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Please help with the save file layout
Hi all, I am currently working on creating a utility that will create an automated game log from save game files. I have gathered a lot of information from this forum as well as from links from this forum. However, there are a couple of things I could use some help with.
First, I have a a document by Allard Höfelt that maps out most of the save file for hex-editing, however, there are a few incomplete items. I know that all the wonders appear in the a block of bytes from 10A–141 (266-321 in decimal), however, the order of wonders is not listed. I had assumed it was by order in rules.txt, but it doesn't appear to be. I can find this out by trial and error, but if someone has done this, I would greatly appreciate being saved the extra effort and would be most grateful!
Along the same lines, the location of city improvements is marked as the 53-57 byte of each city listing. I also have a brief description of how each byte maps out. However, I again would be eternally grateful if someone has a chart or table with each improvement mapped to its specific bit so that I can save a little more work for myself.
The last thing I need is the biggest... I need some help in deciphering the save file programmatically. Using a hex-editor, it is easy to find the first city name and count backwards to the beginning of the city block section. Then each city is easy to isolate since it there is a set number of blocks per city. However, since it is a variable length section that follows several other variable length sections (map info, unit info, etc), how would you find the beginning of the first city while reading the file in? I know others have solved this in the past, especially for the 'civcity' utility made Carl Fritz, who also made the 'civtweak' utility. However, as yet, I have not developed an algorythm to do this.
Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide.
Albert B
First, I have a a document by Allard Höfelt that maps out most of the save file for hex-editing, however, there are a few incomplete items. I know that all the wonders appear in the a block of bytes from 10A–141 (266-321 in decimal), however, the order of wonders is not listed. I had assumed it was by order in rules.txt, but it doesn't appear to be. I can find this out by trial and error, but if someone has done this, I would greatly appreciate being saved the extra effort and would be most grateful!
Along the same lines, the location of city improvements is marked as the 53-57 byte of each city listing. I also have a brief description of how each byte maps out. However, I again would be eternally grateful if someone has a chart or table with each improvement mapped to its specific bit so that I can save a little more work for myself.
The last thing I need is the biggest... I need some help in deciphering the save file programmatically. Using a hex-editor, it is easy to find the first city name and count backwards to the beginning of the city block section. Then each city is easy to isolate since it there is a set number of blocks per city. However, since it is a variable length section that follows several other variable length sections (map info, unit info, etc), how would you find the beginning of the first city while reading the file in? I know others have solved this in the past, especially for the 'civcity' utility made Carl Fritz, who also made the 'civtweak' utility. However, as yet, I have not developed an algorythm to do this.
Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide.
Albert B
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