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🛠 Help: Wii System Menu development and modification

This document describes the process of extracting, modifying and rebuilding the Wii system menu (.wad). It is a programmatic customization project that requires precision with file structures.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Modifying the System Menu is risky. Make sure Priiloader is installed before starting. Always test the files with the Dolphin emulator before installing on the right console.

🧰 Required software (PC)

Software Intended use
ShowMiiWads Decompression, compression and Content ID review of WAD files.
BrawlBox / BrawlLib .app (U8 archives) editing: graphics (.tpl), layout (.brlyt) and animations.
Dolphin Emulator A safe sandbox for testing the modified System Menu.
YAWMM / Wii Mod Lite Finished installing the modified .wad file for Wii.

🔄 Development process (Workflow)

1. Extracting the WAD file

  1. Open ShowMiiWads.
  2. Select Options -> Change View -> WAD Explorer.
  3. Open the file: wii-menu-(europe)-dev.wad.
  4. Right-click the file and select Extract -> To Folder.
  5. This extracts the contents of the WAD into a folder containing several .app files (named by Content ID).

2. Locating resources

System Menu's visual resources are usually located in the largest .app file. * In the European (v514 or similar) version, look for a file that ShowMiiWads recognizes as U8 Archive type. * Typically, graphics can be found in a file whose Content ID ends with the numbers .app.

3. Editing phase (BrawlBox)

Open the selected .app file with BrawlBox. Here you can edit: * Textures (.tpl): Menu icons and wallpapers. * Export: Right-click -> Export (PNG). * Import: Right-click -> Replace (Select edited PNG). * Layouts (.brlyt): Position of elements (such as clock or channel boxes) on the screen. * Animations (.brlan): How menu elements move or react to selections.

🧪 Testing and installation

Modifying the system menu is a critical operation, so the process is divided into safe emulator testing and final installation on iron.

Step A: Emulator Test (Mandatory)

Before transferring the file to the correct console, it must be validated in the Dolphin Emulator environment to avoid possible "banner brick" errors.

  1. Open Dolphin Emulator.
  2. Select Tools -> Install WAD from the top menu.
  3. Select the modified .wad file you developed.
  4. Start the emulator (Tools -> Load System Menu).
  5. Check: If Dolphin loads the menu successfully and your changes are visible, the file is technically intact and safe for further processing.

Step B: Installation on iron

Once the file has been found to work in the emulator, it can be installed in the Wii's memory.

  1. Copy the finished .wad file to the /wad/ folder on the SSD.
  2. Connect the SSD to USB port 0 (bottom/right) of the Wii.
  3. On the Wii, launch YAWMM (Yet Another Wii MOD Manager).
  4. Select USB Mass Storage Device as the installation source.
  5. Navigate to the /wad/ folder, select the edited file and run the installation.
  6. When the installation is complete, press any key and restart the console.

💡 Troubleshooting: > If the console remains in a black screen after installation, restart the device by holding down the RESET button to enter the Priiloader. From there you can launch the Homebrew Channel and reinstall the original backup WAD.

📂 Structure of the development environment (VS Code)

Recommended directory structure for project management:

  ├── wii-menu-dev/
  │   ├── original/           # Alkuperäinen .wad varmuuskopiona
  │   ├── extracted/          # ShowMiiWadsilla puretut .app tiedostot
  │   ├── assets_workspace/   # Muokattavat .png grafiikat ja .wav äänet
  │   └── output/             # Valmiit, testatut buildit