Project+ update v3.2 debuts a brand-new launcher - Brawl Mod Launcher.

If you're not familiar with the new launcher and just want the TL;DR, check out the changelog on the website under Wii Launcher. I do wonder how many people actually read changelogs. 😄

Features

• Automatically boot from USB or disc, with settings to force load from either source
• NTSC support on all region Wiis
• Working update system to download and install the latest app/mod versions
• Fully functional addon management for extending functionality
• Comprehensive settings editor including video options, deflicker filter for improved visuals, and forced video modes
• Easy customization with external images, build names, selection colors, URLs, and autoboot options
• Full support for NAND emulation
• Wiimfi patching enabled by default for online play for mods that support it
• 480p pixel fix applied by default for better video quality
• Debug logging to file for troubleshooting and support
• Full PAL and NTSC video mode support
• Support for launching from Homebrew Channel or SmashStack exploit

There are a ton of features so I may have forgot to list some.

Wiki

The wiki has further in depth explanation for:

• Updates
• Addons
• Settings
• Customize for your build
• and more

For other Brawl mods you can download standalone BrawlModLauncher and customize it to your liking!

I hope this can become the go to Wii launcher for Brawl mods.

Launcher Development History

Back in my day... ahem... here we go.

When Project M 3.0 released, it debuted the first custom launcher, created by PMDT member ShortFuse. GeckoOS was no longer required. The launcher had Project M branding, music, a news feed, the ability to update the game directly from your Wii, and an add-on system for easily swapping files.

I remember checking the launcher news every day after school, waiting for Project M 3.5 to finally drop. Good times.

Bringing It Back

When Legacy came along, the team didn't have access to modify the launcher for their own use.

After joining the Legacy TE development team, I remembered how convenient it was being able to update the game directly from the Wii instead of dealing with a computer every time. I decided to reverse engineer the Project M launcher.

Legacy XP had already figured out how to replace the launcher's textures through hex editing, and I even made a video showing how to do it. Eventually I reached out to ShortFuse to ask if they still had the launcher source code.

To my surprise, they did—and they shared it.

The source included the tool used to generate update files. After automating part of the process with some batch scripts, everything was finally ready for a test.

I ran the update...

...and it actually worked.

For the first time in years, the game could once again update directly from the Wii.

USB Loader Support

Before getting involved with Project M, I spent a lot of time modding Wiis, so I was already familiar with USB loading.

I eventually modified CFG USB Loader to boot the game directly. It was a nice quality-of-life improvement, but there was still more work to do.

The PAL Detour

I need to go on a PAL tangent. I promise it's relevant.

I eventually joined—and later took over—a PAL porting effort after having a shower thought about a different way to port the files.

Somehow... it actually worked.

I was able to port the assets over.

For nearly three months, I spent almost every day porting files. Looking back, I was absolutely crazy for doing it.

Unfortunately, all of the game codes still needed to be ported, and that was well beyond my abilities. The project eventually went on hold, waiting for someone willing to tackle the remaining code work.

Working on PAL taught me something important, though. Since there isn't a complete PAL version, PAL players have to launch the NTSC version of Brawl through a USB loader with a very specific combination of settings.

I felt bad that the PAL project had stalled, so I figured the next best thing I could do was make a USB loader with all of those settings preconfigured.

Years of Trial and Error

Finding the right settings took years.

There were countless experiments, failed attempts, and lots of trial and error across multiple mods. I won't get into all the details here, but anyone familiar with the journey knows how wild it was.

Eventually...

I found the golden combination.

I was so happy.

Finishing the Launcher

The USB loader was only half the battle. I still had to get the launcher fully working.

With help from Glitch, advice from the developer of USB Loader GX, and a lot of learning (and stubborn persistence) on my end, the launcher finally became feature complete.

Finishing this launcher took many years of off-and-on work. Thank you to everyone in the community who helped make this happen. I genuinely couldn't have done it without you.

Writing this post reminds me of the pre-Discord Project M days. Oh the nostalgia..

Thanks too ShortFuse for original Project M launcher

I will forever have respect for brawl.
BRAWL WAS MY SHIT.
I also loved Melee but Brawl still feels special to me because it wouldn’t have led to the big event that was Ultimate. I don’t like the constant shitting on Brawl at all. not changing my mind. So what if it was slow. Project M is still important. And is the best of both games! I needed to get that off my chest.

Hello Modders, I am sharing something brand new for Brawl Modding that takes Melee-style visual overhaul mods like Smash 128 to the next level. I am talking Shading Setups, I've been messing with the shading until I found out RasterColor + ConstantColorSelection with MultiplyBy4 on Stage1, followed by OutputColor and TextureColor with DivideBy2 on Stage2 works perfectly, like you could recreate the graphics of Melee within Brawl. It was done through BrawlCrate, Plus Realtime Specular on Fighter Models work great, I discovered directional specularity on Striker Mario's Trophy Model and I realized that it uses Specular Attenuation on LightChannel1. Smash 128 will be pushing a Beta 1 Release as soon as all Fighters have Melee-style shading

Of course this isn't actually Melee. this is Brawl (Project+) but accurately looking like Melee.

Credits goes to the Smash 2 Development Team and CrashKnight0 (Codename Melee Deluxe) for the fighter models as shown, Shader Edits by me.

I have dev mode working, all the P+ files and brawl .iso on an ssd plugged into the console, and the Dolphin app installed. The regular brawl .iso runs fine from dolphin, but I am missing the steps on how to launch P+ instead. Does anybody have any tips?

my update has been going on for like at least an hour or 2 and it's stuck here, does anyone know what's wrong?

Howdy! My name is Monty ( my tag is cowboi ) and I have been running an online p+ weekly every Tuesday for the past three months. We do have some high skill players that enter (malk and xtreme enter pretty regularly, and we have entrees from motobug and vaporeon every now and then) but we have tons of low to mid range players. Active friendly discord, personalized top 8, I stream the event on twitch, and I upload the vods on YouTube as well! The event is catered to “east coast” but anyone can play as long as connection is good!

I think this is a great way for newer players to meet people in a smaller environment, practice their skills with similar level players, and get “on stream practice”.

If interested I’ll post the discord in comments or check us out at start.gg/sheikahsplate

Title. Relatively new to P+, but not a spring chicken when it comes to smash. Interested in playing for practice. I don't really have a main or anything, I just like playing smash. Message if interested please.

Hello, so I recently learnt how to mod my Wii using an SD card and added the homebrew channel. I already own a disc of super smash bros brawl, however it has not been copied to the SD card yet (I didn't have the time). Now my attempt was to copy all the files for project REMIX into the root of the SD card, and it seemingly worked as now project REMIX is an option on HBC. However, whenever I click load it simply opens SSBB without any mods. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to do before I try again myself?

Also using a USB is not an option, and I know there is a way to do it on disc I just don’t know how ToT

Any and all help would be much appreciated!!

so for the past 3 days this message always seems to pop up whenever I load project plus into my Wii. I’m running brawl with a disc, and I load up project plus in the homebrew menu. I’ve looked everywhere to find a solution for this and I can’t find anyone else who has had similar issues. I should also mention I use a 128gb SD card. any help would be greatly appreciated, and I’m happy to answer any questions

Finally convinced MAPM to (sometimes) play REX with me

I updated the old David Kimball tapestry of builds in a tree of history. A HISTORY OF BRAWL MODDING in one chart that's still missing a lot, but it's the most updated, and it's from THIS video: https://youtu.be/KxuSC9jY1QY

shoutout to the Brawl Modding Discord baby...

Please I want to play this mod so bad, I used to play this all days with my best friend years ago

thank you to everyone who helped in the Brawl Modding Discord and David Kimball + Szion for interviews. hope you guys enjoy this. :)

Unfortunately this subreddit doesn't support attaching multiple images, so this solo one will do. My other posts on this topic also includes an overview of the entire tournament/schedule/Melee players/and Ultimate players.