wipEout dexperiment

[yuusen]

–
hi all,

this thread has been editied and its purpose changed in order to attract more people and allow my research to be carried out at a greater rate.

the original thread called for people to share their gran turismo gamesaves that they uploaded using either a dexdrive or x-port in order for me to try and crack into the files and extract/parse the data.
--
since this is a wipEout forum it seems a logically better idea to ask for wipEout game saves instead.

this time i shall be less secretive about the final goal of the mission and tell you that i am aiming to create a web based program that can parse .gme (the format used by dexdrives) files and retreive select data, then turn that data into usable xml files. the extracted data is then formatted in a way that is familiar to the game user.

this could increase the accuracy of record data entry if employed within this website although i understand that only a small portion of the WOZ populus actually have either device and therefore i would not be an ultimate solution.

it would still be fun to try and i appreciate anyones help and/or files (they dont have to be .gme, send over whatever your device produces onto your desktop).

as always, reply to this thread and i shall arrange external correspondance.
--
oh, dont get confused by anything you read below about GT, its simply the leftovers of the previous version of this thread.
–
Â¥

[Cobol]

I don't know if I've understood your purpose. Do you just want to know the file size of the savegame? If that's what you want to know, it will be the same no matter what the savegame contains. Each block of a PS1 memory card is 8,53 kb in size. The GT savegames require 5 blocks, that's 8,53 * 5 = 42,65 kb. That size will be the same if you save at the beginning or if you save after finishing the game.

[yuusen]

–
sorry if i wasnt clear, i had a lot of variables running round in my head at the time of writing.

the filesize i am looking for is for the file produced by the dexdrive or x-port when the savegames are transported onto the computer.

i am initially assuming, from what you have told me, that if the playstation's memory card files are of a consistant size, then the dexdrive/x-port files will also be of a consistant (albeit possibly larger/smaller due to conversion) size.
--
the purpose of knowing the filesize is to try to prempt or quantify the method required to parse the game-specific data held within the pc file into something more universally usable.

if the pc filesize depends on the game it is from, then it is logical to assume that the format is sparse i.e. the file expands as more data is contained within. the advantage of this is that any data held within will be easier to pinpoint programatically.
–
Â¥

[Cobol]

Then, you don't really need a memory card reader. You can use an emulator and create memory card image files and edit them using psxge (http://moberg-dybdal.dk/psxge/) which allows you to save single savegames instead of a whole memory card.

[yuusen]

–
thankyou for taking time to help, cobol, but i really need the results from a memory card reader. i wouldn't go to the trouble of listing specifics if i didnt understand what i was doing.
--
the link to psxge is very much appreciated as it helps expand the scope of my my research. thankyou.
–
Â¥

[Cobol]

OK. I can provide you savegames from Gran Turismo (PAL) and Gran Turismo 2 (NTSC JAP).

[yuusen]

–
fantastic cobol!

zip them into one file and attach them to an email to be sent to the email address included in my user profile. i'd send you an email to reply to so that you could do it at your own leisure but you dont have one available.

no rush, any time mate. :)
–
Â¥

[yuusen]

––––––––––––––––†“–––––––––––––––
––––––––––––––––†“–––––––––––––––
this post seperates the old, GT based discussion with the new, wipEout based discussion (see the first post in this thread for details).

please dont trip on the guide ropes.

:D
––––––––––––––––†“–––––––––––––––
––––––––––––––––†“–––––––––––––––
Â¥