This is the English part of the manual for the Datel Electronic Action Replay Professional for the Game Gear. No I'm not typing out the other languages! Rid - fox@ridhughz.demon.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACTION REPLAY PROFESSIONAL FOR THE GAME GEAR[tm] ACTION REPLAY PRO Welcome to the world of the Action Replay, we hope you find it of use and have great enjoyment in both using the parameters and finding them, giving your games a new lease of life. You might find things a bit tricky at first, especially understanding how to use some of the trainer modes but if you persist and follow the examples (even if you don't possess the game in the example) things will start to make sense. If you don't like the sound of the trainer yourself then you can skip this section entirely for the moment and go on to the enclosed code cards where there are lots of finished parameters you can use immediately, all of which were found using the trainer - so it can be done! Game Gear[tm] is a trademark of Sega enterprises Ltd. [1] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FITTING ACTION REPLAY Switch off your Gamegear[tm] and insert the Action Replay where the game normally fits. Now fit the game to the connector of the Action Replay with the game design (picture) facing away from the Gamegear[tm] and make sure the fit is snug. Ensure that the switch on the Action Replay is off (to the left); now switch the Gamegear[tm] power switch to on. STARTING THE GAME When you switch the Gamegear[tm] power switch on you will be presented with an option screen, simply select the Return To Game option by using the direction pad then press button 1 and the game will play as normal. [2] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTERING A PARAMETER If you wish to enter a parameter from the code cards, a magazine or code you have found using the Trainer then follow the procedure above to fit the Action Replay. When you are presented with the Main Menu screen select the second option which is the Parameter screen option by using the direction pad and pressing button 1. You will then get to see the parameter screen which has four rows of zero's. Select the parameter you wish to use and enter the parameters on the lines provided. If you need to enter more than one parameter simply use more of the lines. Use the direction pad to control the cursor (the underscore which tells you which digit you are about to change) and use the 1 and 2 buttons to change the value of the digit. The sequence of digits goes 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F and then back to 0 again. When you have entered all the parameters you wish, exit the screen by moving the cursor to the bottom line you will then be returned to the Main Menu. Make sure the Action Replay switch is disabled (to the left) and select the return to game option. When the game title screen appears then you may enable the parameters (move the switch to the right). To stop the parameter from taking effect at any time disable the Action Replay switch (move it to the left). USING THE TRAINER There is a reset button at the top of the Action Replay which is to activate the trainer. Before you start using the trainer there are one or two things you should understand. The first is how the original programmer that wrote the game stores things like lives etc, There are over 8000 what could be termed bins (memory locations to the programmer). Each one of these bins contains a number between 0 and 255. The job of the trainer is to find which bins contains the number of lives etc. for a particular game (every game will use a different bind for lives so that is why parameters vary from game to game). The result is what you know as a parameter or cheat. There are 4 different techniques, all of which could be used to find the same parameter although they use a different strategy, so each one has it's own advantages. All the trainers have one thing in common, in that they work by tracking down a memory location by continually changing it's value and re-examining with new rules, e.g. you may have 5 lives and run the trainer, the Action Replay will remember all the memory locations containing 5. You will then restart the game, change the number of lives to 4 and continue with the trainer. The trainer will then run through memory finding all the memory locations that were 5 but have now changed to 4. If we repeat this process of changing values enough times we will track the exact parameter we need for unlimited lives. I will explain each trainer technique in turn and an example of how to use it. [3] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technique 1 (Lives) This is by far the most efficient and simple trainer to use. You must be able to count the feature you are looking for. For example if you start with 5 lives this would be the technique you use as 5 is a countable number. If you were looking for energy and you could see on the screen 4 stars denoting how much energy you have left you would still use this technique as you can count 4 units. The following example is for Sonic The Hedgehog[tm] but even if you do not have this game then you can still follow these instructions as they can be applied to many games. 1) Insert the Action Replay and the game into the Gamegear[tm] as the mentioned earlier in the manual. 2) Move the enable/disable switch to the on (right) position. 3) From the Main Menu screen select the start game option and press button 1. 4) Start the game running so your character is under your control and able to move around. You will have three lives remaining. Now press the reset button on the Action Replay and the Main Menu will be displayed (if when you press the reset button nothing happens then you have the switch in the wrong position). 5) Select the start Trainer option using up/down on the Direction pad and then press button 1 to select. 6) You are now presented with the Trainer Options Menu. Select the first option which is the lives technique. Then select the use technique option to confirm that you are sure. 7) A new screen will appear asking you to enter the current value and display the number "00" with a bar under the second 0. Enter the number 03 (you have 3 lives left. If you had a different number of lives then obviously you would enter this value instead) using the direction pad. When you have entered the correct value press button 1. 8) After a couple of seconds a new screen will appear displaying several options. Select the return to game option to restart the game. 9) When your character is moving, run into an enemy so that you lose a life. When your character is on his next life and able to move around the screen (you have two lives remaining) press reset (again this switch should be to the right). [4] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) Select the Continue Trainer Option and then button 1 to confirm that you wish to continue. Use the Direction pad to enter "02" (or how many lives you currently have) and press button 1. After a brief period the Main Menu will appear again. 11) Select the List Possibilities Option (there should be only one option listed, if there are more you should continue steps 8 to 10 above until you are down to one) and take note of this parameter andkeep it handy. If you ever need infinite lives on ths game then you only need enter this parameter as explained earlier and not go through the whole trainer procedure again. (For Sonic The Hedgehog[tm] this is on the cards already so there is no need to take note of it). 12) From the Main Menu select the Parameters Screen Option and enter in the parameter you have just found, as mentioned previously. You will find this parameter will give you infinite lives. This technique is the one you will use in nearly all situations. Technique 2 (Timer Technique) This technique is used where Technique 1 has failed but the number is still countable. This happens often when timers are being used and where numbers are larger than 99. In this example Lemmings[tm] is used. Again even if you do not have a copy of this game you can still follow the general method. 1) Insert the Action Replay and game cartridge in the normal manner. 2) Switch the Gamegear[tm] on and switch the enable/disable switch to the on position (right). 3) Start the game and wait until you have 39 seconds remaining on the clock (it does not have to be 39, 49 or any other seconds where the unit is 9) then press the reset button. 4) Select the start trainer option then the second technique timer. If there is already a trainer active you must first select clear Trainer. 5) The screen will show two option. Select the first option to confirm this is the correct technique. Then select the first option which appears again which is accept start. All future comparisons will be made with the time 39 seconds (or other if you reset on a different value). [5] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) Select the return to game option. 7) Start the game then wait until the timer gets to 35 then press the reset button on the Gamegear[tm]. 8) Select Continue Trainer option. 9) You are now presented with a new screen which asks you to compare the current value with the start value in this case the start value was 39 (the value when we started the Trainer) and the current is 35 therefore the current is more than the start so select this option. You are then asked by how much, as 39 is 4 more than 35 enter the number 4 using direction pad and press button 1 to accept. 10) You should now restart the game and repeat steps 7 - 10 each time pressing reset on different values between 31 and 39. Each time answer the question on the continue trainer screen comparing the initial value (39 in this case) and the new value. If you do this enough times (about 8( and select the List Possibilities Option you will be left with just one parameter. If you enter this in the normal way you will get infinite time. If you are trying a different game you may not get down to one possibility in which case just try the ones that you do find. If you get the message no possibilities found then you have probably made a mistake so go to the main menu and select clear Trainer and start again. 11) List the possibilities and take a note of them (or it) and enter it into the parameter screen in the normal way. Start the game and then move the switch to the active position (right) and if you have entered the correct parameter then you will have infinite time. Technique 3 (Energy bar) This technique is very different from the first two and is especially useful where no number is known. The best example is an energy bar or meter where you can tell relatively how much energy you have i.e. full energy, 75% energy, 50% energy or 25% energy. We will use for an example this time Streets of Rage[tm]. The player's health is an energy bar that starts off full and gradually falls as you are hit by the enemy. 1) Insert the Action Replay and game cartridge in the normal manner. 2) Switch the Gamegear[tm] on and switch the enable/disable switch to the on position (right) and enter the game. [6] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Start the game and as soon as your player can move around the screen press the reset, BEFORE you take any damage. 4) Select the start Trainer option then select the energy bar option. If there is already a previous trainer active then you will need to select the clear Trainer option first. 5) Select the first option to confirm that this is the right technique. The screen will now show two more options, select the first one which is energy at 100%. This now means that all further percentage references are to this energy level. The second option will exit back to the main menu in case you change your mind. 6) Select the return to game option and start playing the game. 7) Lose some energy so that you have either 75% energy, 50% energy or 25% energy (these need only be approximate, not exact) and press the pause button. Now it is important to note where the energy bar is for the questions that follow in the trainer. 8) Press the reset button and select Continue With Trainer. 9) You are now presented with a new screen and we are asked to compare the current value to the start value. The start value in this case was full energy so if for example the energy bar was half way down then select the third option which is about 50% of start. 10) Restart the game and when you are able to walk around press the reset button (before you take any damage). 11) Select continue with Trainer and select the first option which is energy at 100% i.e. exactly the same as the start value. Now repeat the steps 6 to 11 several times losing different amomunts of energy in stage 7 each time. The trainer will get closer to the correct parameter. When you have repeated this process at least 7 times list the possibilities. 12) Write down the parameters and enter them on the paramaeter screen in the normal way (if you are lucky you will get only one parameter but you may end up with more). When the game's logo appears enable the switch (right) and you should have infinite energy. [7] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technique 4 (Start/Change) This method is the last resort, if the other methods have failed try this technique. It relies on just two possibilities, the start value and any value other than the start value. This could be used on any of the above examples but is very slow and will require many attempts before the parameters will be worth trying. For example if you wanted to find lives in a game you could select 4 lives as your start value and any other value as the different value. The following example should make it somewhat clearer. The game I will use will be Sonic The Hedgehog[tm]. I will search for the shield which protects you against one hit. 1) Insert the Action Replay and game cartridge in the normal manner. 2) Switch the Gamegear[tm] on and move the Action Replay switch ot the on (right) position and enter the game. 3) Start the game and continue until you pick up the single shield then press the reset button. 4) Select the Trainer option then the Start/Change technique. 5) Select the first option to confirm that this is the technique you wish to use. The screen will then show two new options; select the first which is accept start value. This means that all references to start will mean when Sonic[tm] has the shield. 6) Restart the game. 7) Play the game to a similar point when you collected the shield in 3 above but do not collect it. 8) Press the reset button and select Continue Trainer. 9) Select the second option which is different to start (i.e. we do not have the shield). 10) Restart the game, collect the shield and press reset. 11) Select continue with Trainer and select the first option which is the same as start (remember we started with the shield). 12) Repeat steps 6 - 11 several times, the more times you do the more chance that the possibilities will be correct. [8] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) List all the possibilities. Take a note of them and try them. If none of them work then you can continue the trainer as many times as necessary until you find the correct value. To get this technique to work requires patience and practice and practice but once mastered there will be few parameters that escapes you. HELP Or what to do if in trouble. Q. When the Gamegear[tm] is switched on nothing appears. A. The Action Replay of the game are not inserted properly. Switch the machine off and go through the Fitting Action Replay section again, making sure the game is the right way round. Q. After I have entered a parameter that is wrong how do I stop it being entered each time I wish to try a new parameter. A. Easy, press both buttons 1 and 2 together on a parameter line for about 1 second and the parameter will be cleared. Q. I can't find a code for a game, I have tried several times but the no possibilities message keeps coming up. A. Try a different technique - the Start/Change technique is always a good one if you can get to grips with it, there is almos always a parameter there, you just need to find it! 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