Convert Them Codes! by Weasel ************************* This document is created for help to people convert SNES codes a bit. These processes are fairly, if not, incredibly easy to do. All it takes is a brain, a computer, and the appropriate programs. Remember, these are all for SNES codes, nothing else. If you are looking for NES gg codes, go somewhere else. If enough people request it, I'll write a simple document for that as well. ************************* Programs required 1. Windows Duh, it's your operating system. If you're running a Mac, the other programs listed will not work. 2. Calculator Yeah, it's the windows calc. Very important. Set it to Scientific mode. Pretty, no? 3. GGConvC This spiffy utility converts a game genie code to a raw hex code. How cool is that? 4. Gg Another nice utility. This one will make GG codes turn into Pro Action Replay codes. 5. gg-hex This utility can convert GG to PAR and PAR to GG, (which doesn't really make sense at all...) ************************* Game Genie to Pro Action Replay! Okay, let's say you want to use a game genie code. For a game called Final Fight 2, there's a code that makes you start a new game with 10 lives. But you can't get very far with 10 lives. That's sad, my friend. But besides the point. Altering GG codes can be a pretty bad thing to mess with as some GG codes can erase save files, mess with the batteries, and just screw things up. You don't want THAT to happen, right? Of course not. That's why Gg and gg-hex were invented. Gg must be used from the DOS command line. If you don't know what that is, you need to be slapped with a large trout. So, at the command line, run Gg like so: gg dbcf-c7d6 Ain't that nifty? The program prints: 82a21c09 Also pretty slick. Feel the static in the air? That's your own spiffyness because you figured out how to do this so far! The printed part of the program is a PAR code. Now, if you know anything about PAR codes, their formats are xxxxxx:yy. The x's are the RAM offsets. This means next to nothing. The y's are the modified bytes. THAT is what you want to mess with, peoples! Instead of screwing with the GG code and possibly f-ing your game up, you can mess with the y bytes. This doesn't screw up the game because it has nothing to do with the game's actual code. It changed memory, no big deal. Cool, huh? So in the PAR code above, change the 09 (which is 10 in decimal) to, let's say 10. Remember, this is in hexadecimal, so 10 is actually 16. Now, in the game, use the code 82121c10. You will start the game with 16 lives. It's that simple. Note: Since PAR codes effect memory, they are outside the range of the actual locations (whatever...) of the game. You can't convert PAR to GG for this reason. Don't try, it'll just waste your time. ************************* Game Genie to Hex address If you're a rom hacker, THIS is what you were probably looking for. There's a code for a game called Seiken Densetsu 3 that can give Duran a bit for Vitality points. 25 to be exact. FB78-80A5 is that code you want. Now, open up GGConvC and select SNES. For this example, I am using a HiRom. HiRom and LoRom examples are different as their range for offsets can vary greatly. Back to the example, enter the code above into the proper area in the program. It will convert it to D13EB0:19. This looks a lot like a PAR code, doesn't it? It has the format xxxxxx:yy. It works the same way, the y's being the modified byte. But this ISN'T the actual hex address. If you test this, you know it's out of range. So what to do? Here's the method. Open the calculator, in scientific mode. Select "hex" on the left side. Type in D13EB0. Subtract C00000. Add 200. Guess what, you maniac! That's the actual offset! Now, open the rom in a hex editor, go to the new address (it's 1140B0) and type 19 for the byte you find there, it should be a 05. Now, save it. The code is permanently patched to the rom. You beast, you did it! Yay! LoRom conversions are a bit different but not by much. Simple type in the code into the program like above. But this time, press the Show 64k button. Subtract and add like above. Viola! you have the offset for the code. This process is wonderful for finding data in roms. If there is a code that screws up a room's graphics, chances are that the code moves stuff around and changes level data. ************************* This document is for Dragon Eye Studios . If you wish to have this document on your site, ask first. Since I'm such a darn nice person, chances are that I'd let you. Every one of the programs listed above has an author. Lord Esnes, maker of Gg; zazer@earthlink.net, maker of GGConvC; and Smite, maker of gg-hex. I am not affiliated with these people, nor am I affiliated with Nintendo in any sort of way. If you think I am, you need to be slapped. Copyright (c) 2002 Weasel