Godmode9 3ds Game Dump

[Dorinda Avancena]

Asidefrom creating and restoring NAND backups, GodMode9 has the functionality to dump installed titles to an installable .cia file, to dump game cartridge data to a .3ds ROM file, and to directly install a game cartridge to the system.

This guide will show you how to dump your game cartridges directly to your SD card with GodMode9. This has multiple uses such as playing without the cartridge or playing your game on an emulator instead of the console.

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Some games are so rare that a physical copy is very expensive, though if the game is available on the Virtual Console, it is a lot cheaper. Buying a Virtual Console is like buying the cart, you can dump the ROM and use it on emulators and rom hacks.

NES VC uses the TNES header which makes them not playable if dumped and trying to fix the header is quite a pain. Luckily, we have a GodMode9 script thanks to Validusername16 that fix the header for you.

The guide that I followed ( -titles-and-game-cartridges.html) said that I need to use the software GodMode9 to dump the game to the SD card. It also said that I need to place this software in a specific folder on the SD card (the "/luma/payloads/" folder).

@Nate27 Hey there! Unfortunately, I'm not sure you will receive the help you need here with this one, you might be better off finding a more specific forum to post in where users will be more familiar with your issue Thanks!

Hi there. I am trying to modify the Virtual Console full screen frame of Pokmon Crystal (the one you get when you press start or select). I'm having some issues.

I have CFW homebrew on my 3DS with Luma, and access to a CIA installer and Godmode9.

What I did:

I used godmode9 to dump the Pokmon Crystal VC ROM. Then I used Ultimate GBC VC Injector to inject the custom frame and create a CIA from the ROM.

Now I have a CIA file, but I don't want to just install that file. Firstly, I have a save file I want to retain. And more importantly, the official Pokmon Crystal VC has patches that come installed with the app that I want to still have access to (wireless trading, Celebi event, etc).

So, I have some questions that I was hoping that someone could help me with:

1. When I used Godmode9 to dump the rom, there were 2 .app files, and I dumped the larger of the two. What was the other .app file? Is it the patches? There was also a .tmp file, but I think that's standard.

4. Probably the easiest thing to do (and avoid everything above) would be to modify just the file with the Full Screen Virtual Console Frame. Is it possible to do that? And if so, how?

Can anyone help me? I'm self taught as far as hacking goes, and I'm really unfamiliar with how VC titles are implemented with patches and everything. More than getting help doing the thing, I'm hoping to learn more about what I'm fooling around with. Its been fun, and I'd like to better understand the tech.

It's been a while since I missed with VC edits. I *think* you need to decompile the .app file to get separate files. GodMode9 should be able to do that.

Once done, you'll find the GB/GBC ROM for the Pokemon game + all the patch files.

There will be more than one patch file, with various patch files for different Pokemon games and languages (even tho you're technically only working on one single game.) The patch files should have the GB/GBC game IDs in it.

I don't know anything about modifying the VC frame itself, never tried it.

To be frank, it's been a while since I've dealt with them and had to think about them.

Try to see which could be mounted and would give you the files.

The game name should correspond to the patch. I've managed to find one of the game names from my older extracts, and it is something like

As for why there are 2.app files, no clue. I think there being more than 1 is normal even for 3DS titles tho.

Edit:

Yup, perform the standard steps to dump romfs, including mounting 00000001.app image to drive, then viewing it.

The ROM is in a folder called rom, and all the patches are outside.

OK that makes sense. So, the file I am after is the one that has the VC frame. Do you know which file that might be? The frame I am talking about is the one that pops up when you launch the app while holding start or select.

As I said earlier, I've not edited that frame before, no idea where it is. That appears to be beyond the scope of editing stuff niche to Pokemon, but rather all VC edits in general, so you may have better luck searching the net for general VC edits.

For now, I'm trying to scour the net for it too.

Updating this thread with a solid path forward for those that come looking after me.

The second .app file was the manual. The patches are not applied to the ROM, rather, they are located in the RomFS, and seem to run with the ROM. If dumping the ROM grabs the entire RomFS (I think it should), then the patches went with it.

So rather than tool around with reinstalling my CIA and then backing my up save from the original and injecting it into mine, the general process I'm going to try is:

Disclaimer

Users normally have issues with pk3DS, likely because they had a bad ROM dump, and the files extracted from it causes issues.

This guide will teach users how to extract good files using GodMode9. This would require a hacked 3DS to achieve the desired result.

For illustrative purposes, the screenshots featured will use Moon. However, do understand that the methodology works for other mainline Pokmon games on the 3DS (ignoring Virtual Console games).

This tutorial is not about how to randomize your games.

This tutorial is about how to get the requisite files to be used by pk3DS.

I will not entertain any questions on how to randomize your game, you have been warned.

We will not be providing any ROMs nor the files from within ROMs, as linking to or providing data files extracted from ROMs are against our forum's rules.

8. Once exefs pasted, repeat from step 4 to step 7, but instead of exefs, copy romfs folder.

The romfs copying and pasting will probably take awhile. Sit patiently. Keep your 3DS charged.

Shift them into whatever folder on your computer that PK3DS reads from.

Note: If you want to include files from a game update:

a. Paste the base game folders, as listed above

b. Then paste the files from the game update into the folders as obtained in part a.

b1. to extract the update files, go into your SYSNAND SD/EMUNAND SD in step 3

b2. For step 3.2.3 navigate to 0004000e instead.

c. The rest of the steps would be similar to what I mentioned above. If you're confused, at least try to get the base game to work first.

Some updates bring substantial changes to the game, adding new models, logic, and whatnot. The Welcome amiibo update to Animal Crossing: New Leaf is an example to this. To do so, both the base game (title ID usually starting with 00040000) and the update (for Welcome amiibo, the ID starts with 0004000E) must be dumped.

Upon choosing Copy to /gm9/out for the update title, the user may either choose to copy to a differently named folder, overwrite files in the existing /romfs, or (not recommended) skip duplicate files. The user probably wants either the first option (for investigating both the base game and the patch) or the second (if the original files on the base game are not necessary).

For those with a CIA or a 3DS file in hand, the romfs may easily be extracted using ctrtool. Knowledge on operating the command line is necessary, since the utility is run from the terminal. For those unfamiliar with the command line, use GodMode9, or follow the steps laid below.

For those without boot9strap installed, but with access to Homebrew (for example, through an Internet browser exploit), it is possible to dump the contents of a cartridge or an installed title. ihaveamac also published this guide for this use case.

You can now use this ROM/image with Citra. You can open it directly from the menu bar (File > Load File) or add a folder containing all your dumps by double-clicking the + icon in the main Citra window or by double clicking on Add New Game Directory.

GodMode9i is an open source file browser for the Nintendo DS ecosystem, taking inspiration from GodMode9 for the Nintendo 3DS. GodMode9i has the ability to dump games, manage SD card files, browse NitroFS, calculate the SHA1 hash of files, edit binary files with a hex editor, and more.

GodMode9 is a full access file browser for the Nintendo 3DS console, giving you access to your SD card, to the FAT partitions inside your SysNAND and EmuNAND and to basically anything else. Among other functionality (see below), you can copy, delete, rename files and create folders.

This is powerful stuff, it provides you with the means to do basically any thinkable modification to any system data available on the 3DS console. However, precautions are taken so you don't accidentally damage the data of your console. The write permissions system protects you by providing warnings and forces you to enter an unlock sequence for enabling write permissions. It is not possible to overwrite or modify any important stuff without such unlock sequences and it is not possible to accidentally unlock something.

The recommended bootloader for use with GodMode9 is fastboot3DS. There are known issues for some users when using the standard setup based on boot9strap and Luma3DS. If you are using that setup, follow the instructions found in this guide. Here's how to set up GodMode9 (and fastboot3DS) up quickly.

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