Gameboot/Cintro/Coldboot/Soundboot/XMB wave FAQ - Console Spot Forums

Akira · 01-25-2009, 05:53 PM

I thought this would be useful for people new to the PSP modding scene, a lot can be learned quite quickly and I thought it would be easier for others if everything was in one place. Remember you will need Windows XP for a lot of this to work, even vista has a lot of compatibility issues. Also, check my second post for Starfox444's Mod Tools Of Everything You Will Ever Need (Probably a bit outdated by now).

If you found this guide helpful please say thanks by feeding my adoptable:

And remember to report dead links, incorrect information or areas for expansion. Let me know if something new comes out or you've gotten something to work on a different OS than it was originally made for so I can update the guide accordingly. You will be credited for your work.

Remember to use ctrl+f to find what you need.

Contents
The guide is divided into headings and sub-headings. In the contents the title in bold is the main heading while everything under it is a sub heading.

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Basic Information About Your PSP

Definitions

Gameboot
Cintro
Soundboot
Coldboot
XMB wave

Installation

Soundboot
XMB wave
Coldboot
Gameboot
Cintro
Installing a gameboot and cintro without accessing flash memory

Creation and Modification

Creating and Modifying an XMB wave
Creating a coldboot
Creating a soundboot
Creating a gameboot or cintro
Modification of CTF themes to include your own customisations
How to edit in your own gameboot into a CTF
Modifying the time limit on gameboots and cintros

Downloads

Gameboots/Cintro
XMB waves

Additional Notes

Mod tool information

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Basic Information About Your PSP

You need custom firmware on your psp and a basic understanding of custom firmware to understand some of what I am saying, newer model PSP-2000s and PSP-3000s are currently being hacked so read on if you feel like modding them. BE CAREFUL IF YOU DECIDE TO MOD YOUR PSP 3000 OR 88v3, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO WAY TO UNBRICK THEM. But if you do get chickHEN, GEN or CFE working on your PSP-2000 with a 88v3 or PSP-3000 then all the stuff dependant on plugins should work. Just remember NOT TO FLASH ANYTHING TO 88v3s OR PSP-3000s.

Have a quick look through the PSP wiki just in case you have some questions or things you already want to know about.
PSPWiki

and also read this
(note the second link is a bit old as it only mentions up to version 3.71 of firmware but newer versions have come out since then but the page still has good explanations so I keep the link there)

If you are unsure about your PSP motherboard version (newer motherboards make new PSPs currently unhackable) take a look here: How to: Determine whether or not your PSP is hackable - Sony PSP Mod & PSP Hacks Forums

BACK UP YOUR FLASH 0, DO NOT EXPECT ANOTHER PERSON'S FLASH 0 TO WORK FOR YOU, DO NOT CHANGE THE FLASH 0 OF PSP-3000S OR THOSE WITH 88V3 MOTHERBOARDS

Here is how:
Connect PSP to PC
Enter recovery menu, go to advanced, then enable flash 0.
A window should pop up with the folders "dic, font" and "vsh" now copy and paste all of that to a secure location on your hard drive. For example, my flash 0 back up is on the root of my C drive in a folder named "FLASH 0 BACKUP"

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Definitions

Gameboot

A gameboot is the short video played when you start a game from the XMB. It has a .pmf file extension. (It has both audio and video)

Cintro

A cintro, short for "custom introduction" is a short video played as you start up the PSP. It has a .pmf file extension. (It has both audio and video)

Soundboot

A soundboot is the sound that plays when you first turn on your PSP. It's found in flash0/vsh/module and is named opening_plugin.prx because it is a file from your flash memory you will need to find one that matches your firmware version. To view it you will need to enable "view hidden folders" and also "show system folders", but there's a "feature" of vista that hides system folders even if you enable "view hidden folders".

Coldboot

A coldboot is an image the pops up when you first start up your PSP. It is found within the opening_plugin.rco and must be a specific image type. Check the tutorials on making your own coldboot for more detailed information (two large headings down). The placement and the image itself can be edited.

XMB wave

An XMB wave is pretty much self explanatory. It is the wave that shows up when browsing the XMB, you can see it if you go to the settings menu, then go to theme settings and set your background to classic. It doesn't show up anywhere else and the file itself is within your flash 0 and is the file called system_plugin_bg.rco . It also does not affect anything else so fiddle with it to your heart's content.

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Installation

Soundboot

Simply copy and paste opening_plugin.prx into your vsh/module folder in your flash 0. If you can't see it, enable view hidden folders and show system folders OR install with PSP Filer because the directory shows up there OR the easiest way: when you enable flash 0 as the usb device type in (PSP drive):vsh\module into the file browser bar.

Remember to make backups!

Here's the PSP Filer link: [Release] PSP Filer v6.0

XMB wave

There's a bunch of ways of doing this and all of them are really simple.

Here's how to do it without accessing flash memory.
Click Here

Here's how to do it with an XMB RCO patcher.
Click Here

And the simplest way is to copy and paste over the system_plugin_bg.rco to your PSP from your PC. You need to access your flash 0. To do this use a mini USB cable for your PSP like you always do and make flash 0 your USB device or enter the recovery menu, go to advanced and select flash 0.

Coldboot

For a coldboot, paste the coldboot (opening_plugin.rco) into flash0/vsh/resource.

Gameboot

Paste the appropriate opening_plugin.rco into flash0/vsh/resource (remember opening_plugin.rco is both the coldboot and gameboot timing) and the .pmf you want to play named "gameboot.pmf" into flash0/vsh/resource.

KEEP GAMEBOOT.PMF UNDER 1 MEGABYTE OTHERWISE YOU WILL HAVE A SEMI-BRICK(just go to recovery menu, enable flash0 on usb and delete gameboot.pmf if you do manage to put one in there that's too big)

Cintro

Not possible to install into flash 0. Refer to the following section.

Installing a gameboot and cintro without accessing flash memory

File Details-myBootLogo-PSP -- myBootLogo for gameboots. To install the gameboot using this plugin name the relevant .PMF file "GAMEBOOT.PMF" (.PMF is the file extension and should not be part of the file's name) and place in PSP/THEME.

- Autostart.prx for cintros, here's a guide by volumexxx for Autostart v5 ([Tutorial]Cintro using AutoStart V5 and remember that if you are upgrading from a previous version of autostart.prx, delete all traces of it (PRX files, the configurer, etc etc)

If you do not know how to install plugins, just check the guide I made http://www.consolespot.net/forums/ps...eekier-us.html

or as an alternative use CFW (Custom Firmware) Extender, search for it here on console spot.

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Creation and Modification

Creating and Modifying an XMB wave
Just got a couple links on how to do it.

Creating a coldboot
You have to go into your flash memory to do it and because the coldboot is stored in your firmware within the opening_plugin.rco and because of this you will need to use one that matches your firmware version, so remember to make backups and don't modify what is in your flash 0 without a back up. To change the text, you need to modify opening_plugin.rco and to change the sound you need to modify opening_plugin.prx, but for now:

Give this guide a go to change your coldboot: Easy Guide to Making Your Own Custom Coldboot/Cintro - Sony PSP Mod & PSP Hacks Forums

or

Here's a simple tool to use for making your own coldboots, it doesn't work for me but it's worked for some other people, remember to use a back up copy of your opening_plugin.rco for modification or get a copy of the uncompressed/decrypted prxs from somewhere. Google them.
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

and remember opening_plugin.rco goes in Flash 0\vsh\resource

Creating a soundboot
It's extremely easy, here's a great guide for it on youtube: YouTube - How to Create a Bootsound for your PSP! 5.00 M33 Friendly! If that link should ever go down, I put it on megaupload here: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

If you happen to want to make a bootsound from something on youtube, my advice would be go get yourself a copy of firefox and get a youtube downloader add on or you can get another program that downloads straight off youtube (but they never worked for me). From there open up the flv in winmenc(a program that can take audio/video files and recode them) and set the video to "no video" and audio to "MP3" for sake of compatibility with about everything, select your output folder, hit encode and you should then have an MP3 of whatever it is you wanted.

From there follow the above link and trim up your audio file and whatever you may want to do.

Please let me know if a link gets broken or removed.

Creating a gameboot or cintro
There are many tutorials floating around the internet, here is the one I used
to learn how to make them. Here's a tip from me: If you want to make a gameboot of your favourite PSP game, extract the .iso using winRAR or 7zip and look for a .pmf in there to use although you don't see this around too often.

help making gameboot.pmf - ********** Forums

Sorry if this annoys the mods but to get the above link to work, click on it, replace the bunch of "%2A" things with max console as one word. The page has good information so I would advise you check it out.

Please note that Sony UMD Tools are illegal for those not employed by Sony, if you want them you will have to find them yourself.

There is also an application that highboy made, which is a simple to use gameboot maker with a guide as well. When using it make sure that you have everything in the correct directory otherwise, the program will not work.

Here is the link to the youtube guide UPDATE[He has removed the youtube guides, google a guide to it for now]:
~~YouTube - PSP Gameboot Creator~~
And here is the link for second part of the guide because the client has been updated a tiny bit.
~~YouTube - Gameboot Greator Update~~

Guide for gameboots on PSP 3000s (thanks to leo9891 for the link)
YouTube - HOW TO INSTAL GAMEBOOTS ON PSP 3000-- NOT FAKE MUST WATCH

And here is the link to download the program:
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
Note: You still need UMD tools for this to work.

Modification of CTF themes to include your own customisations
There is a plugin called CXMB (Custom XMB) which allows a lot more customization for themes. Some themes have their own gameboots, cintros, coldboots, soundboots and xmb waves. But, most of the time a theme will not include it's own XMB wave so try installing the XMB wave before going through the trouble of unpacking and repacking a .ctf

This can impact on the gameboot/cintro played and how long it plays for. I use myBootLogo for gameboots and Autostart.prx for cintros, and the only impact I've had from using custom themes is how long the gameboot plays. Normal (Non CXMB themes) however, will not have an impact.

Now the reason why this happens is because a CXMB theme is basically a bunch of flash 0 files smashed into one .ctf file so when you pick which one you want, what you are really doing is redefining values and replacing images. If you want your own coldboot, soundboot or XMB wave in a ctf what you are going to have to do is extract it and replace the appropriate flash 0 file. I wouldn't really advise this unless you have some experience at theme making because you need to tweak the time your coldboot and soundboot plays a bit.

CXMB File format .CTF
Normal XMB File format .PTF

How to edit in your own gameboot into a CTF
Basically what you are doing is unpacking the theme's ctf, putting your own gameboot in there and repacking the theme into a ctf. Now here is what you do, first of all get CTF Manager appropriate for your version of firmware. I use 5.00 because it's the firmware I'm on.

You will find CTF Manager here on console spot or in my tools of everything. Use CTF Manager to extract your theme and then go through to whatever you set the output folder to be, then navigate through to (output folder)\VSH\resource and delete the opening_plugin.rco and gameboot.pmf OR you can replace them with your own ones, read the question below this one to learn more about that.

Note:Some CTFs don't have a custom font file, so in the bar in CTF Manager where you are meant to the the FONT folder, just leave it blank. But you should have everything else like the default.ptf and VSH folder.

Now simply recompile it into a CTF and you are done. (Let me know if you want this question to be more detailed, I didn't go too much in detail because CTF Manager is extremely simple to use.)

Modifying the time limit on gameboots and cintros
Gameboots by default have a limit of 1.5 seconds but this can be changed by going into your flash memory. Cintros on the other hand have unlimited time.

Here is how to make gameboots play longer from a tutorial on [tutorial]Make Gameboots Show Longer than Default Time - Gamerstyle - Play in Style by osnap1584.

"We will need the opening_plugin.rco if you have a custom opening_plugin.rco then just copy it over from your flash0 /vsh/resource folder. Now you're gonna want to edit this to make the gameboot timespan longer. Open up RCO editor if you have closed the window and open the new decompressed opening_plugin.rco. Go to the Anim Data Tab and scroll down to anim_gameboot_movie @ 0x1f58 [0x901].Set the last delay entry above the Fire Event to set the page data. For example 12 seconds would be 12050 or 6 seconds would be 6050."

All credits go to osnap for that and here's the link to the original page again, [tutorial]Make Gameboots Show Longer than Default Time - Gamerstyle - Play in Style

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Downloads

Gameboots/Cintro

XMB Waves

[Release] 176 waves for 5.00

Akira · 01-25-2009, 05:59 PM

Additional Notes

Starfox444's Mod Tools Of Everything You Will Ever Need is now on megaupload weighing in at 38.77 MB!(except Sony UMD Tools of course.) Its a 7zip archive so you will need 7zip to extract it, here's a link for that too: 7-Zip

Here is what's in it:
CTF Manager 5.00 -complies and extracts CTFs

Ease Audio Converter -converts audio

MPS to PMF converter -need this to finish off the gameboot/cintro from UMD tools and covert it into a .pmf

Pazera Free FLV to AVI converter - self explanatory

PMF to AVI converter - also self explanatory

RCO Editor v115c -used to edit .rco files, make sure they are decompressed

Decrypted 5.00 PRXs - like these .rco files

Winmenc .61 (Use this version because it has the "PSP AVI" profile) -used to encode audio/video into other types of audio/video

Megaupload link: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

It has almost everything you need for your custom gameboot/cintro and some stuff for when you have to deal with those pesky .ctfs. Credits go to the respective owners/makers of each and every program

Please post any other questions so I can add them or tell me about links that aren't working or if there is something you want added(or...if I got something wrong..).