EZ-Flash USA Forum

Edit by FAST6191 Scroll down to my replies for patches.

Original post:
hello, well my problem is that multiplayer connection doesn't work when I try for example super mario advance and a link cable...

plz i need help because i tried to connect an original Pokemon Emerald with Ez-flash and it doesn't work

These can be tough issues and pokemon makes it even worse.

First and foremost I should stress that a first party "official" cable is your best bet. I know it sounds weird but third party cables have been known to break things.

After that there are issues with using patched games such as those patched by the EZ4 Client for save or reset keys.

Pokemon can be especially cranky about patching and it may even delete your save if it throws a tantrum so be sure to have saved some backups to your pc.

I don't remember having much trouble linking two gba pokemon titles but it's nearly impossible with ez4 and gamecube.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=12983 might be worth a read, I have not really done anything about it since that post aside from fiddling with the DLL files a bit more (with a bit of fiddling I might just be able to make a small wrapper/application to use the DLL to patch things).

I do not know which version you are using either so I made patches for the US release and Spanish versions (ind-pes.zip- numbers vary a bit but around the mid to late 2100's for the ones I looked at):


pokespaem.ips is the Spanish version while the other is the US version. I have not tested them yet as I am not up for rummaging through my box of electrical junk but going by the other ones sorting the problem they should work.

They are IPS format so if you need an IPS patcher then GBATA: http://www.no-intro.org/tools.htm
You probably could apply it to an already patched rom but to make life easier just use an original/clean rom.
It should already be save patched albeit for the EZ2 (no loader, start of SRAM) so you should be able to just patch the rom with the patch I attached and copy it via windows explorer or whatever to the EZ4 (remember to change names as appropriate) but be prepared to have to run it through EZ4client if it does not work at first.

Until such time as I stop being lazy and finish figuring out how to patch roms for linking (I just took a look at the pokemon and there were not that many changes) I will make patches for the games if you want to list them.

For the forum searchers
linking link cable pokemon

wow... many thanks FAST6191... i'm now trying to connect te Ez-flash with the original cartidge... anyway you said that you could make me a list of IPSs that fix the linking problem...
well actually i need the patch for these games:
-The legend of zelda-a link to the past four swords
-Kirby Series(U)
-Super mario advance series(U)
-GBA Pokemon series(ruby, firered, ...)(U)
-Megaman battle network series(U)

i'll be really gratefull if you could help me whit IPS files...

EDIT: iv'e just connected both catridges and they work very well...

I will do it but it might take a while- at present to make these I have to write it to my EZ2 and rip it back again (if you have ever written anything to the NOR of your EZ4 it is a similar timeframe). edit good to know it works.
I will do it anyway as those are the link games most people go in for and I could make a sticky if I did (probably add in advance wars too).

Also with regards to megaman is it just the battle network and chips challenge games you want as I am not sure if the platformers have anything like a link mode.
Also which one do you want first if I do- there are 6 games plus alt versions (no major differences like that of demi kids) and my favourite ever score in a review was for the fifth in the series at something 9/10 less one point for every game you have played in the series.

edit2: a list of all the games I am set to make patches for (22 games in total):
0776 - Legend of Zelda, The - A Link to the Past & Four Swords (U).gba

0025 - Super Mario Advance (UE).gba
0297 - Super Mario Advance 2 - Super Mario World (U).gba
0593 - Super Mario Advance 3 - Yoshi's Island (U).gba
1212 - Super Mario Advance 4 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (U).gba

0165 - Megaman Battle Network (U).gba
0468 - Megaman Battle Network 2 (U).gba
1078 - Megaman Battle Network 3 Blue (U).gba
1080 - Megaman Battle Network 3 White (U).gba
1554 - Megaman Battle Network 4 - Red Sun (U).gba
1555 - Megaman Battle Network 4 - Blue Moon (U).gba
2032 - Megaman Battle Network 5 - Team Colonel (U).gba
2035 - Megaman Battle Network 5 - Team Protoman (U).gba
2427 - Megaman Battle Network 6 - Cybeast Gregar (U).gba
2436 - Megaman Battle Network 6 - Cybeast Falzar (U).gba

1403 - Megaman - Battle Chip Challenge (U).gba

0775 - Kirby - Nightmare in Dream Land (U).gba
1716 - Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (U).gba

0898 - Pokemon - Sapphire Version (U).gba
0907 - Pokemon - Ruby Version (U).gba
1636 - Pokemon - Fire Red Version (U).gba
1637 - Pokemon - Leaf Green Version (U).gba
I figure I already made emerald.

just patch the whole games that i mentioned you exept the megaman ones. like you said patch the best multiplayer games... and of course add Advance wars and Mario kart super circuit, they're very cool.

umm other thing... I just tried to play emerald on an emulator to activate gameshark codes and save the game on a .sav file to load on the Ez-Flash but everytime that I load the game and the .sav file on the ez-flash it say the corrupted file message and starts a new game... could you help me on that? because i want to send the event items to the original cart

I made a bunch of them although I am about to run off the evening so I/you will have to wait until the morning before I make some more:


patched in this archive (should be fairly obvious naming the other side). Do note again I have not tested them on hardware and as I am in a rush I have not tested the patches themselves actually make a difference although they do look OK in my hex editor.

0025 - Super Mario Advance (UE).gba
0297 - Super Mario Advance 2 - Super Mario World (U).gba
0593 - Super Mario Advance 3 - Yoshi's Island (U).gba
0775 - Kirby - Nightmare in Dream Land (U).gba
0776 - Legend of Zelda, The - A Link to the Past & Four Swords (U).gba
1212 - Super Mario Advance 4 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (U).gba
1716 - Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (U).gba
2032 - Megaman Battle Network 5 - Team Colonel (U).gba (for what it is worth if you have a DS the DS port/remake of this is better and works on the EZ4 provided you have flashme or a nopass).
2436 - Megaman Battle Network 6 - Cybeast Falzar (U).gba

By my count you should only then be really missing out on mario kart, Megaman - Battle Chip Challenge and the fire red/leaf green pokemon series (ruby and sapphire were more or less the same as emerald or perhaps worse off). Advance wars (1 and 2) have a very good hotseat mode (as good as link cable) and a half decent link only mode (no game pack needed but fewer options)

Re emulator. I did once know a bit about pokemon, emulators and saves but I seem to have forgotten. You might want to look in the EZ5 section or the EZ5 guides as that sort of thing does happen with the 3 in 1 which is a stripped down EZ3/EZ4.
As a rule with VBA you can set the save type manually by clicking on the options pulldown menu (second menu in), emulator (third down) and save type (about five up from the bottom and separated by a line)- vba save detection is not very good so you may find yourself doing this far more often than you would with a flash cart.
Once this is all sorted then on the file menu there is an export option (about six up from the bottom) and there you can choose battery file (this is the save)

edit:
http://forums.ngemu.com/vba-m-discussio ... rsion.html might be of interest (I seem to recall a tool as well but I have no links right now).

wow.. thanks again FAST i'll try to test them and i'll tell you if they work or not... anyway now i'm trying the VBA thing with the emerald to see if it works...that's what i hope...

OMG, FAST, welcome back. Feels like it's 2007 all over again.

umm i need help again... i can't load the save file on the EZ-flash (corrupted file thing with new game)... i tried with the vba save file and still won't work loading on ez-flash.


also, is real time save on ez-flash IV? how can i load cheat files on the ez-flash? (due i have the fckng .sav problem with emerald)

I still think this is true:

viewtopic.php?p=64409&sid=686cd7c9bcb86c0259ee723e672a93ac#p64409

Since making that post, I ended up getting a second GBA (more precisely, a GB Player). My limited testing seems to bear out the conclusion: as long as you only save patch, game linking should be fine.

As for GBA-GC linking, I think that's a much more complex issue depending on what is called for in the linking.

hey fast... can you send me the IPS that fix the Pokemon Leafgreen gba link?... also I tried the patch with some games... they seems to connect each other but it doesn't send data to ther GBA por example... single card kirby nightmare and error...

@bugnot I never left- admittedly I have not been as active as far as posting goes but I have still been here near enough daily and I am usually on IRC as well.

@kuwanger, damn I forgot about that thread. Hopefully I will get some time to play around with either some of the minimal patching options and/or the disassembly of the game to see what actually happens. My playing around with the DLL files a bit also leads me to a similar conclusion.

Cheats- normally we just people to give up on the onboard EZ4 cheats and use something like GBAATM instead: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=99334 or viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12956 . If you do want to have a go the onboard help thing (one of the icons you see on boot) has instructions although you will probably have to use an official menu rather than the hacked one we usually suggest. You should still be able to find them in the downloads/updates thread and not much happened for GBA since the removal of 8:3 names.

Real time save- alas that was one feature that never made the transition from EZ3 to EZ4 and I doubt anyone is going to take the time to make it happen.

patch for leaf green as requested (IPS is not allowed so I had to zip it):

Thanks for the feedback as well- I will give the roms a spin through VBAlink some time and see what happens there although I suspect kuwanger is onto something.

@FAST: I didn't mean to imply you haven't been around lately, there's not much to be around for in the EZ4 section anyway. I guess I meant welcome back to action. It's just nice to see some progress and it's especially nice to see the large number of patches you just released.

Nothing but respect.

I'm trying to link up two GBAs (one with original cartridge, the other with EZ-Flash IV) to play multiplayer Zelda Four Swords. I've just tried the ips for Zelda and I can't get it to work. After patching the Zelda rom, I no longer have sound when I choose Four Swords and keep getting the communication error. I must have stuffed up somewhere. Fast, do you think you can help me out here?
Really appreciate any help or advice on this. Thank you!