~=======================================================~
     Sega Ages 2500 - Phantasy Star: Generation 2
               Save Game Hacking Guide
~=======================================================~


Version 1.0, last updated 14 April, 2008
Authored by MangledLeg


Version History:
- 1.0: second release
      Updates: > Remaining character stats added
               > Tutorial updated to fix an error
               > Q&A updated

- 0.5: first release


~----------~
 Contents
~----------~

1.0  Introduction
2.0  Hacking Guide
3.0  Address values
4.0  Q&A
5.0  To-do list
6.0  Credits and contact details


~---------------------~
 1.0   Introduction
~---------------------~

This guide details how to manipulate saved files in Sega
Ages 2500 - Phantasy Star: Generation 2. Having beaten
the original game way back when (and becoming a massive
fan of the series as a result), I made the plunge and
picked up the remake about 18 months back. By the time I
got to the Yellow Dam, I was finding the process of
grinding my characters repetitive and time consuming, and
not having the same resources I had (i.e. free time) when
I was 11 when I first played through the game, I was keen
to find a way to cut through the game. The following
guide, while a bit convoluted, describes the method I
used to successfully hack my save files to varying
states. For those who are curious, I have also uploaded
two save game files, one with see pre-hacked saves (prior
to Neifirst and up to the Yellow Dam), and hacked saves
(Neifirst, Dark Force and Mother Brain + a clear data game
with normal stats).


~----------------------~
 2.0   Hacking Guide
~----------------------~

<: Requirements :>

- Playstation 2 console that can launch homebrew software
 (i.e. by using swap magic, etc)
- Memory card with Phantasy Star: Generation 2 save file
 (either make your own or download an existing one)
- ULaunch software (for Playstation 2)
- Windows XP (Vista should work as well, but I can't
 guarantee it)
- PCSX2 (v0.94 or higher; see guide for PC specs)
- MyMC (used for extracting save files from PCSX2 memory
 card files)
- PS2 Savebuilder
- Cheat Engine (v5.4 or higher)
- USB drive


<: Preface :>

Firstly, you do this at your own risk – there is a very
real chance you could lose or corrupt all the save data
on your memory card by doing this, so if you break
anything, it's your own fault – you have been warned!
Make sure you make a few backups of your data in case you
mangle something along the way.

Secondly, this guide may be brief on some parts and will
require you to be a bit computer savvy – outside the
scope of this guide is getting your PS2 ready to utilise
homebrew software (like uLaunch), setting up PCSX2, using
MyMC and PS2 Savebuilder and the location of a good deal
of the software described herein – remember, Google is
your friend and will help fill in the gaps! I'll revise
the text as time goes on, but you'll have to bear with me
in the first few versions of this document.

Third, you don't need to understand the basic precepts of
hex editing and save game editing to make use of this
guide, but it'll certainly help. Do some Googling for
hacking ROMs and save games/save states for more info –
there are even some guides on GameFAQs, such as the
listing for Seiken Densetsu 3. I'm still a beginner on
this stuff, so I figure if I can get my head around it,
anyone should be able to!

Finally, the guide is written so you hack your own save
file – if you've downloaded a file and have imported it
into your memory card file in PCSX2, you can skip the
first few steps.


<: Tutorial :>

1: Load up uLaunch on your PS2 with a USB drive connected
to your PS2 and your memory card in slot 1. If you're
wary of stuffing up your save data, use an empty memory
card or backup your save games, including your original
unhacked Phantasy Star 2 save game (the latter is *very*
important! Make 2 or 3 copies, just in case you ruin your
original!).

2: Start the file browser and navigate to your memory
card (if it's in slot 1, it'll be mc0:/) and navigate to
your Phantasy Star 2 save file, which should be "BISLPM-
62553". Tag the file by pressing X, then press R1 and
select "Copy". Head back to the root directory listing
(press [Triangle] a few times) and select your USB drive
(noted as mass:/), then dump the file in any folder you
like (press R1 and select 'Paste'). Make sure uLaunch is
no longer accessing your USB drive (I normally press
[Select] on the controller to take you back to the main
menu; if you're going to be a while, you might as well
turn off your console), and take out the USB drive.

3: Now we have to transfer the save file across to the PC
– take your USB drive and copy the BISLPM-62553 save file
folder across to your PC. Make a second copy somewhere as
a backup on your PC or USB drive, then plonk another copy
somewhere so you can manipulate it (e.g. your Desktop or
another temporary folder).

4: Open PS2 Save Builder so you have a new file, then
drag and drop the three files from BISLPM-62553 into the
window. Make sure that "BISLPM-62553" (without the
quotation marks of course) is listed in the Root dialogue
box; if you don't do this, the game won't load!

5: Now that all your files are in there, goto File >>
Save As… and save it into any random file format (I
normally use .xps, e.g. ps2original.xps) – take note of
where you saved it, because you'll be needing it for the
next step.

5: Open up MyMC and find the memory card folder in PCSX2
(if you haven't already, start up PCSX2 without loading a
game, go to the browser and format your memory cards to
activate them), normally filed under
"\Pcsx2_0.9.4\memcards" – grab "Mcd001.ps2" and open it.
You should have the system info and any save files from
PCSX2 in there.

6: Time to add the PS2 save file – select File >> Import,
grab your original PS2 file, and you'll see it has now
been added to your memory card. Close off MyMC once
you're done.

7: Start up PCSX2, but make sure you load up "PCSX2t.exe"
– it may work by loading up the standard "PCSX2.exe", but
I *think* you get easier memory access by doing it by
using "PCSX2t.exe". Next, load up Phantasy Star 2 – if
you've done everything right so far, your save files
should be in there. Load your game of choice, and get
ready to start hacking.

8: Once your save game has loaded, tap [escape] to go
back into the menu for PCSX2, open up Cheat Engine, then
click the 'Select process' button (the little computer
icon in the top left-hand corner), and find PCSX2
("PCSX2t.exe").

9: Now it's time to start playing around – load an
address into Cheat Menu by clicking the "Add address
manually" button. For the sake of this guide, load in the
address for changing your meseta - 09F38344. Once its
been loaded in, you'll notice the address listed in the
bottom part of the window has a couple of other settings,
but the one you're after is "Value". If you've done
everything correctly, the number in the "Value" field
should be exactly the amount of meseta you have. To
change this value, simply double click the "Value" box
and put in your desired amount of meseta (e.g. 999999)
and select ok.

10: Test to see if it works – go back to PCSX2, select
Run >> Execute to jump back into your game. If you have
any menus open in-game or if you're in a shop, exit out
so you're back to just being able to walk around. Press
[Triangle] to bring up your menu, and if you've done
everything right, you're meseta will be 999999! To change
other values, simply follow steps 8-10 to perform the
hack. You can either adjust stats individually, or you
can do everything in a single hit – it's entirely up to
you. Be sure to read the notes in section 3.0, as
levelling up will have an adverse affect on any boosts to
your attributes.

11: Once you've finished hacking your characters, head to
a Data Memory house in any city and save your game, then
exit Data Memory and exit the game and close PCSX2.

12: Open MyMC again and navigate to your memory card (see
step 5). Find the Phantasy Star 2 save file, then goto
File >> Export and give the file a useful name (e.g.
super-ps2.max) and save it any format (I used .max).

13: Create a folder on your USB drive with "BISLPM-62553"
as the folder name – put it somewhere you can identify it
as your new save file, such as "\New hacked ps2
save\BISLPM-62553".

14: Open PS2 Savebuilder and load the new save file.
Highlight the three files listed in the save file, then
right-click and select "Extract", then save it into the
new "BISLPM-62553" folder. You have now created a fresh
Phantasy Star 2 save file in the native Memory Card format!

15: Insert your USB drive, open uLaunch, navigate to the
new save file in your USB drive (i.e. mass:/)and tag the
BISLPM-62553 folder, select copy, then navigate back to
the main device listing, select your memory card (e.g.
mc0:/).

16: If you have an existing Phantasy Star 2 save file
present, (i.e. BISLPM-62553), rename it (e.g. BISLPM-
62553.old) or (preferably, but only if you have a backup
of the original!) delete it by tagging the file (i.e.
press X), then press R1 and choose to rename the file or
delete it. If you don't have an existing save file,
ignore this step and move onto step 17.

17: Once you've taken care of any existing files, press
R1 and select "mcPaste". The file will be copied across.

18: Once its finished copying, head back to the main menu
by pressing [Select], turn off your PS2. You can either
check your memory card to see if the file is there (it
should be, with a recent modified date). If it's all
there, load up Phantasy Star 2 and see how you go. If
you've done everything correctly, you can continue
playing the game with your newly hacked characters!


~-----------------------~
 3.0   Address values
~-----------------------~

The following notes point out the address locations for
hacking your data in the game. Make sure you read the
notes, as they explain some of the "rules" to hacking
your characters successfully.

<: Meseta :>
Address: 09F38344
Notes:
Max value should be set to 9999999 (7 digits) or 999999
(6 digits). I've only pushed it to 6 digits, and it was
happy to move into seven digits after some fighting and
getting more money. I'm not sure if it can go beyond
that, so watch out if you push to 7 digits and the game
crashes/corrupts if you have a few battles and shoot past
7 digits for your meseta.

<: Character stats :>
Notes:

-- Levels, experience and stats: the relationship
   between them

Here's a little thing about Sega Ages PS:G2 – your
attributes (strength, defence, etc) are directly linked
to your levels. Your levels are linked to your
experience. Mess one up, and everything falls apart. So,
even if you've maxed out your attributes to a base of 999
but you haven't maxed out your levels and exp
appropriately, the moment you hit a new level, all of
your attributes will reset. Bummer.

So there are two ways to mess around with your
character's stats – either bump their level + experience
to a certain point (for example – level 50) and leave the
attributes, or push to level 99, 999999 experience and
have fun with your attributes. I'll give instructions on
maxing your characters out with the expectation of
keeping your level at 99; if you're looking at a more
moderate boost, you'll have to play around with your exp
amount. You may be able to get by with only changing the
level of your character, but I can't guarantee it since I
haven't tried it. See the Q&A for some ideas on what to
do if you're only after a moderate boost.

-- Techniques

Techniques are also connected to your level. Granted, you
could probably hack them in, but you might as well just
hack your level instead. After hacking your level, go
into a fight, win (d'uh), and the screen will inform you
when it rounds up all the stats that your character has
learnt a new technique. Go into your characters list of
techniques under their stats, and lo and behold, you'll
have all the techniques up to your desired level.

-- Recommended maximum stats

Level: 99
Experience: 999999 (up to 8 digits/max)
HP/MP: 999/999
Attributes (strength, defence, etc): 999
Meseta: 999999 (up to 7 digits/max)

-- To boost your character to max base stats:

1: Make your level 99
2: Make your exp 999999 (six digits)
3: Make all your attributes 999
4: Go into a battle, finish it, then you'll get all your
  techniques maxed out

-- Addresses/values for character stats
Note:
Names are given as original English name/Japanese name to
make everyone happy. Translations of the stats are taken
from Wolfgang's awesome and exhaustive guide to the game
(see Q&A for the URL).

Rolf/Eusis
HP        09F37738
MP        09F37740
Level     09F37730
Exp       09F37784
Attack    09F37744
Defence   09F37748
Physical  09F3774C
Mind      09F37750
Agility   09F37754
Luck      09F37758
Skill     09F3775C

Nei/Nei
HP        09F377BC
MP        09F377C4
Level     09F377B4
Exp       09F37808
Attack    09F377C8
Defence   09F377CC
Physical  09F377D0
Mind      09F377D4
Agility   09F377D8
Luck      09F377DC
Skill     09F377E0

Rudo/Rudger
HP        09F37840
MP        --
Level     09F37838
Exp       09F3788C
Attack    09F3784C
Defence   09F37850
Physical  09F37854
Mind      09F37858
Agility   09F3785C
Luck      09F37860
Skill     09F37864

Amy/Anne
HP        09F378C4
MP        09F378CC
Level     09F378BC
Exp       09F37910
Attack    09F378D0
Defence   09F378D4
Physical  09F378D8
Mind      09F378DC
Agility   09F378E0
Luck      09F378E4
Skill     09F378E8

Hugh/Huey
HP        09F37948
MP        09F37950
Level     09F37940
Exp       09F37994
Attack    09F37954
Defence   09F37958
Physical  09F3795C
Mind      09F37960
Agility   09F37964
Luck      09F37968
Skill     09F3796C

Anna/Amia
HP        09F379CC
MP        09F379D4
Level     09F379C4
Exp       09F37A18
Attack    09F379D8
Defence   09F379DC
Physical  09F379E0
Mind      09F379E4
Agility   09F379E8
Luck      09F379EC
Skill     09F379F0

Kain/Kainz
HP        09F37A50
MP        09F37A58
Level     09F37A48
Exp       09F37A9C
Attack    09F37A5C
Defence   09F37A60
Physical  09F37A64
Mind      09F37A68
Agility   09F37A6C
Luck      09F37A70
Skill     09F37A74

Shir/Shiruka
HP        09F37AD4
MP        09F37ADC
Level     09F37ACC
Exp       09F37B20
Attack    09F37AE0
Defence   09F37AE4
Physical  09F37AE8
Mind      09F37AEC
Agility   09F37AF0
Luck      09F37AF4
Skill     09F37AF8

<: Resurrect Nei after the battle with Neifirst :>
Address: 09F377AC
Notes:
To resurrect Nei, get passed the fight with Neifirst,
allow her to die, etc, then go back to your house in
Paseo. Remove all party members from your group, then
exit the house, ensuring you're the only member of the
party. Following the usual hacking procedure, plug in the
address in CheatMaker, change the number in the "Value"
field of the address from 0 to 1, then jump back into the
game. Go back into your house in Paseo, goto Party Member
Change, and Nei will be selectable; add her to your
party. Exit your house again and take her to the
resurrection shop/whatever, and resurrect her. If you
want, pump up her stats if you haven't already, then
continue the game with her. I haven't tried finishing the
game with her yet, so I don't know if this will result in
the cool ending or if it will unintentionally break
something. I also don't know where her special claw
weapon is, as I'm pretty sure you get it as a result of
resurrecting her properly. If anyone has a save game with
Nei resurrected the proper way and can upload it to
GameFAQs, I can grab the address for the item so you can
hack two of them into your inventory to use in a later
update to this FAQ.


~-------------~
 4.0   Q&A
~-------------~

Q: Why didn't you just hack a saved game file or saved
state?
A: I actually did both before I went through this method
– unfortunately, I'm still new to hex editing and wasn't
able to work out where the checksum values are stored for
each save slot, so the hacking the saved game file kept
on resulting in corrupted files. I managed to hack the
save state, but when you saved a game from the save state
file, it corrupted the main memory card-based save file
also. This method is therefore the best method I have
come up with until I can work out where the checksum
values are stored.

Q: Why don't you simply use PCSX2 to patch the game
instead of Cheat Engine?
A: I used Cheat Engine as it was useful in doing
comparisons between states – if anyone wants to do
something similar in PCSX2 by using any of the techniques
in this guide, go for it – if possible, link back to this
FAQ with some credit, thanks.

Q: What are the values for the other characters?
A: That's on the To-do list (see 3.0) – I'll get off my
lazy behind in due time to sort those out.

Q: Can you add items into your inventory?
A: Yup, but I haven't worked out a list. Guides for
hacking the original Phantasy Star 2 on the
Megadrive/Genesis have noted that the trend for the items
that the further up the address scale you go once you
find the item pool, the better the item; I wouldn't be
surprised if the same theory works here. I'm keen to grab
the value for the Visiphone since you can't use the same
method for grabbing it that you use in the original game,
but unless I have a save file with the item, it might be
a while coming. I wouldn't mind duping some of the Nei
items as well (such as the Nei Slasher).

Q: Will I get the special ending if I resurrect Nei?
A: Not sure, possibly not – the address simply re-adds
her to the party, the game may check other values after
you trounce Mother Brain to determine if you get the
special ending. I'll give it a try when I get to the
final boss and see what happens if somebody doesn't beat
me to it.

Q: What are some good guides to this game?
A: Apart from Jack Power's guide on GameFAQs, Wolfgang
Landgraf has an exhaustive guide to the game I have found
invaluable. You can check it out at:

http://rpg-home.lunar-net.com/psg2-web/index.html

Q: How do I get past the Roron dump section?
A: I had an e-mail I wrote a while ago detailing it… but
I can't find it :P Going by memory, make sure you have
all the characters waiting at your home in Paseo (go back
and forth into your house until new people stop coming
in), then follow Wolfgang's guide and talk to all the
people in Kueri and Zema, you'll eventually start
triggering events. Once sorted everything out, you'll get
the Maruera Berry to give to the specific Motavian Native
in the dump – don't give it to the wrong one! I'm not
sure if it will work, but I'll track down the address for
the Maruera Berry in Cheat Maker and update the FAQ with
the details so you can simply add it to your inventory
(that being said, I don't have a save file with the
Maruera Berry – if someone wants to post one on GameFAQs,
I'll be happy to have a look at it and credit you for
helping out); it might mess up the game depending on how
tight the events are, so don't count on it!!

Q: How do I get the Maruera Gum?
A: Similar to the above, make sure you go home and get
all the new characters, then follow Wolfgang's guide;
you'll be sorted after that. Alternatively, I still have
the Maruera Gum in my save file, so I'll post the address
for it in a later update.

Q: I hear that you can create trainers using CheatEngine
that can be run independently of the program – how about
making one of those?
A: I only read about this after I started writing this
FAQ – I'll look into doing that once this guide has
reached 1.0 and see what I can come up with.

Q: I only want to make my characters level 50, not 99 –
how much experience should I give them?
A: Not sure on that one – you could leave your
characters' exp alone and simply hack your level and see
if the system tries to reset anything after a battle and
see what happens. If it carries on without a worry,
you're in luck. Otherwise, you'll have to hack your
level, jump into the game, find the characters' stats
screen, see what number is under 'next' and make sure
that you hack your characters' experience so that it's
less than that number. To be honest, the inconsistency
shouldn't break the game, but I'm not going to guarantee
it won't munt it either. And no, I'm too lazy to rig up a
table showing the relationship between levels and
required exp for all eight characters :P

Q: Will you do something similar for PS:G1 released as
part of the Sega Ages series on the PS2?
A: Probably – I just managed to find a second-hand copy,
and I'll look at doing something similar once I've
refined this one a little more if the difficulty is rock-
hard.

Q: How about one for the Phantasy Star Complete
Collection?
A: No way – there's already a stack of easy modes
implemented therein to soften the blow. My rationale
behind this guide was to make PS:G2 a bit easier for
those of us who don't have the time to grind as hard as
we had to back in the days when Phantasy Star 2 first
came out!

Q: How do you steal the Visiphone in the remake since there
isn't a baggage room in the Central Tower in Paseo?
A: Here's what I did - I cranked Shir up to level 99 (should
be possible at around level 20-30 I assume, but I haven't tried
it myself), had only Shir and Rolf in my party, and visited
the Central Tower in Paseo. I would enter, visit the commander,
then visit the librarian, then exit. I repeated for approx 25-30
times, then Shir ran off. After that, I went back to Rolf's
house, collected Shir, and I had the Visiphone in my inventory.
I wasn't sure if visiting the librarian or the commander did
the trick or if you have to do both, but that's how I did it.

Q: How do you get to Naval?
A: You get to Naval via Skure - there are four exits to Dezo on
B2F, three of them take you to the three cities on Dezo, and the
fourth, which is located on the far-left series of platforms on
that floor, takes you to Naval.

Q: Are you going to add the addresses for the other items?
A: I tried giving it a go, but couldn't track down the addresses
for the items. I might try again in the future, I might not :P
The big thing was getting the Visiphone and working out the other
special items - I've covered the techniques for these earlier in
this guide, which you can use in combination with Wolfgang's
excellent site. For the a detailed guide to properly doing the Nei
Resurrection, see Jack Powers' guide on GameFAQs.

Q: Where can I obtain your save game files?
A: GameFAQs.


~-------------------~
 5.0   To do list
~-------------------~

- Add more detail to the guide
- Create trainer to simplify the hacking process
- Add listings for the following items:
-- Visiphone
-- Maruera Berry
-- Maruera Gum
-- Nei items
-- Nei's Animal Claw


~------------------------------------~
 6.0   Credits and contact details
~------------------------------------~

This guide is (c) MangledLeg 2008. All trademarks and
copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

You may not copy, redistribute or reproduce any of this
document without prior consent of the author, with the
following exceptions: the guide has been written with the
intention of being added to GameFAQs, and thus has an
express, non-exclusive license that is granted to GameFAQs to
host this guide; this FAQ can also be read on your
internet browser or stored on a local drive or storage
medium for backup or referral purposes. It may be printed
out for individual use under the same condition of backup
or referral for individual use. In no circumstance can it
cannot be sold, lent, reprinted (physically or
electronically) or redistributed without the express
written permission of the author. All requests can be
sent to the e-mail address stipulated below.

Any questions/feedback can be sent to the
author/copyright owner at [email protected]. I'm a bit
slack with answering e-mails, and can't guarantee I'll
respond straight away, so my apologies in advance.

Shouts to Miguel for buying Phantasy Star 2 on the Mega
Drive back in 1993 and inadvertently getting me hooked on
this series and JRPGs in general, GameFAQs for being such
a brilliant resource, Jack Power and Wolfgang Landgraf
for their excellent guides and replying to my e-mails a
while ago with attention and detail, the Madboards crew
for putting up with my ongoing rants about the brilliance
of this series, and most of all, to my other half for not
minding the fact that I probably spend too much time
tinkering on the PC doing stuff like this instead of
spending time with her!

Oh, and a big shout out to the old-school Sega – bring
back the love, and give Reiko Kodama a team to make a new
Phantasy Star or Skies of Arcadia game, I think the
gaming world (and your bank roll) are in need of it!

You are viewing proxied material from gopher.endangeredsoft.org. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.