P1POPStarter DocsRecovered preservation manual
Setup Storage Reference Archive

Cheat Engine

How CHEATS.TXT, special commands, raw PS1 codes, SAFEMODE, LibCrypt workarounds, and command timing fit together.

CHEATS.TXT is a per-game control file#

Put CHEATS.TXT in the support folder matching the VCD basename. On case-sensitive paths, CHEATS.txt or cheats.txt can silently fail.

Two different things live in the same file#

Line typeWhat it controlsTiming rule
POPStarter special command$SMOOTH, $HDTVFIX, $IGR5, $COMPATIBILITY_0x04, and similar directives.Handled by POPStarter; no raw-code master command is required.
Raw PS1 cheat codeGameShark/Action Replay-style memory writes and converted PS1 codes.Usually start the file with $SAFEMODE so codes are delayed until the game is ready.
C0/master-code lineExternal master-code behavior from old cheat ecosystems.Keep source-specific; wrong master-code assumptions can prevent boot or hide the real issue.
 
$SAFEMODE
$IGR5
$SMOOTH
$COMPATIBILITY_0x04

# raw PS1 code lines below, only when needed
# $address value

Comments are shown here for readability. If a source-specific parser is suspected to reject comments, keep the real file to command/code lines only.

LibCrypt ladder#

  1. First check whether the final r13 build already includes a built-in fix for that game/disc ID.
  2. If a LibCrypt-sensitive disc still freezes, try $FAKELC.
  3. Only use an explicit raw LibCrypt code block when the target disc revision is documented. Wrong anti-protection codes can break a good image.

The recovered corpus calls out Jackie Chan Stuntmaster SCES-01444 as a useful example: it has built-in LibCrypt coverage, but some disc batches may still require fallback handling.

Common cheat-engine failures#

  • Wrong folder: support folder includes .VCD or uses a display title instead of the VCD basename.
  • Wrong case: CHEATS.TXT is not uppercase.
  • No $SAFEMODE: raw codes run before the game is ready.
  • Global thinking: display or compatibility commands are copied to every game instead of applied to one symptom.
  • Mode stacking: 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, and 0x05 should not be stacked with each other.
CommandCategoryPlacementEffectNotesConflictsStatusSources
$SAFEMODE Cheat engine Per-game VMC/game folder CHEATS.TXT Delays activation of raw GameShark/Action Replay style codes until after game startup. Recommended when using raw cheat codes. Special POPStarter directives such as $SMOOTH do not need it. None recorded high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) PSX-Place POPStarter page 4 - PATCH_9.BIN loader-disable post
$SMOOTH Video/texture Per-game CHEATS.TXT Enables POPS texture smoothing by default. Seed notes record Select+L1+R2 to enable and Select+L2+R1 to disable at runtime. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) User uploaded operational notes
$NOPAL Region/video Per-game CHEATS.TXT Disables POPStarter's automatic PAL patch behavior. Often paired with $YPOS_## to recenter PAL games after NTSC-style output.
  • Seed notes say $NOPAL is equivalent to PATCH_9.BIN, but PSX-Place page 4 also identifies PATCH_9.BIN as the ELF-loader-disable patch.
 medium conflicting ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) PSX-Place POPStarter page 4 - PATCH_9.BIN loader-disable post
$FAKELC LibCrypt Per-game CHEATS.TXT Applies a null LibCrypt value workaround. Documented for games with LibCrypt-sensitive behavior; exact game coverage still needs old-wiki confirmation. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$COMPATIBILITY_0x## Compatibility Per-game CHEATS.TXT Enables a numbered compatibility mode as a CHEATS.TXT directive. Example: $COMPATIBILITY_0x04 activates mode 4. Recovered reference maps modes 0x01 through 0x07 to PATCH_1.BIN through PATCH_7.BIN and to the $418-$41F force-mode config slots.
  • Modes 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, and 0x05 poke CD status and should not be combined. Modes 0x04, 0x06, and 0x07 combine more safely.
 high recovered-cross-check ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only)
$USBDELAY_# USB Per-game CHEATS.TXT Sets the USB delay applied inside POPS/PFS-wrapper streaming behavior. This command patches POPS streaming behavior. It is not the same as config byte $413, which affects POPStarter's USB access/detection delay before reaching the device.
  • Do not use $USBDELAY_# to solve a drive-not-detected problem; tune config byte $413 for that case.
 high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) PSX-Place POPStarter release thread POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only)
$FORCEPAL Region/video Per-game CHEATS.TXT Forces PAL patching and Europe BIOS region behavior for a VCD. Useful when the VCD boot sector does not carry valid PAL license text. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$XPOS_#### Video geometry Per-game CHEATS.TXT Moves the horizontal screen position. Seed notes record default 640; increase/decrease behavior should be tested per display.
  • Not compatible with $480p according to seed notes.
 high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$YPOS_## Video geometry Per-game CHEATS.TXT Moves the vertical screen position. Common PAL-to-NTSC recentering example from seed: $YPOS_10.
  • Not compatible with $480p according to seed notes.
 high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$DWSTRETCH_#### Video geometry Per-game CHEATS.TXT Horizontally stretches the rendered display. Seed notes record default 2559.
  • Not compatible with $480p according to seed notes.
 high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$DWCROP_#### Video geometry Per-game CHEATS.TXT Adjusts display-width crop/area. Seed notes record maximum 2560.
  • Not compatible with $480p according to seed notes.
 high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$HDTVFIX Video/output Per-game CHEATS.TXT Forces an interlaced output workaround for displays that reject 240p/288p. PSX-Place page 15 troubleshooting identified accidental $HDTVFIX as a likely cause of a user seeing 480i instead of 240p.
  • Do not apply globally; it can be undesirable on CRT/component setups that support 240p.
 high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) PSX-Place POPStarter page 15 - IGR and BOOT.ELF discussion
$480p Video/output Per-game CHEATS.TXT Forces 480p output. Marked low compatibility in the seed and Retro-Jogos feature list says 480p is not yet reliable.
  • Not compatible with X/Y position or DW stretch/crop commands according to seed notes.
 high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) Retro-Jogos POPStarter guide home
$SCANLINES Video/filter Per-game CHEATS.TXT Enables a scanline generator/filter. Needs visual examples and hardware/display testing. None recorded medium unverified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$CODECACHE_ADDON_0 Recompiler/cache Per-game CHEATS.TXT Changes recompiler/code-cache behavior for selected slowdown or random-hang cases. Do not use globally; seed warns many games can fail with this enabled. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$CACHE1 CD/cache Per-game CHEATS.TXT Sets the POPS buffer to 1 sector instead of 16. May help some video playback hangs. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$SUBCDSTATUS CD/status Per-game CHEATS.TXT CDROM status workaround related to hangs/timeouts. Seed describes it as related to compatibility mode 5; archived wiki confirmation is still needed.
  • Exact relationship to mode 5 is not recovered.
 medium needs-archive-verification ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki
$MUTE_VAB Audio Per-game CHEATS.TXT Mutes VAB/VAG/VB+VH based music or sound effects. Can be used diagnostically for crashes caused by old game audio behavior. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$WIDESCREEN Video/widescreen Per-game CHEATS.TXT Enables a GTE widescreen hack. Does not fix HUDs, fonts, 2D backgrounds, or menus. None recorded high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) Retro-Jogos POPStarter guide home
$ULTRA_WIDESCREEN Video/widescreen Per-game CHEATS.TXT Enables a wider variant of the GTE widescreen hack. Same 2D/HUD caveats as $WIDESCREEN. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$EYEFINITY Video/widescreen Per-game CHEATS.TXT Enables a very wide multi-display style aspect hack. Same 2D/HUD caveats as $WIDESCREEN. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$MUTE_CDDA Audio/CDDA Per-game CHEATS.TXT Mutes/disables CDDA audio tracks. Seed notes say physical PS1 CDROM mode applies this automatically. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$UNDO_MUTE_CDDA Audio/CDDA Per-game CHEATS.TXT Counteracts $MUTE_CDDA and re-enables CDDA audio. Use only when CDDA muting was applied and audio behavior should be restored. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$NOVMC0 VMC Per-game CHEATS.TXT Disables VMC slot 0. Interaction with physical cards and shared VMC layouts needs package/wiki confirmation. None recorded high needs-archive-verification ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$NOVMC1 VMC Per-game CHEATS.TXT Disables VMC slot 1. Interaction with physical cards and shared VMC layouts needs package/wiki confirmation. None recorded high needs-archive-verification ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$UNDO_GAME_FIXES Compatibility/fixes Per-game CHEATS.TXT Disables built-in POPStarter game fixes. Use for diagnosis; it may not restore every original behavior if later fixes are deeper than the toggle. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) Hugopocked fixes for POPStarter
$D2LS Controller/input Per-game CHEATS.TXT Maps digital D-pad behavior onto the left analog stick for non-analog games. Seed notes say it leaves the controller in digital behavior. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$D2LS_ALT Controller/input Per-game CHEATS.TXT Alternative digital-to-left-stick mapping. Use when $D2LS does not work. Seed notes say it leaves the controller in analog behavior. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$IGR0 IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT L1+L2+R1+R2+X+Down opens the IGR menu. Menu-opening IGR profile. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$IGR1 IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT Start+Select opens the IGR menu. Menu-opening IGR profile. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$IGR2 IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT L1+L2+R1+R2+Start+Select opens the IGR menu. Menu-opening IGR profile. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$IGR3 IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT L1+L2+R1+R2+X+Down closes POPS without showing the IGR menu. Direct-close IGR profile. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$IGR4 IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT Start+Select closes POPS without showing the IGR menu. Direct-close IGR profile. None recorded high verified-single-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only)
$IGR5 IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT L1+L2+R1+R2+Start+Select closes POPS without showing the IGR menu. krHACKen described this as OPL-like no-popup IGR. Retro-Jogos/ElOtroLado note it was likely fixed in the 2019-06-05 beta. None recorded high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) PSX-Place POPStarter page 15 - IGR and BOOT.ELF discussion Retro-Jogos POPStarter guide home
$NOIGR IGR Per-game CHEATS.TXT Disables POPStarter's IGR menu behavior. This is not the same as disabling POPStarter's ELF loader on exit.
  • Users often conflate this with the loader-disable PATCH_9.BIN workaround.
 high verified-cross-source ElOtroLado POPS emulator for PS2 thread (mention only) PSX-Place POPStarter page 15 - IGR and BOOT.ELF discussion
Raw PS1 code line Cheat engine Per-game CHEATS.TXT, usually after $SAFEMODE Applies a raw PS1 GameShark/Action Replay style code line. Recovered wiki notes support PS1 RAW types 30, 50, 80, and D0. The line must begin with $ and include a space between address and value.
  • Unsupported or unusual code types may crash emulation. Use $SAFEMODE for raw code blocks that touch startup/OSD memory.
 high recovered-cross-check POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki
Raw PS2 code line Cheat engine Per-game CHEATS.TXT, usually after $SAFEMODE Applies a raw PS2-style code line through POPStarter's cheat engine. Recovered wiki notes mention PS2 RAW types 0, 1, and 2. Keep syntax exact: $address value.
  • Do not assume every PS2 RAW code type is supported.
 medium recovered-cross-check POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki
$C0 master code Cheat engine Per-game CHEATS.TXT raw-code block Provides the supported master/enable-code form for games that crash without one. Only C0 master codes are supported. Beta 13 fixed a C0 load-instruction bug and a $USBDELAY/$C0 coexistence issue.
  • C1 activation-on-delay-time codes are unsupported.
 high recovered-cross-check POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki
Rumble always-on raw codes Cheat engine Per-game CHEATS.TXT raw-code block Forces pad rumble on for diagnostic or preference use. Recovered examples include $00507028 00000001 for pad 1 and $005070B8 00000001 for pad 2. None recorded medium recovered-cross-check POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki
Explicit LibCrypt fix block LibCrypt Per-game CHEATS.TXT raw-code block Uses a full raw-code LibCrypt workaround when $FAKELC and built-in cracking are not enough. Recovered reference preserves Jackie Chan Stuntmaster PAL as the example case. Keep game-specific blocks scoped to the exact game/revision.
  • Use only for documented disc batches; wrong LibCrypt codes can break otherwise working images.
 medium recovered-cross-check POPSLoader recovered POPStarter documentation site (mention only) ShaolinAssassin POPStarter documentation wiki