Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity Original Sin - Mods Updating game & Source Difficulty mod versions?

Hello and thanks for reading.

Back around the end of 2014 I started a fresh D:OS game with the then-current version of the Source Difficulty mod ("too easy" being my #1 issue with the otherwise great D:OS). Shortly thereafter, the 2015 patch came out, and I knew that if I let Steam update my game, I risked compatibility with the Source Difficulty.

From what I can see, Source Difficulty has since been updated to work with the latest version of D:OS. So, my question is, What is the exact procedure for updating the game and Source Difficulty versions so that it preserves my current save game?

There are some instructions on the Source Difficulty page, but they're not entirely clear and I've put in enough hours that I really can't afford to mess this up. It also may be that these instructions pertain only to updating the Source Difficulty mod version and not both that and the game version.

If anyone can provide any insight into the correct process, that'd be extremely helpful.

Thanks!

The procedure for updating a mod while keeping your current save is as follows:

1.)Unpack your CURRENT save game with the OLD VERSION of the mod using MooseEdit (available on forums)
2.)Start a NEW GAME using the NEW VERSION of the mod you want to use and save it to a new file
3.)Unpack that NEW SAVE
4.)Move Meta.lsb from the NEW SAVE folder to your OLD SAVE folder, overwriting the old file

Should be good to go. You may get a message that your save has been tampered with, but that never caused me any issues.

Back everything up obviously.

Burgee,

Thanks very much for the response. But this isn't quite clear to me. Probably because I've never used MooseEdit.

I know I'm repeating you here, but bear with me...

1. So, I use MooseEdit to unpack my current save file. So, then I've got that unpacked.

2. Now I let Steam update D:OS to the latest version (remember, that's part of why I'm interested in this process). And I download and install the latest version of the Source Difficulty Mod that is compatible with the latest version of D:OS that I just installed.

3. I start a new game with the updated D:OS and the latest version of Source Difficulty active. I take it that it doesn't matter what characters I generate, etc.

4. I use MooseEdit to unpack this new save game.

5. Here's where it gets confusing. I take a file called Meta.lsb -- I have no idea what this is or does, but I presume it generates a Meta.lsb file -- and I put it in my old save folder, overwriting the old save game that actually has my characters and their progress recorded. This seems strange, to say the least.

6. Now, how is the new version of the game with the new version of Source Difficulty running going to recognize the overwritten save in my old save game folder? I assume I have to make that folder my active save game folder now, deleting the new save game folder generated when I updated D:OS and Source Difficulty and made a save game (step 3 above).

Correct?

Perhaps you could clarify a bit more as to what specifically needs to happen in your step 4.

Thanks!

If you make a copy of the install folder somewhere else before Steam updates, you will able to continue playing that version (though starting it directly rather than through Steam will result in Steamworks features not being available: that means no achievement and playtime tracking, the Online lobby list or Steam friends invite function for co-op).
If part of the Source Difficulty mod is in the My Documents folder (either in a mods folder in '..\Documents\Larian Studios\Divinity Original Sin' or the profile folder), you would need to back that up before updating to the newer version, as well.


The meta.lsb file contains information about the save itself, for use when displaying the preview in the load window, and loading the save (contains save timestamp, version info, game time, current game map, difficulty, an md5 checksum value, etc).

Since the new save will be in Cyseal, it would help to make sure the current save that you extract the individual files from is also on that map. If the characters were on another map they could end up somewhere unexpected, and/or outside the normal play area (though the teleporter pyramids and/or Rift Travel could allow you to recover).

It doesn't matter what characters you use for the new game. You essentially just need something telling D:OS to use the new version of the mod with that save.

The uncompressed contents of a save game are the meta.lsb file a globals.lsb file (containing all your characters' data, etc), a levelcache folder containing the state of each map area (opponents, loot, doors/hatches/switches, etc) and a couple other files.

Making a new save to swap the meta.lsb file is kind of like changing an address on a parcel; the contents don't change, just the instruction for how to handle it.

Thanks for the guidance, Raze.

Because I was rightly concerned about Steam automatically updating my game and thus invalidating the compatibility of my then-current Source Difficulty mod, I followed the instructions you kindly provided at the time to play D:OS offline. This has worked well.

I've since learned that Source Difficulty has been updated to work with the latest version of D:OS (I suppose I should clarify that at this time -- the most recent Source Difficulty is from Feb 14, 2015 and compatible with D:OS version 1.0.252.0...is that the latest D:OS?). So, in case it's not clear, that's why I'm inclined to let Steam update my game and use the latest version of Source Difficulty. However, while this probably is easy, Burgee and your comments leave me thinking it may be more trouble than it's worth.

This is to say that I'm still not sure of the exact steps I need to follow. Obviously, I need to let Steam update my Steam version of the game (to be clear, this is not the offline alternative version I'm using now). I then need to install the new version of Source Difficulty so it's active in that freshly updated game.

Now is the tricky part. I'll have my current save from the old version of the game and Source Difficulty, and I'll need to somehow export that to the new game.

I guess this is where MooseEdit comes in. At this point it all becomes a bit of blur.

I know I need to create a new save in the updated game. So, I'll then have two saves in different locations: the one in the updated game and my current that contains my progress to date.

So, let me take a stab at what you and Burgee are saying here... First, I should make sure that my unpacked current game save has all my characters in Cyseal (easy enough). Then I'm to take the meta.lsb from the new save and overwrite my old meta.lsb. At that point, I'll make my current save folder from the old version of the game/Source Difficulty also the save game folder for the updated game.

The updated game/Source Difficulty version will then accept my old save (with the new meta.lsb) like a host achieving compatibility with a transplanted organ. Correct?

So, really, all that's needed is to update a version of the game and grab an updated meta.lsb file from a new save. Then I copy over my current save game's meta.lsb and my current save folder will work with the updated D:OS.

If this is indeed correct, I have one further question. After I've used MooseEdit to unpack my old save and copied in the new meta.lsb, do I need to return to MooseEdit to "repack" it?

Any further clarification would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Yes, 1.0.252 is the latest version of the game, and will likely remain so until the upcoming large update (as of mid March, the ETA was "some months").

The saves will be in the same location, unless you create a new profile or switch to a different one.
Each save is a folder in the '..\Documents\Larian Studios\Divinity Original Sin\PlayerProfiles\<ProfileName>\Savegames' folder.

The rest of your description is correct.

You do not need to repack the save. You may want to move or rename the lsv file, though.

Thanks very much. Looks like I'm at the point where this is quite doable. Why move/rename the .lsv (I'm not sure what the .lsv is...is that the save game file?)? Is this to have a backup?

Thanks,

Erik

If you have the original lsv archive format in the save folder along with the extracted (and one replaced) files, the game can detect that something changed, and give an error message when loading it. You can ignore the error, or avoid it by moving/renaming the lsv file.

Makes sense. Thanks very much for clarifying.

About MooseEdit. I tried it tonight, but I'm not exactly sure what the point of unpacking my save game files is. They actually appear unpacked.

In my current savegame folder are:
Night Save.bmp
sanity.lsb
Globals.lsb
meta.lsb
storylog.bin
...and a LevelCache folder with:
Cyseal.lsb
Homestead.lsb
CharacterCreation.lsb

So, am I actually meant to unpack any of this...or is it already unpacked? Based on what you (Raze) wrote earlier, I'd say I have everything I need from my old save. Now it's just a matter of updating the game and the mod, creating a new save, grabbing the meta.lsb from this new save and overwriting the meta.lsb from my current save (above). Then restore my above savegame folder to its rightful place and play.

Correct?

Correct. Since your old save was made in a game version before 1.0.252, it isn't in the new compressed format, so it is only the new save you need to worry about unpacking.

Now I feel like I have all the necessary information. Thanks again, Raze. As before, very helpful.

Well, I finally got around to actually transferring my current game to the latest D:OS and Source Difficulty versions, and it appears to have worked like a charm.

So, all I needed was to copy in the new meta.lsb file, yes? All of the other files could remain intact? (Everything appears to be working just fine, but I want to confirm.) I did move the .lsv file as you mentioned, Raze.

Thanks!

Yes, the new meta.lsb file was all you needed to copy. The new save (and its lsv file) is no longer needed after that.

Very good. Thanks for confirming the procedure was a success, Raze. I'll stop bothering you (for now ).