A majority of the basic techniques used in hacking NES and GBA ROMs are identical when it comes to SNES. Your next step would be to do a relative search to determine the values of the text and then build a table file using those values. This will allow you to dump the text, presuming it's not compressed. Check out The Definitive Guide to ROM Hacking Tables (which I wrote) for more information. (Keep in mind that even if the font is uncompressed, it's possible that the text could be compressed. Or vice versa.)

Regarding the font for SUB2, keep in mind that what Tile Layer Pro refers to as the SNES format is simply the bitplane most commonly used for SNES graphics. It's entirely possible that the font is stored in 1BPP, NES or Gameboy formats, so if you don't find what you're looking for under the SNES codec, try the others. (You also might want to check out Tile Molester, which was written by the same author and offers support for several other formats as well.)

In regards to the checksum, I don't think that really matters but I'm sure someone can tell you where it's located.

Also note that if you try Tile Molester, they list those formats as 2bpp (GB) and 4bpp (SNES).

Given that the game is SNES, and that the game is a sports title, you'll likely have to relative search to figure out the table values. I hate relative searching, just because it tends to be very hit-and-miss. But I did get it to work one a few tables I made.


Does this actually matter? I have no idea what a checksum is, but does having a bad checksum actually affect anything?

~DS

None of the major SNES emulators care.

[quo
Fixed.


As with Genesis/Mega Drive, there the games do the check sum test. However, in many cases the hardware check those checksums and you can't disable this.

I have no idea if SNES cares, but honestly, it's so easy to make it compute a checksum, why not hack it properly?

cYa,

Tauwasser

Thanks once again for your help InVerse, I have downloaded your document and will read through it tonight 
I will certainly try viewing the games using various modes, I wasn't aware about that.

I am probably getting ahead of myself here, but at some point I'll need to do it - what is a relative search and what tools do I need? I am sorry if this is covered in your doc as I haven't read it yet.

As for the checksum thanks Azkadellia, Windhex http://www.romhacking.net/utils/291/ (not winhex - wrong editor in case anyone is reading this) fixed the checksum 

The real SNES Hardware will not play SNES games w/ a bad or incorrect checksum, FYI in case anyone wants to know for SNES I use the SWC2 DX and also an SNES Flash Cart made by Tottek - I want my work to run on the real thing too, sure it's not necessity but why release stuff that won't run on the correct hardware?

DarknessSavior I don't know what a ROM checksum is per say but as for data wiki covers this well:

"A checksum or hash sum is a fixed-size datum computed from an arbitrary block of digital data for the purpose of detecting accidental errors that may have been introduced during its transmissions or storage. The integrity of the data can be checked at any later time by recomputing the checksum and comparing it with the stored one. If the checksums do not match, the data was certainly altered." Read the entire overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checksum

Thank you all for your input and help, I really appreciate it.

I dunno, I guess I just suck at it. And anyway, nowadays I can just use ASM to get table values, so I don't need relative searching. XD

The only game I actually relative searched and was successful with was Demon's Blazon. >.>

~DS

KingMike I haven't tested any bad checksums w/ that cart (SWC DX2 won't) so it is possible Tommy implemented a checksum fix? Thanks for the info.   

Thank you very much InVerse, your guide has been an invaluable tool, even if it's 7 years old. I printed up your guide and reviewed it. I was able to successfully and quite easily change some text in the US ver to SBBS1k using your Relative Searching method. I will also review your new guide (thanks I really appreciate it).

I have a few questions to make things easier for me.

Are there any SNES emulators that contain a pattern editor? I am using the snes9x debug build didn't see any. I have indeed learned what a relative search is and it is quite tedious - hope there is a faster way...if not the game doesn't have too much text like an RPG does.

EDIT:

1. I am having problems doing a realative search in Kana, perhaps this is not possible? I am using Windhex to search for some words written in katakana. I have no problems with English text. I know there is some limits to this such as case sensitive not being supported.

2. Using Windhex and doing a realative search and finding English text I am still not quite sure how to get the values? This is probably do to the tables being an Anomalie. So I understand that I am doing this correctly, take for instance the word "PUSH" the values I get is:

P=19
U=1E
S=1C
H=11

There isn't any problem and those values do seem to work (i.e. 19=P) but what gets a little confusing is when I have more then one value for the same character such as "START":

S=1C
T=1D
A=0A
R=1D
T=60

Both 1D and 60=T? Which one do I use?

3. Can I find the values of characters by looking at the table in TLP? Addtionally is this one an Anomalie that you speak of in your doc?