How-To: Changing a Gamecube Game's ID and Name (and more!)

[Doq]

So if you're anything like me, you have multiple builds/versions of Melee right? That's why you came to this thread in the first place. This guide I wrote is for those, who are like me, and have some sort of trouble separating one game from the next.

You'll need a few things:
1. GCRebuilder. You'll need this to modify the GC image's file system.
2. A hex editor. I really hope you know what that is, and if you don't have one, you can grab the one I use here.
3. A copy of Melee. No I will not provide this for you, go get your own.

How to change the game ID:
1. Open up your image in GCr. For the images below, I'm using a modified version of my build that uses the 20XX pack (Dr.Kirby's Prototype Melee 4.04x, 20XX version 2.04)

Spoiler: Step 1

(Now, my game ID is already modified, but I'll modify it again.)

2. The game ID is in the ISO.hdr file, so export that

Spoiler: Step 2

3. Open your desired hex editor (I use HxD.) and navigate to where you saved ISO.hdr

Spoiler: Step 3a

First six characters is the game ID. You can make this anything you want, but make sure the fourth character is the region. (E for america, P for europe, J for japan)
The name in that same file can be modified as well. Dolphin won't use this name, but some loaders may (I know Nintendont does).

Spoiler: Step 3b

Save and close it.


4. Back in GCr, reimport the ISO.hdr you just modified. If you want to see changes, close and reopen the image.
[no image, see note1]

Should now have a changed game ID.

note1: I had made the demonstration title too long to be imported into GCr or even readable, so try to make the ISO.hdr title shorter, the opening.bnr does not have this limitation.


Speaking of opening.bnr, let's go into changing the title for Dolphin and certain loaders:
1. Open up that image again in GCr. (Prototype Melee 3.0 this time, because I wrecked the one I was using)

Spoiler: Step 1

Off to the left is data from the opening.bnr. You can DIRECTLY modify this! Hooray for laziness! Just modify what you want and click save changes.

Spoiler: Step 2 maybe? I don't know.

Done! Load it in Dolphin or loader for awesomesauce.

note2: If you do change the game ID, you will lose all saved data unless you change the game ID on the memory card data as well. That may/may not be more complicated, although I may get into it later.

 

[Oskurito]

I use DiosMios toolbox to save games on my usb drive and load them with usb loader gx.

I edited the ISO.hdr file and imported it back to the .ISO like you the described. But when I use the DiosMios toolbox to save that ISO on my usb it says that the ISO file is not a gamecube game (or something like that, I can't remember the exact error message).

 

[Doq]

I use DiosMios toolbox to save games on my usb drive and load them with usb loader gx.

I edited the ISO.hdr file and imported it back to the .ISO like you the described. But when I use the DiosMios toolbox to save that ISO on my usb it says that the ISO file is not a gamecube game (or something like that, I can't remember the exact error message).

DMToolbox v0.3? The one by Crediar?
Should work, check to see if you broke the ISO.hdr file.

 

[Oskurito]

DMToolbox v0.3? The one by Crediar?
Should work, check to see if you broke the ISO.hdr file.

Yes.

lol. How do I check the file is not broken?

 

[Doq]

Yes.

lol. How do I check the file is not broken?

Comparing filesizes with the original is best, also see if things are too long. Sometimes if it's too long it also breaks.

 

[Luddoj]

For future references, I can confirm this method does work. I also use DM Tools V0.3 (by Crediar) using the standard settings and everything works fine. I even changed the title and all that good stuff.

I've been doing this to be able to use both SD Remix and the 20XX Hack Pack.

Also, nice tutorial. Really useful to avoid wasting all your available UCBs just to load different versions of Melee.

 

[Y-L]

You don't need GCR at all to change the game id actually. I use HxD and you can open the iso directly and modify the game id from there.

 

[Oskurito]

I think there's something wrong with the the way my computer or the program I use saves the files. If I edit the ISO.hdr file and put the original game id (GALE01) and replace it on the .iso, the error still pops up. However if I import the original ISO.hdr file, it goes fine.

You don't need GCR at all to change the game id actually. I use HxD and you can open the iso directly and modify the game id from there.

I just did that, and when I use DM toolbox to save it on my usb it throws the following error: "Unknown ISO format."


NVM. I think I was going full ******.

I was editing the second column where the text is and not the hex values. Apparently this moves the whole file structure for the .iso file and makes it useless. I just changed the game id in the .iso to GALE02 like you said and everything went fine.

 

[Doq]

You don't need GCR at all to change the game id actually. I use HxD and you can open the iso directly and modify the game id from there.

I highly don't recommend this however as you are even MORE LIKELY to break the ISO and ruin it.

 

[Y-L]

I highly don't recommend this however as you are even MORE LIKELY to break the ISO and ruin it.

The only way you can mess anything up is if you delete things instead of overwriting.. If you're only changing the game id you'd have to be an idiot to mess something up.

 

[CeLL]

You guys really over complicate things.

This does all the work for you. :D

 

[Dinowaffles]

Did you ever make a guide to changing your memory card game ID?

 

[Achilles1515]

Did you ever make a guide to changing your memory card game ID?

Extract out your DOL file. Open it up in a hex editor and change the highlighted string at offset 0x3b7c5c. Idk about changing the numbers or total string length. I'd keep those things the same and just swap letters. For 20XX Beta04, I am using "XuperSmashBros...".

wParam's Crazy Mod used "DuperSmashBros...".

The "Game Data" and "Super Smash Bros. Melee" ASCII above the memory card filename can also be modified, but only changing these does not separate it from a vanilla save file.

 

[Dinowaffles]

Extract out your DOL file. Open it up in a hex editor and change the highlighted string at offset 0x3b7c5c. Idk about changing the numbers or total string length. I'd keep those things the same and just swap letters. For 20XX Beta04, I am using "XuperSmashBros...".

wParam's Crazy Mod used "DuperSmashBros...".

View attachment 94564

The "Game Data" and "Super Smash Bros. Melee" ASCII above the memory card filename can also be modified, but only changing these does not separate it from a vanilla save file.

What name would I change it to though? I made my new GameID MEME69. But don't I have to modify the memory card save itself in order to use it with the new GameID?

 

[Ben Zed]

For 20XX Beta04, I am using "XuperSmashBros..."..

wait, so do I not need to do this for 4.05 if I want to boot a vanilla iso and 20XX with DM from the same HDD? Achilles1515

 

[Achilles1515]

wait, so do I not need to do this for 4.05 if I want to boot a vanilla iso and 20XX with DM from the same HDD? Achilles1515

No. You want to change the Game ID (main post), not the memory card ID.

 

[Ben Zed]

No. You want to change the Game ID (main post), not the memory card ID.

Achilles1515 I mean, just to be absolutely sure, I already changed the game ID, so if I use 4.05 and vanilla melee on the same hdd then I won't lose my data when switching between them?

 

[Achilles1515]

Achilles1515 I mean, just to be absolutely sure, I already changed the game ID, so if I use 4.05 and vanilla melee on the same hdd then I won't lose my data when switching between them?

It's not necessary. 4.05 already has a different memory card filename.

 

[KenyaBoy]

I edited the ISO.hdr file and imported it back to the .ISO like you the described. But when I use the DiosMios toolbox to save that ISO on

make sure when you're changing the "Super Smash Bros..." name that you start at the "S" and DON'T EDIT the strange symbols right before the "S" because I did that too and it gave me the exact same issue

You don't need GCR at all to change the game id actually. I use HxD and you can open the iso directly and modify the game id from there.

Jeez I'm SO GLAD you said that!! Doc's method was too hard / didn't work and yours worked PERFECT

thanks very much for simplifying it!! Now my Mango Hack Pack is properly named!!!

 

[Lykon]

It is worth saying that if you're using newer versions (mine is 3.3) of Nintendont, you NEED to change the GAME CODE name to something else in order for the NAME itself to display properly.
I noticed this because I followed the tutorial using nintendont 3.3 and the iso names didnt change, but that's because i left the GALE under game code. The older version of nintendont i had (2.1) did show the names properly, but 3.3 didn't.

hope i got myself clear

 

[DRGN]

Doq , you might want to update the OP; all of these things can now be edited in DTW very easily:

(Or just let me know if you want me to instead; I just didn't want to go ahead without asking. )

 

[Anutim]

Doq , you might want to update the OP; all of these things can now be edited in DTW very easily:

View attachment 127453

(Or just let me know if you want me to instead; I just didn't want to go ahead without asking. )

Maybe you should consider merging MCM and Texture Wizard, as Texture Wizard is already doing more than just textures and stuff. Would be very nice for several reasons to have everything in one program, or at least as much as possible.

 

[Doq]

Doq , you might want to update the OP; all of these things can now be edited in DTW very easily:

View attachment 127453

(Or just let me know if you want me to instead; I just didn't want to go ahead without asking. )

I'll rewrite the tut when I return to the forums.

(prolly shoulda pinged me on discord)