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Prerequisites

To build Una Aventura Inesperada, you need:
  • devkitPro - Nintendo DS toolchain
  • libnds - Nintendo DS library
  • ARM cross-compiler - For ARM9/ARM7 processors
  • Git - For version control
This project targets the Nintendo DS hardware and requires specific cross-compilation tools. Standard C compilers will not work.

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Installing devkitPro

1

Download devkitPro

Visit the official devkitPro website and download the installer for your platform:
  • Windows: Use the graphical installer
  • macOS: Use Homebrew or the pkg installer
  • Linux: Use the pacman-based installer
Linux Installation
wget https://github.com/devkitPro/pacman/releases/latest/download/devkitpro-pacman.amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i devkitpro-pacman.amd64.deb
2

Install NDS Development Tools

Once devkitPro is installed, install the Nintendo DS development package:
sudo dkp-pacman -S nds-dev
This installs:
  • devkitARM (ARM cross-compiler)
  • libnds (Nintendo DS library)
  • default ARM7 binary
  • tools (ndstool, grit, etc.)
3

Set Environment Variables

Add these to your shell configuration file (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):
export DEVKITPRO=/opt/devkitpro
export DEVKITARM=$DEVKITPRO/devkitARM
export PATH=$DEVKITARM/bin:$PATH
Reload your shell:
source ~/.bashrc
4

Verify Installation

Check that the ARM compiler is available:
arm-none-eabi-gcc --version
You should see output like:
arm-none-eabi-gcc (devkitARM release XX) X.X.X

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Required Dependencies

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Core Libraries

The project uses these libnds headers (~/workspace/source/source/main.c:9): 
#include <nds.h>          // Main NDS library
#include <stdio.h>        // Standard I/O
#include <stdlib.h>       // Standard library  
#include <nds/ndstypes.h> // NDS type definitions

​
libnds Features Used

  • Video Engine: Background layers, VRAM management
  • Input System: Touch screen, D-pad, buttons
  • Interrupts: VBlank, timers, keyboard
  • DMA: Fast memory transfers for graphics
  • Timers: Animation and input debouncing

​
Project Directory Structure

Clone and explore the project: 
git clone <repository-url>
cd una-aventura-inesperada

​
Expected Structure

.
├── source/
│   ├── main.c              # Main game code
│   ├── teselas.h           # Tile definitions
│   ├── menuPrincipal.h     # Menu graphics header
│   ├── menuPrincipal.s     # Menu graphics data
│   ├── HUD.h               # HUD graphics header
│   ├── HUD.s               # HUD graphics data
│   ├── Cinematica*.h/.s    # Cinematic frames
│   └── Pregunta*.h/.s      # Question screens
├── Makefile                # Build configuration
└── README.md               # Project documentation
```text

<Note>
The actual project currently has a flat structure in `source/` without a Makefile in the repository. You may need to create one based on the standard devkitPro NDS template.
</Note>

## Creating a Makefile

If the project doesn't include a Makefile, create one based on the devkitPro template:

```makefile title="Basic Makefile"
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.SUFFIXES:
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ifeq ($(strip $(DEVKITARM)),)
$(error "DEVKITARM must be set in your environment")
endif

include $(DEVKITARM)/ds_rules

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TARGET is the name of the output
# BUILD is the directory where object files & intermediate files will be placed
# SOURCES is a list of directories containing source code
# DATA is a list of directories containing data files
# INCLUDES is a list of directories containing header files
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TARGET      := una-aventura-inesperada
BUILD       := build
SOURCES     := source
DATA        := data
INCLUDES    := include

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# options for code generation
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARCH    := -mthumb -mthumb-interwork

CFLAGS  := -g -Wall -O2\
           -march=armv5te -mtune=arm946e-s\
           $(ARCH)

CFLAGS  += $(INCLUDE) -DARM9
CXXFLAGS := $(CFLAGS) -fno-rtti -fno-exceptions

ASFLAGS := -g $(ARCH)
LDFLAGS  = -specs=ds_arm9.specs -g $(ARCH) -Wl,-Map,$(notdir $*.map)

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# any extra libraries we wish to link with the project
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIBS    := -lnds9

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# list of directories containing libraries
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIBDIRS := $(LIBNDS)

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ifneq ($(BUILD),$(notdir $(CURDIR)))
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

export OUTPUT   := $(CURDIR)/$(TARGET)

export VPATH    := $(foreach dir,$(SOURCES),$(CURDIR)/$(dir))\
                   $(foreach dir,$(DATA),$(CURDIR)/$(dir))

export DEPSDIR  := $(CURDIR)/$(BUILD)

CFILES      := $(foreach dir,$(SOURCES),$(notdir $(wildcard $(dir)/*.c)))
CPPFILES    := $(foreach dir,$(SOURCES),$(notdir $(wildcard $(dir)/*.cpp)))
SFILES      := $(foreach dir,$(SOURCES),$(notdir $(wildcard $(dir)/*.s)))

export OFILES   := $(CFILES:.c=.o) $(CPPFILES:.cpp=.o) $(SFILES:.s=.o)

export INCLUDE  := $(foreach dir,$(INCLUDES),-I$(CURDIR)/$(dir))\
                   $(foreach dir,$(LIBDIRS),-I$(dir)/include)\
                   -I$(CURDIR)/$(BUILD)

export LIBPATHS := $(foreach dir,$(LIBDIRS),-L$(dir)/lib)

.PHONY: $(BUILD) clean

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$(BUILD):
	@[ -d $@ ] || mkdir -p $@
	@$(MAKE) --no-print-directory -C $(BUILD) -f $(CURDIR)/Makefile

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
clean:
	@echo clean ...
	@rm -fr $(BUILD) $(TARGET).elf $(TARGET).nds

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
else

INCLUDE := $(INCLUDE) -I$(CURDIR)/../source

DEPENDS := $(OFILES:.o=.d)

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# main targets
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$(OUTPUT).nds: $(OUTPUT).elf
$(OUTPUT).elf: $(OFILES)

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
%.bin.o: %.bin
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	@echo $(notdir $<)
	@$(bin2o)

-include $(DEPENDS)

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
endif
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Graphics Conversion
# Add to the basic Makefile for automatic image conversion

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Graphics files
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRAPHICS := graphics

BMPFILES := $(foreach dir,$(GRAPHICS),$(wildcard $(dir)/*.bmp))
PNGFILES := $(foreach dir,$(GRAPHICS),$(wildcard $(dir)/*.png))

# Convert to .s and .h files
%.s %.h: %.bmp
	@echo $(notdir $<)
	@grit $< -fts -o$(basename $@)

%.s %.h: %.png  
	@echo $(notdir $<)
	@grit $< -fts -o$(basename $@)

​
Development Tools

​
Essential Tools

1

ndstool

Creates .nds ROM files from compiled binaries:
ndstool -c game.nds -9 game.elf
2

grit

Converts images to NDS-compatible formats:
grit image.png -fts -oimage
Generates image.s (bitmap data) and image.h (header)
3

arm-none-eabi-gcc

The ARM cross-compiler:
arm-none-eabi-gcc -mthumb -mthumb-interwork -march=armv5te main.c

​
Optional Tools

  • DeSmuME: Nintendo DS emulator for testing
  • NO$GBA: Alternative emulator with debugger
  • grit: Image conversion tool (included with devkitPro)
  • ndstool: ROM builder (included with devkitPro)

​
Configuration Files

​
Compiler Flags

For Nintendo DS development, use these flags: 
ARCH := -mthumb -mthumb-interwork
CFLAGS := -g -Wall -O2 -march=armv5te -mtune=arm946e-s $(ARCH)
CFLAGS += -DARM9
LDFLAGS := -specs=ds_arm9.specs -g $(ARCH)
Flag Explanations:
  • -mthumb: Use Thumb instruction set (smaller code)
  • -march=armv5te: Target ARMv5TE architecture
  • -mtune=arm946e-s: Optimize for ARM946E-S CPU
  • -DARM9: Define ARM9 preprocessor macro
  • -specs=ds_arm9.specs: Link for NDS ARM9 processor

​
Git Configuration

Create a .gitignore file: 
# Build artifacts
*.elf
*.nds
*.o
*.d
*.map
build/

# Editor files
*.swp
*~
.vscode/
.idea/

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

​
Next Steps

Once your environment is set up:
  1. Read the Building guide to compile the game
  2. Check the Assets guide to understand the graphics pipeline
  3. Review the Architecture to understand the codebase
If you encounter issues, check that DEVKITPRO and DEVKITARM environment variables are correctly set.

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