eginner´s Tutorial
...for those who never heard of Xploder & Action Replay before...

What can an Xploder / Xplorer or Action Replay do?

It can "blow your games wide open"… beyond your imagination!

What you can do when you´re not a codes-hacker on your own, depends on what games you have.
Please don´t bug me "do codes exist for game XY", else my mailbox would get flooded.
Instead, look out for codes at the following pages:
www.beyond-cheating.de/x-codez/, www.codemasters-project.net, www.GScentral.org, www.xploder.net, www.codejunkies.com.
Various games provide different bonus features which can ONLY be seen by using these products.
Maybe you´re thinking now "That is commercial junk! Why do I have to pay for these products if I already have the game? Why did the creators of that game want me to purchase this to see these things?"

Well… Not exactly… They never wanted you to see this stuff anyway!!!
But due to the power of Xploder and Action Replay, you can trick the games and e.g. you can visit hidden areas, unlock new cars, characters, debug modes (the mode only the beta-testers or the programmers get their hands on) and LOTS of bonus stuff the game’s creators never wanted you to see (and which you even can not access after completing 100% of the game).
As well, you can not only unlock new stuff but also can exceed the game's other limitations (e.g. speeding up Wario Ware, a game which's speed already WAS insane before, disable the gravity in Super Mario Sunshine or REALLY release the Chain-Chomp from the first level of Super Mario 64)!

But… You can’t describe it in words, you have to SEE it!

Just take a look at THIS screenshot gallery of some of the best codes I and the people of our community know!
And make sure to watch all movies in the movies-section that are marked with a star.

Of course, everything will be completely different when you start hacking codes on your own…




What can I do when I start hacking consol games on my own?

If you learn hacking console games yourself, you will no longer be limited to the codes you found in the internet. The number of codes one could find is UNLIMITED, while the number of code- hackers is not. When you´ve found something, you even could be the very first person ON THIS WHOLE PLANET who found it!!!

Just take a look around my Xcodes-section on this page. …or do so also at www.codemasters-project.net, www.GScentral.org, www.xploder.net and www.codejunkies.com.

Feel free to take a look at it, even though you might have no possibility yet to try them out. Just reading the code-descriptions for your favourite games could give you an idea of what Xploder and Action Replay are capable of!

You´ll find out that almost all codes in the x-codes-section on my page have been created by ME, and I´m just a normal person like every other gamer! I don´t get paid for this or anything! I started hacking back in spring 2000, and look what I have achieved!!


How does Hacking work?

First of all, you don't need ANY knowledge about programming AT ALL.
(Sure, it can help. When you're a super-mega-hyper-ultra-uber-mega-leet-hyper-ultra-PRO.
No, I don't mean myself.)

For an Xploder or Action Replay a game consists of a huge number of addresses.
These addresses are displayed as hexadecimal numbers, e.g. 80123456:ABCD.

Hexadecimal uses 16 numbers instead of the usual ten from the 10-fingers-system (also know as "decimal"). Every Windows calculator has a "scientific mode" where you can convert hexadecimal to decimal as well as the other way around.

Decimal:
| 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | ... | 25 | 26 | … |255|
Hexadecimal:
| 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 0A | 0B | 0C | 0D | 0E | 0F | 10 | 11 | ... | 19 | 1A| … | FF |


Each address stores a value memorizing e.g . how many lives you have, how fast you car goes, in which level you currently are, what character you have chosen, the character´s size, your exact position in the level, the color of the pixel in the upper left corner of the screen, the volume of the music, pieces of the game´s programcode and many many many many […] more.

Most addresses aren´t that interesting (e.g. you can turn the title screen of Mario Kart64 into a pixely mess), it´s up to you to figure out where the fun-stuff is.

To hack console- or handheld games in general as a beginner, you usually make use of two types of search for new codes. The first and most easy is the classic neighbourhoodcodesearch.
There also is a bit more "advanced" neighbourhoodcodesearch, but I'll leave that out for now.
As the name implies, one examines neighbouring addresses to an already existing code.
E.g., you have a code (in this case a Nintendo64 one): 80654323:000F.

Now you would enter the following codes:
80654320:000F
80654321:000F
80654322:000F
- original code removed -
80654324:000F
80654325:000F
80654326:000F
80654327:000F
80654328:000F
80654329:000F
8065432A:000F
8065432B:000F
8065432C:000F
8065432D:000F
8065432E:000F
8065432F:000F

…and let´s see what happens! ^_^

There are also some tricks about that… But I´ll write about that sooner or later.

When you´re done, the next codes to check would be these:
80654330:000F
80654331:000F
80654332:000F
80654333:000F
80654334:000F
80654335:000F
80654336:000F
80654337:000F
80654338:000F
80654339:000F
8065433A:000F
8065433B:000F
8065433C:000F
8065433D:000F
8065433E:000F
8065433F:000F

…and so on. Neighbourhoodcodesearch provides A LOT of cool effects.
E.g. the "camel-mode" in "Donkey Kong 64 on drugs" was found using neighbourhoodcodesearch!

For the second, more precisely (and more skillfull) possibility, the trainer (sometimes called "Debugger", "In-Game-Trainer" or "Code-Finder"), you´ll need some practice to get to know how the games treat certain things.
E.g., if you have one life left, the game will memorize it as "1", but while being first place during a race, the game will memorize that as "0", since there isn´t a "zero´st place" - but you could have "0 lives"!
So the "1st place"will be "0" instead, the "2nd" will be "1", the third will be "2"…
It sounds obvious when you hear it, but you first got to think of it!

A trainer in general is a program which can interrupt the game and search through ALL of the game´s addresses if one or more of them have a certain value.

For instance, you have eight lives and want to make an infinite health code (lame, I know, but it's the best example for beginners :p ) then with a trainer you could interrupt the game by pressing e.g. a certain button combination (it´s L+Z+Start on Xploder64) and the trainer menu will show up instead.
There, you can say he shall search for all addresses having the value "8" at the moment you interrupted the game.

After completing to figure out all adresses with the specified values, the game will continue. The trainer now has memorized every single address that had the value "8" during the search. From now on the trainer will focus on what he found during the search and ignore all other addresses.

Next, lose a live. Now you have seven lives left - switch to the trainer menu. Enter "7" as the value to be searched for and the trainer will compare which of the addresses that had an "8" before do now have a "7" instead. And so it continues, until the trainer provides a limited number of results that match all criteria.

In case you don´t know an exact number, you also can search for "value is greater than previous", "value is lower than previous", "value is equal to previous" and "value is different to previous".


However, you can´t rewrite the whole game.
Meaning e.g. you can´t turn a "Mario"-game into a "Legend of Zelda"-one.

You can only make use of the original game in order to modify it.
…but that doesn´t mean that there couldn´t be secret levels or other unknown stuff - like the Triforce in "Zelda: Ocarina of time" - to uncover.
...or the Arwing from Lylatwars that attacks Link... yeah that sure is kinda unusual.



How can I start Hacking?

There are wide variances in the "hack-ability" of the consoles.
Hacking-devices for Nintendo64, Playstation 1 and Game Boy Color for instance do have an included trainer-software, allowing to hack your own codes on from the beginning.
However, the new "PSone" and the 9000-series of the PSX (number stands at the back of the Playstation) don´t have the necessary port which is required to connect the PS1 to a PC to use the trainer… Well, but you still can do neighbourhoodcodesearch!

However, for the actual generation it´s a little bit more difficult, but not impossible to find you´re own codes.

I CAN ONLY SAY IT IS WORTH THE DIFFICULTIES!!!
Code-hacking gives you the chance to see all your old and new games from a whole different point of view…
Hacking is so much joy… and you can share your codes with everyone who has an Xploder / Action Replay!


Nintendo64 - Buy an Xploder64 or an Action Replay for N64. I would prefer an Xploder64, because it can use both Xploder64-codes and Action Replay-codes, while the Action Replay for N64 itself can only use it´s own codes. Both have a trainer-software included, and at least the Xploder64 supports neighbourhood-code searching.


Playstation 1 - With a Playstation 1-Xploder - no matter which version it is - you easily can hack codes using neighbourhoodcodessearch.
If you want to hack more precisely, you also can connect your PS1 to your computer using X-Link (attached to all Xploder-versions exept for "Xploder CD") and use a so-called "trainer"-software.
X-Link is not supported for the smaller PSone, as well as for the 9000-series of the PSX, since the port used by X-Link is missing there. You can check if you can use X-Link by comparing the back of your Playstation with this picture.


Playstation 2 - Buy an Xploder or Action Replay… There are various versions…
If you live in an NTSC-region (e.g. USA) then instead your best choice currently is a Codebreaker 2 v9,
which is not available in Europe (PAL).
Well, I heard from one of my Codemaster-Project-teammates that Xploder V4 is known to support
classic neighbourhoodcodesearch as well as an advanced form AND accepts uncrypted codes making both relatively easy. There also is another possibility, but that´s only for true PS2-hacking-PROs and requires to have knowledge of Assembly-programming language.
For Playstation 2-related hacking questions I can highly recommend visiting www.codemasters-project.net. You can ask questions about PS2-hacking here.


Playstation Portable - There isn't an official solution for hacking it, but in fact, there is an unofficial trainer-sofware. For more PSP-hacking-related infos pay a visit to Codemasters-Project's forums.
An "Action Replay" for PSP also exists, but it is only capable of storing save games or something like that.


Game Boy (Color) - Buy an XploderGB, it has an implemented code-hacking software, called
"in-game-trainer". DO NOT buy an "Xploder Fun" - it´s just a "light" version of the XploderGB and everyone I knew who had one regretted not having bought an XploderGB in the first place!


Game Boy Advance - I would recommend not to buy an "Action Replay GBX" or "Xploder Advance", since you can´t hack codes with them. Instead, if you have a GameCube, I would advise you to buy an "Advance Game Port" from the company that made the Action Replay (their site: www.codejunkies.com).
It´s some kind of Game Boy Player - although it is ONLY for Game Boy Advance games, not for old Game Boy (Color) ones - but it has a "quick save"-function like in some PC-games, letting you store saves on your GC-memory card (55 blocks each) AND it has an implemented "trainer"-software.
(THE OLD VERSION OF THE "ADVANCE GAME PORT" DOESN'T HAVE ONE!! Ask for an "Advance Game Port" including the "Cheat Construction Kit".)
An alternative in Game Boy Advance-Hacking would be half-legal emulators… but as they are not fully legal… Well, I bought an Advance Game Port instead. So please don´t bug me about any emulators!


Nintendo DS - Codejunkies.com has announced a trainer software for the DS to be released soon! And the features sound incredible! (What does a trainer software do?)
Also, by the same company, there is an Action Replay for the DS.
Actually there are two; but I have to "warn" you of the "Action Replay MAX DUO" for Nintendo DS…
It can NOT create, nor even USE codes for Nintendo DS-games. It´s only capable to store a number of saves and, if you connect it to a computer, download "hacked" saves from Codejunkies´s website.
(In this case meaning such boring stuff as "max. level", "have game completed"… bah!)
The "Action Replay MAX DUO" also includes an "Action Replay"-software for Game Boy Advance games (that´s probably why it´s called "duo"), which means it can use GBA-codes. Hm, sounds like a nice alternative to a common GBA-"Action Replay", but that's it.

HOWEVER, there also IS a real Action Replay for the DS which can use DS-codes for the DS games: The "Action Replay DS" (surprising name, eh?).


…Xbox? - What´s an Xbox? Some sort of Xwing in the new Star Wars movies? ^^
Well, I´ve heard about something similar to code hacking being possible on Xbox, but to the current time I have no detailed information.
…although once I saw something called "Halo Hacked" on TV. But that had something to do with an modded Xbox (????). Maybe you can find something about modding an Xbox in order to hack it on www.gamefreax.com?


Game Cube - An Xploder for Game Cube does not exist, so you have to take Datel´s "Action Replay" for the Cube instead.
I highly recommend buying a "Powerboard", a Game Cube-Keyboard (also good for use with Phantasy Star Online) for entering the codes faster.
(works for Action Replay version 1.10 and higher [guess it works even since a lower version then 1.10, but can't find the info from what version on exactly])

Since the Wii is still capable of playing Game Cube games, the Action Replay for Game cube did not yet vanish from stores.
(Of course the Game Cube Action Replay doesn't have codes for Wii-games, but Game Cube ones, duh)

Still, when you intend to buy an Action Replay for Game Cube, there is something you should know.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT BUY A 'GAME CUBE' - 'ACTION REPLAY' WITH THIS LOGO.
Okay, what's the matter? The matter is, that Datel, maybe in fear of illegal exploit of certain parts of the Action Replay's programming for creating pirate copies on Wii or something, removed one very vital functionality from the newer versions of the Action Replay:
You can not add any new codes to it.

You're stuck with whatever's pre-saved on it, and I highly doubt unofficially hacked codes (like the Smash Bros Melee Debug Menu) made it in there.

Great, as if things weren't complicated enough already.

So, don't buy THAT, better go ahead and look for an old Action Replay on eBay instead... -_-

Another thing of importance:
The new version of GCN Action Replay is (?supposed to be?) working on Wii, yet doesn't let you add new codes.
(I've read though, that Wii updates, sometimes comming with the game discs themselves and are absoltutelly necessary to play those games, 'impossiblize' the usage of Action Replay, yet again.)
The old version of GCN Action Replay in return, doesn't work on Wii by default. Well, some of later versions may, on old Wii firmware, but after a couple updates that's done for, as well.
That means, you not only need to go on an epic quest to find an old Action Replay, but you still need to use a Game Cube to utalize it.

Here's a few things that'll help you figure out if the Action Replay you're bidding on is in fact a version of Action Replay capable of getting new codes added to it:
- package shot of a newer version of GCN Action Replay that doesn't let you add new codes: [link]
- package shots of two older versions of GCN Action Replay where you still could add codes: [link] & [link]
- version 1.20 is already "wii compatible", thus completely useless.
- version 1.14 of GCN Action Replay is still able to add new codes (I have v1.10 ... or v1.09 [it says something else on it's savefile then on the disc itself])
- Here's a Youtube video of someone adding a new code to a v1.14 GCN Action Replay.
- If the Action Replay comes with some sort of 'memory card', like this one, that should be the right one. 'cause this "memory card" is entirely used to save new codes for the Action Replay.
(hm, maybe savegames as well, but that depends on the AR version, guess that was AR MAX, not sure)
- photo of old Action Replay disk and Action Replay 'memory card' [link]
- shots of the menus of the AR v1.14 and 1.20 in comparison: [link]
- no, I don't think "Ultimate Cheat" collections can be enriched by new codes, though I'm not 100% sure

Okay, this has been a warning brought to you by the association of almost asleep pizza-fish-aliens from the planet "Pie Prime".
Now to continue with the rest of this article.


Datel decided to encrypt their codes in order to avoid other companies (e.g. Blaze) to use them for their own products.
This ... is really dumb. Now classic neighbourhoodcodesearch doesn´t pay any longer.
However, for the beginning you can still modify already existing codes, but now you have to use a computer to decrypt them with this program, change what you want to change and re-encrypt them, before you can enter them into your Action Replay.
(Explanation how to use GCNcrypt here and here)

However, for this "beginner-solution" you won´t need to connect your GCN with a PC.
You can use any PC you have access to to encrypt / decrypt the codes, and input them into your AR afterwards manually.
But that isn´t the best way to "hack" GCN-codes…

If you *really* want to hack the Cube for good, using a trainersoftware, it's gonna get a little difficult.
You'll most likely need to connect your Cube with a computer and make use of several unofficial programs, combined with some less unofficial hardware to establish a connection between the Cube and the PC in the first place.

These programs are:
- GCNrd Version 1.10b, the trainersoftware itself
- GCNrd GUI v1.1, the graphical interface of the trainer (view screenshot here)
- PSO load Version 2.0a, and
- PSUL Version 1.1, the... erm... "data-exchange-possible-making-programs". ^^

However, there is not only one "teh one hardware to rule them all", no, you have a choice. BUT, whatever you choose, you *will* need an official Nintendo GameCube Broadband adapter (NOT a Game Cube modem), and a LAN-cable for connecting your Cube with either a router your PC is already connected to, or a LAN-cable to connect your Cube with the PC directly (which would be the same cable you would use to connect two Computers directly; note that the cable allowing you to directly connecting your PC with a Cube/another PC and the cable allowing you to connect your Cube to a router and your router to the PC are not identical).
Interestingly enough, there is an 'official' "solution for the homebrew GameCube programmer" made by Codejunkies themselves, which "can transfer data between your GameCube and PC" and was initially ment for this use: The Max Drive Pro (not to be confused with the "normal" Max Drive).
Additionally, it offers a 1000-block-memory card, and the possibility to transfer your GCN-savegames between this memory card and your computer.

I have read though, that GCNrd won't work properly (or at all) if used with Max Drive Pro alone, additionally a GameCube Broadband adapter is required.

Installing the programs will be something like this, with slight differences depending on which hardware you have chosen:
You'll have to unzip all files into the same directory, figure out your PC's LAN IP (e.g. by using ipconfig.exe on WinXP/Win2000 or winipcfg.exe on Win98), rename one of the programs, open one or two of the files in a texteditor and change some numbers, uhhhhhh... That's about it. I guess.

I do have to admit... If Hacking itself was a country, the Cube would not be my hometown.

Therefore, here is a more detailed guide. ^_^
Hope I could help you anyway to get an idea of it.





Where can I get an Xploder / Action Replay?

Errrrr… eBay? ^^
Well, for the older systems you usually find it on eBay, for the actual generation you either could find it in a local store next to you, or you could order it online:
Action Replay: www.codejunkies.com
Xploder: www.xploder.net



I don’t live in Europe and all your codes do not work!

Well, you may already have heard that you can’t import a game from Japan and simply play it on your European or American consol, since the game will refuse to load.

The games sold in the USA, Europe and Japan are slightly different, therefore there codes are slightly different as well.
(If you live in UK, my European codes should definitively work fine, duh!)

This means, that except for Game Boy (Color) and Game Boy Advance, one can’t use European codes with American games and the other way around.

However, sometimes codes can be "translated"…

If you can´t wait to get codes and you live in the USA, try one of these sites, they might have US-codes:
www.GScentral.org, www.xploder.net, www.codejunkies.com



What is the difference between an "Xploder" and an "Xplorer"?

Actually, there is none except for the name. It´s the exact same product.

Blaze simply couldn´t use the name "Xplorer" in some countries (It actually didn't have anything to do with Microsoft's "Internet Explorer", but with another company) and decided to change the product´s name into "Xploder" where necessary. However, on eBay you sometimes still can get results searching for an "Xplorer"
(I got them both ^_^), so watch out for both names!


Isn’t consol games-hacking a bad thing?

Oooookay… That’s a totally n00bish question.
Hacking consol games has NOTHING - I repeat, NOTHING to do with breaking into someone else’s computer or database or anything.
In other words: NO!

[Well, but you shouldn’t cheat in online-games as I mentioned in my "Cheatstatement I"
(which has not been translated into English yet.) That would be really really really unfair towards the other gamers (We DON'T do that and SHAME ON EVERYONE WHO DOES!!) and you could get banned from the online-game.]



What kind of hardware is an Xploder or an Action Replay?

For consoles that use DVDs, CDs or something similar, like Playstation 1, Playsation 2,
Nintendo Game Cube, Dreamcast etc. you only have to insert a special DVD / CD into your console which will load and afterwards can be replaced by the game-disk while the console is still active.
You may have to use a special memory card attached to the product (...or in case of the PS1 a special hardware included in the package that can be conneted to your computer... but doesn´t have to be.).

In case of e.g. an Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance or an other cartridge-based console, the Xploder or Action Replay is a special game-cartridge. You insert it into your console’s game-slot, next, you can insert your game in a special slot in the Action Replay or Xploder itself.
(PICTURE of an Xploder Advance)



Inofficial products?

Xploder / Action Replay are "inofficial" products. But that does NOT mean they would be illegal or anything (OMFG, beware!) - the responsible companies simply don’t license their products and therefore they are not supported by Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.
But their usage cannot be forbidden. Such a case has reached court in 1991 when Nintendo tried and failed to forbit the sale of a similar product for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
(That´s the only case I´m grateful about Nintendo lost it!)

Only on Xbox(360) I heard that Microsoft has some awkward sort of "anti-cheat"-policy and threatens to sue anyone who produces a cheating device... Oooookaaaay...
Hm, "anti-online-cheating" is alright, as long as Codehacking isn´t confused with it!!


In some cases, you can buy extra-equipment for better code hacking-possibilities with your Xploder or
Action Replay which even have not been created by the companies responsible for Xploder / Action Replay themselves.

These products are "inofficially inofficial" and you usually can not purchase them in usual local stores.
(Example: The "Viper"-chip for Nintendo Game Cube, available on www.gamefreax.com)



Do you work for Codejunkies/Blaze?

No, I´m doing hacking as a hobby.




I, UltramasterBDJ, and all people who helped me write this article cannot be held responsible for any misinformation or any of it´s consequences including you buying the wrong equipment.
(I think the information is correct, the PS1&PS2-parts have been verified by Master and Sephiroth aka UCF-Codemaster, but just to make sure… I simply don´t want to get sued or anything. :p )