Hacking new games won't work? =S

[Dragon821]

Hey all, new to the forum so not quite sure if this is a known issue or what.

I run the ys menu - a few months ago any new games wouldn't work; when patching the ds would freeze and i'd get the message "System halt!"

after updating my dstt kernel to 1.9 (the latest at the time) the new games began to work.

Now i'm getting the system halt message again for games such as COD5 and EndWar and Hotel Giant - and when i try to update my kernel to 1.16 (latest at the moment) the dstt just doesn't work - ysmenu doesn't load.

After changing the kernel back to 1.9 from my backups, i've managed to get the ysmenu working again but what sucks is that i can't play the majority of new releases - can anybody please help!?

thanks in advance!

 

[Bri]

Do you have a real DSTT or a fake? Check here: http://www.ndstt.com/anti_fake.html

Either way, you should use the official kernel 1.15. You should have no problems playing the majority of new releases.

If you want to use YSMenu, make sure you have the latest (YSMenu0810211800) and that you build it correctly by running "ttextract.exe" on the 1.15 official kernel.

-Bri

 

[Dragon821]

Damn, seems like mine IS a fake - it came in that cardboard box

However, haven't taken it apart so not 100% sure - the box does seem enough evidence to go on. Btw, I read somewhere else on the forum that official DSTT kernels 1.16 and upwards won't work on the fake DSTT? Is that true?

And thanks Bri, v1.15 did the trick

 

[Bri]

Glad you got it working!

You can't exactly tell from the box since they used to sell them in cardboard boxes. If you bought it recently, a cardboard box could indicate either a fake or older inventory.

You can tell if it's a fake by opening it, or sometimes without opening it by carefully examination of the microSD holder (the metal piece that the microSD card slides into visible from the outside of the microSD slot). If it's straight in the middle and scalloped on the sides, it's a fake. If it's rounded but not scalloped at the edges, it's real:

Version 1.16 of the firmware apparently contains fake-killer code, and will actually destroy fake flash carts, so you'll want to run 1.15 of the firmware regardless. The only difference (other than the fake killer code) is that 1.16 contains a fix for one obscure Japanese game, so you're not missing out on anything using 1.15 of the firmware.

-Bri

 

[Dragon821]

Oh, I got mine a while ago - maybe nearly a year..? Can't remember exactly lol. And ouch - reckon there'll be a way to delete the 'fake-killer code' if/when new firmwares actually manage to kill the cart?

What if people with fake DSTT's need the updated version to play newer games like I did?

edit: looks like mine has the rounded edges for the microSD holder - only checked by looking carefully from the outside though.

 

[Bri]

Firmware 1.15 is safe, and 1.16 only fixes one obscure Japanese game, so currently there's no issue. However, future firmware updates may pose a problem for people with fake carts who want to play newer games.

There is now a program that will repair a fake cart damaged by the fake-killer firmware (see this thread: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=124591), but you still have to use 1.15 after repairing it or risk it being damaged again.

Fakes only came on the scene less than a year ago, so if you've had it for close to a year you probably don't have a fake. Unfortunately, it's difficult to open up older DSTT's because they're glued shut (and you can damage them trying to open them if you're not careful). If you find out that you do have a fake, I suggest returning it for a real one so that you can update the firmware and play new games that come out in the future.

-Bri

 

[Dragon821]

OK, thanks!

One last thing; off topic:

Any thread where I can find a good handful of YS Menu skins? Looked at individual threads and in the downloads area, can't find as good a selection as the TTMENU or R4/M3 ones

If not I'll have a go at making my own - I get how YSMENU1.bmp and YSMENU2.bmp work, but is there a way to change the background and text colours of the menu that pops up when you push 'START' ? Not sure if that made sense, but it lets you restar the DS and go to the DS menu, lets you start the GBA slot or lets you reload the YSMenu.

Thanks!

 

[Bri]

You can change some of the colors via the YSMenu.ini file. The colors are in 15-bit RGB format. There's a color picker here: http://www.dragonminded.com/ndsdev/rgb15.exe

There are very few skins availble for YSMenu, but you can easily modify R4 skins to work.

-Bri

 

[Dragon821]

Thanks, I'll try my hand at modding R4 skins. You sure there's no way to edit the START menu for YS Menu?

 

[Bri]

The only way would be through options in the YSMenu.ini file. If there are no options there to do it, then you can't do it.

-Bri

 

[Dragon821]

OK, thanks again for the help