30-03-2002 11:05									#1
	palace section of save game file format Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

I don't recall noticing any documents of the save game file format here in Apolyton's forums (I haven't checked CivFanatics). Earlier tonight I went through and determined the Palace section for my own enjoyment (Yeah, I wanted to see a fully upgraded one for once...)

I took some time playing with Civilization 3 saved game files, to figure out the format for the palace section.

I had a saved game just before I was awarded an upgrade.  I made a few saves after choosing various upgrades and

got my start, from which I was able to feel the rest of the way to get this data.  I did crash the game a few times

with invalid data.  (Particularly, if you have the bitmask on for a piece and you don't have the data for that piece

set -- boom.)  Sometimes the palace button from the control strip in the bottom right corner of the screen would

disappear, but F9 would still bring up the palace.  I don't think that variable is contained within this section.

Those of you out there who have written or are working on save game editors, here's the information for the palaces.



Here's a clip from a save game I was playing, as the French:

+----------------------------------------------+

| 5041 4C56 9000 0000 0080 2010 | PALV...... . |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF | ............ |

| FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF 0000 0000 | ............ |

| 0000 0000 0000 0000           | ........     |

+----------------------------------------------+

There are 32 152(0x98)-byte sections like this within the save game file.  The player's section starts at 0x0037F2D4.

The entire palace section starts at 0x0037F23C.  In the saved games I worked with anyway (from v1.17f).



The first 8 bytes seem to stay constant for each palace entry, as a header with the values:

 5041 4C56 9000 0000



The next 4 bytes are unidentified.  The only values I've seen while looking at the few saves I have are:

 0080 2010 (my side, unique)

 0000 0000 (default value)

 0000 0004 (frequent)

 0000 0014 (not uncommon)

 0010 0014 (rare)

 0000 0044 (common)

My guess is that these may have something to do with timing the upgrades.  Though, has anyone ever seen the computer

players have an upgraded palace?



32 x 4 bytes each.  PalaceView.txt says that the game can handle up to 32 upgrades per culture, even though it only

comes with graphics and information for 17.  These bytes set the culture for each piece:

 0000 0000 = AMERICAN

 0100 0000 = EUROPEAN

 0200 0000 = MEDITERRANEAN

 0300 0000 = MIDEAST

 0400 0000 = ASIAN

This makes me wonder, how many cultures could be added?  When I've tried values other than these, the game has crashed.

These values are in the order as they appear in PalaceView.txt



The next 8 bytes are unknown.  They never show any variance, though I don't recall any crashes happening when I changed

them to reasonable values.



The next (last) 4 bytes make a bitmask of which pieces have been added and which haven't.  Again, since the comments

in PalaceView.txt say there can be 32 pieces, 4 bytes times 8 bits per byte = 32 possible pieces.  However, when I put

any values into the last one, or greater than 03 in the second-to-last-one, the game would crash.  It only allowed me

to toggle on up to 18 bits:

  00000000000000000 = 0x000000 = (no parts)

  11111111111111111 = 0xFFFF01 = (all parts present)

 111111111111111111 = 0xFFFF03 = (highest value without crash)

  00000000000000001 = 0x010000 = lawn

  00000000000000010 = 0x020000 = right wing

  00000000000000011 = 0x030000 = lawn and right wing

Note that the game will crash if you have the toggle for a piece on, but you do not have the culture selection

information set.  The masks are as they are in PalaceView.txt

  00000000000000001 = 0x01000000 = lawn

  00000000000000010 = 0x02000000 = wing right

  00000000000000100 = 0x04000000 = wing left

  00000000000001000 = 0x08000000 = steps

  00000000000010000 = 0x10000000 = wing tower right

  00000000000100000 = 0x20000000 = wing tower left

  00000000001000000 = 0x40000000 = hall right

  00000000010000000 = 0x80000000 = hall left

  00000000100000000 = 0x00010000 = hall tower right

  00000001000000000 = 0x00020000 = hall tower left

  00000010000000000 = 0x00040000 = center ground

  00000100000000000 = 0x00080000 = center 1st above ground

  00001000000000000 = 0x00100000 = arch and mini pillars

  00010000000000000 = 0x00200000 = tall pillars

  00100000000000000 = 0x00400000 = center 2nd above ground

  01000000000000000 = 0x00800000 = trees

  10000000000000000 = 0x00000100 = center 3rd above ground

 100000000000000000 = 0x00000200 = (no visible addition)

1000000000000000000 = 0x00000400 = (crash)

Yes, it is possible to have pieces added in to the save game that do not have their prerequisites, as set in the text

file met.  I did not, however, get a chance to test whether or not the game crashes on the next upgrade in the game if

you hurry it along and give yourself a floating center 3rd above ground.

Attachment: civ3palace.txt
This has been downloaded 5 time(s).

	30-03-2002 20:55									#2
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Wow, I never thought anyone would ever try and hack THIS.

	30-03-2002 22:04									#3
	Increase Your PM Length

Hey, you've gotta be complete!

	08-04-2002 02:04									#4
	Inflate your Upload Space

Good info... when I get time to check it out i might add editing of the palace to C3MT.