UPS patching specification

Update: While rijonAdventures still uses the UPS format, we now have a different recommended method applying it to your ROM file. For up-to-date setup instructions, please click here.

rijonAdventures will be supporting a new patching format called UPS. This format allows for a much bigger ROM size (more for working on!). It’s a new format that aims to also iron out the problems with the IPS format.

(Note: rijonAdventures’ public beta is not currently using UPS.)

Please spread the use of this format!
UPS needs a big kickstart to get working, and it takes support from a lot of hacks! If you’re hacking a game, help the format out by changing from IPS to UPS.

And if you’re hacking Diamond and Pearl or plan to in the future, the UPS format will be absolutely necessary to use!

Read on to find out about why rijonAdventures will be using UPS and what benefits it provides.

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rijonAdventures will be using a new patching format called UPS, created by byuu. This format is being used as it supports creating patches and applying them to sizes much larger than 16 MB. In comparison, IPS can only handle 16 MB.

Archivist’s note: byuu’s page is now offline, I have instead linked an archived page snapped at the time of this blog post.

What does this new format mean for rijonAdventures? Do other games use this format?

rijonAdventures will become a 32 MB ROM (or at least, larger than 16 MB). The extra space that UPS allows for means that there will be more content to put in the game. This can include much larger maps, more scripts and text, etc.

The version of rijonAdventures available to beta testers is in the UPS format, too.

The Unified Mother 3 Fan Translation project is already going to utilize the UPS format. For their intents and purposes, their use for the UPS format will further their ability to translate the game (and in their case, Mother 3 is unfortunately a 32 MB ROM, which IPS simply cannot support).

Will UPS files work in VisualBoyAdvance, Lunar IPS, etc.?

No. The UPS format’s specifications are different from the IPS format’s. However, just as there are patching programs for Lunar IPS, there are programs for UPS.

VisualBoyAdvance does not yet support UPS patches. Whether support will be implemented or not hasn’t been documented.

What program do I use to patch with UPS?

There are numerous UPS patchers available today. Windows users can download Tsukuyomi from here. Mac users can download UPS here.

Combination of three related posts on the old Rijon website, now offline, and PokéCommunity forums, now deleted. Blog post archive link. UPS page archive link. PokéCommunity post archive link. The links to the UPS patcher’s are no longer available. Please see our setup page for the more modern method of patching ROM files.