Hex Editing - Greyhawk: ToEE

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This is a repost of the original guide by Gaim Mastr from "Gamers Multiverse", which is now long gone. I've preserved the guide here for posterity.

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USING A HEX EDITOR ON THE TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL
Original Release - Unpatched Version - September 16, 2003


This Tutorial was created by Gaim Mastr



LET THERE BE HEX

You can edit your character files individually right after their creation and before you begin your adventure. They are located in this folder...

\modules\ToEE\players

The names of the files match the names given to the characters you create.

You can also edit your characters after the game has progressed by locating this folder...

\modules\ToEE\Save

The file you're looking for has a .tfaf extension. You can look at the corresponding .jpg file images to get an idea of which save is the one you want to edit, as it will have the same file name.

For example, the file you want to edit may be named...

slot0001.tfaf


EDITING YOUR CHARACTER STATS

The order of the stats in the game are the same as their order of Hex values (Strength always first, Dexterity always second, and so on).
Let's say your character's stats are as follows...

Str = 18
Dex = 17
Con = 15
Int = 10
Wis = 9
Cha = 15

Next, you must either add or subtract any bonuses to the stats, racial or otherwise.
For example, if your character is an Elf with racial adjustments of +2 Dex and -2 Con, then the REAL stats would be as follows...

Str = 18
Dex = 15
Con = 17
Int = 10
Wis = 9
Cha = 15

Now, convert those stats to their Hex values...

Str = 12
Dex = 0F
Con = 11
Int = 0A
Wis = 09
Cha = 0F

Okay, bring up your Hex editing program and let's search for these stats.

Both the .tfaf file and the individual player files (.ToEEPC, by the way) use the same system for their stats. There are three sets of zero values (00) between each stat. So, the Hex string of our example stats will look like the following...

12 00 00 00 0F 00 00 00 11 00 00 00 0A 00 00 00 09 00 00 00 0F

Simply change the Hex value for the stat you want to up or downgrade.
If you wanted to give your character a Strength of 22, then convert that 22 to its Hex value (which is 16) and edit the Strength stat in the Hex string (first value).

So, you would edit the first value of 12 into 16. Save the file and you're done.


Now, I know what you're thinking...
Human Fighters in this game, who wear full chainmail armor, carry a bastard sword and a large steel shield, can't really carry anything else, or even move more than a couple of steps during combat..... even with a natural Strength of 18. Seems like a bunch of BS to me.

So you're thinking that if you edit the character's body weight to a lower number, then s/he'll be able to carry that much more inventory weight. Sorry, that is not the case. Even if you change your Fighter's body weight from 177 pounds to just 1 pound, it has no effect on how much inventory weight you can carry.

But, for those who are at least interested, you can edit your character's body weight by locating the equivalent Hex value that is located between 57 and 61 Hex values from your last stat value (Charisma). Using the stat string above, you would count 57 hex values past the 0F.


WHERE'S THE GOLD, JOHNNY ?!?!

Ahh.... if only editing our real bank accounts was as easy as our pocket change in this game.

Your money is located in the same file as your character's stats...

\modules\ToEE\Save

The file with the .tfaf extension.

Now, this is just a pinch more tricky than searching for and editing your stats. Specifically, the order of the money AND their Hex values are reversed.

In the game, your money is listed in the following order (along with example sums)...

Platinum = 87
Gold = 483
Silver = 227
Copper = 897

Here are the Hex values for those same amounts...

Platinum = 57
Gold = 01 E3
Silver = E3
Copper = 03 81

Step one is to reverse the order of the money...

Copper = 03 81
Silver = E3
Gold = 01 E3
Platinum = 57

Step two is to reverse the Hex values of each type of coin, IF the sum requires more than one Hex value.
For example, Copper uses two Hex values (03 and 81). So, we need to reverse those when looking for and editing them (81 then 03).
But Silver has only one Hex value for its sum (E3). Therefore, Silver doesn't get reversed.

The string you search for allows for four hex values for each kind of coin. If the Hex value of the amount uses less than the four available, simply add a no value (00) behind the coin's value until all four values are entered. Clear enough for ya ??

For example, the total string for Silver would look like this...

E3 00 00 00

The total string for Copper would look like this (remember, since the amount needs two Hex values, you need to reverse their order)...

81 03 00 00

By using the reversed order of the money AND the reversed order of the appropriate Hex values, the full string we would search for (using our example of starting amounts) would look like this...

81 03 00 00 E3 00 00 00 E3 01 00 00 57 00 00 00

Well, since Silver and Platinum look kinda the same in the real world, let's make their amounts equal in the ToEE world.

We want to change the amount of Platinum from 87 coins to 227 coins.

So, we change the Platinum string from...

57 00 00 00

into...

E3 00 00 00

So basically just change the 57 into E3 and we're done.

Now, you will have 227 Platinum pieces to match your 227 Silver pieces.

Just to throw out a wild amount, if you wanted to give yourself 10,000 Gold pieces, you would change the Gold string...

E3 01 00 00

into...

10 27 00 00

Although the Hex value of 10,000 is 27 10... remember to reverse those in the string, as above.


SIDE NOTES:

As always, save an original copy of ANY file that you intend to edit. Screwing up a saved game because just one little hex value is off can be a real bummer.


Editing your character's stats over 25 could corrupt your saved game. Even worse, you may not know it is corrupted until some time into playing the game, it has to make a check of your stats for reaction purposes and the game freezes. Causing you to loose all of that time.

Also, the Hex values of money may not actually support all four string values. In other words, the most coins you can have in any given kind may equal...

FF FF 00 00

Which amounts to 65,535 of that type of coin.

I don't know. But, you can always play with it. Maybe the game will recognize a total of...

FF FF FF FF

Which amounts to 4,294,967,295 of that type of coin.

But even if the game recognizes that maxed out number, what happens the moment you collect any more coins of that type ??
Since there are only a total of four values per each coin's string, the game probably can't allow for a higher amount than 4,294,967,295. If that's true, then you're pretty much guaranteed a frozen game and corrupted file.

But, it's up to you to play around with.

Good Luck !!
:-D

 

Continued...

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Swing by CNet's Download.com and pick up a free copy of Hackman Hex Editor 8.01.

After installing that, all you'll need is the calculator that comes with every Windows OS. You can find it by clicking through the following on your Desktop...

Start > Programs > Accessories > Calculator

Now, when viewing the calculator, click...

View > Scientific

Enter the normal Decimal ( Dec ) value of a number.
For example, if your Strength is 18, then that is what you enter into the calculator.

Now, check off the Hex option on the calc and it automatically translates the number into its Hex value.

In this case, the Dec 18 is now Hex 12.


That's it !!

Now you can convert regular numbers into and from their Hex value.

 

Continued...

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EDITING YOUR CHARACTER'S EXPERIENCE POINTS


As with the Hex values for money, the XP values are reversed.

Example, 14,999 XP has a normal Hex value of 3A 97.

But when searching for and editing it, you will need to reverse those two values into 97 3A.

Each character's XP is located 65 Hex values after their Charisma. If you're having trouble finding it, try looking four Hex values past your character's body weight.


SIDE NOTE: I'm not sure how the game handles characters raising more than one level at a time. So you may wish to play it safe and raise your experience points enough to go up one level at a time. Then play the game, do your level-up procedures, and Hex edit the XP up to the next level.



This should also help to repair the damage caused by the "punching bag bug" in the game.

Basically, this bug causes a character to become totally useless. They can move outside of combat, but can't do anything else. In combat they can't do anything. Essentially turning your character into a worthless punching bag for baddies.

So far the only solution I've seen is to kill that character and then resurrect him/her. But when you resurrect them, their XP may no longer match what it should be. So, a quick jump on the old Hex editing software should bring your character back up to par.

 

Continued...

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I've seen a way to edit your characters' hit point values, but I haven't tested it yet...

Search for a 32bit Unsigned Long of the corresponding value to your hit points, minus your con bonus per level. Search upward from your characters' ability scores.


Example: You're a level 6 cleric with a con bonus of +1.
Your hit points are 35.
Subtract the +1 per level. 35 - 6 = 29.
You have 29 hit points.
Unsigned long value of this is 1d00 0000

Using the search feature of your editor, search upward for that hex value. I've always found it as the first one of that number up. I haven't found the correlation between each of the HP values for each character yet; they all have different addresses and differing numbers of hex values between them.

 

Is this really necessary given the console and what CO8 has added as well?

 

Probably not, but some older users like tinkering with hex editing. We had a link to this guide on SP going back 15+ years and I got an e-mail today from a site visitor that the link was broken. I had a local version of the guide saved from when I originally linked to it so rather than deleting the entry on SP, I replaced it with a local version.

 

Sounds good. I used to hex edit all my games on my old Apple II and 2GS. Couldn't much be bothered after that.

 

Yea, I'm always looking out for oldtimers like yours--- err, I mean totally unlike yourself!

 

I'm not beyond hex editing but I haven't needed to for this game yet. However, in the first post the example numbers are totally wonky. With +2 Dex and -2 Con, the result should be 19 Dex and 13 Con. Unless 1) I'm understanding wrong or 2) the modifications noted for an Elf are incorrect.

I don't recommend correcting it though, because all following values (esp the hex ones) work off what I consider to be incorrect numbers. It would be good to clarify in a follow-up reply to point out what actually the mistake is (or whether I'm totally wrong).

 

The guide says:

Dex 15 + 2 = 17
Con 17 - 2 = 15

This gives you the numbers he posts in the first "table":

Makes sense like that?

 

Okay cool. I was being dumb. My bad.
Imo, minor changes to the instructions could prevent confusion:

keeping in mind that subtracting -2 amounts to adding 2.