Hacking FFTA and EZFlash 3in1?

[roothorick]

I can't get Final Fantasy Tactics Advance working with my 3in1. It boots, but doesn't save, in both NOR and PSRAM mode. Accessing the save menu from the main menu just gives an error. I later discovered that if I flash it to NOR, turn off the system, and boot the game from the DS menu, saving works, but gets wiped if I do anything else with the cart.

I've learned that FFTA uses Flash memory for saves, not EEPROM or SRAM. Anyone know of a patcher? I think I might be able to get it working if I patch it to use SRAM.

Otherwise, any suggestions?

-EDIT- Forgot to mention, I use an R4DS as my slot-1 cart, with NDStation.

-EDIT2- I got FFTA working with saves using the patcher here: http://www.fordi.org/xrom.html . Now it's Metal Slug Advance I'm having problems with. Tried the same patcher, It gives me "Save aborted" when I try to save, and won't even boot in the NDStation wrapper (sits at "Game Boy" screen). Ideas?

 

[Destructobot]

Use GBATA or BatchGBA to SRAM patch your GBA games.

 

[roothorick]

Use GBATA or BatchGBA to SRAM patch your GBA games.

Wow, I thought I had tried GBATA, when it was really something else. Thanks for pointing directly at it so I had to look at the screenshot and realize I really hadn't tried it.

I tried GBATA with both FFTA and Metal Slug Advance. FFTA worked, MSA wouldn't boot at all. (Keep in mind, an unpatched ROM boots fine but doesn't save.)

 

[Destructobot]

I just tested Metal Slug Advance, and it works just fine on the 3-in-1 when SRAM patched with GBATA.

Make sure you're patching a clean (unaltered) rom, and don't apply any patches other than the SRAM patch.

If you trimmed the rom, try it untrimmed.


BTW, if you have a lot of games to patch, definitely give BatchGBA a try.

 

[roothorick]

I don't know what I was doing wrong, but I went back and redownloaded the ROM from the same place I got it from, deleted all the files from my previous attempts, ran it through GBATA and then NDStation, popped it on my DS, and now it works.

Thanks, at least, for pointing out GBATA, it likes Wine better than what I was using before.