Author Topic: Oh, hello back.  (Read 2528 times)

Offline Serge

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Oh, hello back.
« on: September 28, 2008, 04:08:56 PM »
Hello everyone!

Some of you may remember me. My name is Megabyte, or Serge as I prefer myself being called now. I have been in the RA2 scene for a long, very long time (7 years now? Damn). I am a C++ programmer now, so I can help with loads of things. Need some tools? Just give me a hint, I'll get to programming in no time. It'd be a pleasure to contribute in any way to this community.

kthxbai
Serge

PS. I'm very happy my fix to the GMF compiler was downloaded so many times! However, please remember, 99.999% of the work was done by dummee - all credit should have gone to him!
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Offline Somebody

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« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2008, 04:28:42 PM »
You should have showed up about a month ago when Venko tried to decode to C++ and failed. He was trying to make an animated chassis or something. You should PM him before he leaves for "university", or stay here until around X-Mas to help him.
I built that big robot on that TV show that time


Offline goose

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2008, 04:48:34 PM »
hey MB, want me to change your name to  Serge?
 
also welcome back.  We could use some more vets to keep the idiots in line.
sippin' on my Honeydew bubble tea.
party in my tummy. yummy, yummy.

Offline Serge

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2008, 04:59:48 PM »
Quote from: goose;15843
hey MB, want me to change your name to  Serge?
 
also welcome back.  We could use some more vets to keep the idiots in line.


If you may.

About the idiots: these forums should be more strict, that would fix everything.
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Offline R0B0SH4RK

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2008, 05:17:36 PM »
Wasn't Megabyte a notorious troll and arsonist?

EDIT: Sorry, nevermind. It was MegaVolt, not Megabyte.

Offline goose

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« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2008, 05:25:07 PM »
ok, name changed.
I can be an ass, but strict I am not. This is not AU.
sippin' on my Honeydew bubble tea.
party in my tummy. yummy, yummy.

Offline DuckRA2

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« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2008, 11:38:52 PM »
sup megabyte remember me?

Offline Serge

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« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2008, 12:15:40 AM »
Quote from: R0B0SH4RK;15848
Wasn't Megabyte a notorious troll and arsonist?

EDIT: Sorry, nevermind. It was MegaVolt, not Megabyte.


Bullsh**, I was a troll, too!

Anyway, I just started to work on disassembling the binary, and hopefully, I will be able to crack the 7 parts-in-a-row limit. The hardest part will be finding the routine that does the verification, and it will be even harder because it doesn't give any kind of error message, so it's searching a 4 byte long instruction in a whole binary. However, once I get it, patching it will require only a few minutes of work.
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Offline Madiaba

Oh, hello back.
« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2008, 07:04:33 AM »
MB, Are you saying that you can now take Humpty Dumpty apart, mod him, and then reassemble him ... intact??? That would be very cool! Unlike you and Goose my C++ is mediocre, while Python is a forte for me. I've butchered my way into the exe, just to get all the python commands.
Are you working at the binary level!!!???
Would you mind expounding on your endeavours into the exe? Sounds intriguing and very useful...
Input is appreciated. :)
-Arrogance is a quantity devoid of quality...
-As a client once told me "This is my story, and it's sticking to me!"
-Relationships these days are like the 'Arrival' section of the airport: a lot of baggage is being revealed in one place, and not a lot of it is being correlated to its real owners...

Offline Serge

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« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2008, 09:32:38 AM »
Yes, and of course I will share the information once I get this to work. First, I need to get home, since I'm writing this on my phone. I will be using IDA for the disasembly.
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Offline Serge

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2008, 02:54:48 PM »
I'm back home.

More details:
This modification will hopefully be done in the binary itself. First of all, I need to get hold of a Windows installation (since, on my box, I am currently running OS X and Linux, and Virtual Box just doesn't do the trick with DX). After that is done, I'll get cracking.
I was thinking about how to find the part that does the > 7 verification. First, I'll try to get a "signature" by compiling and analyzing the assembly of a C++ snippet that would correspond to the code that has been used in the game executable. Then, I'll search for this signature int he code. This WILL create a lot of false results, so it's the most annoying way.
Secondly, I can hope that there are some traces of the function names, maybe they left some debugging symbols in, but I don't think so. This is the easiest way, but only if I can look through function names.
Last, but not least, I can use a kernel debugger. This is the proper way to do this, but heck, debuggers are evil and a pain in the butt to install. Either I'll try to guess what API calls are used near the checking function, or do stepping. But like I said before, debuggers and I don't get well together.

Anyway, I'll save the predictions for later. My main goal now (probably more for the weekend, I am very rarely free during the afternoon) is to get an XP install.

kthxbai, and any constructive remarks would be greatly appreciated.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2011, 06:50:53 PM by ACAMS »
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Offline System32

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« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2008, 03:26:12 PM »
Yay!

Please make it so that more than 4 bots can fight, please?
Put this onto your signature if you were part of this crappy fad in '03.

Offline WhamettNuht

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2008, 03:31:39 PM »
He's making a hack so that more than 4 bots can fight?
Cool! (I could do with something like that!)
Damn I should probably put something fancy in this bit huh?

Offline Serge

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2008, 03:33:10 PM »
No, I am not, don't get too excited :P

Anyway, I've got my XP system up. Let's start hacking!
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Offline Scrap Daddy

Oh, hello back.
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2008, 03:41:39 PM »
Didnt you also go by Etybagem..? I think

Anyway welcome back

Offline Madiaba

Oh, hello back.
« Reply #15 on: September 29, 2008, 03:42:02 PM »
You guys, Serge is 'diving in' so to speak to see what is possible. He's working at a fundemental and thus difficult level of programming, and searching for things is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Maybe several things will be possible, so as Serge put it, let's wait and see...
 
Serge, I'd like to see what you get/have decompiled and are actually working with, if I may. Feel free to make a thread on this. Maybe a 'feedback/think-tank' place or such.
Cool, and Thanks.
Input is appreciated. :)
-Arrogance is a quantity devoid of quality...
-As a client once told me "This is my story, and it's sticking to me!"
-Relationships these days are like the 'Arrival' section of the airport: a lot of baggage is being revealed in one place, and not a lot of it is being correlated to its real owners...

Offline Serge

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Oh, hello back.
« Reply #16 on: September 29, 2008, 04:20:11 PM »
https://gametechmods.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15928
I HAS THREAD

@scrap: true.

@madiaba: Thanks for helping me out with the idiot overflow ;).
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