[Hitaxas]

So I was working on my hack, fixing up some object placements in SonED2. Just as I went to save, the program crashed. This caused me to lose months of hard work, I open SonED2 again to find the level data is completely scrambled, art/mappings/object placement is all gone.

Luckily I have saved a build of the game from before the crash.


So my question is: How, if at all possible, could I revive the art/mappings/object placement for the level from the rom?

Can it be done? Or am I fucked and have to start all over?


Edit: Origin game is Sonic 2 if people need to know.

This post has been edited by Hitaxas: 22 December 2010 - 09:30 PM

[Caitlin]

If you have a basic understanding of how pointer tables work, you should be able to find some relevant to your data needs in a hex editor and be able to extract the data manually from an old backup. However, with disassemblies this is a bit more difficult, so I wish you luck at least on that end.

Hell, you could even probably just make a savestate and grab the level layout that way, then use the data inside the savestate to grab the object location info/mappings info.

[SoullessSentinel]

Not relevent to the question at hand, but, I suggest starting to use a basic backup system. When I work on a hack, after making any major changes, I RAR up my hacks folder, date it, and give it a filename relevent to the change. I have a "s1hack_backups" subfolder next to my "s1_hack" folder to store them all in.

If you do this, or something simular, you can look back at earlier revisions to recover things, should anything like this happen again.

[Hitaxas]

I have backed up the source before, I am a little lucky I guess. However, the source is much older and lacks some of the 16x16 and 128x128 tile.

I am able to recover the latest 8x8 tiles tiles using debugens and some of the 16x16 and 128x128 tiles using the older source backup. I guess I will just have to rebuild everything. At least I do not have to redraw everything. I would rage.

[Caitlin]

It's also a good idea to copy those backups to another drive, CD or flash drive in case your hard drive fails as well. If your hard drive fails and you don't do that, you not only lose your current work, but your backups as well which defeats the purpose.

[Andlabs]

You should have been doing nightly backups all along. I suggest doing what Katelynn said in the first reply before rebuilding everything again and wasting even more time with this project.

On top of nightly backups: use version control and make commits at least nightly (or after fixing bugs or doing steps of adding features). If something crashes, just go back to the last working revision. It's good for both crashed-based data loss (as the repo is never touched by programs other than those that manage the repository) as well as testing new things (as you can make branches and add new features in those branches and then merge them back if you're confident of the features). I suggest using git so you don't have to worry about setting up a server.

This post has been edited by Andlabs: 22 December 2010 - 10:14 PM

[Hendricks 266]

Andlabs, is there a way to set that up locally, without some sort of server or other location to store the repo?

[Andlabs]

Yes, with git just go into the folder where you want your program and

CODE

git init

git is decentralized so there's no central server; "servers" like github are just canonical servers that everyone agrees is the source for de facto builds. There's also a TortoiseGit for Windows users but I haven't had it work.

This post has been edited by Andlabs: 22 December 2010 - 10:27 PM

[The Shad]

It would help if someone would make a new tool like SonED2 that isn't shit.

[Hitaxas]

Yes, I admit I should have been backing up often. However recent events have prevented me from typically doing so, but the most occurring reason however, being pure forgetfulness.

I have been under constant stress with the new job (Yay walmart... seriously though, place sucks), and the fact that my parents kicked me out of their house not long ago. Eh, this is getting off topic...


Anyway, I took the long route and recreated the 16x16 and 128x128 tiles. Had I switched back to Chrome and saw Katelynn's response, I would have been able to get it done sooner. >.<

[Andlabs]

Then set it to an automatic backup =P

Anyway good luck with everything (including work) =P

[Hitaxas]

Funny enough new job is going to become old job. I am moving down to NC next week. Thanks for the suggestion also, Andlabs. I will look into it.

[Hanoch]

If only SonEd2 had a data restore system ala chrome or IE restart previous websites, it would be much easier for hackers to backup (takes less space)
In fact, why doesn't it have savestates like SonMapEd?

[iojnekns]

Can you clarify something?

So I was working on my hack, fixing up some object placements in SonED2. Just as I went to save, the program crashed. This caused me to lose months of hard work, I open SonED2 again to find the level data is completely scrambled, art/mappings/object placement is all gone.

I would hardly call a single session of SonED2 "months of hard work".

The only way I can understand the loss of "months of hard work" is if the crash caused damage to your only copy of the disassembly. Which would imply, as implasuible as it is, that you have no backups, no version control, no archive of previous builds...

Sometimes it takes a hard lesson to make people learn. Download this.

It would help if someone would make a new tool like SonED2 that isn't shit.

Spoken like someone with vast and extensive experience with the tool. Moron.

[Hitaxas]

Can you clarify something?

So I was working on my hack, fixing up some object placements in SonED2. Just as I went to save, the program crashed. This caused me to lose months of hard work, I open SonED2 again to find the level data is completely scrambled, art/mappings/object placement is all gone.

I would hardly call a single session of SonED2 "months of hard work".

The only way I can understand the loss of "months of hard work" is if the crash caused damage to your only copy of the disassembly. Which would imply, as implasuible as it is, that you have no backups, no version control, no archive of previous builds...

Sometimes it takes a hard lesson to make people learn. Download this.

It was my primary copy of the source. I had a backup from around 3 months ago (yes it has been far too long since I backed up, but this is due to the many reasons I posted earlier.). So yes, I did lose months of work. New 16x16 and 128x128 tiles were lost, along with the level layout and object placement.

Hope that is clear enough.


As for TortoiseSVN, thank you. I am grabbing it right now.