DS Flash cards - Custom Loader?

Hey Everyone,

So, a while back I was thinking about producing my own games using flash-cards as a method of distribution. I thought it would be as simple as replacing the boot loader on a card (such as Ak2Loader.nds) with simply a homebrew ROM image so that the card would always boot up into the game. However I soon found out that (at least on an Acekard 2i), it doesn't work as the card does not recognize the ROM image as a loader and goes into a "Missing File" display.

Does anyone know of any kind of flash card (cheap) which performs as I'm describing it? Or do all flash cards need some kind of loader/header or something that lets them accept the image to run?

 

You could modify the loader so that it is hardcoded to load your game.

 

The loaders are in flash on most cards right? The loader probably configures a lot of stuff; I think it'll take significant card specific crap added to your game before it's up and running.

 

Well, I know the boot loader for the card is located on the card memory. The launchers/front end exist on your SD card. But I suspect even under that case, there is lots of stuff still to be done to get apps running.

 

Most flash cards have their loaders encrypted to keep people from removing their names and such. Basically they want to prevent you from doing exactly what you intend to.

2nd generation flash DS cards (or would that be third ?) have a significant ammount of flash inside so they can circumvent the DSi protections and still contain the menu loader on the SD card...

Again, encrypted.

 

I have a Supercard DS ONE and I use YS Menu.
It's possible to auto-boot a ROM in the root directory (you have rename it to whatever is in the ini, in my case it's "shit.nds")

You will still see that it's a flashcart (loading screen) and wait a couple of seconds before it starts AND it will boot directly with no chance of getting into the firmware menu of the DS.

I don't know how the DSi version of the flashcart behaves in a DSi though..

 

What I would do is pick up an Acekard RPG which gives you the source code for the original loader and rewrite it as you please. So you could take the bootloader and code it so it only boots your .nds file.