Hacking (pt. 4 – end)

Finally… I’d like to apologize before, for being idle for a very long time. Not a big deal, actually, it’s just I don’t know where to continue from…

Anyway, let’s get back to the topic. Here is the main topic, that is, how to hack the memory. But make sure you have fulfilled all the prerequirements I mentioned in my former posts (memory editor, hex understanding, etc).

First, open your memory editor (if you have separate finder-patcher, open them both), then the game (application) you want to hack.

IMPORTANT! Be sure to do it in the correct order, as not all application would allow task-switching

Next, switch to the memory editor (or finder, but NOT patcher) you opened earlier.Find the process you want to hack, and hook it (detail process differs among different editor, so I don’t write step-by-step here. I will write the details in a separate post later). Got it? Good.

Then, initiate a memory search. For simplicity matter, it’s easier to find a value you’ve known exactly (the value is displayed clearly in the game screen).

This is where your knowledge takes place. As you see, the number is 56; therefore it would be better to set the data size to BYTE instead of LONG. LONG will also work, but it takes more time to search the memory as 56 (0×38) is also LONG and so is 4152 (0×1038) and 1397100856 (0×53461138). They all contain the number 0×38 so if you search with data size LONG (4 bytes), those three values might show up. On your request, I can write a program to demonstrate this.

The first search would likely yield so many results, so you’ll have to “filter” them. The simplest way is to lose one of your lives (so it becomes 55). Now search again. But instead of searching the entire memory, search in the previously found addresses. Keep doing this, and you’ll eventually get the correct address (unless the value you search wasn’t quite right, of course).

Now that we’ve got the correct address, switch to your patcher. Unhook the finder and hook the patcher. This step is important. If you don’t do it, then, let’s say, uhh… Just do it, alright? Trust me; you don’t want to lose your valuable work, after spending hours reading this creepy guide!

Next, add the address into the patcher. Be sure to set the right data type (as for the example above, it would be BYTE). Look for option like “Poke Address”, “Set Value”, or such (sometimes double-clicking the address also works; it depends on the program, though). Change the stored value with consideration on the upper bound of the data type (as for this example, the data type is BYTE, so don’t change the value exceeding 255. If you want to change it to more than 255, use SHORT (or WORD) instead).

Get back to the game, and check if everything works perfectly fine. If not, there are some troubleshooting guides:

1. Check if you hooked the right process (application).
2. Make sure you found the correct address. (how? Changing the value from inside the game, of course! Then see if the value also changes)
3. Use the smallest data type possible, i.e. for lives, use BYTE (you don’t need 65535 lives, do you?). For score, use LONG (as score could reach very high number).
4. If there’s no problem, then it might be the game itself. Some games can’t by hacked by memory hacking software; one of them is Counter Strike. If this is the case, don’t blame me. I’ve warned you in my earlier post!

That’s all. Having problem? Feel free to ask by comment, or by contacting me personally at my e-mail.