(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Glitchers’ Black Book
A Book by: GlitchKing
Gamertag: GLITCHERdotNET

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Introduction
In this reading you will learn about the roles and responsibilities of a glitcher. This knowledge can be applied by
glitchers to help produce a well rounded glitch. It's okay if you haven't played all of these games yet. It's up to you to go and test them using what you learn from this book.

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Scientific Method of Glitching
If like most of us, you’ve forgotten the lesson from middle school science class about the scientific method, here’s a review of the steps in the Scientific Glitching Method.

1. Observe some phenomenon
2. Develop a theory/hypothesis as to what caused the phenomenon.
3. Use the hypothesis to make a prediction; for example, if I do this, it will happen again.
4. Test that prediction by retracting the steps in your hypothesis.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are reasonably certain your hypothesis is true.



These steps provide the structure for any investigative glitch testing. Assume you've encountered a quirky defect in a PC game that seems very hard to reproduce. It may be a condition that breaks a script, gets your character stuck in the geometry of the level, causes the audio to drop out suddenly, or that favorite of glitchers and players alike, a crash to your PC desktop. Here's what you do:

First, review your thoughts/notes. Quickly jot down any information about what you were doing when the defect occured, while it's still fresh in your mind. Review the video recording. Determine as best you can the very last thing you were doing before the glitch occurred or crashed.

Second, process all this information and make your best educated guess as to what specific cominationand order of inputs may have caused the glitch. Before you can retrace your steps, you have to determine what they were. Write down the input path you think is most likely to have caused the crash.

Third, read over the steps in our path until you are satisfied with them. You guess that if you repeat them, the glitch will occur again.

Fourth, reboot your console, restart the game, and retrace your steps. Did the glitch occur again?

Fifth, if you did, great! Write it up. If you didn't, change one and only one step in your path. Try the path again, and so on, until you have successfully re-created the glitch.

Unfortunately, games can be so complex that this process can take a very long time if you don't get help. Don't hesitate to discuss the glitch with your clan or close friends and fellow glitchers. The more information you can share, the more brainstorming you can do, the more "suspects" you can eliminate, and the sooner you'll nail the glitch!

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Types of Glitches (NEW)

The word glitch is a very broad term that can be used to described many different types of strange occurrences in video games. Below are common ways in which glitches are categorized.

Clipping

A clipping glitch occurs when a player or an object within a game environment passed through a texture or level geometry. Clipping is often used to gain access to previously inaccessible parts of a level.

“Out of the Level”

“Out of the Level” glitches are performed when a game player leaves the normal bounds of a game environment through some means. This is often referred to as “Out of Bounds” (OoB), as well.

Interface

When a glitch is performed through a game's menu system or another similar game interface then they have done an Interface glitch.

Jumping

Jumping glitches occur when a player uses their avatar to move in such a way that defies the game designer's intentions. Jumping is typically used to reach locations within or outside of a level that are normally not intended to be reached.

Loading

These glitches most commonly occur independently of the player, but in some cases they can be induced. When a loading glitch occurs the player will often see things such as flickering/missing/incorrect textures, strange coloration, missing or disappearing geometry, a poor framerate, and others.

Physics-Based

Physics-Based glitches occur when a player utilizes a game's physics engine in some fashion to perform an action not intended to take place. Launching and pressure launching are common glitch types that are physics-related.

Sequence Breaking

A sequence break occurs when a player is able to bypass a game's narrative or physical structure to reach a location that was not meant to be accessible until later. The speedrunning community is the group most commonly associated with sequence breaking.

Game Breaking

A game breaking glitch is one that alters the game in a way that makes the player unable to proceed in the narrative. Examples of these include scripted sequences not triggering or game crashes when story-driven events occur.

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Advanced Glitching Techniques

Combinatorial testing is a way to find glitches in a game. Combinatorial testing means that each value you use for glitching needs to be combined at least once with each other values of the remaining parameters.

Parameters

Parameters are the individual elements of the game that you want to include in your combinatorial tests. You can find test parameters by looking at various types of game play elements, functions, and choices such as:

* Game Events
* Game Settings
* Gameplay Options
* Character Attributes
* Customization Choices



For example, testing choices from a Game Options screen for there effect on gameplay is done with a combinatorial table. If you go through various menus to select different characters, equipment, and options to use for a particular mission, then the result will always differ from your choices.

Values for Parameters

Values are the individual choices that are possible for each parameter. Values could be entered as a number, text, or chosen from a list. There are many choices for a gamer to make, but do they all need to be tested? That is, does every single value or choice have the same rate of revealing a glitch, or can you reduce the testing without impacting the ability to reveal a glitch in a game?

Defaults

Consider whether or not default values should be used in your tests. These are the settings and values that you get if you don’t select anything special and just start playing the game in its’ default setting. You might also want to consider the first item in any list, say a choice of hairstyle from your character, to be a kind of default value, since if you want to start playing as quickly as possible and bang on a button to get through all the mandatory choices, these are the values you will be using.

If the combinatorial testing is the only testing that will be using these parameters, then the defaults should be included. They are the values that will be most often used, so you don’t want to let glitches escape.

On the other hand, if combinatorial testing is going to be a complement to other types of testing, then you can reduce your burden by leaving the default values out of your tables. This strategy relies on the fact that the defaults will be used so often you can expect them to show up with other gamers playing the game. If you consider leaving these values out, get in touch with other clans or people who are glitching the game to make sure they plan on using the same values. If you have a plan for your game, use it to document which set of tests will incorporate default values and which ones will not.

Enumerations

Many choices in a game are made from a set of distinct values or options that do not have any particular numerical or similar relationship to one another. Choosing which car to drive, or which team to play, or which fighter to use are examples of this kind of choice.

Ranges

Many of the game options and choices require the player to pick a number from a range or list. This could be done by directly entering a number or scrolling through a list to make a selection. For each range of numbers, three particular values tend to have special defect revealing properties. Zero, Minimum, and Maximum.

Anytime a zero (0) is presented as a possible choice or entry, it should be included in your testing. This is partly due to the unique way that the value 0 might affect the games source code. Here is a partial list of possible 0 effects:

* A loop may prematurely exit or may always do something once before checking for zero.
* Confusion between starting loops counts at 0 or 1.
* Confusion with arrays or lists starting at index 0 or 1.
* 0 is often used to represent special meaning, such as to indicate an infinite timer or that an error has occurred.
* 0 is the same value as the string termination (NULL).
* 0 is the same value as the logical (Boolean).



Minimum values are also a good source of glitches. They can be applied to numerical parameters or list choices. Look for the opportunity to use minium values with parameters related to the following.

* Time
* Distance
* Speed
* Quantity
* Size
* Bet Amount



For example, using a minimum time may not allow certain effects to be completed once they are started, or may make certain goals unachievable.

Maximum values can also cause undesirable side effects. They are especially important to use where they place an extra burden of time or skill for the glitcher to reach the maximum value. Both developers and glitchers will tend to pass over these values in favor of easier testing.

Use maximum values for the same minimum value parameter categories in the preceding list. In addition to testing in game elements, be sure to also include test for the maximum number of players, maximum number of saved files, and maximum storage.

Boundaries

When a child (or even an light saber wielding pimp) colors in a page of a coloring book, we judge how they do based on how well they stay within the lines. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the glitcher to check that the game has boundaries.

Some of the boundaries to test may be physically rendered in the game such as:

* Town, realm, or city borders.
* Goal lines, sidelines, foul lines, and end lines on a field or court.
* Mission or Race waypoints
* Start and Finish lines.
* Portal Entrances and Exits.



Other boundaries that are not physical, these include:

* Mission, Game, or Match Timers.
* The speed that a character or vehicle can achieve.
* The distance you can travel.
* The distance at which graphic elements become visible, transparent, or invisible.



Dig deep into the rules of the game to identify hidden or implied boundaries.

For example, in football there are rules and activities tied in with the timing of the game. The timing of a football game is broken into four quarters of equal length, with the halftime pause in the game that occurs after the end of the second quarter. The game ends if one team has more points than another at the end of the fourth quarter. With two minutes left in each half, the referee stops the clock for the Two Minute Warning.

To glitch a football game, two minute quarters are a good boundary value to see if the 2nd and 4th quarters of the game each start normally or with the special Two Minute Warning. A three minute duration may also be interesting because it is the smallest duration that would have a period of play prior to the Two Minute Warning.


Another example is related to The Crib feature in ESPN NFL 2K8, which awards players points for accomplishments during a single player game, during the course of a season, and over the course of their career. Some of these accomplishments will not be rewarded if the game duration is less than fine minutes and greater than eight minutes. This creates two more quarter length boundary values of interest.



More coming soon…

Currently working on video game engines and there relationship to finding glitches. Will post as soon as I finish.

Maybe even get some great glitchers to post there professional input on glitching (hint).


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Introduction - xJedi PiMPx ‘s Personal Tips on glitching

There are so many thing’s that I do in order to find that glitch. Personally I never wrote down these things as it just comes instinctively to me. As in many cases my instincts provide many success’s but also many trial and errors. And many times, it doesn’t produce jack shit, and I got from it was 2 hours wasted.

But this is the joy that I get from glitching, it makes me think. It stimulates my mind.

Some are born with natural talent and some are taught.

Baseball as an example.

You can train hard to bat a ball for a homerun. And with hard training you can reach that goal, but then there is that other guy. He doesn’t do jack shit, no training, he doesn’t do anything. But when he bats, he hits that homerun like no one else before him.
What is the lesson here, both can hit homeruns, but the one with natural talent will always hit that homerun more beautifully. This likens to everything in life as well as glitching.


Chapter 1: Many Faces of Glitchers


There are many types of glitchers.

Wannabe’s
Wants to learn because they wannabe “Cool” like the guy he saw earlier doing some tricks and glitches.

Posers

Posing to be a guru in glitching, he’s almost at a point where he thinks he found the glitches
he just saw on youtube…10 mins ago.

I need that extra edge glitcher

Uses glitches to give himself an unfair advantage over everyone else. They take about 75% of all population of glitchers. Reason why glitching has such a negative taste in everyones mouth.

Standby glitcher

Uses an outside tool in order to use its effects to produce a glitch. Two type of these guys. One type is associated with I need that extra edge glitcher and the other type is a Wannabe. I wannabe a glitcher and find glitches, but it takes so much time and effort with thinking that I just want a easy way. These are in my opinion the lowest form of glitching there is. Playing with it, having fun with it, there is nothing wrong with that. But when you depend on it and its you’re only source of way to find glitches. That just means, stop trying to be a glitcher and go do something else. Play Barbie with your sister.

Glitchers

Finds glitches because they enjoy the challenges it brings in order to find it.
I can go into more details on these Faces of Glitchers but I thought I bring out the main ones.
You might want to ask yourself, which of these am I?


Chapter 2: Ways of the Force


Button Mashing

It’s the most common and basic form of finding glitches. Pressing different combination of button while (as an example) picking up a gun to produce an error in the program script to produce a glitch. This should be in your ‘Top Three Things to do” when I’m trying to find a glitch list.

Jumping

Common yet most relied way to find glitches. Most common thing you will hear from glitchers mouth is, “oh can you jump in that game?” We know that if you can jump, possiblility of finding a glitch just jumped 40%. Use this to your advantage, jump on objects to other objects to get out of maps. Even jump on your friends head.
Jumping towards invisible barriers is a good start, as it will produce something. Whether you jump towards it to barrier break. Or maybe get stuck in the barrier and levitate up. This is a good method to use.

Proxy

Most commonly used in games where there is cutscenes, or a moment where the games unloads the map you were on to load the new map where you will be going to. Co-op games are notorius for using this exploit. Say you are on a mission on a map, while you stay back and have your friend go to the next checkpoint or try to load the next mission or whatever. The result may vary, but here is an example. Where you are, the map disappears, and you are left to roam anywhere on the map.

Pockets (Something that I named)

When you keep walking or running towards a barrier (depending on the game engine used) you will see your character bumping up and down, up and down. This equals 85% you will find a glitch if you keep at it using different scenerios. These pockets exist because the coding wasn’t written well by the programmer. These pockets will produce a barrier break or a way for you to get out of the map. This is in my Top 3 things to do in a game.

Chapter 3: xRYAN350x cP's Personal Tips and Advice

Some Tips on Starting Your own Glitching Clan

I am going to tell you some secrets that made chaoticPERFECTION last so long and also become one of the most well know glitching clans. If your going to make a glitching clan you first need to produce a good quality name that you will be represented by, if you use something like *CE* crap eaters, your going to already make a bad rep for yourself. You want to put a lot of time into picking a name that will not only sound good and mean something, but look good and make people want to join because of it. Next step is to get good trustworthy friends to join, you need to make sure you can count on them and make sure that they are fully committed and wont go off joining another clan just because its already off the ground. Once those steps have been completed to the best of your ability, start glitching and testing out things, and most of all, have fun.

There is absolutely positively no reason to glitch if your not having fun while you do it. One of the most important things to do if your running a clan is to keep your members energized and ready to go, always. That is a reason why chaoticPERFECTION is still to this day up and running, because all of its members, they have the drive to keep doing what they love to do and work as hard as they can to support everybody while being supported themselves. The members need to support themselves and each other to stabilize the balance of order. It is better to not have a CLAN LEADER, because the famous saying absolute power corrupts absolutely will turn into the real thing except within your clan. You can still have a CLAN FOUNDER but it would be better not to have a leader.

Some Starting Advice to a New Glitcher

Alright before I get into this I want you to know that I was a noob before, seeing people glitching copying them and trying to take credit for it. It didnt really work out the way I though it would, but then again I was younger and less educated on the subject. The golden rule in glitching is to respect others and their finds, DO NOT STEAL GLITCHES! It will get you nowhere and bring you nothing but a bad reputation to the glitching community and you will be labeled as a glitch stealer.

I ended up saving myself by stopping while I was still unknown, I learned how to properly look for a glitch and I went on my way. I saw a glitching clan that had been receiving an extreme amount of attention because back then, glitching was still new and not to many people knew about it. I wanted to join the clan, but I was a nobody, and yet I still felt compelled to at least try even though I knew my odds of getting into such a high class clan was second to none. I put at least three months into trying to prove myself, learning from others, taking advice and using it to the best of its potential and finding my own glitches that I knew T could truly take credit for.

After all that hard work and dedication, I was finally accepted, from improbable odds I pulled through and earned my right to call myself a chaoticPERFECTION member. Don't ever think that just because you are young or inexperienced that you cant do something, nobody but yourself is holding you back if you think that way. You will miss out on so many opportunities not just in glitching, but in life if you continue to salvage that mindset.

Anyways the point that I am trying to make is that depending on how dedicated and how much work you are willing to put into something such as glitching, you will either succeed or you will fail. If you put all your efforts and strength into it, you will succeed, if you half ass it don't be surprised on what the outcome will be.

I hope this information will help you start your way on the long enjoyable road of glitching, it was a pleasure to have given you this knowledge that has taken me two long years to have gained for myself, but I haven't given you all the information Ive gained, you'll have to learn that for yourself as you grow into the ways of glitching.

Nice Post
+Rep's

No, as posted on my website back in November of 2008.

Written by: GlitchKing - November 23 2008

GlitchKing
When I got off the internet about 5 months ago, I had a lot of free time on my hands. Bored and with nothing to do I set out to create a glitching reference, this item was named "Glitchers BlackBook". Inside this book, I explained glitches as a whole. Set an example of a "Glitch Discovery Method" based on the scientific method. I went over engines and there role to determine glitches. Sadly, after countless hours of writing this book, my computer screwed up. I cannot retreive the files at the moment. In the near future I hope to restore my old desktop computer and get the file, then I plan on sharing it with the world.

-GK

cool thread. it applies mostly to map glitches though... lag glitches are mostly coming up with ideas of things that might create a cool effect, then testing them out to see if they actually do anything. but ya, awesome thread.

very nice guide. nice to see that you actually wrote this.

Thanks for the positive feedback. I know some of the posts can be a bit confusing at times, but nonetheless if you have questions feel free to post here (I'll try my hardest to update) or use the email I provided at the beginning of the thread (Produces faster response).

Currently I am working on explaining the role in which gaming engines play when it comes to glitching. Once that is finished, I shall begin work on the methods of "lag" glitching.

Hoorah!

-GK

That must have tooken a long ass time to write and its well done

btw advertising is against the rules so you might want to remove that link

Nice man-you did a good job

Excellent. This is exactly the type of thing I like to see coming from glitchers. Great idea and great job.