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Source Code, Hex Editing, & File Hacking Explained
By Raul “Datajack” RodriguezEvery programming language comes with two programs. One is the compiler and the other is the linker. Once the source code is written, the programmer runs the compiler. If no errors are found in the source code, the compiler creates a file or series of files that are passed on to the linker. The linker then “links” these files together and creates the final product, an executable file.
These executable files are all those files on your computer that end with the extension .EXE. When you double-click on an EXE file, Windows recognizes that it is a program. It then loads this file into memory and begins to execute program, which is just a series of instructions.
This brings us to Falcon 4.0. Recently someone who had access to the Falcon 4.0 source code (a current or ex-employee is the most logical choice), decided to commit a crime and release this code to the masses. Yes it is a crime. Source code is intellectual property and even having this code on your hard drive without permission from Hasbro is a crime.
For those game enthusiasts who know how to program in C, the lure of having this code is just too great, however. To a geneticist, it’s like handing him the entire structure of human DNA on a silver platter. Any programmer who has this code can now change it. They can fix bugs and make any enhancements that their hearts desire. All they have to do is change the code, compile and link their changes and create a totally new EXE file that anyone can run. Complete new versions of the game can be created. The possibilities are truly endless.
Until now, the only thing that could be done to change the behavior of the game is a process known as hex editing and file hacking. Hex editing is the process of taking the actual EXE and making changes to it. It is known as hex editing because a tool known as a hex editor is used to do this. I don’t want to get into the details of hex numbers here because I don’t want to turn this article into a college textbook!
All you need to do is understand that hex editing simply means going into the actual EXE file and changing the zeros and ones so that new instructions are issued. This is a very difficult and time-consuming process and has limitations on what can be accomplished. The other method of changing program behavior is file hacking.