VPW Studio

Introduction

VPW Studio is a ROM hacking tool for the games in AKI Corporation's Virtual Pro-Wrestling series. The initial focus is on AKI's Nintendo 64 games, though support for the PlayStation 1 AKI wrestling games is planned for later.

When work on this program began in 2018, the primary method of making changes to AKI's N64 wrestling games involved GameShark codes and emulator-only plugin-based texture replacements. Anyone who wanted to play projects using these methods on the original hardware could not fully do so.

The primary inspiration for VPW Studio is the Goldeneye Setup Editor, which works directly on game data. This allows hacks to work on console, assuming you follow all of the internal "rules" of the game and the various (console and game-specific) data formats.

Despite being incomplete, VPW Studio has been used to produce a number of ROM hacks:

• Virtual Pro-Wrestling 2 freem Edition
• "WCW/NWO REVENJI" by RagDas
• "Virtual Pro-Wrestling Gamma: SUMMIT" by RagDas (WWF WrestleMania 2000 hack)
• "Project Outsider" by G.M.Spectre (WWF WrestleMania 2000 hack)
• "La Fin Du Tour: Virtual Pro-Wrestling Alpha" by RagDas (WCW vs. nWo - World Tour hack)
• "WCW Saturday Night" by G.M.Spectre (WWF WrestleMania 2000 hack)

as well as other projects in the works.

Supported Games

Currently, only the AKI wrestling games on the Nintendo 64 are supported:

Note that not every game supports every portion of VPW Studio.

Support for AKI's PS1 wrestling games (Virtual Pro-Wrestling and WCW vs. the World) is not the primary focus at the moment, but small steps are being taken towards supporting formats the PS1 games use. Adding proper support for hacking the PS1 games in VPW Studio would require a number of non-trivial UI changes, as well as Project File differences and various other under-the-hood details that need changing. "Full" PS1 game editing support support will rely on external tools, especially for video, music, and disc image creation.

Originally, support was also planned for the AKI-developed Def Jam games (primarily Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight for NY) after adding support for the two PlayStation 1 games. As of August 2021, the Def Jam games are officially out of scope for VPW Studio. A new, purpose-built tool would be a better solution for the Def Jam games.

Requirements and Notes

In order to use VPW Studio, you'll need a few things.

Requirements

• .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher.
• Any of the above listed games in Z64 ROM format. No other N64 ROM formats are supported at this time. Please convert non-Z64 format ROMs with a tool, such as uCON64, Tool64 (instructions for Tool64), or Hack64's online Web Swapper.
  More information about N64 ROM formats can be found on n64dev.org.
• OpenGL 3.3 support (for ModelTool2 dialog and any other 3D-displaying stuff)
• An image editor that can create and edit paletted PNG images. (Ideally, one that allows for exporting palettes in JASC Paint Shop Pro format.)
• A hex editor, to do things that aren't (easily) possible in VPW Studio yet. (If you don't already have a hex editor, HxD is recommended for Windows.)
• A calculator that can work in hex and binary modes. Your operating system's calculator may fit the bill (guaranteed on Windows, though you might need to switch to Programmer view).
• Japanese IME/text entry, if you plan on editing Virtual Pro-Wrestling 64 or Virtual Pro-Wrestling 2.
• Patience. (This program is not yet complete, and has a long way to go.)

Recommended Extra Tools

Aside from a hex editor, an image editor, and a hex-capable calculator, you'll probably want some other tools on hand.

• A Nintendo 64 emulator, for testing builds of your projects. An emulator with debugging tools is highly recommended, and currently required for some changes.
• A 3D modeler, for viewing models exported in Wavefront OBJ format. If you haven't already bought into a specific 3D editor ecosystem, Blender is free and supported on multiple platforms.
  • And if you decide to use Blender (v2.93), grab the AkiModel import/export plugins by Grix.
• Texture64 by queueRAM – handles various Nintendo 64 texture formats.
• N64 Midi Tool and N64 Sound Tool, originally by SubDrag and Ice Mario. As the names suggest, these handle sequenced and streaming sounds.
• VPW Studio Palette Tools, for quickly converting and merging JASC PSP palette files to VPW Studio palette format. Binaries are included with VPW Studio in the "Tools" folder. They are command-line programs, so use the Command Prompt to launch them.
• xdelta patch creation tool

Notes

• This program is currently a GIANT work in progress. Many features are not implemented yet, various safeguards are not put in place, and so on.
• Since the program is a work in progress, any and all VPW Studio-originated file formats are subject to change. Don't get too attached to your projects.
• Knowledge of hexadecimal is assumed.
• Some general knowledge of at least one of the supported games is also assumed.
• This program has not been tested on non-Windows OSes. Your mileage may vary.
• Make sure to check the documentation of your emulator and/or flash cart for other important information.

Screenshots

These screenshots are horribly out of date; check the Manual for up-to-date screenshots until I stop being lazy.

The File Table editor:

VPW2 Stable editor:

VPW2 Wrestler editor:

End User License Agreement

By downloading and using this program, you accept the following terms:

• You will not contact me (freem) privately for technical support regarding this program. This includes, but is not limited to, e-mails, private messages, smoke signals, pigeongrams, Marconi devices, etc.
• You will make a best faith attempt to read and understand the included documentation. If the documentation is lacking, that's on me, not you.

That's it.

Download

Current version: v0.0.0.36/pre-Alpha Preview 36 (2024/10/10)

Older versions can be found on GitHub, but the latest version is recommended.

Links

With more to follow...

• Old Skool Reunion
• AKI Live
• GitHub Discussions