Hacking Virtual Console Save Conversion

s3phir0th115

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I've been fiddling around with FE100 to try to get my virtual console saves compatible with my emulators.

So far, I got the save to my favorite game, Super Mario RPG, extracted. It turns out I was able to just rename the file to an .srm and it worked fine on snes9x as a regular save file.

I wanted to test the same process for Nintendo 64 games, so I saved in Majora's mask, unpacked the save, and I'm confused.

For one, the save file does not match in file size from what Project64 was able to create. Additionally, renaming the file to try to get Project64 to load it does not work either. It has eep in the name, which suggests to me that it's a eeprom save file of some sort, but the file size still doesn't make sense to me.

Would anyone know how to get the saves converted between whatever the virtual console uses and what emulators use, and vice versa?

I would also appreciate any information that can be offered for other virtual console game systems as well. My goal in this process is a way to use the virtual console to emulate troublesome games on the wii, while being able to have the saves work on standard emulators like snes9x for the snes, Project64 for the N64, etc.
 
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s3phir0th115

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Does no one seriously know? I would think there would be knowledge on this considering there are all sorts of things for injecting virtual console games.
 

s3phir0th115

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Tagg7 said:
Perhaps ask in the FE100 thread?

I would, but it doesn't appear to be a problem with FE100. It is able to unpack and pack the saves just fine, so it's doing its job properly.

My issue is what to do with one of the extracted files. (The save. The rest are pictures.) I have no idea how I can convert it to something that is standard.
 

WB3000

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Have you looked at a standard save in comparison to the Wii format? You should use a hex editor and see if there may be only slight differences.
wink.gif
 

s3phir0th115

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WB3000 said:
Have you looked at a standard save in comparison to the Wii format? You should use a hex editor and see if there may be only slight differences.
wink.gif

I just tried what you advised. From what I saw in the Wii format, it has a lot of "AA"'s at the end of it. That would indicate to me that the file was just padded or something to make it 256 kb. I decided to back up the save, and remove all of the A's at the end of it.

I believe I've made progress, as now the save appears to take up the exact same amount of space as the one made from the emulator. However, the emulator still can't load it.

Any suggestions?
 

s3phir0th115

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A status update of sorts. I think I have it figured out. I did a byte flip operation in hex workshop on the Nintendo save, and it now loads in the emulator. Now to just see if I can reproduce the results to inject my own save in.....

UPDATE:

I tried converting my own emulator save to get it to work on the virtual console. I got it to work. I did the same bye flip operation on my own save so that it was like the original one, then I added padding at the end so that it matched up in filesize with what the Nintendo save was originally.

Then, I named the file as it was originally in the extracted save and proceeded to pack it up using FE100. I then put it on the SD card, and copied it to the Wii.

Amazingly enough, it loaded the save just fine on the virtual console. So I can now officially say the saves are compatible, the data is just "byte flipped and padded at the end", I guess you would say.

Thanks a lot WB3000 for the suggestion. Now I can start where I left off on the emulator.....

The only question I can think of now is if it's the same process for all types of saves, since there are different N64 save types. I'll have to look into this later.

If anyone else has any findings on this general topic, feel free to post. I'm sure this information is desired given that many of us are also emulation enthusiasts.
 

Treflex

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A few months ago i extracted my save from the gamecube collector's edition version of zelda mm, and after a bit of hex cutting and pasting, I inserted it into the wii vc edition data.bin file. i'll try and find my notes later, i'm sure it'll be of help
 

shawnanastasio

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s3phir0th115 said:
A status update of sorts. I think I have it figured out. I did a byte flip operation in hex workshop on the Nintendo save, and it now loads in the emulator. Now to just see if I can reproduce the results to inject my own save in.....

UPDATE:

I tried converting my own emulator save to get it to work on the virtual console. I got it to work. I did the same bye flip operation on my own save so that it was like the original one, then I added padding at the end so that it matched up in filesize with what the Nintendo save was originally.

Then, I named the file as it was originally in the extracted save and proceeded to pack it up using FE100. I then put it on the SD card, and copied it to the Wii.

Amazingly enough, it loaded the save just fine on the virtual console. So I can now officially say the saves are compatible, the data is just "byte flipped and padded at the end", I guess you would say.

Thanks a lot WB3000 for the suggestion. Now I can start where I left off on the emulator.....

The only question I can think of now is if it's the same process for all types of saves, since there are different N64 save types. I'll have to look into this later.

If anyone else has any findings on this general topic, feel free to post. I'm sure this information is desired given that many of us are also emulation enthusiasts.

Sorry to dig this old thread up but i am desperate. I need to convert my paper mario 64 save to work on an emulator. i removed all the A's but i do not know how to do the so called "byte flip operation" any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Shawn
 

WiiCrazy

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shawnanastasio said:
Sorry to dig this old thread up but i am desperate. I need to convert my paper mario 64 save to work on an emulator. i removed all the A's but i do not know how to do the so called "byte flip operation" any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Shawn

In case of word unit is 16 bit,

say the data you want to flip is like this...

CA FE BA BE DE AD BE EF

after the flip it becomes...

FE CA BE BA AD DE EF BE

Talking about 32 bit word size, you shift it like this,

BA BE CA FE BE EF DE AD

64 bit? It becomes

DE AD BE EF CA FE BA BE

Topic starter already mentions a program (hex workshop) where you can do this,

Here is a good read about this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endianness
 

WiiCrazy

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Tools -> Operations -> Byte Flip

Then select the appropriate option, it depends on the target system's word size (16, 32, 64)
I don't have an idea regarding what word size used in the n64 saves.. word size is generally equal to the data bus width of the system in question.. n64 suggest 64 bit but there is no mandatory agreement that every data file should use system's word size...

ps: wikipedia says "N64 game-titles generally used faster (and more compact) 32-bit data-operations" then 32-bit is the best candidate...
 

MarshallLeeBack

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I know this thread is pretty old now, but this actually works, I did it to my Ocarina Of Time VC save game.
Link's name shows up as a corrupted mess on all 3 files, but the game loads right where I left off, which is good enough for me to conclude my LP.
 

sam.walker22

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Sorry to dig this up.. again!

So I've saved my game from Project64 (actually saved game, as in opened the menu in game and pressed save, not just pressed F5) and that gives me a .sra file... right?

So I've opened the .sra file in Hex Workshop, done tool > operations > byte flip, selected 32bit, then saved to my wii SD in private/wii/title/NACP and called it data.bin (its ocarina of time virtual console)

Then when I put the SD in my wii to try transfer the save over to my console.. it's not there!

What am I doing wrong? Or have I just completely got the wrong idea here..?
 
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Cereal Killer

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Sorry to dig this up yet again, but i just need some help. I'm trying to get my majora's mask VC save to work in project 64, so I got the hex editor mentioned and found the save on my SD card. I opened up the file, but I don't see the AA padding at the end of the file. All I see is 00, and when i remove those the file is the exact same size. can anyone tell me what im doing wrong? Thanks!
 

Rob Blou

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Hey guys, I'm trying to extract a N3DS Snes VC save with save data filer but it's in red and it says it's corrupted. Any idea of how I could do this? thx
 

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