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05-08-24 03:35 AM |
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| 0 users currently in ROM Hacking | 3 guests | 1 bot |
| Main - ROM Hacking - Programming question | New thread | New reply |
| H4ck3r |
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 Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 33/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Hi everyone!
Previous week, i started programming a sma4 level viewer, which i have released ( it can be found here: http://code.google.com/p/super-mario-advance-4-level-editor/downloads/list). Now i have a problem and i don't know if you guy's wanna help me but alright. The problem is, how do i program my editor so, that it can edit the sma4 levels? Not something like Lunar Magic, but like hex. It's not that i am lazy or something, but i just can't figure it out. If anyone could help me, i would realy appreciate it. ____________________ 
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| NightKev |
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 Cape Luigi Level: 131 Posts: 4698/4792 EXP: 26254550 Next: 170070 Since: 03-15-07 Last post: 3746 days Last view: 3658 days |
Perhaps you missed the already existing thread for this? I believe someone has already made substantial progress on a SMA4 editor, you should talk to him. ____________________ |
| H4ck3r |
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Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 34/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Posted by NightKev I know there is a SMA4 editor thread, and i asked them, via PM and via the thread itself, but i am not getting any reply, so that's why i ask it here. ____________________
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| Stifu |
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 Cobrat Level: 56 Posts: 360/666 EXP: 1362561 Next: 35615 Since: 02-22-07 Last post: 697 days Last view: 319 days |
Posted by H4ck3r When you load your ROM with your editor, you probably keep a byte array in memory that represents the content of the ROM file, right? If not, you should. Then all you have to do is change some of these byte values, then create a new ROM file from this modified byte array. What I do in my editor: - Load the ROM file into a byte array (buffer), and keep it in memory (don't discard it, so you don't have to reload the ROM again later) - Create various objects from reading this byte array (stages, tiles, enemies, etc) - When the user modifies something, the objects are modified, but not the byte array (not yet) - When the user saves, the values of all of the objects are used to update the byte array - Just create a new file from the updated byte array |
| H4ck3r |
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Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 35/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Posted by StifuPosted by H4ck3r Thank you for this helpfull info, Stifu! Oh, and if i want that the editor ONLY opens SMA4, do i need to program that if the rom has that and that info, he only opens that? Am i right? EDIT: My editor ONLY show's an object list from SMA4 without opening the actual rom, but i think that if i know this, i will also be able to let it show a real object list when i know this. Oh, and is it possible to make a SMA4 editor ( that edit sma4 via hex ) in batch? ____________________
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| Kawa |
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 CHIKKN NI A BAAZZKIT!!! 80's Cheerilee is best pony Level: 138 Posts: 5217/5344 EXP: 30973695 Next: 689286 Since: 02-20-07 From: The Netherlands Last post: 4510 days Last view: 2645 days |
Posted by H4ck3rYou've got to be kidding me. ____________________ Wife make lunch - Shampoo Opera - give it a spin Spare some of your free time? <GreyMaria> I walked around the Lake so many goddamn times that my sex drive was brutally murdered Kawa rocks  — byuu |
| H4ck3r |
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Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 36/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Posted by KawaPosted by H4ck3rYou've got to be kidding me. Just as i thought. I am gonna write version 2 ( and the newer version's ) of my editor's in C. ____________________
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| Stifu |
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Cobrat Level: 56 Posts: 361/666 EXP: 1362561 Next: 35615 Since: 02-22-07 Last post: 697 days Last view: 319 days |
Posted by H4ck3r Yes. You check some values to ensure you're about to open a correct ROM. For example, check my code. I have a ValidateRom() method which calls 2 sub methods, IsSnesRom() and IsSuperMarioKart(). Posted by H4ck3r What do you mean "in batch", exactly? Have one or more batches act as an editor? Sounds bad. By the way, you'll end up understanding "via hex" doesn't actually make sense. You relate to hex editors because you've used them to edit ROMs, but hexa decimal is just a way to display / format data. You handle bytes, it doesn't matter on which base (bit, decimal, hex, nibble, whatever) you read or edit them, it's all the same in the end. Depending on the context, you may want to handle the data on a different base. |
| Kawa |
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CHIKKN NI A BAAZZKIT!!! 80's Cheerilee is best pony Level: 138 Posts: 5218/5344 EXP: 30973695 Next: 689286 Since: 02-20-07 From: The Netherlands Last post: 4510 days Last view: 2645 days |
Posted by StifuFor example, in my editors I display and edit coordinates in decimal, but have script pointers in hex. Also, Stifu: batch = .bat files. ____________________ Wife make lunch - Shampoo Opera - give it a spin Spare some of your free time? <GreyMaria> I walked around the Lake so many goddamn times that my sex drive was brutally murdered Kawa rocks — byuu |
| Stifu |
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Cobrat Level: 56 Posts: 362/666 EXP: 1362561 Next: 35615 Since: 02-22-07 Last post: 697 days Last view: 319 days |
Posted by Kawa Yeah, I know, but I couldn't really figure how it'd work. Like, the user would be supposed to pass parameters to the batch to define what he wants to change, or something? |
| Kawa |
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CHIKKN NI A BAAZZKIT!!! 80's Cheerilee is best pony Level: 138 Posts: 5219/5344 EXP: 30973695 Next: 689286 Since: 02-20-07 From: The Netherlands Last post: 4510 days Last view: 2645 days |
Batch files can't handle files on the required level on their own, I think. ____________________ Wife make lunch - Shampoo Opera - give it a spin Spare some of your free time? <GreyMaria> I walked around the Lake so many goddamn times that my sex drive was brutally murdered Kawa rocks — byuu |
| H4ck3r |
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Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 37/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Posted by StifuPosted by H4ck3r I think i get it now. So if i want it to open SMA4 i type this in my code: ValidateRom() IsGbaRom() IsSuperMarioAdvance4(). Am i right? ____________________
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| Stifu |
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Cobrat Level: 56 Posts: 363/666 EXP: 1362561 Next: 35615 Since: 02-22-07 Last post: 697 days Last view: 319 days |
Posted by H4ck3r That's the idea, but you'll have to implement each of these methods, of course, it's not magic. And you do not have to do it exactly like me. 
(Not to mention C# naming conventions are different from C ones.) |
| H4ck3r |
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Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 38/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Posted by StifuPosted by H4ck3r Ok, so now i need to find a way to "play" with the bytes? ____________________
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| Stifu |
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Cobrat Level: 56 Posts: 364/666 EXP: 1362561 Next: 35615 Since: 02-22-07 Last post: 697 days Last view: 319 days |
You just read certain bytes and create objects from the values you read.
To find out which bytes you want to read/write, you basically have 2 options: find out where index tables / offsets are defined in the ROM (so you can dynamically retrieve offsets), or hard-code offsets. You should try to go for the first option as much as possible, to ensure your editor is flexible and behaves closer to how the game runs. Example: in the ROM, you have some kind of master index that defines the location of each stage in the ROM (no idea whether that's true for SMA4, just an example). You retrieve these offsets from the ROM, and then loop through each stage data to load them all. Or only load them one by one, on demand, because it might not be optimal to load them all at once (depending on your needs). So... Got documentation on SMA4 that gives you some of the offsets you need? That'd be a good starting point. |
| Kawa |
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CHIKKN NI A BAAZZKIT!!! 80's Cheerilee is best pony Level: 138 Posts: 5221/5344 EXP: 30973695 Next: 689286 Since: 02-20-07 From: The Netherlands Last post: 4510 days Last view: 2645 days |
Ik heb zo'n donkerbruin vermoeden dat H4ck3r geen flauw benul heeft van wat -ie moet doen. ____________________ Wife make lunch - Shampoo Opera - give it a spin Spare some of your free time? <GreyMaria> I walked around the Lake so many goddamn times that my sex drive was brutally murdered Kawa rocks — byuu |
| Stifu |
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Cobrat Level: 56 Posts: 365/666 EXP: 1362561 Next: 35615 Since: 02-22-07 Last post: 697 days Last view: 319 days |
Possibly. Gotta start somewhere.
To sum things up: making an editor is just the act of automating things you'd be able to do manually (through a hex editor, for example). If you couldn't do what you want manually, learn how to do that first. |
| H4ck3r |
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Red Paragoomba Level: 17 Posts: 39/50 EXP: 24283 Next: 460 Since: 06-08-11 From: The Netherlands Last post: 3745 days Last view: 2427 days |
Posted by Kawa Ik ben op dit moment C# aan het leren, zodat ik ( hopelijk ) op een dag in staat ben om een goedwerkende SMA4 editor te programeren Ontopic: Ik kan er wel wat dingen uit opmaken van wat Stifu zegt, ik kan namelijk al een ( beetje ) Hex, dus als iemand ( bijvoorbeeld ) praat over offset's, of adressen, weet ik wel een beetje wat het betekent. ____________________
Jack in, Megaman! Power up! |
| Kawa |
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CHIKKN NI A BAAZZKIT!!! 80's Cheerilee is best pony Level: 138 Posts: 5226/5344 EXP: 30973695 Next: 689286 Since: 02-20-07 From: The Netherlands Last post: 4510 days Last view: 2645 days |
Protip: gebruik een BinaryWriter/Reader. Dan kan je tenminste de meeste standaard gegevenstypen lezen (bijv. Int16 en 32), plus de enkele bytes en reeksen van bytes die je met louter File.Open krijgt.
Maar gebruik 't niet voor strings -- BinaryWriter.ReadString verwacht dat "HELLO WORLD" opgeslagen is als "\x0BHELLO WORLD", dus met de lengte ervoor, terwijl de meeste strings in ROMs opgeslagen zijn met een vaste lengte of in C-stijl met Null terminators; "HELLO WORLD\0". Bonus achtergrond uitleg: wat als je een string van meer dan 256 tekens wilt opslaan? De lengte van de string is een variabele-lengte waarde, net als MIDI deltatijden en UTF-8. Het slaat dus eigenlijk al toe bij strings van 128 tekens of meer. Maar in de context van ROM hacking moet je vooral niet BinaryReader/Writer gebruiken voor strings, dus maakt dat niet zoveel uit. Ik kan desnoods wel een functie voor je schrijven die C-stijl strings mogelijk maakt... ____________________ Wife make lunch - Shampoo Opera - give it a spin Spare some of your free time? <GreyMaria> I walked around the Lake so many goddamn times that my sex drive was brutally murdered Kawa rocks — byuu |
| Main - ROM Hacking - Programming question | New thread | New reply |
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