Homebrew (Help) I have multiple questions pertaining to 3DS.

[Tommy-T]

UPDATE:
I have installed/downgraded my N3dsXL successfully. Thanks everyone for your help and input!
As QuantumCat has suggested I am going to start out with LUA and LPP-3ds to start.
Thanks everyone who has helped!


Hello, my name is Tommy.
I'm currently looking into learning how to create homebrew for the 3DS.

I own a 3ds XL which is capable of using my Gateway 3DS flash cart, as well as a N3DS with FreakyForms Deluxe & the Homebrew Launcher on it. The firmware on the N3DS is 10.7.0-32U on it.
So my first question is, should I downgrade my N3DS to a lower Firmware, and if so which one?

My next question is, where can I begin learning how to create homebrew programs for the 3DS?
I have devKitProArm installed already (1.6.10(?)).

I'm looking to (re)create/port the old NDS homebrew app that went by several different names, including WifiVoiceChat. I have the source code for an old version of it. I do not have the source to the server-sided half of the software though, but I have the server executable.
For those of you that haven't heard of this homebrew, it's essentially like PictoChat3D but with Voice and Drawing capabilities only, no text chat.
The biggest goal in this project that I'm aiming for is to be able to at least have the multi-user-online whiteboard part of it working.

TLDR:
If anyone is willing to due me a solid and post some resources to programming on the 3DS, that'd be swell!

 

[TechyTurtle]

you should downgrade to 9.2 and get a custom firmware. If you want arm9 follow one of those guides in the tips section of this website to downgrade to 2.1 and get your otp

 

[FenrirWolf]

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki is the answer to any and all questions about downgrading and setting up cfw and the like.

As for homebrew development resources, the best bet I've had is poking around at ctrulib's documentation along with the example programs.

 

[DashAhead]

Downgrading to 9.2 is probably the first thing you want to do - the general guide for downgrading and installing Arm9LoaderHax is here.

 

[Tommy-T]

you should downgrade to 9.2 and get a custom firmware. If you want arm9 follow one of those guides in the tips section of this website to downgrade to 2.1 and get your otp

I'm unsure what OTP means.

Downgrading to 9.2 is probably the first thing you want to do - the general guide for downgrading and installing Arm9LoaderHax is here.

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki is the answer to any and all questions about downgrading and setting up cfw and the like.

As for homebrew development resources, the best bet I've had is poking around at ctrulib's documentation along with the example programs.

Thanks so much for the fast replies to all three of you as well.
So essentially as all three of you have said, I should go ahead and downgrade to 9.2 and install CFW. Sounds like a plan![/S]

 

[Quantumcat]

If you are new to programming, learn Lua and use lpp-3ds.

 

[Tommy-T]

If you are new to programming, learn Lua and use lpp-3ds.

Would I be able to achieve what I am wanting to do, the things I stated in my first post, with LUA and lpp-3ds?

 

[Quantumcat]

Would I be able to achieve what I am wanting to do, the things I stated in my first post, with LUA and lpp-3ds?

I don't know, but you need to know what you're doing to do anything complicated. And that involves starting with very basic projects and working upwards. You can't do something complicated on your first go (but you can look at other people's open source projects and add improvements). Lua and lpp-3ds will let you do 2d sprites, 3d graphics, CPU and GPU rendering, basic text, network functions, and file I/O. Unfortunately Lua is not an object-oriented language so everything will be procedure based and can make big projects become a little unmanageable. Good luck :-)

 

[Skyshadow101]

Would I be able to achieve what I am wanting to do, the things I stated in my first post, with LUA and lpp-3ds?

(I think! I'm not a programmer!) Any script language can do the same thing as others, but you might need to write different code to achieve different things. Say in LUA you want to make text appear, you would put print("Example"). You might need to put different code to do the same thing in a different language, like for say Java.

 

[Tommy-T]

I don't know, but you need to know what you're doing to do anything complicated. And that involves starting with very basic projects and working upwards. You can't do something complicated on your first go (but you can look at other people's open source projects and add improvements). Lua and lpp-3ds will let you do 2d sprites, 3d graphics, CPU and GPU rendering, basic text, network functions, and file I/O. Unfortunately Lua is not an object-oriented language so everything will be procedure based and can make big projects become a little unmanageable. Good luck :-)

Oh, I guess what I didn't realize was that it would be able to do the majority of things. I did mess with Lua when I was playing modded Modded Minecraft servers, Yey Computer Craft. I'll definitely look into this! Thanks much!

(I think! I'm not a programmer!) Any script language can do the same thing as others, but you might need to write different code to achieve different things. Say in LUA you want to make text appear, you would put print("Example"). You might need to put different code to do the same thing in a different language, like for say Java.

Yes, you are, for the most part correct. At least as far as I know.

Anyway, I'm about 10 minutes away from being fully done instaling CFW on my N3ds XL. currently backing up the final sysNAND.
Thanks so much to everyone who has helped, btw.

 

[Skyshadow101]

Oh, I guess what I didn't realize was that it would be able to do the majority of things. I did mess with Lua when I was playing modded Modded Minecraft servers, Yey Computer Craft. I'll definitely look into this! Thanks much!

Yes, you are, for the most part correct. At least as far as I know.

Anyway, I'm about 10 minutes away from being fully done instaling CFW on my N3ds XL. currently backing up the final sysNAND.
Thanks so much to everyone who has helped, btw.

Glad to help, and welcome to the amazing world of EMUnand!

 

[NinjaSushi]

If a video guide is more your style then watch MrMario2011's guide on youtube: It'll make installing A9LH much easier

 

[Skyshadow101]

If a video guide is more your style then watch MrMario2011's guide on youtube: It'll make installing A9LH much easier

I wouldn't do that if I were you. There are many steps you need to take, and I have seen many people get bricked by following that video. I would just stay on menuhax on type 2.

 

[Quantumcat]

If a video guide is more your style then watch MrMario2011's guide on youtube: It'll make installing A9LH much easier

Don't use video guides!!!!!!!!!!!
They get outdated very fast, and then you get confused between the correct way and the old way which makes you even more likely to brick. Just use Plailect's guide.

 

[NinjaSushi]

Don't use video guides!!!!!!!!!!!
They get outdated very fast, and then you get confused between the correct way and the old way which makes you even more likely to brick. Just use Plailect's guide.

I've followed the video guide several times and haven't had any bricking issues, for initially installing A9LH, it's not a bad guide. Especially if you're someone like me who is terrible at following the Text guides.

 

[Quantumcat]

I've followed the video guide several times and haven't had any bricking issues, for initially installing A9LH, it's not a bad guide. Especially if you're someone like me who is terrible at following the Text guides.

Bad, bad, bad idea. If you'd had any questions you would have gotten conflicting advice from the community which could have lead to a brick (there's no way they can know what flavour the video is doing, different advice would be required depending how recent it is). Don't encourage other people to take this risk. Text guides always as they can be easily updated. Not having English as your first language is no excuse since it has been translated into multiple languages.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

I wouldn't do that if I were you. There are many steps you need to take, and I have seen many people get bricked by following that video. I would just stay on menuhax on type 2.

Plus that video is outdated now and the process is safer and more streamlined with current text guides.

 

[Link_of_Hyrule]

If you can't follow the text guide for the downgrade and a9lh install it's unlikely you'll get anywhere making homebrew for the 3ds considering development is about 1000x more complicated than that guide to downgrading.

 

[NinjaSushi]

.

 

[Link_of_Hyrule]

.

I was just making this post as a general statement not directed at a specific person however the op of this thread stated that he wants to make homebrew.