 |
| Register | Login | |||||
 |
Main
| Memberlist
| Active users
| Calendar
| Chat
| Online users Ranks | FAQ | ACS | Stats | Color Chart | Search | Photo album |
|
| | ||
|
| Register | Login | |||||
|
Main
| Memberlist
| Active users
| Calendar
| Chat
| Online users Ranks | FAQ | ACS | Stats | Color Chart | Search | Photo album |
|
| | ||
| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - - Posts by Guy Perfect |
| Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
| User | Post | ||
Guy Perfect                  Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| The purpose of this thread is not to propose that the community undertake a project of any kind, but rather to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
In lieu of VL-Tone's work with a Super Mario 64 editor, ideas have been tossed about regarding open-source and a community effort in an editor project. In order to keep unrelated discussions from the editor's dedicated thread, I created this one. This is for discussion of the potential for the community to create software under an open-source mindset. In particular, this deals with the idea of software development as opposed to making modifications to a game. thegeek brought up the idea that this community has a good amount of knowledge and technique in terms of hacking ROM data and creating editor software, but the talent is sparse and unconcentrated. If a community project were to be undertaken, then the overall effectiveness, thoroughness, and quality of the result would very much surpass the capabilities of any one person. As for everyone else, who would not necessarily participate in the project, having the source code of the editor at hand with ample documentation and real-human resources for clarification would enable anyone to add their own extensions for their own personal needs. Modifications made to games would not have to be restricted to the capabilities of editor software or the hacker's ability to modify the ROM himself, but creating just the right extra features to existing tools to better suit individual hacking projects would far better increase the potential for productivity and perhaps even user skill. As a community effort, any given project would not be bound to a single author; thus, the ramifications of releasing the source code to the public involve a far lesser risk. - Source code theft is virtually a non-issue, as the true origin of the code would be obvious to anyone who had half a mind to look it up. All that a lackey will be able to achieve is a download that's blatantly a rip-off and has sorely-outdated code. - Newcomers and lesser-skilled members of the community can find a way to participate where their efforts will not go unseen. This is also a good way for these members to have an exemplar of how to work with all this stuff. - A psychological barrier will be avoided, as the credit will be attributed to the community (albeit individual contributors will have their contributions duely noted). This can prove to be an asset to Acmlm's Board's reputation as well as help to keep users from looking up to (or down on) one another. Personally, I feel that a community project would be a healthy thing to experiment with, at the very least. To my knowledge, no such project has ever been attempted in this community (though I may be mistaken), so doing so would at the least give us something to learn from. (edited by BGNG on 06-29-06 12:02 AM) |
|||
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Some of you may remember my earlier thread about Favorable Hacking Techniques... Well, I've decided to attemt to address as many of those concepts as I can with a single application.
I actually decided I would attempt this a long time ago, but now seems the time to actually do it. At the aforementioned long time ago, I typed out a prototype of what I IMAGINED I might be able to say about the project after its completion. And here, free of charge, is said prototype: Feature: Resource Search Engine
Techniques Addressed: 1, 1 1/2, 2, 8 Abstract: The Resource Search Engine can be used to search repositories of standardized resource links that can be searched to find whatever it is you're looking for. Using descriptions and various properties such as "system supported" or "game targeted," utilities, documentation, emulators and codes can be selected from an online database. Codes would be available such as Action Replay codes, which may help in the effort to hack a game. Feature: Flexible Hex Editor Techniques Addressed: 2, 3, 7 Abstract: The Flexible Hex Editor has the workings for a tool designed to hack. Featuring the standard features like binary editing, copy/paste, etc., the feature will also provide features that aid in an effort to hack a game. Taking after the great editor of DOS days, Hexposure, this editor will sports many of the same features. Advanced searching options allow case sensitive/insensite text searches, binary searches, endianness precautions, relative text searches and locating regions of differences between two files. Standard font table support is also included. Feature: Smart Corrupter Techniques Addressed: 4, 4 1/2 Abstract: The Smart Corrupter is a powerful tool that can be used to effectively locate certain data within ROM images. Regions of bytes within any file can be set to any value, series of values or random values. If desired, there is a Binary Elimination history option that can corrupt parts of the ROM automatically and keep track of what has been corrupted in the past. This is an aid in finding resource data in ROMs. The seeds for random values are recorded in order to reproduce the results, and a new file is created each time to avoid overwriting source files. In addition to all of these completely awesome ideas (-:, I also intend to include support for IPS and NINJA patch formats... as well as the ability to convert between them. One of the considerations I made was to create a disassembler, but that's more of a specialty item since it's different for every processor series ever created (save for Z80 and the GameBoy processor; the obligatory exception to the rule). I figured this utility should stick to the roots of being able to be used for any given purpose. There's no way I can guarantee a disassembly can be provided for said given purpose. Also, I've been at odds with myself in terms of whether or not to provide graphics viewing and editing capabilities such as those available in Tile Molester. While the features are simple to implement, it's more of a tool to MODIFY ROMs as opposed to HACKING the data that makes them up. There's a whole discussion about what's hacking and what's not, but I want the primary use of this utility to be for discovering what bytes in a file do what... as opposed to using it to make modifications. But the truth is, you can use a graphics viewer to help hack binary data. For example, you can use it to locate image data. There's also tell-tale signs of which regions of a ROM are compressed, which regions are offset tables, etc. There are graphical signatures to many things, even things that are not images. I'll probably end up implementing these features, but I'd like some feedback. Lastly, I'd like to present this project as an opportunity for the community to get involved. If there's enough demand for it, this project can become a conversation piece for Acmlm's Board. Whatever the circumstances, let me know your thoughts and criticisms. |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| As a last-minute thought, I decided to use my latest project proposal as an invitation to attempt a community project. Check out this thread for more information. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| I've taken the time to look at WindHex32 and I've found that it is essentially Hexposure with more features and for Windows. There are a few disadvantages that WindHex32 has over the proposed application:
- It provides nothing like the "Resource Search Engine" - It does not provide any form of ROM corruption other than perhaps copy-and-paste - It does not have the ability to use NINJA patches, which is much more extensive than IPS - It cannot edit or view graphics data with visual feedback - It is not cross-platform. Windows only If you take the time to consider the purpose of this project, you'll find that it is a proposal to address as many of the issues as possible that were mentioned in the "Favorable Hacking Techniques" thread. Yes, there are countless resources out there to do the same thing, but this project aims to bring them all together into one package. That's why I proposed it. RomHacking.net, Zophar.net and even Acmlm.org are all resources for hacking-releated things, but that's three places to look. If all of the information contained in each of those sites could be compiled into a single directory, then searching for tools and documentation would be substantially easier. There are several hex editors and corruptors out there, but that's still more downloads. Again, the open-source and cross-platform intent of this project will enable anyone to be able to contribute and anyone to be able to use it. Most ROM hacking tools today are limited to Microsoft Windows or DOS. This way, at least, there's a tidy collection of tools that are at the disposal of anyone for whatever purpose. I have also never seen a corrupter that will perform a binary elimination search like the one I proposed. |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| More importantly, requesting hacks and tools is not allowed in this forum. The best bet that someone has is to try everyone's best friend, Google. Things like "Is there a _______? If not, there should be" go over very poorly on this board. | |||
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Rollout was probably reduced to Tabletop if it is what it sounds like it is. It sounds like a Roll/Flip that you would do while Tabletop...ing. Secret Cheat Mode may have been remnants of a feature they had in for debugging, but I suppose it's possible that it's still in there.
A lot of the time, you'll find data in ROMs that never amounts to much. In the old days, you could find some pretty sloppy stuff. I've even heard of a game that had some of its source code ending up inside the commercial ROM in the end. While finding text within ROMs is always a good indicator, it doesn't necessarily mean those features still exist. (Does the Map Select thing still work in the retail Ocarina of Time game? I'm not sure it does) |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| I don't mean to sound like a moderator, but this is a discussion about Uniracers, not unused data in games. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| I'm sure we're all familiar with those annoying musics that lodge themselves in our brains then latch on to our sanity synapses and reroute all of our sensibilities to the grey matter equivalent of absolute HELL...
...like the song in those Vonage TV ads. What the deuce? But have you ever gotten anything good stuck in your head? Something that you didn't mind being there? I sometimes find myself humming musics in the morning shortly after I wake up. The sad part is, thems be the same tunes I was humming the night before when I went to bed. They get stuck all night! Hours, or sometimes days, I have the same music coexisting with my conciousness. But it's alright. I mean, the musics never, ever leave, but they're good stuff. I often find myself with some Star Wars or F-Zero X music stuck in my head all day, but it's a pleasant alternative to the mind-numbing bubbling of fries and the ever-present "sssssssss" of meat on the grill for hours on end. ('Tis the joy of working at a restaurant) What about you guys? You ever get anything appealing stuck in your brain that leaves you smiling as opposed to smashing your head into the wall? If so, what kinds of music do you involuntarily listen to under such circumstances? |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Sometimes, I get not-quite-a-music stuck in my head. Just the smallest concievable fragment of a music that's stored in my memory somewhere. It's typically just a few notes (as in: fewer than 10), but I recognize it as something that I... uh... recognize.
And then I spend much of the day playing those notes over and over in my head, trying with the audacity of a thousand fire ants to recollect the few notes that come before it or follow the given segment. I can't help but think if I think too much, I might lose the tune and forever be left to wonder what it was. Fortunately, that hasn't happened to me, yet. Every time to date, I eventually uncover what the full version of the music was and then I'm content to sleep that night. The same kinda thing happens when I hear one piece of a music within another music, but am reminded of the first. Especially with plagiarism. I've found two cases in City of Heroes musics where this has happened. The Hotzone music seems to borrow a sound effect from a music in Test Drive 4 and the J21 music from City of Villains, which is often used in Heroes' sewer missions, has a sound that's remarkably close to the one in Mr. EAD's tune from F-Zero GX. Well... yeah. Partial musics make me think long and hard about what the rest of the music was. |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| I considered posting this in the Programming forum, but decided it'd probably work better here due to the nature of these pieces.
You don't often find programs being submitted as art, but I think these two qualify. They're experimental widgets that I coded up do test various concepts and what I've ended up with are a couple of visual effects that I could stare at for hours on end. They don't so much have quality in detail or exp While I probably will not update these programs, I would like some feedback as to how you guys like them. I always find them fun to watch. Super Duper Star Demo The first one is an experimental particle engine that I created to test my ability to create... well, particle engines. It's the typical fountain demo, much the "Hello, World!" of particle engines. It uses sprites of various star shapes in various colors that move, blend, change hues and spin. The 1 and 2 keys invoke different physics rule sets. The up and down keys change the number of star particles in the mix. Stereoscopic Anaglyph... In 3D! The other one is a proof-of-concept that anaglyphic effects can be integrated with ordinary OpenGL applications under Windows without any special software processing. Although it uses only functionality available in the Windows API, the color channel mixing is done by software (BitBlt, if you know what that is) and thusly requires a processor of, say, 1 GHz to show a smooth animation. There are no keyboard controls for this demo, and the window cannot be resized. Red/Cyan 3D glasses are required to view it properly. As with any progam, I give no guarantee that it will work and I provide no warranty as to the damages these softwares may cause. If you're concerned about system damage or viruses, spyware, what-have-you, then do not download these. You may need the VB6 Runtimes to load the software if you're using a system older than Windows ME. These programs only work on Windows 95 and newer. Particle Engine Stereoscopy And now for the obligatory screenshots: Particle Engine 
Stereoscopy  |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Although it's uncommon, people do occasionally develop allergies that they've never had before. I had an instructor in middle school who became allergic to peanuts after some 30 years of loving them. He took it kinda hard when he couldn't eat a Reese's anymore. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| perfectkiosk.net
There actually is a home page there, but it's a spoof of the Internet Explorer "Server Not Found" thing, so people tend to overlook it. The nation is not strong in its ability to read. Anyhow, it's not every day that I can say I have full administrative responsibilities to my own little corner of the internet. And I mean everything. The server's located in my basement (which is where my room is. How typical is that?), I get to handle all that flunkie "hard disk failure" business, and I even get to be the one to unclog the tubes when the internet gets slow. I am, as ritualistic incantations will tell you, the server guy. Uptime is 10 days, 19:18 and I still haven't used it for much of anything. I will be putting up a hobby site for those things that I like to do (which usually involves people downloading them, then drooling in awe and asking for more), but this has been an opportunity for me to consider... If I haven't used it for anything, then what would other people use it for? So how's about it? If you happened to have a server with your own custom domain name on it, what would you do with it? Make a site for your projects? Put up yet another Acmlm's Board clone? Construct a monument to all things monkey? What has your long-time internet dream been? (Oh yeah, and no success stories. Things like "I already have a domain name with a site on it" aren't welcome in this thread) |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Ah, the classic "Under Construction." Excellent choice. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
#1: Originally posted by tahu363Actually, that would be Alpha. Beta is a stage in the developmental process where you have the finished product, but want to run it through some tests to make sure there aren't any bugs. It is not unreasonable for a Beta release to have no bugs in it at all. #2: Originally posted by DarkdataThat's so hypoctricitcal that it's actually kinda funny. #3: You guys know that I released a full-featured level editor for F-Zero X over a month ago, right? Wouldn't that give you your N64 modding fix for a while? |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| $200 total from other members of the family? Why waste it on prefabricated manufacturing? Truly the best gift would have been an actual $200 in cash. None of that gift card junk. That's bogus. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Quick terminology business... Sprites are rasterized images. Static. Pre-created. 3D objects are called Models when they're made out of polygons. When you have a 3D sprite, it has to be made out of voxels. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Were there really any sharks, or was Super Bird just paranoid? Is that what gives him his super powers? That'd be cool. Paranoia-activated super powers. | |||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
Originally posted by setzBump keys do not damage locks. They use the same method as a snap gun, which just jogs the pins into place temporarily so you can turn it. The linked video states that insurance companies won't reimburse a theft conducted with a bump key because it leaves no sign of burglary. "You probably just left the door open" One thing of interest from the video is when the interviewer asked the locksmith "So are bump keys illegal?" The other guy said no, you can't outlaw keys. "But these are keys that could be used to commit a burglary." "Yes, but other things can be used to commit burglaries, like a screwdriver or a saw." That made me happy to hear, because legislators (primarily liberal) enjoy putting bans on things that might, maybe, possibly, concievably be used for something a bit, slightly, somewhat like something that's illegal. That just makes messes. The locksmith in the video is aware that criminals are a greater threat than bump keys, and I think he got it spot-on. |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| I dunno about you, but every forum I ever post in usually involves me exerting one of my lesser-known super powers of mystical magical might of unbeknownst origin.
Some speculate that I got it from drinking too much radioactive sugar-free Kool Aid, some say that I was bitten by an isometric oyster, but I personally believe it's as simple as the fact that everyone else is less-than-super in this one specific ability. The ability in question (you were questioning it, weren't you?) is the uncanny ability to kill a thread simply by posting in it. Got a discussion underway? No problem! Just call Guy Perfect! He'll post in it, and he'll have the last word. It works quite often. I don't know what causes it. So let's have it. Prove to the world the awesomeness of my skill. Let's see if no one replies to this post. |
|||
|
Guy Perfect Since: 11-18-05 Last post: 6314 days Last view: 6313 days |
| ||
| Considering the TRUE identity of my power is to cause people to be gullible, I'd say you serve as a righteous example of my excellence. (-: |
| Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - - Posts by Guy Perfect |
