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Dungeon Explorer & Others

 
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Charles MacDonald
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:29 am    Post subject: Dungeon Explorer & Others Reply with quote

More passwords I found hidden in some games. Smile

Dungeon Explorer (J) passwords:

    DEBDE-DEBDA
    CHECK-NAMEA
    HOMIN-GAAAA
    NECAA-AAAAA
    AHOAA-AAAAA

I can't tell what the last two do. The (U) version doesn't have the last password.

Dragon's Curse (U) passwords:

    HUC62700000000
    NLWJWBZTY3K0HR

Adventure Island (J) passwords:

    HUC62700000000
    MKWHWBZTY3J0GP

Also I'm trying to figure out how to enable the Legendary Axe II sound test / debug menu, but not much luck as of yet. Had somebody already worked on this?
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ccovell
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A long time ago I searched through the binary of LAII trying to find subroutines that call the text-writing functions which point to the text in the debug menu. No luck; I was just tracing through the opcodes in the ROM, since I didn't have a Hu6280 disassembler at the time. My eyes got tired of all the hex, so I gave up.

Anyway, what I remember finding were the text strings in the game, and a table of pointers to those strings. And I think I even found the subroutine that sets up reading from those pointers. But in the ROM I couldn't find any calls to write the debug code text. They could be there, but I didn't/don't have the skill to find them. It would be great if you ever found the debug code!

Anyway, other hidden passwords: Enter "KOALA" as your name in Neutopia II for a surprising change in your character's appearance, as well as bonus potions. For the PC-Engine version, use the name こあら.
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Charles MacDonald
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
It would be great if you ever found the debug code!


With enough Mountain Dew and a disassembler anything is possible. Smile

Sound Test:
ATS: II, I, II, I, I, II, I, II, II, II

Select sound with II,I, press RUN to play. Play song 99 to exit and start the game.

Stage Select
ATS: I, II, I, II, II, I, II, I, I, I

The test mode is a little different; I don't think the code exists in the game to call it. You can patch the ROM (I used Ankuku Densetsu (J).pce) to force the test mode instead of the sound test by changing:

$390C7: Replace $98 with $89

Then enter the sound test code like normal and you'll go to the test mode instead. In case somebody wants to figure out how the test mode is really accessed, here are some pointers:

Bank $01 is loaded at $4000-$5FFF; $5689 is the routine that calls the test mode menu display routine at $A457 in bank 4 loaded at $A000-$BFFF (for reference $5698 is the same routine for the sound test menu display routine) Bank 4 has all the text strings in the game.

Bank $1C loaded at $A000-$BFFF had the sound/stage test code checking at $B000 onwards, $3E0A is the number of matching keypresses count, $56 is the 'delta' joypad state. $B26A is the joy state list for the sound test, $B25F is for the stage select. Both lists are $FF terminated. I don't think there's anything about the test mode in here, but it would be a place to look.

The game has no flow control that ends up at $5689 and it isn't stored as a pointer anywhere, unlike the sound test (there's a jsr $5698 for that). I've seen other games (Splatterhouse series) where the code relating to part of a test mode are simply removed (ifdef'd-out maybe) of the game source so the menus are there, but there is no way to access them or run the related code directly.
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Charles MacDonald
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Test mode control switches:

#1 - Continue point within level (0-5)
#2 - Sound for the level played (1-7)
#3 - Weapon equipped (0=sword, 1=axe, 2=chain)
#4 - Weapon level (0-4)
#5 - ?
#6 - ?
#7 - ?
#8 - ?
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ccovell
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great job!

Here are the RAM values that each position in the test menu edits:
Code:
$200E - stage
$3E00 - time 1
$3E01 - time 2
$310F - HP
$3112 - bombs
$310D - lives
$30E3 - level start point
$3E03 - music no
$3E04 - weapon type
$3E05 - weapon power
$3E06 - sw 5
$3E07 - sw 6
$3E08 - sw 7
$3E09 - sw 8

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Keranu
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That sounds like a sweet password to use in Neutopia II, I'll have to try that.
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Tomaitheous
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
With enough Mountain Dew and a disassembler anything is possible.


Laughing. Coffee is my preferred method of a caffeine delivery system. A 12cup pot or two... sugar and honey - hold the creamer Cool

Nice finds. And that 'Koala' code is pretty cool.

Anyone up to figure out how to access the hidden level in Gate of Thunder?

Here's the layout in the iso.
level1 $92000
level2 $c2000
level3 $f2000
level4 $122000
level5 $152000
level6 $182000
level7 $1b2000
hidden level $1e2000
Ending $212000
unfinished level $252800(252000?)

The only way I could access the level is to copy and paste the 192k block of the hidden level over the first level block. A comparison of the Japanese and US versions of the iso show that the code/pionters were updated for the hidden level as well as the others, so the US team knew about it.

The unfinished level is a mystery. The games graphics are compressed and encoded so I haven't got a chance to look at them yet - still working on the figuring out the decompression algorithm.


-Rich
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Keranu
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would love to see if someone could access that secret level, that would kick ass.
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stevek666
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Charles and Chris -- thanks for kicking butt and sharing the fruit of your labors with us! Smile
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Paranoia Dragon
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, these are awesome! I hope you can find a test mode that I can access, cuz all that goes over my head Razz
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