Fix for Sonic Advance game breaking bug?

[WeedZ]

I picked up a used copy of sonic advance. Theres apparently a huge bug when you delete the game data where you can no longer get rings in the chao garden. From what I've gathered, when you delete the save data it doesnt include the chao garden. There seems to be two places that hold the value of total rings collected, one in story and one in chao, and when you delete the story save the two values are longer the same and so you can no longer get rings from levels to the garden.

There is no way to delete the garden data to get them both back to zero. I've looked for button combinations, ive opened the cartridge to find that it doesn't use an sram battery that could be removed, and I've tried several times to corrupt the save by pulling the cartridge and cutting power at save points.

Its not that I care about it too much, my ocd just wont let it go. Anyone have other ideas?

 

[JeffRuLz]

You can create a fresh save file with an emulator and then upload it into the cartridge with a DS, a DS flashcart, and Rudolph's GBA Backup Tool.

 

[WeedZ]

You can create a fresh save file with an emulator and then upload it into the cartridge with a DS, a DS flashcart, and Rudolph's GBA Backup Tool.

Nice dude. I'll borrow my buddy's ds and try this. Thank you.

 

[N7Kopper]

Or just wipe the save by using a homebrewed Gamecube/Wii and a link cable (or a Game Boy Player in the GCN's case)

When you delete the save in-game, it doesn't delete the Chao data. The problem is that the game keeps track of how many rings you've collected in-game and in the Chao data, and expects them to match. Not only is it redundant (why not just add the rings you end a level with to the Chao data? Maybe it's a bankswitching thing? Don't see why, Sonic Advance is nowhere near 32 MB), but if they don't match (such as when you delete the game save) you don't get Chao Garden rings when you finish game levels with rings. Unless you somehow manage to collect exactly enough rings, it will never work again without modification (such as manually wiping all save data).

 

[WeedZ]

Or just wipe the save by using a homebrewed Gamecube/Wii and a link cable (or a Game Boy Player in the GCN's case)

When you delete the save in-game, it doesn't delete the Chao data. The problem is that the game keeps track of how many rings you've collected in-game and in the Chao data, and expects them to match. Not only is it redundant (why not just add the rings you end a level with to the Chao data? Maybe it's a bankswitching thing? Don't see why, Sonic Advance is nowhere near 32 MB), but if they don't match (such as when you delete the game save) you don't get Chao Garden rings when you finish game levels with rings. Unless you somehow manage to collect exactly enough rings, it will never work again without modification (such as manually wiping all save data).

I've tested the exact amount thing on mgba. Collected exactly 100 rings on a new save. Those rings were sent to the garden. Did a save reset in game. Collected exactly 50 rings (50 short compared to garden) and nothing was sent. Restarted the level and collected exactly 100 (for a total of 150) the excess of 50 rings was sent. So it seems it only has to exceed what ever was banked in the garden. Kind of an irrelevant test though.. I replayed the first zone quite a few times on time trial hoping to hit this limit, but it occurred to me that having bought this game second hand that the ring count in the garden could be huge and may take forever to hit.

But your idea is actually better, I do have a softmodded wii and a link cable. I dont know why i didn't think to see if such a homebrew existed. I use gc save homebrew to transfer between memory cards and dolphin. Thank you, ill let you know if it works.

 

[Localhorst86]

I would have proposed dumping the savegame with whatever means you have (GBA Flashlinker, DS Homebrew, Gameboy Player etc.), load it in a hex editor, null the entire file and flash it back, but I guess using an emulator to create a new save file and writing that back is just as good as a solution.

 

[WeedZ]

I found the wii app, but unfortunately you have to use a gc controller to use it and i couldn't find mine. But I raged out on the game for a while and played like another 40 time trials and that actually did it. I must have exceeded the garden's bank because the rings are transferring again. Only took a week or so of rage ring collecting. But I can officially confirm that the values don't have to be exact.