Memory Object

This guide is for x86 hosts (such as classic era games). For the information on using the Memory class on x64 hosts (such as the Definitive edition) click here.

An intrinsic object Memory provides methods for accessing and manipulating the data or code in the current process. It has the following interface:

interface Memory {
  ReadFloat(address: int, vp: boolean): float;
  WriteFloat(address: int, value: float, vp: boolean): void;
  ReadI8(address: int, vp: boolean): int;
  ReadI16(address: int, vp: boolean): int;
  ReadI32(address: int, vp: boolean): int;
  ReadU8(address: int, vp: boolean): int;
  ReadU16(address: int, vp: boolean): int;
  ReadU32(address: int, vp: boolean): int;
  ReadUtf8(address: int): string;
  ReadUtf16(address: int): string;
  WriteI8(address: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteI16(address: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteI32(address: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteU8(address: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteU16(address: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteU32(address: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteUtf8(address: int, value: string, vp: boolean): void;
  WriteUtf16(address: int, value: string, vp: boolean): void;
  Read(address: int, size: int, vp: boolean): int;
  Write(address: int, size: int, value: int, vp: boolean): void;

  ToFloat(value: int): float;
  FromFloat(value: float): int;
  ToU8(value: int): int;
  ToU16(value: int): int;
  ToU32(value: int): int;
  ToI8(value: int): int;
  ToI16(value: int): int;
  ToI32(value: int): int;

  Translate(symbol: string): int;

  CallFunction(address: int, numParams: int, pop: int, ...funcParams: int[]): void;
  CallFunctionReturn(address: int, numParams: int, pop: int, ...funcParams: int[]): int;
  CallFunctionReturnFloat(address: int, numParams: int, pop: int, ...funcParams: int[]): float;
  CallMethod(address: int, struct: int, numParams: int, pop: int, ...funcParams: int[]): void;
  CallMethodReturn(address: int, struct: int, numParams: int, pop: int, ...funcParams: int[]): int;
  CallMethodReturnFloat(address: int, struct: int, numParams: int, pop: int, ...funcParams: int[]): float;

  Fn: {
    Cdecl(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    CdeclFloat(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => float;
    CdeclI8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    CdeclI16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    CdeclI32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    CdeclU8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    CdeclU16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    CdeclU32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;

    Stdcall(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    StdcallFloat(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => float;
    StdcallI8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    StdcallI16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    StdcallI32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    StdcallU8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    StdcallU16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    StdcallU32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;

    Thiscall(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    ThiscallFloat(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => float;
    ThiscallI8(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    ThiscallI16(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    ThiscallI32(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    ThiscallU8(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    ThiscallU16(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    ThiscallU32(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
  };
}

Reading and Writing Numbers

A group of memory access methods (ReadXXX/WriteXXX) can be used for reading or modifying numbers stored in the memory. Each method is designed for a particular data type. For example, to change a floating-point number (which occupies 4 bytes in the original game) use Memory.WriteFloat:

Memory.WriteFloat(address, 1.0, false);

where address is a variable storing the memory location, 1.0 is the value to write and false means it's not necessary to change the memory protection with VirtualProtect (the address is already writable).

Similarly, to read a number from the memory, use one of the ReadXXX methods, depending on what data type the memory address contains. For example, to read a 8-bit signed integer (also known as a char or uint8) use Memory.ReadI8:

var x = Memory.ReadI8(address, true);

variable x now holds a 8-bit integer value in the range (0..255). For the sake of showing possible options, this example uses true as the last argument, which means the default protection attribute for this address will be changed to PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE before the read.

var gravity = Memory.ReadFloat(gravityAddress, false);
gravity += 0.05;
Memory.WriteFloat(gravityAddress, gravity, false);

Finally, last two methods Read and Write is what other methods use under the hood. They have direct binding to opcodes 0A8D READ_MEMORY and 0A8C WRITE_MEMORY and produce the same result.

The size parameter in the Read method can only be 1, 2 or 4. CLEO treats the value as a signed integer stored in the little-endian format.

In the Write method any size larger than 0 is allowed. Sizes 3 and 5 onwards can only be used together with a single byte value. CLEO uses them to fill a continious block of memory starting at the address with the given value (think of it as memset in C++).

Memory.Write(addr, 0x90, 10, true); // "noping" 10 bytes of code starting from addr

The usage of any of the read/write methods requires the mem permission.

Reading and Writing Strings

The ReadUtf8 and ReadUtf16 methods are used to read strings from the memory and return it as a JavaScript string. They read the character sequence until the first null terminator is found. ReadUtf8 expects the string to be encoded in UTF-8, while ReadUtf16 expects UTF-16. Null terminator is not included in the result.

var str = Memory.ReadUtf8(address);
var str = Memory.ReadUtf16(address);

The WriteUtf8 and WriteUtf16 methods are used to write a JavaScript string to the memory. They write any character sequence including null terminator to the memory. WriteUtf8 encodes the string in UTF-8, while WriteUtf16 encodes it in UTF-16. Last argument is a boolean value indicating whether the command is allowed to overwrite the memory protection.

Memory.WriteUtf8(address, "Hello, world!\0", true);
Memory.WriteUtf16(address, "Hello, world!\0", true);

Casting methods

By default Read and Write methods treat data as signed integer values. It can be inconvinient if the memory holds a floating-point value in IEEE 754 format or a large 32-bit signed integer (e.g. a pointer). In this case use casting methods ToXXX/FromXXX. They act similarly to reinterpret_cast operator in C++.

To get a quick idea what to expect from those methods see the following examples:

    Memory.FromFloat(1.0) => 1065353216
    Memory.ToFloat(1065353216) => 1.0
    Memory.ToU8(-1) => 255
    Memory.ToU16(-1) => 65535
    Memory.ToU32(-1) => 4294967295
    Memory.ToI8(255) => -1
    Memory.ToI16(65535) => -1
    Memory.ToI32(4294967295) => -1

Alternatively, use appropriate methods to read/write the value as a float (ReadFloat/WriteFloat) or as an unsigned integer (ReadUXXX/WriteUXXX).

Calling Foreign Functions

Memory object allows to invoke a foreign (native) function by its address using one of the following methods:

  • Memory.CallFunction - calls a function at the address and discards the returned value

  • Memory.CallFunctionReturn - calls a function and at the address and returns an integer value

  • Memory.CallFunctionReturnFloat - calls a function and at the address and returns a floating-point value

  • Memory.CallMethod - calls a class instance method and discards the returned value

  • Memory.CallMethodReturn - calls a class instance method and returns an integer value

  • Memory.CallMethodReturnFloat - calls a class instance method and returns a floating-point value

Memory.CallFunction(0x1234567, 2, 0, 1000, 2000);

where 0x1234567 is the address of the function, 2 is the number of arguments, 0 is the pop parameter (see below), 1000 and 2000 are the two arguments passed into the function.

Legacy SCM implementation of the call commands require the arguments of the invoked function to be listed in reverse order. That's it, you would see the same call in SCM as:

0AA5: call 0x1234567 num_params 2 pop 0 2000 1000

where 2000 is the second argument passed to the function located at 0x1234567 and 1000 is the first one. In JS code all input arguments go in the direct order.

The third parameter (pop) in Memory.CallFunction defines the calling convention. When it is set to 0, the function is called using the stdcall convention. When it is set to the same value as numParam, the function is called using the cdecl convention. Any other value breaks the code.

Memory.CallFunctionReturn has the same interface but additionally it writes the result of the function to a variable.

Memory.CallMethod invokes a method of an object:

Memory.CallMethod(0x2345678, 0x7001234, 2, 0, 1000, 2000);

The second parameter (0x7001234) is the object address. The pop parameter is always 0 (the method uses the thiscall convention).

To call the method and get the result out of it, use Memory.CallMethodReturn.

Input arguments are treated as 32-bit signed integers. If you need to provide a floating-point number, use Memory.FromFloat, e.g.

Memory.CallFunction(0x1234567, 1, 1, Memory.FromFloat(123.456));

CLEO Redux supports calling foreign functions with up to 16 parameters.

The usage of any of the call methods requires the mem permission.

Convenience methods with Fn object

Memory.Fn provides a lot of convenient methods for calling different types of foreign functions.

Fn: {
        Cdecl(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        CdeclFloat(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => float;
        CdeclI8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        CdeclI16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        CdeclI32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        CdeclU8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        CdeclU16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        CdeclU32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;

        Stdcall(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        StdcallFloat(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => float;
        StdcallI8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        StdcallI16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        StdcallI32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        StdcallU8(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        StdcallU16(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        StdcallU32(address: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;

        Thiscall(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        ThiscallFloat(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => float;
        ThiscallI8(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        ThiscallI16(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        ThiscallI32(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        ThiscallU8(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        ThiscallU16(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
        ThiscallU32(address: int, struct: int): (...funcParams: int[]) => int;
    }

These methods is designed to cover all possible function signatures. For example, this code

Memory.CallMethod(0x2345678, 0x7001234, 2, 0, 1000, 2000);

can also be written as

Memory.Fn.Thiscall(0x2345678, 0x7001234)(1000, 2000);

Note a few key differences here. First of all, Memory.Fn methods don't invoke a foreign function directly. Instead, they return a new JavaScript function that can be stored in a variable and reused to call the associated foreign function many times with different arguments:

var myMethod = Memory.Fn.Thiscall(0x2345678, 0x7001234);
myMethod(1000, 2000); // calls method 0x2345678 with arguments 1000 and 2000
myMethod(3000, 5000); // calls method 0x2345678 with arguments 3000 and 5000

The second difference is that there are no numParams and pop parameters. Each Fn method figures them out automatically.

By default a returned result is considered a 32-bit signed integer value. If the function returns another type (a floating-point value, or a signed integer), use one of the methods matching the function signature, e.g.:

var flag = Memory.Fn.CdeclU8(0x1234567)();

This code invokes a cdecl function at 0x1234567 with no arguments and stores the result as a 8-bit unsigned integer value.

Finding Memory Addresses in re3 and reVC

Since re3 and reVC use address space layout randomization (ASLR) feature, it can be difficult to locate needed addresses. CLEO Redux provides a helper function Memory.Translate that accepts a name of the function or variable and returns its current address. If the requested symbol is not found, the result is 0.

var addr = Memory.Translate("CTheScripts::MainScriptSize");

// check if address is not zero
if (addr) {
  showTextBox("MainScriptSize = " + Memory.ReadI32(addr, 0));
}

At the moment Memory.Translate should only be used in re3 and reVC. In other games you will be getting 0 as a result most of the time.