PS2 Iso Hacking

[rednekcowboy]

Hey all,

Just found this site and learning my way around it, seems like a great place!!

Anyways with the release of ps2classics, I've been playing around with some ps2 titles and was wondering if there was a definitive guide to mode either iso's or elfs that someone could point me to so I can do some modding with the codes here prior to packing them into the iso.bin.enc files needed for the ps3 .

I've played around with some eboot modding for ps3 titles so do have some experience and am not a complete idiot, just need some guidance.

Thanks for anything you have to offer!!

[Helder]

Give it a few days, someone more experienced with PS2 will post any info you will need to mod the ISO (more than likely the elf).

[rednekcowboy]

Give it a few days, someone more experienced with PS2 will post any info you will need to mod the ISO (more than likely the elf).

Thanks. I was able to follow one guide from another site that allows you to load codebreaker with the game, but compatibility is very low and codebreaker itself is glitchy at best, so I started looking around and found this site. There's a whole database of codes here, I just need to know where to get started to insert them into the iso (or the elf, as you said it's more likely, and then repack the elf into the iso).

Thanks again.

[47iscool]

Depends if the code is in the ELF ROM or PS2 RAM, you should get ps2dis to start. I was able to permanently patch an ELF from NFS Carbon to always keep everything unlocked, of course I didn't make the code, Azagthoth did. The two people that could help the most are Skiller & lee4, they are experts in PS2 hacking.

[rednekcowboy]

So I decided to try and make a multidisc with CB10 and Silent Hill 2 and try to get Codebreaker 10 to load this way. However it's been many, many years since I've done anything ps2 related and am having a bit of difficulty. After quite a bit of digging around, I managed to find this guide:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?81x6d5zum7ye0w0

After I created the iso, I packed it with aldo's ps2classicsgui. I ftp'd it over to the ps3 and loaded it with multiman. The cdloader actually loads but neither codebreaker nor silent hill loads up.

CDloader does actually load, but no matter what I do, which one I select to load from there (either CB10 or Silent Hill 2) neither load.

Any thoughts or ideas?

[lee4]

codebreaker will not run on ps3's ps2 emulation.

some games are toc size sensitive

converting iso to eboot might broken toc

[rednekcowboy]

K, so what I was originally doing was this method:

o use codebreaker cheats open your game iso with ultraiso

download this http://www.mediafire.com/?8ra89f82o8q9928 and extract

now add the extracted files (boot.elf,codebreaker.elf, and system.cnf)to your iso, can just drag&drop into ultraiso. It will ask to overwrite SYSTEM.CNF/YES

your iso should have a file name SCUS_***.** or something to that effect, extract it to desktop and add .elf extension and repaste it into iso.

so now your iso should have all original files + BOOT.elf, CB10.elf and your new SCUS***.elf, save and resign as you would ps2 classic using the ps2classicsgui

now once you start your new game, it will automatically start uLe, so you scroll down to cdfs directory. hit O. now find the Codebreaker elf and hit O. codebreaker starts.

Scroll over to Cheats and find your game and select your cheats you want to use. Press start and it should bring back to the main screen with the disc icon highlighted. press X to load disk, it will start ULauncher again.

scroll down to cdfs directory and start you SCUS*** elf file you created.
your game should load with the cheats enabled.

I have tested this with SocomII, and Socom3

Codebreaker runs fine (well a little glitchy, but runs. will also work if you pack the iso with ps2classicsgui directly but doesn't load the game after obviously). and people have had success in getting some games to work with it. I myself can get codebreaker to run and get back to the menu to chose the game elf to load, but then I get greeted with a black screen with the 2 games I've tried.

There was another in that thread that swears that multidisc will work with this as well, however with 100% compatibility. Here is the thread (don't know if linking to other sites is allowed, please forgive me if it is):

http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php...950#post566950

I have someone else now telling me that I need to check the LBA and make sure that I have the same directory structure in order for the multidisc way to work. I'm just reading up on how to do that.

Can you point me in another direction to "hardcode" the codes into the game? Or a "beginners guide" to get started?

The nice thing about doing something like this is that there's a lot of information out there, just difficult to dig up as it's more than a few years old. A lot of the links for apps are dead, etc, etc. That and you never know if the information you're reading is accurate or not.

[dnawrkshp]

Is there just a straight elf within the ISO? If there is, the first thing I would do is try to install standard PS2 codes into the elf with ELF Modder (http://gamehacking.org/downloads/Elf_Modder.zip). If CodeBreaker codes worked then there is a high chance the elf files are the same as their PS2 counterpart. But I have never done anything with the PS3 and have no idea whether you can access the decrypted (if it is encrypted) elf file.

In ELF Modder, you have to copy paste the directory of the elf and then you can go to the edit menu and enter in RAW (unencrypted) codes. To decrypt codes I suggest using Omniconvert (http://gamehacking.org/downloads/omn...rt_1.0.0_R.rar). Just make sure that the only codetypes you install into the ELF are constant writes (0 - 2).

If this works but your goal is to find your own codes, I would go with either a PS2 and ps2rd or PCSX2 and Cheat Engine.

Also, a bit unrelated (in intent), are you able to load homebrew elfs with your PS3?

[rednekcowboy]

Thanks for the tip, will definitely try them out.

As for the elfs/iso's. I'm working with PS2 isos, not ps3. The way it works is you take your ps2 iso and run it through ps2classics.gui which converts it to a iso.bin.enc which you can then load on the ps3. You can do this with any ps2 iso. I've tested around 20+ games and have never had an issue with them loading. The issue comes when you want to use Codebreaker in conjunction with your ps2 games.

Using the above method, you can pack a codebreaker iso into an iso.bin.enc but and that will run codebreaker on the ps3, however that does you no good as you have no way to load the ps2 game after you have chosen your cheats (when you click on start game, it just kicks you out of the ps2 emu, if I remember correctly or black screens cause it's expecting a game where you don't have one).

This is why the guys at hax came up with the uload method (kind of like multi-disc games). It loads up a file browser, you launch the codebreaker elf, select your cheats and when you click "start game" it brings you back to the file browser and you launch the game elf. However, this means you have to open the ps2 game iso with ultraiso, add the codebreaker and uload files and rename the slus_XXX.XX file to slus_XXX.elf. Some games are encrypted or have "hidden files" so this method is not compatible with them.

I saw one guy mention making a mutlidisc game and he does this as opposed to the above method and swears that it works 100% of the time which got me onto the path I'm currently one.

As for your question, I haven't tried much homebrew with the exception of uload and cdloader but both of those work fine.


As for your method, I follow what you are saying but do have a couple of questions. If I use isobuster/ultraiso, I can just extract the elf out of any ps2 iso but am confused as to what you mean by "straight elf." Also when inserting the codes, how do I know where to insert them? What I mean is with the eboot modding, I had the original and the replacement codes so I could search for the original and just replace it with the modded with hex editor.

Thanks again for all the help.

[dnawrkshp]

What I meant by "straight elf" was an elf file that was not encrypted. But I had no idea you were using an original PS2 game, so that can be disregarded.

I have been working on a cheat device for the PS2. I had just finished adding all the codetypes that CodeBreaker supports last night. I can make some modifications to it so that you can put it inside the same ISO as the game and boot it from uload. It will then boot the game directly when told to. I am not sure if it would work better than CB, but it is worth a shot. Just PM me a network configuration that works on your network. I will have to hard code in the values so you don't need to have a settings file.

Keep in mind it requires an internet connection and it only takes RAW codes.

Also, by uload, are you referring to uLaunchELF? If you are, then I may not need to hard code the IP stuff because it uses the same configuration as uLE.

[rednekcowboy]

We may have an issue with network. As far as I know and I could be wrong, but I don't believe the ps2 emu on the ps3 has access to the network....but I would be willing to give it a shot. What do you need from me as far as network config goes?

[dnawrkshp]

I used to play an online game called Ratchet: Deadlocked and a friend on there used a PS3. Then again, it was a backwards compatible PS3 with an official PS2 disc. Once again it's worth a shot.

I need an IP address, netmask, and gateway that works on your network. If you don't know how to find out, go to your Network and Sharing Center, click on the blue text after "Connections:" that is under you internet connection. Go to details and then look at you PC's IP, netmask, and gateway. Then for the IP, change the last number to something higher. I use 100 because nothing on my network will ever reach that. Then either PM me your settings or just reply with them. Then I will PM you the elf.

[Pyriel]

I wonder if you can make use of the modified CB ELFs that bfoos has provided here. I don't know if the PS3 will allow you to load PS2 executables in this fashion, but if one of your other tools allows you to insert a boot manager on mass:/ or mc0:/ that will let you reach out and load a packed/classics archive, it could work.

I don't know how far the PS3 tools have come. I imagine if anyone plans on permanently solving this problem, they're probably working on adding customizable kernel modules or incorporating new features into the CFW, a la the PSP.

Edit: Nevermind. I missed your quote from another website. This is essentially what you're trying to do, just with a different modified CB ELF, I guess.

[rednekcowboy]

I used to play an online game called Ratchet: Deadlocked and a friend on there used a PS3. Then again, it was a backwards compatible PS3 with an official PS2 disc. Once again it's worth a shot.

I need an IP address, netmask, and gateway that works on your network. If you don't know how to find out, go to your Network and Sharing Center, click on the blue text after "Connections:" that is under you internet connection. Go to details and then look at you PC's IP, netmask, and gateway. Then for the IP, change the last number to something higher. I use 100 because nothing on my network will ever reach that. Then either PM me your settings or just reply with them. Then I will PM you the elf.

I'lll give it a shot, but might not be able to until tomorrow. Wife is home from work and the little one is monopolizing my tv with Chicken Little

I've actually made a little headway on my front as well. I combined the two methods that I've been using together. I took the first method, using Ultraiso and instead of using uloader (or whatever it is that they are using) and put in cdloader instead with a custom msystem. I've managed to get codebreader to load once again, but I still have the game selection issue. So I'm trying a different version of codebreaker to see if it will work.

I wonder if you can make use of the modified CB ELFs that bfoos has provided here. I don't know if the PS3 will allow you to load PS2 executables in this fashion, but if one of your other tools allows you to insert a boot manager on mass:/ or mc0:/ that will let you reach out and load a packed/classics archive, it could work.

I don't know how far the PS3 tools have come. I imagine if anyone plans on permanently solving this problem, they're probably working on adding customizable kernel modules or incorporating new features into the CFW, a la the PSP.

Edit: Nevermind. I missed your quote from another website. This is essentially what you're trying to do, just with a different modified CB ELF, I guess.

I'll have a look into this. Should just be able to replace the original elf inside the iso with the modified one and pack it up with ps2classics.

EDIT, I thought you meant actual game elf's that he had modified. These codebreaker elfs, this is what I'm trying with the methods I have mentioned in my posts. I'll try these ones out. I just copied over a packed ps2 game with 10.1 codebreaker. I can get Codebreaker 10 to load, but once I get to the game selection screen, there is a bug where it's permanently scrolling up. I'll give this one a shot as well, but like I said, it will most likely have to wait until tomorrow.

[lee4]

Ultraiso does not save TOC/LBA data properly.

I used S**Y's CDVDGEN or Apache3 to rebulid the iso image.

I would just edit the system.cnf file points to uLe and create new folder holds uLe and CB