ROM Hack Cheat.plg decompiler?

[Ailuros27]

With all these plugins being released right and left (here and on other sites) but few people actually releasing source or addresses, the NTR scene feels like the dark days of old. You know, when good codes were rare and you had to hope and pray companies like Datel and Mad Catz would make the ones you wanted. A lot of people seem to be asking for plugins to be ported or improved to use the newer menus instead of button triggers, but without source or addresses, asking is about all they can do.

So my question is this: Is it possible to create a decompiler for these plugins so people can obtain the source to port and improve them? Because waiting on the original authors to do it takes forever. Worse, expecting them to do all the work flies in the face of the kind of collaborative community we have here. Over on the Wii U scene, to use codes, you need the addresses because there are no plugins, so a lot more stuff gets shared, and more people can contribute without needing to know how to compile things. So is this possible? I know decompiling things in general is possible. Maybe I'm wrong, but since NTR plugins mostly work on ANY 3DS hardware and there are just a few major versions of NTR, shouldn't this be feasible?

 

[Mandikiri]

you can't decompile a plugin made in C, retard. you'd need something that reads the data of the plugin. i believe @BullyWiiPlaza made or has something that looks at .exe files to figure out the source when it's not open source but as for .plg I have no idea if they can even be reverse engineered for source code.

There's no need to call him that. You're being rude as well.

 

[supermariorick]

There's no need to call him that. You're being rude as well.

the thing is the same question has been asked over and over with the same answer and it's getting to the point where newly released utilities and mods are being pushed down on the page by stupid questions. call me salty all you want but I think we need a sticky for information like this or an FAQ so people stop asking the same questions and getting the same answers. it's been well known for a while that cheat plugins can't be edited directly and require the source code and that there's usually no way to get them without asking the creators of the plugins themselves. my post may have come off as rude but you can't just ignore that I at least gave a lead on the information he's actually looking for. I am just tired of the same questions being asked over and over and flooding this forum so now i have to click through a few pages of threads with pointless posts just to get to new contributions and projects. how hard is it to actually look before asking? you don't have to make a new thread every time you ask a question. at least ask it in a thread that has already been made. i suggest moving this discussion to my thread on building cheat plugins in tutorials and faqs so we dont need this unnecessary thread to ask a question that can be asked there. also some idiot is offering money to get answers to questions.

 

[Ailuros27]

You know, maybe if the forum search actually allowed me to search for things like "plg" that are shorter than 5 characters, I could've actually found my answer instead of asking for it to be handed to me. Still, thank you for the information. I guess people will have to learn how to share their source, or the NTR scene will continue to languish.

 

[DesuIsSparta]

Shortest answer is to use IDA pro and go from there. Or even better, just use all of the open-source code provided by the NTR Plugin framework source, and just reverse it..

 

[DarkFlare69]

the thing is the same question has been asked over and over with the same answer and it's getting to the point where newly released utilities and mods are being pushed down on the page by stupid questions. call me salty all you want but I think we need a sticky for information like this or an FAQ so people stop asking the same questions and getting the same answers. it's been well known for a while that cheat plugins can't be edited directly and require the source code and that there's usually no way to get them without asking the creators of the plugins themselves. my post may have come off as rude but you can't just ignore that I at least gave a lead on the information he's actually looking for. I am just tired of the same questions being asked over and over and flooding this forum so now i have to click through a few pages of threads with pointless posts just to get to new contributions and projects. how hard is it to actually look before asking? you don't have to make a new thread every time you ask a question. at least ask it in a thread that has already been made. i suggest moving this discussion to my thread on building cheat plugins in tutorials and faqs so we dont need this unnecessary thread to ask a question that can be asked there. also some idiot is offering money to get answers to questions.

Someone was able to get the codes for MK7 speed hacks out of @PabloMK7 plugin

 

[supermariorick]

Someone was able to get the codes for MK7 speed hacks out of @PabloMK7 plugin

how though?

 

[Nanquitas]

Probably using IDA.

 

[BullyWiiPlaza]

You can't, except for using a disassembler like IDA Pro. C programs can't be decompiled perfectly since too much information is lost on compilation but you can get whatever you desire out of the assembly with some efforts

 

[Nanquitas]

This is an interesting plugin for IDA.

Of course it won't do all the work, but it can help you understanding things.

 

[Ailuros27]

Thanks. I'm not sure if it'd be easier to just find some simple addresses myself, or to mess with IDA, given my current level of skill. I'd love to help get a working plugin going for Hyrule Warriors Legends for those playing US and EU versions. While I'm acquainted with finding codes for Wii U, I have zero experience with using 3DS tools for that purpose. And less than zero compiling addresses as plugins. Perhaps I could find a partner who can focus on compiling, at least at first, while I could focus on finding working addresses.

 

[Ailuros27]

Does anyone have a good tutorial for someone learning how to use the NTR debugger to find addresses? I thought I had one saved somewhere but can't find it.

 

[Ailuros27]

Really? No one has anything? Not even a few tips?

 

[DesuIsSparta]

Really? No one has anything? Not even a few tips?

open game, do something, ram dump, do something, ram dump. compare ram dumps.

 

[Maq47]

You can't, except for using a disassembler like IDA Pro. C programs can't be decompiled perfectly since too much information is lost on compilation but you can get whatever you desire out of the assembly with some efforts

What language do you choose for cheat.plg files? Metapc, or ARM? I tried metapc, ARM Big Endian, and ARM Little Endian. But each one results in an almost completely garbled mess when decompiled. I used the IDA plugin that @Nanquitas linked above in all 3 modes as well, and got assembly, but they made no logical sense. Am I only supposed to disassemble a certain region of the cheat.plg? There's jumbled text mixed in with the assembly code as well, so that's why I'm asking.

 

[Nanquitas]

Use ARM Little Endian mode, then you have to select the whole thing you get and select an option like analize or something like that (it's been a while since I used IDA...).

 

[Maq47]

Has there been any developments regarding this?

 

[Maq47]

@Nanquitas ?

 

[lone_wolf323]

its been 4 years of nothing. my guess is this still aint possible.

 

[masagrator]

Has there been any developments regarding this?

There is no way to do it as OP wants to. With AI and supercomputer it would take months to make something that can reverse modern apps at base level.

Reverse Engineering code requires high coding skill, deep understanding of assembler for this platform and experience.
This is not something that you will do as hobby unless you are fan of some project (like Super Mario 64 decompilation project) or they pay you.