How were codes for Game Genie/Gameshark/Action Replay found/created back in the day?
In: Technology
The other answer is talking about something different, actual cheat codes.
Most game genie devices that I’m aware of don’t do that. They alter memory addresses.
The console stores everything in memory. Ammo, weapon, lives, points. The game genie forces the value to whatever it wants.
As for how it’s found (I e. How to make the code), trial and error.
You can take a dump of everything currently in memory. It will be in hex, it won’t be in English and won’t make sense to a naked eye.
Then lose a life and take another dump. Compare what has changed. Even if it doesn’t make sense reading on its own, your can still spot the difference
Do it enough and maybe you learn that line 4, character 6 is where the life value is stored.
The “code” can then be made as an instruction of what location in memory to edit and what value to insert.
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