ROM Hack HOW TO: Pokesav to work for DS-X -Instructions ins

[KirbyPink]

1. Backup your Pokémon save file from your Ds-Xtreme
2. When done go to New game, it will give you instructions on how to delete your save file, so make sure you have a copy of it on the computer
3. Now DELETE it using the in game delete function
4. Reset DS-X so it can save EPRom data
5. Now DELETE the save from the DS-X and start Pokémon again
6. Now don´t do anything just let it show the first screen then shut off
7. Now use your save file and mess with it then put it back onto the cart

And yar done!

 

[Flam9]

I'll post this here so that it's easier to see
Guide for M3 users (I use M3mini):

-Save your game ingame.
-Close your DS.
-Reopen your DS and let the M3 auto-backup do it's thing.
-Once you hit the main menu, close the DS.
-Take your save file and do whatever.
-Put it back on your SD (or CF, I guess)
-Load and enjoy.

 

[glowworm]

and for supercard lite users?

 

[KirbyPink]

Hm, the DS-X method should work as well.
Just that you have to remove the save game from the game.

Like i mentioned. Copy the save from cart to PC remove ingame edit and put back.

 

[kazumi213]

1. Backup your Pokémon save file from your Ds-Xtreme
2. When done go to New game, it will give you instructions on how to delete your save file, so make sure you have a copy of it on the computer
3. Now DELETE it using the in game delete function
4. Reset DS-X so it can save EPRom data
5. Now DELETE the save from the DS-X and start Pokémon again
6. Now don´t do anything just let it show the first screen then shut off
7. Now use your save file and mess with it then put it back onto the cart

And yar done!

Please KirbyPink, could you confirm whether the .SAV file you backup in step 1 is the same .SAV created by YOUR DS-X when you start a new game, or are you using a .SAV created in a different card (R4, SC) then editing it?

I mean, could you follow the above steps to delete ALL the game data, but at step 6, start a new game, save in your DS-X, then backup that save (step 1). Finally repeat up to 7. No need to edit that fresh save, just try whether it works as if it was the edited one.

Because I also figured out this procedure by myself but for me when I start a D/P game in my DS-X (with no .SAV file on the DS-X and after doing that UP+SELECT+B thing), that first .SAV created by the DS-X is corrupted. I've only managed to make it work if I create that first save in no$gba. Then I can edit it on Pokesav and copy it to my DS-X (D/P data previously erased as you've said). From that point on, all works well. The .SAV is correctly updated in the DS-X when the EEPROM message appears and there are no corruption errors.

 

[KirbyPink]

Aight let me explain again

1. First save on the game and let it save the EEPROM DATA
2. Now that save file you copy to your computer
3. Now delete the save file in game and restart the DS
4. The DS-X Will make a new EEPROM DATA save
5. Now delete that save file with your computer
6. Start Pokémon and let it boot up, and soon as the 1997-2007 made by GameFreak comes up shut off your DS.
7. Now mess around with the save file from the FIRST one.
8. Add the save file that you messed with onto the cart and it should work. I know, it did for me.

And i´m using a DS-X

Now the messy part is that you need to convert the save file into a diffrent file format.
I made mine a Ez-flash IV then messed with the save file then converted it back to DS-X and it worked.

http://www.shunyweb.info/index.php
use this to convert it back and forth

 

[kazumi213]

Aight let me explain again

1. First save on the game and let it save the EEPROM DATA
2. Now that save file you copy to your computer
3. Now delete the save file in game and restart the DS
4. The DS-X Will make a new EEPROM DATA save
5. Now delete that save file with your computer
6. Start Pokémon and let it boot up, and soon as the 1997-2007 made by GameFreak comes up shut off your DS.
7. Now mess around with the save file from the FIRST one.
8. Add the save file that you messed with onto the cart and it should work. I know, it did for me.

And i´m using a DS-X

Now the messy part is that you need to convert the save file into a diffrent file format.
I made mine a Ez-flash IV then messed with the save file then converted it back to DS-X and it worked.

http://www.shunyweb.info/index.php
use this to convert it back and forth

Ok thank you, but I fully understood your first post. You missed my point. I'm asking for YOU to test the following, please:

1. Start a NEW GAME as if you never played Pokemon on your DS-X, i.e. do the UP+SELECT+B at Pokemon D/P titlescreen and be sure there is NO pokemon .SAV file on your DS-X before starting the new game. Play a bit and save in the game and let it save the EEPROM DATA.
2. Now that's the save file you copy to your computer
3. Now delete the save file in game and restart the DS
4. The DS-X Will make a new EEPROM DATA save
5. Now delete that new save file in DS-X with your computer
6. Start Pokémon and let it boot up, and soon as the 1997-2007 made by GameFreak comes up shut off your DS. (this step is unnecessary)
7. Add the save file that you copied to your computer in step 1 (without editing it, the same created by the DS-X, as if you were restoring a save backup) onto the cart and check if you get a corrution save error

In summary: Is the same that you do but without editing the save in Pokesav. Please check it and report if you get a corruption save error.

 

[Emerson]

I never need to delete my save off the cartridge to edit it with my DS-X, but I'm sure your way works as well.

What I do:

1) Load Pokemon, move stuff around (typically put something in the PC and take something out).
2) Remember the order of Pokemon in my party.
3) Save, restart, let eeprom save.
4) Copy .sav off the cartridge.
5) Convert to R4 with Shuny's website.
6) Open with Pokesav, make sure the data which shows up matches what I remembered. If so, continue, if not, start steps over.
7) Make edits, save as 256 KB .sav.
8) Place new .sav overtop of old one, replacing it.
9) Load game, all works.

I've found that as long as step 6 is done correctly, it always works this way. When the data doesn't match in step 6, it usually only takes one more try.

 

[kazumi213]

@Emerson

To avoid that annoyance in your Step 6 just make at least 2 consecutive saves in your Step 3 before restart. Try it.

 

[Emerson]

I'll try that later and see if that fixes it.

 

[WB3000]

I guess I just would like to clarify, but has this ever been successfully tried? Seems to be that it's impossible to do, corruption errors.

 

[Emerson]

I guess I just would like to clarify, but has this ever been successfully tried? Seems to be that it's impossible to do, corruption errors.

That's why I haven't tried the OP's way yet. I tried deleting and stuff at the beginning, and I had an irreversibly-corrupted save. With ~30 hours in now, I am not gonna risk that again.

I've never had corruption errors with my method though.

 

[kazumi213]

Ok, the DS-X never stops to annoy me. Now, I don't know why, I don't need to do the UP+SELECT+B thing for my edited save to be recognized. It seems now the EEPROM has "started" to being properly flushed (cleaned) when the EEPROM message appears and the .SAV file is written to the DS-X. This way when I replace the .SAV file in my DS-X with the edited one and load the ROM, the game reads from my edited save and not from the "non-edited" EEPROM contents.

I'm pretty sure this is not always true. At least for me and KirbyPink and other users for which his method worked. Sometimes the EEPROM is not completely flushed upon writting to the .SAV file. As it seems the DS-X is currently designed to read by default from EEPROM contents upon loading a ROM instead of reading directly from the existing .SAV file this is preventing the edited .SAV file to work because you edit the .SAV file contents, not the EEPROM contents.

I think this may also be the cause of those "my game progress reverted to an older save state" reports. I'm sure the .SAV file contains the "good" (latest) save data, but the EEPROM was not completely flushed, the remaining data pertaining to an older save. Because DS-X defaults to read from EEPROM contents, the progress loss appears. Then if you save your game again, you're going to lose your "good" data upon next restart when the EEPROM message appears.

Anyway, here's a workaround to allow you to play other ROMs on your DS-X without corrupting your POKEMON RANGER save:

1. Play and save normaly your progress (either via Save Machine or menu) I suggest doing at least 2 consecutive saves when using the Save Machine just to be sure the EEPROM contains the latest progress. Restart and wait for the EEPROM message to appear.
2. Backup the .SAV file in your computer and delete it from your DS-X.
3. Uncompress your .SAV file. This is the same as converting it to i.e. SuperCard CF format.
4. Copy that uncompressed .SAV file (256 kbytes) back to the DS-X.
5. Now you can play other ROMs. Next time you play Pokemon Ranger there won't be corruption message.

My theory on this is as follows. The corruption is not caused by playing other ROMs. Playing and saving on them has no effect on the Pokemon Ranger .SAV file. It remains untouched. And the Pokemon Ranger .SAV file is not corrupted by itself. The corruption is caused WHEN the DS-X UNCOMPRESS the save to read from it upon loading the Pokemon Ranger ROM.

For some reason the uncompressing routine fails when the compressed .SAV file has certain size. An compressed .SAV file for Pokemon Ranger has 46 kbytes initially (saved as soon as the game allows you to do so). it is not the size of the file the problem, because an uncompressed .SAV has 256 kbytes, way larger, and is not causing problems, but the size of the .SAV file WHEN COMPRESSED. Pokemon D/P has a 15 kbytes compressed .SAV file after capturing 30-40 pokemon and Mario Kart has a 24 kbytes compressed .SAV initially. Both work without problems (note they are less than 46 kbytes).

I don't know what's the exact size which causes the uncompressing routine to fail. A possible solution would be to just remove compressing feature from the DS-X and use use uncompressed saves.

There are many reports of saves becoming corrupted for other games and this being associated with them reaching a certain "big" size. My theory could explain this behavior and a possible workaround could be to just use uncompressed .SAV files.

EDIT:

@WB3000: Corruption message after replacing you .SAV file with the edited one is not caused by the editing process by itself (unless you're doing strange things with the editor). The cause is the save you are editing is corrupted in its original state.

I mean, I've found that when the .SAV file for Pokemon D/P is created for the first time on the DS-X (there was no .SAV file before) it is created in a corrupted state. That's the reason I asked KirbyPink to try to confirm this by following the procedure I adapted in post #7: to start a new game, save, backup that fresh save, erase all data, restore the save backup. If you get a corruption error, that would confirm the "first .SAV file created for Pokemon D/P is corrupted" problem I suggest.

I also think that loading a second time the Pokemon ROM and saving fixes the .SAV file when is overwritten after a restart. It is just the first .SAV file created which is corrupted, but it is also usually the one used by people to start editing. That's the problem and the cause of the corruption error.

Load the ROM a second time and save (always do a couple of consecutive saves) before editing and it should fix the corruption error.

 

[Outermon]

I never need to delete my save off the cartridge to edit it with my DS-X, but I'm sure your way works as well.

What I do:

1) Load Pokemon, move stuff around (typically put something in the PC and take something out).
2) Remember the order of Pokemon in my party.
3) Save, restart, let eeprom save.
4) Copy .sav off the cartridge.
5) Convert to R4 with Shuny's website.
6) Open with Pokesav, make sure the data which shows up matches what I remembered. If so, continue, if not, start steps over.
7) Make edits, save as 256 KB .sav.
8) Place new .sav overtop of old one, replacing it.
9) Load game, all works.

I've found that as long as step 6 is done correctly, it always works this way. When the data doesn't match in step 6, it usually only takes one more try.

Ok, I had this method working for a while. I did exactly as told and it worked, but now all of a sudden it wont. Why? Every time I get to step 6, the Pokemon don't match. I've tried the multiple saving. I've tried saving one. I've tried just about everything, but the party never matches. I'm no about my 20-something-th try now and its starting to really frustrate me.

 

[klideklown]

With the new firmware, theres a bug with the eeprom data saves which basically prevents you from switching game saves in this manner.. Been trying for days now with No luck.. damn eeprom..!

 

[buraisuko]

thanks for confirming that klideklown, I've been trying for hours now and wasn't sure whether it was something I did or just impossible.

gah, I really want this to work.

 

[klideklown]

Has anyone gotten Pokesav to work with DS-X Yet? The mentioned method still isn't working... At least for me

 

[klideklown]

As soon as I posed that last reply, I Finally get it to work!! >_> Seems fairly easy. Some Backround Info first -

First off, my Pearl data got saved.. Nuts.. Luckily I had a backup on my PC.. YAY! So.. I was like.. "Hmm.. how can i get this backup without my data getting lost.." So a crazy idea popped into my head.. Load another App so the Eeprom isnt' saving on Pearl.. So heres what I did.. :

1 ) Considering I didn't have a Sav on my DS.. I used my backup on my PC - I'd consider prepping for your Editing in game if you don't have a backup on your PC..
2 ) Save, resset, load DS-X Menu, let the eeprom save, Load another App and Reset
3 ) Use that website to convert yoru DS-X Save to R4 ( Thats what i used.. ) Edit your Save as you like, then convert it back to DS-X When finished
4 ) Switch it with your normal save on your DS
5 ) Load the Game And Viola

This worked for me... Hopefully, someone else out there can confirm this way works?

Edit - I don't know if this is a Pokesav problem or not - But for some reason, my Poketch isn't working .. Just looked down at my screen.. Got the Blue Pokeball screen.. =/