Toy Commander reverse engineering

One of my favorite games of all time and I've been trying to reverse engineer/modify the game files for years with no progress. Most of the game files are stored .GHQ files. I remember years ago I found a program that could somewhat open these files but I've forgotten about it and I can't seem to find it again. The file GUTH.LST seems to point to .scc files that correspond to the GHQ files in the SCENE folder.

£000:F:\PROJET\GUTH\RESS\SCENE\AREAS\SYSTEM\Menu.SCC
£001:F:\PROJET\GUTH\RESS\SCENE\AREAS\Area01\training.SCC
£002:F:\PROJET\GUTH\RESS\SCENE\AREAS\Area01\aire1bouillir.SCC
£003:F:\PROJET\GUTH\RESS\SCENE\AREAS\Area01\wild_race.SCC
£004:F:\PROJET\GUTH\RESS\SCENE\AREAS\Area01\Uboat.SCC

What I'm really doing is looking for hidden/unknown parts of the game or debug features. I need some trying to figure this stuff out. I'm currently downloading a DreamOn demo disc that has a toy commander demo on it to see if I can find any clues there. Scrolling through these files in a Hex Editor is getting boring and doesnt give many clues. I would really appreciate help with this quest that i started years ago and am picking up again.

 

Update: I think i remember how i somewhat accessed these files in the past. The GUTH.BIN gives some clues when opened in a hex editor. Mission.Error: "Can't open HQR file '%s'..................\tabtree.c.ComputeBoundingBox no collision in this object" This led me to look into what the "hqr" file extension is. I found that HQR files are data files for a game called Little Big Adventure. I downloaded a program that can supposedly edit these files and i pointed it at a GHQ file but it didnt really work out. I remember being semi-succesfull with doing something like that in the past but it did not get me anywhere this time. I dont even know why i thought it would work, two completley different games by different developers.

Also, the dreamon demo disc has pretty much the same file structure, but i have noticed some differences in GUTH_ENG.txt which seems to hold all the text for the gem. The mission up and down was once called "the weightlessness challenge" pirates booty was once pirates treasure and "a friend in need" was once called the escort.

 

Something that actaully provided beyond helpful when I started my project to update 4x4Evo PC & DC I had contacted people whom worked on it in the credits. You might be surprised how much useful information you get, in my case I got way beyond lucky with what I got.

However it being originally a french studio might add difficulty, but it could at least provide insight to how those files are packaged.

 

Probably looked MENU.GHQ file is compressed obviously


Similar lzss compression


Decompression code entry in the memory address: 0x8C04C930

 

If you get in contact with No Cliché and need a French translator I could help, if I have the time. French is my mother tongue.
I liked Toy Commander when I was young too

 

thanks for the info

Update: after doing research i found that the game little big adventure that i mentioned in one of my posts was developed by the same person who developed toy commander, frederick raynal. that explains why that software somewhat worked.

Also sent an email to one of the developers asking for help.

 

i liked to mess with game text.

 

look it

 

That looks good yzb, but how did you get pvr viewer to open the files? i tried that before and it just said unsopprted format. Did you decompress them? and if so how?

 

I have no technical contribution to make to this thread, but just wanted to say a quick "thank you" for bringing this game to my attention. I have a stack of original Dreamcast discs but I think I dismissed Toy Commander years ago and never played it. As a result of reading this thread I fired it up yesterday and found it a whole load of fun .

 

Write a program decompression.....

 

yzb, could you be a little bit more descriptive? i don't have a big background in programming im still working on my cumputer science degree. Also, the developer that i emailed got back to me and said he doesnt really remember but it could be either a dreamcast format, or several blocs of a zip like format with an index table on them. he said hes gonna get in contact with some of the other programers and let me know. I really hope i can get this project going.

 

be a little bit more descriptive?

Similar lzss compression


Decompression code entry in the memory address: 0x8C04C930

 

Could you share the code yzb? Most people here are not as good as you at that stuff

 

I second this, I really don't want this project to die.

 

Very busy these days

 

That was helpful...

Any kind of hints at what we do with the memory address? Anything at all?

 

Don't be harsh to the guy! He doesn't have to help, but it seems he wants to but is busy. He told you where the decompression code is in the DC memory already:

I'm sure he might share it once he got the time, or someone else with the skills will bother enough to extract it himself given the indication he gave.

 

You're right, i was a bit harsh, Kinda wish i had his knowledge about this stuff.

My apologies if i came across as rude. I appreciate your help with the memory address

 

I actually tried to access that memory address using the nullDC debugger but I couldn't figure it out. maybe someone with some more experience could point me in the right direction for that, would the nulldc debugger even be the right way to go about it?