Trouble Finding "Timer" Values

[Steverz]

Using Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 2: Tools being used are TMK_1.51 (Trainer Maker Kit), Tsearch, artmoney727.exe, CheatEngine and memhack.exe . My knowledge base: HTML, Visual Basic, Java, Javascript.

I am trying to build a Trainer that will alter or stop the minutes (timer/clock) for a scenerio. So far I have been successful in finding the seconds using Tsearch and copying the Poke and values to the Trainer. The Trainer works fine for freezing the seconds, but the minutes continue to count down to zero and of course, I lose the scenerio since I couldn't complete the scenerio within the time allowed.

In the game, the minutes are on the screen just like a normal LCD would be. Example 04:55 . When I search memory for 04:55, 4:55, 455, 0455, all are found on the first search. But after I start the game up and let a few seconds expire, then pause the game, the next search ALWAYS brings up "zero found".

How do you search for "Time" or "Timer" in this example since I can find seconds but not minutes? Yes, I have tried searching for the minutes but that is useless since thousands of addresses show up for each minute right down to zero.

THANKS

[DABhand]

Think in seconds and milliseconds.

For example

4:55 is 4x60 + 55 = 295

of course in milliseconds it would be 29500

[Steverz]

HI: Thanks for the effort. I tried milliseconds and nothing was found in any search. I also tried seconds (minutes and seconds added together) and one address was found, but that did not stop the Timer from counting down to zero either.

[DABhand]

Do the slow but sure way, search for unknown, back to game let the time go up or down, and go back and search for greater or lesser value. Repeat.

Its slow but it may get you what you need.

You may have to do in dword and float searches.

[Steverz]

I tried searching for the unknown and then decrease but that did not work.

I was able to find the memory address and freeze the time at 4:09. When I returned to the game, the time 4:09 never moved. I thought I had this issue worked out, but that wasn't the case.

Even though the on-screen Timer showed 4:09 frozen in place, the game still gave me a "failed mission" after 4:09 of time had expired even though 4:09 was still on the screen.

So this means there is something else somewhere doing the counting of minutes and seconds.

ANYONE?

[DABhand]

Ok thats good you found the address that shows the time, now find out what writes to that address.

with CE you can also add the address of the opcode you found, and then right click and tell it to search for what writes to this address, hopefully you will find the opcode responsible and where it gets the timer information from.

Bear in mind im doing this from imagination here, as I dont know what game your doing, what the opcodes look like etc. So im winging it here with only the information you give me.

[Steverz]

The game in question is "The Great Escape" based on the WWII movie starring Steve McQueen.

Using Cheat Engine I found the seconds address. Then I used a different technique and finally found minutes. I changed the minutes to 30 and seconds to 59 and locked/froze both values. In other words, 30:59 since the scenerio only allows for a pitiful 4:20.

When I returned to the game the Timer showed 30:59 but with that time and the actual time flickering back-and-forth between them about the speed of a strobe. You could see the 30:59 never changed but unfortunately, the actual time continued to count down, though it was hard to see.

Of course, when the actual time reached zero while the other part of this flickering remained at 30:59, the scenerio ended with the usual "Mission Failed: Time Expired:.

Still looking for help.

[DABhand]

I did say what you could do, and find out what writes to that address's you found.

What you found is obviously the cosmetic (ghost value) address, so you have to find what writes to those address's you found, which by good fortune should lead you to the real area of time calculation.

[Steverz]

HI: Thanks for hanging around. Even though I have followed tutorials using Tsearch, using Backward/Dissamble, NOP and so on, I basicly don't have a clue as to what to look at. It all appears greek with more addressess, mov (move), eci edi, on and on and on.

I guess it's useless without taking classes on Assembly or Machine Language.

[DABhand]

Thats why I had ASM tuts posted in this section O_o

[Steverz]

Thanks: I went back to the forum home and saw your ASM tutorials at the top. I will study them then try this thing again. Look forward to your help again should you decide to provide a little time.

[Synaesthesia]

You have to trace a bit, since you're in the timer display function. Need to exit that, via a RET/RET X/RET 0X and scroll up a bit in the code. Or, you might be lucky enough that the timer is both calculated and thrown on-screen in the same function.

P.S.: Why is this in the game coders section?

[HonestGamer]

I recommend browsing through the game files and looking for such events...

In many games, events in ASCII or text strings that are written down in game files that are attached to the game's exe.

And then when you debug the game's exe and search for that string/address....you can treat it be NOPing its calls, conditional jumps etc...

I recommend on doing this with the game running so you can know what are you doing (If game crashes - try again with different calls/jumps, etc...)