Save game backup (and eventually [maybe], recovery) tool

[「Sh1k1」]

1. INTRODUCTION

I wrote a small tool used for creating backups of your RE5 saved game each time it's modified (reaching checkpoints, buying bonus features, clearing chapters, changing costumes/filters, etc.) automatically. The reason that motivated this project was that in one particular occasion, the game crashed on me while it was saving for hell knows what bloody reason, and the crash corrupted my save file (after I was in chapter 5-2 of my initial run — basically wasting my first playthrough), forcing me to restart from the very beginning.

You can imagine how badly that pissed me the hell off. At that point, I wondered if it would be practical or not to have a tool that would monitor your saved data, and make a backup every time it's modified in case you need to roll back to a previous version. Having decided that it would indeed be practical, I created this little tool.

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2. DOWNLOAD

> Requisites: You will need the Microsoft .NET Framework 4[www.microsoft.com] to run this tool.

> Download link: The tool can be downloaded by clicking HERE[www.nanatsuyoru.net]. Once downloaded, just unzip and run.

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3. USAGE LICENSE

This tool is distributed as completely free software. If you paid for this, you were ripped off. That's all there is to it.

Currently distributed version is 1.0.0.0, deemed fit for general use.

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4. INSTRUCTIONS

Once unzipped, run the executable. [Fig. 1][i.imgur.com] You will see the main window. [Fig. 2][i.imgur.com]

The tool is simple enough to be self-explanatory. It will automatically detect the location of your RE5 Live profiles, so choose yours from the list. [Fig. 3][i.imgur.com] [Fig. 4][i.imgur.com]

Once your profile is selected, simply click Begin Monitoring and enjoy your game. [Fig. 5][i.imgur.com] Notice how the title bar changes to reflect the (active) status of the monitor.

If you don't want the program to visually bother you while you play, you can minimize it and it will hide in the application tray, near the clock. [Fig. 6][i.imgur.com] Furthermore, both the tray icon and the icon in the program title bar will change colors (as shown in [Fig. 7][i.imgur.com] to reflect whether the monitor is active or not, which, if you haven't minimized it, will let you know at a glance whether your save data is being watched and kept safe.

When minimized, the tray icon will also automatically notify you whether monitoring is enabled or not (as shown in [Fig. 8][i.imgur.com] and [Fig. 9][i.imgur.com]), and you can control its behavior without having to summon it back up by simply right clicking said icon (as demonstrated in [Fig. 10][i.imgur.com] and [Fig. 11][i.imgur.com]).

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5. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The location of the saved data file for Resident Evil 5 is as follows:
  • Windows XP Users: C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Windows username]\My Documents\CAPCOM\RESIDENT EVIL 5\[Your Games for Windows Live profile name]
    
  • Windows Vista/7/8 Users: C:\Users\[Your Windows username]\Documents\CAPCOM\RESIDENT EVIL 5\[Your Games for Windows Live profile name]
    
  • The save data file itself is called \savedata.bin.
• This software works by creating a timestamped copy of the save file in a directory called \backups next to \savedata.bin each time the saved data is modified. If you need to go back to a previous save, close the game, navigate to your profile folder and just delete \savedata.bin, then go into the \backups folder, copy the desired timestamped file to the GFWL profile folder, and rename the copied file \savedata.bin before booting up the game again.
  
• Should you have any issues, please let me know.

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6. CLOSING STATEMENTS

This tool was developed initially for my personal use, and ultimately for the community. As stated in section 3, this is free, clean software, with no virus, no scams, and nothing dangerous attached. You're still free (and I HIGHLY recommend) to have a good antivirus tool running on your system at all times, and to run a scan on my software before you run it. The latest version will always be available at the link in section 2 above, and any issues, recommendations, gripes, bug reports, crashes, words of love or hate, comments, suggestions or anything else you can think of, should be directed to me via private message or a post in this thread.

Capcom, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 5, their trademarks, logos and all related paraphernalia are all registered trademarks copyright © 1983-2013 Capcom Co., Ltd. No infringement was intended with the creation of this software.

Microsoft, Games for Windows, Live, their trademarks, logos and all related paraphernalia are all registered trademarks copyright © 1975-2013 Microsoft Corporation. No infringement was intended with the creation of this software.

Valve Corporation, Steam, Steam Community, their trademarks, logos and all related paraphernalia are all registered trademarks copyright © 1996-2013 Valve Corporation. No infringement was intended with the creation of this software and publication on the Steam Community forums.

Thanks for your interest, and happy zombie-busting.

[「Sh1k1」]

First new planned functionality: retrieving a previous saved file from the archive. Currently working on that.

[Wallachia]

This is a great tool; thank you for the hard work.

[Dark Nero *=_VF_=*]

Too late for me -.-

But thanks! :-)

[Nox Deleo]

Got bitten by exactly the same issue yesterday, but thankfully I'd only got half way through 2-1. Never again. Thanks very much for the tool.

[leonid87]

Thank you, sir! This is neat.

[「Sh1k1」]

With the relatively recent announcement that this game will get migrated to Steamworks next year, my interest in continuing to develop this tool has been sparked again. I'll work on getting the save selector/restorer working, and once it moves to Steamworks, I'll remap the paths to locate the save data as soon as I figure them out.

[-3xA'Lu©κy the disappearing act]

Great to hear and I hope this helps a lot of users.

Fingers crossed that the Steamworks update has this problem addressed... but that's probably wishful thinking.

[「Sh1k1」]

Even if it does address the issue, I still plan on continuing to develop the backup/restore functionality, since it can technically be used to "cheat" during co-op games (usually by stocking one of the players with craploads of ammo, saving, then reverting to an old save -- that means the receiving player gets all the exchanged ammo, and the giving player still has his stuff as if they never gave it away). It's one of the only ways to cheat in the game, since using trainers or similar tools WILL fuck up your file, guaranteed.