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[C++] [Solved] How to properly calculate pointers

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GoatSmegma
How do I cheat?

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Joined: 06 Jan 2023
Posts: 8

Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 1:49 pm Post subject: [C++] [Solved] How to properly calculate pointers

Currently I don't understand to calculate my address, the game I program my dll for which I inject via CE uses an module "some.dll", I grab its base address via:

Code:

DWORD baseAddress = (DWORD)GetModuleHandle("some.dll");

now I get the supposedly correct base address of that module in decimal (693895168) which I double checked with Cheat Engine's "Enumerate DLL's and Symbols"
however if I double click my Pointer in CE to see its offsets I see this: "some.dll"+000840D0 -> 29A21858 but 295C0000 + 000840D0 = 298004D0 what did I miss here? And would this be an correct way to do this:

Code:

DWORD finalAddress = BaseAddress + 540880 + 4 + 8 + 40 + 60 + 1436 + 20 + 52;

or is it unnecessary to turn it into decimal?
thanks in advance.

Last edited by GoatSmegma on Sat May 20, 2023 5:24 am; edited 1 time in total

LeFiXER
Grandmaster Cheater Supreme

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Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 2:47 pm Post subject:

Addresses are hexadecimal. I would say it's unnecessary to use decimal. You should specify these values as hex:

Code:

BaseAddress + 0x840D0 + 0x4 + 0x8 + 0x28 + 0x3C + 0x59C+ 0x14 + 0x34;

Although, pointers don't work like that. You should loop through reading the resolved value and adding the offset to that value e.g.:

Code:

int offsets[8] = { 0x840D0, 0x4, 0x8, 0x28, 0x3C, 0x59C, 0x14, 0x34 };

int getPointer(HANDLE processHandle, int baseAddress, int offsetArray[]){
int tmpArray[] = offsetArray;
int curOffset = 0;
int arrLen = sizeof(tmpArray) / sizeof(int);
int resolvedAddress = baseAddress;

for(int i = 0; i < arrLen; i++) {
curOffset = tmpArray[i];
ReadProcessMemory(processHandle, (LPCVOID)resolvedAddress, &resolvedAddress, 4, NULL) // This is for 4-byte addresses, can be adapted for 8-byte addresses
resolvedAddress += curOffset;
}
return resolvedAddress;
}

I'm not a C++ programmer so perhaps it will point you in the right direction, assuming it doesn't work for you.

GoatSmegma
How do I cheat?

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Joined: 06 Jan 2023
Posts: 8

Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 3:55 pm Post subject:

thanks, I've done some digging and found a post which explained pointers thoroughly, then I managed to get it running, partly,

Code:

ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thebase + 0x840D0), &thefirst, sizeof(thefirst), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thefirst + 0x4), &thesecond, sizeof(thesecond), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thesecond + 0x8), &thethird, sizeof(thethird), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thethird + 0x28), &thefourth, sizeof(thefourth), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thefourth + 0x3C), &thefifth, sizeof(thefifth), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thefifth + 0x59C), &thesixth, sizeof(thesixth), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thesixth + 0x14), &theseventh, sizeof(theseventh), 0);
ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(theseventh + 0x34), &theeight, sizeof(theeight), 0);

But for some reason it fails once I reach the point at "the fifth + 0x59C"

Code:

base 697605372 = 29949CFC ✓
first 623250096 = 25260AB0 ✓
second 623248832 = 252605C0 ✓
third 618133528 = 24D7F818 ✓
fourth 618134728 = 24D7FCC8 ✓
fifth 96304864 = 05BD7EE0 X
sixth 5414284 = 00529D8C X
seventh 1159335936 = 451A1000 X
eight 0 = ???????? X

edit: I tried doing it manually with an calculator and CE, and it worked, I took 24D7FCC8 added 5C9 to it and got the correct memory location, I also tried to replace "sizeof(thefifth)" (and all other similar sizeof occurences) with just 4, however it still gets an wrong address from it.

GoatSmegma
How do I cheat?

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Joined: 06 Jan 2023
Posts: 8

Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 5:23 am Post subject:

Got it working Very Happy

Code:

DWORD address = *(DWORD*)(BaseAddress + 0x840D0);
DWORD thefirst = *(DWORD*)(address + 0x4);
DWORD thesecond = *(DWORD*)(thefirst + 0x8);
DWORD thethird = *(DWORD*)(thesecond + 0x28);
DWORD thefourth = *(DWORD*)(thethird + 0x3C);
DWORD thefifth = *(DWORD*)(thefourth + 0x59C);
DWORD thesixth = *(DWORD*)(thefifth + 0x14);
DWORD posY = thesixth + 0x34;

thanks to ParkourPenguin, I stol- borrowed your code and to inuyasha0011 for that helpful pointer info, weirdly enough I still dont know why my code failed at the

Code:

ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thefifth + 0x59C), &thesixth, 4, 0);

but

Code:

DWORD thefifth = *(DWORD*)(thefourth + 0x59C);

worked, now I guess I write an similar function that LeFiXER provided, thanks again for that.

LeFiXER
Grandmaster Cheater Supreme

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Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 5:38 am Post subject:

GoatSmegma wrote:

I still dont know why my code failed at the

Code:

ReadProcessMemory(pHandle, (void*)(thefifth + 0x59C), &thesixth, 4, 0);

but

Code:

DWORD thefifth = *(DWORD*)(thefourth + 0x59C);

worked, now I guess I write an similar function that LeFiXER provided, thanks again for that.

It's because void is a "generic" pointer type that doesn't allow arithmetic. It must be cast to a specific data type first. Also, you're welcome Smile

GoatSmegma
How do I cheat?

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Joined: 06 Jan 2023
Posts: 8

Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 8:30 am Post subject:

LeFiXER wrote:

It's because void is a "generic" pointer type that doesn't allow arithmetic. It must be cast to a specific data type first.

yet another thanks for you, nice explanation, have a good day Smile

LeFiXER
Grandmaster Cheater Supreme

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Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Posts: 1069
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Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 2:49 pm Post subject:

GoatSmegma wrote:

yet another thanks for you, nice explanation, have a good day Smile

No problem at all! Smile

. I hope you are able to achieve what you set out to do!

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