Matrix Games Forums

As a programmer, I'm dying to write a savegame parser I can use to build my own utility which tracks all kinds of information I'm interested in that the game doesn't make immediately available. Unfortunately, savegames are in a binary format.

The developers could allow us to read savegames without affecting game functionality by simply producing a utility which translates binary savegame files into a textual representation. This would ensure the integrity of the original savegame (can't be modified because the translator only reads), and wouldn't require any QA testing for the game itself.

In my experience, a text-based savegame (a la Europa Universalis) or at least the ability to read a savegame in some form greatly enhances modability.

ORIGINAL: Zoetermeer

As a programmer, I'm dying to write a savegame parser I can use to build my own utility which tracks all kinds of information I'm interested in that the game doesn't make immediately available. Unfortunately, savegames are in a binary format.

The developers could allow us to read savegames without affecting game functionality by simply producing a utility which translates binary savegame files into a textual representation. This would ensure the integrity of the original savegame (can't be modified because the translator only reads), and wouldn't require any QA testing for the game itself.

In my experience, a text-based savegame (a la Europa Universalis) or at least the ability to read a savegame in some form greatly enhances modability.

I wish all saved games for all games were in encrypted binary format to prevent alteration and thereby ruining PBEM play. You may have a valid reason for wanting to study savegame files, but the easy ability to do so is just too valuable a tool for those who wish to cheat when playing PBEM. The absolute primary purpose of these saved game files is to support fair play not analysis.

ORIGINAL: Gandalf

ORIGINAL: Zoetermeer

As a programmer, I'm dying to write a savegame parser I can use to build my own utility which tracks all kinds of information I'm interested in that the game doesn't make immediately available. Unfortunately, savegames are in a binary format.

The developers could allow us to read savegames without affecting game functionality by simply producing a utility which translates binary savegame files into a textual representation. This would ensure the integrity of the original savegame (can't be modified because the translator only reads), and wouldn't require any QA testing for the game itself.

In my experience, a text-based savegame (a la Europa Universalis) or at least the ability to read a savegame in some form greatly enhances modability.

I wish all saved games for all games were in encrypted binary format to prevent alteration and thereby ruining PBEM play. You may have a valid reason for wanting to study savegame files, but the easy ability to do so is just too valuable a tool for those who wish to cheat when playing PBEM. The absolute primary purpose of these saved game files is to support fair play not analysis.

I vehemently disasgree - the primary purpose is to enable play to take place in reasonable chunks of time. Despite the prejudices of the vocal majority here in the forums, the majority of game players play solo vs the computer, not PBEM.

Besides, the OP specifically stated that he wanted a save game binary-to-text converter, not the other way around, and that it would "ensure the integrity of the original savegame".

This makes it less than what I want. I want a proper save-game editor, or a way of reading the save-games into the current editor and, well, editing and saving them. But the OP just wants a way to analyse them - nothing more. Yet still there's a knee-jerk reaction.

Sigh.

It's a dead horse, why do I keep flogging it? Answer: Because I care.

Steve.

Is it not already possible for a PBEM player to "study the savegame" anyway by changing the file extension to .scn and opening it in the editor? I don't see how my proposed utility would be any worse than that.

ORIGINAL: Zoetermeer

Is it not already possible for a PBEM player to "study the savegame" anyway by changing the file extension to .scn and opening it in the editor? I don't see how my proposed utility would be any worse than that.

That's exactly why I stated I wish the saved game files were "encrypted" and hopefully all software designers will eventually adopt encrypted save game files as a defacto standard. (unless their game is NEVER meant to be played PBEM.)

edit... Somewhere I remember a game that actually separated the functionality of the save game files from PBEM such that the saved gane files were easily accessible but if you chose to play PBEM, then the game saved the PBEM files in encrypted format. This is quite acceptable, but in most cases the developers take the shortcut and just have the easily accessible save games files emailed back and forth leading to abuse of the save game files in PBEM play.

Yeah, I had a similar idea. In practice I think this would be trivial to implement - you don't even need the file to be encrypted. All you would need is a single bit in the file header - if it's set, the editor can't open the file (it's a PBEM save). But we both agree that it's already easy for someone to easily inspect a savegame from a PBEM game, so why can't we have a binary --> text translator?