Hacking Monster Hunter Tri: Transferring save file from PAL to NTSC

[vdogg123]

So I started playing Monster Hunter Tri (PAL), and had been playing it for about a month and have like 40 hours on it. I realized that when I go online, it connects to the European servers and not the US ones. So I got the NTSC version of the game, but my save file won't work. I have to start a new game...

I've been looking for a solution for hours.

I was looking into a program called FE100, but it seems to need data.bin savefile which Monster Hunter Tri doesn't give (MH3 doesn't let me copy the save file to my SD card). I can however use SaveGame Manager to extract the save... but installing the save onto my Wii with SaveGame Manager doesn't work.

This guy seemed to be able to do it with the Japanese version:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=221555

SaveGame Manager gives me these files:

banner.bin
nocopy (FOLDER)
data00
data01
data02
data03
data04
data05
system
network


The data00, data01.... files I believe correspond to the 6 savefiles you can choose from in the game.
I tried to copy data00 from the PAL save to the NTSC save but that didn't work.

I really want to be able to play with my character from the PAL version on the NTSC game with US servers online. Please, if anyone can help it's greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[EseHomes]

Please explain what you mean "it didn't work". What part of the steps failed for you. I know that there are a few games where the savegame can not be region changed without hex editting. But I know for most other games it works to do the process like you said. I have confirmed it with about 30 games so far and only ran into hex editting issues with 2 games.

 

[vdogg123]

I didn't actually edit anything with a HEX editor, but just looked at the files.
It doesn't work as in when I select start game (or w/e it is i forget), the Wii freezes. It runs fine past the "Checking System Memory" part with the black screen, but after pressing "A" and selecting to start the game it freezes and I have to shut off the Wii.

 

[EseHomes]

Well, maybe someone will confirm that this is one of those games that the savegame requires hex editting. But other than that what I have done is make sure that I;ve got a save game for both regions already one my wii, Then I would use waninkoko's savegame manager and extract both. Swap the files in both, and if I could figure out with one was for the targetr region that I wanted my savegame swapped to then I would install just that one, otherwise if I did not know then I'd install both and keep backups of both in case something went wrong. If my steps are not too confusing (I tend to confuse people with my wordings) then try it if that is no what you have already tried, and then tell us how it all worked out.

 

[vdogg123]

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, I already tried that (I think). I have both save files on my computer. I know which one is PAL and which one is NTSC. I tried swapping the data00 file (which I assume is the character file) from the PAL version to the NTSC version and installing it but no luck...

 

[dn_angel000]

U might wanna follow the guide about converting the NSMB gamesaves somewhere on this site!! lol I'd say it's the absolute guide 4 u given ur situation!! lol

 

[vdogg123]

I saw the NSMBW thread but it's specifically for NSMBW. I tried following it as a guide as best as I could for MH3 but it doesn't work. It says to HEX edit a specific file which is absent for MH3.

 

[vdogg123]

bump

 

[vexing]

did you try copying all 6 data files, or just the 1?

if you already tried all 6, if they aren't 0 bytes open a command prompt and type

fc /b

hopefully that'll spit out a few lines that tell you which bytes need to be changed...

 

[vdogg123]

did you try copying all 6 data files, or just the 1?

if you already tried all 6, if they aren't 0 bytes open a command prompt and type

fc /b

hopefully that'll spit out a few lines that tell you which bytes need to be changed...

Could you be a little more clear. What command prompt? The one in windows? or some kind in a hex editor?

I tried copying all 6 at one point and also just 1 but same result for both.

 

[vexing]

yes, the windows command prompt

go to start
run
type in cmd
ok

then in the cmd prompt type fc /b e:\ntsc\data06 e:\pal\data06
replacing those paths with the actual path to wherever the data06 files are for the pal and ntsc versions of the game

 

[vdogg123]

yes, the windows command prompt

go to start
run
type in cmd
ok

then in the cmd prompt type fc /b e:\ntsc\data06 e:\pal\data06
replacing those paths with the actual path to wherever the data06 files are for the pal and ntsc versions of the game

ok so this is what i typed in:

---
fc /b c:\savegames\ntsc\nocopy\data00 c:\savegames\pal\nocopy\data00
---

What I got was:

---
00013E78: 38 00
00013E79: 60 00
...etc... (like over 100)
---

I can't really interpret what that stuff means...

 

[vexing]

ok so this is what i typed in:

---
fc /b c:\savegames\ntsc\nocopy\data00 c:\savegames\pal\nocopy\data00
---

it's listing byte addresses, then the hex chars in each file at that address

data00 is presumably your real save file, which should be quite different, so try
fc /b c:\savegames\ntsc\nocopy\data06 c:\savegames\pal\nocopy\data06

the hope is the empty save file will have some minor difference that can then be hex edited in your real save file

 

[vdogg123]

Oops, there is no data06 file I accidently typed that in my first post. I did data05 instead of data06

I got similar 100+ results. idk this seems like it would take a lot of manual HEX editing I'm about to give up...

 

[vexing]

i assume the 6th savegame isn't in use on either version?

if you do this:
fc /b c:\savegames\ntsc\nocopy\data05 c:\savegames\pal\nocopy\data05 > c:\mh3ntscpal.txt
that'll dump the output to c:\mh3ntscpal.txt

if you can post that file somewhere i can take a look at it and see if there's anything obvious

 

[vdogg123]

Sorry to complicate things a bit more but which NTSC savefiles should I use to compare with the PAL.

Should I delete all MH3 data from my Wii and start a new game but not create a character? This makes savedata for MH3 but no character data. ---> Then extract the save files.

Or

Should I delete all MH3 data from my Wii, then make a character and go online so it creates online data aswell as offline data on the Wii save. ---> Then extract the save files.
(This, I assume, would be better because there would be less differences between the save files.)

 

[vdogg123]

Ok I don't think this will work.
I did something that I should of done to start with (just to see if it would work): I tried installing a regular MH3 NTSC save onto the Wii with Savegame Manager. It has the same result as with my other attempts. Even a simple NTSC savefile won't work so I don't possibly see how it's possible to manually edit a PAL savefile and then get it to work.

Looks like I have to start a new game

Thanks for all the replies though.