Chapter 3: File Management
In order to be a successful hacker you need to have a lot of good management.
To start, try and use as few programs at once as possible. What you can’t do is use one program to edit something, use another program to edit it, and then go back to the 1st program and edit it again. It’ll undo changes from the 2nd edit because the 1st program doesn’t know that the 2nd program edited it.
What I suggest doing is when you’re done making edits with a program, save, and then exit out, and go to another program. This helps avoid confusions between programs.
Note that HxD, a hex editor, reloads a file from its source, so it DOES recognize edits made in between, this is kind of an exception.
Also, when a ROM or some other file is being edited, you can’t edit it with another program or the other program will give an error. As said, finish up what you’re doing with one program first.
Another key to file management is to organize your folders and the such. Make a hacking folder and divide that into a few more folders—one with programs, one with CLEAN ROMs (unedited), one with hacks, one with other files, etc., it really helps.
Most importantly, BACK UP YOUR GAME. After every major change, BACK UP YOUR GAME. Before you apply some patch to some game, BACK UP YOUR GAME. Before and after you insert graphics, BACK UP YOUR GAME. You never know when something crappy might happen. Have a folder JUST for back-ups and label your back-ups with the date, and maybe even what you did before or after that back-up. For example, if I was about to insert some portraits, I would back-up my game, call it “PrePortraitsBUP-070410.gba” and store it in a folder. Then I know what I did after (inserted portraits), I know it’s a back-up, and when I took it.
If you have good file management then you’re on your way to making a big successful hack. ^_^
Chapter 4: Pointer Tables
Note: This is a copy/paste from my old hacking tutorial.
What is a pointer table? Start by opening your hex editor, and selecting Go to, jump, or whatever sounds like that. I’d like you to go to c9c9cc for this.
At 0xc9c9cc you’ll find pointers. It’ll look like a bunch of numbers and 08’s for that matter. If it doesn’t, then you are either at the wrong place or in a wrong ROM. To make sure, it should look like this.
Now that you are there, you are probably confused with all these “pointers”. I call this the Event Reference Table, although since it has more than events, you can call it the Reference Table I suppose.
A pointer is reversed by little Endian, that formatting thing I talked about. So the first pointer 4CC73408 is 0834C74C. The 08 is added onto every address in the game. I’ll get into that later, but for now, just sort of ignore it. You won’t need to worry about it too much until you get into ASM (assembly) or expansion.
Now this is the great table that you will use to repoint things. Repointing is changing the pointer to somewhere else. Now let’s say I repoint to extra space, where this is tons of free space to do whatever. Then I could put tons of information there, or rather much more information than the game normally allows. For instance, you are limited to around 150 weapons by editing the data that’s already there. But if you have more space, you can add more items. Repointing data to this new space is expansion. Hopefully it’ll get clearer as the guide continues.
I hope that was useful for you!