Amateur (in every meaning of the word) seeking advice in learning to modify games.

[photodotexe]

Hey everybody,

I'm not new to programming; I know HTML, CSS, I took a Java course in college - I understand how programming languages work and get compiled so that the CPU may interpret the code in machine language. I'm mostly a hardware/network engineer - I work with computers all day for a living. However, I'd like to understand computers and video games on a deeper level. I've been playing a lot of Path of Exile and using Exile Buddy and Exiled-Bot (game bots), watching them grind in awe, like a toddler watching fireworks for the first time. I need to know how they work.

I've been researching a lot on the internet. They read memory, use IDA, you need to know Assembly, they're written in Java - no, C#, no C++. Hold on!! I came here looking for a cut-and-dry answer. How do I learn to program a video game bot, from scratch? How do I make a maphack? How do I make a video game do what I want it to?

From beginning (knowing absolutely nothing), to end. What steps do I need to take to learn how? Do I start by learning Assembly? How would I test my knowledge? Then, what's next? What programs do exploit developers use? What are offsets? What language do I learn next? Do I need to know every mainstream language out there before I write my first bot? I'm 100% confused. Please enlighten me!

Thanks!!

[jadethread]

This is just my personal opinion , and also coming from someone who has never coded a bot nor coded anything other than a simple hack and LUA but from my understanding I would start by learning Reverse Engineering, I asked a highly talented bot maker the same question once, And he told me that knowing C++ wouldn't help much if you didn't know how to reverse, because you have to find the offsets for your bot / hack when a patch gets put out (speaking in terms of World of Warcraft where they release lots of patches which changes the offsets of the game)
A offset is a variable that a program outputs (those are my words, Could be wrong but basically that's what it is.) to put it in an easier way. Say I was swimming in a game, Well swimming would have its own offset such as "0x0243." The offset would then be used in your hack if you wanted to change the game to make it where , instead of swimming, You walked ontop of the water. After learning how to reverse engineer i would learn C++ or just learn them both at the same time. I don't know which game you would be playing because each game is coded differently but if you know how to reverse and code C++ then you shouldn't have any trouble making a bot / hack.

Also, there are many useful threads around these forums that should help you alot, just poke around in the memory editing section of WoW maybe or these forums in general.

[karnkore]

Actually you start off by learning computer science, data structures, algorithms, then how a game engine works and how a typical mmo works. Then you learn C++ and OpenGL/DirectX. Then you learn assembler. Then you learn reverse engineering. Then you look at how simple bots work and by then you should be ready to start. Not to scare you but all of this would take 3 years+ if starting from absolute scratch.