Thanks! :)
Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
41–50 of 69 posts
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#42The author also created SpaceChem, which is one of the best programming/engineering games out there. For just programming games, I'd call it my second all time favorite just behind Robot Odyssey, an ancient Apple ][ game. This gives some great context to where SpaceChem came from. Thanks Zach!
SpaceChem is included in the current Humble Bundle, with still 10 hours remaining, FWIW.
Sweet! Thanks for the tip. looks like EFF just got another donation for $6.54 USD, and thank you Zach for donating your software for charity!
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#43Gameplay video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQhFSf--yUI
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#4410/10 good article. I wonder if something remotely similar is possible with todays games. With all the custom data formats and compression algorithms being used.
Absolutely! Are there any games you'd like to see in particular?
I would love to see something like Football Manager, it's perfect for data extraction, I think, as it's largely a game of data.
I know a few programs are able to read the data, such as FM Genie Scout (Watch out if you download, it's filled with adware) and FMRTE (Paid only).
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#45Great article, brings back hex hacking, I remember doing the same with Virtua Tennis for the PC, then someone else wrote up an article after doing the same thing.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/557900-virtua-tennis/faqs/19110
I think I made a little tool to unlock all the options and enabling players you couldn't otherwise get IIRC.
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#46Great article. Thanks for being so rigorous with the step-by-step process and for annotating your thoughts on each step, it's very instructive.
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#47Love it. Any pointers for an easier old (or new) game to have a go at pulling apart like this?
NES games are pretty easy to tear apart, and emulator tools are pretty good. I use fceuxdsp, running in Wine because I'm too lazy to build it natively. The 6502 was too slow to do any complex compression, and there was really no need to encrypt an NES ROM. Later consoles, of course, get more complex, but the NES is a good place to start.
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I may be so blunt, I suggest you help yourself. You will no longer be 'C# illiterate' when you have. I'm having difficulty understanding in what way C# is difficult to read for someone who can write in the languages that you mentioned.
Must be a troll or a comment on the wrong thread. I know neither language, have no clue about programming and have no trouble understanding the logic in the code snippets.
It is frustrating to see tools like this written with C#, because most C# developers have no mind to cross-platform compatibility. Often they'll build the UI using the Microsoft-specific frameworks, which Mono doesn't support. .NET programs also don't often run well in Wine, leaving me with a ton of work to do to get it running on Linux.
It's not really the language that's the problem so much as the incredibly proprietary environment in which it's used.
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#49This looks to me like the file is in something like the IFF format: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interchange_File_Format
Re: Reverse engineering the binary data format for Star Wars: Yoda Stories
#5010/10 good article. I wonder if something remotely similar is possible with todays games. With all the custom data formats and compression algorithms being used.
It's not necessarily easy, but decoding MMO data files can be massively profitable for players. Reams of valuable data are often stored client-side to save on sending it during gameplay. You can maybe learn what items are in the game (including items in not-yet-released updates), where the items drop, and what the exact % droprate they have. You can learn the exact HP and other stats of mobs (if it isn't normally displayed).
If you mean extracting images, 2d image formats are pretty easy and 3d are quite doable. Things like http://kayin.moe/?p=2218 exist for some games.