How to Play Custom Packs

This is a guide on how to download and play custom packs. This guide assumes that you already have an existing ISO of Super Monkey Ball or Super Monkey Ball 2, as well as Dolphin installed on your PC or Nintendont installed on your Wii or Wii U. If you do not already have these downloaded and installed, be sure to do so before downloading a pack.

## Step 1: Join the SMB Level Workshop Discord Server

The SMB Level Workshop Discord server is the main hub for discussing custom levels and packs, support for creating your own levels, and contains a large amount of packs available for download. You can join the server by using this link below:

* https://discord.gg/CEYjvDj

Alternatively, there is a Google Sheet that contains links to every downloadable pack from the Discord server. It can be accessed using the link below:

* https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BV8Kzref8uya8Fz1oMHT2MTi04QQ0InWi6JEIR7hXdQ/edit?usp=sharing

A third option is by using the Hack Downloads page found on this wiki. It is continually updated to provide the latest versions of each pack.

## Step 2: Downloading

There are a few methods that are used to access custom packs, including Mega, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. Each can be accessed through the #pack-directory channel on the Discord server, as well as the All Packs page on the Google Sheet.

### Mega

1. Click on the Mega link for the pack you want to download.
2. Click on the green "Download" button located underneath the filename.
	* If you are prompted to enter an encryption key when opening Mega, close out of the window and try again.

### Google Drive

1. Click on the Google Drive link for the pack you want to download.
2. Click on either the blue "Download" button located in the middle or the white download symbol located in the top right.
3. If prompted with a screen that says "Google Drive can't scan this file for viruses," click on the blue "Download anyway" button.

### Dropbox

1. Click on the Dropbox link for the pack you want to download.
2. Click on the gray download symbol located in the top right.
3. Click on "Direct download" from the dropdown menu.

### Discord

1. Click on the Discord link for the pack you want to download.

### Mediafire

1. Click on the Mediafire link for the pack you want to download.
2. Click on the blue "Turbo Download" button located in the top right.

## Step 3: Compiling

After downloading your pack, it may be in two different forms: root or ISO. If the pack is in an ISO format, you can play the game immediately. However, if the pack is in a root format, you must compile the root into an existing ISO. The steps below detail how to compile a root into an ISO format.

### GCRebuilder

1. Download the GCRebuilder tool using this link: https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/619/
2. Open GCRebuilder.
3. Click on Image located in the top left and select Open from the dropdown menu.
4. Locate your existing Super Monkey Ball or Super Monkey Ball 2 ISO and click it to open.
5. Right click on the root folder in the top right and click export.
6. Save the root somewhere you can find.
7. Open File Explorer and locate the files of the custom pack as well as the root folder of the original game.
8. Copy the files of the custom pack and paste them into the root folder.
9. Go back to GCRebuilder.
10. Click on Image and select Close from the dropdown menu.
11. Click on File and select Open from the dropdown menu.
12. Click on the root folder.
13. Click on File and select Save from the dropdown menu.
14. Enter a name for the pack and save.
15. Click on File and select Rebuild from the dropdown menu.

### GameCube ISO Tool

1. Download the GameCube ISO Tool using this link: http://www.wiibackupmanager.co.uk/gcit.html
2. Open GameCube ISO Tool.
3. Click on File located in the top left and select Open ISO from the dropdown menu.
4. Locate your existing Super Monkey Ball or Super Monkey Ball 2 ISO and click it to open.
5. Click on the Save symbol arrow, go to Extract, and select GCReEx format.
6. Save the root somewhere you can find.
7. Open File Explorer and locate the files of the custom pack as well as the root folder of the original game.
8. Copy the files of the custom pack and paste them into the root folder.
9. Go back to GameCube ISO Tool.
10. Click on File and select Open folder from the dropdown menu.
11. Click on the game name that contains the root and sys folders. (ex: SUPER MONKEY BALL 2 [GM2E8P])
12. Click on the Save symbol arrow, go to Save ISO, and select Trimmed.
13. Save the pack.
14. After the game is finished saving, you can rename your file with the game name to something else.

### Dolphin

An easier option of extracting a root of an existing ISO compared to the two listed above is to use Dolphin's native root extraction tool.

1. Open Dolphin.
2. Right click on an existing ISO and select Properties.
3. In the Properties menu, navigate to the Filesystem tab.
4. Right click Disc located at the top and select Extract Entire Disc.

To rebuild the root, you will need either GCRebuilder or GameCube ISO Tool.