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From: hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Chaos Strikes Back
Message-ID: <11619@stag.math.lsa.umich.edu>
Date: 4 Apr 90 15:03:59 GMT
References: <86.2619bc27@uoft02.utoledo.edu>
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Reply-To: hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu)
Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor
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In article <86.2619bc27@uoft02.utoledo.edu> cse0071@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:
>
>
>	I was curious if anyone has ever messed with the save game file for 
>Chaos Strikes Back (.CSB), I know it is somehow compressed but I am not sure
>how.
>	I would like to get into my characters attributes and boost them
>somewhat, I don't generally subscribe to cheating but my time to play the game
>is very short and not having to keep creating and drinking strength potions
>would leave more time for the game.
>					------John
>					   CSE0071
>					UOFT02.UTOLEDO.EDU,  131.183.1.4

They're not compressed, they're encrypted. The end result for you or me is the
same - you can't make sense of the data as it sits on the disk. I spent a few
hours with the crypt breakers workbench trying to make sense of the files, but
finally gave up. But I've got a wonderfully reliable way of cheating, still.
The data is decrypted in memory, all you need is the appropriate interrupt
generator and handler, to doctor up your attributes on demand. I worked it all
out using Alpha Systems' SwitchBack. (A marvelously Utile Utility...  }-).
You need at least 2 meg of memory to use Switchback on Dungeon Master or CSB,
1 to run in and 1 for alternate work. (a debugger, in my case.) I don't remember
the offsets right now, but I could pretty easily whip up some code to set all
your stats to maximums. (I haven't looked at experience or spellcasting yet,
just stats & attributes. food & water is probably a problem still as well.)

It's kind of fun, walking down to level 14 and casting about 100 fireballs in
30 seconds. Dragon steaks, anyone? However, I also discovered that maxed out
characters aren't invincible. Lord Chaos can still toast a party in 4 shots
if you're stupid enough to let him. (Like I was, while playing around......)

Actually, I guess this method doesn't work unless you have switchback. You can't
preserve the exception vectors across a warmboot...
--
  -- Howard Chu @ University of Michigan