Informations about hacking Game Boy Advance games

[Helder]

Joker's are easy to find, just use the value for the buttons then hold that button down and do a search for that value, rinse and repeat. Once you found one of the many addresses use that as your joker.

You can test your codes if you have the game and an AR3 and that DSi has a GBA Slot, or get a GBA Flash Cart but they suck for codes that have jokers though. On the emulators I use the VBA 1.72H the hacker edition here on the site's download page as it has many great search tools (no ASM though) and I tend to use the codebreaker version of codes on it including ASM and their universal joker.

[luc-ita]

Great! I'll try VBA 1.72 hacker edition. And if the universal joker doesn't work I'll try to use a joker found within the game! And report back as soon as possible!
I'll try with the emulator because I haven't any gba games or gba flash cart, unfortunately.

EDIT:
No one of the emulators for GBA are compatible with joker commands. Also I've found and corrected my code with the joker command because it's 2 lines, not 1. So the joker is 4A400130, not 0A400130.
However I give up. And will try to make codes without the usage of joker command. If I can.

I renew my thanks to everyone for all the help and advice

[Helder]

Your advice is much appreciated! Many thanks for your answer! I'll try and report back if it resolves my problem with joker commands!

EDIT:
Unfortunately even visual boy advance 1.6 doesn't support joker commands AR V3.
There's an emulator that does?

The code that I'm trying to test is this below:
0A400130 000001FF
00000000 1801FE63
1000E017 00000000

I've always made jokers work fine on AR3 using 2 separate conversions and merging codes like so:

Take the joker line :
04000130 000001FF

then use the Type05 in ARCrypt, Hit Create:
A0F59292 AB07DEFE

then use the standard Type 00,01,02 for the actual code and put that encrypted line above the converted standard code, but seems your code is a Type 08 so use that:
A0F59292 AB07DEFE <-converted separately like I did above
3D25410D D24F611F <-converted with your raw code above
2435001A 1E577E8D<-converted with your raw code above

[luc-ita]

Helder many thanks!!! Your code works very well with the joker command and Visual Boy! And I've found the problem. I used 0A400130 for the conversion. This causes wrong converted code. Now I know and will use 04000130, as you wrote above. And your method for converting codes.

But if I would make a code that with a button activate the hack and with another button deactivate the hack? Is it possible? Like I do when creating my PSX codes.

For example:
04000130 000001FF
00000000 1801FE63
1000E017 00000000

These 3 lines only works! The code activates only when I'm pressing the L button. But I would like to make the code permament when I press the L button.
And to deactivate I'll need to execute another code with another joker command.

Like so:
04000130 000001FF <- activate with L button
00000000 1801FE63
1000E017 00000000
04000130 000002FB <- deactivate with R button
00000000 1801FE63
1000D117 00000000

The above 6 lines doesn't work as I would. I think because of the joker command. So I ask if it is possible permanent activate and deactivate a hack like in the PSX system.
I apologize for so many words but I tried to be as clear as possible in my question

EDIT:
Maybe I need to use this line? -> 00000000 40000000

[Helder]

Is this some ASM code? Next time post the code before it's converted to the AR3 Raw Format so I can see exactly what the code is. If it's an ASM code then as long as it doesn't keep being written to you can activate and deactivate easily but like in my previous example you need to convert each set of codes separately so each joker will be separate and each code if ASM will also need to be converted using separate ROM patch codes like I did below:

04000130 000001FF
00000000 1801FE63
1000E017 00000000
04000130 000002FB
00000000 1801FE63
1000D117 00000000

to:
A0F59292 AB07DEFE <- activate with L button
3D25410D D24F611F
2435001A 1E577E8D

4D042DA0 7CDC6EDA <- deactivate with R button
3D25410D D24F611F
746A4E5B DB2897A5


Codes should work now but my conversion with the ASM codes following th jokers might be off, be sure to post the codes in their non converted format next time.

[luc-ita]

You are right! Sorry for my mistake! I'll keep in mind to post raw code.

In this case the raw is:
04000130 01FF
0803FCC6 D117
04000130 02FB
0803FCC6 E017

From a conditional to an unconditional branch.

I'll test as soon as possible your code and report back.

Many thanks for all your effort and patience with me!

[luc-ita]

Helder, many thanks for all!
After a lot of tests I ended discovering that the AR V3 rom patching is not permanent as in other systems like PSX.
If I use a code without any joker it works. If I use a joker it works only IF I push a button. And when there are two or more joker commands that "controls" the same code in two separated lines...the result is that nothing works. The AR for GBA doesn't support the "jokering" like PSX.
Another thing I noticed is that is possible to use a maximum of 4 rom patching codes not only in the same code but also if there are one patching code for different type of hack.

In other words...I'll try to do hacks preferring the RAM rather than the assembly. If I can. And preferably without the usage of jokers

[Helder]

Many times there are ASM hacks in the RAM areas if you follow the traces of most routines and I have actually had made custom routines to change things in the game to get around the ROM code limit BUT RAM codes cannot alter ROM values.

Now here is where it can get interesting, there is nothing saying that you can't use RAM to imitate ROM functions so in other words you can use one of your ROM codes to set a pointer to a location in RAM that will perform whatever changes you want to make then use the Return command (forgot it at this moment) to jump back into the ROM instructions and continue on.

I did something similar for the NDS game Ragnarok to make an EXP multiplier.

[luc-ita]

Yeah! In other words you're advising me that doing code caves is the best way to do hacks. Like for PC and other systems. And you're absolutely right! It's the best method!
However I don't know how to find a place to jump and write routines and come back...in Game Boy Advance system.
Do you know how I could do that?

[Helder]

Either use a timer in the game that is constantly being called on or use the routine you found for what you want to change and alter one of the ROM instructions to jump to the custom routine and jump back to the ROM location.


What's the game and code in question you're trying to do? I'll try to give you an example.