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Reverse Engineering MineSweeper

Posted by Zonk on from the mine-hacking dept.

hdm writes "The first edition of the Uninformed Journal introduces reverse engineering by ripping apart the MineSweeper game included with Windows XP. This paper covers the basics of the Windows Debugger and steps through the entire reverse engineering and cheat code development process."

4 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Re:But we already know the cheat by clintp · · Score: 2, Insightful
    every once and a while, you get stuck and have to guess.
    Unless you're psychic you'll have to guess at least once in every game -- the first move.
    --
    Get off my lawn.
  2. Re:Building a MineSweeper player? by Teddy+Beartuzzi · · Score: 2, Insightful
    It's true that luck plays a part, but that's true of almost all solitaire games. Sometimes the tiles, cards, or bombs are stacked against you no matter what you do.

    Doesn't make it any less enjoyable, though. :) It's not totally luck though, good players will consistently get further than poorer players, because they can see the "I know two of these four are mines, and three of these five are mines, therefore this one cannot be a mine!" moments better. The players who know to use both mouse buttons simultaneously to clear areas do better as well.

    I find that many Minesweeper players think of it as a race against time, so I'm just pointing out it's enjoyable as a test of quantity as well. Start at full size, 100 mines, and work your way up.

  3. So reverse Engineering IS OK Now? by fluffy99 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So if a MS employee was caught reverse engineering code, it's ok? I realize it's a stupid game, but it's against the EULA and potentially illegal as well. Damn hypocrites.

  4. Re:But we already know the cheat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well, I was semi-interested when I read the article, and at page 11, my jaws dropped:

    Time was spent to download and install the Symbols Packages, so let's see what hints they provide. Issue the following within the Command window get a list of all available symbols for WinMine.

    x WinMine!*

    The WinMine sybols are INCLUDED in the XP debug symbols !!!

    Of COURSE, it renders the reverse engineering task easier !

    Conclusion: crap article, as in most case, you will not have the symbols when you reverse engineer. The CodeProject article is much better.