Homebrew [NDS] Forwarder CIAs for your HOME Menu

[NebulaJoker]

Do you know if the Forwarders work with the iTouch2?

 

[TuxPenguin09]

NOTE: Support for the SuperCard DSTWO is currently broken.

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 if you want, a DS-Mode flashcard).

Requirements

3DS:

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

Spoiler: Flashcard list (skip if you want to use SD Card)

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
Galaxy Eagle
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)
R4iTT (www.r4itt.net) (Purple card may be incompatible)
SuperCard DSONE
SuperCard DSTWO (Normal and Plus versions)

Untested:
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/www.r4i-gold.me) (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
• Linux: JavaFX

SD Card users: See what games work and what doesn't work:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M7MxYQzVhb4604esdvo57a7crSvbGzFIdotLW0bm0Co/edit#gid=0

Download a pack for your card (forwarders won't run without it):
3DS SD Card

Spoiler: Flashcards

Original R4/M3 Simply
Acekard 2(i)/M3DS Real
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: v2.9.3)

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 (not needed):
https://github.com/Robz8/NTR_Forwarder/

For SD card

• Extract what's in "for SD card root" to the root of the 3DS SD card.

Spoiler: For flashcard

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

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

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.

Part 2: Forwarder3-DS

View attachment 72425

1. Select the target card you're using on the left.
2. Check "Automatically set ROM path" to set the path to where your ROM is at in the SD Card or flashcard.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Click on a game to do some edits.
6. 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.
7. Be sure to make a list of TIDs you're using for your forwarders.
   
8. If using a homebrew ROM, clear and type in the game title.
   
9. Click the floppy drive button to generate the forwarder CIA!
10. Copy the CIA to your 3DS SD Card, or put it in SocketPunch for network installation.
11. 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! (This was before we were able to run retail ROMs from SD Card.


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: 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: Why am I taken to a ROM selection menu?
A: Make "Games are on SD card" was checked, and you dragged and dropped the ROMs from the flashcard's microSD, to Forwarder3-DS' window.

Q: Will this load DSi enhanced games in DSi mode, including DSi exclusive games?
A: Nope, but maybe in the future, since we can 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.

Spoiler: FAQs: Flashcards

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.


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.

"Please insert cartridge to continue" It ask for a cartridge

 

[RocketRobz]

"Please insert cartridge to continue" It ask for a cartridge

If you're trying to run ROMs from the SD card, make sure you selected "3DS SD Card" in Forwarder3-DS when creating your forwarders.

 

[Asdolo]

Supercard DSTwo forwarders works with older templates.

Senderismo from XT1635-02 with Tapatalk

 

[FeistyTroglodyte]

Thank you for creating this great tool. Now I can finally have all the core Pokemon games in my home menu!
Could you include a warning for Linux users that the automatic path is incorrect since it includes the entire path (e.g. /media/$USER/something/).
I understand that properly stripping the path wouldn't be possible since that would require interfacing with Linux to get all mount points, resolving symlinks to regular directories and then removing all components up to the deepest mount point. I suspect that might be a bit too OS specific for Java's tastes.

 

[RocketRobz]

Thank you for creating this great tool. Now I can finally have all the core Pokemon games in my home menu!
Could you include a warning for Linux users that the automatic path is incorrect since it includes the entire path (e.g. /media/$USER/something/).
I understand that properly stripping the path wouldn't be possible since that would require interfacing with Linux to get all mount points, resolving symlinks to regular directories and then removing all components up to the deepest mount point. I suspect that might be a bit too OS specific for Java's tastes.

Warning added.

 

[Majickhat55]

Any idea why some of my forwarders work fine while others blackscreen? I'm on B9S v1.2/Luma 8.0. My flashcard is the R4i 3DS Gold RTS and it works fine itself to load the games. Forwarders for Pokemon and Mario work, but ones for Zelda for example blackscreen but load fine from the flashcard itself. Should I just create new forwarders and see if that works?

 

[RocketRobz]

Any idea why some of my forwarders work fine while others blackscreen? I'm on B9S v1.2/Luma 8.0. My flashcard is the R4i 3DS Gold RTS and it works fine itself to load the games. Forwarders for Pokemon and Mario work, but ones for Zelda for example blackscreen but load fine from the flashcard itself. Should I just create new forwarders and see if that works?

Yes.

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Using your modified YSMenu + config files on my DSTTi results in the literals not working. Is there a way to fix this?

 

[RocketRobz]

Using your modified YSMenu + config files on my DSTTi results in the literals not working. Is there a way to fix this?

Nope.

 

[Asdolo]

@Robz8, is there a way we can download old templates? (I mean for the Forwarder-3DS app, not for the SD cards)
The CIA created by the latest Forwarder-3DS app/template doesn't work with DSTwo, but older CIAs (created by an older Forwarder-3DS/template) does work.

The thing is I can't even create older CIAs right now because the Forwarder-3DS app did a template update and I lost the older templates.
So, the question is, can you publish old versions of the Forwarder-3DS templates? I disabled the templates autoupdate option, so I'm ready to get that older ones.

Thank you and great work as always.

 

[scrydragon]

I am trying to get this working with a M3DS Real (the only card i have, and i cant afford a new one right now, so its what i am stuck with.) whenever i try to load a game, it does the DS loading screen, and then goes to a white screen and does nothing. I've tried everything I can think of or find in this thread, and nothing has worked. Any ideas?

 

[RocketRobz]

I am trying to get this working with a M3DS Real (the only card i have, and i cant afford a new one right now, so its what i am stuck with.) whenever i try to load a game, it does the DS loading screen, and then goes to a white screen and does nothing. I've tried everything I can think of or find in this thread, and nothing has worked. Any ideas?

Is the card inserted correctly?

 

[scrydragon]

yes, and it works fine on my regular ds.

As a note, the zip file for the m3ds real(DS Game Forwarder pack (Acekard 2(i), Galaxy Eagle, M3DS Real).7z), in the _nds folder under the "for sd card root" folder, there was just the ntr_forwarder.ini, nothing else. i tried taking the files from the 3ds sd root zip (DS Game Forwarder pack (3DS SD Card).7z) but that didn't help either

 

[scrydragon]

I tried TWLoader as well, but get the same result, a white screen after ds loading screen.

 

[Darkrai]

Is the support for SuperCard DSTWO still broken ? I tried, but it freezes on a white screen...

 

[RocketRobz]

Is the support for SuperCard DSTWO still broken ? I'm tried but it freezes on a white screen...

Yep, still broken.

 

[boogieman666]

Can anyone say if the M3i Zero Card (GMP Z-003) works. I tried with M3Real and M3Simply forwarder. Nothing works

 

[punke]

Hi, I have a problem At the moment of putting the r4 in my 3ds this crashes or simply does not catch with the r4 put any solution?

 

[RocketRobz]

Hi, I have a problem At the moment of putting the r4 in my 3ds this crashes or simply does not catch with the r4 put any solution?

Nope.