Smash Stack
Smash Stack is the name for the exploit that allows one to use Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Stage Builder to modify otherwise-protected system memory, allowing the usage of hacks without specialized hardware. In the hacking community of Brawl, the Smash Stack's primary use is to install mods for the game, such as Project M; in addition, other various unofficial hacks for the Wii itself can be added to the console, such as The Homebrew Channel.
Operation
The name of the exploit implies its function. By getting the Wii to load a file disguised as a custom stage that is bigger than the block of memory reserved to hold custom stages, due to the code not checking to see whether the stage file is too large, a stack smash occurs. Due to the way the exploit works, the subject stage file must be the only custom stage on both the SD card and on the Wii itself (including the default ones and any daily downloads), or the game will likely freeze as it tries to load the stages. Once the game is quit or the console is turned off, all traces of the hack disappear, though the method can be used to install more permanent hacks.
Unlike most other Wii hacks involving stack smashes, which tend to involve editing save file data to accomplish a similar effect, the Smash Stack is entirely self-contained within Brawl as it is running. As a result, it is not possible for Nintendo to inform Wiis what such a file looks like and delete it if detected, due to the process occurring outside the console's control. This renders the hack particularly resilient compared to the Twilight Hack (involving The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), a former major avenue of hacking Wiis via in-game exploits before it was eventually defeated via a system update. The Smash Stack is strong enough that even a Wii U running in Wii mode is vulnerable to it (though this does not currently allow hacking of the Wii U itself). As a result of its unpatchability, simplicity, and presence in a popular game, the Smash Stack is one of the most common ways of hacking or modding a Wii, and the method is supported by all major Brawl mods for players who do not wish to make any permanent changes to their console. It can even be argued that the exploit is one of the biggest reasons that the hacking and modding community, for both Brawl and other Wii games such as Mario Kart Wii, reached a level of popularity and sophistication that was previously unheard of for consoles.
Video
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Trivia
- If an SD card containing the Smash Stack is inserted upon entering the stage selection screen, the game will freeze as it attempts and fails to load the Smash Stack file as if it were a custom stage. As a result, in order to play a VS match with stage hacks, a hack that disables the loading of custom stages must be in place.
- This can also be avoided by simply not having the SD card inserted on the stage selection screen; the core game and selected characters are loaded beforehand, so not having the card inserted will not have any effect other than making it impossible to load stage or music hacks. The card however must be reinserted once the match begins in order to load any hacks done to assist characters or mid-match character changes.
