Battle Network 4 Save Error?

[Reaga]

So I've been hit with a problem: As soon as I entered the Vampire Comp in Battle Network 4 Red Sun, my game stopped saving regularly. I can only save by state, and despite the fact that the .sav file is still there, the game will not read the save file if I try to load from the Title. I've heard of this issue before but no one mentions if there is or isn't a known fix yet. But I will need to fix this to 100% the game, as I will need to use New Game+ and that will require saving and loading regularly.

For what I'm using:
GPSP 3.4 test 1 Build 2 (that's what's displayed in the emulator Menu)
White PSP Go (N1001)

What I've tried: These are mostly on the assumption that if I can access either my regular save or state in VBA that I'll be able to create a working save there.

Note that almost anything I've tried was w/ copied versions of files, the original SAV and SVS are intact and untouched beyond copying, so as not to screw myself further.

Importing Battery to VBA (1.8 w/ link I believe). If try and import from the PSP's directory (the only time I've used the un-copied SAV) it fails to read it. Can specify the error if necessary. However, I tried the SAV of Battle Network 3 as well. Despite getting the same error in VBA, that save still works perfectly on the PSP so I doubt this did anything.

Edit: Just in case this is unclear, I was using a Battle Network 3 Rom when I loaded a Battle Network 3 SAV. I was not dumb enough to try loading the SAV of a completely different game.

I also copied the SAV to VBA's directory on PC. It read it w/o giving an error, but New Game is still the only option. I think that's because it's having the same problem with that save file as the GPSP. Curiously, after reading that the copied SAV was changed to 64Kb. I don't know why. Original is still 32Kb.

Renaming SAV to SGM: Read that might allow me to load in VBA but can't seem to access the file extension on the SAVs. So not fully tried that.

Renaming SVS to SG1: VBA recognizes that it exists, but can't seem to use it.
Renaming SVS to SA1: VBA doesn't recognize that. I don't know if that was used for a previous version or what, but this version doesn't seem to.

I realize all the renaming is dangerous, which is why I only used copied files.

So, is there anything else I can do, or must I restart and pray it doesn't happen again? If I must restart, is there a way to prevent this?

Added note: When attempting to save, "It seems like there was a save error."

 

[FAST6191]

Save corruption is a hard one, especially when the game has something as extensive to save as a game like MMBN.

It could be many things or it could be something very basic. In this case I would be on it being a game fault rather than an emulator one, this does also mean you probably want a ROM hacker rather than an emulator dev (not that there is always the most difference).

Have you used any cheats or glitches? It might be a developer fault (play testing to that extent is hard) but such things are often a problem, worse is sometimes the problems they cause can lay dormant.

Do you still have a save (be it in game or savestate you can use to generate a normal in game save) from when things still worked? It would help to be able to try to replicate the issue.

What happens when you ditch a bunch of your chips and items and then try to save in game? Going back to the developer fault they might not have calculated how much stuff needs to be saved which leads to overflows and whatever else.

I doubt it will do much here but if you can open the in game save file, change a few things within it, try to load from the title screen, let it do what it wants, load the savestate and then try to save it could do something. Changing a few things will have it read as a corrupt save and that could help matters.

I am not sure what new game + allows. If it is mainly a hard mode then that is one thing, if it draws from the old save as far as your chip library then you have bigger problems. You can usually fake the flag the game checks to see if the new game + mode should be activated, if you want need to use the old save then it gets harder.

 

[Reaga]

In order:

I can agree it's not likely an emulator issue, as I've read this is a common problem for 4-6 (but still can't find any word on whether a solution exists or not).

Despite large amounts of cheating in 3 for Style Changes on the fly (screw 100 battles) and Mistman's chips after battle, I have not even created a cht for number 4. So cheats can't be the issue (maybe there's a solution among them, though. Never know).

Unfortunately (not seeing this coming) I have not made multiple states and therefore my state is after the problem. If I can access my SAV, it won't be so bad. I'm not far past the point it did this, so I won't lose much.

I haven't tried, but you gave me an idea. I'll hit up the Chip Trader, since it autosaves without telling you. See what happens. Will report back on that.

I don't know how I'm going to open the in game save, that's kind of what this is about. Neither VBA nor GPSP seem to recognize that it at the Title Screen.

New Game+ is hard mode but does bring in your old data, as some chips and programs can only be gotten in New Game + (and in a second New Game+, you can't access the 3rd versions of Virus Chips in Normal).

I'll try the Chip Trader and get back to this. If I can load from the main menu again, then this just means a rush to Chip Trader anytime I see this. Other inputs are of course welcome.

Note: If this shows up multiple times, apologies but the Post Reply button is acting weird. Might be the Wifi.

 

[FAST6191]

I meant open the save in a hex editor (there are loads to choose from, you do not even need a paid one for this). However if it does not say it is corrupt or something you have bigger issues.

On savestates yeah most people do not practice defensive saving (at least not past the floppy disc era), I was thinking more if there is a savestate you accidentally made in a later slot but had not got around to overwriting.

 

[Reaga]

Well, I have a Hex Editor, I can try to open the SAV there but I wouldn't know how to do anything from there. Also, report on the Chip Trader: It functioned, I put 3 chips in and got 1 chip back without freezing the game, it even asked if I wanted to do it again. However, the save will still not load from the start menu

 

[Reaga]

Well, I opened the SAV in HxD. It loaded fine, no errors. But as I said, beyond that I'm lost. I have no idea what's in what offset nor would I know what the values mean. I normally only Hex Edit with rather game-specific tutorials.

 

[FAST6191]

If it is in a patch where it is not 00 or FF and preferably not at the start of the file then it is probably something worth editing here -- you are literally just corrupting part of it to see if the game's inbuilt checks will catch it and maybe do something with it. The only issues tend to come if a game has three save slots or something, in those cases you might be changing the wrong slot.

Along the same lines I assume you copied a blank file over the in game save, loaded a savestate and tried to save.

 

[Reaga]

If it is in a patch where it is not 00 or FF and preferably not at the start of the file then it is probably something worth editing here -- you are literally just corrupting part of it to see if the game's inbuilt checks will catch it and maybe do something with it. The only issues tend to come if a game has three save slots or something, in those cases you might be changing the wrong slot.

Along the same lines I assume you copied a blank file over the in game save, loaded a savestate and tried to save.

Yeah, on the first part you kind of lost me. Again, I've only hex-edited w/ specific tutorials that usually told me the Offset and safe/desirable values. Also, Battle Network games only have 1 save.

As for the second thing, actually I hadn't tried that because someone said they did something similar to no effect. They'd deleted their SAV, started a new game, and reloaded the state but still couldn't save on that state.

 

[Reaga]

Well, I'm gonna upload my current sav incase anyone wants to test with this, to try and provide a proper solution that can maybe get stickied. Once I've uploaded this .SAV however, I'm starting over and will simply keep 2 states. One that I keep up w/ my new .SAV, and one at the end of each game scenario, to avoid going back too far if this happens again. I'll check back to answer questions and see if there's at least a way to prevent this on my new save. But this is the original, untouched SAV from my PSP. But my PSP's fried sound card is miraculously working again, so I no longer have quite as many qualms with restarting (this time w/ sound)

Edit: For some reason, even the sav on my PSP is now 64Kb. It was 32 when I made this topic, and all other saves in the emulator are 32 as well. This may be part of the problem, but I don't know when or how this happened. I was going to upload the 32Kb version, but now it seems all copies are 64Kb. As proof, I'll upload my fully functioning BN3 save, which is still 32Kb.

http://www.4shared.com/file/8u7XKew_ba/Mega_Man_Battle_Network_3_-_Bl.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/eFzIAmY8ba/Mega_Man_Battle_Network_4_-_Re.html (this site's upload feature doesn't seem to like .SAV)