This was written by: Tony Hedstrom t.hed@excite.com Make sure that you read the "Updates" at the end of this document. This document explains in detail how to hack a NES ROM. When I say "hack", I mean that you will be able to change a NES ROM (or game) to permanently include the effects of any Game Genie code! Which means that every time that you play the game that you hacked, you would get the effects of the GG codes, but you wouldn't have to enter any GG codes! As far as I know, this method will work on either 6 or 8 digit codes. If you are using an 8 letter code, make sure that you read the updates at the end of this document. The main reason that I'm writing this is mostly for educational purposes. You can achieve almost the same thing by just entering the actual Game Genie codes, but you won't learn anything that way. If you use the method that I describe here, you will learn a great deal about how the real Game Genie actually works. It is actually very self satisfying, and pretty cool to be able to open up a game ROM, which has thousands and thousands of letters and numbers in it, and by changing just a couple of those letters or numbers, you can get the same effect as any Game Genie code! For this example, I'm going to use the Super Mario Bros ROM (which has no title in it). The first version of SMB that I tried (which had a title in it) didn't work right. I'm not exactly sure why the first version that I tried didn't work, but it may be because the person who made the ROM didn't do it correctly. So if you are having trouble getting this method to work on your ROM, try getting a different copy or version of that ROM. Here is a list of what you will need: 1) A NES emulator (I use NESticle). 2) The ROM (or game) you want to hack. 3) A Hex editor (I use Hex Workshop v 2.54). You can get a free trial version of Hex Workshop at: http://www.bpsoft.com/ 4) A program which will convert GG codes into a .NES Hex address (NOTE: The .NES Hex address is not the same as the ROM address! See explanation below). I recommend using the "Game Genie Decoder" program. You can download the program at: http://www.zyx.com/ccovell/data/GameGenie.zip If that link is no good, try going here and click on the "Videogames" link: http://mypage.direct.ca/c/ccovell/ Or you can download it from my site, in the download section. http://www.angelfire.com/games2/codehut/ If you are using a NES GG code to Hex conversion program, you will have to modify the Hex address that the program gives you. To modify it, just add $10 to the ROM hex address. The reason for this is simple, most .NES games have a 16 byte header at the very beginning of the game. If you are using the "Game Genie Decoder" program that I mentioned above, it will modify the ROM address for you. Also, make sure that the Game Genie Decoder program is in the same folder as your NES emulator and ROM. It should be named "GameGenie.NES". One other note before we start: Some of the newer or larger NES games use something called a "Mapper". On some of these games that use Mappers, the ROM address can be in more than one location. OK, here we go: 1) Start up your NES emulator (in this case, NESticle) 2) Load the Game Genie decoder ROM (program). It should be named "GameGenie.NES". You should see a screen similar to a real Game Genie code screen. 3) Enter the Game Genie code you want using the same method that you use with a real Game Genie. Press the "Start" button when you are finished and the program will decode it for you. For this example, I'm going to use my "Start with 900 seconds instead of 400 seconds" code for SMB. The code is: VGYOKK. When I decode it, I get several numbers. The only two that you need are the .NES Address (which is 1C8C), and the Value (which is CE). Write the two numbers down. If you are using an 8 letter code, you should also write down the "Compare Value" and then read the updates below. 4) Exit the emulator. 5) Open the ROM you want to hack (in this case, SMB) with your hex editor (in this case, Hex Workshop). Make sure your hex editor is setup to view offset addresses as hex (not decimal). 6) Find the .NES hex address that you wrote down. (It is best if you know a little bit about how to count in hex, but it's OK if you don't.) Just scroll down the list watching the numbers on the left side of the screen. When you see a number that is close to the number you wrote down (which in this case is 1C8C), stop scrolling. (The numbers listed on the left side of the screen always have the last number rounded off to zero, so the number I'm looking for is the number that I wrote down with the last number changed to zero, which would be 1C80). 7) Once you find the right number, use your mouse to click on any number in the same row (to the right). (These numbers are letters or numbers in groups of two, like 9D, 85, B1, etc...(these are just examples, yours will be different)). 8) When you click on one of these two digit numbers, look at the very bottom of the screen where it says "Offset:". Use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to move the cursor and watch the "Offset" number until it matches the number you wrote down before (in this case, 1C8C). So when you have the right offset (in this example) you should see "Offset:00001C8C" at the bottom of the screen. 9) Now, find the number you wrote down before for the "Value" (which in this case is CE), and using your keyboard, type in that two digit "Value". (What you have just done is to replace the value in the game (ROM) with a different value. This is basically the same thing that a real game genie does!) 10) Exit the hex editor (it will ask you if you want to save the changes to the file, click "Yes". It will also ask if you want to make a backup copy of the file, click "Yes" (in case something gets messed up, you will still have the original file)). 11) Start up your NES emulator again. 12) Load the ROM (game) that you just hacked (in this case, SMB) and see if the GG code works (which means that the hack was a success!) When I try the SMB ROM that I just hacked in this example, the time always starts at 900 seconds, instead of 400 but I don't have to enter any Game Genie codes! Pretty cool. If the above method didn't work, it could be because the ROM you have may use a mapper, or it could be because the ROM was not copied correctly, or it could be because of some other reason that I'm not aware of. Also, see the "Updates" below. Also, if you are using a different hex editor than "Hex Workshop", the above instructions may need to be changed a little to suit your hex editor. Anyways, I hope this document helps you understand how the Game Genie works. Thanks, Tony Hedstrom t.hed@excite.com May 18, 2000 UPDATE: I just learned some more information about how the Game Genie works, so I'll include that info here. If the above method didn't work, then try adding $8000 to the original address and try it again. If that doesn't work, then add $8000 again, and so on until the hack works. You will usually only have to do this on the larger games. UPDATE #2: This update has to do with 8 letter codes. If you are using a 8 letter GG code, you can use the "Compare" value (Check value) to help you find which offset to change. Do not change an offset unless it matches the compare value (check value). In other words, check the offset from the GG code, and if the value of that offset is not the same as the compare value of the GG code, then add $8000 to the address and see if it matches. If not, add $8000 again and see if it matches, etc... Once the offset matches the compare value, then that's the offset you want to change.