File replacement: Difference between revisions

File replacement can be used on real Nintendo 64 hardware with a custom made cartridge.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==

[[File:HackedMeleeRoster.png|thumb|A character select screen hack for ''Melee''; the portraits more closely resemble those found in the previous game, and Captain Falcon now has palette swaps that resemble other characters from other media, including Batman and Ronald McDonald.]]

Largely untouched for the first nine years since the game's release, file replacement in ''Melee'' gained popularity when S. of Stack Smash posted his texture hacks online. This process entails replacing files directly to the ISO with a program such as GC-Tool, and then burning the ISO to a disc or saving the ISO on a computer so that it can be run with an emulator such as [[Dolphin]].  

Due to the difficulty in hacking the GameCube console by itself, the difficulty in reliably accessing the Wii's RAM for playing GameCube games, and the steep system requirements of Dolphin, file replacement in ''Melee'' is considerably less widespread than that for ''Brawl'', though it does have a few devoted developers. Improvements in Dolphin itself have allowed for more hacks to be produced for the game, with ''[[Melee: SD Remix]]'' featuring numerous changes to the game's stages and character movesets via file replacement. With that in mind, more advanced modifications (like model replacement, new animations, and so on) have only very recently been made for ''Melee'', compared to its successors receiving the same treatment within a few years of release.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

''Brawl'' hacking was initially restricted to particularly devoted players, as hacking the game's files initially required the extensive use of modified ISOs and Wii consoles in order to run hacked data. Hacker Phantom Wings is credited to expanding the popularity of ''Brawl'' file replacement hacks, as he made file replacement available to users using [[SD card]]s, with most prior file replacement hacks requiring hacking of the ''Brawl'' ISO itself.  

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==

[[File:SSB4U_Samus_texture_hack.jpg|thumb|{{SSB4|Samus}} wearing her [http://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Fusion_Suit Fusion Suit] from [http://www.metroidwiki.org/wiki/Metroid_Fusion ''Metroid Fusion''].|250px|left]]

File replacement returns in both {{For3ds}} and {{Forwiiu}}. Though somewhat more difficult to access compared to Smash Stack, due to the improved security of the two consoles, several mods have been made for each game, with the ability to use assets between them due to sharing the same file formats. Both games use a "Layered File System", or LayeredFS, implementation to run modded files loaded onto an SD card. With the advent of game updates, mods must be specifically compiled for the version of the game that is being edited.

''Smash 4'' modding, like with ''Brawl'', is perhaps equally popular. All the new aforementioned additions to modding have been demonstrated on [http://gamebanana.com/games/5547 GameBanana], a website which is similar to Brawl Vault.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==

==Specific hacks==

Texture hacking refers to the modification of individual textures in the game's data. Pioneered by the hacker Pharrox, a majority of texture hacks are cosmetic in function, and often take the form of alternate costumes for characters, such as those seen in the images to the left and right. Textures from both characters and stages can be modified, as can various other texture; some hacks, for instance, replace the graphics featured in {{SSBB|Peach}}'s [[Peach Blossom]]. Particularly extensive texture hacks are also often featured in moveset hacks, such as those seen in ''[[Project M]]'' and ''[[Brawl-]]''.

===[[Music]] hacks===

Music hacks feature the replacement of music tracks and replacing them with tracks that the user prefers to use in the game. Custom music was popularized by GHNeko (one of the main developers of ''[[Brawl+]]''), who made a video displaying various stages with custom music, although it was done with a modified ISO. Eventually, Phantom Wings continued his file replacement code used for textures to incorporate music (the first post about it can be seen [http://board.gscentral.org/showthread.php?t=30533#22 here]). Initially difficult for some users to understand, due to the required use of a .brstm file and necessitating music to loop in an acceptable or desired manner, fellow hacker Bionic Sonic created a tool that required considerably less hacking and editing from the end user's part. The hacker Dantarion [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu-IT_-ULXc&annotation_id=annotation_781800&feature=iv  later improved on this method].

In ''Brawl'', [[Unused content (SSBB)|leftover music data]] appears in the form of empty music and fanfare files. For the fanfare files, through the use of cheat codes created by Dantarion, it is possible to give characters their own individual fanfares (though one must also provide one for it to work). In ''SSB4'', the ability to do so returns. The process is much simpler, though as stated above, they will need a file for that fanfare.

===Moveset hacks===

[[File:IkeisCloud.png|thumb|The vertices of {{SSBB|Ike}}'s model, his moveset, and even animations have all been altered to turn him into ''{{s|wikipedia|Final Fantasy VII}}'' protagonist [[Cloud Strife]].|250px|left]]

Created by Phantom Wings, moveset hacks (known as "Project Smash Attacks" after the [[Project Smash Attacks|identically-named program]], as well as "Plan Zeroes" after the first notable moveset hack) alter the movesets of an individual character to varying degrees. This type of hack, however, requires extensive knowledge of scripting and floating values in order to perform, though multiple tutorials exist in an attempt to teach newer users on how to perform such hacks. The first notable moveset hack was "Plan Zero", a moveset hack of {{SSBB|Mario}}. Although not the most popular moveset hack, it became the most widely known amongst hackers after the release of Project Smash Attack. Today, most moveset hacks are more refined than before, and often feature famous characters such as Cloud Strife from ''Final Fantasy VII'', Sora from ''Kingdom Hearts'', Waluigi, and [[Mewtwo]], who was eventually hacked into ''[[Project M]]''.

===Vertex/Model Replacement===

The default models of a character, starting from ''Brawl'', can have their vertices relocated. The model itself becomes reshaped, and in turn resemble the intended design. Texture hacking is done with this to ensure they correlate with the model's new design.

This idea, as well as the method below, to add characters allows modders to add a certain character they desire to appear in ''Smash'' as playable.  

==External links==

*[http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=106573 Smashboards ''Smash 64'' hacking guide]

*[http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=247119 Smashboards ''Melee'' hacking introduction]

*[http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=225642 A guide to using the File Replacement code for users using the SD loader]

*[http://forums.kc-mm.com/Gallery/BrawlView.php Brawl Vault, which hosts numerous ''Brawl''-related texture hacks]