Feedback GBA Real-Hardware Save Editor?

[CatGamer615]

Aight. I'm looking for a save data editor for GBA that works with real hardware, in a similar manner to rtcread-ds. I know something like this has to be out there, but google is not showing me anything. Essentially, is it possible to put a GBA game in slot 2 of a ds, put a flashcart with a tool on it in slot 2, and save-edit a real copy of Pokemon Emerald? I know that there is a good chance no such thing exists, but can one of you diehard nerds help me out?

 

[Shadow#1]

Aight. I'm looking for a save data editor for GBA that works with real hardware, in a similar manner to rtcread-ds. I know something like this has to be out there, but google is not showing me anything. Essentially, is it possible to put a GBA game in slot 2 of a ds, put a flashcart with a tool on it in slot 2, and save-edit a real copy of Pokemon Emerald? I know that there is a good chance no such thing exists, but can one of you diehard nerds help me out?

U can't have 2 carts in the same slot at the same time

 

[rantex92]

Aight. I'm looking for a save data editor for GBA that works with real hardware, in a similar manner to rtcread-ds. I know something like this has to be out there, but google is not showing me anything. Essentially, is it possible to put a GBA game in slot 2 of a ds, put a flashcart with a tool on it in slot 2, and save-edit a real copy of Pokemon Emerald? I know that there is a good chance no such thing exists, but can one of you diehard nerds help me out?

i dont think that such a device exist BUT you could go another way you will need a hacked wii +gba gamecube cable and a homebrew called "gba dumper" (cant remember the exact name) first you dump your sav via the dumper then edit the sav via pkhex and then rewrite the sav back to the gba card

 

[StringIsNullOrEmpty]

First try googling led me to this: GBxCart RW
It's GB/GBA USB adapter, can dump/write both ROMs and saves. Probably not the only product out there but I didn't bother to look further.

 

[Kwyjor]

i dont think that such a device exist BUT you could go another way you will need a hacked wii +gba gamecube cable and a homebrew called "gba dumper" (cant remember the exact name) first you dump your sav via the dumper then edit the sav via pkhex and then rewrite the sav back to the gba card

It is vastly easier just to use a DS Lite to dump the save, which is what I think the OP was intending to refer to. A Gamecube with a Game Boy Player and the appropriate homebrew can also do the same.

Essentially, is it possible to put a GBA game in slot 2 of a ds, put a flashcart with a tool on it in slot 2, and save-edit a real copy of Pokemon Emerald?

The thing is, it's much easier to write an editor for a PC that works with dumped data than it is to write something that has to fit the limited control options of a DS.

 

[rantex92]

It is vastly easier just to use a DS Lite to dump the save, which is what I think the OP was intending to refer to. A Gamecube with a Game Boy Player and the appropriate homebrew can also do the same.

The thing is, it's much easier to write an editor for a PC that works with dumped data than it is to write something that has to fit the limited control options of a DS.

didnt know about the gba dumper tool for ndsi and yeah this looks much easier than the wii/gc route

 

[CatGamer615]

U can't have 2 carts in the same slot at the same time

Typo. I meant flashcart in slot 1, gba game in slot 2.

 

[CatGamer615]

i dont think that such a device exist BUT you could go another way you will need a hacked wii +gba gamecube cable and a homebrew called "gba dumper" (cant remember the exact name) first you dump your sav via the dumper then edit the sav via pkhex and then rewrite the sav back to the gba card

Thank you very much! That certainly makes me feel better

 

[FAST6191]

Such a thing could be programmed (read location, write location, check for valid range, write checksum that is literally otherwise done on a GBA is not hard coding) but I have not seen anything and would not hold my breath -- in many ways the pokemon community is one of the more active in such tasks and approaches.

If you did want a quicker workflow then you might be able to run a FTP server on your DS, have a PC/phone/whatever access the save via FTP, have the save editor work however it will (there are some online efforts that might be better for phones, whether you could get one of those working with a homebrew DS web browser I don't know but it is within reason -- if the brains are on the server then the rest is just a form which should fit with the DS limited web browsing options) and then flash that back.

 

[porkiewpyne]

Would it not be easier to dump the GBA .sav file using something like Rudolph's GBA Backup Tool, edit with PokeSav/PokeGen/PkHex/manually hex editing and then reinjecting it back with the same tool?

 

[Kwyjor]

In the interests of being thorough, I should also mention the Joey Jr USB cart dumper, but it would be much easier to get a DS Lite and an old DS flashcart. (savegame-manager would be my homebrew of choice.)

 

[patters]

Wouldn't a multiboot GBA program tolerate the cart being swapped? Or is the cart port disabled once you're in multiboot mode?

 

[Urbanshadow]

Closest I know of is using a Gamecube with a Gameboy Player, install GameBoy Interface standard edition with the extra stuff module and then run everything through swiss.
With a button combination on boot you should be able to get GBI to inject a GBA multiboot program capable of reading and writing the save files of commercial cartridges.
Sadly, its a real gba with real hardware in there so that means GB and GBC games cannot be dumped (as the GBA would run in GBC mode and skips the GBA bios and the Link netload hook alltogether).

I know that works because I have done it plenty of times to swap cartridge batteries and avoid losing the save file. Theoretically you could just send the GBI multiboot program to a GBA in multiboot mode by any means you know and it might work. Emphasis in might. Never tested.
EDIT: Nah, impossible. In a real GBA, the multiboot program wouldn´t have access to the SD the Gamecube has to store the save, even if it could read it.

 

[Kwyjor]

Closest I know of is using a Gamecube with a Gameboy Player, install GameBoy Interface standard edition with the extra stuff module and then run everything through swiss.
With a button combination on boot you should be able to get GBI to inject a GBA multiboot program capable of reading and writing the save files of commercial cartridges.
Sadly, its a real gba with real hardware in there so that means GB and GBC games cannot be dumped (as the GBA would run in GBC mode and skips the GBA bios and the Link netload hook alltogether).

I was under the impression that Game Boy Interface was already completely capable of directly dumping and restoring save data and that no multiboot program was necessary. And also that people have accordingly been using it with GB and GBC games.

 

[Urbanshadow]

I was under the impression that Game Boy Interface was already completely capable of directly dumping and restoring save data and that no multiboot program was necessary. And also that people have accordingly been using it with GB and GBC games.

If there is a programatic way to instruct GBI to dump GB and GBC, I don´t know how. The multiboot thing is just a visual interface to instruct GBI what to do. Care to share any link or documentation on that?

 

[Kwyjor]

The multiboot thing is just a visual interface to instruct GBI what to do.

Ah, I wasn't sure what you meant.

I thought this had come up before, but it seems that it is indeed not possible to dump GB/GBC games with the Game Boy Player. That's very disappointing.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Gamecube/comments/s2jbqk/can_the_gameboy_interface_rom_dumper_be_used_to/
https://www.gc-forever.com/wiki/ind...#Is_it_possible_to_dump_Game_Boy_Game_Paks.3F

Now I'm wondering if there's a cheap way to do that. (N64+Transfer Pak+other accessories does not seem especially cheap.)

ETA: Of course there have been many threads about this in the past. I had completely forgotten about https://github.com/FIX94/gameboy-audio-dumper .

... Except "Sender Method 3 Installation and Bootup" there plainly states that GBI can write GB save data, so what's the deal..?

 

[patters]

On further reflection, running a multiboot program from a flashcart and then swapping in a retail cart should be possible, because my old F2A flashcart's USB linker works by sending a multiboot program which then allows cart and save dumping to the software on the PC. So a multiboot program can indeed manipulate save data on a retail cart.

 

[Urbanshadow]

On further reflection, running a multiboot program from a flashcart and then swapping in a retail cart should be possible, because my old F2A flashcart's USB linker works by sending a multiboot program which then allows cart and save dumping to the software on the PC. So a multiboot program can indeed manipulate save data on a retail cart.

The trouble on multiboot is not accessing the data as that is proven by GBI but logistics. There is no mass storage on the GBA whatsoever and some bigger saves wont fit entirely in RAM so you have to get quite creative on how to store the data.

 

[Urbanshadow]

Now I'm wondering if there's a cheap way to do that. (N64+Transfer Pak+other accessories does not seem especially cheap.)

N64 has exactly the same problem as GBA which is storage of the data. I believe there was some N64 rom running around to use with ED64 which could dump GB and GBC saves with the transfer pak but dont quote me on that.

EDIT: Here it was http://micro-64.com/features/gbromdumping.shtml

 

[rantex92]

N64 has exactly the same problem as GBA which is storage of the data. I believe there was some N64 rom running around to use with ED64 which could dump GB and GBC saves with the transfer pak but dont quote me on that.

yes there multiple ones for orginal krikkz and ed64clones most of them based on the gb tool made by saturnus
https://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=2298.0

for x7 everdrives you would need a fork https://github.com/ragnaroktomorrow/gb64-x7