Post by MegaShadowChao™ on Dec 16, 2006 19:56:53 GMT -5
Alright people, here it is: The official CG sticky on how to hack chao! ^_^ Believe me, I'm an experienced hacker, so I know what I'm talking about. If you have any questions about chao hacking and/or need help with general emulation/action replay, make use of this board to ask them. So then, on to the guide!
First off, there are two ways to actually hack chao. One is using a GBA (GameBoy Advance) with the Gamecube->GBA link cable, and a GS (Gameshark) for GBA. I'll discuss this first.
OK, first, you need the following things:
OK, once you've got all that, we can get started. Depending on what you do and don't have, getting all those things may be quite time/money consuming. If you have a GBA, I reccomend using this path. However, if you don't even have a GBA, you should scroll down to the place where I mention the second method of hacking, because this process would not be worth your while.
Anyway, down to business. First, you need to get VBA (VisualBoyAdvance) up and running your ROM. If you're using SA2, you'll need to unlock the TCG first. Try searching online for a save that has it unlocked. Now, start up the ROM and get to the TCG (Tiny Chao Garden). We are now to the part where the real hacking comes in.
Before we can proceed, you need a hacking guide handy. You see, the way that hacking on the GBA is done by editing values in specific memory adresses to produce a certain effect, and unless you happen to have incredibly good memory, you'll need to have a hacking guide handy to tell you what the memory adresses are. If this doesn't make sense to you, don't worry - you don't need to understand how it works, only that it does work.
Anyway, time to get out a hacking manual. As it happens, our affiliate Chao World has such a guide, which can be found here. Scroll down to the table of contents. Wow, lots of stuff to hack, isn't there? ^_^ Yep, there sure is. Go down to the first section, "GBA Chao Egg". This section controls the egg in the TCG. You see the lines of text with game names and numbers below them? Those are your memory adresses. Note that for these, the "A" in the abbreviations refers to "Advance", not "Adventure". The numbers below them are the memory adresses for the corresponding game; you must pick whichever is right for your current GBA ROM. Now, in VBA there is a tool called "Memory Viewer" which is what we will use. Open it up by going to "Tools->Memory Viewer". You will be greeted by a nice friendly window with lots of numbers.
Don't worry about them, though; do you see that textfield next to a button that says "Go"? What you need to do is type in the correct memory adress from the manual into that field and press "Go". Since even a small error will wreck the whole thing, it is best to copy and paste the memory adress.
Ok, notice how the first of the long numbers in the left of the number field now lines up with what you entered in? If it doesn't, try hitting "Go" again. Click on the first digit to the right of it. Now, look back to the hacking manual. See the list of values (usually two digits) and the text beside them? Read the text and use it to determine what value you want. After that, enter it into the memory viewer in the first two digits (you must enter both). Look around for a few more interesting values and try those. Sometimes there are more than two digits; just enter them all. Once you're done, close the memory viewer and then save and exit the TCG.
OK then, time to export! In the VBA menu, go to "File->Export->Gameshark Snapshot" and select a location for the file. Just hit OK on the next dialouge, the stuff there is not relevent to us, and then the file will save. Now, unless you're REALLY lucky and have an GS v2 (old version of the Gameshark), you'll have to convert them into GS SP format. Here Chao World is of use again. This guide is all you will need if you are using SA1, but if you're using another game, it's more difficult. You see, only SA1 games contain the word PIRO. If you're using a save from a different game, you will have to search through an SPS and a GSV file and find some part where they are the same. Then simply treat that point as if it were PIRO, and you will be fine.
After that, put the new GSV file into your saves directory for the correct game in you Gameshark software folder, then follow the instructions for your Gameshark to put the save on the GBA, and then transport the chao into the Gamcube, and you're done! =D
AR (Action Replay) hacking involves the Gamecube ONLY, so it's much simpler than GBA hacking, but also less effective. What you first need is an Action Replay for the Gamecube. These can be found at most game stores. Once you have it, turn on your Gamecube with the AR memory card in Slot 2 and the AR disc in the GC. Enter into the codes section and get to the SA2B/SADXDC codes.
Now we need some codes. These are best found with a search engine; you should probably search for "Chao Action Replay Codes" or something. Once you have a code, write it down on paper and take it back over to the GC. To add the code, press A on "Add new code" in the AR menu and an input interface will appear. Enter THE NAME OF THE CODE here (not part of the code itself), and then hit "Done". After that, enter in the lines of code themselves in the same way that you entered the code. When you reach the last line, just hit "Done" twice to add the code. If you did it correctly, it will add the code, but if you get an error, you must've done something wrong. Check over the code letter by letter to make sure it's correct.
After that, turn the code on. The hit START and follow the instructions to start your game, and when you get to the Chao Garden, viola! =D
First off, there are two ways to actually hack chao. One is using a GBA (GameBoy Advance) with the Gamecube->GBA link cable, and a GS (Gameshark) for GBA. I'll discuss this first.
HOW TO HACK CHAO USING THE GBA!
OK, first, you need the following things:
--A Gamecube and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle or Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut.
--A GBA.
--A Gamecube->GBA link cable.
--A Gameshark for GBA (The SP one will work).
--Sonic Advance 1 or 2, Sonic Pinball Party, or a 2-in-1 pack containing Sonic Advance (Those are GBA games BTW).
--VisualBoyAdvance (See other thread, "Getting VBA and ROMs").
--ROMs matching your GBA game(s) (see aforementioned thread).
OK, once you've got all that, we can get started. Depending on what you do and don't have, getting all those things may be quite time/money consuming. If you have a GBA, I reccomend using this path. However, if you don't even have a GBA, you should scroll down to the place where I mention the second method of hacking, because this process would not be worth your while.
Anyway, down to business. First, you need to get VBA (VisualBoyAdvance) up and running your ROM. If you're using SA2, you'll need to unlock the TCG first. Try searching online for a save that has it unlocked. Now, start up the ROM and get to the TCG (Tiny Chao Garden). We are now to the part where the real hacking comes in.
Before we can proceed, you need a hacking guide handy. You see, the way that hacking on the GBA is done by editing values in specific memory adresses to produce a certain effect, and unless you happen to have incredibly good memory, you'll need to have a hacking guide handy to tell you what the memory adresses are. If this doesn't make sense to you, don't worry - you don't need to understand how it works, only that it does work.
Anyway, time to get out a hacking manual. As it happens, our affiliate Chao World has such a guide, which can be found here. Scroll down to the table of contents. Wow, lots of stuff to hack, isn't there? ^_^ Yep, there sure is. Go down to the first section, "GBA Chao Egg". This section controls the egg in the TCG. You see the lines of text with game names and numbers below them? Those are your memory adresses. Note that for these, the "A" in the abbreviations refers to "Advance", not "Adventure". The numbers below them are the memory adresses for the corresponding game; you must pick whichever is right for your current GBA ROM. Now, in VBA there is a tool called "Memory Viewer" which is what we will use. Open it up by going to "Tools->Memory Viewer". You will be greeted by a nice friendly window with lots of numbers.
Don't worry about them, though; do you see that textfield next to a button that says "Go"? What you need to do is type in the correct memory adress from the manual into that field and press "Go". Since even a small error will wreck the whole thing, it is best to copy and paste the memory adress.Ok, notice how the first of the long numbers in the left of the number field now lines up with what you entered in? If it doesn't, try hitting "Go" again. Click on the first digit to the right of it. Now, look back to the hacking manual. See the list of values (usually two digits) and the text beside them? Read the text and use it to determine what value you want. After that, enter it into the memory viewer in the first two digits (you must enter both). Look around for a few more interesting values and try those. Sometimes there are more than two digits; just enter them all. Once you're done, close the memory viewer and then save and exit the TCG.
OK then, time to export! In the VBA menu, go to "File->Export->Gameshark Snapshot" and select a location for the file. Just hit OK on the next dialouge, the stuff there is not relevent to us, and then the file will save. Now, unless you're REALLY lucky and have an GS v2 (old version of the Gameshark), you'll have to convert them into GS SP format. Here Chao World is of use again. This guide is all you will need if you are using SA1, but if you're using another game, it's more difficult. You see, only SA1 games contain the word PIRO. If you're using a save from a different game, you will have to search through an SPS and a GSV file and find some part where they are the same. Then simply treat that point as if it were PIRO, and you will be fine.
After that, put the new GSV file into your saves directory for the correct game in you Gameshark software folder, then follow the instructions for your Gameshark to put the save on the GBA, and then transport the chao into the Gamcube, and you're done! =D
HOW TO HACK CHAO USING THE ACTION REPLAY!
AR (Action Replay) hacking involves the Gamecube ONLY, so it's much simpler than GBA hacking, but also less effective. What you first need is an Action Replay for the Gamecube. These can be found at most game stores. Once you have it, turn on your Gamecube with the AR memory card in Slot 2 and the AR disc in the GC. Enter into the codes section and get to the SA2B/SADXDC codes.
Now we need some codes. These are best found with a search engine; you should probably search for "Chao Action Replay Codes" or something. Once you have a code, write it down on paper and take it back over to the GC. To add the code, press A on "Add new code" in the AR menu and an input interface will appear. Enter THE NAME OF THE CODE here (not part of the code itself), and then hit "Done". After that, enter in the lines of code themselves in the same way that you entered the code. When you reach the last line, just hit "Done" twice to add the code. If you did it correctly, it will add the code, but if you get an error, you must've done something wrong. Check over the code letter by letter to make sure it's correct.
After that, turn the code on. The hit START and follow the instructions to start your game, and when you get to the Chao Garden, viola! =D
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