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nds-bootstrap

From GameBrew
Revision as of 00:11, 22 February 2022 by HydeWing (talk | contribs)
nds-bootstrap
Ndsbootstrap2.png
General
AuthorDS-Homebrew
TypeTitle Launchers
Version0.54.1
LicenseGPL-3.0
Last Updated2022/02/22
Links
Download
Website
Source

nds-bootstrap is an open-source application that allows Nintendo DS/DSi ROMs and homebrew to be natively utilised rather than using an emulator. nds-bootstrap works on Nintendo DSi/3DS SD cards through CFW and on Nintendo DS through flashcarts.

Note from developers:

A frontend isn't required to be used as nds-bootstrap uses an ini file to load its parameters. However, it is very much recommended. TWiLight Menu++ is a frontend for nds-bootstrap, developed by RocketRobz & co. It has 7 customizable launchers to choose from with the ability to launch emulators and other homebrew. It also includes a number of Anti-Piracy patches for the games and will automatically configure nds-bootstrap for you, with customizable per game settings.

Installation

To install nds-bootstrap, download the .7z file.

Extract the nds-bootstrap .nds files, to root:/_nds/.

For TWLMenu++ users, extract the .ver file to root:/_nds/TWiLightMenu/ (only when you are updating nds-bootstrap, as it comes bundled in TWiLight Menu++).

User guide

ROM Compatibility

nds-bootstrap supports most DS ROMs, with a few exceptions (see compatibility list).

  • You can enhance your gaming experience with cheats and faster load times than general cartridges (for games that support those features).
  • Game saving is supported too and will be saved in the .sav extention, and .pub or .prv for DSiWare.
  • Anti-Piracy patches can be loaded via IPS files, but they are not included inside the software itself.
  • nds-bootstrap also supports many homebrew applications, including games like DSCraft (please check the compatibility list above).

B4DS mode (a result of running nds-bootstrap on DS-mode flashcards with locked SCFG or DS Phat/lite):

  • Supports some DS ROMs, you can increase compatibility by inserting a DS Memory Expansion Pak.
  • Since v0.50.2 it is also possible to boot Nintendo DSi+Internet, see list of supported DSiWare titles.

Screenshots

To take screenshots directly from the hardware:

  • Open the in-game menu, select Screenshots...
  • Select the VRAM bank, in case if the screenshot looks incorrect (this feature cannot be used in B4DS mode).
  • You can now step 1 frame, while in the in-game menu (by pressing R).
  • Screenshots will be saved to screenshots.tar in sd:/_nds/nds-bootstrap/.
    • Due to hardware limitations, only screenshots of the main-set screen will be taken.
    • Limit is 50 screenshots. After reaching the limit, you cannot take any more, until you delete screenshots.tar in sd:/_nds/nds-bootstrap/, where it'll be re-created on next boot.

FAQ

Please see the [1] page.

Controls

These do not apply to DSiWare.

L+R+Up+X (for 1 second) - Swap the screens

L+R+Down+A (for 2 seconds) - Dump RAM to sd:/_nds/nds-bootstrap, as ramDump.bin

L+R+Down+B (for 2 seconds) - Return to loader (may not work on some O3DS models, and does not work in B4DS mode)

L+Down+Select - Open the in-game menu (can be changed in the TWiLight Menu++ settings)

Screenshot (in-game menu):

R - Advance by one frame

Up/Down/Left/Right - Change VRAM bank

A - Save screenshot

B - Return to in-game menu

RAM Viewer (in-game menu):

Up/Down - Scroll

Left/Right - Fast scroll

R+Down/Up - Faster scroll

R+Left/Right - Fastest scroll

A - Enter RAM Editor

B - Return to in-game menu

Y - Specify an address to jump to

Up/Down - Increase/Decrease selected value

Left/Right - Select a value

A/B - Return to RAM Viewer/Editor at specified address

RAM Editor (in-game menu):

Up/Down/Left/Right - Select a value

A - Modify selected value

Up/Down - Increase/Decrease value by 1h

Left/Right - Increase/Decrease value by 10h

A/B - Finish modifying value

B - Return to RAM Viewer

Y - Specify an address to jump to

Up/Down - Increase/Decrease selected value

Left/Right - Select a value

A/B - Return to RAM Viewer/Editor at specified address

Media

3DS Play NDS ROM's Off Your SD Card! (TWiLightMenu) (Tech James)

Known issues

Please refer to https://github.com/DS-Homebrew/nds-bootstrap/issues.

Changelog

v0.54.1 2022/02/22

What's new?

  • Added support for two DS games.
  • Pokémon Dash.
  • Tropix! Your Island Getaway.

Improvement:

  • The card read DMA implementation has been improved further, using code implemented by original developer @ahezard, and should fix sound issues and be less prone to crashes!

Bug fix:

  • Nintendo DS Browser no longer shows the Memory Expansion Pak message. (Does not apply to B4DS mode.)

Known bugs:

  • Tropix! Your Island Getaway will tend to crash with card read DMA turned on. (TWLMenu++ will blacklist the game from using it.)
  • Tropix! Your Island Getaway does not seem to boot in B4DS mode.
  • Nintendo DS Browser crashes after the logos on DSi consoles.

FAQ:

  • Q: What about Golden Sun: Dark Dawn? Does that work now too?
    • A: Nope. We still don't know how to fix it. What's currently known, is that the crash occurs in one of the ROM's overlays.
    • As always, you can (1.) play the demo version of the game, (2.) play from a flashcard, or (3.) play on the original cartridge.

v0.54.0 2022/02/15

What's new?

  • B4DS mode: Here's a heart-shaped box <3 full of added support for more DSiWare titles on DS/DS lite consoles (for a complete list of supported titles, see this list).
    • 1950s Lawn Mower Kids.
    • Bomberman Blitz.
    • Castle Conqueror: Heroes.
    • Cave Story.
    • Chuck E. Cheese's Alien Defense Force.
    • Chuck E. Cheese's Arcade Room.
    • Color Commando.
    • Crash-Course Domo.
    • DotMan.
    • Frogger Returns.
    • Hard-Hat Domo.
    • JellyCar 2.
    • Lola's Alphabet Train.
    • Magentic Joe.
    • Monster Buster Club.
    • Number Battle (USA version only).
    • GO Series: Portable Shrine Wars.
    • Pro-Putt Domo.
    • Rock-n-Roll Domo.
    • Shantae: Risky's Revenge.
    • EA's Sudoku.
    • Sudoku 4Pockets.
    • Wakugumi: Monochrome Puzzle.
    • White-Water Domo.
  • B4DS mode: RAM dumping has been added to the in-game menu.
  • SWI Halt Hook has been removed, due to issues with slowdown.
  • The in-game menu is now accessible in DSiWare titles.
    • In addition, the title can be exited back into TWLMenu++ without rebooting the console.
  • Version number is now printed in the debug screen (if enabled).

Improvements:

  • Improvements to the SD and card read DMA code have been made in order to (somewhat/maybe) slightly improve speed, as well as fixing (some?) wireless communication errors.

Bug fixes:

  • Nintendo DSi Camera & Nintendo DSi Sound now boot again.
  • Fixed soft-reset not working in supported DSiWare titles.
  • Certain DSiWare titles should now access the SD card again, instead of giving an error or whatever the title does.
  • Fixed AP-patching not working properly for ROMs loaded into RAM in DS mode.
  • Screen-swapping now works properly again.

Known bug:

  • In Shantae: Risky's Revenge, only the first fight is playable. The game cannot go further than that, and music is disabled, both due to memory limitations.

v0.53.2 2022/01/02

What's new?

  • B4DS mode: Support for more DSiWare titles have been added, making them playable on DS/DS lite consoles (For a complete list of supported titles, see this list here).
    • Art Style: precipice.
    • Art Style: ZENGAGE.

Bug fixes:

  • B4DS mode: Art Style: AQUIA and PiCTOBiTS will no longer show error messages.
  • Big Mutha Truckers now boots again.

v0.53.1 2021/12/28

Improvements:

  • Retail DSi consoles now load the complete AP-fix .ips file while in DSi mode.
  • DSi mode heap has shrunken further to make room for AP-patched overlays.
  • (@Epicpkmn11 and various) Updated translations.

Bug fix:

  • Part of RAM is now restored after taking screenshots while in DSi mode.

Bug fix/Regression:

  • SDK5.4 & 5.5 games have reverted to the slow soft-reset method (due to crashing, apparently from timing issues), but can be worked around by enabling either TWL clock speed or DSi mode.

v0.53.0 2021/12/26

What's new?

  • B4DS mode: Support for more titles have been added, making them playable on DS/DS lite consoles (For a complete list of supported titles, see this list here).
    • Flipper (music disabled).
    • Art Style: PiCTOBiTS.
    • (For Debug DS consoles:)
      • Cake Ninja.
      • Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish.
      • Shantae: Risky's Revenge (music disabled)
  • In-game menu: The Reset Game option no longer reboots the console.
  • An ESRB rating screen will now be shown, if esrb.bin is found in sd:/_nds/nds-bootstrap/.
  • B4DS mode can now be enabled on flashcards with unlocked SCFG! Only use this for testing purposes (.ini setting: B4DS_MODE).
    • Setting to 1 will set the RAM to 4MB.
    • Setting to 2 will set the RAM to the console's maximum amount. Some game will not work with this setting.

v0.52.0 (hotfix) 2021/12/10

What's new?

  • B4DS mode: Support for more titles have been added, making them playable on DS/DS lite consoles.
  • (For a complete list of supported titles, see this list here.)
    • 99Bullets.
    • 99Moves.
    • ARC Style: Soccer (Korea).
    • Kung Fu Dragon.
    • Mr. Brain (Japan).
    • Rabi Laby.
    • Rabi Laby 2.
    • (For Debug DS consoles:)
      • 99Seconds.
      • Mixed Messages.
      • Phantasy Star 0 Mini.
      • Space Invaders Extreme Z.

Bug fixes:

  • The applied AP-fix will now persist when soft-resetting.
    • Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions will now use the fast soft-reset method again.
  • Fixed sound in Rainbow Islands Revolution when using DSiWarehax or DSi mode.
  • B4DS mode: Cloneboot now works in Art Style: BASE 10.

Known bug:

  • Sleep mode will not work in the 99Trilogy, due to their code (possibly) taking place in the overlays.

v0.51.1 (hotfix) 2021/11/27

Bug fixes:

  • Fixed SDK2.0 games (such as Super Mario 64 DS) not booting.
  • Fixed soft-reset not working in certain areas of some games.
  • Reverted to slow soft-reset method for Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions to work around the black screen crash.
  • Fixed a regression where the in-game menu would not be positioned correctly.

v0.51.0 2021/11/27

What's new?

  • B4DS mode: Support for up to 23 DSiWare titles have been added, making them playable on DS/DS lite consoles for the first time ever (For a list of supported titles, see this list here).
    • GO Series: 10 Second Run.
    • Ace Mathician.
    • Art Style: Aquia.
    • Aura-Aura Climber.
    • Art Style: BASE 10.
    • Dairojo! Samurai Defenders.
    • Dark Void Zero.
    • GO Series: Defense Wars.
    • Dragon's Lair.
    • Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp (USA version only).
    • DS WiFi Settings.
    • Famicom Wars DS: Ushinawareta Hikari.
    • Game & Watch: Ball.
    • Game & Watch: Chef.
    • Game & Watch: Donkey Kong Jr.
    • Game & Watch: Flagman.
    • Game & Watch: Helmet.
    • Game & Watch: Judge.
    • Game & Watch: Manhole.
    • Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory.
    • Game & Watch: Vermin.
    • Mighty Flip Champs.
    • Space Ace.
    • (For Debug DS consoles, additional support for 6 titles have been added.)
      • G.G. Series: All Breaker.
      • G.G. Series: Assault Buster.
      • BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale.
      • Mighty Milky Way.
      • Nintendo DSi XL Demo Video.
      • Nintendo DSi XL Demo Video: Volume 2.
  • Soft-resetting speeds have improved, and now doesn't reboot the console, so you no longer need to wait some time before the game starts again.
  • Shiny Pokémon hunters will find this feature useful, as it'll speed up the hunting process.

Bug fixes:

  • Fixed Banana Cup causing a crash in Mario Kart DS.
  • (Untested) The Power Washer minigame crash in Mario Party DS should now be fixed.
  • Fixed Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery not booting on 3DS.
  • Fixed Magic School Bus: Oceans not booting on 3DS.
  • Brain Age Express: Sudoku no longer shows the Download failed message.

Known bugs:

  • B4DS mode: None of the supported DSiWare titles (except Famicom Wars DS: Ushinawareta Hikari) can save data.
  • B4DS mode: Due to memory limitations of retail DS consoles, audio will not play in Art Style: Aquia.
  • B4DS mode: In Aura-Aura Climber, depending on how far you go in Endless Mode, the game will crash. Inserting a Memory Expansion Pak may prolong how far you can go up before the crash.
  • B4DS mode: The Game & Watch DSiWare titles will softlock after finishing a game or exiting (usually in Game A mode).
  • B4DS mode: Connecting to WiFi in Famicom Wars DS: Ushinawareta Hikari will cause the game to crash.
  • Some SDK2.0 games (such as Super Mario 64 DS) do not boot due to the fast soft-reset implementation.
  • Soft-resetting may not work properly in a few games, causing a crash as a result.

v0.50.2 2021/11/12

  • B4DS mode: Nintendo DSi + Internet now boots!
  • Saving is now stubbed out in a few DSiWare titles in order to proceed further, when running from a CycloDS iEvolution.
    • Known affected games:
      • A Little Bit of... Nintendo Touch Golf.
      • Asphalt 4: Elite Racing.
      • Aura-Aura Climber.
      • Brain Challenge.
      • Cave Story.
      • Ferrari GT: Evolution.
      • Plants vs. Zombies.
      • Puzzle League: Express.
      • Rayman.
      • Tetris Party Live.

Bug fixes:

  • Fixed an overlooked bug due to optimized code, which caused AP-patching to not work properly for SDK5 games on DSi.
  • Increased the file size limit of AP-fix .ips patches from 192KB to 256KB.
    • This fixes Rabbids Go Home (Only DS mode tested on DSi).
  • B4DS mode: Fixed AP-patching not working properly, when using a Memory Expansion Pak.
  • Fixed WiFi not working when running from a CycloDS iEvolution.
  • (@Epicpkmn11) Fixed ARM7 RAM viewer randomly freezing.
  • Fixed an overlooked bug which caused Kirby Canvas Curse to lockup on the logos with empty save data and with SWI Halt Hook turned on.
  • Fixed EUR version of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 not booting.

Release notes.

Credits

Developers:

  • Rocket Robz: Lead developer, DSi mode and DSiWare support, B4DS mode, general maintenance and updates.
  • shutterbug2000: SDK5 support, help with DSi mode support, and some other implemented stuff.
  • ahezard: Starting the project, former lead developer.
  • Pk11: In-game menu, screenshot taking, and translation management.

Other:

Translators:

External links

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