Games can't use saves transferred from another console

[amenoko]

I have tried transferring saves of two games from a PS3 slim to a super slim, according to what I understand is the correct procedure, and both fail unless I create a new save and then decrypt the old save and import it. The games are Tomb Raider Trilogy (BLES01195) and Rock Band 3 (BLUS30463).

This is what I believe is how you're supposed to do it but correct me if I'm just wrong: On the old console, use Apollo to copy the save from HDD to a USB drive. On the new console, plug in that USB drive, in Apollo copy the save from USB to HDD and hit "Apply & Resign". The save shows up in the PS3 XMB. However, in Rock Band 3 I get an error message about the save file and I'm asked if I want to wipe it and create a new one. In Tomb Raider the save file doesn't show up at all, I can only start a new game.

What does work on the other hand is letting the game create a new save on the new console, then in Apollo decrypt the USB save from the old console and import it into the fresh HDD save. This works for both games. The only oddity being that the title and description of the Tomb Raider save is understandably wrong (it says 0%) but when launching the game I can continue at where I left off on my old console (at 68%), and once the game saves the title and description are corrected as well.

I've also tried the following: Delete the save on the new console, copy from USB to HDD, decrypt from USB, and import on HDD. this does not work either (with Tomb Raider at least, I haven't tested this on Rock Band 3 but I assume it'd be similar). Neither does changing file permissions to match those of my working saves for other games (Apollos saves seem to have slightly different permissions to native saves, e.g. 644 instead of 600).

Log file of when I copied from USB to HDD and hit "Apply & Resign" on the HDD saves:

apollo.log

Am I doing something wrong?

The "import decrypted save" option is also the only way I got the Rock Band 3 save I had on my PC in RPCS3 working on my console. I'd put the SAVE.DAT in the dev_hdd0/tmp folder and in the HDD save hit "import decrypted save" and that seemed to be the only way to get the save game working. Copying and resigning has just never worked for me.

[bucanero]

Keep in mind, when you copy from USB to HDD, you need to Apply & Resign before you copy to the HDD, or else you'll have to go to the "HDD saves" menu listing afterwards and "apply / resign" there.

Also, unless it's a locked save, you can copy from/to USB using the XMB system interface, and the easiest way to play across different PS3 systems is just to activate and have the same account-id in both PS3 consoles, so you don't even need to do any resigning or even open Apollo.
No need to go online or create a real account, you can use Apollo to do a "fake console activation" (check Settings menu), and you'll get an account-id for the local user. Just be sure to use the same account-id value for the other console and that's it, you can move saves around without any resigning.

As long as saves are tied to an account-id, you can open those saves in any PS3 that has the account. (Resigning only makes sense when you want to use saves from other users, like saves downloaded or shared online)

About RPCS3, it's an emulator problem, and your workaround (import decrypted save) is the only solution. They don't use the original PS3 save file format, the emu is not following the original PS3 specs and Apollo is built and created for real ps3 systems. You can read more details here: #28 (comment)

[amenoko]

Keep in mind, when you copy from USB to HDD, you need to Apply & Resign before you copy to the HDD, or else you'll have to go to the "HDD saves" menu listing afterwards and "apply / resign" there.

I do that and the saves don't work.

Also, unless it's a locked save, you can copy from/to USB using the XMB system interface, and the easiest way to play across different PS3 systems is just to activate and have the same account-id in both PS3 consoles, so you don't even need to do any resigning or even open Apollo.

I was under the impression that Apollo is the easiest way since you don't have to worry about console ID or the save being locked or anything as long as you copy and resign with Apollo. That's how it's supposed to work, right? Or did I misunderstand the purpose of the app?

I brought up the RPCS3 workaround because it's the only thing that works for my two (real) consoles, and that seems wrong to me. This isn't a bug report about RPCS3.

[bucanero]

I was under the impression that Apollo is the easiest way since you don't have to worry about console ID or the save being locked or anything as long as you copy and resign with Apollo. That's how it's supposed to work, right? Or did I misunderstand the purpose of the app?

Yes, Apollo is meant for save game management and backups, but from your logs, the problem is that you're trying to mix a PS3 user with no account-id, and another system with an account-id. Save signature logic is different for "local user with no account", and "user with an account-id". (the operating system applies additional checks and strict controls to saves from Local-only accounts)

That's why I already suggested: on the system with a "local account", just do a fake activation and use the account-id 52f824bb222557a9. Then you'll save a lot of time and will just copy saves with no need to resign anything.

[amenoko]

I'm sorry, please clarify - are you saying that the process I described:

On the old console, use Apollo to copy the save from HDD to a USB drive. On the new console, plug in that USB drive, in Apollo copy the save from USB to HDD and hit "Apply & Resign" [on the HDD save].

is wrong? Because from what I gather online, this is how you're supposed to be able to play saves from foreign consoles. That's what I thought "apply & resign" does - make a foreign save usable on the new console.

On the new console I recently did a factory reset, installed hen and logged into my PSN. The PSN account is the same as on the old console. I'm not sure how that should work with local account activation, I've read that they shouldn't be mixed. And doing all that is so much more complicated than what I was sure the purpose of this app was - importing foreign saves by copying and hitting "resign".

Is this a bug? Or does Apollo not have this functionality?