Hacking Using Cheats

[Another World]

I have decided to give some games that have been beat a second play and use some cheats to make it fun again. I read most of this guide, and downloaded the most recent database from Rayder's sig.

I opened the cheat db in the R4 cheat app to double checked which games are in there, however, when I highlight the game in my R4 these same games do not all promt me with the option to "Cheat(Y)."

I am using 1.17 firmware, I have both of the files (CHEAT.DAT, usrcheat.dat) in the _system_ folder. Problem games right now are Mario Kart and Hotel Dusk. ROMs are clean from a trusted source. Hotel Dusk is trimmed, but other trimmed ROMs are displaying the cheat button correctly. I also should add that my MK is the trackhack patched version.


it appears the cheats work on the non-hacked MK, so it must just be an issue with the hack... sad.
which could also explain why one a few trimmed it isn't working, i bet the non-trimmed would function


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Another World

 

[Rayder]

Hacked games will have a different GameID than a clean ROM will. Since the cheats are assigned to games by their GameID, and a hacked ROM will report a different GameID than a clean ROM, the cheats won't show. Trimmed ROMs should also work with the cheats just fine (all my ROMs are trimmed and the cheats show), provided they are not hacked ROMs, just clean ones that were trimmed.

You ONLY need one or the other of the dats (CHEAT.DAT or USRCHEAT.DAT).....they both contain the exact same cheats. It's just the the CHEAT.dat is encrypted and the USRCHEAT.DAT is not. The USRCHEAT.DAT is provided in the download because some other flashcards can use it. For the R4, just use the CHEAT.DAT.

The theoretical max size for the cheats DB is 4megs (though I believe it is slightly less). Possibly, when you add both the CHEAT.DAT and USRCHEAT.DAT you are kinda blowing the R4's and and it is cutting off some cheats.

One other thing to consider is that not every game has cheats. Don't expect EVERY game to have a cheat option.

 

[sylux92]

Another World, what hotel dusk version do you have? There are only cheats for the EU version.

 

[Raestloz]

Maybe the problem lies in the "hacked" ROM
Clean ROM and Hacked ROM has different GameID, which is why some games got no cheat. Try to verify your ROM's GameID with R4Cheat editor and look at the GameID of your ROM, compare it with the one listed in Rayder's (use the usrcheat.dat, cheat.dat cannot be used to compare since it's encrypted). if the GameID matches, I can't tell you any other problem source.

 

[Another World]

rayder: the walkthrough i read mentioned that both files are required, and to use a blank CHEAT.DAT (0 bytes) so that they cheat system didn't get confused. I'll try it with just one or the other. I guess then for my track hacked rom i would have to reload cheats using the ID as reported for the hacked rom. using the whole cheat app is still a bit confusing for me, but i know i will figure it out in time.

sylux92: using advancescene.dats i have #0823 the U release.

cheers,
-aw