Cheat Device + ESR + Backup?

[acer5050]

I have some backedup ps2 games with the esr patch.
I have free mcboot installed on the v7 ps2
I have a fliptop

I want to use codebreaker 9.2 or swap magic 3.8 coder from usb or memory card and use them on my esr patched games.

I can use this method to enable cheats on commercial games np but not my patched games.

Is there any cheat device I can run from mc/usb that will allow me to use my esr patched games with cheats?

[dlanor]

I have some backedup ps2 games with the esr patch.
I have free mcboot installed on the v7 ps2
I have a fliptop

I want to use codebreaker 9.2 or swap magic 3.8 coder from usb or memory card and use them on my esr patched games.

I can use this method to enable cheats on commercial games np but not my patched games.

Is there any cheat device I can run from mc/usb that will allow me to use my esr patched games with cheats?

ffgriever has released patchers for several CodeBreaker elfs which allows them to be used with various backup game launchers, including ESR. This stuff is all available on this site, though I don't have a link handy (search and thou shalt find...)

Best regards: dlanor

[sokrin]

ffgriever has released patchers for several CodeBreaker elfs which allows them to be used with various backup game launchers, including ESR. This stuff is all available on this site, though I don't have a link handy (search and thou shalt find...)

Best regards: dlanor

hm.... i've tried various version of cracked codebreaker elf files with esr patched disc and the original commercial for kingdom hearts/kingdom hearts ii. the game hangs after the FMV sequence. any idea?

[dlanor]

hm.... i've tried various version of cracked codebreaker elf files

It is not a question of whether the CodeBreaker elf is called 'cracked' or not, as various claims of 'cracking' it have been made for many years (with varying results).

What really matters is that the elf has been unpacked+patched+repacked by the special CodeBreaker patcher programs developed by ffgriever. Those elfs are the only ones which can work well with game-backup launch systems such as HDLoader and ESR.

with esr patched disc and the original commercial for kingdom hearts/kingdom hearts ii. the game hangs after the FMV sequence. any idea?

Hmmm, I'll make a few tests of this immediately.

Test #1: CodeBreaker + ESR + KH2 on ESR_patched disc + using a previously saved game
1: Use patched CodeBreaker to load cheats for KH2, including a button combo for getting max Munny.
2: Exit CodeBreaker by 'Start Game' to relaunch FMCB and through it uLE
3: In uLE launch MISC/PS2Disc to autolaunch ESR when recognizing an ESR disc in tray
4: In KH2 load a gamesave, and check that the cheat works giving 999,999 Munny when pressing the button combo
Result: Works perfectly

That test only proves that the CB cheat engine survives the ESR boot of KH2 so it remains active and working well in-game. That is not what you asked about but still very important.


Test #2: CodeBreaker + ESR + KH2 on ESR_patched disc + starting new game
1: Use patched CodeBreaker to load cheats for KH2, including a button combo for getting max Munny.
2: Exit CodeBreaker by 'Start Game' to relaunch FMCB and through it uLE
3: In uLE launch MISC/PS2Disc to autolaunch ESR when recognizing an ESR disc in tray
4: In KH2 start New game, wait out a number of FMVs before finally arriving in-game
5: Swear a bit about those interminable and boring FMVs that just go on, and on, and on...
6: Test that the early sequences controlling Roxas work correctly
7: Swear even more about those interminable tutorials that can't be skipped completely
8: Regret the fact that real menus don't exist in the early game so testing most cheats won't work this early

At this point I gave up on the test as I don't have the patience for the hours to go before any main-game cheats can be properly tested. This early 'Roxas' period of the game ruins the whole thing for me, so I know that I'm never going to play this game for real again, as I'm not willing to throw away those hours on something with zero entertainment value.

The important thing is that I did endure past the initial FMVs into the part where you're walking Roxas around town for various nauseatingly boring pre-gameplay activities. This proves that there was no hanging after any of the initial FMVs.

I tested this using the UK release of KH2, but I assume it works identically with the US release.

Exactly which FMV were you talking about, after which the game hung ?

Best regards: dlanor

[sokrin]

It is not a question of whether the CodeBreaker elf is called 'cracked' or not, as various claims of 'cracking' it have been made for many years (with varying results).

What really matters is that the elf has been unpacked+patched+repacked by the special CodeBreaker patcher programs developed by ffgriever. Those elfs are the only ones which can work well with game-backup launch systems such as HDLoader and ESR.

yeah i've compared the md5 checksum with the known working cb version and they matched. since i'm using cb_launch.elf, it automatically boots to free mcboot and the esr disc would be detected. the screen color changes doesn't occur after cb "start game", but when free boot launches the disc. now - having never gotten cb to work ingame, i'm not sure how this is suppose to work.

1: Use patched CodeBreaker to load cheats for KH2, including a button combo for getting max Munny.

cb used to have these joker codes listed on their site. when i check their new site however, it no longer lists the joker stuff. how did you config this button combo (i wish to try it).

The important thing is that I did endure past the initial FMVs into the part where you're walking Roxas around town for various nauseatingly boring pre-gameplay activities. This proves that there was no hanging after any of the initial FMVs.

all movie sequence works fine. the game freezes (black screen) when you're about to control Roxas (even on a loaded game). it's not just the KH series, it's pretty much freezes for every game i launched CB with (even w/ no cheat selected).

i'm using a fat ps2. free mc 1.8b is installed in the memcard, codebreaker is installed on a usb device under the folder BOOT. any further assistance is much appreciated! oh and the code i'm using are downloaded from cb's day1 site.

[dlanor]

yeah i've compared the md5 checksum with the known working cb version and they matched. since i'm using cb_launch.elf, it automatically boots to free mcboot and the esr disc would be detected. the screen color changes doesn't occur after cb "start game", but when free boot launches the disc. now - having never gotten cb to work ingame, i'm not sure how this is suppose to work.

What you describe is correct behaviour.

When you use the CB 'Start Game' command ESR is not yet active. It is only launched after FMCB has been started and detects that the disc in the tray is an ESR disc. This causes FMCB to launch ESR to deal with the disc booting, and it is only after ESR has been launched this way that it can begin to show the color flashes to indicate various steps in the game launch (and vector bending). This is in fact intended to provide ffgriever with feedback on what the program is doing, in case of bugs/problems. Text messages would have been preferable for debugging, but are impossible in that runtime environment. (Well, they are possible, but only at risk of adding bugs to the launch procedure.)

cb used to have these joker codes listed on their site. when i check their new site however, it no longer lists the joker stuff. how did you config this button combo (i wish to try it).

That was some time ago now, so I honestly don't remember how I found the gamepad read address (disassembly or conversion from found codes). But the address I use might not be directly useful for you anyway, as it is for the UK PAL version (SLES_541.14) sold here in Sweden.

In case you want it anyway, here it is (raw format):

E0017FFD 0035BA5C  if (*((mem16 *) 0x35BA5C) == 0x7FFD) //if gamepad L3+Square pressed
20340360 000F423F    *((mem32 *) 0x340360) = 999999; //Munny variable = 999,999

Hmmm. I just made a quick disassembly of both the US and the UK elfs, and it seems that the US gamepad variable should be 0x0035B55C, and the Munny variable appears to be at 0x0033FE60 according to a non-jokered munny code I found, and that also matches the same between-versions offset of 0x500 for that memory range, so the equivalent US code would be:

E0017FFD 0035B55C  if (*((mem16 *) 0x35B55C) == 0x7FFD) //if gamepad L3+Square pressed
2033FE60 000F423F    *((mem32 *) 0x33FE60) = 999999; //Munny variable = 999,999

I haven't tested it myself, but it should work, provided a decent master code, such as "902FD330 0C0C42BD" according to that cheat collection I found for US KH2.

all movie sequence works fine.

Here too.

the game freezes (black screen) when you're about to control Roxas (even on a loaded game).

Never here.

it's not just the KH series, it's pretty much freezes for every game i launched CB with (even w/ no cheat selected).

I never get this nowdays, but it does remind me of a problem I did have at one time, which turned out to be due to the master codes used for the cheat sets.

If the master code is of the type Fxxxxxxx then it will not work properly with patched CodeBreaker. Instead you need to use master codes of the type 9xxxxxxx (in raw format of course).

i'm using a fat ps2.

I do the same on a fat v7, a fat v10 and a slim v15 without any problems.

free mc 1.8b is installed in the memcard, codebreaker is installed on a usb device under the folder BOOT.

Neither should cause any problems (it is only on slim consoles that CB has USB problems.)

and the code i'm using are downloaded from cb's day1 site.

I don't bother with those myself for several reasons, one being that I mostly have european games, and another being that I prefer to have full insight into the code when browsing it in CodeBreaker, and cheats from the CB site are usually encrypted or at least obfuscated, making it a lot of work to make any modifications or additions.

Anyway, if your CodeBreaker problem happens equally with original discs as for ESR, then we can obviously rule out both ESR specifics and burned media issues from having any influence here.

Effectively this only leaves two suspect components, which are the CodeBreaker elf itself and the code sets used with it. If you have verified the CodeBreaker elf as you said, then that too should be ruled out leaving us with the code sets as prime suspects, and then the master code problem I mentioned tops the list of probable causes.

Please list some of the master codes here, so others can check them too, and so we can see if they match the problem I described (may require decrypting them first).

Best regards: dlanor

[sokrin]

awesome. thanks buddy! for some reason, deleting and replacing the master code works, even when the codes were the same O.o (i tested it immediately after one another on the same cd). it simply shouldn't be logical but it works....

thanks again for all your assistance.

[dlanor]

awesome. thanks buddy! for some reason, deleting and replacing the master code works, even when the codes were the same O.o (i tested it immediately after one another on the same cd). it simply shouldn't be logical but it works....

My only conclusion from this is that you may have had some corruption in the cheats database, which may have been cleaned up for that game by editing its master code, as that could cause part of its database struct to be rebuilt, discarding some erroneous link.

thanks again for all your assistance.

I'm always glad to help.

Best regards: dlanor