Alice Averlong🏳️⚧️Can't figure out how to get this damn ghidra extension to work. I have so many versions of ghidra and still, nope.
I JUST WANT TO HACK 32BIT DOS GAMES IS THAT SO WRONG
installing a new JDK and a different version of ghidra and a github actions version instead of a the release version
IT LIVES
so I got the ghidra-lx-loader extension from here (and unzipped it to reveal the zip), then got that version of ghidra (10.2.0), then installed it. seems to work fine
https://github.com/yetmorecode/ghidra-lx-loader/actions/runs/3518280046
https://github.com/yetmorecode/ghidra-lx-loader/actions/runs/3518280046
oh, error strings that specify what function they are, my beloved
oh this is a weird thing I didn't know existed.
you embed an int3 in your code, then a short JMP, and the ASCII characters "WVIDEO".
If the ASCII code is found, it ends up outputting a debug string in the Watcom debugger.
this game is so weird. I'm like 99% sure it saves background you're currently on into the save file.
not, like, an index into which background, but the background ITSELF
not, like, an index into which background, but the background ITSELF
correction: that's now 100%
it definitely does.
which is actually helpful.
I can load the game, move left and right, then save the game.
this'll export the current background to a file
I can load the game, move left and right, then save the game.
this'll export the current background to a file
I'm extracting all the backgrounds from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Harbringer.
I still haven't figured out how to attach the right palettes to images.
it's 256-color, and there's 43 palettes here. a bunch of them are similar so I can't just match them manually
it's 256-color, and there's 43 palettes here. a bunch of them are similar so I can't just match them manually
yeah I'm gonna have to automate extracting all these images and then figure out the palette nonsense. there's a bunch of files here. 307 of them, although at least one is a duplicate.
my wizards-apprentice script keeps trying to open my text editor
why
what is there for you in the hex editor, keyboard/mouse macro?
ahh it's because dosbox's "capture mouse" is a toggle. I'm inadvertently un-capturing.
automating a DOS game that requires you to capture the mouse in DOSBox is a fucking nightmare.
You can't tell where the cursor is! you can't consistently move it, either!
You can't tell where the cursor is! you can't consistently move it, either!
and this game is 100% mouse driven. I'm not sure there even ARE any keyboard commands.
maybe I can spy into DOSBox and pull the X/Y coordinates out of the virtual mouse driver?
assuming the virtual driver even has an idea. the game might have put the mouse driver in relative mode, and is doing its own cursor movement nonsense
the worst part is that for greater reliability I'm restarting dosbox for every file.
so I can't even set up a standardized memory location to spy on, since it changes every time I reboot DOSBox
so I can't even set up a standardized memory location to spy on, since it changes every time I reboot DOSBox
someday I'm gonna need to sit down and make my Universal External Debugging Interface.
A tcp/ip protocol for doing things like reading/writing memory and saving/loading savestates and providing input (keyboards, mice, controllers)
then go around and implement it in a bunch of emulators
A tcp/ip protocol for doing things like reading/writing memory and saving/loading savestates and providing input (keyboards, mice, controllers)
then go around and implement it in a bunch of emulators
so you could control an emulator from an external python script, or whatever language you want, so long as the UEDI is implemented
okay so I was able to find x/y cursor positions in RAM pretty easily. the trick is to do that in a way that can be done automatically/reliably.
or maybe I just need to stop restarting DOSbox.
or maybe I just need to stop restarting DOSbox.
64kb@foone add it to DOSemu2 when you do!
Perry Lorier@foone gdb has a trivial protocol to implement reading/writing registers/memory. That is probably enough for implementing savestates.
You'd have to extend it with Input devices. (And any state the emulator has that isn't represented by memory/registers, possibly just by having a lot of extra fake registers)
(🖬🖫). ₍^. .^₎⟆@foone mice just want to be free 🐀
Max™@foone
Could be worse, missus kept having baffling mouse issues, it would randomly go back to last page with ZERO obvious reason until I opened it to clean and saw the scroll wheel popped out of the mount when it fell the other day so it was LIGHTLY resting on the *click wheel left* button.
Could be worse, missus kept having baffling mouse issues, it would randomly go back to last page with ZERO obvious reason until I opened it to clean and saw the scroll wheel popped out of the mount when it fell the other day so it was LIGHTLY resting on the *click wheel left* button.
GenghisKen Coar@foone
Harbringer or Harbinger? 🤔 The first one may be correct, but it makes me think of a Texan selling Hair Club for Men. 🤣
Harbringer or Harbinger? 🤔 The first one may be correct, but it makes me think of a Texan selling Hair Club for Men. 🤣
Nicolas Ward 
@foone I had that one! Peak non-rectangular-prism software packaging.
Nick@foone Awesome!
Scott Vitale@foone God, I loved that game!
retsel@foone it seems like I should just scroll back farther instead of mentioning file formats from Prince Interactive. Because that'd be both a selfish question and if there's an answer, it'd ruin my own fun
Canageek@foone !!! I played that game! I could NOT get past the tail gunner holodeck game and gave up!
cybik 
@foone... star trek stuff. Now you have my attention.
campbell@foone this looks great tho
Adam R. Wood@foone Worst Magic Eye ever, nothing hidden
Crowded.news@foone that's truly odd. A weird hack to get around some other issue that somehow was more difficult to fix or implement?