Hacking WiiFlow Lite

[fledge68]

To be clear, my issue with games failing to load are not necessarily related aphrist, as I'm still using the version before the SD-only wait option. I actually only found out another version had been rolled out when I came in to ask about my issue. Is there any reason certain USB and NAND titles would be having issues, but never plugins like snes9x or wiiMC? Unless perhaps there's a bug with covers like aphrist mentioned that predates the recent update?

so the wiiflow freezes on booting the games? or when do the games freeze?

plugin games don't use cios. wiiflow just boots the emu app like a homebrew app with args.
so wii and nand games do use cios but we still need to know just when they are freezing.

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I just downloaded the newest r1150 and I'm about to fire it up with my monster WiiFlow setup (WesFlow ). I've got about 8000+ games, covers etc so I'll see if anything breaks with your r1150 and post back soon with the results. I also have SanDisk 64gb MicroSD and adapter in both my Wii and WiiU and I've also got some 128gb and 256gb Sandisk MicroSD I'll test as well.

well i hope you have backups of it all. please thats a lot of games!

 

[aphirst]

Wow umm sorry i guess. Im confused by your talk of cover scanning and banner updating. first off its cover downloading and there is no updating or downloading of banners. the banners are gotten from the games themselves except for gc games which you will have to manually download on your pc and transfer to your sd card.

Ah, yeah by "scan" I just mean that wiiflow works out which ones to DL from gametdb by "scanning" the foldernames in /wbfs, and that you re-run it when you add new games since they're "missing".

i also want to specify to any one reading this - he does mention that its been happening in previous versions not just this new release. which makes sense since i haven't really changed anything related to cacheing the covers and banners.

the first thing i noticed is you are using a micorSD which means you are using an adapter. i've heard that using microsd cards don't always work on wii and wii u.

I know what you're saying, but I can't emphasise enough the fact that things work fine for extended periods *until* I decide to start downloading coverart, and that things work fine in other loads, though I would prefer to use wiiflow entirely.

I will try clearing my sd card and try a fresh install too. sometime this week i hope. unless someone else wants to. but i recommend back up your current sd card first. cause wfl seems to work fine with my current setup.
as for the 20 second pause. keep in mind the very first time on a fresh install you will still experience the 20 second wait because the ini cfg file is not created yet.

Hmm - I definitely did reboot a couple of times, and quit out to the vWii menu, but I simply kept getting the 20 second wait. Should I also try removing the Wiiflow save?

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so it works for you? cause it doesn't for aphirst

I too am curious about your setup, @randy7707, and how exactly you updated?

 

[WesMods]

Ah, yeah by "scan" I just mean that wiiflow works out which ones to DL from gametdb by "scanning" the foldernames in /wbfs, and that you re-run it when you add new games since they're "missing".


I know what you're saying, but I can't emphasise enough the fact that things work fine for extended periods *until* I decide to start downloading coverart, and that things work fine in other loads, though I would prefer to use wiiflow entirely.


Hmm - I definitely did reboot a couple of times, and quit out to the vWii menu, but I simply kept getting the 20 second wait. Should I also try removing the Wiiflow save?

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I too am curious about your setup, @randy7707, and how exactly you updated?

I'm copying everything to a brand new fresh out of the package SanDisk 64gb MicroSD as we speak. I'll try and break it and post back very soon with my results

 

[aphirst]

I was also informed of this seemingly similar looking issue report over on the einstein-mod github:
https://github.com/einsteinx2/wiiflow-lite-einstein-mod/issues/41

Oh, and the f3 check finished, no errors. I'll do some more tests with some more of my microSD-to-SD adapters, but I remain confident that the issue isn't here.

 

[fledge68]

@aphirst one of your game types must have a partition set to usb. It could even be one you are not using. Maybe somewhere in the code say maybe plugins are defaulting to usb partition. I can check the code tomorrow or check your wiiflow lite ini

 

[aphirst]

@aphirst one of your game types must have a partition set to usb. It could even be one you are not using. Maybe somewhere in the code say maybe plugins are defaulting to usb partition. I can check the code tomorrow or check your wiiflow lite ini

Perhaps, though unless that's being stored in the Save, it must have been somehow generated by default, since I was using fresh data (fresh apps/wiiflow-lite and fresh wiiflow-lite)

 

[WesMods]

Okay, just tried r1150 on fresh 64gb SanDisk MicroSD with adapter on Wii and WiiU. The boot delay is still there sort of. Shows a new WiiFlow splash screen static on screen for about 10-12 seconds, then the regular WiiFlow splash for 3 seconds then loads. Other than that, the covers/banners etc are a non-issue. Everything seems to work flawlessly but the boot time is still not as fast as @einsteinx2 mod

 

[dishe]

so the wiiflow freezes on booting the games? or when do the games freeze?

So usually when I click a game like Mario Kart, it will show the wait graphic then a progress bar appears on the bottom which slides to the right (I assume loading up the disc image), the the game start.
Right now, the progress bar never appears. It just displays a blank screen. No controller access, they all disconnect during this part of the process and won't reconnect, it's like the unit is frozen in between leaving wiiflow and launching the title. Only way out is to pull the plug. Are there some sort of logs or something I could check that might tell me what it is doing when it gets stuck? This is the behavior it used to exhibit when the wrong cios settings are used as well, if I recall correctly, which is why I think it has to do with that.
The nand game I haven't witnessed happening, so I'll have to try it myself and see. I only saw it after it was frozen already and the controllers wouldn't reconnect (so there was no way to power it down), it seemed similar to the backup Wii games.

wiiflow just boots the emu app like a homebrew app with args.
so wii and nand games do use cios but we still need to know just when they are freezing.

Right, so homebrew and plugins that use them work fine. It's the nand and wbfs stuff that are having trouble. But oddly enough only certain titles. I took the USB storage inside and tried it on my home Wii and it seemed to work fine there. So it's something with my mobile setup that is failing.

 

[WesMods]

Okay, just tried r1150 on fresh 64gb SanDisk MicroSD with adapter on Wii and WiiU. The boot delay is still there sort of. Shows a new WiiFlow splash screen static on screen for about 10-12 seconds, then the regular WiiFlow splash for 3 seconds then loads. Other than that, the covers/banners etc are a non-issue. Everything seems to work flawlessly but the boot time is still not as fast as @einsteinx2 mod

p.s. Einsteinx2 mod loads instantly, just tried that to make sure

 

[WesMods]

p.s. Einsteinx2 mod loads instantly, just tried that to make sure

While we're at it, is there some way to get @FIX94 to implement WiiU Gamepad support to WiiFlow Lite like he did with FCEUGX, Snes9xGX etc. That would put WiiFlow on my WiiU menu as a channel with gamepad support and instant SD load time. Let's bring WiiFlow to life like it deserves

 

[vbarros22]

Is there a way to hide the plugins section? For example, I want to use Wiiflow Lite just to play Wii, GameCube and Wads, and the loop to change the sections is just for those three tabs. Is there any method?
And the other question is about the GameCube games with 2 discs. Is there a way to hide disc2 and just show the main disc as in USB GX Loader?

Thanks everyone who is involved with this great project guys, the Wii Community in Brazil love it

 

[aphirst]

Okay, just tried r1150 on fresh 64gb SanDisk MicroSD with adapter on Wii and WiiU. The boot delay is still there sort of. Shows a new WiiFlow splash screen static on screen for about 10-12 seconds, then the regular WiiFlow splash for 3 seconds then loads. Other than that, the covers/banners etc are a non-issue. Everything seems to work flawlessly but the boot time is still not as fast as @einsteinx2 mod

Did you test the downloading of covers, or just whether your existing ones worked? My issue was related to when WFL downloaded them, so (after backing up your SD!), please when you have time try again after deleting the relevant content/subfolders under SD:/wiiflow-lite

Since my SD card passed another F3 test, I've just now copied a fresh set of SD content (using https://rikumax25.github.io/wiiusetup for ease), and will first test that some games work (in WBFS), then will do some fiddling around with cover downloading (trying to document every step), and as far as I'm concerned, it's only a matter of time before something breaks.

 

[fledge68]

So usually when I click a game like Mario Kart, it will show the wait graphic then a progress bar appears on the bottom which slides to the right (I assume loading up the disc image), the the game start.
Right now, the progress bar never appears. It just displays a blank screen. No controller access, they all disconnect during this part of the process and won't reconnect, it's like the unit is frozen in between leaving wiiflow and launching the title. Only way out is to pull the plug. Are there some sort of logs or something I could check that might tell me what it is doing when it gets stuck? This is the behavior it used to exhibit when the wrong cios settings are used as well, if I recall correctly, which is why I think it has to do with that.
The nand game I haven't witnessed happening, so I'll have to try it myself and see. I only saw it after it was frozen already and the controllers wouldn't reconnect (so there was no way to power it down), it seemed similar to the backup Wii games.


Right, so homebrew and plugins that use them work fine. It's the nand and wbfs stuff that are having trouble. But oddly enough only certain titles. I took the USB storage inside and tried it on my home Wii and it seemed to work fine there. So it's something with my mobile setup that is failing.

ok if that little white progress bar isn't showing it means the error is occurring in the extrernal_booter. I'll have to look at that code to see. do you see any of that progress bar at all? the other thing to try is backup wiiflow_lite.ini and rename it to let wiiflow lite make a new one.

While we're at it, is there some way to get @FIX94 to implement WiiU Gamepad support to WiiFlow Lite like he did with FCEUGX, Snes9xGX etc. That would put WiiFlow on my WiiU menu as a channel with gamepad support and instant SD load time. Let's bring WiiFlow to life like it deserves

i did not know he did that for those emu's. i thought he added wiiu pro controller support not wiiu gamepad drc support. adding drc support was on my list but i've had other issues to address first. but if einsteinx2 or anyone else wants to add it - go ahead.

Is there a way to hide the plugins section? For example, I want to use Wiiflow Lite just to play Wii, GameCube and Wads, and the loop to change the sections is just for those three tabs. Is there any method?
And the other question is about the GameCube games with 2 discs. Is there a way to hide disc2 and just show the main disc as in USB GX Loader?

Thanks everyone who is involved with this great project guys, the Wii Community in Brazil love it

hide plugins - you have to manually edit wiiflow_lite.ini. look under [PLUGINS] and find disable= and set it to yes and save.

hide gc disc 2 - apparently no one ever checks the wiiflowiki 4 (sighs). you have to set one of your categories as hidden. then place those disc2 games in the hidden category. now they won't show.

and to everyone. i suggest you don't use the cover downloader. unless you backup everything and want to test it to make sure it doesn't screw up your sd card.

also i have no idea why einsteinx2's patch doesn't work. i added almost exactly the same. the change i made should have made any difference. unless its this if statement:
if(!Sys_DolphinMode() && mount_usb)
maybe that isn't written correctly.

 

[Hakaisha]

Is there a way to hide the plugins section? For example, I want to use Wiiflow Lite just to play Wii, GameCube and Wads, and the loop to change the sections is just for those three tabs. Is there any method?
And the other question is about the GameCube games with 2 discs. Is there a way to hide disc2 and just show the main disc as in USB GX Loader?

Thanks everyone who is involved with this great project guys, the Wii Community in Brazil love it

You can use Categories to hide games in WiiFlow.

You have to first create a "Hidden" category. Navigate to SD:/wiiflow/settings. Open the categories_lite.ini file with a text editor and scroll down until you find a section titled [GENERAL]

Beneath this specific line of text is where you can create categories to use in WiiFlow. For example:

[GENERAL]
cat1=Hidden
cat2=Sports
cat3=RPG
numcategories=3

This should give you a general idea of how easy it is to make categories. Just simply type cat and follow it with a number in chronological order, then give it a name.

Make sure numcategories is set to match the amount of categories you add to this ini file, so they will all display as they should.

Use the example above as a reference to make a Hidden category in your categories_lite.ini, then save and close the program.

Now boot up WiiFlow Lite in your Wii. On the game selection screen, hover over the Star icon and click B on your remote/controller. This action will bring up the Select Categories menu.

You should see your Hidden category show up here. Tick the box next to it until it displays a X. (Not a plus or a check mark). Doing this ensures that every game you add to the Hidden category will be not display.

After performing this action, back out of the Catetories menu and navigate to the games you want to hide.

To add a specific game to the Hidden category, click on the game you want to hide and press B while hovering over the Star icon with your pointer. This will bring you to a Categories menu specifically made for this game.

Tick the box next to Hidden to display a Checkmark, then back out. This action should hide the game.

If you ever accidentally hide a game you didn't mean to, or want to see your Hidden games display again; simply navigate back to the main Categories menu and unmark the X from the Hidden category box.

 

[aphirst]

@aphirst one of your game types must have a partition set to usb. It could even be one you are not using. Maybe somewhere in the code say maybe plugins are defaulting to usb partition. I can check the code tomorrow or check your wiiflow lite ini

OK, so I've made a fresh SD card in conjunction with rikumax' zip ( https://rikumax25.github.io/wiiusetup ), and simply added the new wiiflow_lite boot.dol and meta.xml. I copied a small handful of Wii games too, and I deleted the old WFL save before loading WFL.

1) I still get the 20 second wait. Here's a copy of my .ini, where as far as I can see, there are no references to USB. https://ptpb.pw/4Dh4.ini
2) All the games work, including the initial loading of their animated banners from inside the game data (I assume this is how this works). This is consistent after reboots, and a few times putting the SD card into the computer (where no errors of any kind are reported).
3) I will now proceed to attempt to download some covers, and will report back with what happens.

 

[aphirst]

Alright, I did the following things following on from the previous post (which was a fresh SD with ~5 games on it)

• Download missing covers for games - no apparent issues
• Download missing covers for channels - no apparent issues
• Repeat download of missing covers for games - no apparent issues
• Add ~4 new games, Reload cache (to get them to show in the list)
• Test new games - no apparent issues
• Test old games - one of them gives a hard "Exception (DSI) occurred!" crash (hard = doesn't auto-reboot after 10s)

I put the microSD into the computer and ran `fsck`, with the following output (I interacted with fsck as shown)

fsck.fat 4.1 (2017-01-24)
0x41: Dirty bit is set. Fs was not properly unmounted and some data may be corrupt.
1) Remove dirty bit
2) No action
? 1
FATs differ but appear to be intact. Use which FAT ?
1) Use first FAT
2) Use second FAT
? 1
/wbfs/The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (v1.01) [SOUP01]/SOUP01.wbfs
  File size is 4294934528 bytes, cluster chain length is 2346975232 bytes.
  Truncating file to 2346975232 bytes.
/wbfs/The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (v1.01) [SOUP01]/SOUP01.wbfs  and
/wiiflow/cache/banners/WWND.bnr
  share clusters.
1) Truncate first to 2345172992 bytes
2) Truncate second to 0 bytes
? 0
Invalid input.
? 2
/wiiflow/cache/banners/WWND.bnr
  File size is 1775824 bytes, cluster chain length is 0 bytes.
  Truncating file to 0 bytes.
Reclaimed 59501 unused clusters (1949728768 bytes).
Free cluster summary wrong (1553123 vs. really 1612624)
1) Correct
2) Don't correct
? 1
Perform changes ? (y/n) y
/dev/sdc: 652 files, 335891/1948515 clusters

Interesting how the cached banner entry for the game became intertwined with the actual game data. It's worth noting that this is before doing *another* scan for Missing covers (for the new games).

After ejecting and re-mounting the SD, It seems that despite choosing the option to truncate WWND.bnr to 0 instead of the .wbfs file, the .wbfs file still got truncated (since it's a split game, that file should be 4GB). Perhaps fsck got confused because I chose "0" instead of "2" first? I'm not sure. Edit: by reading the log more carefully, it seems the file was first truncated automatically, then a 2nd further truncation was offered due to the overlap with WWND.bnr, and obviously rejecting the 2nd one doesn't undo the first.

I was able to re-copy the affected .wbfs file without any filesystem errors (this was an issue sometimes before, necessitating a full reformat), and the game works from there. I think the others do too, as do their banners (this was also an issue before - sometimes the cached banner would be corrupt, triggering a "soft" Exception DSI Error, which auto rebooted after 10s).

As far as I'm concerned the two potential culprits here were:

• repeating the scan for missing covers (I didn't check EVERY GAME after each step, because of the 20 second delay, but perhaps I will have to repeat the process and do so to be 100% sure)
• updating the cache to account for the 2nd batch of added games

I'm going to repeat the whole process, starting with an SD card reformat, and after each step will test EVERY game booting. Hopefully this can pin down whether or not it's the first cover scan, the second scan, or the Reload Cache option.

Edit: It turns out that the "WWND" banner is to do with Nintendont. Of course, I was scrolling through all the different view modes, checking whether the games/channels etc. loaded their animated banners right. I *think* the loading of the Nintendont banner took a second try, or something - I probably forgot to because it ultimately did appear, but perhaps at that moment the Skyward Sword WBFS was already corrupted? This is going to be a nightmare to diagnose if, in principle, I need to do a fsck after literally every first time scrolling to a game/channel entry...

Regardless, I think the likelihood of WFC or banner file generating being the true culprit is getting higher, as has already been mentioned here: https://github.com/einsteinx2/wiiflow-lite-einstein-mod/issues/41#issuecomment-397839089

 

[WesMods]

ok if that little white progress bar isn't showing it means the error is occurring in the extrernal_booter. I'll have to look at that code to see. do you see any of that progress bar at all? the other thing to try is backup wiiflow_lite.ini and rename it to let wiiflow lite make a new one.
Yes indeed, the new patch @FIX94 added now allows WiiU Gamepad control of FceuGX, Snes9xGX, Vbagx and GenPlusGX

i did not know he did that for those emu's. i thought he added wiiu pro controller support not wiiu gamepad drc support. adding drc support was on my list but i've had other issues to address first. but if einsteinx2 or anyone else wants to add it - go ahead.


hide plugins - you have to manually edit wiiflow_lite.ini. look under [PLUGINS] and find disable= and set it to yes and save.

hide gc disc 2 - apparently no one ever checks the wiiflowiki 4 (sighs). you have to set one of your categories as hidden. then place those disc2 games in the hidden category. now they won't show.

and to everyone. i suggest you don't use the cover downloader. unless you backup everything and want to test it to make sure it doesn't screw up your sd card.

also i have no idea why einsteinx2's patch doesn't work. i added almost exactly the same. the change i made should have made any difference. unless its this if statement:
if(!Sys_DolphinMode() && mount_usb)
maybe that isn't written correctly.

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

Yes indeed, the new patch @FIX94 added now allows WiiU Gamepad control of FceuGX, Snes9xGX, Vbagx and GenPlusGX It's glorious!

 

[kaisersozeh]

There is some weird caching going on.
I haven't looked at it in a while, but when I was experimenting with button artwork, wiiflow would display previously used art that wasn't anywhere on the media or in the binary - the images had to be coming from somewhere.
@fledge68 Just wanted to say thanks for all the commenting work you've put in. I haven't got stuck in yet but having a quick look around - you've made a big difference
Thank you.

 

[aphirst]

There is some weird caching going on.
I haven't looked at it in a while, but when I was experimenting with button artwork, wiiflow would display previously used art that wasn't anywhere on the media or in the binary - the images had to be coming from somewhere.

I observe that *sometimes* if I repeatedly mash "reload cache", the album art which displays for some titles is a corrupt garbled mess. I haven't been able to get that to persist (it doesn't save onto the SD, and seems so far to go away if i scroll away and back, but it seems that these issues are all a bit sporadic and non-deterministic.

 

[kaisersozeh]

I hesitate to bring it up so as not to confuse the issue, but it may be related - if wiiflow is caching stuff on the harware, and it must be - is it possible that the corruption is due to two references to the same data (or two data for the same reference) - one from wiiflow, the other from a 'hardware' cache?