Source

found while searching for Brawl stuff.
I don't think this is on Cult, but correct me if I'm wrong.
the detstar domain also has a few things about Goldeneye on the N64

I remember this. I was disappointed that Ditto/Metamon didn't do anything, even freeze the game. Also, Publicity option should have been available for the end user, IMO.

We know how to swap movesets in Brawl; what was the Melee hacking scene like? Did finding debug take a long time?

I don't think so, no. I do remember using the code and getting it from the Action Replay site (Gameshark to Americans) aaaages ago and having fun doing multiplayer battles on the target smash stages, so it couldn't have been that unknown.

afaik it just wasn't documented as well as other debug menus or such.

and while we're on the subject, is there a menu like this in Brawl? I would try to look myself but I don't know the first thing about Wii hacking =P

That was really what my post was leaning toward - we now know how to swap movesets in Brawl. How much longer until someone discovers the Debug Menu? This is why I ask for the timeline of Melee's hacking, to see if its similar.

isn't moveset swapping todo with swapping files on the disk in brawl whereas the debug requires memory editing with an action replay? or is there an alternative to AR on the Wii?

I've seen a lot of things done with the USB Gecko, such as removing camera restrictions (i.e., being able to see the Halberd's launching platform), having Giga Bowser on the results screen, having one character alone being invisible (as there isn't an item for that in this game), and playing as the "false" versions of characters from the Subspace Emissary. We might find the actual menu without AR.

I was browsing the Iwata Asks interview with Sakurai for some reason, and they were talking about how the two of them worked on the predecessor to SSB: "Kakuto-Geemu Ryuoh", or, "Dragon King: The Fighting Game". They even provided some screenshots of the then minute side-project.









At even this point, they had the idea of % instead of vitality, as well as the plushie concept for the character design that eventually got dropped in favor of trophies.



Not much else interesting, but here's where I found it.

Well, it was back when hacking GameCube codes was kinda a hit-and-miss thing. The overall goal was find the character modifier values, as had been found in 64. At the time, the discovery was rather unexpected. Of course, since it allowed unrestricted access to the unplayable characters, alot less work went into finding the actual character modifiers. They did come, eventually, but by then, the debug menu code had been expanded to pretty much anything you could want. The stage select had been expanded to a numeric value, allowing for any stage to be accessed (was a total of 285 slots used, mostly different stage/music combinations), and the rumble config had been turned into a flags menu, allowing for any combination of invisibility (permanent cloaking device), low gravity, metal, or even stamina modes. Codes were even found to expand the vs. mode to 6 characters, as opposed to just 4. All that was left to do was get the extra characters working in single-player modes, really.

Later on, some poking within the N64 ROM hinted at the possibility of a debug mode left in that game. Initially, the idea was shot down as requiring an external device, but it was proven later that the mode modifier hadn't been found. The original's mode is alot less refined than Melee's, lacking the ability to directly set scale, offense and defense modifiers or sub-colors. The only real use it had was to select Metal Mario, Master Hand or the Polygons.

Since both prequels have debug menus, I'm almost positive Brawl will have one too. Also, following logic, it'll likely allow play as the Hands, Alloys, and so on, and probably with even more customizability. All someone will need to do is find the mode modifier, and start poking values in....


Fair warning, though, given the limitations on the Alloys, they may not be as fun to control as the Polygons and Wireframes were. So far, I've noticed lack of the following:
- Ledgegrabbing
- Specials (common to all three 'teams')
- Possibly Shielding (I haven't seen them use ANY shield tactics whatsoever, but that could be an AI setting)
- Item Usage (outside of items that can be activated on hit, like the soccer ball)
- Running (again, might be an AI thing)

Hope this info is useful to you... :3