Homebrew [NDS] Forwarder CIAs for your HOME Menu

[CeeDee]

When I generate forwarders using Forwarder-3DS (latest version) it just gives me the nds files.

 

[RocketRobz]

Could it possible be that the games are getting stuck on the ds splash screen? Sorry if I'm bothering you, I just really want this fixed.

That's not possible. The card in Slot-1 always runs after the splash screen.
Try installing NTR Launcher, set RESETSLOT1 to 1 in the ntr_launcher.ini file, and run NTR Launcher.

Good news! I have an error message. I used forwarder3-ds 2.0 and installed the cia I got off that.

Now I have an error message: FAT init failed!

What does this mean for me?

It's best not to use an older version of Forwarder3-DS.

 

[VincentBeasley]

@Robz8 So do you think newer NTR games will ever work for Acekard2(i)? Or is that just due to the nature of the card?

 

[RocketRobz]

@Robz8 So do you think newer NTR games will ever work for Acekard2(i)? Or is that just due to the nature of the card?

It's how YSMenu for AK2i works.

 

[VincentBeasley]

It's how YSMenu for AK2i works.

So another words I'll have to get another card =/

 

[Harx]

I finally got around to installing NTR Launcher. I only installed NTR launcher, and not ntr alt launcher, was that the right thing to do?
But the same thing happens, DS splash screen, and then whiteness.

 

[RocketRobz]

I finally got around to installing NTR Launcher. I only installed NTR launcher, and not ntr alt launcher, was that the right thing to do?
But the same thing happens, DS splash screen, and then whiteness.

Try a regular (NTR) DS card.

 

[Harx]

Tried 'The world ends with you' ds card. It works fine, loading both with ntr launcher and just by loading the card icon itself.

 

[RocketRobz]

Tried 'The world ends with you' ds card. It works fine, loading both with ntr launcher and just by loading the card icon itself.

What version is your DSTWO card? (Not the ROM selector, or anything that's on the microSD)

 

[Harx]

Where would I find that? I bought it 1-3 years ago. Cant really remember.

 

[RocketRobz]

Where would I find that? I bought it 1-3 years ago. Cant really remember.

Forgot that you can't check it.
Go here: http://eng.supercard.sc/manual/dstwo/download.htm
and look at "Q:How to upgrade DSTWO firmware?".

 

[Harx]

Ive downloaded the .dat file and put it on the root of the sd card, and booted up my dstwo card, however, nothing happened.

 

[RocketRobz]

Ive downloaded the .dat file and put it on the root of the sd card, and booted up my dstwo card, however, nothing happened.

Well then, I'm out of ideas.
Both NTR Launcher and the forwarders should've worked with your card.

 

[Harx]

Is there a way to forcibly update the firmware? aka try booting the dstwo card on an old ds? I have one of those somewhere.

 

[RocketRobz]

Is there a way to forcibly update the firmware? aka try booting the dstwo card on an old ds? I have one of those somewhere.

Pretty sure if it doesn't ask you to update, then it is up-to-date.

 

[Skimac2016]

Remember the old days of having forwarder channels on your Wii that boots games from your USB drive or SD Card?
Ever wanted a way of launching full DS games like digital titles in your 3DS HOME Menu? Well now you can!
In this turorial, you can make forwarder CIAs that boots NDS ROMs from an SD Card, or a DS-Mode flashcard.

NOTE: Currently, it's not possible to run commercial/retail ROMs from SD Card with forwarders, just homebrew and Download Play ROMs.

Requirements

3DS:
Decrypt9
A CFW that patches TWL_FIRM (Luma3DS)
A CIA installer (FBI, DevMenu, etc)
An SD Card (or microSD card for N3DS), or a DS-Mode flashcard (aka, Slot-1 to microSD card adapter), of course


Flashcard list

The recommended flashcard is DSTT.
If you want perfect game compatibility, get the SuperCard DSTWO. The downside is that it drains your system battery faster.

If you have a flashcard that works with @Apache Thunder's NTR Launcher, fell free to request it here.
Be sure to specify which build you're using (Normal or Alt), and if RESETSLOT1 is set to 0 or 1 in "sd:/nds/ntr_launcher.ini".


Compatible:
Acekard 2(i) (DSi-Enhanced games, including newer NTR games, don't work.)
Acekard RPG
DSTT
DSTT Advance
M3 DS Real
M3 DS Simply (uses <2GB microSD card)
R4 DS (Original Non-SDHC version, uses <2GB microSD card)
R4 SDHC Snoopy
R4 SDHC RTS LITE (Dual-Core should work) (2015 and 2016) (www.r4isdhc.com)
R4 SDHC Upgrade (www.r4i-sdhc.com)
R4i3D (www.r4i3d.com)
R4iDSN
R4i Gold
R4i Gold RTS (www.r4ids.cn)
R4i-SDHC (www.r4i-sdhc.com) (Normal and RTS versions)
SuperCard DSONE
SuperCard DSTWO (Normal and Plus versions)

Untested:
R4iTT (www.r4itt.net)
R4i3D NEW (Use R4iDSN template and pack)

Partially compatible:
Ace 3DS+(Game compatibility is bad, so saving/loading save file results in crashing.)
Gateway Blue Card (Game compatibility is bad, so saving/loading save file results in crashing.)
EX4DS (Game compatibility is bad, so saving/loading save file results in crashing.)
R4iLS (Game compatibility is bad, so saving/loading save file results in crashing.)
Cards with www.r4isdhc.com.cn (Game compatibility is bad, so saving/loading save file results in crashing.)

Incompatible:
CycloDS (i)Evolution (Can autoboot ROMs, but it works differently than other flashcards.)
(i)Edge (Unable to autoboot a .nds ROM)
R4 Gold Pro (www.r4i-gold.com) (YSMenu (not the forwarder process) bricks the card)
R4i3D (2012)
R4 Infinity Dual Core
R4 SDHC
R4 SDHC Dual-Core <2014 (www.r4isdhc.com) (YSMenu (not the forwarder process) bricks the card)


Windows/Linux/Mac:
Latest Java version
(optional) TIDs from DS Cart Whitelist - Contains all 3443 TIDs. Some of them are duplicates. It's how they appeared in the whitelist.


Download a pack for your card (forwarders won't run without it):
3DS SD Card
Original R4/M3 Simply
Acekard 2(i)/M3DS Real/R4i-SDHC 1.4.x
DSTT/R4i Gold/R4i-SDHC/R4 SDHC Dual-Core/R4 SDHC Upgrade/SC DSONE
Acekard RPG
R4iDSN/R4i Gold RTS
Ace 3DS+/Gateway Blue Card/R4iLS/R4iTT
SC DSTWO

and let's not forget:
Forwarder3-DS (Current version: v2.8.2)

also:
For hacks/translations of DSi-Enhanced games, find a fixed banner here. Also includes animated banners for DS standard games.

Source code for the templates:
https://github.com/Robz8/NTR_Forwarder/

Spoiler: Forwarder3-DS prior versions (not recommended)

v2.5
v2.2 (JAR, Windows x64)
v2.0
v1.9.6
v1.9.4
v1.9.2
v1.9
v1.8.8
v1.8.5
v1.8.2
v1.8.1
v1.6.8
v1.6.6
v1.6.2
v1.6
v1.5

What will be in each pack for loading ROMs:
Original R4/M3 Simply - WoodR4 & YSMenu
DSTT/R4i Gold/R4i-SDHC/R4 SDHC Dual-Core/R4 SDHC Upgrade/SC DSONE, Acekard 2(i)/M3DS Real/R4i-SDHC 1.4.x - YSMenu
Acekard RPG, Ace 3DS+/Gateway Blue Card/R4iLS/R4iTT, R4iDSN/R4i Gold RTS - WoodR4


For flashcard

• Extract what's in "for Slot-1 microSD" to the root of the flashcard microSD card, and (if folder exists) "for 3DS SD card" to the root of the 3DS SD card.

Part 1: Decrypt9

1. Launch Decrypt9 in HBL or as a Luma3DS payload.
2. Select "Gamecart Dumper Options".
3. Select "Dump Cart" (full or trim). This will dump any cart's ROM to your 3DS' SD card, whether it's NTR (DS), TWL (DSi), or CTR (3DS).
4. After dumping is finished, press B and insert and dump another cart.

Part 2: Forwarder3-DS

1. Select the card model you're using on the left.
2. Check "Games are on SD card" to set the path to where your ROM is at in the SD Card or flashcard.
3. If you only want the .CIAs generated, uncheck "Keep .NDS files".
   
4. Click the folder on the top-right, and find the ROMs on the SD Card or flashcard you are using, or drag and drop them into the window.
5. If you're playing a hack/translation of a DSi-Enhanced game that has it's banner/title edited, find the banner for the game below the Forwarder3-DS link, right click on the game, click "Import banner", and click on the banner to use.
6. Click on a game to do some edits.
7. Click the shuffle button
   
   if the TID is red. Clicking the shuffle button will randomly change the TID to one in the whitelist. Not doing so will not give you a .NDS/.CIA.
8. Be sure to make a list of TIDs you're using for your forwarders.
   
9. If using a homebrew ROM, clear and type in the game title.
   
10. Click the floppy drive button to generate the forwarder CIA!
11. Copy the CIA to your 3DS SD Card, or put it in SocketPunch for network installation.
12. Finally, install the CIA and launch it. If using EmuNAND, install it to both Sys & Emu NANDs.

You are now done!

After you extract the pack for your card, you can edit "sd:/nds/ntr_forwarder.ini" and change one of the settings. This isn't possible for Acekard RPG, R4 DS, and R4i Gold RTS.

• NTRCLOCK: If set to 0 or if A is held, the DSi boot screen will appear instead of the normal DS splash, and TWL clock speed is used, so lags begone.
• DISABLEANIMATION: If set to 1 or if B is held, the DS/DSi boot screen is skipped.
• HEALTHSAFETYMSG: If set to 1, the boot screen's H&S message will appear on the bottom screen. If set to 0, the bottom screen stays white with no H&S message.

Here's a video tutorial and a forwarder in action!


Credits:
@Olmectron, for making Forwarder3-DS.
Me, for creating the Auto-Boot ROM Path setter for DSTT/R4i Gold/R4i-SDHC/R4 SDHC Dual-Core/R4 SDHC Upgrade/SC DSONE, Acekard 2(i)/R4iTT, and DSTWO.
@ahezard, for making the R4/M3, Acekard RPG, R4iDSN/R4i Gold RTS forwarder templates, and nds-bootstrap.
@Apache Thunder, for recreating the DS/DSi boot screen.
@MasterCheese, for helping me getting the Ace3DS Plus, Gateway Blue Card, and cards with www.r4isdhc.com.cn to work.


FAQs:

Q (Linux users): Why is Forwarder3-DS not starting?
A: Install JavaFX.

Q: I'm not getting a CIA, just a .nds file. Why?
A1: Make sure your ROM's .nds filename is short, and/or create Forwarder3-DS folder in your hard drive (or flash drive) root, and run the .jar file there.
A2 (Linux and MacOS users): Execute chmod +x make_cia in the terminal on the .jar file's directory, so that make_cia gets the needed rights to be executed.

Q: How do I update the forwarder templates?
A: The app will automatically update the templates if it's set, or you can click the button next to the Forwarder3-DS title, and click "Update templates".

Q: How do I get rid of lag on games?
A: Hold A before the DS boot screen appears, or open "sd:/nds/ntr_forwarder.ini" and set
NTRCLOCK to 0 to use TWL clock speed.

Q: When will we be able to load retail ROMs from the 3DS SD Card?
A: My guess is before Nintendo Switch is released. @ahezard is working on running retail ROMs from SD. If he gets it working, I'll be sure to improve the "3DS SD Card" forwarder template.

Q: Why aren't some of my forwarders appearing?
A: You went over the 40 DSiWare game limit. Copy any DSiWare/forwarder you don't use, to your SD Card, and delete it from System Memory.

Q: Will the game I'm playing show up in Activity Log?
A: Yes it will!

Q: What games are DSi Enhanced (have animated banners)?
A: Look here.

Q: Will this load DSi enhanced games in DSi mode, including DSi exclusive games?
A: Nope, but maybe someday, when we're able to run commercial/retail ROMs from the 3DS SD Card.

Q: Why is the banner/title blank?
A: Follow step 5 of the Forwarder3-DS section.

Q: How do I use cheat codes?
A: Use this program.


FAQs - R4 DS/M3 DS Simply, R4iDSN/Acekard RPG/R4i Gold RTS:

Q: Why are some of my games getting white screens?
A: The forwarders are based on an outdated version of Wood, which had it's source code found. The version used has bad compatibility with some games. Open _wfwd/wfwd.ini, and set useLatestWood to 1.


FAQs - DSTT/R4i Gold/R4i-SDHC/R4 SDHC Dual-Core/R4 SDHC Upgrade/SC DSONE, M3DS Real:

Q: Why does my game freeze sometimes?
A: The game has Anti-Piracy checks. YSMenu is supposed to fix that, but won't for some reason.

Q: Launching the CIA just takes me to the ROM selection menu. How do I fix that?
A: Delete or rename any existing YSMenu.ini file in the YSMenu and root folders/directories.

Q: How do I skip to the ROM selection menu?
A: When booting YSMenu, hold B to go to the ROM selection menu.

Q: Why am I getting:
[Rom Loading failed]
load rom errcode=-
Please reset system.
A: Look at the YSMenu error code guide.

Is there a Youtube Video TUTORIAL for this???? If not, could one be recorded?

 

[RocketRobz]

Is there a Youtube Video TUTORIAL for this???? If not, could one be recorded?

You just quoted it. It's above the credits.

 

[Skimac2016]

What is HBL? And where can I get Forwarder3-DS??

I am so confused. I don't know how to get this to work.

 

[KunoichiZ]

What is HBL?

Homebrew Launcher.

 

[Skimac2016]

Where is the Forwarder3-DS? Is it a application? Where can I download this? It shows on the video, but I don't know where I can get it.