

The trainer gets active when the object has been allocated and deactivates itself again when the object is freed. This requires reverse engineering methods like API hooking of malloc() and free(), code injection or searching for static access pointers. Therefore, the only way to modify such memory in a reproducible manner is to get information from inside the game process. With object-oriented programming the memory objects are often stored dynamically on the heap but modern operating systems use address space layout randomization (ASLR). In fact, this has become so common that trainers today, by definition, only modify memory modification to the game's executable is frowned upon and such programs are not considered true trainers but patches instead. Instead of modifying the game's programming directly, they modify values stored in memory. Modern trainers also come as separately downloaded programs. For example: "Hitman: Absolution Steam +11 Trainer", "F.E.A.R 3 v 1.3 PLUS 9 Trainer" etc. Another difference is the inclusion of game version or digital download source of game. The number used represents the number of modifications the trainer has available, e.g. Modern trainers append their titles with a single + or writing "plus" and a number, as many have several functions. In the cracker group release lists and intros, trained games were marked with one or more plus signs after them, one for each option or cheat in the trainer, for example: "the Mega Krew presents: Ms. Some of these groups focus entirely on their Demoscene today.

These embedded trainers came with intros about the groups releasing the game and the trainer often used to showcase the skills of the cracking group demo coding skills. Then the code would proceed to the actual game. When the game was first started, the trainer loaded first, asking the player if they wished to cheat and which cheats would like to be enabled. In the 1980s and 1990s, trainers were generally integrated straight into the actual game by cracking groups.

3 Automated tools used in trainer making.
