Riivolution File Patcher

NWR: Why did you choose to design Riivolution and your Fatal Frame 4 translation to require an original game disc?

Colin: In the past, translations have always required digital copies of the game which are illegal in most places. The Wii has a very lively homebrew community, and lots of options for expansion in this regard. Homebrew is often misused by pirates, but I really wanted to show that it could also be used for good, and let those people who had actually purchased the game play it with all the bells and whistles they never had access to before.

Aaron: Riivolution, an idea from ages ago, was designed specifically for use with retail discs. It was created because the only way to accomplish game modifications and translations previously was to use questionable methods that are downright annoying, complicated, and time consuming to use. I wanted to create something that just worked.

NWR: Why did you choose not to require the homebrew channel or any other modifications to the Wii to get the localization patch to work?

Colin: This is a given. If you're going to make something work with the retail disc, it needs to work with JUST the retail disc or you might as well not bother.

Aaron: Hah, I think that's a bit excessive. Requiring some game-based hack to install the patch (who remembers good old Twilight Princess?) or optionally the Homebrew Channel wouldn't be nearly as bad as the alternative, which is essentially only making it available for systems already modified to play "backups." However, the accessibility of this translation has really contributed to the success of the project; I think it's fantastic that such a large number of casual gamers who are not the type to normally "mod" their Wiis are able to enjoy this game in English.

NWR: How does the Riivolution patching system work?

Colin: Since this is Aaron's specialty, I'll let him explain to the extent he desires, but the short answer is - 'love'.

Aaron: Lots and lots of love. The first time it's run, Riivolution installs a patched version of the Wii's operating system on the internal memory in a safe, brick-free manner. The patches specifically target the Wii's drivers for the DVD drive, which gives us full control over what a game, when launched under this patched OS, thinks is on the disc. The Riivolution loader itself looks for special option files on the SD card in order to present the user with some choices for what it should replace - this allows you to pick what mods you feel like playing between sessions without needing to change any files on the SD card. Very useful for example if you feel like playing as Cloud Strife in Smash Bros. Brawl one day, and then Roy the next. It's all very convenient to use, and installing new hacks is as simple as plopping a few new files onto your SD card.

NWR: How would the project have progressed without the development of the "banner bomb" exploit?

Colin: There is always another way. But likely, if the exploit had not existed it would've been run exclusively through The Homebrew Channel, if we would've even bothered at all to make this for retail discs. Bannerbomb was one of the inspirations behind the accessibility of this project, and many thanks to comex for his efforts.

Aaron: Riivolution was conceived a long time before bannerbomb was ever created, so while it's not essential, it's a huge boost to accessibility for a project like this. However, before I met Colin, it had been an abandoned project; if not for bannerbomb, he may not have been searching for a way to patch the game on the fly, we never would have met up like we did, and it would still be sitting on that digital shelf collecting dust. Either way, bannerbomb has definitely made a monumental contribution to the success of the translation project as a whole.

NWR: How susceptible will your solution be to Wii firmware upgrades? Will you be able to stay ahead of Nintendo in this regard?

Colin: There will always be issues with Nintendo's firmware upgrades. Luckily, an active community means active fixes. Also luckily, Nintendo's demographic caters largely towards casual gamers who have no particular need or desire to pirate, which means their motivation to block homebrew intentionally isn't that great.

NWR: Will Riivolution be available for other games? Have the developers collaborated with those developing mods for Super Smash Bros. Brawl or New Super Mario Bros. Wii? What are your future plans for Riivolution?

Colin: The version of Riivolution released with Zero4 is a test release limited to the game. Our development releases can modify most existing games, including such titles as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Rockband, and more. It was mine and Aaron's intention from the start to make this solution portable for any game on any unmodified or modified system. If the success of Fatal Frame 4's sales are any indication, pirated copies of those games who make extensive use of this system should decrease, and sales should go up as well. It's a solution that makes everyone happy. End users get free, community created DLC, and companies get increased revenues.

Aaron: As a matter of fact, it was initially started as a way to play your own songs on Guitar Hero 3 on the Wii. In the recent months, the testing of Riivolution on my Wii has been almost exclusive to modifying those exact two titles you mentioned, as well as Rock Band 2 and a few other games. The translation release has worked as a sort of public beta test for Riivolution's core, which seems to have been quite successful thus far; soon there will be a public release that will allow anyone to modify any Wii game in whatever way they please.

This opens the doors to convenient game modifications including fun things like custom levels and textures, as well as full translations. The only limits are imposed by whatever the original game is capable of.