PS3 Apollo save tool (development thread)

bucanero said:
if that works alright, then support for custom formats/conversions could be added at a later stage
Click to expand...

It works, I did it several times. But just like in PS3 saves, rebuild database is needed (or some way to update db, which as I remember You already figure out ^^).
 
Berion said:
It works, I did it several times. But just like in PS3 saves, rebuild database is needed (or some way to update db, which as I remember You already figure out ^^).
Click to expand...

oh but keep in mind that my trick only works for PS3 saves, as I'm not actually rebuilding the DB. (I'm using the internal ps3 savegame functions)

What actually Apollo is doing:
- get the folder-name of the savegame we want to create on the HDD (e.g. NPUB12345-AUTOSAVE)
- request the ps3 to save a game with folder-name equals to "NPUB12345-AUTOSAVE"
- Once the syscall returns, I copy the savegame data contents to the created folder

The database update is done by the internal ps3 functions, I'm just overwriting the "dummy save" with the real savegame data afterwards.

but for PS1/PS2/PSP I can't do that... as I can't ask the ps3 to create ps1/ps2/etc savegames.
 
It must be a "similar way" because there is also internal way to update VMCs by CellOS when emulator mess with the card (maybe not for VME but VM1 and VM2 for sure because their contents are displaying in XMB, filled with metadata from them).

Well, I'm fine with reb db by hand (You can always do exception for VMCs and implement copying flag to /mms if user agree).
 
bucanero said:
I've got some positive feedback about the owners.xml feature

for some reason that I couldn't fully understand, a user reported an issue with the auto-detect settings (https://github.com/bucanero/apollo-ps3/issues/23), but he used the owners.xml file and that worked without issues :)

that reminds me that I need to update the project README and add a section about the new owners.xml , and how to use it.
Click to expand...
This reminds me of a problem that is not much popular, the infamous RSOD
Is related with an area of flash named VTRM very related with encryption
At some point was published some tools and procedures intended to "repair" the VTRM area but this was a long story and there was several ways to do it, and eventually the people that used them had problems related with the savegames or/and trophies (as far i remember when they was updating the firmware the problem returned)

I dont know the details and i dot remember anyone explaining what was happening and how the VTRM is rebuilt, im just mentioning it because eventually you (or your tool) is going to hit with one of this users with a PS3 that had a RSOD at some point
 
sandungas said:
I dont know the details and i dot remember anyone explaining what was happening and how the VTRM is rebuilt, im just mentioning it because eventually you (or your tool) is going to hit with one of this users with a PS3 that had a RSOD at some point
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thanks for the info @sandungas :)

btw, I have been working a bit on adding the ps2classic stuff to Apollo, and I'm wondering...

when I decrypt a BIN.ENC image, I get a regular .ISO file, but I also get a "meta" file... does it make any sense to keep that meta-file , or I can just skip generating that file at all? it would bring some speed improvements since I won't be saving 2 files to the HDD
 
bucanero said:
thanks for the info @sandungas :)

btw, I have been working a bit on adding the ps2classic stuff to Apollo, and I'm wondering...

when I decrypt a BIN.ENC image, I get a regular .ISO file, but I also get a "meta" file... does it make any sense to keep that meta-file , or I can just skip generating that file at all? it would bring some speed improvements since I won't be saving 2 files to the HDD
Click to expand...

That "meta" file is the LIMG segment. It is added as sufix to the ISO prior the encryption. IIRC it can be generated, so there is not need to keep it.
 
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thanks for the information @aldostools @sandungas :encouragement:

I finished porting the ps2classics code to Apollo, so now I can properly encrypt/decrypt PS2 Classics iso/bin images, and I can also decrypt/encrypt the VMCs.
Just as I assumed, since I already had a lot of encryption-related stuff (AES, raps, rifs, etc) it was almost natural to include this new code

from my tests:
+ I was able to import+encrypt a PS2 game iso, then mount it with wM Mod and play it with Ps2 classics placeholder.
+ I decrypted+exported a PS2 Classics encrypted game. I've got a valid ISO that I opened in my computer correctly
+ encrypted and decrypted the VME files ok

I also did a few speed tests exporting+decrypting a PS2 image with and without the "metadata" file, but there's almost no difference at all. Since there's no real speed improvement, I'll keep the metadata file , just for the sake of completeness. The user is free to delete the file if not needed.

Next, I need to work on the stuff I usually try to avoid... the UI for this new feature :D
 
bucanero said:
thanks for the information @aldostools @sandungas :encouragement:

I finished porting the ps2classics code to Apollo, so now I can properly encrypt/decrypt PS2 Classics iso/bin images, and I can also decrypt/encrypt the VMCs.
Just as I assumed, since I already had a lot of encryption-related stuff (AES, raps, rifs, etc) it was almost natural to include this new code

from my tests:
+ I was able to import+encrypt a PS2 game iso, then mount it with wM Mod and play it with Ps2 classics placeholder.
+ I decrypted+exported a PS2 Classics encrypted game. I've got a valid ISO that I opened in my computer correctly
+ encrypted and decrypted the VME files ok

I also did a few speed tests exporting+decrypting a PS2 image with and without the "metadata" file, but there's almost no difference at all. Since there's no real speed improvement, I'll keep the metadata file , just for the sake of completeness. The user is free to delete the file if not needed.

Next, I need to work on the stuff I usually try to avoid... the UI for this new feature :D
Click to expand...

Just curious, did you try converting both CD and DVD? I have seen various forks of ps2classics only support DVD.
 
sandungas said:
Great, thats a lot of new features :encouragement:
I guess the ps2 saves and ps2 isos should be in 2 different menus
Click to expand...

yes, my idea is to list the VMCs in the "USB saves" or "HDD saves" menus, and the import/export ISO options in the "User backup" menu.

btw, I did all my tests using "CEX" mode settings... I know there's a DEX option in PS2 Classics, but I'm not sure when it should be used.
Is "dex" meant to be used if your PS3 is in dex mode? or is something else?
All the docs and tutorials I checked about PS2 classics and conversions always go with "CEX" settings, but well maybe you guys know better. :)
 
bucanero said:
btw, I did all my tests using "CEX" mode settings... I know there's a DEX option in PS2 Classics, but I'm not sure when it should be used.
Is "dex" meant to be used if your PS3 is in dex mode? or is something else?
All the docs and tutorials I checked about PS2 classics and conversions always go with "CEX" settings, but well maybe you guys know better. :)
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I dont really know, but i think the official DEX firmwares are not supposed to be able to run games in "PS2 classics" format
Is a bit related with this talk https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ps2-classic-why-get-a-black-screen-in-the-dex.3242/

Maybe rebug can do it (that thread is old, from 2015, maybe they found how to do it later)... but in this case im guessing is because rebug team is applying some special "magic patch" to the rebug D-REX firmwares
 
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aldostools said:
Just curious, did you try converting both CD and DVD? I have seen various forks of ps2classics only support DVD.
Click to expand...

I tried with my Gradius V disc (small game, ~400mbytes) and it worked fine. :) I used the "ps2classic latest" source that Kozarovv shared in a thread some time ago.
From the source code, I think it's the one that supports CD, DVD, includes LIMG and also handles 2048 and 2352 sectors.
 
If this is: http://redump.org/disc/15698/ then it is CD but there was also popular "CD2DVD" rips with patched LBA tables and media check (security layers to prevent peoples burning them on DVD, because first modchips doesn't supporting DVDs).

For sure CD games are all on mode 2 (2352; 2356 is for PSX with sub-channel data from Q up to W but I think they are useless anyway so I don't know why peoples makes such images) and probably all without CDDA tracks.
 
sandungas said:
I dont really know, but i think the official DEX firmwares are not supposed to be able to run games in "PS2 classics" format
Is a bit related with this talk https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ps2-classic-why-get-a-black-screen-in-the-dex.3242/

Maybe rebug can do it (that thread is old, from 2015, maybe they found how to do it later)... but in this case im guessing is because rebug team is applying some special "magic patch" to the rebug D-REX firmwares
Click to expand...

thanks for the info, I understand that the DEX mode is meant for DEX firmwares, but it doesn't work and the workaround they did was to patch the files with the CEX stuff, so actually even on dex you need to create PS2 classic images with the 'CEX' flag.
I'll leave my code fixed to 'cex' mode then. :)

Berion said:
If this is: http://redump.org/disc/15698/ then it is CD but there was also popular "CD2DVD" rips with patched LBA tables and media check (security layers to prevent peoples burning them on DVD, because first modchips doesn't supporting DVDs).
Click to expand...

I checked with the redump link you sent, and it matches. It's a US version game (CD)

btw, if anyone wants to look at the ps2classic source I used, it's here:
https://github.com/bucanero/apollo-ps3/commit/3fa74e13b1158ce57162b94c7b63f7e3d41aef83
 
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