How To Make Table Files

By Kevtav  

Version 0.10

Created 5:18 PM 1/27/01

 	
	If you send me an email asking about something that is already answered in the 
next paragraphs of this document, your letter will be ignored. If there's something in this 
document that you feel needs to be explained better, however, then don't hesitate to email me 
about it.		
	
	The first thing you need to know is that roms are written in hex data. 
Sometimes each different hex byte stands for a letter so you need to make a table file 
so Thingy could know what to change those bytes to. Imagine that you have a string of
text in a rom:

07 34 3B 3B 3E

And You Have A table file:

00=A
01=B
02=C
03=D
04=E
05=F
06=G
07=H
08=I
09=J
0A=K
0B=L
0C=M
0D=N
0E=O
0F=P
10=Q
11=R
12=S
13=T
14=U
15=V
16=W
17=X
18=Y
19=Z
30=a
31=b
32=c
33=d
34=e
35=f
36=g
37=h
38=i
39=j
3A=k
3B=l
3C=m
3D=n
3E=o
3F=p
40=q
41=r
42=s
43=t
44=u
45=v
46=w
47=x
48=y
49=z
60=0
61=1
62=2
63=3
64=4
65=5
66=6
67=7
68=8
69=9


The string of text would say Hello. So, basically a table file is the bytes that a letter or some 
letters represent.

Ok now you know what table file are used for. Now you will learn how to make table files.

	The first thing you need to do is get is Search Relative 2 you could get this 
program at http://www.zophar.net/trans/tranutil.html. Then, load up a rom in Search Relative 2 
and type in a string of text you want to search for. It will then come up with the matches, 
and give you the hexidecimal equates, in two windows, like this:

Column 1
03 19 0E 04 01 11 15 09 0C

Column 2
CYNDAQUIL

The only difference is that the columns are side by side.

Then you can write down A=1, because A is the fifth letter in CYNDAQUIL
, and 01 is the fifth hex byte in the same string. Then from there, use the Table Maker
(http://www.zophar.net/trans/tranutil.html), type in 2 for ASCII text, and then the hex number 
for A, which is 01, and it will start a table forming process. When it does, it will start with the 
hex number you typed in (01), and you get to type in A, since 01 equals A. Then it will add 
one to the hex number (making it 02), and type in B. It'll add one again (03), and type in C, 
and so on. Or if you wish, you can type it out by hand  but Table Maker is 
much faster, because you only have to type in the equates.

	The way you'll know if you've hit a correct table is if you see a matched
word you were looking for in Search Relative 2, and it's followed by another word you knew 
you'd see right after it. For example, in the game Secret of Mana for SNES, the word 'Mana'
 is often followed by the word 'Sword', since it's a key item in the game. Sure, you might see 
'Mana' here and there if it happened to turn up somewhere in the code by coincidence, but 
when you see 'Mana' followed by 'Sword', the chances of coincidence get increasingly smaller
thus, you know you've found your font out of narrowing down the evidence.
 	
	After you have made your table file you have to get another program called Thingy
you could get Thingy at http://www.zophar.net/trans/tranutil.html. After you get Thingy all you 
have to do is edit the rom in Thingy by pressing the spacebar twice and then edit the beginning 
and end of the string of text you want to translate then put in the text it should be.

Kevtav's Email=Kevtav@aol.com

And I Would Like To Thank Umbreon Without Him This Would Not Be Here

|/ Peace
 
(8^)