[crissyw]

Okay, so I downloaded a save file from here for Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past & Four Swords.

This one: http://filetrip.net/f957

I've been trying for hours to get this save to work on Visual Boy Advance. It says in the file description that it does work with VBA but whenever I load the battery and reach the file selection screen, they are all empty as if the battery was fresh.

This file DOES work with no$gba, but I need it to work with VBA since I want to play this on my Wii with VBAGX.

There are 3 options that I've been trying that would work but so far no luck.

1. Get the thing to run with VBA.

2. Load the battery on no$gba and then convert it to a VBA battery file.

3. Load the battery on no$gba and save a snapshot (.SNA) and convert it into a VBA snapshot (.SGM)

From what I've researched. One problem is that the save file is 64kb, but vba save files need to be 8kb. After I load the battery, although it doesn't work, it automatically shrinks the file down to 8kb. I've tried to trim the file to 8kb with File Trimmer, but that doesn't change a thing.

Could someone please help me out with this problem?

[DanTheManMS]

Well, I'm thoroughly stumped. I've tried saving it as uncompressed from no$gba and using a converter to put it in VBA format, tried flipping every 8 bytes (as it looks like VBA is expecting) at various stages, but simply can't get it to work right.

Pretty sure a major issue is the whole thing with every 8 bytes being reversed. But that's not the only issue, and unfortunately I can't find the cause.

[DanTheManMS]

Oh for the love of...

Alright, figured it out. After about 50 trials, two hours, several old versions of no$gba, and pulling out my Flash2Advance Ultra cart for testing, I found that like most answers, it was ridiculously simple and was staring at me in the face from the beginning.

So I was right in that every 8 bytes needs to be flipped. What I didn't realize is that VBA doesn't like it when you give it a save file larger than what it expects. I thought it could import the flipped 64 KB file and simply discard the 3/4 of the file it didn't need, but I was wrong. After manually cutting down the flipped file to exactly 8,192 bytes, VBA accepted it just fine. So the final process is: download the save file from the website, flip every 8 bytes, then cut it down to 8192 bytes.

Now, I've got two scripts that can flip every 8 bytes for you, one of which is implemented in Perl and the other in MATLAB, neither of which you're likely to have access to. A Google search reveals a much more accessible method that Destructobot made using Hex Workshop - http://gbatemp.net/t53867-a-gba-save-conve...st&p=694180. For stripping down the file, I use the free XVI32 hex editor, going to Address - Go To - Hexadecimal $2000 (which is decimal 8192, use Windows Calculator in Scientific mode to confirm this if you don't believe me), and then Edit - Delete From Cursor, then save as a new file. Of course, you said you had this "File Trimmer" program which will probably also work just fine.

Regardless, here's your save file: http://www.zumodrive.com/share/6TjPN2IxNz

Edited by DanTheManMS, 19 August 2010 - 07:52 AM.

[crissyw]

cant believe someone actually figured it out. im amazed.

btw that was actually the wrong file heh. i needed -beg not -end. but i just did what you said with the other file and it worked perfectly.

thanks for the help

[DanTheManMS]

No problem, glad it helped. I'm just curious why no$gba simply refused to output a clean save file no matter what I set in the no$gba.ini file. That alone is what threw me for a loop.

[Jack of All Trades]

I've been wracking my brain all day trying to figure out why these very files don't work for vbagx. I was hoping somebody would share that beg.sav file with me? I'd be eternally grateful. I'd do it myself as well but unlike crissy I don't have a flash cart to use to implement the script changing hullabaloo.

[DanTheManMS]

You don't need a flash cart. You just need the save file and a way to flip the 8 bits and trim it to 8 KB. Hex Workshop should be able to do both of those.

[ddddddaaa]

.sav file on zelda link to the past / four swords with thug save file on VBA Visual Boy Advance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just thought I'd reply in case anyone is searching google to get this save file to work on PC. As many people seem to have difficulties.

I spent a good few hours trying to get it to work (I've not used this emulator for years which doesn't help)

I used the VBA emulator version 1.7.2

1. Download a (U) version of the zelda link to the past rom and put in ur VBA folder (can remain zipped if you so wish). NB: mine has a hack screen at the beigning but works fine.

2. Download the save file zip which is listed at the top of this thread (by thug4life) and extract all of it's files into ur VBA folder.

3. Rename the desired save file (i.e. the begining or end save file, begining has the new dungeon unlocked etc so you can play the game through with extras, end has all equipment etc and saved at the end of the game) to the same as the game file. i.e "Zelda - A link to the Past.SAV" (keep the same case).

4. Load zelda rom

5. File>Import>Zelda Gameshark Snapshot...

6. navigate to 'ZELDAGAMESHARK.SPS'

7. After this you may need to load the save file through 'Import>Battery File...'.

that's it

Although now it seems to be working perfectly fine without having to do all this even if I start again from scratch so who knows. I originally had all the files in the right place but the save files kept getting overwritten by blank ones which many folk seem to experience from what I've read.

so hope this helps someone else with similar problem

cheers