Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

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Sa_Gojyo
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Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by Sa_Gojyo »

Automatically translated from French.

Hello,

I'm going to explain how to convert an NTSC game's save to PAL. (or the other way around)

Minimum Required:

• The game whose save you want to convert (into PAL)
• A way to launch a homebrew (example: the homebrew channel)
• The "Savegame Manager GX"
• A PAL (save, yours for example)
• An NTSCsave, downloaded from the internet for example (with the features you want)


Operations:

1. Download "Savegame Manager GX" HERE and install it on your SD card (or USB device)

2. Launch SaveGame Manager GX and extract your PAL (save by choosing "custom" so you can choose the location) onto your SD card (or USB device) and note the folder where you saved it.

3. Create a folder on your PC, name it for example "GameName-PAL" (example "MarioKart-PAL") and copy your save folder PAL into this folder.

4. Then create another folder on your PC and name it for example "GameName-NTSC" (example "MarioKart-NTSC") and copy the save folder NTSC into this folder (so you'll have a folder with a subfolder inside and two files in that subfolder).

5. So you have two folders (one PAL and one NTSC) each having two files with the same name (banner.bin and GameData.bin)

6. Copy only the file "GameData.bin" from the NTSC save into the folder where the same file (is located but in PAL version), you'll be asked tooverwrite this file, do it but don't touch the banner.bin file.

7. Copy your save folder again PAL onto your SD card (or USB device) in the same place where the old one is and overwrite it.

8. Launch SaveGame Manager GX via the homebrew channel (or the homebrew channel), select your PAL save, freshly copied, and choose "install".
There, it's done, you can now launch your PAL game while enjoying the content of the NTSC save ;) NOTE: If you want to do the opposite, just swap "PAL to NTSC" and "NTSC to PAL" during the operation.

EDIT: After doing the operation several times and on different backups, I noticed that the "GameData.bin" is sometimes replaced by other files. Don't worry, the banner.bin remains present in all cases (it's the save's banner file) so you just need to touch only the other files without touching banner.bin and it works without problem.
END
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actarus1973
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by actarus1973 »

Automatically translated from French.

Thanks for the tuto :bravo:
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atupac
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by atupac »

Automatically translated from French.

Ah that's really good :accord:

I was looking for exactly this solution because I realized that I'd made good progress on SMG2 but in NTSC :mrgreen:

So, all I could do was create a save with the pal version and zoo => I'll test your tuto and give feedback ;)
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ipefix
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by ipefix »

Automatically translated from French.

yeah same as my VDD, I made good progress on mario galaxy 2 ntsc and wanted to continue on pal ^^

thanks
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Sa_Gojyo
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by Sa_Gojyo »

Automatically translated from French.

I really racked my brain over this because I also had a save on SMG2 NTSC then Metroid Other M came along to add to it.
Fortunately I found this miracle solution which is actually very simple to carry out thanks to our friend SaveGame Manager GX as well as a small simple but effective "tweak" on PC.
Since then I've been trying to push a developer friend (also author of Homebrew SD Manager 4.x) to create a homebrew or a PC application that would do the whole operation without needing to use SaveGame Manager GX.

Wait'n see...

PS: Don't hesitate to spread the info to help as many users as possible ;)
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by Oops »

Automatically translated from French.

not sure it works for all games but thanks a lot for this tuto which will be quite useful :74:
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Jiiwah
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by Jiiwah »

Automatically translated from French.

thanks for the tuto, it'll come in handy ;)
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by Sa_Gojyo »

Automatically translated from French.

For now I've done it on games whose file structure was different and it worked on both types of structures (apparently as long as you don't touch the "banner.bin" file it's not a problem), still need to see with a larger number of games. So only tests will tell us if this works for all or not (I've heard about MH3 and it seems it works on that one too).
To be tested with the greatest number of different games then ;)

NOTE: I'm interested in your feedback so I can start a compatibility list, please tell me which games you did this with as well as the "GAME-ID" (and whether it's PAL to NTSC or the other way around)

Example:

Game name: Super Mario Galaxy 2
GAME-ID: SB4P01
Direction: NTSC » PAL (or PAL » NTSC)
Works: Yes
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atupac
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by atupac »

Automatically translated from French.

Hi ;)

A thousand THANKS for this simple but Effective tuto!

So I confirm it worked perfectly for Super Mario Galaxy 2 (SBP) ==> conversion from NTSC to PAL

You'll need to think about creating/having both saves pal & ntsc on your wii for everything to go well ;)

There you go and congrats again for this savegame manager and the find :bravo: .

PS: for Metroid O.M. (no it's not the OM!), I just waited for the PAL version ^^
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Re: Convert a NTSC save to PAL (or vice versa)

Post by Zouiguipopo »

Automatically translated from French.

Honestly excellent, saved my life, with Wii party Jap I managed to put it in PAL and so the PAL version of Wii party is already almost complete!! so good!

Thanks for this awesome tuto
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