Glossary
Activator: For a cheat code that contains two controller lines, the first line can be referred to as the 'activator'.
Address: A location in Memory.
Assembly: Also called Assembler Code. In most cases on this Forum, this is referring to PowerPC Assembly, which is the Assembly language of the instructions that Broadway (Wii's CPU) and WIi games execute. Assembly Language is a low level computer programming language that is a compiled hexadecimal form of Machine Binary code. Code creators are familiar with PowerPC Assembly. Most advanced cheat codes are written in Assembly.
ARM: The Assembly language of Starlet.
ASM: Abbreviation for Assembly
BannerbombV1: The original Hackmii installer exploit using your SD card menu within Wii Settings. Created by Comex. Works on System Menus 3.0- 4.1.
BannerbombV2: Due to Nintendo blocking the original Bannerbomb when the 4.2 was released, Comex made a Version 2 of his Bannerbomb exploit. Exploit uses the SD card menu at the Wii's Main Menu. Works on System Menus 4.0 - 4.2.
Breakpoint: An action by USB Gecko or Dolphin to pause the game if a certain value in memory is written to and/or read from, or if a certain instruction in memory is executed.
Brick (semi): Due to inapproriate mod(s), the Wii is unable to boot to the System Menu. But HBC, Priloader, or Bootmii (as IOS) is still accessible for repairs. Bootmii as Boot2 is not required to repair the Brick.
Brick (beyond semi but not full): A brick that can only be fixed via Bootmii as Boot2. Please not that for Wiis that are unable to install Bootmii as Boot2 then this Brick would be considred Full.
Brick (full): A brick where no known method can recover a Wii that has Bootmii as Boot2 installed. Certain inapproriate writes to the SEEPROM will cause a full Brick. Also writing to the boot1 contents of the physical NAND will cause a full Brick.
Bootmii (boot2): Hacking software that modifies the boot2 code of the Wii
Bootmii (IOS): Bootmii installed as an IOS, can only be reached via Priiloader or HBC
Broadway: The name of the Wii's CPU that runs its games, Wii Menu, and channels. However it is not the Wii's "main" CPU that has full hardware rights/accessibility. That would be Starlet. See Starlet for more details.
BP: Abbreviation for Breakpoint
Cheat Code: Any amount of hexadecimal number sequences/strings that modifies MKWii RAM
cIOS: Stands for Custom IOS. It is any IOS with rewritten/modified code to hack/modify the Wii.
Client-Sided: When using a code online, it only effects you.
Compiler: Any program that takes a user's Assembly source and converts it to a usable Gecko cheat code. May also be referred to as an Assembler.
Controller Address: The XXXX value of the controller line. This differs for every controller, player (player 1, 2, 3, etc), and version of MKW.
Controller Line: The 2833XXXX YYYYZZZZ/2834XXXX YYYYZZZZ line you see in cheat codes. These lines are added to a code to allow manual activation, or activation + deactivation. 2833 is for Korean MKW while 2834 is for all others. The X values are the controller address, for the controller the player is using. Z values are for the button(s) used to activate and/or deactivate. Y value is an equation result hex number to allow the Z button (s) to be pressed to activate/deactivate a code while other button(s) are being pressed.
CTGP: Stands for Custom Track Grand Prix. It is a HBC application that boots your official MKW Disc along with encrypted modifications done to prevent the loading of cheat codes. Comes with many custom tracks. If custom tracks are enabled you will then have your region ID temporarily changed to a random number along with everyone else (always white line). The number changes every so often to prevent players from faking the use of CTGP. CTGP runs on the Wiimmfi Server. It is created by Chadderz along with the help of other elite MKW Coders/Devs. It also has a website with a plethora of information such as their own TT Top 10 rankings that come with ghost download capabilities. Link to website - http://www.chadsoft.co.uk
Data Save: Also called Save Data. It is an encrypted binary file that contains the save progress of a particular Wii game. However when this term is used on this Forum, it is usually referring to what is known as "rksys.dat". See rksys.dat for more details.
Deactivator: For cheat codes with two controller lines, the second line (which is after the Halfway Terminator) is also known as the deactivator.
Default Instruction: The original instruction of a particular address.
Disc Region Code: A singular byte of code within the region.bin section of all Wii games. This is the true 'Region' Code for games unlike the 'Language Code'. It designates what Region of Wii System Menu the disc runs on. 0 = Japan System Menu (Japanese/Trad.Chinese aka Taiwan games). 1 = American System Menu. 2 = PAL System Menu. 4 = Korean System Menu.
Dolphin: Also called Dolphin Emulator. It is software installed on a computer that emulates the Wii Console and its games. It can also be used as a remote dubbing tool to create cheat codes.
Error 002: An error displayed on your screen with white font and a blue background. It is caused when a game that runs on IOS55 is ran on a different IOS.
Error 003: An error displayed on your screen with the message of "Error 003: unauthorized device has been detected". Error 003 is caused when a System Menu 4.2 or higher running is installed on a Korean Wii that has been region-changed. What occurs is that IOS70/80 uses a specific syscall that gets executed every time the Wii Menu is first booted that is known as syscall 0x45. This syscall checks if a Korean Wii is region changed by encrypting a certain byte pattern with the Korean Key present in the SEEPROM. Native non-Korean Wiis don't have the Korean Key so they wouldn't every suffer from Error 003. If you plan on region changing a Korean Wii or purchasing a region-changed Korean Wii, that you immediately remove the Korean Key before doing any System Menu modifications.
Exploit: Any software that supplies the Hackmii software for installation of HBC and/or Bootmii.
Final Terminator: The final line for many cheat codes, this line is added to prevent codes from conflicting with each other.
Game ID: The six character unique identifier for every Wii Game. Usually begins with 4 letters and ends with two numbers. The fourth number is the 'language code'. It's commonly called as a 'region' code.
GCT: Acronym for Gecko Code Type. It is a file type which contains cheat codes that are designed to be used in conjunction with the Gecko Code Handler.
Hackmii: Software supplied by an exploit to install HBC and/or Bootmii on your Wii. It comes in a singular file called 'boot.elf'.
Halfway Terminator: A line of code added above the second controller address line to allow you to deactivate a code without confliction on the activator
HBC: Abbreviation to Homebrew Channel
Homebrew Channel: Software installed on the Wii (via some sort of exploit) as a Channel to enable hacks
Instruction: An operation by the Wii's CPU that modifies memory and/or registers.
IOS: Possibly stands for 'Input/Output System'. It's a piece of Software that contains mostly ARM code which can be initially called by both Starlet and Broadway. Since IOS is mostly ARM Code, Starlet usually is responsible for executing code of any IOS. IOS can contain PPC code that is meant to be executed by Broadway in certain uncommon occasions.
ISO: Wii disc image file
Language Code: The fourth letter on most Wii Game ID's. Mistakenly called the 'Region Code'. In most cases, 'Region' Code can be the proper term, but with the Traditional Chinese/Taiwan Games, those games are still technically Japanese Region (They run on the Japanese System Menu, which is the Menu that Taiwan Wiis use) E = American Games (English, French, Spanish). P = PAL Games (English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch). J = Japanese Games. K = Korean Games. W = Taiwan Games (Traditional Chinese).
Letterbomb A Hackmii installer exploit for System Menu 4.3. It requires your MAC Address. It is based off Giantpune's original Mailbox Bomb. Link to Letterbomb Exploit Creator Page - https://please.hackmii.com
Line Color: Colored line underneath a person's name on WiFi determined by one's Region ID. The color settings of the line itself is stored in the StaticR.rel file.
MAC Address: The specific unique hexadecimal identifier to your Wii's WiFi module.
MAC Address (LAN): MAC Address to your LAN Adapter
Mailbox Bomb: The original Hackmii installer exploit that gets accessed via manipulating the Wii Message Board. Exploit requires your MAC Address, and the Wii to be set on the correct date. Exploit created by Giantpune, and it helped/inspired the creation of Letterbomb and WilBrand. Works on System Menu's 3.0 - 4.3. For any menu other than 4.3, it is not recommended because it requires a lot of extra steps. Thus, using Bannerbomb is the better choice.
Multi Mod Manager (aka MMM): An early HBC app used to install WAD files to the Wii. It has been replaced by the much superior WiiMod. However, MMM works on System Menus 3.0 & 3.1, unlike WiiMod. Therefore MMM is used for Softmod guides if one's Wii is on 3.0/3.1. Wii Motion Plus equipped Wii Remotes do NOT work on MMM.
NAND: The flash file system to the Wii
NTSC-J: ID/Name given for all Japanese Games
NTSC-K: ID/Name given for all Korean Games
NTSC-U: ID/Name given for all American Games
NTSC-T: ID/Name given for all Taiwan/Traditional Chinese Games (only 8 official games exist). These game still have the Japanese Disc Region Code and run on the Japanese System Menu (which the Menu that Taiwan Wiis use). This means these games can also run on Japanese Wiis. Nintendo has never made a NTSC-T version of MKWii.
Null: Any Hex byte that has a value of 00.
Ocarina: Computer program used to create GCT files. This term is also used in USB loaders in place of 'SD cheats'. One would set the Ocarina setting to ON within a USB loader to enable cheat codes.
Off/On Switch: A line of code that allows the same button(s) for use as both the activator and deactivator.
PAL: ID/Name given for all Games using European TV Format. European and Australian Wiis use PAL games.
PowerPC: Also called PPC. PowerPC is the Assembly Language of Broadway.
Priiloader: Software installed via an HBC app that patches your System Menu with various hacks. It can repair any brick (non hardware related) as long as the system menu wasn't modified/removed as a result of said brick.
RAM: MKWii's Random Access Memory. Can be modified via GCT files, ISO edits, USB Gecko, and/or Dolphin Emulator. All memory is in Hex.
RAM Dump: A binary file of MKWii's RAM.
Region ID: A hexadecimal byte value stored on the MKWii Data Save (rksys.dat). There are a set of instructions contained within the main.dol that always gets executed during boot. These instructions will calculate the Region ID value based on the region of the game, and sometimes also what Country setting that Wii NAND contains (depends on the region of the game). Sometime after these instructions have completed, the game will check for a Data Save. If one doesn't exist, it will be created and the Region ID will be written to it. If a data save does exist, the Region ID value is NOT written but is saved, and a flag is set & saved as well. Sometime later, instructions contained within the StaticR.rel are executed and check the flag. If the flag is set (is Data Save present?), the game will load the saved Region ID value (calculated by main.dol) and load the Region ID value from that is present on the Data Save. If they are NOT a match, the game will alert the user via an on-screen prompt that he/she must make a new Data Save or exit to the Wii Menu.
Register: A data holding place of the Wii's CPU. There are all types of Registers for the Wii's CPU. Usually when Registers are mentioned, they are usually referred to the 32 General Purpose Registers (GPR). The registers are used by the CPU to load/store data, plus many other actions. Code creators use the values of these Registers to assist them in making Cheat codes.
RestoreMii: Bootmii specific program to re-inject NAND meant to repair/fix bricks
rksys.dat A portion of the MKWii Data Save that is un-encrypted. Contains data such as Licenses, Friend Roster, TT Records, Favorite Character, Distance Driven, etc.
RMCE01: Game ID for NTSC-U MKWii
RMCJ01: Game ID for NTSC-J MKWii
RMCK01: Game ID for NTSC-K MKWii
RMCP01: Game ID for PAL MKWii
SEEPROM: A small hardware chip where various information of the Wii is stored at. According to leaked official documentation, a portion of the SEEPROM is read-only. Results from a couple of personal tests I have done show that writing to this read-only portion cause your Wii to immediately halt which will result in a full Brick. Also, writing incorrect data to certain areas of the writeable portion will cause a full Brick. One must be extremely careful making writes to the SEEPROM. Under normal conditions, it can only be accessed by Starlet.
Server-Sided: When using a code online, it effects the other player(s).
Starlet: The Wii's main CPU. It runs all 3 boot stages of the Wii (boot 0,1,2). To keep this subject very simple once these 3 stages are complete, Starlet will then turn on Broadway and Broadway will execute a handful of instructions at a special region of Memory. Afterwards Broadway will jump to normal Memory and will then be in control while Starlet sits in the background in a constant loop waiting for interrupts. At this point the Wii Menu is now running.
Source: Also called Source Code. This is an ASM code's actual list of ASM instructions that are typed out by a Code Creator before being converted by a compiler.
System Menu: Technically stands for the wad file that contains the Wii's main menu, settings, and message board. Some people/programs will simply use the term to refer just to the main menu.
Softmod: Any hacks/mods done one the Wii beyond the point of just installing HBC and/or Bootmii. A Wii equipped with said hacks/mods is known as a 'Softmodded Wii'.
USB Gecko: A physical remote debugging tool used to hack the Wii/Gamecube and was the only method to make cheat codes before Dolphin-Emulator was created. It has a physical connection to both your computer and the Wii/Gamecube. A program for Windows is made for use with the tool.
USB Loader: Any HBC application that uses cIOS's to enable playing ISO/WBFS files that are on a USB stick/SD card
WAD: Official Nintendo file format that can contain IOS's, Channels, System Titles, System Menus, etc. This file format is used in essentially all Softmods to install both legit and hacked Wii files.
WBFS: Stands for Wii Backup File System. A proprietary file type designed for use with USB Loader Programs
WilBrand: A Windows .exe GUI interface for Giantpune's Mailbox Bomb.
WiiMod: HBC application that comes with many features. Such as installing/removing WADs, Channels, System Titles. WiiMod is a common app used in Softmodding to install WAD files. Available for use on System Menus 3.2 - 4.3.
WiiMod Lite: A version of WiiMod that doesn't include certain features that were not utilized much by Users of normal WiiMod. WiiMod Lite is more maintained today than normal WiiMod. As a result, it is the most common app used in Softmodding.