Chrono Cross: .TIM Location Addresses (Help Needed; Easy)

[FaustWolf]

*Update 10/18/2007* TIM Decimal -> Hexadecimal Conversion Progress: 9619 / 9619   (100% Complete, thanks to Ramsus)

Hello, all! I was originally going to do a tutorial for how to find .TIM addresses in the Chrono Cross .iso for purposes of mapping out the first CD, but as it turns out the Entity has been even more kind to us than I originally thought!

It just so happens that TIMViewer automatically outputs a record of where all the files it pulls from the .iso are located. Only problem? The offsets are in decimal, not hexadecimal format. Soooo - we need to convert from decimal to hexadecimal offsets.

Here's a quickie tutorial on how to convert the file info contained within the attached .zip from decimal to hexadecimal offsets fairly quickly.


TUTORIAL BEGINS NOW

Experience Necessary: Status as a Chrono Cross fan. That's it.
Materials Needed: The attached .zip containing .TIM extract info; Windows Calculator (find it under Start -> Programs -> Accessories); the TIM Offsets text form.

If you're a Mac user or otherwise don't have access to the basic calculator, anything that can convert from decimal to hex will do, though you may need a separate pocket calculator depending on how full-featured the calculator you find is. Microsoft did something totally right and sensible for once!

Once you've extracted the text file contained in the .zip, open your converter/calculator. You should be looking at something like this: http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1895/timextractcalcys8.gif

Now for the easy part. What we need are beginning and ending offsets for the .TIM files. Let's say we're gathering hex info for File #1 (the first .TIM TIMViewer pulls from the .iso). Copy the decimal start offset, "1321744", and paste it into Windows Calculator. This can be done via Edit -> Copy and Edit -> Paste in both programs as needed. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+P  DO NOT TYPE THIS STUFF MANUALLY IF YOU CAN HELP IT. That leads to inefficiency and human error.

Note that the "Dec" radio button should be automatically highlighted below the field where calculated numbers appear. Press the "Hex" radio button just to the right; the number you had copied earlier should magically become "142B10" - the calculator's just done a decimal -> hexadecimal conversion for you. This hex number "142B10" is also the offset in the .iso at which the .TIM file starts. Copy that number from the calculator and paste it into your offsets form in the appropriate place.

Next we need to find the file's ending offset. Convert your "142B10" back into "1321744" by highlighting the "Dec" radio button. Now add the file size in decimal ("1414") with the calculator, and re-convert the result to hex. You should end up with "143096", which is the file's ending offset. This means that the first .TIM file is contained within hex offsets 142B10 and 143096.

*Important Note: For some very odd reason, when you do a file scan of the .iso in TIMViewer, the GUI tells you that the first file is a different length in decimal, placing it between offsets 142B10 ~ 143056. After doing the necessary checks in Cygnus Hex Editor, I have determined that the text dump TIMViewer makes is accurate, while the GUI results are not. I'm not sure what's up with this, but I've got visual evidence to back this conclusion up.

TIM #1's header in the .iso starting at offset 00142B10 compared to the TIM's own file header: http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7758/tim1headsw2.gif

TIM #1's end of file in the .iso ending at offset 00143096 as determined in the preceding fashion: http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/34/tim1tailjw8.gif


Eventually all this .TIM info and info about other files we collect will be used to map out the .iso's file structure. This will help the Compendium narrow down which offsets might contain the really good stuff like character models and pre-rendered backgrounds.

If you're interested in helping me slog through this, please see if you can reproduce my results with the first .TIM file's decimal offsets, and ask any questions you may have about the process in this thread or by PM.

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[JLukas]

hexadecimal

[FaustWolf]

Thanks JLukas. Hexadecimal it is, since all the ROM hacking stuff I've ever seen has been in that format and it would be best to stick with tradition in this case.

Okay folks, here's the plan. If you're interested in helping with this project, I've got a "form" text file attached to the first post along with the .TIM decimal offsets. Please stake out the next 50 .TIMs at a time with an announcement on this thread so we don't step on each other's toes, with one post devoted to each block of .TIM offsets you're going to calculate so we can keep this in order. When you've got your 50 .TIMs done, just edit your post with an attached .txt file containing your findings.

I wouldn't recommend doing them all in one sitting, since that's a sure-fire way of getting carpal tunnel syndrome; post to stake your claim, then take as long as you like since there's hardly any rush here. Mapping out all of Chrono Cross' data may take years; this is a long-term investment by the Chrono Community for sure, and hopefully the dividends will be well worth it.

As far as quality control is concerned, I'll randomly check one .TIM's info from each text file posted here, just to make sure things correspond correctly in the .iso.

I'll make a few sample posts below to illustrate what I'm talking about. Suggestions are welcome as always!

[FaustWolf]

Claiming .TIMs 0 - 50.

Done!

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[FaustWolf]

Claiming .TIMs 51 - 100.

In process...

[Ramsus]

This ought to help a little.

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[Ramsus]

Oh wait, so that's all you wanted to do? This time I followed your empty form's format.

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[FaustWolf]

 

Okay folks, show's over. All hail Ramsus!