Hacking Mother 3 on EZ Flash V Plus and EZ Flash V 3-in-1

[EX Hadouken]

Hi, I have an EZ Flash V Plus slot 1 card and an EZ Flash V 3-in-1 slot 2 pak. I've tried every conceivable method of patching and flashing the game onto the 3-in-1 but I can't get it to keep save files. Every time I restart the game after that first save frog, it says that the save file is corrupted and will be deleted. I've tried downloading different versions of the ROM, applying the save fix patch with Lunar IPS and with GBATA (both just SRAM patching and/or IPS patching with GBATA). I've used both the software made for the EZ Flash V Plus and also GBAExpLoader to write the ROM onto the slot 2 pak. When I use the IPS save fix patch, I get stuck on the Game Boy Advance start up screen and when I don't use that patch, the saves don't stay on the cart. I thought I read that the EZ Flash V was compatible with Mother 3 along with the EZ Flash V 3-in-1, but am I wrong about this? Am I doing something wrong when I'm flashing the game onto the 3-in-1? In GBAExpLoader I do it in NOS mode and all that. Someone please help!

 

[mrgone]

i have a r4 + ezf 3in1.
i used gbata for sram patching a clean rom and gbaexpLoader for flashing the patched rom.
it worked for me.

 

[EX Hadouken]

Is your EZ Flash 3-in-1 an EZ Flash V 3-in-1 or is it an earlier model? I'm wondering if my EZ Flash V 3-in-1 is defective since it's not keeping a save. I was also thinking about getting an R4 just in case it's the DS card that's screwing things up. Is the R4 Revolution DS the one you have? Would this one be any different from any other R4? Sorry if these questions are stupid. I don't know anything about this stuff...thanks for your help, though!

 

[mrgone]

i have an ezflash V 3in1 and an R4 revolution for DS which is NOT SDHC compatible

 

[Eternity`]

but I can't get it to keep save files. Every time I restart the game after that first save frog, it says that the save file is corrupted and will be deleted.

i had the same problem and fixed it, can you tell me how long you have your ez 3-in-1?

 

[unknownworlder]

Hi, I have an EZ Flash V Plus slot 1 card and an EZ Flash V 3-in-1 slot 2 pak. I've tried every conceivable method of patching and flashing the game onto the 3-in-1 but I can't get it to keep save files. Every time I restart the game after that first save frog, it says that the save file is corrupted and will be deleted. I've tried downloading different versions of the ROM, applying the save fix patch with Lunar IPS and with GBATA (both just SRAM patching and/or IPS patching with GBATA). I've used both the software made for the EZ Flash V Plus and also GBAExpLoader to write the ROM onto the slot 2 pak. When I use the IPS save fix patch, I get stuck on the Game Boy Advance start up screen and when I don't use that patch, the saves don't stay on the cart. I thought I read that the EZ Flash V was compatible with Mother 3 along with the EZ Flash V 3-in-1, but am I wrong about this? Am I doing something wrong when I'm flashing the game onto the 3-in-1? In GBAExpLoader I do it in NOS mode and all that. Someone please help!

All I have to say is, the battery is probably dead.

 

[reddwarffan]

Hi, I have an EZ Flash V Plus slot 1 card and an EZ Flash V 3-in-1 slot 2 pak. I've tried every conceivable method of patching and flashing the game onto the 3-in-1 but I can't get it to keep save files. Every time I restart the game after that first save frog, it says that the save file is corrupted and will be deleted. I've tried downloading different versions of the ROM, applying the save fix patch with Lunar IPS and with GBATA (both just SRAM patching and/or IPS patching with GBATA). I've used both the software made for the EZ Flash V Plus and also GBAExpLoader to write the ROM onto the slot 2 pak. When I use the IPS save fix patch, I get stuck on the Game Boy Advance start up screen and when I don't use that patch, the saves don't stay on the cart. I thought I read that the EZ Flash V was compatible with Mother 3 along with the EZ Flash V 3-in-1, but am I wrong about this? Am I doing something wrong when I'm flashing the game onto the 3-in-1? In GBAExpLoader I do it in NOS mode and all that. Someone please help!

All I have to say is, the battery is probably dead.

Is there any way to test to see if the battery is dead? I have the same setup as EX and I am having the same trouble as EX. I have only used the 3in1 tools from EZflash as my loader, I must admit. I want to make sure that the battery is really the problem before I go through the trouble and expense of trying to exchange the 3in1. I just got my cards in the mail a few days ago, so I would assume that they are new.

I'm seeing that my saves will sometimes stick. I had a good three days where I could progress and the saves work fine. It seems though that the saves will intermittently fail. I've tried to do a backup of the save from the 3in1, but the hotkey from the help file doesn't work (R+X just brings up the delete option) and the menu that pops up in the EZ Flash software from the slot 1 card only allows me to hit the [play] or [delete] keys. The [Bkup] and [Load] don't seem to do anything.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

open it up and use a volt meter

 

[cearp]

and the reading should be what?
or does any reading count?
e.g. would the reading decreases over the life span of the cart, or does it go straight to 0, i'm not sure how these things work.

 

[reddwarffan]

I'm a bit concerned about opening it up in case I need to send it back.

I tried a few additional software approaches. I'm using Kernel 1.9.

With the 3in1Tools from the EZFlash site I tried sending the rom (unpatched-I'm pretty sure the software patches it) to the SD card in the EEPROM_TYPE, the SRAM_TYPE, and originally I had used the FLASH_TYPE. I sent all with the 512K size. The FLASH_TYPE seemed to let the saves hold for a while, but I don't know if that is a coincidence. Does anyone know how these settings affect anything? I haven't found any sites explaining the software.

I tried the GBAExpLoader with a rom I freshly patched with GBATA without changing any of the default settings. The save files didn't hold.

I'm about 90% sure I have a card from the new batch, so I am thinking that I am doing something wrong with software. I'm hoping the battery isn't dead at such a early time. I also think that since the saves did hold for a while, that could potentially say that the battery is ok.

Is there anything stand-out that I am doing wrong with software? If not, then I think I'll move on to testing the battery.

I appreciate the help.

 

[reddwarffan]

I decided to go ahead and open the card. I took the voltage reading off of the two solder beads near the battery. It read as 3.28V. I would assume that since the battery is marked 3.3V, that I would be ok. Please let me know if this isn't correct.

Another question I thought about is about the order I used the loaders. I was originally using the 3in1 tools loader, then I used the GBA EXPLOADER. I read in another forum not to use them at the same time. Are there some files that the 3in1 loader puts on that need to be removed before using the GBA Exploader?

Some more information. The file loaded with GBA Exploader never held a save. I placed one of the converted battery saves from the GBAtemp.net Mother 3 battery saves into the GBA_SAVE folder that the GBA Exploader asked me to create. The Exploader didn't see the save in the file. When I navigated to the GBA_SAVE folder, there was nothing in it when viewing with the exploader. Did I need to put anything in particular into the GBA_SIGN folder to make things work?

Thanks again for the help. Sorry to leave such long posts, but I hope they will prove useful in the future to others.

 

[reddwarffan]

One more piece of information. I'm using a EZ Flash Vi and a EZ Flash 3in1+.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

if it says below 3V you will need to relace it. If it says anything above 3V your battery is still good to use since it is rated at 3V and not the 3.7 like the lithium ion batteries.

That just means your issue is something else other than the battery.

 

[reddwarffan]

I saw this in another post (I didn't have any luck with it) and I thought that I might ask to get a bit more indepth information.

What I found:
---------------------------------------
start with a clean rom then

1. isp patch the game (so you can read english)
2. SRAM patch it (game uses flash save type)
3. Trim the rom (this depends on where you got it)
4. Load it to NOR
---------------------------------------

Here is what I did (EZFLASH Vi and 3in1pls):

0. Got a clean Japanese rom.
1. Used the patcher from the mother3 translation team's site. Named the rom "Mother3.gba"
2. Opened the patched english rom with GBATA (The newest version as of the post date) and clicked on the SRAM Patch Tab. I hit the "patch it" button and then it outputted "output-Mother3.gba". I renamed it to "Mother3test.gba". I checked on the header tab which said that the header was still "OK".
3. Skipped this step.
4. I moved the .gba to the root of my microsd and a "Mother3test.sav" from a save file I found online into the GBA_SAVE folder. I used GBA_Exploader 0.58b. I unzipped the .nds and .ini files into the root of my microsd. I altered the .ini file to uncomment out the "No_Multisave" because I read somewhere that this might help. I created the "GBA_SAVE" and the "GBA_SIGN' folders. I then turned on the DS, waited for the EZFlash kernel 1.9 to load, loaded the gba_exploader.nds, and let it load up. There was a message saying "May I set this Slot 2 expansion pack for GBA Exploader?". I get this message every time I run the gba exploader. I then switched to NOR mode. I highlighted "Mother3test.gba" and hit (a). There was a message about "SRAM Save Data not found. Can't process to save file (a) Confirm". I click (a) and then a menu pops up and shows the "Load SRAM from SAV file" menu. I see the first column, above the that says "SAV 2009-03-26 06:13:26". I click (a) and then the game is copied to the cart. If I run the game from the gba_Exploder when it is finished, it freezes at the "GAMEBOY" screen. If I turn off the ds and start the slot 2 from the main menu, the game loads and plays. I don't get a continue option. If I play to the first frog, save, then reset, then no save is kept. A "Mother3test.sgn" file is made in the GBA_SIGN folder.

Does anyone see anything stand out about what I may have done wrong or what if any of these messages tell me?

Thanks.