Did you try using a CTRL-F Find feature to search through every instance of the game's code in the template.txt file?
Hacking [Tutorial]How to break the game limit on red button Sky3DS cartridges
- Thread starter Arithmatics
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So I've tried this, and while the Sky3DS does loop through the 13 games I've copied, when I press the button to change to one of the games it shows the title and then 5 seconds later skips to the next game without pressing the button, then again 5 seconds later to the next game. It's quite strange!
I just wondering who worked this out？I saw your software in other forum few weeks ago
Heatling if you're chinese fluent u can just go to the chinese tieba 3ds hack forums, the creator of the tool is there.
Should arrive monday. I asked my friend to get it from 3ds-cart.com (he's from australia) and ship it to me here in Malaysia.
Did you use the method described when changing games?
I just wondering who worked this out？I saw your software in other forum few weeks ago
Yeah. I just compiled and retranslated it. the original forum post should be in method 1 somewhere near the bottom
So, let me get this straight; this is bit of a sanity check for me, so forgive me.
The Sky3DS team created a template TXT file with game cart codes and corresponding HEX data that includes, among other things, the size of the cart and how the save data should be written. Originally, this data provisioned a single write chip on the hardware that could only hold enough space for 10 games - allegedly.
Then, they figured out a way to write the games to the microSD storage instead of the EEPROM and magically no 10 game limit anymore. However, the HEX data now has to be changed to reflect the new parameters and send the data to the microSD as opposed to EEPROM. Sky3DS team releases a program that converts the old backups to the new backup format for the red button card owners. Also, the Sky3DS team decided to release a new blue button cart without the 10 game limit - I assume because Sky3DS thought that a 10 game limit should be enough for anybody the first go around, but had a change of heart.
But, alas, this program performs no conversion; rather it provides the user with (a rough approximation) of what HEX data to change in the Template TXT file.
So, instead of taking the logic from the Sky3DScTool and parsing the Template TXT file and changing the data in the template file in batch, we're all sitting around doing CTRL+F's to do this ad-hoc like a bunch of tools.
If anyone from the Sky3DS team is reading this (assuming they're not banned) - WHAT THE $%^ GUYS??!! Write a script to parse the file and release it. No tool needed.
Release a blue template file and a red template file if need be. This is stupid.
When will the blessed saint of Gateway 3DS rescue us from this unrighteousness?!!!!
/rant
The Sky3DS team created a template TXT file with game cart codes and corresponding HEX data that includes, among other things, the size of the cart and how the save data should be written. Originally, this data provisioned a single write chip on the hardware that could only hold enough space for 10 games - allegedly.
Then, they figured out a way to write the games to the microSD storage instead of the EEPROM and magically no 10 game limit anymore. However, the HEX data now has to be changed to reflect the new parameters and send the data to the microSD as opposed to EEPROM. Sky3DS team releases a program that converts the old backups to the new backup format for the red button card owners. Also, the Sky3DS team decided to release a new blue button cart without the 10 game limit - I assume because Sky3DS thought that a 10 game limit should be enough for anybody the first go around, but had a change of heart.
But, alas, this program performs no conversion; rather it provides the user with (a rough approximation) of what HEX data to change in the Template TXT file.
So, instead of taking the logic from the Sky3DScTool and parsing the Template TXT file and changing the data in the template file in batch, we're all sitting around doing CTRL+F's to do this ad-hoc like a bunch of tools.
If anyone from the Sky3DS team is reading this (assuming they're not banned) - WHAT THE $%^ GUYS??!! Write a script to parse the file and release it. No tool needed.
Release a blue template file and a red template file if need be. This is stupid.
When will the blessed saint of Gateway 3DS rescue us from this unrighteousness?!!!!
/rant
That seems to assume that the Sky3DS team did/could make the tool, but as far as I'm aware, it was made by a third-party with an interest in fixing their mistakes.
It does make for an interesting conspiracy theory to me, though.
It does make for an interesting conspiracy theory to me, though.
AFAIK, the template.txt file is used to parse the values and make them bootable via microSD (this is where the cart emulation begins).
What I believe is that the only reason why it's limited to 10 games is because for games that send data to EEPROM (literally 99% games) the red button cartridge fails in being able to move the data from EEPROM to microSD which means more space is taken up on the actual EEPROM of the cartridge itself instead of being moved to the abundant pits of the microSD.
There is no documentation on how big the EEPROM on the red Sky3DS carts are so it's hard to tell if it really was a limitation or just utter bullshit. Unless a hardware hacker has a go and analyses the thing inside and out.
For those who don't know,
Previous ds flashcarts were able to save more than 10 games because they did not emulate carts. They worked just like how gateway works today (via exploit). So once they were in, they were able to rewrite and save to microSD thus no EEPROM space taken up.
Enter the 3 chinese dudes what discovered a way to trick the ROM itself from sending data to EEPROM and instead send it somewhere else (microSD).
Now, where the saves are actually stored is still disputed because after some testing data is stored on microSD but no one knows where exactly.
The tool itself that was released by these 3 amigos does indeed convert data. As mentioned, it tricks the rom into sending data to microSD instead of EEPROM. Now, to get this to work with Sky3DS however, the template.txt needs to be modified so that when burning the roms to the microSD, Sky3DS believes it to be "No EEPROM" thus breaking the limit since no data is used from the limited amount available on the cart itself.
As for the new blue-button edition, I simple believe that the team managed to work around the situation and make all roms store data to microSD directly. Maybe a new exploit hardware sided. OR simply added more EEPROM space. We will only find out when someone cracks open a blue button unit and examine any and all changes.
And honestly, the only documentation we have on sky3DS purposely limiting the carts is next to nothing. All I've managed to dug up is assumptions and allegations. Unless someone can source me to actual proof that the limit was not hardware related.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EEPROM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS_storage_devices
http://pineight.com/ds/pass/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS_homebrew#SLOT-1_and_SLOT-2_devices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_counter
Originally the Sky3ds site linked to the 3 Chinese dudes file, they of coarse got pissed, so now they link to this thread.
It's actually pretty simple to run the roms through the crack, since your only changing four digits CTR-P-XXXX.
An all in one tool would certainly be appreciated and I'm sure will come sooner or later, maybe even from the 3 Chinese dudes.
I have set 12 latest and greatest roms to No EEPROM on my 16GB microSD, I'm just waiting until Monday for my card to arrive.
Curious how it will work going in with all roms set to No EPPROM.
It's actually pretty simple to run the roms through the crack, since your only changing four digits CTR-P-XXXX.
An all in one tool would certainly be appreciated and I'm sure will come sooner or later, maybe even from the 3 Chinese dudes.
I have set 12 latest and greatest roms to No EEPROM on my 16GB microSD, I'm just waiting until Monday for my card to arrive.
Curious how it will work going in with all roms set to No EPPROM.
Yeah. I emailed them telling them to link here because it's extremely hard for people to understand the 3 people's english. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing to have done.
Well in theory it shouldn't hard wire any games to it thus preserving it's EEPROM virginity. then again, I'm not sure too. haha definitely needs to be tested.
I have yet to write a ROM that had a status of "YES" under the EEPROM. I'm having a hard time with getting CTR-P-AREP working though...
The 2 ROMs I was actually successful in writing seem to toggle through with a simple press. No 5 second hold needed. If I get 3 or 5 or (hopefully) 12 on there, I'll let you know how it works. Having a hard time finding ROMs that exist in the template file or vice versa.
EDIT:
Ah, that's because CTR-P-AREP is a Euro release and my console is USA. Damn it Sky3DS... *sigh*
I have yet to find a rom that wasn't in the template file. Did you run it through disk writer and it failed or did it pass and fail to work on the 3ds?
After 12 roms I still have 1.5GB of free space on my 16GB microSD so I hope thats enough for saves.
After 12 roms I still have 1.5GB of free space on my 16GB microSD so I hope thats enough for saves.
Ugh, I wish I had enough cash to get a Sky3ds right now. I'd throw together a python script to update the template file automatically. But with no way to test I don't want to get too involved in it.
I'm working on something right now.
a few thing i would like to note, those interested please read.
first, i noticed why this is a program, and oh god. its not as simple as making a batch to turn all FA 90 into F8 98. even if you did, that won't always work. it appears that diffrent games use diffrent hexes to determine where they save, and there is a couple formats. not a massave amount, but the template doesn't know what format. its easy to make it so future games added all say NO EEPROM, but you basically have to go manually through all the 3ds games, (yes, every one individually) and change them to what that specific one needs to say no eeprom.
unfortunatly, while FA 90 is a common one, and you could make a batch to turn it into F8 98, and even a batch to turn, say FA 98 into F8 98. a batch will NOT be able to tell the diffrence between a FA 98 that needs to be turned into a F8 98, and a FA 98 that needs to be turned into something else. it would just change them all at once.
in other words, the only way to do this is manually. for now i'm working on a template with most common NO EEPROM answers, when its done i'll post it. but it looks like you'd have to have the CTR-P-XXXX of every 3ds rom ever, and know what type of 'save system' it uses to determine if it needs a F8 or something else.
anyway, i feel like i forgot something, but i'm going back to working on the template, again when its done, it'll only work NO EEPROM on 'common save type roms' . for the others you'd have to do manually.
by the way, does anyone know, are your '10 slots' by YES eeprom saves actually takes up the moment a yes eeprom is added, or do you have to actually save? ..i had another question but i forgot...anyway off to work.
edit: one last thing, i noticed when testing, some games have MULTIPLE instances of their CTR-P code in the template, for example alpha sapphire has 3. meaning you would have to change all three blocks' FA's to F8's
for those interested in looking, its CTR-P-ECLA for alpha saphire. it also is NO EEPROM by default. note that this being NO EEPROM by default sugests that the risky corrupt method around forever to get more then 10 games on, was because they got lucky and the game they added way also NO EEPROM by default as well.
EDIT2: **** can someone please post a example of a CTR-P code that requires more then one F8 00 98 change before it says NO EEPROM? i need to know what i'm looking for
Has anyone been able to create the template hash stuff without Sky3dScTool? Since that program doesn't really give any scriptable output it is just about impossible. If it can be created via other means it would be easier to just replace the whole block instead of individual values. Its easy enough to find the title code or whatever it is called and replace everything between it and the next one.
I know the program was made some someone in china, they didn't happen to release the source? I'm too lazy to look for it.
I know the program was made some someone in china, they didn't happen to release the source? I'm too lazy to look for it.
