Cheat Engine

LongBeardedLion

Im learning how to reverse engineer with Age of Empires. And old RTS.
I have already learned lots of cool things.

But im stuck in a step. It seems i cant get pointers to specific units. Because they are created in game.

So it seems their addresses are created and are non existent at first.

So how am i going to get a pointer for them? Seems quite hard.

Following my noob intuition. I think the way to go would be, to get to the pointer of whatever it is that creates units. Or whatever it is that registers the new units.

Then make a script that registers these addresses. And then reorganizes them. And finds the other important addresses. Like unit hp. Etc...

Can anyone help me with this pls?

happyTugs · Cheater Reputation: 0 Joined: 23 Apr 2020 Posts: 26

LongBeardedLion · Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:34 am Post subject:

Thanks.

So for example if i want to make a script that accesses all the Archers that i have selected.

I need to first find the pointer for the type of unit: Archers.

And then somehow automate a script so that it gets all the archers created? By searching for them and storing them in an array?

I tried doing this but it seems that the creation of units. Meaning the address that they are assigned to is completely random, and follows no pattern. So i cant predict the offset of the unit.

Sounds extremelly complex.

Or the solution has more to do with Ultimap ? Or code filter?

There is another messy alternative, that is. I found the pointer that accesses the selected unit. Meaning if any selected unit. Will give me its position in that pointer.

So what i can do is. Code a script even if outside of cheat engine. With lets say AHK. And make it so that when i fire the script. It goes through all the units i have selected and gets all their addresses. Its messy and not the best route. But its still an alternative.

The best thing would be. To be able to get the address of every single archer right at the spot and time they are created. Without so much complications.

Pls help me.

happyTugs · Cheater Reputation: 0 Joined: 23 Apr 2020 Posts: 26

LongBeardedLion · Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:59 pm Post subject:

>Alternatively, if you can't find those values, then perhaps modify your resources, construction, research, etc. instead, which ultimately allows you to make such units.

That sounds like a job for Function Hacker? Or with cheat engine, Ultimap. But Ultimap does not work in my laptop Sad

.

What else can i do?

Dark Byte · Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 2:07 am Post subject:

Find the code that accesses a unit (doesn't have to be a write)
Then hook there to get the addresses of all units in the game

You'll have to find a way to distinguish between unit types and team. Use dissect data and compare structure for that

Also, selection is usually a pointer or pointer array. You can use a pointerscan for that and once you've found some pointers, see what happens when you adjust one of the offsets