Hacking GBA+NDS EZ4+AK2i linkage

[ricera10]

Basically, I want to have it so that a game I run on the Acekard 2i will recognize a game on the NOR on my Ez-flash iv. I've tried a multitude of methods to get it to work, but here's what works for now:

1. Use AKAIO to flash a game to NOR
2. Run GBA Exploader 0.58b, then soft-reset
3. Hit select on GBA view in AKAIO to see that the flashed game shows up properly
4. Run DS game

The biggest problem that prevents me from doing anything else is that both AKAIO and GBA Exploader see my Ez-flash iv lite deluxe as a EZ 3-in-1 for some reason. GBA Exploader actually says that I am using a 3-in-1, and AKAIO has no problems treating it like one. GBA Exploader doesn't let me do anything, though (a list of six unnamed files shows up that have 0.00MB filesize).

I guess I'm asking a couple things:

1. Can I link GBA + NDS games using the EZiv lite deluxe and Acekard 2i from the EZiv using the EZiv to flash the NOR and not AKAIO?
2. How can I stop my eziv lite deluxe from being treated as a 3in1 (so I can use it in GBA Exploader)

Loading a game into the nor from the ez-iv menu doesn't work for linking, so that's why I'm trying to use GBA Exploader to get it to work. I'd really prefer being able to use the EZiv to do it because that's where all of my gba games are stored.

Sorry if this isn't very clear.

 

[TheWingless]

I'm not exactly sure, but I don't remember if he had built in support for the iV deluxe or if it was still a separate homebrew.

 

[PettingZoo]

You might need to wait for a GBA Exploader update maybe?

 

[FAST6191]

Loading a game into the nor from the ez-iv menu doesn't work for linking, so that's why I'm trying to use GBA Exploader to get it to work. I'd really prefer being able to use the EZiv to do it because that's where all of my gba games are stored.

Do you mean just using the EZ4 to load it onto the NOR or do you mean using the EZ4 DS capabilities to try and run it: the EZ4 added abilities to flash said GBA games to the NOR* and then have them detected by the DS game if it was run from the EZ4 (you might be able to port a patch but let us not go there for a while) way way back. It has issues if you need savegames but for plain detection it works great.

Then it is either a matter of transferring the save or running it on the EZ4.

*for others reading this is all models except the EZ4 lite compact.

Quote of the relevant changelog:
2006-09-21
EZ4Client datecode 20060921 Version1.01 Click to download
Compatibility updated to 0568
Add Link with GBA game function ( works with EZ4,EZ4Lite,EZ4LiteDeluxe, EZ4LiteCompact not supported yet because GBA function removed)
operation step sample.
1. Write the GBA game which you wanna to link to minisD/microSD with EZ4Client (for exsample: 0140_-_Gyakuten_Saiban_(J).gba)
2. Write the NDS game which correspond the GBA game to miniSD/microSD with EZ4Client, option " Link with GBA game" must be checked. ( for exsample:0186 - Gyakuten Saiban - Yomigaeru Gyakuten (JP) (M2).zip)
3. Enter the GBA mode, format 256M/384M Norflash by press Start then A.
4. Enter the SD card in GBA mode, choose the GBA game which you want to link, press Select then A, wait the write procedure finish.
5. Restart DS in to NDS mode and excute the NDS game. if the link works, you can free choose any chapter at the beginning.
Point: 1. NDS game which need to link must check the "Link with GBA game" option. 2. the GBA game which need to link must be wroten on the first position of 256M/384M norflash.

 

[ricera10]

I wanted to avoid running both games from one side because I have my DS games on the Acekard and my GBA games on the EZ4, but it seems like putting both games I want to link on one card is the only option. Either through flashing with AKAIO or patching with the EZ4 Client's link with GBA game option.

I wanted to flash the GBA game to NOR from the ez4's menu and then run the DS game from the Acekard hoping that it would see the GBA game in the NOR. But I tried that and it doesn't seem to work.

I was trying to get GBAExploader to work because of the save issue that you mentioned with the EZ4's GBA+NDS linking, but I don't really play Pokemon, so it's not really a big issue for me. I was going to flash the GBA game to NOR through that program, load the sav file into SRAM, soft-reset, and then run the DS game; and I think that it would theoretically work for games that need to access the GBA game's sav file.

The problem with that is that even though GBA Exploader says that it has support for the EZ-Flash 4 lite deluxe, it detects it as a 3-in-1 and tries to treat it like one, but it causes the program to not function. I'm having the same problem as this person, because I ran the ChipId program and got the same result as doz592.