On the state of GSHI, and the 'Scene' in general...

[misfire]

[...] So what should be the first step? Should we get with Viper and see if we can rewrite RenegadeEX to be more portable?

I don't know. I'm only good at criticising other people's work and fail when it comes to doing it better.

But seriously, before rushing into coding we should first think about what we really want (requirements) and then how we can achieve it (implementation). I'm not talking about writing a detailed specification upfront, I'd rather start with some brainstorming and optionally creating a mind map.

[Lazy Bastard]

OK, that sounds like a logical start. Shall we start a thread in Research & Development?

[BigBossman]

Problem I see with paying developers is they'll want creative control of the released info and website direction then the site will end up getting taken offline never to be seen again

I have to agree with that.

It would be awesome if there was a hacking device that could be created to attach to or be compatible with the current systems like PS3 & Xbox 360 (that don't require internet access). I'm not talking about having a system or a game modded either. I'm not just talking about a device that can list cheats codes, but a device that can also create them similar to the Gameshark Pro (for the PS1) or Pro Action Replay 2 (for the Mega Drive). This way people who are new to hacking would pick it up & run with it or it would give other people a basic understanding of how its done.

[Lazy Bastard]

Right, that's the whole idea. We don't just want to create cheat systems (though they're a good start); we want to create hacking systems.

[misfire]

OK, let's think about building a general-purpose, platform-independent game hacking system/framework.

[Lazy Bastard]

Would you do the honors of starting a brainstorming/mind map thread in Research & Development?

[misfire]

I guess a summary of what's been said here and some initial thoughts should get things started. I'll try to write something up as soon as possible.

[kh2k4]

How are you going to access the ram without voiding the warranty of a console by opening it up to access the pcb points? or using some software exploit? the only way is through emulation. We can't press our own software discs either.

[Lazy Bastard]

We found a way for PS2. We'll find a way for current and future consoles.

[misfire]

Just to make it clear, with "game hacking system" I do not mean a physical device you can attach to any console and that works by magic. I'm talking about a software framework for Windows/Linux/Mac/etc. that provides all the tools a game hacker needs (see previous posts) and that is written in such a way (standard interfaces, modularization, etc.) that it can be used for almost any target system (e.g. PS2) with little to no effort. I think the term "game hacking framework" is more appropriate here.

Of course, some of the framework's components need to or can be implemented on the target system too. For example, a SRDP stub if you want to use that protocol for communication, or a cross-compiled version of libcheats if you like to load your cheats.txt on the target platform (like PS2rd does). But I'm concerned with hacking tools on the PC side in the first place.

[kh2k4]

We found a way for PS2. We'll find a way for current and future consoles.

Yes a softmod exploit but that only exists because of a update functionality the DVDPLAYER update and Mr. Brown's PS1 buffer overflow trick, todays consoles and future ones will be closed further off. Sony dropped the with PS3 usb hub trick thing for devs. Finding a buffer overflow trick for every console will take ages and the companies will eventually block that game version through updates or release a new console version.

[Lazy Bastard]

In that specific case, you're forgetting about the most important exploit: the one used in FMCB.

Anyway, you're right. Security has finally become perfect, and finding an exploit is impossible. Hacking is too hard

On a serious note, we've been stumbling along with only a few people really digging into the guts of consoles. Imagine what we can do if interest were to really rise! We're not talking about beating encryption...we're talking about beating implementation. It will be done

[kh2k4]

Well we have the custom firmware / game update route but i'm sure more time stamp / checksum checks will be added in the future their gonna learn from past mistakes eventually to the point you where you need a net connection to play offline.

[Lazy Bastard]

OK, I've copied the appropriate posts to a new thread, under R&D: http://gshi.org/vb/threads/4774-Univ...king-Framework

For discussion on a hacking system framework, please continue there.

[Lazy Bastard]

For the time being, I will consider this discussion concluded. We'll concentrate on improving our ability to collaborate, by establishing a set of standards for hacking systems, and work out proper systems of compensation for specific projects, in other threads.

Thanks for your input, everyone!