Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

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samus4145
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Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by samus4145 » Wed Sep 14, 2022 3:21 pm

Hello,

I recently setup Picoboot and sd2sp2 with a micro sd card and have Swiss running and games running perfectly fine. I added a cheats folder and the necessary cheat txt files using the Game IDs on to the root of the sd card. It seems the latest version of Swiss moves the folder inside the Swiss folder, which is fine, but regardless of what game is chosen, when trying to open cheats, it says "empty or unreadable cheats file"

I've download the text files from https://gamehacking.org/ and have them labeled as the necessary Game ID. Is there something I am missing? Do Cheats not work with Picoboot and sd2sp2?

example:
GM8E01.txt

Metroid Prime (USA) (v1.02)

This Code Must Be On [Codejunkies]
043CC26C 3C808000
043CC270 93E4183C
043CC274 809F0008
043CC278 4BDDFCEC
041ABF60 4822030C

Infinite Health [Codejunkies]
0404A194 48000104

Thanks!
Ironcraft456
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Ironcraft456 » Wed Sep 14, 2022 4:00 pm

Are the cheat files inside the cheat folder? Dumb question but you didn't seem to word that part very well. However, if that is the case, I believe you need to add a special section at the top of your file. This is how you may need to do it

[GM8E01] Metroid Prime [NTSC-U]

Try adding the bracket with ID in front of what you have there. I don't think the version number matters as long as ID is the same.
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Andross89
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Andross89 » Thu Sep 15, 2022 9:28 am

If it's not a bug in this version of Swiss (it has happened with other versions), it could be the downloaded txt file.

Create a new file and place the codes without copying/pasting. If there were no changes, you can write whatever you want in the name of the game inside the file.

It's a simple way to identify only.

I've always used the files in slot b. But I don't think that's the cause of your problem.
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Aries
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Aries » Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:26 pm

I ran into this issue when I initially installed Swiss (Swiss v0.6r1362) using an SD2SP2 adapter and PicoBoot. I found that the text files have to be encoded correctly for them to work. All of the cheats I downloaded were encoded with UTF-16 LE BOM, but after I encoded them to UTF-8, most of them work as expected now.

You can download Notepad++ to check the encoding and encode each file as needed without having to manually enter everything. At the bottom-right of the Notepad++ window, just make sure it says Windows (CR-LF) and UTF-8.

Although I completely fixed the issue with the cheats not showing up, there are still some cheats that either don't work or cause the console to crash/reboot.

With that being said, I've been testing/scrubbing/refining all of the cheats I can find for certain games. Metroid Prime is one of the games on my list, but it's by far the worst since all of the cheats I have either cause the console to crash or just don't work. I had this same issue with Pikmin v1.1, but I found I had to use the 1.0 ISO file even though the cheats stated they were for v1.1, so I'll be trying older versions of MP to see if it helps.

If you end up fixing the codes for Metroid Prime, please let me know.

Current setup: GCN DOL-001, Carby HDMI, SD2SP2, 256GB SanDisk SDXC Pro, Swiss v0.6r1362
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Andross89
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Andross89 » Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:10 pm

Aries wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:26 pm
...You can download Notepad++ to check the encoding and encode each file as needed without having to manually enter everything. At the bottom-right of the Notepad++ window, just make sure it says Windows (CR-LF) and UTF-8...
You don't even need to use a third-party app. By default, the native text editor will save in ANSI. It's a simple encoding and will work fine. UTF-8 will be used in case of characters not recognized by ANSI. At least, on all the systems I've used.
Aries wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:26 pm
...With that being said, I've been testing/scrubbing/refining all of the cheats I can find for certain games. Metroid Prime is one of the games on my list, but it's by far the worst since all of the cheats I have either cause the console to crash or just don't work. I had this same issue with Pikmin v1.1, but I found I had to use the 1.0 ISO file even though the cheats stated they were for v1.1, so I'll be trying older versions of MP to see if it helps...
I use version 845 and never had any problems with these games. Swiss evolves at the cost of sacrifices. Cheats were never a priority. You might consider keeping an old and newer version.
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Aries
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Aries » Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:34 pm

Andross89 wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:10 pm
You don't even need to use a third-party app. By default, the native text editor will save in ANSI. It's a simple encoding and will work fine. UTF-8 will be used in case of characters not recognized by ANSI. At least, on all the systems I've used.

I use version 845 and never had any problems with these games. Swiss evolves at the cost of sacrifices. Cheats were never a priority. You might consider keeping an old and newer version.
Not everyone has in-depth technical knowledge of text editors and how encoding works, and I don't think most people want to manually input cheats in a separate text file per your recommendation. Notepad++ makes this fairly easy to see if files are in the correct format and properly encoded.

We also don't want to have two separate releases, which is why I'm in the process of scrubbing/organizing cheats that work on the current release. IMO having two releases for cheats is worse than having one clean cheats file. I don't think anyone is interested in switching SD cards or swapping Swiss files on one SD card just to play a game with cheats.

Whether or not cheats are a priority for the devs is irrelevant. It's part of the software, so if there is an issue with any part of it, we should always look to find a solution.
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Andross89
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Andross89 » Thu Sep 29, 2022 4:21 pm

Aries wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:34 pm
Not everyone has in-depth technical knowledge of text editors and how encoding works, and I don't think most people want to manually input cheats in a separate text file per your recommendation. Notepad++ makes this fairly easy to see if files are in the correct format and properly encoded...
The user just needs to use the "save as" for the already existing file. Or manually write to a new file if the problem persists. It seems to be pretty easy.

And, as I said, any native editor can do that.
Aries wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:34 pm
...We also don't want to have two separate releases, which is why I'm in the process of scrubbing/organizing cheats that work on the current release. IMO having two releases for cheats is worse than having one clean cheats file. I don't think anyone is interested in switching SD cards or swapping Swiss files on one SD card just to play a game with cheats...
I'm sure some users must be keeping two versions. Even more so after some codes in ASM stop working. I completely understand your desire to keep things simple.
Aries wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:34 pm
...Whether or not cheats are a priority for the devs is irrelevant. It's part of the software, so if there is an issue with any part of it, we should always look to find a solution.
Priority with cheats will always be relevant. That's why the problem with Resident Evil is still open, some games have pointer incompatibility or run with different memory area than the original. And some games don't start with active cheats. And that from the first versions.

And I understand that you want everything to work perfectly. It hasn't happened yet. In the near future, perhaps.
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Aries
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Aries » Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:26 pm

Andross89 wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 4:21 pm
The user just needs to use the "save as" for the already existing file. Or manually write to a new file if the problem persists. It seems to be pretty easy.
Unfortunately, you didn't provide the "save as" information in your original post. Nowhere did you suggest this because of encoding/formatting issues. You specifically told OP to "Create a new file and place the codes without copying/pasting. If there were no changes, you can write whatever you want in the name of the game inside the file."

Or OP can just download Notepad++ to quickly check the files to ensure they're encoded correctly. It seems to be pretty easy, far easier than manually inputting codes for potentionally hundreds of text files. Also, with your method, some codes still won't work and OP would never know if it was an issue with encoding or if it was something else, which is part of the problem.

Even still, I would recommend downloading Notepad++ to verify the encoding and formatting of the text files since it's far more efficient to just look at a file than opening each one, saving as, copying to SD card, testing etc. just to see if the code works or not.
Andross89 wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 4:21 pm
Priority with cheats will always be relevant. That's why the problem with Resident Evil is still open, some games have pointer incompatibility or run with different memory area than the original. And some games don't start with active cheats. And that from the first versions.
To clarify, the priority of cheats is not relevant to this thread. OP has an issue and would like an answer. I ran into the same issue and provided the solution that I found through my own troubleshooting and testing.
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Andross89
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Andross89 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:07 am

Aries wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:26 pm
Unfortunately, you didn't provide the "save as" information in your original post. Nowhere did you suggest this because of encoding/formatting issues. You specifically told OP to "Create a new file and place the codes without copying/pasting. If there were no changes, you can write whatever you want in the name of the game inside the file."...
I don't underestimate the knowledge of any user here. The first option is well known and he could already have tried without success.

I don't think I need to make a tutorial on how to use the conventional Notepad.

I gave the solution to the worst case scenario. And the problem is only with one game and few lines of code. Like you, I just kept the focus on the topic.

And I noticed that the codes do not have the Master Code. The codes above don't really need to. But I use a code that needs. So better try this first before blaming Swiss.

I'm not talking about you. I suppose you should know that. In case any user is having problems...
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Aries
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Aries » Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:33 pm

Andross89 wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:07 am
I don't underestimate the knowledge of any user here. The first option is well known and he could already have tried without success.
Like I said, not everyone has in-depth technical knowledge of text editors and how encoding works. OP has one post, so it's best to explain in further detail on what to look for. Also, the first option clearly is not well known, otherwise this thread either wouldn't exist, or having cheats encoded in UTF-8 or ANSI would be easily found by a simple search on the internet (news flash - it's not).

I mean here's what it looks like at this point: OP has a question, you answer with your method, I answer with mine and explain in further detail, then you bash my method and go off topic on the priorities of cheats. Nothing you've said to me helps OP resolve the issue. Stating that we don't need to use third-party apps doesn't help resolve the issue. Telling us that cheats aren't a priority doesn't help resolve the issue.

The only thing I could find on this that's relevant to this topic is another post from emu_kidid also stating to use Notepad++ to check the encoding, so I'm not sure why you have a problem with it. We know it's not mandatory to use a third-party app, but it's still my recommendation.
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Andross89
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Andross89 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 2:47 pm

Aries wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:33 pm
Like I said, not everyone has in-depth technical knowledge of text editors and how encoding works. OP has one post, so it's best to explain in further detail on what to look for. Also, the first option clearly is not well known, otherwise this thread either wouldn't exist, or having cheats encoded in UTF-8 or ANSI would be easily found by a simple search on the internet (news flash - it's not).

I mean here's what it looks like at this point: OP has a question, you answer with your method, I answer with mine and explain in further detail, then you bash my method and go off topic on the priorities of cheats. Nothing you've said to me helps OP resolve the issue. Stating that we don't need to use third-party apps doesn't help resolve the issue. Telling us that cheats aren't a priority doesn't help resolve the issue.

The only thing I could find on this that's relevant to this topic is another post from emu_kidid also stating to use Notepad++ to check the encoding, so I'm not sure why you have a problem with it. We know it's not mandatory to use a third-party app, but it's still my recommendation.
OK, let's go:

Emu_Kidid is a developer. He has several reasons to use this tool. And do you know the advantage of it to generate a simple txt file in this case? Absolutely none.

You insist on technical knowledge and want the home user to use the same tool. And again, without any special function. Can you understand that we are talking about a simple txt? You act like it's a cht file or something.

And I defy anyone to prove to me that my method doesn't work. Just because it takes more time, that doesn't invalidate your result. And it can help if, by mistake, there is a change from "0" to "O". I already downloaded files with this error.

As for me, you can use a million apps to create the txt. Just don't induce a user to install something unnecessary in this specific case. At least recommend the portable version.
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Aries
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Aries » Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:45 am

Andross89 wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 2:47 pm
Aries wrote:
Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:33 pm
OK, let's go:

Emu_Kidid is a developer. He has several reasons to use this tool. And do you know the advantage of it to generate a simple txt file in this case? Absolutely none.

You insist on technical knowledge and want the home user to use the same tool. And again, without any special function. Can you understand that we are talking about a simple txt? You act like it's a cht file or something.

And I defy anyone to prove to me that my method doesn't work. Just because it takes more time, that doesn't invalidate your result. And it can help if, by mistake, there is a change from "0" to "O". I already downloaded files with this error.

As for me, you can use a million apps to create the txt. Just don't induce a user to install something unnecessary in this specific case. At least recommend the portable version.
More irrelevant info. Nothing you've said has been construtive, and nothing you've said to me has helped OP understand why the text file wouldn't have worked. Nothing you've said to me has been useful to any degree.

I read OP's question a week ago because I had the same issue, saw your response (which didn't help me at all), and created an account just to explain into detail to help OP better understand the problem (because you didn't). Then here you come, the troll that doesn't provide anything contructive (at least to me), always has to get the last word in, and still continues to ramble off topic.

I mean are you the Notepad++ police? Are you seriously this abrasive to everyone who recommends an app that you don't agree with? It's a highly versatile and popular application. Manually entering codes per your comment is by far the worst recommendation I've seen. And it won't help if, by mistake, OP enters "O" instead of "0".

I would highly recommend Notepad++ to edit/modify cheats over anything that you have to say about it. Normally, this would be the end of the discussion, but we all know you have to get the last word in. Be my guest to continue to ramble off topic. :roll:
CodyGC
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by CodyGC » Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:22 pm

Man, it's crazy. Aries actually finds it more practical to use Notepad++ than any built-in editor. It looks like it's trying to reinvent the wheel. OK then.
Cheat files are personal and eventually codes will be added or removed. Swiss updates themselves made me modify the files from time to time. Manual work will always be necessary. The problem here is it's the codes that don't work and not your large amount of files.
I found the relevance of cheats funny because reporting problems with other games won't help here. We have two places for that. You betray your own logic. But the tutorial part was funnier.
Anyway, you don't have to tell me that what I said is irrelevant either because I don't care and I won't be coming back here.
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Aries
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Re: Swiss Error When Loading Cheat Files

Post by Aries » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:48 pm

CodyGC wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:22 pm
Man, it's crazy. Aries actually finds it more practical to use Notepad++ than any built-in editor.
Apparently it's even crazier to have my own opinion and recommendation. I do find it more practical, why would anyone not recommend something they find to be more useful?
CodyGC wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:22 pm
The problem here is it's the codes that don't work and not your large amount of files.
This comment alone is a major facepalm on your end. Buddy, the problem here is the cheats file doesn't show up. The error message that OP provided is specific to encoding issues. I'm not sure if you know this given your misguided comment, but codes that don't work will generally still show up if the text file is encoded correctly.
CodyGC wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:22 pm
Anyway, you don't have to tell me that what I said is irrelevant either because I don't care and I won't be coming back here.
The funny part is you actually cared so much that you came here just to knowingly post even more irrelevant info. I really hope you won't be back though, your negative commentary wasn't invited to begin with. :roll:

Are we done here?
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