Testing & shipping

Run in Emulator

Revolution Editor doesn't contain an emulator. It launches your own installed copy of Dolphin, a separate free, open-source Wii/GameCube emulator. If it isn't found automatically, use Locate Dolphin… in Settings > Emulator.

Choose a Mode:

• Disk (folder): run the project folder directly as an extracted disc. It needs sys/boot.bin.
• WAD: run a channel .wad found in the project.
• Hot Swap: keep loose files and swap them into a real disc at boot, with no ISO rebuild.

Controller / Wii Remote Settings… opens Dolphin's own input setup first. Console output streams into the app, and Stop ends the run.

Hot Swap

Rebuilding an ISO for every tweak is slow. Hot Swap patches only the files you choose onto a base disc when you launch.

1. In Settings > Games, link your base disc.
2. In the Project Navigator, right-click a file and choose Mark for Hot Swap.
3. Pick what it stands in for. For Mario Kart Wii, choose the track slot (for example Mushroom Cup > Luigi Circuit) and My Track.szs will replace beginner_course.szs and its multiplayer copy.
4. Press Hot Swap in the toolbar. Remove from Hot Swap unmarks a file.

Only marked files are swapped, so source assets such as .obj and work-in-progress files never land on the disc. Your original disc is never modified.

Wii: the swap is done through Riivolution inside Dolphin. GameCube: the app makes a patched APFS clone of your disc (instant, no extra space until written) that boots in Dolphin, and in Nintendont on a real Wii.

Testing on a real Wii

Dolphin forgives some things real hardware doesn't. Before you take a track to a console, set Build for: Hardware-compatible in Settings > Games and rebuild your model and collision. Run Check Laps and Verify Archive as well, and test early: bisecting a crash gets harder the more you've changed.

Source control

Source Control in the toolbar is a built-in Git panel. It's optional and uses the git already installed on your Mac.

• Initialize Git Repository Here starts tracking the project.
• See Staged and Not Staged files with a diff preview. Stage All selects everything.
• Write a message and Commit to save a permanent checkpoint.
• Pull and Push sync with a remote such as GitHub. An orange dot on the toolbar button means uncommitted changes.

Sharing your mod

Mods are distributed as patches or archives you built from your own files. Don't distribute copyrighted game data. Check Verify Archive passes, make sure the track works on both Dolphin and (if you target it) hardware, and credit anyone whose work you used.