Hacking How do I save GBA saves with Superkey & Supercard Lite?

[joe2001]

Ive got one of these for my partner who, like me plays a lot of GBA games. She opted for the Superkey & Supercard Lite. However ( I bet theres a topic for this & Ive missed it! ), when she saves a game, goes to play it later, there is no save file.

Now I cant get a clear set of instructions for this thing so can one of you boffins please help us out here?

Thanks in advance

 

[Tanas]

This is takem from the GBATemp Supercard reveiw.

- Enable Saver Patch : This is an important option. Although most of "The Scene" prefer clean, unpatched dumps of the games, this is not how this cart is meant to work. Remember, it is not really a flash cart, it is more of a memory card adapter, so they had to use a workaround to make it work like the real thing! Using this option will add a function to the games patched with it: When you press R+L+Select+A (the shoulder buttons, the select button, and the A button together), it will ask you if you want to Save or Load, along with a confirmation. This will send the game's save file to the adapter or load it, depending on which one you choose. In other words, when you load a game, its save gets loaded too, so it is something you don't need to do. However, this is the important part : it can't tell when you'll flick off the power switch, and it can't do it once it's done either, as there is nothing going on anymore in the system. This means that if you want to store your save for later, you need to do it yourself with the R+L+Select+A combination. It's not hard to do per se, and it doesn't take much time either, it's only something that you have to do if you want to keep your save for later; wave it goodbye if you don't! However, due to the way the patcher works, you will need to also have the "Enable Restart" option activated!

 

[DanTheManMS]

Basically, the Supercard doesn't update the *.sav file on the card until you specifically tell it to do so. Save in-game, then press L+R+Select+A to update the *.sav file accordingly.

 

[joe2001]

Thanks guys - yeah, you have to tell the thing what to do before you start playing by going into the SC's menu, highlighting the SAV in question & entering "YES" when asked to save to SD.

No problems now

Again, members here never fail to impress me with their experience & kindness when helping me ( and other noobs! ) with these problems.

Thanks again fellas

 

[DanTheManMS]

Thanks guys - yeah, you have to tell the thing what to do before you start playing by going into the SC's menu, highlighting the SAV in question & entering "YES" when asked to save to SD.

You shouldn't have to do that. What you're doing is called the QPC method of saving (quick power cycle) but as long as you use the button combination you shouldn't have to do that. Go to the options and make sure that the option is checked to automatically load the *.sav file for you. The Supercard can load save files automatically but cannot save them without specifically telling it to.

So basically, you should save in-game, use the button combo and select the option to save the game, then turn off the GBA. Boot up the GBA later on, choose the game to play, and it should work fine. You don't need to use the Saver menu at all unless the button combination isn't working for you.

 

[joe2001]

Thanks guys - yeah, you have to tell the thing what to do before you start playing by going into the SC's menu, highlighting the SAV in question & entering "YES" when asked to save to SD.

You shouldn't have to do that. What you're doing is called the QPC method of saving (quick power cycle) but as long as you use the button combination you shouldn't have to do that. Go to the options and make sure that the option is checked to automatically load the *.sav file for you. The Supercard can load save files automatically but cannot save them without specifically telling it to.

So basically, you should save in-game, use the button combo and select the option to save the game, then turn off the GBA. Boot up the GBA later on, choose the game to play, and it should work fine. You don't need to use the Saver menu at all unless the button combination isn't working for you.

The button combination was'nt working for me for some odd reason. Other than that its been OK

 

[DanTheManMS]

Which patching options are you choosing? Certain ones need to be enabled to let the button combination work.

If the button combo doesn't work, then you can use the QPC method as described at http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/Supercard#QPC_Saving

The Supercard miniSD does have a battery in it, so your saves won't die immediately after poweroff, but if you load a different game without updating the *.sav file manually, the SRAM will get overwritten with the new game's data.