[PSX/PC] Save Editor - Black Chocobo (v1.16)

[chacyung]

Well, comparison is one thing you could do. There are lots of methods. You can look for headers and blocks of data. You can look for strings and make reasonable assumptions about what groups of bytes might do. You can also look for evidence that the file is or isn't compressed, and you can easily verify whether there's a checksum by simply altering a string and seeing if it loads or not (FF7 displays the infamous 'File is ruined' message should the checksum fail).

We can obtain the files themselves fairly easily. The question is, who will do the work? I don't really have the level of skill to do it, to be honest.

I was afraid you'd say that.
The reason I started looking into editors for FF games, is because of my sister.
She loves the FF series, the animation, the story, the gameplay... all except for one thing...
The hours and hours of constant grinding. (running in circles to level)
She completely gave up ALL FF games because of that.
Said she would neve touch one ever again, unless there was a way to level faster.
I figured simply editing the stats would be the best way.

I found this editor because I just wanted a way to see if I had missed any of the turtle's paradise flyers. But when I saw how good it was, I thought maybe I could find one for FF6, because that was the one that my sister was playing when she quit.

But the only FF6 save editor I could find, I couldn't get working.
I kept dumping more and more DLL files onto my computer because the error messages said that the program needed it. But then it said that there was a missing string in one of the DLLs. I didn't know how to fix that, so I gave up on that one V.V

And that's when I started asking if this one could be tweeked.
Figured that if one needed to be made, it should be made from the best.
Would it be possible to look at other editors code to see if this one CAN be changed to do it?

 

[Bosola]

If there are already PS-FF6 save editors and their source code available, then go right ahead. That makes our work far easier.

If there are SNES-FF6 editors / source around, it *might* help us - but it might not if PSOne-FF6 save files are organized in a different way.

 

[chacyung]

If there are already PS-FF6 save editors and their source code available, then go right ahead. That makes our work far easier.

If there are SNES-FF6 editors / source around, it *might* help us - but it might not if PSOne-FF6 save files are organized in a different way.

This is the only editor that I could find for FF6.
http://ostatic.com/ff6edit/home/1
But I think it's for the original and not the PS remake because it says "FFIII in US"
I can't confirm ANYTHING though because I could never get it running.
Heck, the project might even be dead already V.V

 

[Miseru]

...
The reason I started looking into editors for FF games, is because of my sister.
She loves the FF series, the animation, the story, the gameplay... all except for one thing...
The hours and hours of constant grinding. (running in circles to level)
She completely gave up ALL FF games because of that.
Said she would neve touch one ever again, unless there was a way to level faster.
I figured simply editing the stats would be the best way.
...

 I know this post will not help, in making any editor, but why you just don't let your sister play on emu? Or load the game on emu edit anything you want pretty easily, save and convert save to psx format. I yet didn't found any psx rpg that would be hard to find values for at least exp. Belive me you don't need to edit stats for your sister if you make her characters 20-30 lvls above she should be by normal play + stat editing is easy too. Just use PEC plugin on epsx and search the memory for exp values during few fights with saving game whenever you want in emu, that's ultra easy and can be found jumping between two saves. I find looking for it myself faster than checking any pec code database for a ready one. >.> + it'll work on any version you have. With snes games it's even easier as ZSNES have built in memory search without any plugin. You will make sister happy and it's far less work than making, nah even by trying to find any ready one editor. Probably the easiness of finding codes for psx games is the main reason that it lack of editors.(Well it's not like pc rpg's are much harder with cheat engine...)

 

[chacyung]

...
The reason I started looking into editors for FF games, is because of my sister.
She loves the FF series, the animation, the story, the gameplay... all except for one thing...
The hours and hours of constant grinding. (running in circles to level)
She completely gave up ALL FF games because of that.
Said she would neve touch one ever again, unless there was a way to level faster.
I figured simply editing the stats would be the best way.
...

 I know this post will not help, in making any editor, but why you just don't let your sister play on emu? Or load the game on emu edit anything you want pretty easily, save and convert save to psx format. I yet didn't found any psx rpg that would be hard to find values for at least exp. Belive me you don't need to edit stats for your sister if you make her characters 20-30 lvls above she should be by normal play + stat editing is easy too. Just use PEC plugin on epsx and search the memory for exp values during few fights with saving game whenever you want in emu, that's ultra easy and can be found jumping between two saves. I find looking for it myself faster than checking any pec code database for a ready one. >.> + it'll work on any version you have. With snes games it's even easier as ZSNES have built in memory search without any plugin. You will make sister happy and it's far less work than making, nah even by trying to find any ready one editor. Probably the easiness of finding codes for psx games is the main reason that it lack of editors.(Well it's not like pc rpg's are much harder with cheat engine...)

I guess I didn't considder having her play an emu version because I have all of them on my Playstation, so I was looking for editors for that ^^;

 

[chacyung]

Hey guys, I have an idea!
I used your program and imported a PSV save, then I used the "Export PSX save" function.

I then used a program of mine to compare the 2 files and there are only 2 small differences.
Would the knowledge of what those 2 differences are, be enough to reverse engineer a way to figure out the PSV files?

 

[sithlord48]

Hey guys, I have an idea!
I used your program and imported a PSV save, then I used the "Export PSX save" function.

I then used a program of mine to compare the 2 files and there are only 2 small differences.
Would the knowledge of what those 2 differences are, be enough to reverse engineer a way to figure out the PSV files?

kinda, but i need to game i can't work on it with out the game. besides. this is off topic for this thread. please start a new thread if you want to work on a ff6 save editor.

 

[chacyung]

Hey guys, I have an idea!
I used your program and imported a PSV save, then I used the "Export PSX save" function.

I then used a program of mine to compare the 2 files and there are only 2 small differences.
Would the knowledge of what those 2 differences are, be enough to reverse engineer a way to figure out the PSV files?

kinda, but i need to game i can't work on it with out the game. besides. this is off topic for this thread. please start a new thread if you want to work on a ff6 save editor.

Oh sorry, I was talking about your FF7 editor.
I was trying to solve your "can't save as a PSV" problem.
I'm going to try something.
See if I can splice the original file and the edited one back together using the HEX code.


OK, I took my "FF7 save01 PSV" and used your program to open it and save it without editing anything.
(I saved it as a PSX file)

Then I compared them and found 2 lines that were different....
(these are the 2 lines and their differences under them that I extracted)
[would this help? - I'm not surebecause my computer doesn't know what some of these symbols are]
Note that in the original file, the code actually labels it backwards as "VSP" - LOL

==========================================================================

Mod edit...

What you posted is garbage. If you are going to post daw data, please use hex-dumps


When I created a PSX file and just renamed it PSV,
my PS3 displayed a black cube and labeled it as "corrupted data"

But then I had a new idea.
I took my PSV file, made a PSX file, then edited it and created a new PSX file.
Then I compared the second 2, and edited ONLY the differences from the 3rd one, into the original PSV.
Doing this made my PS3 realize that it was a game save.
Even gave it the appropriate FF7 icon and label.
It didn't realize that the data had been changed until I tried to copy it to the HDD.
Only THEN, did it tell me that the data had been corrupted.

So I guess the extra info at the start of the file, really does need to be changed ^^;
Silly me for trying to edit the HEX code V.V


A triple post?  Jesus, you have to be kidding me.  Merged for sanity purposes.  Check the rules out, fella

 

[Tekkie.X]

Whoa there, chill with the multiposting, there is an edit/modify button for a reason.

 

[chacyung]

Whoa there, chill with the multiposting, there is an edit/modify button for a reason.

Oops!
Sorry, my-bad ^^;

Also, what's a "hex-dump" ??

 

[pyrozen]

Also, what's a "hex-dump" ??

a hex-dump is a six-sided piece of poo.
your welcome.

*apologies for the snarky comment, i couldn't resist*

 

[halkun]

pyrozen, you are not helping 

You can see what a hexdump looks like here.

 

[sithlord48]

about psv & vmp files:

These files have massive 160-but checksums (but not using any common method to make one, nor all bytes of the files). In order for me or anyone else to properly generate a checksum. The checksumming algorithm has to be figured out. This can be done by looking at LOTS of properly signed psv files and compairing the checksums and data. If you are a crypto expert then you prolly know an ezer way , but simply hexediting the file with out correctly generating the new checksum the ps3 or vmp it will show them there but they will always be corrupt. now i can get a ps3 to sign a psv save.please see the Faq for more info on how to do that. as for opening psp files (.vmp) you all have to wait until someone steps up to update the french translation.

 

[Bosola]

I would appreciate more info on how you cracked the checksum, if you don't mind. What was the first step you took once you had the data available?

 

[chacyung]

a hex-dump is a six-sided piece of poo.
your welcome.
*apologies for the snarky comment, i couldn't resist*

pyrozen, you are not helping 

You can see what a hexdump looks like here.

Arigatou *bows*
WOW, that's interresting, but I don't know how to do that V.V

Also...
LOL, don't worry about it dude.
The way I figure it, everyone's intitled to at least one stupid joke per day ^.^

about psv & vmp files:

These files have massive 160-but checksums (but not using any common method to make one, nor all bytes of the files). In order for me or anyone else to properly generate a checksum. The checksumming algorithm has to be figured out. This can be done by looking at LOTS of properly signed psv files and compairing the checksums and data. If you are a crypto expert then you prolly know an ezer way , but simply hexediting the file with out correctly generating the new checksum the ps3 or vmp it will show them there but they will always be corrupt. now i can get a ps3 to sign a psv save.please see the Faq for more info on how to do that. as for opening psp files (.vmp) you all have to wait until someone steps up to update the french translation.

I read your instructions and I can't do them.
Mainly because I don't have any of the "FMCB" or "ULE" items that you listed.

As for that checksum thing...
You said you would need "ALOT" of PSV files to compare and figure out the algorithm.
Would they all have to be created by the same PS3?
Or can you just download other peoples gamesaves off of gamefaqs?

And do they have to be completed games?
Or just the first savepoint in the game that you reach?

 

[sithlord48]

it shouldn't matter if they are from the same ps3 or not (although they would be most likely from the same ps3).
it doen't matter where the save files are in the game. ideally they would all be in the same location w/ the same data other then a byte or two difference.

 

[chacyung]

it shouldn't matter if they are from the same ps3 or not (although they would be most likely from the same ps3).
it doen't matter where the save files are in the game. ideally they would all be in the same location w/ the same data other then a byte or two difference.

In other words... "make a save, play a bit and save again - then repeat MANY times" YES?
I was thinking that I could just start a ton of different games, save the first chance I get, and then send all of those to you. But if it needs to be all the same game, (and duh, stupid me, this IS a FF7 related thread) then it might take a while.

I could take one of my previous FF7 saves to start with, and run around to fight one battle.
Then save, then fight once, then save... And so on...
But I'd have to stop at 15 sence you only have 15 slots.
(would 15 be enough to start with?)

Or would it be best that they're all on the same slot, and just renamed when I send them.
Alternatively, I could just start it up immediately save on all 14 other slots, and just send that...
Sence you said that it would be best that they all be just SLIGHTLY different.
That way the only difference would be what slot it's on.
(would that be enough of a difference?)

Sorry if I seem rambly ^^;

 

[sithlord48]

sorry all , been a bit busy IRL. i just found a small bug in 1.3 i will be working on fixing and adding at least one more event for selection, and few other things. (hopefully getting an updated french translation , anyone want to do this?) and then releasing 1.4

new for 1.4 - (so far)

wip bug fix: errors on eskill load will master an eskill materia under some conditions.
new: PSP save game loading/ exporting (no saving because of the nonsence checksum on the file)

quick question what event(s) would you like to see added to as a replay ?

 

[sl1982]

All of them 

 

[sithlord48]

All of them 

thanks for the input sl . but i was looking for one or two for the next release , ( i have one in mind .. but two is more fun )