Hacking GBA to DS Pokemon transfer

[frederick123]

Hi, I have only got my DSTWO recently, so I am new to the scene, anyway, I would like to ask gor a help.

Is there a way to transfer pokemon from GBA pokemon games that save only in real time save (leaf green, emerald) to DS games? And if possible, how?

Thanks

 

[FireSeel]

In the DS pokemon games, when you beat the elite 4, you get to go to pal park, and if you have the GBA cart inserted, you can import 6 pokemon from your PC in the GBA game.

 

[frederick123]

yeah, I get that, maybe I should have specified

I am using DSTWO on 3DS XL, so I can not put GBA card in the first place. I am using NDS-GBA v1.21 plugin for DSTWO which saves GBA games only as real time saves, normal save from START menu does not work. So my question was if is it possible to get *.sav file from real time save and how to tranfer pokemons into DS saves with only DSTWO card.

but thank you for the reply

 

[Fyrus]

Oh wait...
Well, your only way is to use either Pokesav or Pokegen.
Also, have you tried using TempGBA to save?

 

[frederick123]

I do not think it is compatible with NDSGBA plugin, and as I have put few hours into the game, I would prefer to not to start over

As I have said at the beginning, I am new to the scene, so I do not really know what is and how Pokesav, Pokegen works, I will try to google it, but if anyone has any idea how to transfer in this specific situation, just let me know

I have read that something like this could be done by Desmume emulator, but I am not sure, if it works with the real time saves from NDSGBA plugin

 

[Aeter]

I do not think it is compatible with NDSGBA plugin, and as I have put few hours into the game, I would prefer to not to start over

As I have said at the beginning, I am new to the scene, so I do not really know what is and how Pokesav, Pokegen works, I will try to google it, but if anyone has any idea how to transfer in this specific situation, just let me know

I have read that something like this could be done by Desmume emulator, but I am not sure, if it works with the real time saves from NDSGBA plugin

TempGBA is compatible with NDSGBA sav files.
Just not with save states, but practically no emulator can use another emulators save states.
So if you just use your .SAV file from NDSGBA it will work with TempGBA, which is already a lot better in my opinion.

 

[frederick123]

I will check that, however every time I try to save via START menu, I get the message saying, there is a save already, if I want to rewrite it and then that I need to insert memory block 1 or something, so I can not save regularly, just with the save state

 

[Deleted member 319809]

It won't work with real-time saves.

Try this:

1. Load NDSGBA 1.21 with game_config.txt, then your Pokémon game, then your real-time save.
2. Save in-game.
3. Use the Exit function. This will create the .sav, which is a raw battery-backed save data file.
4. Using a computer, copy the GBA ROM to your DS ROM directory, named the same as the DS ROM you want to use Pal Park with, plus ".gba". For example, if you want to use it in Pokémon Diamond, and your DS ROM is Pokemon Diamond.nds, your GBA ROM should be an exact copy of your GBA Pokémon game, named "Pokemon Diamond.nds.gba". Yes, Diamond. That creates the link.
5. Using a computer, copy the .sav from [3]. Take it from /NDSGBA/GAMERTS and put it in your DS ROM directory. Name it the same as the DS ROM you want to use, plus ".gba.sav". For example, your GBA save would be called "Pokemon Diamond.nds.gba.sav".
6. When launching Pokémon Diamond from the DS_GAME plugin, first touch the Start menu, then go to System, GBA Extend, and make sure it's "Link", not "NULL". Then navigate to Pokémon Diamond and touch it or press A.

If you did everything right (and I had my instructions right!), Pokémon Diamond should respond to the virtual GBA slot being loaded with the correct GBA game, and allow you to use Pal Park.

 

[frederick123]

thank you, I will try and let you know, if it worked

 

[Dimensional]

I can verify myself that it works. I just followed those steps, and was using TempGBA earlier, and after I started my Pokemon Platinum game, the menu item to transfer from my Pokemon Emerald game showed up. That game was the one played from TempGBA.

 

[Deleted User]

I can verify myself that it works. I just followed those steps, and was using TempGBA earlier, and after I started my Pokemon Platinum game, the menu item to transfer from my Pokemon Emerald game showed up. That game was the one played from TempGBA.

Apologies if this thread shouldn't be revived after 3 months but I've scoured the net and this is the only instance where I've found evidence of this function working, that is using only a DStwo from slot 1 and using the gba linkage function with a GBA .sav from TempGBA/NDSGBA. I've tried many times and I can't get it to work (with LeafGreen and HeartGold). Any other pointers?

 

[Dimensional]

Apologies if this thread shouldn't be revived after 3 months but I've scoured the net and this is the only instance where I've found evidence of this function working, that is using only a DStwo from slot 1 and using the gba linkage function with a GBA .sav from TempGBA/NDSGBA. I've tried many times and I can't get it to work (with LeafGreen and HeartGold). Any other pointers?

Like it's mentioned, you take the gba game and it's save, and put it in the same folder as the DS game you want. You change the name of the GBA game to the DS game, complete with the DS file extension, so if you wanted to link Leaf Green to Heart Gold, and your HG game is HeartGold.nds, you'd change the file name of your GBA game to HeartGold.nds.gba, and your Leaf Green save file to HeartGold.nds.gba.sav.

Then before you start your Heart Gold game, just before you select which game to play, you go to the start menu on the game selection screen, select Settings, then GBA Extend, and you pick Link.

Then you start Heart Gold, and you should be able to transfer your pokemon from Leaf Green to Heart Gold. You need to have the GBA game and the GBA save renamed and put in the same folder as your DS game for the link to work. That's probably what you were forgetting.

 

[Deleted User]

Like it's mentioned, you take the gba game and it's save, and put it in the same folder as the DS game you want. You change the name of the GBA game to the DS game, complete with the DS file extension, so if you wanted to link Leaf Green to Heart Gold, and your HG game is HeartGold.nds, you'd change the file name of your GBA game to HeartGold.nds.gba, and your Leaf Green save file to HeartGold.nds.gba.sav.

Then before you start your Heart Gold game, just before you select which game to play, you go to the start menu on the game selection screen, select Settings, then GBA Extend, and you pick Link.

Then you start Heart Gold, and you should be able to transfer your pokemon from Leaf Green to Heart Gold. You need to have the GBA game and the GBA save renamed and put in the same folder as your DS game for the link to work. That's probably what you were forgetting.

Nope, I did this and still no migrate message. I have Heart Gold named as 'HG.NDS' (without quotation marks) in '/GAMES/HG/'. Also in that folder is 'HG.SAV' (DS sav file), 'HG.NDS.GBA' (Leaf Green, renamed) and 'HG.NDS.GBA.SAV' (Leaf Green sav file, renamed). I've tried selecting the Settings->Link option just before I select and load HG.NDS like you say but still no migrate message. Is it perhaps the CAPITALS in the extensions? Should I try putting the files on the root of my SD? I have options on HG.NDS as 'Multi-Save: 0', 'Cheat: Off', 'Mode: Patch'. I'm running firmware v1.23 and EOS v1.11 (2012.12.24). I'm also using a Mac to transfer files to my SD if that's relevant.

 

[bobmcjr]

I could never get this to work with the unlockable item in WarioWare touched from having WarioWare twisted. I always just assumed that the link function required an EZFlash 3-in-1 or something like that.

 

[user64]

I tested this with Advance Wars Dual Strike and Advance Wars (gba) and it wouldn't work.

 

[Dimensional]

Nope, I did this and still no migrate message. I have Heart Gold named as 'HG.NDS' (without quotation marks) in '/GAMES/HG/'. Also in that folder is 'HG.SAV' (DS sav file), 'HG.NDS.GBA' (Leaf Green, renamed) and 'HG.NDS.GBA.SAV' (Leaf Green sav file, renamed). I've tried selecting the Settings->Link option just before I select and load HG.NDS like you say but still no migrate message. Is it perhaps the CAPITALS in the extensions? Should I try putting the files on the root of my SD? I have options on HG.NDS as 'Multi-Save: 0', 'Cheat: Off', 'Mode: Patch'. I'm running firmware v1.23 and EOS v1.11 (2012.12.24). I'm also using a Mac to transfer files to my SD if that's relevant.

When you start Pokemon Heart Gold, do you load your save immediately, or do you scroll down on the main menu, past CONNECT TO POKeWalker and MYSTERY GIFT? I ask because I just tested with my Pokemon Fire Red game, and it's being picked up.

 

[Deleted User]

When you start Pokemon Heart Gold, do you load your save immediately, or do you scroll down on the main menu, past CONNECT TO POKeWalker and MYSTERY GIFT? I ask because I just tested with my Pokemon Fire Red game, and it's being picked up.

I always scroll down to check for the "migrate from..." message. I've done it on DeSmuME on my computer so I know how it should look. Seems so weird that it won't work...

 

[Dimensional]

I always scroll down to check for the "migrate from..." message. I've done it on DeSmuME on my computer so I know how it should look. Seems so weird that it won't work...

Yes, that is weird. Why would it not work for you? Have you tried reformatting your SD card, of course making sure you have everything backed up? Or possibly renaming HG files to something else?

 

[Deleted User]

Yes, that is weird. Why would it not work for you? Have you tried reformatting your SD card, of course making sure you have everything backed up? Or possibly renaming HG files to something else?

Well I've always used this to format my 8GB sd: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/. I tried renaming HG and the other files to HeartGold but nothing. Just to be sure, you're not using anything in slot 2 are you? I have a 3DS XL so I don't even have a slot 2, where the GBA is supposed to go technically.

 

[Dimensional]

Well I've always used this to format my 8GB sd: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/. I tried renaming HG and the other files to HeartGold but nothing. Just to be sure, you're not using anything in slot 2 are you? I have a 3DS XL so I don't even have a slot 2, where the GBA is supposed to go technically.

I decided to check and see something. Sadly, I figured out why. I have an EZ 3-in-1 in my slot two. With it in, I get linking. But when it's not in, I get no linkage. Nothing about migrating. So it appears the GBA link feature isn't a true link. It appears to copy the GBA game to the slot 2 and alter some of the code to the DS game to see the GBA game. So it's not a linking like we were assuming it to be.