For those who don't know, Mr. Legend & Watcher is a god hack for Mr. Game & Watch by the author YellowWollywogOverload.

For a while I was puzzled at a random occurrence that happened while having a fun match against a Lv9 L&W CPU
I wasn't sure how, but L&W somehow managed to turn my character forward (facing the camera)


these images were taken back in 2017, and hardly anyone knew how to do this.
just over 3 years later, this mystery has finally been solved.

the move by Mr. L&W that does this is the backwards-areal (turtle)

now you can all enjoy a new avenue of Brawl hacking to venture down

EDIT: note that this is not revolutionary, just something I've not seen commonly talked about.

[I refuse to call them shaders, because that's not what they are]

Decided to come out of my hole on Smashboards and make a quick guide towards dealing with emissive maps.

Now note, I'm by no means an expert on TEVs (I refuse to call them shaders, because that's not what they are)
in fact, I'm really only just learning about them...
Really all I'm doing here is just basic mapping which is very easy.
Harder stuff like bloom, while possible, I'm not sure how to do.

Just recently I released a new version of my signature hack Dark Pikachu version 4.6 which makes use of a fake (constant color Intensity) emissive map to achieve this without a memory overflow:


basically how this fake map works exactly is you have the emissive map:

and the color you want it to show in the material's Constant Color 2 (basically the image functions as an alpha channel for this color)

note that Constant Color 2 is delegated by the TEV stage applying the emissive map (stage1 in this case)
in order: stage0 | stage1 | stage2 | stage3

note that stage1 was added and is completely custom

it takes the output from stage0, adds Constant Color 2 * TextureColor, and clamps the result
stage0 just applies shading to the diffuse map (untouched from the original TEV)
stages 2 and 3 are for finalization (also untouched) (not too sure how they work)

now if you want to use a REAL emissive map like this:

all you need to do is change B and C of stage1 to multiply the TextureColor by the TextureAlpha: (rather than the Constant Color by the TextureColor like the fake one does)


I couldn't use a real emissive map at original quality because it would cause a memory overflow causing the Wii to freeze,
but I WAS able to get it working by downscaling the emissive maps by 50%
but here I thought the scaling would automatically apply the size difference and upscale...
I ended up being wrong, and as such, the emissive map is repeated here:

at least it works like it's supposed to

now note the entire image is green (including the transparent parts), so it looks no different from the fake version
but that's where the similarities stop as the fake version can't mix colors.

if you still need a little extra info as to how TEVs actually work, basically they just iterate over each stage in order and apply the equation noted in the Output Function.

here's a rough mock-up I did to help me understand Pikachu's TEV0:

note that the values supplied below the stage() function are just best guess values for testing
there's other stuff that could be done to it, such as comparison operations, but I never really needed that

so note that OutputColor is treated as a register with a default value of 0.0
Python doesn't inherently support vectors, let alone vector maths, so this was really all I could do without writing a complex vector class.
but the operations are still the same as what I have above:
(0,1,2) + (3,4,5) = (3,5,7)
(0,1,2) * 2 = (0,2,4)

for even more detailed information, you can follow BlackJax96's old notes here:
https://forums.kc-mm.com/index.php?topic=39649.msg801235#msg801235

hopefully this helps shed some detail on a topic that's not so well covered

EDIT: Update!
HOOOOO BOY this one took some real effort to get working:



so for the main texture, in order to optimize it AND make it look good, I had to separate the RGB and A channels
how I did that was a CMPR image for the RGB, and an IA4 image for the alpha:
RGB + A =
and then of course overlay the RGB5A3 emissive texture to achieve the glow

the reason I used CMPR+IA4 instead of RGB5A3 is because of the bit difference on alpha
RGB4A3 only has 8 shades of alpha
IA4 has 16 shades of alpha
and of course
CMPR only has 2 shades of alpha (GIF quality alpha)

so with CMPR I actually get ~RGB565 quality with a smaller data print
add 16 shades of alpha to that and the reduced quality is almost unnoticable

as a result of this, I had to write a separate TEV to merge the channels AND overlay the emission:

TEV0 is the original emissive TEV from the full RGBA8 version
TEV3 is the new version that references the alpha map in stage0, and applies it to the RGB map in stage1 before adding the emissive map in stage2 with the finalizations in stages 3 and 4

the material layout also adds the alpha map as a texture slot:

so yeah stage0 references TexMap2, stage1 -> TexMap0, stage2 -> TexMap1
(I wanted to keep compatibility so I wouldn't have to touch the emissive stage)

so yeah, REAL emissive map fully working in Brawl
here's the hack btw if anyone wants to play with it:
https://mega.nz/#!M0ASkSAa!Vj5T4I3A92uG5XGFTj3yoQ3TKEw3L7rX7eP7JLyQwQo
as well as the full quality version:
https://mega.nz/#!l4ZnzAQA!cHOYoJ2f-dUDa9fEkeiqY-k2jlL8f4ON7YXp-Zb1yPM
and the fake version:
https://mega.nz/#!Y9gjzKab!rVwEL5KIXDFUrUEwEIZCx9rLZotL81A67Ce_sMtHmJs
hopefully these serve as some good examples to help you guys get a feel for TEVs

April 5 2013 - 12:00 Midnight

I've finally managed to run SSBM with individual files (NO ISO) off of my USB.

here's what you need:
- Configurable USB Loader with DIOS MIOS (I have version 2.2)
- a Melee ISO
- a USB with at least 1.5GB free (SD gets copied to USB)

to install Configurable USB loader with DIOS MIOS:
first off, you'll need to download WAD Manager
and you'll need a revision of IOS249 as a WAD
you will also need to download the latest version of DIOS MIOS

place the USB loader in your SD:/apps directory with the folder "usb-loader" on your SD root.

to install DM, the download should contain an EXE and a WAD.
(you'll be needing the EXE for later)

load up WAD Manager and select IOS236.
locate the DM WAD and install it.

you can skip IOS249 installation if you already have a non-stub IOS, but if not:
reload WAD Manager and select IOS250
locate the WAD for IOS249 and install it.


Preparing your USB:
IMPORTANT: make sure your drive is formatted to FAT32
(it's required by DIOS MIOS)

now it's time to use that EXE I've mentioned earlier "DMToolbox.exe"

load that up and browse for your SSBM ISO.

set the output directory to 'USB:games' and the format to "Extracted"

this will install Melee's files on the drive

once finished, insert your SD and USB into your wii, boot up the loader, and run your game

I didn't need to set anything to get it working


NOTE: be sure to keep your drive defragmented, otherwise you will experiance alot of load-time.
(gameplay doesn't seem to be bamfed)

sorry for my directions being horrible... >_<
I'm only on my wii

I'll fix them up in time

UMC Official Development Thread


UMC is literally what it's name stands for.

UMC, when finished, will be able to convert models from one format to another format.
that being said, that "format" can be whatever desired format is supported by UMC's plugins

right now UMC is still in it's basic development stages, and currently only supports a model with a material color and vertex colors.
multi-channel vertex colors and UV's are supported, but not displayed... yet

I'm still working on getting the internal format to support more...

the conversion process may seem fast, but it's actually quite slow...
once new knowledge is found out, it will be implamented to improve performance.

I'll be starting a google project and post a download upon the release of dev5.

until then, you can keep an eye on the progress  

[refuse]

I don't have very much and all of mine are still WIP...
but I'll get it eventually XD

Note: I refuse to build an import for a character if disables the other choices for that character
(what's the freakin point then)

Pachirisu (Import):

^the true very first image I took... (not UL'd anywhere else)
compair it with this image to see the animation:


and this shows them both in their WalkSlow animations...


sadly, I'm currently unable to duplicate this ;_;
(my first attempt from the images above died with my last SD card) T.T


Riku (Creation):




Dark Pikachu v5 (Recreation):
(no image yet)


Melee Pichu (Import):
sadly, the only images I have are useless conversions:


I'm building a seperate lvl1 DAT2OBJ converter to perfect the results before working on it for UMC

other Melee imports:
Roy
Dr Mario
Mewtwo
Young Link
Giga Bowser

I'm actually reserving this thread until I get net on my compy...
you can always use my old resource thread for reference...

@Mods: I'd like this thread to be pinned below my MDL0 thread plz

yes... out with the spoilers

UMC will be having it's name changed by UMC5x

UMC3x (2nd release) will support multiple models and viewports (should be able to load .blend files fully)
UMC4x will be able to support scipts and logic
UMC5x will be changed to Universal Game Converter and support many more aspects such as audio
~UMC6x will be another name change to UG Editor

so there's my future plans for where this thing is going...

other ideas:

-input support for game controllers
-real time edit/play (not supported by verts or other primary things)
-dynamic data generation (gives a different experience and feel) <- not really much to simply explain...

I'll note more once I think of them...

tell me what ideas you may have that you'd like me to implement

reserved for unknown reasoning...

I might use it later

I'll only be working on the importer for now...

I'm not getting any help from 5 forums in the matter of generating the Group, Next, and Prev ID's in the relocation offsets...


anyways...
I'd like to do this because IK this converter's gonna take a few years just to get the basic GUI structure working... >_>

but...
you can import the model into blender 2.49 (the version I'm working on),
save a blend file and open it with 2.60 to export a 3DS.
(blender 2.60's exporter is fully functional)

ok...
so in quick description, what I'm trying to do is hack melee using brawl...

I can get the loaders to work just fine:
main.dol (replacement)
fst.bin (replacement)
appldr.bin (addition)
appldr.bin (apploader.img replacement)
header.bin (addition)
header.bin (boot.bin replacement)

but whenever I try to add any other files,
the option disappears from the selection screen...

does anyone know what's going on here?? :/

yes, I too am victim to the lowly error, and my wii can no longer read brawl... -.-*
or can it??

the error happened to me just a few weeks after installing IOS58 which is the USB2.0 driver to allow my flash drive to be used with WiiXplorer...

I say a few weeks because I had to use a friend's brawl disk (that used to work on my wii) to figure it out...
I've tried about 3 brawl disks before coming to a final conclusion...

so I'm thinking IOS58 had to've caused the error as I havn't installed anything else...
so what if I remove the IOS??
will that restore brawl readability??

I'll have to experiment with my wii to figure it out... >_>

I'm thinking IOS58 may be interfering with IOS249 and replacing DLD readability with USB2.0 readability...

IDK why I didn't think of this sooner, but here it is.

this is the thread where people can freely discuss stuff pertaining to my resource thread:
http://forums.kc-mm.com/index.php?topic=28748.0

so if you have any info, OR comments, please post them here

EDIT:
if you have any questions and/or thoughts as to the format, don't be shy.

I already know this project is going to be huge.
but I hope to get something started on it as this seems to have a pretty large demand on it >_>

I'm going to rewrite my ideas for this here.
(from what was in my hex editor thread)

HB Net Browser ideas:
-download files to SD or USB storage (choose destination to download to)
-allow updates from adobe, java, and other content managers.
-allow chat boxes and other non-working resources to work
-allow toolbars and add-ons
-allow multiple tabs
-temporary files and cookies directory
-back buffer length dependant on free space or user set length
-remember login info on all sites
-if Kbd is USB, disable the virtual Kbd
-no char limit

yes I know it's a bit demanding on memory...
if I have free memory, I want to use quite a good section of it for page quality and user conveinence.

although delete the info that's not being used anymore
I want to use alot of space, but not too much.

you can give some memory usage definition settings for those who'd like to use less memory than me

such as the back buffer limit I stated above
you should allow an override setting to allow a back buffer of maybe 10 pages
I prefer IE's buffer of I think 30-50 pages

I'd the browser to be as much like IE as possible

I'm actually surprized this isn't out yet...
(about as surprized as a scientific calculator not being out)

anyways...
I'm making a request toward a hex editor for HBC
(hopefully something like HxD)

reason being is my compy's taken down and I won't always be at the library due to gas
(we have a closer library, but they only have 3 compys with no chance of getting on them)
so all I have is my wii.

I'm giving you guys 2 votes for a top and 2nd top format
and with the option to change your vote

rmbr though...
this is for AFTER I finish my DAE plugin,
so I may not get to it for QUITE a while :|