Hacking Convert Kirby's Epic Yarn save from JAP to USA?

[laporta]

I've been trying to convert my JAP's savegame to USA but I couldn't do it. The savegame includes the following files:

banner.bin - the banner
FLF.bin - the savegame
GF_X_XX.jpg - there are 30 non standard jpg images that I suppose they are the screenshots that you can take from the game

I've opened with a hex editor both JAP and USA new FLF.bin's files and that's what I've found:

USA

46 4C 55 53 | 00 00 00 15 | FD E0 73 B9
FLUS "bla bla" (I can't copy the whole code because it breaks the post)

JAP

46 4C 4A 50 | 00 00 00 15 | 5E F7 5B BC
FLJP "bla bla"

The rest of the FLF.bin's files are exactly the same.

The rest of the files (banner.bin and the GF_X_XX.jpg images) start with FLUS or FLJP too.

I've also opened my JAP savegame (last world) and that's what I've found:

46 4C 4A 50 | 00 00 00 15 | 7A 9E 2D 28
FLJP "bla bla"

So, from the offset '8' to 'B' the data is different than the brand new JAP savegame and the brand new USA savegame.

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What I've done so far:

I've changed all the FLJP to FLUS (banner.bin, FLF.bin and the images) but it didn't work. The USA game says it's a non valid savegame. I think that the data from the offset '8' to 'B' is important but I don't know it's meaning.

 

[W hat]

I can't help you with this specific game, but I do know the general technique for this. My guess is it won't work as written because of added protections, you may need to muck around with a hex editor and change values.

An easier path would be copying the US voice files over the JPN voice files and recreating the ISO.

Use SGM GX and extract the files from both regions. Keeping the USA banner.bin, copy over all other data from the JPN save.

Once again, you probably need to do some hex editing if the above path doesn't work.

 

[laporta]

I used SGM GX to extract the savegames and converted the JAP savegame to USA (as I said before, and you said it too). It worked with New Super Marios Bros Wii but it doesn't work with Kirby's Epic Yarn, so it must be protected somehow. Maybe some kind of hash placed between the '8' and 'B' offset's.

 

[megazig]

3rd set of 4bytes looks like the checksum

just change the first 4 bytes to match and it might work
(FLJP to FLUS)

 

[kobystam]

Any updates?

 

[moorhuhn12345]

I've got the same problem when converting the US savegame to PAL. Any ideas?

 

[conanac]

I have researched this before (by reading the codes in the game) and found that the 3rd set of the 4 bytes set is
a standard CRC32 checksum. But the checksum is not applied to all bytes in the FLF.bin file.
As an example, the video below was made by using a modified savegame file.

[youtube]2DLLFWn39_0[/youtube]

I could help trying to correct the checksum if you want. Just PM me where I could download the FLF.bin file and
let me know what the first four bytes for the game indicator should be for PAL version (should it be FLEU?).
However, since some parts of the content of savegame file are actually addresses that point to some files, there is a
possibility that even after correcting back the checksum the converted savegame file could still create problems when
playing with the game (i.e. different addresses are set for different region game files).