WODE save game problem

[kel01]

Could someone with a wode please try saving a game and then load it back on another cube without a wode or vice versa just so that I know that I'm not going crazy.

For some weird reason save files from games run on the WODE will not work on the same game run without a WODE and vice versa. Although I have only tried non region games at this point so maybe it has something to with the way the WODE handles region patching. I'll try a PAL game later and see if it does the same.

Can anyone shed some light on this and maybe give an explaination why this would be the case.

[infact]

Okay, let's try to explain this...

It is all about the game id. Every gamecube (and wii) discs have them.
for example "GLMP01" - that is G for Gamecube, LM for Luigi's Mansion, P for PAL and 01 is an index.
When a disc is put in, the dvd drive reads the header of the disc and the gamecube (and wii) determines the region by reference to this P in the id and another regionflag in the header of the disc. the unmodified console will only play games in the same region as the console.
The wode acts like the dvd drive, but it can do region patching: it just replaces the two flags to whatever region you want (you want the console region, of course) and sends them to the console, so it will boot them.

So for the console the disc "GLME01" (E for NTSC-USA) will look like "GLMP01" and here is the problem: The game id is used in the save files on memory card. So the game won't find them, when you start it without region patching.

I hope i have made it clear.

[kel01]

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought that it was something to do with region patching but wasn't quite sure how. So if I dump my old saves and edit the game IDs with a hex editor then they should work with my WODE?

I've never come across this type of problem with the XenoGC or Viper. I asume that these chips region patch games properly?

[WiiPower]

I assume GC bios chips patch the IPL to accept import games and just boot them. All modchips for Wii cheat with their region free support. If you would use the WODE + priiloader region free hacks or WODE + NeoGamma, then the games would not be patched, they would just be booted.

[HomelandReloaded]

So if I dump my old saves and edit the game IDs with a hex editor then they should work with my WODE?

I don't think you can, kel01; there is some sort of validation of the header of a game save. If you change any of the header bytes the save will not be recognised by the Cube (at least, that is my experience).

[infact]

Like WiiPower said, gamecube chips like the viper and qoob bypass the original bios and can jump straight to the apploader of the dvd.

@HomelandReloaded: It is possible to change the id, only very few saves are encrypted.

[kel01]

It is a pity that the WODE works this way as it means that all out of region saves once made are then limited to being used with the WODE in the future unless dumped and then modified.

I'm not really bothered about my old saves as I've not played those games for a while and it would be better to start them again. The only one I'm bothered about really is mario kart as I don't fancy going through all of the courses again to unlock the extras

[emu_kidid]

Use Swiss with the WODE and also disable region forcing on the WODE. That way, Swiss will boot up your games without editing their region.

[kel01]

I didn't realise that Swiss had come that far. I gave up on it not long after you released it.

Not beacause there was anything wrong with it but beacause

1. I never got around to buying a Gecko SD and
2. I couldn't get it to run on my Viper Extreme and I didn't want to mess about burning a new disc everytime there was a new release.

Now that I have the WODE up and running it seems like a good time to give it a try and see waht I've been missing.

Now, where was that thread with again with instructions on making a bootable Swiss ISO......

[kel01]

I finally got around to trying out Swiss and it works great. Just as you said, it loads the ISOs from the WODE without editing thier region. Thanks emu_kidid

[liquitt]

Yeah since i have a wode gc now too i have to see how swiss interacts with the wode too