THE CHEATS
CHEAT-O-MATIC Cheat-o-matic is an active memory search and manipulator.
Sounds complex, but the theory behind it is simple.
You tell Cheat-o-matic the task to search and a value that you know in that task (in this case ants). The program will then search the computer's memory that ants is using looking for the value you have specified. One the first pass it will find several places where that value occurs.
In the game you then change that value whether it be points or strength or whatever. Once you have changed the value,
cheat-o-matic will then search the same memory addresses looking for the new value. The address that contains the new value is then remembered by cheat-o-matic.
The next step is to insert a new value in the same address,
and vola ! the new value takes place in the game.
The following cheats are possible using cheat-o-matic.
UNLIMITED POINTS Look at the total points you have so far. (first value)
Then make an ant increase the value by bring food to the hill. (second value). Now set the value to whatever you like. TIP: if you set it to a high number other players will notice quickly you have done this. If you only increment your value in small steps of about 100 points, they may not notice.
UNLIMITED LIFE Pick an ant, and look at it's life value using Ctrl L. (your first value). Then cause that ant to walk on a bomb decreasing it's value. (second value). Now set the value in cheat-o-matic to a new high value like 100.
UNLIMITED EGGS Note how many ant eggs you have. (first value) Then hatch an ant and hatch an ant decreasing the value (second value)
Then set the new value for the new number of eggs.
Used in conjunction with your point score, you can hatch more ants without increasing your score overall, that way other players will not become suspicious.
A large number of ants is not an advantage. If you have too many ants, they will start to queue at your anthill making them vunerable to attack. Any extra ants you have are best sent on kamakazi missions to kill opposition ants or offered
as a sacrifice to distract other players.
UNLIMITED ANTS Note how many ants you have. (first value) Then kill an ant (second value). Now you know where in memory the number of ants is controled, just enter in any number. TIP: Remember, too many ants is not an advantage.
FOOD VALUES There are several ways to manipulate food.
If you ant picks up food, note how many points he gets for bringing it home. Then search for zero (no food points).
Then when the ant picks up food, enter the value of the food
he's bringing home. Once you have this value, there is no need to even send your ant to the hill, just give him food values while he's standing anywhere.
You can also change how much food is available.
In single player mode count how many bites you can take from a piece of food. Then restart the game and start using that value minus the number of bites you have taken to find it's value. This may not sound usefull, but if your trying to get the powerups after the food in jungle, you can decrease the number of bites, or if the food is worth a lot, increase the number of bites available. Just as long as the value never gets to zero, you'll have food availble even though your enemies see it as all gone.
HYPERSPACE AN ANT Ever wanted the transporter from Star Trek for your own personal use ? Well, you have the power in ants. In order to do this, you must know how the ants program defines the postion of the ant. Once you know this you can enter the value for he current position of the ant (first value).
Then move your ant to a new location (second value).
Once you have this... you have the power... just enter the
new position for that ant and Bzzzt... There he is magically transported to that location.
Pick an ant, move him to the far left side of the map as he can go. (Value=1) then move him one space right (Value=2) and so on. Changing this value in the future will hyperspace you ant across the page.
Place your ant at the top of the screen (value=1) then move him down one square (value=2). This value wil hyperspace your ant up and down the screen.
CAMILIAN ANTS This ant is like no other ant, he can power up anywhere anytime and anything !!!! The ultimate ant !!
How to do it... well ... you're going to need some information about what makes an ant what he is.
62 = Soldier
63 = Theif
64 = Bomber
65 = Diver
66 = Fire
Once you know this, you can change the value on any ant at any time, and he will become a new type of ant.
So if your fire ant is getting the shit beat out of him,
change him to a soldier.. and hit back hard ! or at very least, deny your enemy the power up you leave behind when your dead ! You can also use this method for changing a power up on the ground into something else you want.
SIMPLE CHEATS AND STRATEGIES CLONING FOOD Cloning of food is a slow process, so it is not worth doing unless the food is worth a lot of points (usally 200).
Firstly you will need to have one ant get a bite of the food. Once he has the food, you will need to kill that ant.
Death by explosion is a good choice, drowning is a bad idea.
Then position your ants around the food package left on the ground. When you have enough ants standing beside it hit Ctrl A to select all you ants and click on the food. They will all pick up a piece at the same time. Then you can just kill another ant and collect his food cloning the points even further ! CLONING POWER UPS You can also clone powerups, but not like you can clone food. Only one of your ants can pick up a powerup at any one time. But, because of the lag between users, all players can pick up the same powerup at the same time. Since each computer cannont determine who got the power up first, every play gets the powerup. You have to trust each other to do it, so the best way is to stand an ant beside the powerup and agree to get it at exactly 8:35 time. The more lag between users the better. (You can induce lag with a ping flooder.) ARSON ! Ok, you all know how to use fire ants, so this is basically for newbies.
You can use fire to stop thieves at your hill. If you set 2 fires then set a third while a thief is in the hole, he'll be trapped.
Setting fire to the base of a power flower will stop it dropping more powerups until the flame goes out. If you extinguish the flame and re-lite it you can effectively keep any powerups from happening.
You can also use fire to block other anthills or protect
your own ants from evil. RESERVED POWER UP You can prevent others from getting power ups by standing on them. You enemy cannot attack you or get the power up while you are standing on it. Move your ant across the powerup and then click somewhere the ant cannot go when it is on top of the powerup.
LANDMINES Ok, another set of tactics for newbies.
Bombs are best set in a diagonal pattern. This allows you
or your team's ants to walk freely amoungst the bombs.
If your being chased by some mug with lots of soldiers, lure them into your minefield, or just run through your minefield to lose them. You can also use bombs for getting over obsticles (at a price) in islands, mirage and treasure.
SUCK & BLOW MANEUVER This is a tricky maneuver that I've seen used by some of the more skilled players. It works especially well if the sucker (usally me) has a bad latency.
It goes like this ... put your ant beside water in full view of your enemy. He'll see this as an easy target. After all, this ant isn't moving, it must be forgotten.
As your sucker gets close enough to attack your ant, move one postion sideways, then diagonally behind the sucker and then attack and push him in the water !
I'm always sucked in by this trick, and it must take some practice to get it right.
MAP SWAPPING
Map swapping is a simple trick. Rename the filename of one map to that of another. Then when that level is run, you will be running one map while the others will be on the other. You will see ants walking through water and walls doing all the things they shouldn't.
It's very easy to spot a map swap, ants usally walk through water when they are not dive ants. Do not confuse a map swap with a programed cheat. Most programed cheats will walk through a wall, but only in one place, their ants will walk
around other obsticles like any normal ant. Program cheats will not walk through water.
Map swap cheats will also have an invisible ant hill.
If you want to stop a map swap cheat it's very simple.
Look for where the cheat's anthill is, and place your ant on the place where his hole is. He will now not be able to enter his own hole or attack that ant. You may also be able to guess which map has been swapped and hide in the water on the cheat map.
You can play a funny cheat game. Get four players and pick a map at random and copy it to cheat.lvl. If all your maps are different, it will be quite funny as ants go everywhere.
Don't forget to stop the game when the first player drops because his time runs out.
PROGRAMED CHEATS Ok, many of you have seen a few clever players with cheats that look like map swaps, but there is much more to this than meets the eye !
The player who uses programed cheats is actually running the same maps and levels that you are seeing, but they basically can change anything ! Unlike Cheat-o-matic, a programed cheat cannot be changed once the game is started. But just because you don't see something, doesn't mean to say that it is not hidden in the cheat's program ! You will only see a programed cheat after it has been used, until then it will remain invisible.
The type of things that are possible are :-
Any number of ants at start.
Any type or amount of power ups placed anywhere on the map.
Food bites and value per bite.
Holes in walls, grass and objects.
Clone food to another food, so that when a bite is taken from food at one site, it is deducted from another piece of food elsewhere.
It is also possible to walk through water or place an anthill anywhere but this doesn't look good on other players screens, so programers avoid these. There are still many things which have not been tried.
Programed cheats require a lot of careful thought, so don't be supprised if you cannot work them out.
There is still plenty left to do in this game.
What you see on the screen is controled by the ants.chd file. All the codes and related pictures are in this file.
Look at the file, if you have to ask me what to do, how to do it or even what program to use.... I think now is a good time to forget about trying.
But if you abosultey insist, try using debug, notpad and paint. These are not the most ideal programs to use, but
if you know nothing about what your looking at they are probally your best options.
If you have to ask me where to get these programs, then you really are a dolt and should stop now before you hurt yourself and your computer ! |
