Edit ingame data

[zjiel]

Hi all,


I'm relatively new to FOF and still in the process of exploring the game. I've discovered that the game assigns random values to players' skill sets based on their overall value, which I find intriguing. However, I've noticed that some values in my save game don't add up, so I would like to change them. Is there any way to edit the save game files? I've found the 'players.dat' file in my save folder, but I haven't managed to open or convert it as a readable file. Help will be appreciated.

[Haiku]

You can edit player data, but it is only applicable before starting a new saved game. You can't edit player data in existing saves.

If you want to edit data before starting a new save, go to:

\Steam\steamapps\common\Front Office Football Nine\default_data

The files you need are:

2023_players.csv
2023_quarterbacks.csv

Google for information on how to import/export CSV files into Excel.

[zjiel]

Originally Posted by Haiku

You can edit player data, but it is only applicable before starting a new saved game. You can't edit player data in existing saves.

If you want to edit data before starting a new save, go to:

\Steam\steamapps\common\Front Office Football Nine\default_data

The files you need are:

2023_players.csv
2023_quarterbacks.csv

Google for information on how to import/export CSV files into Excel.

I know the csv files in the game folder are easy to access. However, I would like to edit the .dat files in the save game folder.

[Haiku]

Originally Posted by zjiel

I know the csv files in the game folder are easy to access. However, I would like to edit the .dat files in the save game folder.

No chance, unless you are familiar with coding and know the exact software used to create this file. Some of them are kind of text based, but the one used with FOF isn't. The information inside is a binary data. I suppose only Jim can access it.

[zjiel]

Originally Posted by Haiku

No chance, unless you are familiar with coding and know the exact software used to create this file. Some of them are kind of text based, but the one used with FOF isn't. The information inside is a binary data. I suppose only Jim can access it.

I am familiar with the file type and coding. The reason I ask is that reverse engineering is quite time consuming. So it should be wonderful if anyone has (partly) decoded the files already. Really like the game so far btw.

[Wilbdman]

The one utilized with FOF is not text-based, unlike several of them. The data stored within is in binary format.

[Caligari]

Originally Posted by zjiel

I am familiar with the file type and coding. The reason I ask is that reverse engineering is quite time consuming. So it should be wonderful if anyone has (partly) decoded the files already. Really like the game so far btw.

I have done some work on decoding the data files. That work is incomplete at the moment. In particular I cannot decode all player files when the starting league configuration is not standard.

I fully intend to nut it out, but haven't had a chance to get back to it for a few weeks now.

[zjiel]

Originally Posted by Caligari

I have done some work on decoding the data files. That work is incomplete at the moment. In particular I cannot decode all player files when the starting league configuration is not standard.

I fully intend to nut it out, but haven't had a chance to get back to it for a few weeks now.

If you manage to do that sometime that would be great!



Still believe the availability of some sort of ingame editor (like in DDPSl) would be a great addition to the game.

[james17]

Originally Posted by zjiel

Still believe the availability of some sort of ingame editor (like in DDPSl) would be a great addition to the game.

I have no way of really knowing, but I would think Jim would have an editor that he uses since he's the developer. It would be so great if he would share it with us.

[NawlinsFan]

At some point one has to ask whether or not the attempt to reverse engineer a product is legitmate and legal. Sure the apparent intent here is the desire to potentially alter portions of it to better support the creation of league structure and player information but where does it stop? At some point one can see where someone could/would be interested in capturing the key elements of the games construct and either use it for their own, or another entities, gain. With this I can see Jim as being very restrictive with what he will or wants to allow as this is a part of his livelyhood.

[garion333]

Originally Posted by NawlinsFan

At some point one has to ask whether or not the attempt to reverse engineer a product is legitmate and legal. Sure the apparent intent here is the desire to potentially alter portions of it to better support the creation of league structure and player information but where does it stop? At some point one can see where someone could/would be interested in capturing the key elements of the games construct and either use it for their own, or another entities, gain. With this I can see Jim as being very restrictive with what he will or wants to allow as this is a part of his livelyhood.

From the EULA:

We encourage developers to create third-party utilities based on Front Office Football internal data structures. These data structures are intellectual property belonging to Solecismic Software and are subject to copyright. These structures may change without warning in future products or product updates. Use of these data structures outside of the game is restricted. We give developers permission to create products based on our data structures that do not tamper with the copy protection as long as they do not accept any payment of any kind in return for providing or distributing these products. That said and out of the way, we really do appreciate those of you who go to the trouble of providing utilities for the community.

I would love to setup my own Excel workbooks to pull some data out and make pretty charts, but until someone cracks the data we won't be able to do it.

I don't know how it was cracked open before, but I too greatly appreciate those who managed to do so. It's likely the entire reason FOF has been around this long. Without Draft Analyzer, Interrogator, and the other tools there would almost certainly be no FOF community.