Save File Format
| Warning! | The information detailed on this page may not be in the present available build, and may only be available in an upcoming build! Therefore, all information here is to be considered volatile and could change or be removed without notice. |
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| Warning! | The information below is to be considered a draft. This means that the information presented is not final, so don't go running wild with this information. |
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Shield Cat saves are stored in the /saves directory. This directory is platform specific, please see Installation Instructions for its location on your platform.
Please note, save files can only be easily accessed and modified on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. It may be possible on other platforms, but it is not supported.
Shield Cat save files are saved using the following structure:
OTTSAV00.BIN
where 00 is the number of the save file. The game, therefore, supports up to 255 save files.
Save information is stored in blocks, where each block has a certain data associated with it. There cannot be two blocks of the same type. All blocks listed below must be present, or the file will be considered invalid.
In Gamemaker, it is loaded and saved as a Buffer with type buffer_fast. It is buffer_u8 1 byte aligned.
Header
OTTSAV files start with the following header:
SC_OTTSAV_V00
where 00 is the version of the save format. During the prototype phase, all save files will use format 00. The format may also change a lot.
LINF
The LINF block contains info about Lance and the abilities he has, max health, max magic, attack, defense, abilities equipped, and others. It is 23 Bytes in length.
Please note that Lance's health, magic, attack, and defense are computed from his base stats + any upgrades that you may have, and are provided for convenience. If these numbers don't match the upgrades he has, the save will be invalid.
| Offset | Bytes | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 Bytes | Lance's max health |
| 2 | 2 Bytes | Lance's max magic |
| 4 | 1 Byte | Lance's attack stat |
| 5 | 1 Byte | Lance's defense stat |
| 6 | 8 Bytes | The abilities Lance has, as packed bytes. Please see the Ability Byte Format table below. |
| 14 | 8 Bytes | The abilities Lance has equipped, as packed bytes. Please see the Ability Byte Format table below.
Please note that if it is marked Lance has an ability equipped that he does not actually have, the file will be invalid. |
| 22 | 1 Byte (packed) | Various flags about Lance's state:
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Below is an explaination of the packed bytes that represent the abilities Lance currently owns and has equipped. For a detailed explaination of his abilities, please visit Lance's Abilites.
| Ability Byte Format | |
|---|---|
| Bit Offset | Ability/Upgrade Name |
| Shield | |
| 0 | Shield Ability |
| 1 | Shield Upgrade - Homing |
| 2 | Shield Upgrade - Wave |
| 3 | Shield Upgrade - Indestructible |
| Dagger | |
| 4 | Dagger Ability |
| 5 | Dagger Upgrade - Explosion |
| 6 | Dagger Upgrade - Piercer |
| 7 | Dagger Upgrade - Surplus |
