nds-bootstrap loader: Run commercial NDS backups from an SD Card

Rya687 · Jul 7, 2022

While listening to the soundtrack of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Sky (North American release), I noticed that under most circumstances, the sound playback doesn't work quite as it should. It's particularly apparent with the track Waterfall Cave. This is a very high-pitched track that crackles significantly whenever the bug occurs. It doesn't matter if I use the internal speakers or headphones. To play this track, select "Other" in the main menu, then "Sky Jukebox," then pick the 24th track. This feature is only unlocked after making a lot of progress in the game, so here's a 100% save file: https://www.mediafire.com/file/yv0w...ery+Dungeon+-+Explorers+of+Sky+(USA).sav/file

I've only encountered this bug on my DSi, but I can test it with my two 3DS units as well if needed.

The strangest part about this bug is that I discovered that I can avoid it by launching the game under these very specific conditions:

#1: I have to launch TWiLight Menu++ via HiyaCFW instead of directly booting into it.
#2: I cannot pick the option in HiyaCFW to have TWiLight Menu++ immediately launch the last ROM it played. (Though I can pick the normal TWiLight Menu++ option and then hold B to directly launch the game.)
#3: It has to be the first ROM I launch. If I launch something else and then return to TWiLight Menu++ via nds-bootstrap's pause menu, the bug will always occur.

If it helps, this is one of the very few DS games that use a custom sound driver.

RocketRobz · Jul 7, 2022

Rya687 said:
While listening to the soundtrack of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Sky (North American release), I noticed that under most circumstances, the sound playback doesn't work quite as it should. It's particularly apparent with the track Waterfall Cave. This is a very high-pitched track that crackles significantly whenever the bug occurs. It doesn't matter if I use the internal speakers or headphones. To play this track, select "Other" in the main menu, then "Sky Jukebox," then pick the 24th track. This feature is only unlocked after making a lot of progress in the game, so here's a 100% save file: https://www.mediafire.com/file/yv0w...ery+Dungeon+-+Explorers+of+Sky+(USA).sav/file

I've only encountered this bug on my DSi, but I can test it with my two 3DS units as well if needed.

The strangest part about this bug is that I discovered that I can avoid it by launching the game under these very specific conditions:

#1: I have to launch TWiLight Menu++ via HiyaCFW instead of directly booting into it.
#2: I cannot pick the option in HiyaCFW to have TWiLight Menu++ immediately launch the last ROM it played. (Though I can pick the normal TWiLight Menu++ option and then hold B to directly launch the game.)
#3: It has to be the first ROM I launch. If I launch something else and then return to TWiLight Menu++ via nds-bootstrap's pause menu, the bug will always occur.

If it helps, this is one of the very few DS games that use a custom sound driver.

Is the Sound/Mic frequency set to 32khz in TWLMenu++ Settings?

RocketRobz · Jul 8, 2022

v0.61.0: TWL Summer Release #4
Included in TWiLight Menu++ v24.12.0 (GBATemp thread)

What's new?

Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled now boots!
DSi Donor ROM can now be read from TWLNAND on DSi consoles!

Improvements

Soft-resetting when connecting to Wii via Pokemon Gen 4 title is now faster!
The `Expand ROM space in RAM` setting (`EXTENDED_MEMORY` in `nds-bootstrap.ini`) now allows wireless to work, as well as card read DMA working properly.
@Pk11 and various: Updated translations.

Bug fixes

Fixed a regression which made Super Mario Galaxy DS not boot.
Fixed the mini toy sprites not displaying in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem while running in DS mode!
A bug fix port from 3DS to DSi, Hidden Photo (EUR/GER) no longer crashes during loading after selecting a photo.

Known bugs

On DSi, the Word Search and Spot the Difference minigames in Hidden Photo (EUR) will crash. This bug does not occur in the German version.
The issues that occurred after connecting to Wii via Pokemon Gen 4 title will still occur.

Rya687 · Jul 8, 2022

RocketRobz said:
Is the Sound/Mic frequency set to 32khz in TWLMenu++ Settings?

It was. I just changed it, but that has no effect. The bug still seems to happen under the same circumstances, so this seems to have nothing to do with frequency.

Is it generally better to pick the higher frequency? I wouldn't have expected that to actually make original DS games sound better, seeing how they weren't made with that frequency in mind.

RocketRobz · Jul 8, 2022

Rya687 said:
It was. I just changed it, but that has no effect. The bug still seems to happen under the same circumstances, so this seems to have nothing to do with frequency.

Well then, idk why that bug is occurring. It seems Unlaunch itself is causing the issue.

Rya687 said:
Is it generally better to pick the higher frequency? I wouldn't have expected that to actually make original DS games sound better, seeing how they weren't made with that frequency in mind.

Yeah, it does improve sound in some games.

RocketRobz · Jul 8, 2022

v0.61.1 (hotfix)
Included in TWiLight Menu++ v24.12.1 (GBATemp thread)

Bug fixes

Fixed an overlooked bug which caused SDK5 titles to not boot in DS mode. (B4DS mode has not been affected by the bug.)
Fixed an overlooked bug which caused the ARM7 SCFG patch registers to overwrite the FAT table cache when running a non-DSiWare TWL title in DSi mode (which would be noticeable if the SD cluster size is lower than 32KB).

Rya687 · Jul 8, 2022

RocketRobz said:
Well then, idk why that bug is occurring. It seems Unlaunch itself is causing the issue.

Yeah, it does improve sound in some games.

I just tested it with one of my 3DS units. Not only is the crackle always present there, but it's sometimes even worse. This doesn't seem to be Unlaunch's fault.

While I was at it, I tested my actual cartridge of the game (a European one). With my 3DS, it sounds fine it I launch the game through the 3DS menu, but not when I do it through TWiLight Menu++. With my DSi, launching it through HiyaCFW or the normal DSi menu (accessed through TWiLight Menu++) works, but the bug always happens when I launch it through TWiLight Menu++, even under circumstances where it wouldn't occur if I used the ROM on my SD card.

RocketRobz · Jul 9, 2022

v0.61.2 (Hopefully the last hotfix)

Improvement/Bug fix

Reworked ROM loading from RAM with the `Expand ROM space in RAM` setting to fix an overlooked bug.

Bug fix

Fixed an overlooked bug which caused microphone input to not work in some TWL titles which use NTR touch mode, by having said mode be set on boot.
- As a result, if the title uses NTR touch mode, the console will reboot, when exiting the game.

RocketRobz · Jul 16, 2022

v0.61.3: TWL Summer Release #5
Included in TWiLight Menu++ v25.0.0 (GBATemp thread)

What's new?

Do you have Memory Pit installed, but still want to use the Nintendo DSi Camera application normally at the same time? Well now you can!
If the Memory Pit exploit is detected in `pit.bin`, Nintendo DSi Camera will be redirected to instead read `tip.bin`.
- This requires a ROM dump of Nintendo DSi Camera.
- If you backed up your `pit.bin` file before this release, make a copy of it, rename the copy to `tip.bin`, and add it to `sd:/private/ds/app/484E494A/`.
Added support for two DSiWare titles to be played on DS Debug console units!
- 101 Pinball World
- Robot Rescue 2

Bug fix

Fixed four DSiWare Rytmik titles to not crash. This is achieved by not loading the in-game menu and cheat engine for those titles.
- Hip Hop King: Rytmik Edition
- Rytmik Retrobits
- Rytmik Rock Edition
- Rytmik World Music

Brand Newman · Jul 18, 2022

Thanks again @Pk11 , I added your name in the acknowledgments of my "Earth Seeker" patches, and am about to release a translation for the DSiware "ODEKAKE EARTH SEEKER", as well as an "Odekake edition" of my latest translation patch for the Wii.

Please find below a little vid as a preview :

I don't want to "pollute" this thread any more, so I'll publish further information on the dedicated thread here, in case people are interested :
https://gbatemp.net/threads/riivolution-patch-earth-seeker-english-translation-for-wii-100.555772/
Thanks again, everybody has a nice day!

Rya687 · Jul 21, 2022

Is there actually a point in keeping Memory Pit installed? I was under the impression that it was only useful as an exploit to install custom firmware, but has no further use once that's done.

Pk11 · Jul 21, 2022

Rya687 said:
Is there actually a point in keeping Memory Pit installed? I was under the impression that it was only useful as an exploit to install custom firmware, but has no further use once that's done.

Not really, in dsi.cfw.guide we say to uninstall it as soon as you've got Unlaunch. All it really does at that point is make you unable to access the album.

RocketRobz · Jul 22, 2022

v0.62.0: TWL Summer Release #6
Included in TWiLight Menu++ v25.1.0 (GBATemp thread)

What's new?

More DSiWare titles are now playable on DS Phat/Lite consoles! (Full list of compatible titles)
- Retail & Debug units (Total: 73 -> 80)
  - Advanced Circuits
  - Bugs'N'Balls
  - Dr. Mario Express (CHN version not supported)
  - GO Series: Earth Saver
  - Magical Whip
  - Paul's Shooting Adventure
  - Paul's Shooting Adventure 2
- Debug units only (Total: 18 -> 21)
  - Candle Route
  - Need for Speed: Nitro-X
  - Neko Reversi

Bug fixes

Fixed Nintendo DS Browser crashing with only bottom button graphics shown.
Fixed part of the pre-loaded ROM getting corrupt when using the `Expand ROM space in RAM` (.ini: EXTENDED_MEMORY) setting.

RocketRobz · Aug 9, 2022

v0.63.0 & v0.63.1: TWL Summer Release #7
Included in TWiLight Menu++ v25.2.0 (GBATemp thread)

What's new?

More DSiWare titles are now playable on DS Phat/Lite consoles! (Full list of compatible titles)
- Debug units only (Total: 21 -> 22) (Absolute Baseball & Candle Route did not boot, so they got removed.)
  - Cake Ninja 2
  - Cake Ninja: XMAS
  - The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords: Anniversary Edition
On DSi consoles, AP-patched overlays are now saved to a separate file in order to avoid shrinking the heap size beyond how much the title would allocate, when running DSi-Enhanced titles in DSi mode.
- This allows the AP-fix (bundled with TWLMenu++) for Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem to work properly in DSi mode on DSi consoles.
Dragon Quest V no longer uses card data cache.
@Pk11 and various: Added Catalan language.

Improvement

@Pk11 and various: Updated translations.

Bug fixes

Fixed Pokémon Black & White Versions 2 (untrimmed) running very slow on SD cards formatted with 4KB cluster size.
Fixed Kirby: Canvas Curse not reading save data.
Fixed Jam with the Band showing error screen after saving.
Fixed the Cake Ninja titles freezing on top black screen.
- This is achieved by clearing the R0-R11 registers before booting the set .nds file.
As a result of disabling card data cache for Dragon Quest V, the intro no longer loops back to the logos at the start.
Fixed sleep mode crashing the DS Phat/Lite console in 99Bullets, 99Moves, and 99Seconds.
Fixed known issues related to running DSiWare titles only supported on DS Debug units.
Fixed long-standing bug where part of pre-loaded SDK1-4 ROM in RAM would get cleared.
Some other minor fixes, as well as removing unused code.

FAQ

Q: Any updates on support for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn?
- A: We have found why the game does not boot, as the crash occurs in one of the game's overlay files. However, even after setting breakpoints in the NO$GBA debugger, it is still unclear as to how the game boots successfully outside of nds-bootstrap. More information...

MarioKartFan · Aug 9, 2022

Thanks, all! Looks like a great update!

naddel81 · Aug 9, 2022

wow, nds bootstrap has come a long way since 2017. is it safe to assume that games that worked on a lower version and had some crashes or audio crackles just work fine now? compatibility list is impossible to test every game on every new release, I guess.

RocketRobz · Aug 9, 2022

naddel81 said:
wow, nds bootstrap has come a long way since 2017. is it safe to assume that games that worked on a lower version and had some crashes or audio crackles just work fine now? compatibility list is impossible to test every game on every new release, I guess.

Yes, compatibility has improved since that year.

naddel81 · Aug 9, 2022

RocketRobz said:
Yes, compatibility has improved since that year.

so basically I can get rid of my old DS Lite and play all my games on 3DS?

godreborn · Aug 9, 2022

naddel81 said:
so basically I can get rid of my old DS Lite and play all my games on 3DS?

Not all. Golden sun is one game that doesn't currently work with bootstrap.

Flame · Aug 9, 2022

im still amazed by this project

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