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#1 2022-08-24 09:29:10

Technocosm
Member
Registered: 2022-08-24
Posts: 3

Trying to circumvent an impossible challenge in Doodle Hex (Cheats)

tl;dr - there is a literally impossible challenge in this game due to a bug that prevents me from having the satisfaction of a 100% complete save file. I'm looking for any cheats to get around it, but the only action replay code I've been able to find does not work.

I'm a massive fan of Doodle Hex, which is why I've been using this emulator so much, and one thing that has always bothered me is the fact it is actually impossible to 100% complete as far as I'm aware.

This is because of one challenge in the game's challenge mode - Lo Pang's 4th Master Challenge - being literally impossible. There's a few challenges that border on impossible because they are absurdly cryptic, or might require dumb luck or ridiculous levels of AI manipulation to be possible that can only be figured out through a lot of trial and error. This one though is actually impossible because it simply does not give you a win when you beat it. Presumably an oversight? The Challenge mode is noticeably a rushed addition to the game, the main mode is much more polished, so it wouldn't surprise me. I have beaten the challenge multiple times, and all that happens is the enemy freezes in place on 0 health unable to die, until the timer runs out and the game says you lose. I tried hitting them again while they were still on 0 health - it doesn't matter how much you hit them, the game will just not count it as defeating them.

I did make sure to check no-one has already posted an action replay code to help with this, but unfortunately I only found 2 codes: an infinite health code, which doesn't help because you have to defeat them in the time limit to win, and the problem is they don't die; and the other was an instant win code, which of course works in everywhere in the game, except on this one challenge where using the cheat does literally nothing. I was hoping to find some way to either edit my save file to have that challenge be labelled as beaten, so I could finally unlock Lo Pang's Ultimate Challenge (the only challenge in the game I have never beaten, because in order to even unlock it I have to beat the 4 previous master challenges, and of course, the 4th one is the impossible one) - or perhaps, even better, find a way to fix the challenge so it IS possible and remove whatever tells the game to simply never award a win for this one specific challenge.

I'm pretty new to this. I do have some Computer Science know-how, and have done a couple small things in Assembly before, but obviously I'm a bit lost just looking at the RAM on my own and trying to find what values are where. The only values I think I've found are where they store the boolean they use to indicate that you're charging your shield (but not the current size of your shield), and the coordinates of where you're drawing on the screen at around 0x02FFFFA8 at the bottom. Not sure how helpful this will be, but here's a quick video of me looking at the RAM while shielding in practice mode - as you can see though, not much else seems to be changing aside from the values at 0x02FFFFA8, and it's a lot to look through to try and find anything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk9QQtHfsNc

So if anyone has any tips for figuring that out - or better yet - is able to make an action replay code to circumvent this impossible challenge either by making it possible, cheating past it, or simply editing your save file to say you've beaten it, I'd really appreciate it.

Edit: I thought I should include  some footage of me trying to use the cheat code in the challenge if that might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kJXKTv9c1o
Also, the instant win code was:
94000130 FFFB0000
0220168C 00000000
D2000000 00000000
in case that matters.

Last edited by Technocosm (2022-08-24 09:59:09)


CEO of non-existent Doodle Hex fan-club

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#2 2022-08-24 18:30:02

zeromus
Radical Ninja
Registered: 2009-01-05
Posts: 6,169

Re: Trying to circumvent an impossible challenge in Doodle Hex (Cheats)

Good luck.. you may find that the game goes off the rails completely if you force something unbeatable to get beat. What victory screen would be shown? It may not exist. Since youve put in all this work and are willing to resort to anything, perhaps you could hack the save data (watch out there may be some crc in it)

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#3 2022-08-24 18:55:29

Technocosm
Member
Registered: 2022-08-24
Posts: 3

Re: Trying to circumvent an impossible challenge in Doodle Hex (Cheats)

The game always uses the same 'win screen' whenever you win no matter what mode or section of the game you're playing, so it does exist.

I'm gonna keep this post up in case I get some other good advice, but someone in the Discord Server I created for Doodle Hex has figured out a way to do it now.
A while ago, they extracted XML files from the game and found that the game has a debug menu programmed into it that is simply left inaccessible. They edited the XML files to simply make that menu accessible and remade the ROM with the edited files.
The reason that matters is the Debug Menu also gives you an auto-win cheat, only unlike the action replay code, this cheat in the debug menu actually works even on the impossible challenge.


CEO of non-existent Doodle Hex fan-club

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#4 2022-08-24 20:09:19

zeromus
Radical Ninja
Registered: 2009-01-05
Posts: 6,169

Re: Trying to circumvent an impossible challenge in Doodle Hex (Cheats)

oh, NICE!!!! that's a happy ending! What a cool hack. Be sure to post it on RHDN

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#5 2022-08-24 21:56:21

Technocosm
Member
Registered: 2022-08-24
Posts: 3

Re: Trying to circumvent an impossible challenge in Doodle Hex (Cheats)

RHDN? idk what that is.


CEO of non-existent Doodle Hex fan-club

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#6 2022-08-24 22:40:22

zeromus
Radical Ninja
Registered: 2009-01-05
Posts: 6,169

Re: Trying to circumvent an impossible challenge in Doodle Hex (Cheats)

romhacking.net. It's the best way to make sure any other fans of that game find their way to it so they can enjoy fully the game and the work your friends put into fixing it for everyone to appreciate. Of course this should be in the pamphlet of materials people get when they join the non-existent doodle hex fan-club, but more casual fans will find it by google.

if you post your patch here I'll check it myself before you submit it, so you make sure your first submission there isn't wrecked.

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