My 3ds broke, how to put my RPG Maker FES save files in Citra?

[kevincrans]

My n3DS broke when RPG maker froze again, so I had to power off, it didn't power on beyond the blue light this time.
Luckily Luma dumped my boot9.bin and I have movable.sed, so it's easy using ninfs to mount the nintendo 3ds folder as A:\ .
So how do I go further, if I just copy and paste the title and extdata of RPG maker, the game won't load anymore (I played around, the (yet black) titlescreen freezes when initializing the save).
I don't know what to do with 3ds-save tool or DIFF-extract.py.
Is there anyway to fix this?
I'll upload my log file.

My Sister has also a n3DS that works, but that's about it.

I also read online that the 3DS is so fragile, a broken camera bricks it, worst design ever.

Edit: my save file is being mastered by a friend from the FES Discord
doing db-extract.py gives Error: unknown magic
Transferring Minecraft worlds from a broken n3ds is probably just as impossible.

Spoiler: ThreeSD error

[ 2502.416462] Core <Error> C:/projects/threesd/src/core/file_sys/data/extdata.cpp:74:Init: Failed to load or decrypt VSXE
[ 8904.434621] Core <Error> C:/projects/threesd/src/core/file_sys/data/data_container.cpp:84ataContainer: Unknown magic 0xe2bf6a44
[ 8986.707461] Core <Error> C:/projects/threesd/src/core/file_sys/data/data_container.cpp:84ataContainer: Unknown magic 0xe2bf6a44

 

[CoolMe]

Care to elaborate on "My n3DS broke when RPG maker froze, so I had to power off (again), it didn't power on again beyond the blue light."?

 

[XRTerra]

Care to elaborate on "My n3DS broke when RPG maker froze, so I had to power off (again), it didn't power on again beyond the blue light."?

He was in the middle of making his pokemon romance rpg and the game froze, so he punched the 3ds out of sheer stress


You have to dump the title as a .cia with godmode9. Or use an external program. You can also use .3ds files on citra. Does the 3ds work without a micro sd card in it?

 

[kevincrans]

Care to elaborate on "My n3DS broke when RPG maker froze, so I had to power off (again), it didn't power on again beyond the blue light."?

I was re-creating the Harry Potter and the halfblood prince, the java mobile game (but earlier I tried making pokemon as well).
The game freezes and crashes enough on itself, I figured I don't neccessarily need the extra crashes/freezes of CFW, so I uninstalled it (without formatting).
A week later it froze and usually the device powers back on again, but this time not.

He was in the middle of making his pokemon romance rpg and the game froze, so he punched the 3ds out of sheer stress


You have to dump the title as a .cia with godmode9. Or use an external program. You can also use .3ds files on citra. Does the 3ds work without a micro sd card in it?

Thx, RPG maker FES I downloaded was from the web, so your saying that the savedata is tied to the cartridge?
Hopefully I can dump it using a 3dsx.

 

[CoolMe]

The game freezes and crashes enough on itself, I figured I don't neccessarily need the extra crashes/freezes of CFW, so I uninstalled it (without formatting).

You uninstalled what? Just that installed game? Or you uninstalled cfw?

It froze and usually the device powers back on again.

I thought it was "it didn't power on again beyond the blue light."?
So now your system powers on or not?

 

[kevincrans]

You uninstalled what? Just that installed game? Or you uninstalled cfw?

I thought it was "it didn't power on again beyond the blue light."?
So now your system powers on or not?

No it doesn't power on, usually it does, now only black screen and blue light. I uninstalled CFW weeks ago, the game is still on there.

 

[CoolMe]

No it doesn't power on, usually it does, now only black screen and blue light. I uninstalled CFW weeks ago, the game is still on there.

How & why did you think that uninstalling cfw could magically fix your issue? If you uninstalled cfw successfully and completely, then I'm afraid your only option left for saving this system is getting an ntrboot compatible flashcart.
Can you try if holding select or start on boot to access either Luma3DS or GodMode9? If not, then you have uninstalled cfw successfully.

 

[kevincrans]

How & why did you think that uninstalling cfw could magically fix your issue? If you uninstalled cfw successfully and completely, then I'm afraid your only option left for saving this system is getting an ntrboot compatible flashcart.
Can you try if holding select or start on boot to access either Luma3DS or GodMode9? If not, then you have uninstalled cfw successfully.

I didn't knew it would ever break, I uninstalled CFW weeks before it broke, it broke out of nothing, really.
CFW is unstable, the should fix it, It ran a lot better when I removed it until...

 

[Kwyjor]

The answer is simple: threeSD . It is specifically designed for importing data into Citra. Ideally, you're supposed to run a script on your 3DS before using it, but you probably have the necessary files for it already.

Luckily Luma dumped my boot9.bin and I have movable.sed, so it's easy using ninfs to mount the nintendo 3ds folder as A:\ .

FYI, boot9.bin is exactly the same for all consoles, so even if you didn't have it, you could easily get it from elsewhere.

So how do I go further, if I just copy and paste the title and extdata of RPG maker, the game won't load anymore (I played around, the titlescreen freezes when initializing the save).

What exactly are you copying and pasting? Are you trying to copy files directly from your SD card to your PC? Because then I don't see how you can get to the title screen at all.

CFW is unstable, the should fix it

I don't know what you think "unstable" means, but it seems to be perfectly stable for a lot of people out there, and a lot of other people have found that trying to remove it can make things worse.

 

[kevincrans]

The answer is simple: threeSD . It is specifically designed for importing data into Citra. Ideally, you're supposed to run a script on your 3DS before using it, but you probably have the necessary files for it already.

FYI, boot9.bin is exactly the same for all consoles, so even if you didn't have it, you could easily get it from elsewhere.

What exactly are you copying and pasting? Are you trying to copy files directly from your SD card to your PC? Because then I don't see how you can get to the title screen at all.


I don't know what you think "unstable" means, but it seems to be perfectly stable for a lot of people out there, and a lot of other people have found that trying to remove it can make things worse.

(savestates ofcourse, I thought ninfs decrypted them automatically)
So how do I ThreeSD if it says version mismatch and if I haven't run the script?

BTW, I tried running 3ds de/encryptor 1.5a in compatibility mode, it seems to only support sav files.

 

[kevincrans]

C̶l̶e̶a̶r̶l̶y̶ ̶C̶i̶t̶r̶a̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶u̶c̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶r̶a̶d̶i̶c̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶n̶c̶r̶y̶p̶t̶e̶d̶ (Fes saves just differently so I was looking in the wrong folder), so using ThreeSD utilities manually is a no-go.
The thing says version mismatch without having the script run on a real device.
What else?

I think I'm out of luck, as is everyone in the future with their save files from a broken 3DS.

 

[Kwyjor]

I think I'm out of luck, as is everyone in the future with their save files from a broken 3DS.

Oh, come on! Are you just trolling? You're not the first person to have to deal with something like this and you won't be the last. I'm sure we can figure this out, but it would help a lot if you slowed down and explained what you were doing.

You said before:

I don't know what to do with 3ds-save tool or the files DISA-extract.py extracts.

If you already have files that you extracted with disa-extract.py, then https://citra-emu.org/wiki/dumping-save-data-from-a-3ds-console/ says you just need to put those files in the appropriate directory.

If RPGmaker has extdata, then you can use diff-extract.py to unpack that after it is decrypted and put it in the appropriate spot. See https://citra-emu.org/wiki/dumping-extra-data-from-a-3ds-console/ .

The thing says version mismatch without having the script run on a real device.

It is absolutely possible to do some things with threeSD without having to run the script; see https://gbatemp.net/threads/restore-save-data-from-dead-3ds-2ds.606907/ .

BTW, I tried running 3ds de/encryptor 1.5a in compatibility mode, it seems to only support sav files.

I have never heard of that before. Where did you get it from? (I expect it is old and outdated.)

Clearly Citra's save structure is radically different than the encrypted, so using ThreeSD utilities manually is a no-go.

Like I said, that's what threeSD is for!

 

[kevincrans]

Thank you for clearing it up, it just seems to get harder with every new console, including keeping it alive.
Yeah, de/encryptor 1.5a is from 2011, it's written in Visual Basic 5/6, so heavily outdated, a file says there's gonna be a 1.5b ever.

Important: There isn't even a 001b9d00 folder in the 00040000 folder, only in the 0004008c folder.
It has no sav file, only tmd, app and cmd files.
(0004000e is the update)

However, there is a 001bae00 Player folder in the 00040000 folder.

3ds-save-tool says they are no DISA and ThreeSD gives unknown magic for extract (not for decryption).
So the sav file is either hidden under a different title id, on the nand, or it's in the app file format.
With Extdata 3ds-save-tool says they are no DIFF, ThreeSD gives a VSXE error (I'll do another attempt)
Funny how some FES files are stamped 2011 and boot9.bin 2001.

 

[Kwyjor]

3ds-save-tool says they are no DISA and ThreeSD gives unknown magic for extract (not for decryption).
So the sav file is either hidden under a different title id, on the nand, or it's in the app file format.

If 3ds-save-tool says it's not DISA, then either you're not working with the save file, or the data is still encrypted. Did you decrypt the save file with ninfs, or what?

Perhaps you could slow down and explain exactly what you are doing as I suggested before? I'm still confused about what you said about "the files DISA-extract.py extracts". Did you extract anything or not?

Also, did you read the page I linked to about threeSD before? threeSD expects everything to be in the original path where it was stored on the SD card; if you are copying files to a different folder on your hard drive, then that will cause problems with the decryption.

 

[kevincrans]

If 3ds-save-tool says it's not DISA, then either you're not working with the save file, or the data is still encrypted. Did you decrypt the save file with ninfs, or what?

Perhaps you could slow down and explain exactly what you are doing as I suggested before? I'm still confused about what you said about "the files DISA-extract.py extracts". Did you extract anything or not?

Also, did you read the page I linked to about threeSD before? threeSD expects everything to be in the original path where it was stored on the SD card; if you are copying files to a different folder on your hard drive, then that will cause problems with the decryption.

I'm sorry for saying it wrong, I didn't get py to work at all, I meant "what it is supposed to extract".
I used "ninfs/SD card contents" to put it in a folder, I don't want to overwrite the SD.
I also treat all the different file-types (.cmd, .tmd, .app, none) the same with the 2 tools.
python does nothing, ThreeSD gives an error about a \00000000\00000001\ folder that does not exist.

 

[Kwyjor]

I also treat all the different file-types (.cmd, .tmd, .app, none) the same with the 2 tools.

What part of the word E X A C T L Y do you not understand, sir? I'm afraid you may indeed be out of luck if you cannot follow instructions.

I also treat all the different file-types (.cmd, .tmd, .app, none) the same with the 2 tools.

You should only be concerned with a .sav file in this case. If you can't find a .sav file, then the game probably uses extdata. (A quick Google finds some old documentation that suggests that is the case.) It isn't somehow magically stored in a .cmd, .tmd, or .app.

Extdata is stored in a different location and has to be extracted using diff-extract.py .

 

[kevincrans]

What part of the word E X A C T L Y do you not understand, sir? I'm afraid you may indeed be out of luck if you cannot follow instructions.

You should only be concerned with a .sav file in this case. If you can't find a .sav file, then the game probably uses extdata. (A quick Google finds some old documentation that suggests that is the case.) It isn't somehow magically stored in a .cmd, .tmd, or .app.

Extdata is stored in a different location and has to be extracted using diff-extract.py .

I can't exactly remember what I've done the whole day.
Now I decrypted 0000000a using ThreeSD>Utilities>SD Decryption, I run diff-extract.py on it and I get this:

C:\...\extdata\00000000\00001b9d\00000000\3ds-save-tool-master>python diff-extract.py ..\0000000a .\ -sd
No enough secrets provided. Will skip CMAC verification.
Error: Not a DIFF format

If 0000000a is not a diff, it's supposed to be a folder in the data folder, so what is it.
sd-decrypt.py doesn't know what crypto is.
I think I should stop using the python tool that's made for linux.
ThreeSD>Utilities>Extdata Extraction expects there to be files/folders that aren't there.

 

[Kwyjor]

Thank you for finally specifying what you are doing.

I think I should stop using the python tool that's made for linux.

It's not made "for linux" and it runs just fine in Windows.

ThreeSD>Utilities>Extdata Extraction expects there to be files/folders that aren't there.

Has it occurred to you that maybe the reason that's happening is because you're using it incorrectly?

Try simply:

python diff-extract.py ..\0000000a .\

without the "-sd". The "-sd" is used when decrypting data, and you've already decrypted it with threeSD, presumably.

If that doesn't work, try:

python diff-extract.py ..\..\..\00001b9d .\

You've presumably seen https://github.com/wwylele/3ds-save-tool , which explicitly states that you are not supposed to run diff-extract.py on the inner folders.

 

[kevincrans]

Thank you for finally specifying what you are doing.

It's not made "for linux" and it runs just fine in Windows.

Has it occurred to you that maybe the reason that's happening is because you're using it incorrectly?

Try simply:

python diff-extract.py ..\0000000a .\

without the "-sd". The "-sd" is used when decrypting data, and you've already decrypted it with threeSD, presumably.

If that doesn't work, try:

python diff-extract.py ..\..\..\00001b9d .\

You've presumably seen https://github.com/wwylele/3ds-save-tool , which explicitly states that you are not supposed to run diff-extract.py on the inner folders.

I tried both commands using Windows Subsystem for Linux instead and it both gives me not a DIFF format.
(Without WSL the second command had a permission denied)

Spoiler: ThreeSD error

[ 86.846318] Core <Error> C:/projects/threesd/src/core/file_sys/data/data_container.cpp:84ataContainer: Unknown magic 0xc75454fa

 

[Legendier]

what your trying to do is not all that hard, but the people trying to help you are making it needlessly complicated.
If you can join the rpg maker fes discord
https://discord.gg/kwN2nwuHGK There are people that can help you there.
I've never used citra but I mess with save files all the time, over on discord I'm Legend.