Ambrosia Software Web Board: Some fun with Cythera AI (hacking) - Ambrosia Software Web Board

As I mentioned a little while ago, I've done some experimenting with Cythera AI.

I have found a few various facts of interest which are given below in no particular order.

Various aspects of the AI and player character information appear to be stored in the save file.

For instance, I can alter the graphics of anyone or even alter their initial behavior (although this will reset when the zone is left). That is, I can make Hadrian walk back and forth across the throne room in the same manner as Magpie or make him seek the player character out first thing (like the guard in the swamp).

I can also change mind, body, reflex, etc., although I've yet to identify which specific bytes are used. I suspect that the information for invulnerability and such might be stored here as well.

Other aspects such as the portrait or "core" AI (i.e. Alaric's dialogue and responses to certain situations for example) seem to be loaded in from elsewhere. Thus, I suspect the "core" AI is contained in the game data and then, when the save file is made, loaded into it and somehow matched with the appropriate "physical" attributes.

I can't say this for certain, however. I have once been able to turn Hadrian into one of the guards from another city, but attempts to reverse this process (i.e. turn the guard into Hadrian) were not successful.

Essentially, I've made some interesting and useful discoveries, but I have yet to experiment extensively enough to identify all of the aspects of the AI that I can alter or how I can alter them.

I have, however, found at least one fun trick which I will describe below.


I have found a way that seems to identify the bytes that signify the ending and beginning of the AI entries (including the player one).

To my surprise, I have found several "empty" AI entries.

To my further surprise, I have found that I can copy and paste the information for previous characters (to which I could in theory make alterations) into these addresses and have the results appear in game.

I am not sure that the results will appear unless the characters are set to be the player's ally. My attempt to do this without making them allied with me seemed to result in no change.

The result of filling empty entries with AI information for other Cythera characters?

Seemingly, the Borg (see screenshot below, although I'm afraid that I had to crop it a bit).

These new characters are basically drones. They have no portraits. Their names are given as "???". They will only respond with stony silence when spoken to. They must be set to target attack (I think) to use. They will, however, complain of hunger.

However, they can almost be duplicates of the ingame characters (not sure if they get spells or such skills) that live only to serve unless, perhaps, you kill a civilian. (I haven't tried Aethon yet. Only Alaric, who will actually take orders to kill a civilian but your other drones will kill you.)

I haven't used this much yet because I'm not certain if the entries in question are actually empty. They may hold information for characters encountered after the game or they may be temporary storage for "monsters." Hence, filling them might "squeeze" out future characters needed to solve the game or make it harder to find monsters to kill.

Still, it's kind of funny at least: to be able to create an army of followers who are nothing but drones.


(Hmm, there may have been one or two other things to mention, but I can't remember them right now.)

Whoa, neat. I wonder if you could bypass the demo restrictions doing that?

But why would someone do that…

That picture is hilarious btw.

Very interesting.


It seems like all the materials were left for an editor, but it was left out in the end.

I want to see Alaric fighting Alaric....

Now that you reminded me, I'd like to see Hector turn into Hector D. Byrd…but of course that is impossible.

Although anybody fighting themselves would be pretty funny…or, better yet, a bunch of people fighting themselves!

This post has been edited by Buzzzzy: 06 March 2009 - 06:53 PM

I believe there was an editor, but it was not user-friendly and somewhat buggy. I could be wrong. It's mentioned, I think, in one of gandreas's posts somewhere.

Most editors are un-user-friendly and buggy, as most editors are used solely by the developers who know exactly what the bugs are and who programmed the darn things. But I think Two Jacks meant that everything was left for an editor to be released, which it never was. Notice the plug-ins folder as well.