Party Eye of the Beholder II from Amiga in Eye of the Beholder III on PC

Hello!
sorry for my little english.. I'm Italian and I'm using the google translator

do you think you can "convert" the file EOBDATA.SAV AMIGA version in the file EOBDATA.SAV PC version to play the third and final Mith Drannor with the AMIGA party of eobII on eobIII PC?

I did many tests, even with some editor, but did not succeed, it gives me several errors ..

If you want to try, this is my AMIGA files to convert in PC files!

please help me!! thanks!

nothing??

errors in conversion

[Toni Wilen]

Most old games basically dumped internal memory data structures to save file = incompatible if CPU endianness or data alignment requirements are different.

This kind of save files are not Amiga<>PC compatible.

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Most old games basically dumped internal memory data structures to save file = incompatible if CPU endianness or data alignment requirements are different.

This kind of save files are not Amiga<>PC compatible.

and no one would know how to convert files despite this incompatibility?

[demoniac]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Most old games basically dumped internal memory data structures to save file = incompatible if CPU endianness or data alignment requirements are different.

This kind of save files are not Amiga<>PC compatible.

You can try loading the EOB2 Amiga save files to EOB2 PC and see if that works. Might be easier if you modified the PC EOB2 save game to match the Amiga character stats and then port that to EOB3.

[Marcuz]

No no, that's not the way. I did it several years ago.

Basically you need to save a new fresh savegame in EoB 2 (TWO, not three) PC; then you need to fill the first and the last item slot in inventory, possibly with an item wich hex code you know, open it with an hex program and take note of the placements for Armor Class and Hit Points: for instance: "n" spots after the first letter of the name etc.
Check where the money code is, and the quiver too.
Please note that the data about characters is stored in a different place inside the files, but the length is about the same for the data of each character; it may be exactly the same length, but simply it's ages ago and I don't remember, but that's not really relevant.

You may want also, in PC game, to fill each slot of the active items: armors, helms, rings: you may be able to do so with a freshly stared game by addressing one character at time.

If you know everything about the hex editing structure of the savegame files (which is not much complicated) you just open the two savegame files: the amiga one you want to transfer and pc' together on a hex editor and replace names and character stats* in the PC one with the ones of the amiga one;
* = the character stats, strength, dexterity etc, are stored in a two digit code, and are alike in amiga and pc.

You need to check how differently the the xp and armor class and money are stored in the two different savegame too.

Then the (not so) tricky part: items are 4 digits long, and pc switches first and second with third and fourth, so: ABCD becomes CDAB.

Now you have two choices: if you know EXACTLY (by having done some test) where goes what in the active items slots, you can simply complete every cut paste in a single go.

Instead, if you don't know what's what, then it comes in handy the thing I mentioned about the inventory: you'll have a row of digits starting with the first item and ending with the last , with a lots of zeros between them: since the items are stored contiguously , you'll simply prepare the Amiga savegame by storing all the inventory items on the floor, and putting in the inventory everything you wear instead, plus one arrow, so that the characters are completely naked.
Then you save and open in the hex editor, and copy paste the items (switching, as I said, ABCD to CDAB) to Pc file. Take note of the Pc inventory starting and ending places, if you have not already done so. Save.

The load EoB2 PC, load the savegame, move everything to what you wear, save.

Then load again the Amiga savegame, re-wear everything from your inventory and move the items on the floor back on your backpack.
Save, then reopen the two savegames in the hex editor and move the whole inventory from the one to the other.

About the arrow: now that you have moved it to the quiver, just update the arrows number to the desired one.

Now, finally, you can import the game from EoB 2 PC to EoB 3 Pc.

[Marcuz]

by the way, there are some table of items code around, at least there were. google them for help.

[Calabazam]

Oh my! This is quite a mess!
What about the EOB3 conversion for Amiga project by CFOU? I think this was discussed a few years ago when EOB1 and EOB2 AGA have been released?

[Marcuz]

not really discussed, more coveted.
it amounted to nothing.
by the way, EoB 3 is not that interesting a game imho, and the graphics make it something out of place, from the first two chapters.
still, it is really easier done than said what i described above for the export.

oh, i forgot to mention: if you mess with the hex codes, be mindful not to put on the floor two items with the same code, for example two instances of the same unique sword: that may cancel every item on the floor, or make it unpickable and breaking the game.
of course the same does not happen if you put on the floor two instances of the same object with different codes, for example two food rations etc.

[Minuous]

Marcuz et al, if you have reverse-engineered the EOB1 and/or 2 file format, would you mind sending or publishing the details? I might add support to the Multi-game Character Editor for it.

[demoniac]

What I meant by editing the PC version is to find an existing save game editor instead of doing it by hand as it's more prone to error.

Check out http://stanislavs.tripod.com/games/eob2.htm which I assume is for the PC.

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by Minuous

Marcuz et al, if you have reverse-engineered the EOB1 and/or 2 file format, would you mind sending or publishing the details? I might add support to the Multi-game Character Editor for it.

Reverse engineered is too strong a word, and I did not wrote down anything at the time, because I was just proceeding by eye, but I've half a mind to redo it this week when I have the time: I have no problem to publish the stuff I re-find.

Originally Posted by demoniac

What I meant by editing the PC version is to find an existing save game editor instead of doing it by hand as it's more prone to error.

Check out http://stanislavs.tripod.com/games/eob2.htm which I assume is for the PC.

Yes, but for some reason it's not the same fun and it looks like cheating

[Marcuz]

For anybody interested in the reverse engineering, please have a look here:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=833467#post833467

Dear Marcuz
I apologize again for my little English

without too much talk, I insert the chart.
I understand the way I said and I managed to create the character with features.
I found the code of the character, hunger and various scores.
But I did not understand the logic behind ABCD CDBA and I can't then build inventory.

codes of the items I found on the Internet are not the same so I can not even enter them.

I post below what I could do ..
if you explain to me precisely the mechanism ABCD CDBA, I just put the same codes Amiga computer files in the right place.

thanks

CHARACTER INFO IT'S PERFECT!!!





This is the inventory I developed with the logic ABCD CDBA but did not give the correct result (CRASH!!!)

[Marcuz]

Note: I move my answer here, please leave the other thread tidy as I'll continue to add data there.

@Vrascio: Ok, wait, I have not yet measured the differences in the areas of data in EoB 2' savegames, but the principle is the same as in EoB 1.

So: each items has a code of two bytes, in other words, 4 numbers or letters in hexadecimal code.
Let's say in Eye of the Beholder 1, Amiga you have a longsword + 5; its code is : 015d; the same sword's code, because of endianess, in PC is 5d01.
Easy!

Now, since I've not yet measured, as I said, EoB 2 differences, you simply do this: empty the inventory of a character except for the first and the last position, in which you put an item which code you know; then you open your hex editor, and fill the blanks, which will be twentyfour "00" bytes with the codes of the items you want to import.

Note also that the various codes you find around on interntet are usually in PC format, if so, swap the bytes as above: 5d01 becomes 015d and vice versa.

That for the answer to Vrascio.

On a different note, I learned that beside unique items, or maybe items that simply have few occurrences in the games, without distinctions between 1 and >1 amount of the same item, a code may signify different items at all, possibly depending on which level they get loaded.
Plus, they may transform in a different item if they have been loaded already (like in the case of the items on the floor I mentioned in the text above).
The item indexing is a mess.

Therefore: do edit the item in the inventory the littlest as possible; in the case of moving a savegame data from a format to another, do the editing at the very earliest convenience, so at the start of the game and not at the end.

I also tried to load the amiga and all objects resting on the ground to the exclusion of the only two weapons in hand.

I reversed the codes after using them and found that the system crashes (01 b4 - 01 41).

inverting the codes this is the result.







HEEEEELP!!!

[Marcuz]

PM sent...

[Marcuz]

By the way, the code for the sword + 5 in EoB2 is B201 / 01B2, and not the one you used that, depending where the party was when you edited in, may be, apparently, a short sword, or a shield +3.
Item indexing is a mess.

[Methanoid]

Would be great if you guys can figure out a lamer-proof method. Might be nice to play EOTB-1-2-3 with one party