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Sonic Fighters Hacking

Discussion in 'Engineering & Reverse Engineering' started by Andrew75, Dec 2, 2012.

  1. Sure. I'll reply back with the link when it's ready.
     
  2. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    Missed this post. OOPS. No worries, I found it. Debug mode is working, kinda sorta but hmm... something's still not quite right... Sky Eye will work for sure, but I want Parts Test to work!
     
  3. Whoops. I should have checked back sooner. I had just finished uploading it too. Oh well. I'm not sure what Parts Test really does. Does Parts Test open at all for you? If you open certain menus, and then open another one of a different type after that, it'll sort of glitch out. Only way around that I know is you need to restart the whole emulator.
     
  4. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    We have definately found a way to get debug mode working, but I am not sure all flags are being properly set. However, this gives me a good stepping stone to figure out in the game's code how debug mode may have originally been accessed.


    Also it was the POLYGON TEST I am most excited about. It will allow clean screenshots of unused objects for the Wiki.
     
  5. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    Because of the Pokemon Gold leak, it's inspired me to clean up some of my code to make debug mode public in a script with a function to handle debug functions and can integrate into anyone else's cheat script if they've made one.

    For those new to this, copy the code into a blank text file using a text editor of your choice (such as notepad), and save as "sfight.lua", and place it in the "scripts" folder where the emulator is located. Voila!
    Code (Text):
    1.  
    2. -- script by ElSemi, Link, Biggestsonicfan, and SteveBlockhead
    3. -- Debug Usage: Press "O" key to enable debug, and Player 2 start to access it.
    4. -- While in Debug mode, pressing "Q" will advance the game without disabling Debug.
    5. -- The "L" key can be used to quit Debug Mode while it is active.
    6.  
    7. require("model2");  -- Import model2 machine globals
    8.  
    9. function Frame(val)
    10.     dbgFrame(I960_ReadByte(RAMBASE+0x19EB9))--Sends debug flag to debug routine
    11.     if not val
    12.         then return
    13.      else
    14.         --
    15.      end
    16. end
    17. function dbgFrame(val)
    18.     if val == 1
    19.         then
    20.             if Input_IsKeyPressed(0x10) == 1 --Q key
    21.                 then
    22.                 I960_WriteByte(RAMBASE+0x8000, 0) -- Unfreeze Debug Mode by a single frame
    23.             end
    24.            
    25.             if Input_IsKeyPressed(0x26) == 1 --L key
    26.                 then
    27.                 I960_WriteByte(RAMBASE+0x19EB9, 0) -- Turn off Debug Mode...
    28.                 I960_WriteByte(RAMBASE+0x8000, 0)  -- And unfreeze time again
    29.             end
    30.         else
    31.             if Input_IsKeyPressed(0x18) == 1 --O key
    32.                 then
    33.                 I960_WriteByte(RAMBASE+0x19EB9, 1) -- Set Debug Mode
    34.         end
    35.     end
    36.  
    37. end
    38. function PostDraw()
    39.     --Bonus function which lets you know if Debug mode is enabled or not!
    40.     Video_DrawText(5,3,"Debug Mode:",0xFFFFFF);
    41.     if I960_ReadByte(RAMBASE+0x19EB9) == 1
    42.         then
    43.         Video_DrawText(105,3,"ENABLED",0x008000);
    44.     else
    45.         Video_DrawText(105,3,"DISABLED",0xFF0000);
    46.     end
    47. end

    [​IMG]

    Happy Debugging! :specialed:
     
  6. DarthDub

    DarthDub

    Amateur Hacker Member
    This is really cool! Thanks for sharing with everyone!
     
  7. Overlord

    Overlord

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    Indeed, thanks for putting so much work into this, all of you.
     
  8. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    Thank you. I feel I should say something after crying "DEBUG MODE IS NEIGH!" since Honey was first found like, 11 years ago, but in 11 years the people who wanted the models moved on. The community moved on and now I feel like my biggest contribution to this was never giving up really. I knew it was there, but this interesting situation with Steve seemed to accelerate this baby to 88 and we saw some serious shit all the way back to 1996.

    I'd like to share some of my research leading to this point that has currently gone unpublished.

    In my quest to search for debug mode, I finally brought out the big guns and began disassembling Sonic the Fighters from scratch using every piece of research I had gathered to that time.

    After successfully dumping the entire memory contents and loading both the program and memory with correct mapping into IDA Pro, I began labeling everything I knew in the data and the memory.

    One particular address I saw associated with Debug was checking an address of memory at 0x508000 and branching to debug-like subroutines if true.

    One of these routines happened to call one of my documented routines:

    Code (Text):
    1. ROMBASE:00000C94 000                 ld      dword_508000, r15
    2. ROMBASE:00000C9C 000                 bbs     0x0D, r15, loc_CB8
    3. ROMBASE:00000CA0 000                 call    health_gyr
    If translated to psudocode, it would look something like this:
    • Load register r15 in the processor with the value of address 0x508000
    • If the value in bit 0x0D in r15 is set, branch to subroutine CB8
    • Else, call the subroutine to initialize the health bars

    health_gyr is a subroutine I documented which handles the HUD's palette data for the health bars.

    Their colors values are as follows:
    Green:
    Code (Text):
    1. 0x836082C08220818083E0834082A08200
    Yellow:
    Code (Text):
    1. 0xA3FF837F82DF827FB3FF83FF835F82FF
    Red:
    Code (Text):
    1. 0x801B801880158011801F801C80198015
    This subroutine is referenced in every frame of emulation. If we can change the data in the ROM, it will reflect in every frame of the emulated result!

    The hex for calling the health routine is 14 DC 02 09, but if we change it to 10 00 00 09, the routine looks a little different:

    Code (Text):
    1. ROMBASE:00000C94 000                 ld      dword_508000, r15
    2. ROMBASE:00000C9C 000                 bbs     0x0D, r15, loc_CB8
    3. ROMBASE:00000CA0 000                 call    loc_CA4
    We now call routine CA4 instead of the health bar routine and guess what, the health bars are assigned default palette values (the location of those colors as of writing I do not know) which happen to be the same ones as seen in very early prototype screenshots of the game!

    Et volia! An unused beta routine restored!

    The function for this to be used in a script is as follows:

    PHP:
    1. function patchdbg(value)
    2.     --set health bars
    3.     if value == 1 then
    4.         Romset_PatchByte(0,0xCA0, 0x04)
    5.         Romset_PatchWord(0,0xCA1, 0x0000)
    6.     -- restore health bars
    7.     elseif value == 0 then
    8.         Romset_PatchByte(0,0xCA0, 0x14)
    9.         Romset_PatchWord(0,0xCA1, 0x2DC)
    10.     end
    You can either call patchdbg(1) in Init() or in a cheat menu option. Either way, you will need to read model2lua.txt to implement it correctly into the script above. A more playful script will be released as more things are explored and documented in debug mode. Also, for some reason, it affects menu item selection in debug mode, which is incredibly bizarre.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2019
  9. lordexodus

    lordexodus

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    Hey, can you provide videos of Fang, Bean, & Bark running repeatedly with the view on the side? I'd like to see how they look while running...
     
  10. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    This can be seen in normal gameplay?The instructional VHS also has footage of every dash and move in the game.

    Anyway, here's Pengo and his ice blocks. I could not correctly screenshot these a decade ago.
    [​IMG]

    Also, a build date, which as of yet has no relevance to the game's code as far as I can tell:
    Code (Text):
    1. ROMBASE:000BDE1B     aRYPOC:         .ascii "RYPOC"<0>
    2. ROMBASE:000BDE21     aTHGI:          .ascii " THGI"<0>
    3. ROMBASE:000BDE27     aAGES:          .ascii " AGES"<0>
    4. ROMBASE:000BDE2D     aRETNE:         .ascii "RETNE"<0>
    5. ROMBASE:000BDE33     aESIRP:         .ascii "ESIRP"<0>
    6. ROMBASE:000BDE39     aMILS:          .ascii "MIL S"<0>
    7. ROMBASE:000BDE3F     aDETI:          .ascii " DETI"<0>
    8. ROMBASE:000BDE45     a5991:          .ascii " 5991"<0>
    9. ROMBASE:000BDE4B                     .ascii "     "<0>
    10. ROMBASE:000BDE51     a7211:          .ascii " 7211"<0>
    11. ROMBASE:000BDE57                     .ascii "     "<0>
    12. ROMBASE:000BDE5D     aAHMA:          .ascii "AH MA"<0>
    13. ROMBASE:000BDE63     aRAWDR:         .ascii "RAWDR"<0>
    14. ROMBASE:000BDE69     aDRE:           .ascii "D&R E"<0>
    15. ROMBASE:000BDE6F     aTPED:          .ascii "TPED "<0>
    16. ROMBASE:000BDE75                     .ascii "    ."<0>
    17. ROMBASE:000BDE7B     aCOPYR:         .ascii "COPYR"<0>
    18. ROMBASE:000BDE81     aIGHT:          .ascii "IGHT "<0>
    19. ROMBASE:000BDE87     aSEGA:          .ascii "SEGA "<0>
    20. ROMBASE:000BDE8D     aENTER:         .ascii "ENTER"<0>
    21. ROMBASE:000BDE93     aPRISE:         .ascii "PRISE"<0>
    22. ROMBASE:000BDE99     aSLIM:          .ascii "S LIM"<0>
    23. ROMBASE:000BDE9F     aITED:          .ascii "ITED "<0>
    24. ROMBASE:000BDEA5     a1995:          .ascii "1995 "<0>
    25. ROMBASE:000BDEAB                     .ascii "     "<0>
    26. ROMBASE:000BDEB1     a1127:          .ascii "1127 "<0>
    27. ROMBASE:000BDEB7                     .ascii "     "<0>
    28. ROMBASE:000BDEBD     aAMHA:          .ascii "AM HA"<0>
    29. ROMBASE:000BDEC3     aRDWAR:         .ascii "RDWAR"<0>
    30. ROMBASE:000BDEC9     aERD:           .ascii "E R&D"<0>
    31. ROMBASE:000BDECF     aDEPT:          .ascii " DEPT"<0>
    32. ROMBASE:000BDED5                     .ascii ".    "
    COPYRIGHT SEGA ENTERPRISE LIMITED 19951127 AM HARDWARE R&D DEPT.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2019
  11. lordexodus

    lordexodus

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    ^ I checked the video. It doesn't show any of the characters I named running toward the opponent, nor any polygonal demonstrations of them running. You lied to me!
     
  12. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    Unfortunate I wasted your time, but you could find a copy of the game now you know how to play! This is the hacking forum, not a help thread. You also did not tell me what you would do with the information.

    The video, however, shows you a Sky Eye that we do not have access to. Debug mode only allows for single-frame observation. As of yet, the camera cannot be locked to another object or coordinate yet. Requesting such information now would be like requesting the models a decade ago, the information does not exist nor am I interested in capturing it for you. I will tell you that if you use the debug mode and set the stage to the dummy stage while in wireframe mode you will be able to see the polygons fully.
     
  13. I found the the address that controls that. If you just scan in Cheat Engine for a decrease when frozen, and an increase when playing, you should be able to find it, and set it as the same value as it was when the game wasn't frozen. I also do have the animation address too, but sadly my cheat table doesn't work with others, only me.
     
  14. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    I meant Skye Eye doesn't stay in place. I simulated your pass-through method using the "Q" key!
     
  15. RyogaMasaki

    RyogaMasaki

    0xffffffff Oldbie
    Hah, of course someone beat me to it. I was doing a disassembly VF2, which Fighting Vipers and of course Sonic FIghters is based on, and came across the debug myself. It's activated quite easily: set bit 2 of the dword value at 0x508000. This works in all three games I mentioned. I'm actually in the middle of doing a writeup on the menu as it appears in all three games.

    https://twitter.com/suddendesu/status/1068296744570507264

    Edit: As I explained in that twitter thread, my goal isn't to belittle anyone's work. I'm just amused (and slightly jealous!) that people beat me to finding it first. :)

    Edit again: it's the *third bit*, which is bit 2. Zero based index and all that. I'm sure I'd get called out on that eventually.
     
  16. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    As I said before:
    At least now I have with 100% certainty that we are now going to be setting the flag correctly. I want to write a new method to activate and deactivate debug based on this new information. I guess a script will follow shortly.

    I just checked all the old, archive.org CulT threads too and can't believe you never posted in any of them Ryoga.

    It all seems so obvious now, but I was way too late to publish any of it.
     
  17. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    The easiest way I found to toggle debug mode with this new information is as follows:

    Code (Text):
    1. function Frame()
    2.     local debugAdd = RAMBASE+0x8000
    3.     local gameDebug = I960_ReadDWord(debugAdd)
    4.     local q_button = Input_IsKeyPressed(0x10)
    5.  
    6.     if q_button == 1
    7.         then
    8.             I960_WriteDWord(debugAdd,XOR(gameDebug,0x24))
    9.     end
    10. end
    This "Frame" function can be used in StF, Virtua Fighter 2, and Fighting Vipers in ElSemi's emulator. Be sure to save each script as the "rom.lua" ex "sfight.lua", or maybe you can put it in "common.lua" if you want, I'm not entirely sure.

    Have fun!

    EDIT: To explain it's use, as it has changed slightly since the last release, the 'Q' key is now the debug toggle. The reason I have assigned this toggle to a key instead of adding it as a cheat menu option is that there is an issue with how the emulator handles cheat toggling through the menu. Half the time, the first toggle will not work, and you need to have multiple cheats in order for other cheats to work. They also do not update dynamically, so if you exit the debug menu in-game, the emulator will not be able to tell the difference and can not dynamically change the toggle from 'On" to 'Off'.
     
  18. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    Coming back to this thread with a new objective: Disassembly

    While we have debug and values we can now look at, this should apply to the code within the game as well. Hopefully enough to reverse engineer a bit of it, for say, the models?

    The first step is to identify large chunks of code with already labeled code from Sonic Gems Collection. A lot of codes for commands and hopefully object data still exist in Sonic Gems Collection in their raw labeled formats, but that code needs to be identified within the binary dumps of the arcade roms to help indicate what routines relate to commands and what routines relate to model objects.

    This is the awful sudocode I have written of the ".CMP" structure of the files:

    Code (Text):
    1. struct cpk {
    2. @0x00: 16 bytes header data as follows: "CRICMP..2.10...."
    3. @0x10 : 4 byte code 32 [20000000]
    4. @0x14: 4 Byte value of decompressed file size in hex in reverse order.
    5. @0x18: 4 byte code 32 [20000000]
    6. @0x1C:4 byte code 0 [00000000]
    7. @0x20 4 byte code 16 [10000000]
    8. @0x24: 4 bytes unknown data
    9. @0x28++: Compressed Data
    10. }
     
  19. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    Replying to this thread to give a general bump and update about the disassembly: It may not be impossible to disassemble (IDA Pro and labeling), however, reassembling with an assembler and linker may prove impossible.

    The tools used to make i960 binaries, things such as gnu960 and CTOOLS, are long since wiped from the internet. A college has some source code of CTOOLS 5.0 available on their site as part of a "Nectar" project, but it's hard to tell whether or not this code could be taken, modified, and rebuild a disassembly of Sonic the Fighters to be bootable by an emulator or an actual Model2b board itself.

    The disassembly process can be accelerated by all the documentation that debug mode now gives us, EG change a value, search for that value in a memory editor and so-on and so-forth until a memory pointer is identified, which can be used to label significant parts of the programming within the game. However, it's hard to tell what the payoff of doing this would be. Better understanding the engine has always been something I wanted, but with such old tech, it can't be easily reproduced in other languages, even if I fully understood what the engine fully does.

    tl;dr: I'm wondering if it's all worth it to document all this. I've been an army of one for this game for a long time, with people contributing in and out sometimes such as providing the x360 files and Steve's finding of the odd debug pointer, but I'm unsure if I should continue research, as I really haven't accomplished much in terms of what would be useful for anyone to attempt to hack the game. The goals I once had are no longer clear, so it's hard to say wether or not I should continue.

    EDIT: It looks like people have discovered that the StF rips that did exist were riddled with errors and modifications, and I'd very much like to make proper model conversions, but I have zero motivation to do so.
     
  20. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

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    I have made a stunning realization today....

    [​IMG]

    I always wondered about these Flickys... I didn't really understand why they were in the game's data... until I saw this...

    [​IMG]

    AM1 game Bloxeed.