This thread is outdated
A lot of information in this thread is heavilly out of date.
If you have time, and have Staff permission, feel free to edit this thread and remove this statement once necessary.

Some information that needs to be addressed:

• SX OS and Atmosphere now supports proper LayeredFS, instructions for using it has changed since this tutorial was made
• Supported Firmware information is out of date
• LFSKit needs to be updated to properly support non 5.x.x firmware
• Compatability chart needs to be re-made

-PRAGMA

WARNING

• DO NOT GO ONLINE WHEN DOING THIS (YOU WILL BE BANNED)

How to use LayeredFS for Backup Loading

Firmware Supported: ONLY 5.x.x
Use the PRAGMA LFS Kit below.

PRAGMA's LFS Kit

DOWNLOAD
SOURCE

• Go from NOTHING in your SD Card to playing a game backup in a few clicks!
• Decrypt .XCI -> romfs/exefs folder with main.nmpd auto edited aswell as folder's name auto renamed to donor titleid
• Download NOTHING except LFSKit!

ENJOY!

Picking a Donor Title and getting Donor TitleIDRunning Game Backups!

1. 
   
   1. A donor title is the application we will run to open the backup.
      Pick a game you don't care about (Download a Demo or a free game from eShop, for example Octopath Demo)
      saves are something no one knows much about, we don't fully know where or how they are stored.
      They might overwrite the donor titles save, so seriously pick a game you DONT care about, not a game you rarely play.
      
      
   2. I also recommend picking a donor title/game combo that has been tested and reported working just so you know if YOU did something wrong or not.
   3. Find the TitleID of the donor title you chose from http://nswdb.com or http://switchbrew.org/index.php?title=Title_list/Games
      Region must be the same, choose the TitleID for the base-game NOT for the update title, even if your updated.
2. 
   
   1. Once again, boot into Hekate-IPL (Step 1).
   2. Enter "Launch firmware" and select "RomFS".
   3. Your now in your system's home menu.
   4. Open the Donor Title you set the TitleID of on that folder and .npmd file earlier.
   5. The game will load up flawlessly.
      If you opened the Title lets say, Fortnite, and Fortnite booted, the titleid of the folder in sd:/atmosphere/titles/{fortnitetitleid} doesnt exist, or doesnt start with 0100.
      If it gives you an error screen, either you didnt edit the main.npmd properly, or its an incompatible title/donor combo.
   To see which games work and which dont using which donor titles, look below.
   If you notice that you used a combination of Game and Donor title that isnt in the list below, post in the thread and I will add it. (look under to see what I need to add to chart).
   

Troubleshooting

• Black Screen/Infinitely Loading
  Leave it for around 5 minutes then press the home button and go back into the game without closing it. Often this can do the job.
• Freeze when Loading
  Close the game and try again, its a common occurence, you may have to try up to 4-5 times before getting it to work, sometimes you may even have to reboot between retries.

 

[Zumoly]

Now that's interesting! I haven't faced any issues whatsoever once I confirmed two games were compatible!
Also although the donor would say for example 4mb max save, if you happen to layer two games onto it, the folder will take up to double 8mb (saves of the two layered games). Looking at checkpoint folder confirms that nothing gets deleted even when starting a new layered game onto an already used donor title.

I feel like there are currently many SAVE-related problems to overcome.
E.g. Crash Bandicoot over Stern Pinball or Fortnite only starts the first time successfully.
The following game-starts are giving me the same errors that usually occur when games and donors are not compatible in the first place
(not to be confused with the completely system stopping errors we had in previous fs_mitm versions).

[Does anybody have a clue why that is?
I also would be very happy to learn how and why donor-save-size affects compatibility.]

EDIT: I resolved this issue by setting my exefs-Folder to read-only access after unpacking it from the nca and changing the main.npdm-file via hex editor (as in "the prep before I ever started the game for the first time").
No errors more since then. Am going to try this fix for any other case of this nature that I will encounter from now on and will keep you posted.
It does makes sense, since the only files the game is supposed to change during its runtime *exhale* ARE the user-/save-files.
I cannot fathom why the game would change the content of the exefs-Folder in any way



Nooo, we lost another one.

----------------------

I know the answer is probably simple as all hell, but it just gives me a romfs.bin when I do this, and not an exefs with it

It is your hactool (the new one you compiled). Revert to version 1.1 and it'll work out.

 

[PeterGemp]

Now that's interesting! I haven't faced any issues whatsoever once I confirmed two games were compatible!
Also although the donor would say for example 4mb max save, if you happen to layer two games onto it, the folder will take up to double 8mb (saves of the two layered games). Looking at checkpoint folder confirms that nothing gets deleted even when starting a new layered game onto an already used donor title.

Just to clear things up: I don't think that the second part, my proposed fix in bold has anything to do with savegames per se.
It just remedied the illustrated problem of not being able to start previously feasible game-donor-pairings.

 

[Zumoly]

It just remedied the illustrated problem of not being able to start previously feasible game-donor-pairings.

Actually not faced this before. But then again I'm still using the old sdfiles as the new ones tend to be trial and error.

Also fun fact: Some new games can be started/exited without crash (mario tennis, crash)

 

[PeterGemp]

Actually not faced this before. But then again I'm still using the old sdfiles as the new ones tend to be trial and error.

Also fun fact: Some new games can be started/exited without crash (mario tennis, crash)

And of the few eshop game that I was able to get my hands on, almost all were very, very easy to find working donors for.
Almost as if they were missing particular checks something like that. What I am meaning to say is that it seems as if you don't need particular donors for the eshop titles.
(Be it as it may, the dumps are hard as balls to come by due to the personalized encryptions and the few individuals who actually bought the titles and are willing/being able to go through the process of getting their seeds etc to get redistributable results.)

 

[Zumoly]

And of the few eshop game that I was able to get my hands on, almost all were very, very easy to find working donors for.
Almost as if they were missing particular checks something like that. What I am meaning to say is that it seems as if you don't need particular donors for the eshop titles.
(Be it as it may, the dumps are hard as balls to come by due to the personalized encryptions and the few individuals who actually bought the titles and are willing/being able to go through the process of getting their seeds etc to get redistributable results.)

Yeah never faced any issues with them either. I'm sure though people will be sharing once the proper tool becomes available.

 

[ade214]

This is probably a really dumb question, but if I run PRAGMA's tool to decrypt the xci, if it errors out on the switch and I want to try another donor, I just have to update the main.npdm file to a new donor right?

 

[HoTsHoTz79]

Did not work

I tested both versions of Xenoblade 2, BBB (NA) and HR (JP) and they both work with Project Octopath demo (title id 010096000B3EA000)
i'm using TomGer's SDFiles V4.1 and i'm on 5.1.0

This is probably a really dumb question, but if I run PRAGMA's tool to decrypt the xci, if it errors out on the switch and I want to try another donor, I just have to update the main.npdm file to a new donor right?

Correct, the main big file is the RomFS.bin .. that stays the same across all donors... just the .npdm file needs to be patched/updated with new donor title id... and then rename the folder as well (/atmosphere/titles/<title id>)
I use this to patch .npdm file http://carlus.altervista.org/nx/title_id_patcher.html

 

[ade214]

Correct, the main big file is the RomFS.bin .. that stays the same across all donors... just the .npdm file needs to be patched/updated with new donor title id... and then rename the folder as well (/atmosphere/titles/<title id>)

Cool, thank you! I probably should've read up on more before I wasted a few hours re-running the tool and re-transferring it to the sd card....

Edit: Second dumb question: Can games on cartridge be used as a donor? If so, does the cartridge need to be in the switch?

 

[Leozairus]

The contribute link doesn't work, and I can't login to contribute on the list itself, but DOOM works 1/5 launches with Thimbleweed Park but eventually errors out. It seems to be purely luck based. It will either error out right after loading the main menu or work for a few minutes depending on how many times tried.

Edit (forgot to include):
Firmware 5.1.0
Hekate-LayeredFS v4 & 4.1*

*Tested with both, have not tested anything earlier than v4

Really work like, pass from part that say "Saving/creating profile" ?

Cool, thank you! I probably should've read up on more before I wasted a few hours re-running the tool and re-transferring it to the sd card....

Edit: Second dumb question: Can games on cartridge be used as a donor? If so, does the cartridge need to be in the switch?

yes and yes

 

[swabbo]

And of the few eshop game that I was able to get my hands on, almost all were very, very easy to find working donors for.
Almost as if they were missing particular checks something like that. What I am meaning to say is that it seems as if you don't need particular donors for the eshop titles.
(Be it as it may, the dumps are hard as balls to come by due to the personalized encryptions and the few individuals who actually bought the titles and are willing/being able to go through the process of getting their seeds etc to get redistributable results.)

Have you found a version of Yooka-Laylee that's been decrypted at all? I found an nsp version and extracted the nsa from it but that's as far as I can get

 

[PeterGemp]

This is probably a really dumb question, but if I run PRAGMA's tool to decrypt the xci, if it errors out on the switch and I want to try another donor, I just have to update the main.npdm file to a new donor right?

That and the foldername accordingly to the donor-titleid, that is correct.

Have you found a version of Yooka-Laylee that's been decrypted at all? I found an nsp version and extracted the nsa from it but that's as far as I can get

After you extracted the nca from the nsp, you need to create a decrypted nca from the current one, called plaintext:
hactool.exe -k keys.dat --titlekey=00000...(should be in the NFO) --plaintext=NewDecryptedNSP.nca "OldEncryptedNCAfromNSP.nca"

From there on you just continue like with the NCAs from xciexplorer and so on.

 

[swabbo]

That and the foldername accordingly to the donor-titleid, that is correct.



After you extracted the nca from the nsp, you need to create a decrypted nca from the current one, called plaintext:
hactool.exe -k keys.dat --titlekey=00000...(should be in the NFO) --plaintext=NewDecryptedNSP.nca "OldEncryptedNCAfromNSP.nca"

From there on you just continue like with the NCAs from xciexplorer and so on.

I assume the titlekey comes from whoever dumped the game? I didn't get an nfo with the Yooka-Laylee I downloaded :S

 

[Jimmay123]

i keep having trouble with skyrim used various tools from xci to layeredfs but every time i run the donor game i get an error
tried with pinball fx3 and octopath demo errors with both and they usually either say "the software closed because an error occured" or i get an error message 2162-0002 can someone help?

i also have fortnite as a donor for mario and rabbids and its fine using the same method

 

[Lunsce]

I tested both versions of Xenoblade 2, BBB (NA) and HR (JP) and they both work with Project Octopath demo (title id 010096000B3EA000)
i'm using TomGer's SDFiles V4.1 and i'm on 5.1.0



Correct, the main big file is the RomFS.bin .. that stays the same across all donors... just the .npdm file needs to be patched/updated with new donor title id... and then rename the folder as well (/atmosphere/titles/<title id>)
I use this to patch .npdm file http://carlus.altervista.org/nx/title_id_patcher.html

Is Octopath Traveler - Prolgue Demo Version the same as Project Octopath demo? The only one that I can find on the eshop is the first one

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Someone has the tittle ID for Pinball FX3? Is not on SwitchBrew

 

[szczuru]

Someone has the tittle ID for Pinball FX3? Is not on SwitchBrew

It's on 1st page, 1st post of this topic xD

Pinball FX3 0100DB7003828000

 

[Nightopian]

I extracted several games till now without any problem, but today, I tried Happy Birthday without success in anyway: LFSKit or XCIextraction with the .bat file.
LFSKit crashed, and the .bat file wont do anything with the extracted nca.
Please help.

 

[Greg0]

Extract the exefs-content from the .xci again, change the main.npmd with hex to your donor titleid (in your case fallout shelter's id) and set the complete exefs-folder and its content to read-only.
(Yes, overwrite your old exefs-folder of bayonetta2 on the sd-card (atmosphere/titles/FalloutShelterTitleIDFolder) with these files).
Weirdly enough, I had to do this with multiple games because layeredfs somehow changed my files during the first initial gamestart with the fitting donor (worked fine), only further starts at a later point in time causing the same error that you have.

If that does not help...well, Donkey Kong Country Tropicel Freeze seems to be that case with Fortnite. I had to find another donor. That was not the case before SDFiles v4.1.
As tomGER suggested, just use the old v4.0 if you can arrange with that. Otherwise, we are all SOL until SciresM works his magic.

Okay did everything and still doesn't work... I changed the donor as well. I'll try to go back to 4.0 Thank you for helping me tho !

 

[Zumoly]

Try playing Sonic Mania with headphones on! Brings back memories!
It's working and saving with super one jump demo.
Got Payday 2 to work with Robonauts demo

 

[HoTsHoTz79]

Is Octopath Traveler - Prolgue Demo Version the same as Project Octopath demo? The only one that I can find on the eshop is the first one

yea same .. "Octopath Traveler - Prolgue Demo" is what im using

 

[RDTG]

Really work like, pass from part that say "Saving/creating profile" ?

yes and yes

I've had it really work twice out of my say 30 attempts, and it only ran for a few minutes before erroring out. :\ So I'd list it as a 'Doesn't work'