Cheat Engine

[Twowit2woo]

Can someone help me with pointers?

I've been using CE for a number of years but only on a very basic level (just simple searching for values.)

I have a series of games where the values move each time the game is closed and reopened so I decided to try and learn pointers.

I've been successful with this and they were working fine but on one game I was playing it worked for 30 levels of the game but then suddenly all the values just changed to question marks. When I closed and reopened, they were still question marks.

I've since found the same thing happening on another game too. The pointers will work for a while but sometimes they suddenly stop.

If it's relevant, when I find the pointer location I tend to select 10 addresses to add to the table as that had been fine (up to that point.)

Is there something I'm missing or is this just something that happens sometimes? Is it just that I need to add a ton more addresses to cover it? I just wondered if I was missing something more fundamental.?

TIA

[ParkourPenguin]

It's a bad pointer path. Maybe the game updated, or maybe it was a coincidence it worked in the first place.

Try the pointer scanner. Save the most recent results file so that if/when the pointer path stops working, you might not need to start from scratch again.
Using multiple pointer maps from distinct instances of the game is important for the first pointer scan. See this video for how to use the pointer scanner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dyIrcx8Z8g

Injecting code to copy an address is often viable too. Search "injection copy".

[Twowit2woo]

Thanks for the reply.

I did use the pointer scanner. In summary:

1) Found the address and confirmed it was definitely the correct one by monitoring it.
2) "Find out what writes to this address" to find the offset
3) Generate pointermap
4) Closed game down and repeated 1 and 3
5) "Pointer scan for this address"
6) "Use saved pointermap"
7) point at 2nd file
"Compare results ..."
9) point at file 1
10) entered offset

This generates a load of entries and I randomly picked up to 20.

This has been working for me but suddenly stopped mid game - hence I am unsure why as it has been working fine previously.

[ParkourPenguin]

If it broke mid-game, then it was a coincidence that those paths worked at all in the first place.

When this happens, you find the address again, take the most recent results file, rescan with the new address, and pick new pointers. If there aren't any valid pointers left and you're certain the game didn't update, then you probably shouldn't be using pointers. Try code injection in that case.

[Twowit2woo]

Thanks for that.

I can see there is a built-in tutorial for code injection so I loaded it up and found the value but when I clicked on "Find out what writes to this address" it says "Failure to attach the debugger"

On the basis this is just the tutorial I assume that isn't meant to happen? Is this some built-in protection to W11 that's preventing it?