Save game format (DoA2)

In both Dungeons of Avalon and Dungeons of Avalon II, the three save games are stored on disk in the DAT/ directory as the files GAMEA, GAMEB and GAMEC. The filesize of save game and the limitations of disk space are the primary reason that the game is hardcoded to only allow three save games. Each game begins with three save games which start the character at the entrance.

Save file layout

A save game file for both Dungeons of Avalon games consists of two chunks.

The first is a full, unencrypted, uncompressed copy of the current dungeon, using the exact same format as DUNG. In DoA this is 45000 bytes, with two bytes representing one square, 50 squares one row, and 50 rows one level, with nine levels. In DoA2 it’s 20480 bytes, with ten levels of 32 x 32 squares each. See Dungeon format for a fuller description of this format.

The second segment is an encrypted save format. All bytes are encrypted by XOR-ing them with the 10-bytes key SEFERSALAP, which according to a quiz message is the name of the game’s programmer’s grandfather. This segment can be decrypted by the same method, and its contents will be described in further detail below.

Currently, not all fields have been decoded. The offset given is from the start of the encoded section, which in DoA2 is 20480 bytes into the file and can be easily spotted by the ASCII appearing in the first character name in the party. The encrypted section in DoA2 is 2482 bytes long.

Party characters ($0000 - $01bb, 444 bytes)

The first 444 bytes of the encrypted section store the six characters of the player’s current party as six rows of 74 bytes each. This also represents how the data is stored by the game internally.

Each character’s data is as follows (byte offsets given in decimal):

00-07

Character name in ASCII. If less than 8 characters, padded with spaces (20).

08

Always appears to be zero. Perhaps a null terminator for the character name string.

09

Character class.

10

Character race.

11

Bitfield for status effects.

• Bit 7: Poisened
• Bit 6: Stoned
• Bit 4: ???

12-13

Current hitpoints as a 16-bit word.

14-15

Maximum hit points.

16-17

Current magic points (MP) as a 16-bit word.

18-19

Maximum MP.

20-23

XP as a 32-bit long.

24-27

Gold piece as a 32-bit long.

28

Character level.

29-34

Six bytes for the game’s six attributes, in order: IN, LU, DX, ST, WI and KO.

• 29: IN, Intelligence (German: IQ, Inteligenz)
• 30: LU, Luck (German: GL, Glück)
• 31: DX, Dexterity (German: GE, Geschick)
• 32: ST, Strength (German: KR, Kraft)
• 33: WI, Wisdom (German: WI, Weisheit)
• 34: KO, Kondition (German: KO, Kondition)

35

Magic level. Maximum level of spells user can cast.

Set to 00 for non-spellcasters.

36-43

8 backpack slots in inventory. One byte per item.

44

Robe/armour slot.

45

Left hand slot (shield).

46

Ring slot.

47

Head slot (helmet).

48

Right hand slot (weapon).

49

Ammunition slot (arrows). Stores the ammunition type, not count.

50-55

Unknown. Appears to be all $00 for standard characters and all $ff for NPCs.

May be related to inventory.

58

Unknown. $FF for NPCs and all standard characters.

59

Unknown. $FF for NPCs and all basic characters except Simarhon, who is $00.

All newly-made characters are $00.

60

Unknown. $FF for NPCs, $00 for all PCs.

61

Unknown. $FF for NPCs and starting characters, $00 for newly-made characters.

62

Unknown. $14 (20) for Meridian and Wyndon, $FF for other PCs/NPCs, $00 for new

characters.

Ammunition count for bolas-wielders?

63

Ammunition count? $0a (10) for Simarhon only.

64

AC. Improved by weapons. (German: Angriffstärke)

65

WC. Improved by armour. (German: Rüstungstärke)

66

PC/NPC status. $00 for heroes, $80 for NPCs.

67

Magic level. Perhaps maximum possible magic level.

68-73

6 bytes which appear to be all zero in every character I’ve observed.

LAB_0636 ($01bc-$01c0, 5 bytes)

Unknown.

LAB_0637 ($01c1, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0638 ($01c2-$01c3, 2 bytes)

Unknown.

Buffs ($01c4, 1 byte)

A bitfield to store which spell effects are currently active on the party.

• Bit 2: Levitation

LAB_063A ($01c5, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_063B ($01c6, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_063C ($01c7, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_063D ($01c8-$01c9, 2 bytes)

Unknown.

LAB_063E ($01ca, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_063F ($01cb, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0640 ($01cc, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0641 ($01cd, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0642 ($01ce, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0643 ($01cf, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0644 ($01d0, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0645 ($01d1, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0646 ($01d2, 1 byte)

Unknown.

Facing ($01d3, 1 byte)

Which direction the party is facing, as an integer.

LAB_0648 ($01d4, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_0649 ($01d5, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_064A ($01d6, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_064B ($01d7, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_064C ($01d8, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_064D ($01d9, 1 byte)

Unknown.

LAB_064E ($01da-$0201, 40 bytes)

Unknown.

Fixed encounters ($0202-$0267, 102 bytes)

17 rows of six bytes for fixed monster encounters. Each row has two bytes for each of three monsters, with the first byte holding the number of that monster, and the second the ID number of the monster. The number of the monster changes as the monsters are defeated.

Most important is $0262-$0267, which is the final boss fight with Lord Roa. Reducing all the numbers of monsters in this row to zero triggers the game’s win conditions.

A bug in the first Dungeons of Avalon prevented the numbers from registering defeated fixed-encounter monsters correctly, which made the game unwinnable (see How to see the Dungeons of Avalon 1 ending).

Unknown ($0268-$042d, 454 bytes)

Unknown.

LAB_0651 ($042e-$047d, 80 bytes)

Unknown.

Adventurer’s Guild ($047e - $09b1, 1332 bytes)

18 rows of 74 bytes to represent characters who have been created but not loaded into the party.

Same data format as party characters.

Checksum ($09b2 - $09b3, 2 bytes)

A two-byte checksum to prevent save game editing. This adds the other 2482 bytes of the encrypted section, one two-byte word at a time, and stores the result here.

The checksum is calculated prior to encryption. The entire section, starting from the party list, is encrypted as previously mentioned by XOR-ing it with the string SEFERSALAP. It is appended to the dungeon map, which is not encrypted.