Dark Souls Modding Discussion Only!

[ILike]

The thing is that I can't have the items I put there in hex/dark souls beta tool 1.2 in my inventory or repair them, is this normal?

[Gorgatron]

Trust me your save will corrupt (that's what most of the previous pages were about). Read the first post and look at my guide on how to manually hex the save. If you don't want to take my word on it then don't complain when your save corrupts.

Is your guide in this thread? I've been looking for it.

[mk_ln]

I've read Idlehands' post, but iirc, that method still resulted in a 4-5MB file instead of the 8.5MB of the original.

This is the method I've used and it has maintained the file size and seems to keep the integrity of the file as well *knock on wood*. it's pretty much a combination of methods listed throughout this thread:

Tools needed:
Hex Workshop
Xbox 360 Hash Block Calculator
USBXTAFGUI, Modio, or Horizon (I personally use USBXTAF and Modio)

1) using USBXSTAF, Modio, or Horizon, extract the CON file (DRAKS0005) from your USB/HDD to a safe place on your computer.
2) use Modio or Horizon to extract the USER_DATA to a safe place on your computer.
3) copy both files to a different folder (maybe call it 'modified' or something).
4) open both copied files, from modified folder in step 3, in HexWorkshop.
5) open the bookmarks in your USER_DATA (not sure where that file is anymore, but i'm sure it's somewhere listed either in this thread or the save editor thread)
6) at the end of your USER_DATA file, copy your checksum value.
7) in your DRAKS0005 file, search for your checksum (hex value) and bookmark it.
8) still DRAK file, search now for your player name but with 'Text String', 'Unicode', and 'Up' direction from your checksum you've just matched/found; bookmark your name.
-all your inventory items are between your name, which you now have bookmarked, and your checksum, which you have bookmarked as well.
9) find and edit items as you please in your USER_DATA file BUT do so one at a time as you will be doing the exact same operation on the DRAK file as well...but only between the name and checksum bookmarks. i.e. you find 400000000000046a (twinkling titanite) in USER_DATA and edit the quantity; you will then search for 400000000000046a in your DRAK file, but only in the addresses between your bookmarked name and your bookmarked checksum.
10) after satisfied, select all data EXCEPT for the checksum section in the USER_DATA file and calculate the checksum with MD5(128 bit) and only on 'Selection' instead of entire document
11) copy that checksum value and replace the bookmarked checksum in DRAKS0005.
12) save DRAKS0005.
13) open XBOX 360 Hash Block Calculator and 'Calculate Hash Blocks' on your DRAKS0005 file.
14) copy DRAKS0005 back over to your HDD/USB without re-hashing and play.


Hope that helps :)

[turk645]

sorry i havent been here for a while. Work, girlfriend, and being stuck in the painting world have eaten up some time :P. I have a few things i plan on testing after i get out of this world so i can go back to properly testing things :P.

[Pedantyc]

I've read Idlehands' post, but iirc, that method still resulted in a 4-5MB file instead of the 8.5MB of the original.

This is the method I've used and it has maintained the file size and seems to keep the integrity of the file as well *knock on wood*. it's pretty much a combination of methods listed throughout this thread:

Tools needed:
Hex Workshop
Xbox 360 Hash Block Calculator
USBXTAFGUI, Modio, or Horizon (I personally use USBXTAF and Modio)

1) using USBXSTAF, Modio, or Horizon, extract the CON file (DRAKS0005) from your USB/HDD to a safe place on your computer.
2) use Modio or Horizon to extract the USER_DATA to a safe place on your computer.
3) copy both files to a different folder (maybe call it 'modified' or something).
4) open both copied files, from modified folder in step 3, in HexWorkshop.
5) open the bookmarks in your USER_DATA (not sure where that file is anymore, but i'm sure it's somewhere listed either in this thread or the save editor thread)
6) at the end of your USER_DATA file, copy your checksum value.
7) in your DRAKS0005 file, search for your checksum (hex value) and bookmark it.
8) still DRAK file, search now for your player name but with 'Text String', 'Unicode', and 'Up' direction from your checksum you've just matched/found; bookmark your name.
-all your inventory items are between your name, which you now have bookmarked, and your checksum, which you have bookmarked as well.
9) find and edit items as you please in your USER_DATA file BUT do so one at a time as you will be doing the exact same operation on the DRAK file as well...but only between the name and checksum bookmarks. i.e. you find 400000000000046a (twinkling titanite) in USER_DATA and edit the quantity; you will then search for 400000000000046a in your DRAK file, but only in the addresses between your bookmarked name and your bookmarked checksum.
10) after satisfied, select all data EXCEPT for the checksum section in the USER_DATA file and calculate the checksum with MD5(128 bit) and only on 'Selection' instead of entire document
11) copy that checksum value and replace the bookmarked checksum in DRAKS0005.
12) save DRAKS0005.
13) open XBOX 360 Hash Block Calculator and 'Calculate Hash Blocks' on your DRAKS0005 file.
14) copy DRAKS0005 back over to your HDD/USB without re-hashing and play.


Hope that helps :)

Aside from using the Hash Block Calculator rather than the built in Modio or Horizon calculators, you have the exact method that IdleHands88 mentions. Works well as long as you can track your work in the con file. I have issues since many of my items are duplicated 6 times in the con vs the user_data. I like the idea of searching for the checksum as well as the name to bound the data though, I will try that.

As for the 8mg vs 4mg saves, that is something that just happens at random when you pull the save off the drive, or when you rehash. The game even does that itself with brand new files at times. I believe it is autosave related. In several cases, I have used the 4meg saves without any issue. Some have then later filled back out to an 8mg file.

I have noticed that Modio is not doing well in rehashing or resigning, I am now exclusively using Horizon. Could be that Horizon has been getting a slew of updates lately which has outpaced Modio in terms of usefulness.

The main issue that I would like someone to figure out is exactly why the game will randomly delete my User_Data file.

[mk_ln]

Aside from using the Hash Block Calculator rather than the built in Modio or Horizon calculators, you have the exact method that IdleHands88 mentions. Works well as long as you can track your work in the con file. I have issues since many of my items are duplicated 6 times in the con vs the user_data. I like the idea of searching for the checksum as well as the name to bound the data though, I will try that.

as i mentioned in my post, i have pretty much used a combination of methods described in this thread; i was not discrediting anyone if that is what you have thought my intention was. rather, my post was aimed to assist those that have tried other methods but ended up with a corrupt/unreadable file and/or have the USER_DATA file deleted....which seems to only happen with the shrunken files.

also, iirc, IdleHands' method was to copy over everything except the checksum in USER_DATA and paste it over into the DRAK file; my method copies only item modified values. my reason for doing so may have actually been only because of an error on my part, but i recall the data not matching byte for byte in each of their respective positions; there seemed to be some extra data in one of the files which is the reason I couldn't just do a copy all from USER_DATA and paste it into the DRAK file.

As for the 8mg vs 4mg saves, that is something that just happens at random when you pull the save off the drive, or when you rehash. The game even does that itself with brand new files at times. I believe it is autosave related. In several cases, I have used the 4meg saves without any issue. Some have then later filled back out to an 8mg file.

I have noticed that Modio is not doing well in rehashing or resigning, I am now exclusively using Horizon. Could be that Horizon has been getting a slew of updates lately which has outpaced Modio in terms of usefulness.

The main issue that I would like someone to figure out is exactly why the game will randomly delete my User_Data file.

w/ regards to the 8 vs 4MB saves, i have reproduced that successfully with every hash with horizon; I have found it not to be random whatsoever. I have not yet found the game's autosave function to save a 4-5MB file; all have been consistently in the 8MB range. On a similar note, unless I have missed it, I believe that everyone that has a missing USER_DATA file is using a smaller save file, i.e. the 4-5MB save, rather than a file of the full save size.

[LSDnD]

ok So I've done some tinkering around with all this. And found that it's pretty easy to alter you're items if you are on a brand new character.

Where I got lost is... Once you have (I assume) the bottomless box, shit gets more complex. I think at least, I don't know what is causing this and if someone else has run in to the same problem let me know. But I open both user_data and the main save in hex workshop, I get the checksum and everything, the same way I did it early in the game. Then I copy it over to the main save after editing. Change the checksum in main save rehash and resign using modio, load it back on to my 360, log in to the game, I get NO errors at all. Let's me log in fine, no corruption, but the changes I made do nothing. Nothing I edited is there. It used to work, now nothing happens. I found 2 instances of my 70+ chainmail helms in the main save file, I have tried editing both, never any corruption, but never any changes. Also, if I bring the save back my computer, and open with modio, and examin the user_data, it doesn't have any of the modified hex I put in. I am SO confused as to how I could be changing anything, but not corrupting the save or getting any errors, and nothing in the game changes, and it appears to also not change in the user_data. Why did it work for so long and now decide to just stop... I honestly am at a complete loss. Anyone experience this? Maybe point me in the right direction? I am not new to hex editing or anything so you don't need to baby me here, just help me figure out what changes.

[S_O_B]

Maybe point me in the right direction? I am not new to hex editing or anything so you don't need to baby me here, just help me figure out what changes.

This is so weird that I don't even want to try and give you an answer because there is no way I could be right. It really sounds like you are putting the wrong save back on your memory card, but that would just be too simple of an answer. There is no way I know of for changes to just disappear from the file and still have everything work. It has to be operator error.

The only other thing I can think of is you are copying your changes to the wrong area of the save (but you should still be able to find the edits you made when you check it again). If you are in the wrong section of the save the items might not show up in the game. Try changing an item to something you do NOT have yet and see if your character has the item in game (check your bottomless box too). If not, check your save again to see if you can find where you made the change. Since you did not have the item to begin with you should be able to easily find it again in your save. Do it with only one item and it will make it easier to see if you are just missing something or if your save is somehow magically fixing itself.

One last obvious thought. Make sure you are loading the save from the right spot. You may be loading from your HDD and the save you edited is on a memory stick.

I am sure you already thought of the things I mentioned, so sorry for the obvious answers.


@mk_ln - Thank you for the info. I never thought to bookmark my checksum first and use it to figure out which name is the correct one in my main save. I gave up on trying to edit the main save a long time ago because I was never 100% sure which name was correct.