Can't Load PSO Character After Clearing DC Memory

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pcwzrd13
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Can't Load PSO Character After Clearing DC Memory

Post by pcwzrd13 »

Ok so here's a crazy problem I have. I recently wiped the internal memory on my main Dreamcast in an attempt to load a PSO character that I created on another Dreamcast. While I was successful in loading the character, I now can't load the character that I created on THIS Dreamcast. Now you might think that I used a different serial number and access key but that's not the case. I've only ever used one set of serial/keys for every character I've created. I even checked the serial/key that I have registered on my Sylverant account and it matches. I'm at a loss here. Is there any way I can check to see what serial/key is in a save file? I looked at it with a HEX editor but it doesn't appear to be in plain text. If anyone knows of a way I can either check the serial/key in the save file or somehow get my character back, it would be much appreciated.

Edit: Got my characters back by making new ones with the same name and restoring the server backups. Lost the items in my bank but no biggie. Just happy to have them back. :grin: Thanks to BlueCrab for the help!
Last edited by pcwzrd13 on Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Can't Load PSO Character After Clearing DC Memory

Post by BlueCrab »

Unfortunately, PSO save files are encrypted, and I've not studied them enough to know how to decrypt them. I have tried a few ideas without trying to reverse-engineer the save code, but sadly none of them have panned out for game saves -- I did manage to decrypt the download quest files though by random guessing. :lol:

Sorry I can't be of much help here, because... well, I've had the same thing happen to me before, and never managed to recover the files... :?
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Re: Can't Load PSO Character After Clearing DC Memory

Post by Aleron Ives »

The fact that the save from the other Dreamcast didn't work on this Dreamcast without resetting the flash memory means that you had different serials saved to this Dreamcast than you had saved to the other one. Unless you wrote those serials down before you erased the flash memory, the characters that don't load anymore are gone forever.

It's possible that you used the same V2 serials but didn't save your V1 serials to the flash memory. If you ever used V1, try erasing the flash memory again and then saving the V1 serials to the flash first, then saving the V2 serials to the flash. That might fix the old characters that you made on this Dreamcast (and prevent you from loading the character created on the other Dreamcast again).
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Re: Can't Load PSO Character After Clearing DC Memory

Post by pcwzrd13 »

BlueCrab wrote:Unfortunately, PSO save files are encrypted, and I've not studied them enough to know how to decrypt them. I have tried a few ideas without trying to reverse-engineer the save code, but sadly none of them have panned out for game saves
If you could figure that out, you would be my hero! :grin: If the encryption cold be cracked, you could even potentially make a utility for the Dreamcast that lets you view and edit the serial/key. That would so useful!
Aleron Ives wrote:If you ever used V1, try erasing the flash memory again and then saving the V1 serials to the flash first, then saving the V2 serials to the flash.
I don't even own a copy of V1. Although it's possible the previous owner of the Dreamcast did. That might explain it. In that case I guess I'm out of luck since I have no way of knowing what the V1 serial and key were. :(
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