ROM Hack How Do I Extracting Graphics & Music From Roms?

[mad_hatter_md01]

Well, I hope you guys can help me with this part of my search.

For days now ive gone through software from Dsbuff to Dedit all in the name of trying to figure out how to view files, in a viewable format on the pc, from files taken from a .nds rom. The files range from .ipf, .aar, .bin, .atm, .dig, .mdf, .aft, .dtx, .vx, .crf, to .sdat . I know the .dtx are the koma files and can be opened in a textures viewer like Dedit, but i couldnt get it to work.

All im trying to do is extract some graphics/sprites/music from some of my favorite games to use for personal use. These games include Jump Super Stars, Jump Ultimate Stars, and both Bleach DS games.

If any of you out there can help me I would be so ablidged.

 

[Deleted User]

The way the data is packed is game specific. Nintendo provides the develloper with basic file formats suiting a lot of their needs, but some dev studio ignores them (notably square), and even if a dev studio follow it, it will not put blindly files in this format. In general they use an internal archive file format. Because they can use up to 2000 textures for displaying special effects for example, and making a very large number of files would be unefficient.
So to reverse the data you have 1) to understand the way the data is packed in the files of the game 2) to understand how the nintendo ds displays data. If you have found what is obviously a graphic file, then there's great chance it's not encoded in jpeg but in a packed format corresponding to a graphic mode of the ds.

 

[mad_hatter_md01]

I understand completely what youre saying, but is there still a way i can grab atleast graphics off of a .nds file?

 

[Twiffles]

I'll as a someone I know that ripped the sprites of an entire game within 2 hours. I'll edit back if I get an answer from him.

 

[FAST6191]

Spriting is often done with emulators.

JUS: A guy named Keshire did a lot of work on it a couple of weeks back (even made a hex workshop file format as I recall). I am afraid you will have to look him up and search the threads he made or go back a few pages in this section as I have no link in my history.

JSS: Standard uncompressed GBA formats as I recall, several sprite sheets also appeared. Any GBA capable tile editor should do the deed although you may have to append the palette which was kept seperate (most older tile editors are for GBA style roms that you can not break down as easily as DS stuff).

Bleach: sorry, I have not hacked this game but I seem to recall it ran OK in desmume.

 

[94dan]

I've always wanted the sprites from HMS, but it's impossible to find them on google, as the game is about finding the Harvest Sprites.

 

[mad_hatter_md01]

Well the graphics i want from the game arent the sprites, but thanks for the information, though it seems about confusing to me. What Im trying to get from JSS and JUS stars are the Koma graphics.

 

[xJonny]

Using NDS Header Tool, you can extract files inside ROMS

 

[Zaraf]

Using NDS Header Tool, you can extract files inside ROMS

Which doesn't help us cause all of the files are compressed in some weird format.

Well, there is a guy working on a program to do this sort of stuff. The program is called Taxahan. You can find the latest updates and stuff here:

http://tahaxan.arcnor.com/

 

[Solariz]

I've always wanted the sprites from HMS, but it's impossible to find them on google, as the game is about finding the Harvest Sprites.

http://www.fogu.com/hmforum/viewtopic.php?t=49036 not really the sprites, but thats the best i know

 

[FAST6191]

My reply was not specifically about spriting and keshires work also had some koma stuff (it pertained to the graphics packing formats of JUS).

Not to disparage Tahaxan at all but it is just a well tailored/customisable set of conventional rom hacking tools, nothing that can not be accomplished with a hex editor and tile viewer (bar some of the 3d and sound stuff which needs external tools (or an extreme amount of patience)).

To add to xJonny
NDS header tool (site is down but it should be able to be dug up)
NDSTS: http://www.gbadat.altervista.org/tools.htm
Ndstool: darkfaders site has it as does a whole heap of others. See the link in my signature (DS rom ripping and enhancements) for more.
It is command line only but frontends exist in DSbuff and DSlazy
I forget the name but treeki also made an extractor/rebuilder a few weeks back and it was posted here).
Crystaltile2 also has DS file system capabilities.

And of course you could get on with a hex editor: http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm (do a page search for nitrorom file system)

Music: I made a thread called DS sound files reverse engineered several months ago which should be as good as any.
http://kiwi.ds.googlepages.com/sdat.html is also of interest.

 

[mad_hatter_md01]

Thanks for the link to Tahaxan, I download it and its a nice programs but theres an issue im talking to the programmer about. Ill let everyone know how it goes.

 

[mad_hatter_md01]

OK, I got Tahaxan to work allowing me to rip some of the graphics, but only certain ones, from Jump Super Stars. Im still not able to find a way to properly read the .dtx files. As for Jump Ultimate Stars, its encoded all in other file types so I cant get into that one. If anyones got any idea on how to read the .dtx files, let me know.

Ill post up a zip later of all the stuff i got off the game.

 

[FAST6191]

Keshire made some stuff to allow you to work with aar:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=60809

Dtx should just be standard although it is most likely LZ compressed if you can not view it.
LZ compression tool:
http://gbadev.org/tools.php?showinfo=56

 

[EmeraldEx]

If it helps any of you...

...www.spriters-resource.com

 

[mad_hatter_md01]

First off, thanks Emerald, the stuff on that site helped somewhat, but still lacked alot of what I need. As for FAST6191, thanks for the programs but I have no understanding of programing or what is being said in that thread. I dled that first program and everytime i open it it closes on me? Any way to fix that? If so, would you be willing to help me with a step by step on how to go through the process of getting into the file and using a hex editor since it seems i will need one?

 

[FAST6191]

Sorry for the delay.
When you say first program do you mean the lzsstool, if so it is a command line program meaning you will need to run it from a command prompt.

I am out of the country right now so I can not really offer one to one help but I released a half finished document a while back that may be of some help:
http://www.4shared.com/file/3636881/1f5f088d/rom101.html
The link entitled DS rom rips and enhancements in my signature details file extraction.

A hex editor is a glorified word processor and then main you will initially use it for is chopping up files (which is accomplished in the exact same way a word processor).
Later you can use it to trace stuff: it is complex and time consuming to calculate things so files have locations of stuff they need in them, you can abuse this to find files and text.

Reading some of the various posts around this section and http://www.romhacking.net/ should get you up to speed in no time.