brick your wii, but... restarting twilight princess everytime, with a new boot.elf file everytime, is annoying


i think i'm going to do it, i'll be back

[Fathom Zero]

Speaking of PSP, does anybody know if there is an emulator for it? I've always wanted to play Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins, but don't want to buy an entire system just to play that one game.

They're making progress on it, but in terribly small increments and I have great doubts that it'll ever go full speed.

[bigtimecow]

i chickened out on the homebrew channel; i'd have to delete it everytime i had to update or something blah blah blah

RoG, sorry, but alright: doing a quick search for twilight hack will give you enough info to get the hacked save file to upload onto your wii (AFTER copying over your save data, because otherwise you'll lose it!). you have to get a .elf (or .dol file; if it's .dol then just change it to .elf) file for scummvm (there's one with wiimote support and one without) and name it boot.elf and put it on the root of the sd card. then make a folder called "scummvm" on the root and put your games in there. i've run monkey island 1, 2, and curse but they crash at seemingly random points. that was with the wiimote edition, which i guess isn't really official yet, so i'm going to try the standard .elf file (gamecube controller support) and see how that goes

[Phoenix Gamma]

Heads up. Nintendo just released the stupidest update ever.

To prevent us from potentially playing Frogger or some shit on our Wiis, Nintendo's newest update makes it so that the Wii checks your TP save data on startup. Every time. And if it's hacked, it's deleted. Dumb.

If you're looking to keep using homebrew, you need to install Homebrew Channel before installing the update (which will be required to play every new Nintendo game). After that, replace the Twilight Princess save data with your original one. You should be able to keep using homebrew.

Now the question is when we can expect to see an update that checks for download tickets. Then we're screwed.

[Guitar Woman]

how dare Nintendo stop us from abusing our hardware and getting games for free

that is NAZI BULLSHIT

[EisigerBiskuit]

great now I have no reason to have a Wii anymore

even though I never had this

I wanted to, though

[Chojin]

Yeah, seriously? I can see getting pissed at nintendo over stopping emulation if they weren't selling it as a god damn service. For example, the way the PSP continually rages against its community with firmware updates.

[EisigerBiskuit]

You don't have to update, but then you can't play newer games without upgrading!

Hmm, Kid Icarus or Mario Party 13?

[Phoenix Gamma]

how dare Nintendo stop us from abusing our hardware and getting games for free

that is NAZI BULLSHIT

Psssst...there's Wii Homebrew that isn't illegal. This stops all homebrew, AND fucks with Freeloader, so now you can't play imports (read: people in Europe who imported Brawl instead of waiting god-knows-how-long).

You don't have to update, but then you can't play newer games without upgrading!

Hmm, Kid Icarus or Mario Party 13?

If you already have the Homebrew Channel installed, you're good. This just deletes your save file for Zelda if it's hacked.

[Fathom Zero]

As with the PSP, people find ways around that. There will be a custom firmware. I know it.

[Phoenix Gamma]

Well yea. I mean, all it takes for the Homebrew is for someone to make a new hacked save. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Importers, on the other hand, are pretty much boned unless they buy another version of Freeloader or something. I feel bad for them just because I don't think importing games and playing them on your system is necessarily "bad".

[Chojin]

All systems really should be region-free in this day and age, yeah.

But that isn't why you're miffed.

[Phoenix Gamma]

I already have Homebrew Channel installed, so the update doesn't hurt me.

I'm not miffed so much as I am facepalming over the fact that the Wii is going to be checking for a specific save file for a specific game every time it starts up and deleting it if it's hacked. It feels over the top, akin to how you couldn't (can't?) take razors on planes. (in before airport security debate)

Sure, people used it to download stuff they weren't supposed to, but if they don't play that stuff for free on their Wiis, it isn't going to stop them from playing it on their PCs, PSPs, etc., because the people who go through the trouble of installing those channels are the same people who already know how to do emulation elsewhere.

I don't blame Nintendo for wanting to stop it, but they don't realize that neither their update nor their service is stopping emulation. I know it's a bad way of thinking, but I'm not going to buy their milk when I can get the same milk for free elsewhere.

And the least they could do is lock up any unauthorized programs; no need to start changing the startup. It'd actually be more practical, since you'd be preventing things that were already installed instead of just preventing them from being installed. If you're going to spite hackers, you might as well do it well.

[MarioRPG]

Yeah, looks like there will be new exploits anyway.

[Chojin]

There was a big security loophole, it was fixed. Of course people can emulate elsewhere, but it's really hard to sell games to people on a system that can play those same games for free.

Tell me next about how piracy isn't raping the PC gaming market outside of online authentication. The Wii was purposely designed to NOT play imports, burns, or run homebrew software. You really can't fault Nintendo for maintaining spec.

[Phoenix Gamma]

Oh, I don't fault them. They need to make money, and I'd do the same if I were them.

But if I were in charge, I'd have told someone to implement something where unauthorized files wouldn't be allowed to run. After seeing the homebrew on the XBox and PSP, I'm surprised they didn't squash it before the system came out.

Then again, if I were in charge, there'd be a freaking harddrive out already, and the online network wouldn't suck so much...

Anyways, I'm losing my train of thought. If Nintendo wanted to squash homebrew (which they should, even though I support it), they should have at least done it well. Someone already found a workaround.

[Fathom Zero]

There was no really way to stop homebrew on the Xbox. It was the first console with a hard drive.

[Chojin]

Phoenix, did you know that if you put a little hat on that snowball, it can last a real long time in hell?

Wii's online play seems to be dependent on the developers, not broken as a whole. Smash bros is probably the worst it's been, but Strikers works nearly flawlessly.

[Phoenix Gamma]

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one, only because I can't be assed to get into another discussion about why I can't have game rooms or voice chat in my Wii games.

Just assume you win and that I stopped using homebrew so we can drop it <3

[Guitar Woman]

Considering the general playerbase for games like Strikers I'd consider lack of voice chat a plus, but ok

[Chojin]

live doesn't have a universal 'game room', either, and I have yet to play a game on the 360 where hearing someone else's squawking improved the experience.

I mean, we sometimes play smackdown vs raw on the 360 and use the mic to do impressions of the characters we're playing as, but i don't think that's the INTENDED USE.

Also, homebrew doesn't bother me - I just think it's hilarious that you (and undoubtedly others) are morally upset nintendo is making some token efforts to counter piracy. I don't think they'll let you install linux, either.

[Fathom Zero]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/19/wii-menu-3-3-already-hacked-patch-forthcoming/

BING BANG BOOM DONE. BOOYAH.

[bigtimecow]

i think PG is just upset that nintendo did an update which atleast THEY should know can be worked around easily because it involves a specific game, rather than something more universal. like download tickets