UPDATE: I've made a discovery! PhantomWing's CSS Organizer can actually be used to directly edit 3.6's CSS selection screen, despite it normally not being able to. Now all you need is:
- Knowledge of running Project M on Dolphin. (Testing custom builds on Dolphin is much more efficient.)
- PhantomWing's CSS Organizer
- BrawlBox, preferably v0.76b
- A fresh copy of Project M 3.6.
I ask that you find 3.6 yourself. Okay, let's begin!
1) With sc_selcharacter.pac open in BrawlBox, directly click the "sc_selcharacter_en" file, or the ARC file. On the right hand side under Misc, change Compression from 'ExtendedLZ77' to 'LZ77'. Save, then exit out of BrawlBox.
2) Open sc_selcharacter.pac again, this time in CSSO. You should now see an outline of the PM 3.6 CSS. On the bottom-right corner under Layout, increase character slots to 42. (As in 3.6 there are 41 character slots + the random slot.) Now the fun part! Rearrange the roster to your liking. I recommend a Grid Snap setting of 0.25.
Note: To those that read my old tutorial, be aware that the CSSO icons still do not correspond to their actual in-game positions. So we still need to go through that step, conveniently pasted below.
"But wait, what's with this arrangement CSSO gives me? It looks nothing like it does in-game, and what's with the blank slots?" Okay, so unfortunately the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual placements in-game. Just ignore that, leave the blank slots alone, and rearrange the roster to your best. When done, save the file then exit out of CSSO. Here's an example arrangement:
4) Open the .pac file in BrawlBox (it gets tiring typing sc_selcharacter.pac), and change the ARC file back to the 'ExtendedLZ77' compression. Save, then exit. Now start up your build. Once you go to the CSS, you're going to find a big mess. This is what my rearranged roster turned into:
What in the world happened? Like I mentioned, the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual in-game placements at all. So now what we need to do is go back to CSSO and rearrange things again, keeping in mind to change the ARC file's compression back to 'LZ77' in order to do so.
Note: If the whole 'LZ77' compression thing gets confusing, just know that CSSO can only open 3.6's sc_selcharacter.pac with the ARC file compressed as LZ77. Not ExtendedLZ77!
We need to figure out what character icons correspond to what character in-game, and arrange the slots in CSSO accordingly. Yes I know, this isn't the most fun activity out there. But this is how you do it. I strongly recommend taking screenshots of what the roster looks like in CSSO and in-game, and have them open side-by-side to help figure out who goes where.
During this step you may need to test your build a few times to make sure each character is in your desired place. I'd say this is the most difficult step of this whole process; just stay strong!
5) So after some time you finally have your arranged roster in CSSO. Save and exit, change the ARC file's compression back to 'ExtendedLZ77' in BrawlBox, and start up your build. Upon seeing the CSS, you should have your ideal roster arrangement. Congrats! Here's my example:
Not the same exact thing I was working with earlier, but you get the idea. Ignore the background.
A rearranged roster, what an amazing sight. And that's it folks! Much simpler than my previous tutorial. I hope things were clear. Don't know why the compression of the file affects its compatibility, but alas. Happy rearranging! c:
EDIT: Formatting. Words. Also forgot to give a shout out to CommittedHail from KCMM, as one of his/her posts gave me the idea to try changing sc_selcharacter.pac's compression.
Here's the old tutorial, for the masochists out there.
- Knowledge of running Project M on Dolphin. (Testing custom builds on Dolphin is much more efficient.)
- PhantomWing's CSS Organizer
- BrawlBox, preferably v0.76b
- A fresh copy of Project M 3.6.
I ask that you find 3.6 yourself. Okay, let's begin!
1) With sc_selcharacter.pac open in BrawlBox, directly click the "sc_selcharacter_en" file, or the ARC file. On the right hand side under Misc, change Compression from 'ExtendedLZ77' to 'LZ77'. Save, then exit out of BrawlBox.
2) Open sc_selcharacter.pac again, this time in CSSO. You should now see an outline of the PM 3.6 CSS. On the bottom-right corner under Layout, increase character slots to 42. (As in 3.6 there are 41 character slots + the random slot.) Now the fun part! Rearrange the roster to your liking. I recommend a Grid Snap setting of 0.25.
Note: To those that read my old tutorial, be aware that the CSSO icons still do not correspond to their actual in-game positions. So we still need to go through that step, conveniently pasted below.
"But wait, what's with this arrangement CSSO gives me? It looks nothing like it does in-game, and what's with the blank slots?" Okay, so unfortunately the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual placements in-game. Just ignore that, leave the blank slots alone, and rearrange the roster to your best. When done, save the file then exit out of CSSO. Here's an example arrangement:
4) Open the .pac file in BrawlBox (it gets tiring typing sc_selcharacter.pac), and change the ARC file back to the 'ExtendedLZ77' compression. Save, then exit. Now start up your build. Once you go to the CSS, you're going to find a big mess. This is what my rearranged roster turned into:
What in the world happened? Like I mentioned, the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual in-game placements at all. So now what we need to do is go back to CSSO and rearrange things again, keeping in mind to change the ARC file's compression back to 'LZ77' in order to do so.
Note: If the whole 'LZ77' compression thing gets confusing, just know that CSSO can only open 3.6's sc_selcharacter.pac with the ARC file compressed as LZ77. Not ExtendedLZ77!
We need to figure out what character icons correspond to what character in-game, and arrange the slots in CSSO accordingly. Yes I know, this isn't the most fun activity out there. But this is how you do it. I strongly recommend taking screenshots of what the roster looks like in CSSO and in-game, and have them open side-by-side to help figure out who goes where.
During this step you may need to test your build a few times to make sure each character is in your desired place. I'd say this is the most difficult step of this whole process; just stay strong!
Going back to the initial arrangement CSSO presented us with, here's an image showing what some of the character slots correspond to their actual in-game slots:
I don't know why the icons in CSSO don't correspond to the in-game arrangement at all. It's mildly infuriating, but alas.
I don't know why the icons in CSSO don't correspond to the in-game arrangement at all. It's mildly infuriating, but alas.
5) So after some time you finally have your arranged roster in CSSO. Save and exit, change the ARC file's compression back to 'ExtendedLZ77' in BrawlBox, and start up your build. Upon seeing the CSS, you should have your ideal roster arrangement. Congrats! Here's my example:
Not the same exact thing I was working with earlier, but you get the idea. Ignore the background.
A rearranged roster, what an amazing sight. And that's it folks! Much simpler than my previous tutorial. I hope things were clear. Don't know why the compression of the file affects its compatibility, but alas. Happy rearranging! c:
EDIT: Formatting. Words. Also forgot to give a shout out to CommittedHail from KCMM, as one of his/her posts gave me the idea to try changing sc_selcharacter.pac's compression.
Here's the old tutorial, for the masochists out there.
Hey everyone, I'm here to give a tutorial on rearranging the CSS select screen via PhantomWing's CSS Organizer. Normally this isn't possible as CSSO can't read 3.6's sc_selcharacter.pac, but with some modifications it is definitely possible. Can't say the process is quick or easy, however. I'll be listing the steps followed by spoilers containing pictures and optional information. I hope to explain this process as user-friendly as possible, so let's begin! What you'll need:
- Knowledge of running Project M on Dolphin. (Testing custom builds on Dolphin is much more efficient.)
- PhantomWing's CSS Organizer
- BrawlBox, preferably v0.76b
- A fresh copy of Project M 3.6
- A fresh copy of Project M 3.0's common5.pac
I ask that you find 3.6 and the common5 file yourself. They're definitely floating around somewhere.
1) Start by opening 3.0's common5.pac file in BrawlBox and exporting the sc_selcharacter_en section to your desktop. Do this by the CTRL+E hotkey or right-clicking it. Save it as a .pac, then go to File -> Close.
2) With BrawlBox still up, open sc_selcharacter.pac from Project M 3.6. Export the MiscData[70] section to the desktop as a .brres file. Now go to File -> Close. Then open the newly exported 3.0 sc_selcharacter_en.pac file and import the MiscData[70].brres file we just retrieved from 3.6. (You can do this by right-clicking on the MiscData[70] section -> Replace.) Save, then close BrawlBox.
3) Now open CSS Organizer, and open sc_selcharacter_en.pac. You should now see an outline of the PM 3.6 CSS. On the bottom-right corner under 'Layout', increase character slots to 42. (As in 3.6 there are 41 character slots + random slot.) Then decrease Grid Snap to 0.25. Now the fun part! Rearrange the roster to your liking.
"But wait, what's with this arrangement CSSO gives me? It looks nothing like it does in-game, and what's with the blank slots?" Okay, so unfortunately the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual placements in-game. Just ignore that, leave the blank slots alone, and rearrange the roster to your best. When done, save the file then exit out of CSSO. Here's an example arrangement:
4) In your PM 3.6 build, navigate to projectm -> pf -> menu2. Set aside the sc_selcharacter.pac file into another location for now, and drag the newly rearranged sc_selcharacter_en.pac to this folder. Rename it to "sc_selcharacter.pac". Now start your build.
Once you go to the CSS, you're going to find a big mess. This is what my rearranged roster turned into:
"What in the world happened?" Like I mentioned, the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual in-game placements at all. So now what we need to do is go back to CSSO and open the .pac file once again.
5) We need to figure out what character icons correspond to what character in-game, and arrange the slots in CSSO accordingly. Yes I know, this isn't very fun. But if you really want to rearrange your CSS, this is how. I strongly recommend taking screenshots of what the roster looks like in CSSO and in-game, and have them open side-by-side to help figure out who goes where.
During this step you may need to test your build a few times to make sure each character is in your desired place. I'd say this is the most difficult step of this whole process; I hope it isn't too overwhelming.
6) So after some time you finally have your arranged roster. Congrats! For an example, here's what I have:
Not the same exact thing I was working with earlier, but you get the idea.
[NOTE: If you wish to keep 3.0's background and CSPs, you're free to go. If you desire 3.6's background and CSPs, we must keep going for a little longer.]
7) On your desktop, create a blank folder called "AnmChr(NW4R)". In BrawlBox, open the rearranged sc_selcharacter.pac you have in your 3.6 Build, then navigate to MiscData[30]. Export the contents of the AnmChr(NW4R) folder to the new folder of the same name you made on your desktop.
(Note: The exporting process for folders isn't the same as exporting a .pac file. You must export the contents of MiscData[30], not the .brres itself, via Extract All to a separate folder. Then take every .CHR0 file and move those to the blank AnmChr(NW4R) folder on your desktop.)
8) Remember the 3.6 sc_selcharacter.pac we placed aside earlier? We'll be using that again. Open that up in BrawlBox, then in MiscData[30] delete the existing AnmChr(NW4R) folder, and replace it with the folder on your desktop with the same name. Save, then exit BrawlBox. Place this file into your 3.6 Build, deleting the one currently there. Start up your build, and your CSS should now have 3.6's background.
Congratulations, you've rearranged the CSS! I hope. Dear lord this was a mouthful to type, I hope someone finds this useful.
(And yes, I am aware this is also possible via editing RSBE01.gct, but only a few seem to know how and there aren't any guides floating around. So until that field progresses here's the alternative method.)
EDIT: It seems that the little icon for changing stock/time on the CSS gets a little misaligned during the process. I'm looking into it, and I hope it's not too unplayable.
- Knowledge of running Project M on Dolphin. (Testing custom builds on Dolphin is much more efficient.)
- PhantomWing's CSS Organizer
- BrawlBox, preferably v0.76b
- A fresh copy of Project M 3.6
- A fresh copy of Project M 3.0's common5.pac
I ask that you find 3.6 and the common5 file yourself. They're definitely floating around somewhere.
1) Start by opening 3.0's common5.pac file in BrawlBox and exporting the sc_selcharacter_en section to your desktop. Do this by the CTRL+E hotkey or right-clicking it. Save it as a .pac, then go to File -> Close.
A picture of exporting the file:
Why are we working with a file from an older PM version? CSSO is pretty outdated, only being able to read and modify PM 3.0's sc_selcharacter_en.pac file. Luckily this file is functionally similar to 3.6's sc_selcharacter.pac, allowing us to copy portions of 3.0's data onto 3.6. More details later on.
Why are we working with a file from an older PM version? CSSO is pretty outdated, only being able to read and modify PM 3.0's sc_selcharacter_en.pac file. Luckily this file is functionally similar to 3.6's sc_selcharacter.pac, allowing us to copy portions of 3.0's data onto 3.6. More details later on.
2) With BrawlBox still up, open sc_selcharacter.pac from Project M 3.6. Export the MiscData[70] section to the desktop as a .brres file. Now go to File -> Close. Then open the newly exported 3.0 sc_selcharacter_en.pac file and import the MiscData[70].brres file we just retrieved from 3.6. (You can do this by right-clicking on the MiscData[70] section -> Replace.) Save, then close BrawlBox.
MiscData[70] contains the MenSelchrChrFace pictures of the fighters, or simply their CSS icons. With this step we are making CSSO display 3.6's CSS icons instead of 3.0's. Makes the process much easier.
3) Now open CSS Organizer, and open sc_selcharacter_en.pac. You should now see an outline of the PM 3.6 CSS. On the bottom-right corner under 'Layout', increase character slots to 42. (As in 3.6 there are 41 character slots + random slot.) Then decrease Grid Snap to 0.25. Now the fun part! Rearrange the roster to your liking.
"But wait, what's with this arrangement CSSO gives me? It looks nothing like it does in-game, and what's with the blank slots?" Okay, so unfortunately the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual placements in-game. Just ignore that, leave the blank slots alone, and rearrange the roster to your best. When done, save the file then exit out of CSSO. Here's an example arrangement:
4) In your PM 3.6 build, navigate to projectm -> pf -> menu2. Set aside the sc_selcharacter.pac file into another location for now, and drag the newly rearranged sc_selcharacter_en.pac to this folder. Rename it to "sc_selcharacter.pac". Now start your build.
Once you go to the CSS, you're going to find a big mess. This is what my rearranged roster turned into:
"What in the world happened?" Like I mentioned, the CSS icons in CSSO do not correspond to their actual in-game placements at all. So now what we need to do is go back to CSSO and open the .pac file once again.
5) We need to figure out what character icons correspond to what character in-game, and arrange the slots in CSSO accordingly. Yes I know, this isn't very fun. But if you really want to rearrange your CSS, this is how. I strongly recommend taking screenshots of what the roster looks like in CSSO and in-game, and have them open side-by-side to help figure out who goes where.
During this step you may need to test your build a few times to make sure each character is in your desired place. I'd say this is the most difficult step of this whole process; I hope it isn't too overwhelming.
Going back to the initial arrangement CSSO presented us with, here's an image showing what some of the character slots correspond to their actual in-game slots:
I don't know why the icons in CSSO don't correspond to the in-game arrangement at all. It's mildly infuriating, but alas.
I don't know why the icons in CSSO don't correspond to the in-game arrangement at all. It's mildly infuriating, but alas.
6) So after some time you finally have your arranged roster. Congrats! For an example, here's what I have:
Not the same exact thing I was working with earlier, but you get the idea.
[NOTE: If you wish to keep 3.0's background and CSPs, you're free to go. If you desire 3.6's background and CSPs, we must keep going for a little longer.]
7) On your desktop, create a blank folder called "AnmChr(NW4R)". In BrawlBox, open the rearranged sc_selcharacter.pac you have in your 3.6 Build, then navigate to MiscData[30]. Export the contents of the AnmChr(NW4R) folder to the new folder of the same name you made on your desktop.
(Note: The exporting process for folders isn't the same as exporting a .pac file. You must export the contents of MiscData[30], not the .brres itself, via Extract All to a separate folder. Then take every .CHR0 file and move those to the blank AnmChr(NW4R) folder on your desktop.)
MiscData[30] contains the files for the CSS background. The Anm(NW4R) folder contains the information storing the CSS arrangement. Hope you're still with me.
8) Remember the 3.6 sc_selcharacter.pac we placed aside earlier? We'll be using that again. Open that up in BrawlBox, then in MiscData[30] delete the existing AnmChr(NW4R) folder, and replace it with the folder on your desktop with the same name. Save, then exit BrawlBox. Place this file into your 3.6 Build, deleting the one currently there. Start up your build, and your CSS should now have 3.6's background.
Congratulations, you've rearranged the CSS! I hope. Dear lord this was a mouthful to type, I hope someone finds this useful.
(And yes, I am aware this is also possible via editing RSBE01.gct, but only a few seem to know how and there aren't any guides floating around. So until that field progresses here's the alternative method.)
EDIT: It seems that the little icon for changing stock/time on the CSS gets a little misaligned during the process. I'm looking into it, and I hope it's not too unplayable.
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