This app will decode save files from games made in the Godot save engine encrypted with its in-engine password-based function. You can then edit the save data inside the app, or in a separate text editor of your choice before encrypting the save file for use in your game! You will need to find the password your game uses for encryption on your own; this may or may not entail reverse-engineering the game or extracting the package file, and may not may not be against the license your game is distributed under. Please do your own research regarding what is permissible in your jurisdiction!
- Download from the releases page
- Extract the file in a place you can easily access it
- Mac Users: I do not have $99/year to obtain an Apple programming license. The app will be considered "unnotarized" on Mac and you may need to extract it in a specific folder. Follow the instructions from the official Godot tutorial to run the app.
- Run DEBUTTS.exe (or .dmg or whatever your OS calls it)
- Find out the encryption password needed for your game. See the heading below for more information!
- Enter the game's password in the top box
- Click the folder icon to browser to your save file; its contents will be decrypted and displayed in the big window on the left.
- Make changes as needed
- You can also make your changes in a separate text editor then copy-paste the contents into the window.
- Click the floppy disc icon and choose where to save your edited file
- Open your game, load the file, and see what changes ye hath wrought!
"Walt sent me." If it isn't that, you've got some sleuthin' to do! The password is almost certainly somewhere in the game data. That game data may be encrypted, stored in a package file, stored in the game executable, or otherwise obfuscated. This means you may need to use tools available to unpackage or decompile the game data in order to get the information you need. You might also have some luck using a hex editor and looking for features related to saving the game -- for Windows, I like HxD.
Looking into any kind of questions related to obfuscating save data in Godot forums turns up, time and time again, that the engine makes it all-too-easy to un-obfuscate things. That doesn't mean it's OK, though! Do so at your own risk, legal or otherwise.
Take a look at the "User://" section in the Godot Engine tutorials, but to keep it short, the best guess is:
| OS | Possible locations |
|---|---|
| Windows | %APPDATA%\[custom_user_dir_name] %APPDATA%\Godot\app_userdata\[project_name] %APPDATA%\[project_name] |
| MacOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Godot/app_userdata/[project_name] ~/Library/Application Support/[custom_user_dir_name] ~/Library/Application Support/[project_name] |
| Linux | ~/.local/share/[project_name] ~/.local/share/[custom_user_dir_name] ~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/[project_name] |
If you open a file and you don't see it's data in the main window, you probably have the wrong password. Right now, if the app fails to open a file, it does so silently without any feedback, but that's going to be your issue 99% of the time.
If you know you have the right password, or the file opens with the password but it gibberish, tweet @SushiKishi and let me know so I can look into it. It's probably an engine version issue; this app is built in Godot 4 so the encryption may have changed from older versions.
If you edit your save file and can no longer open it in your game, it could be one of any number of issues. I would start by trying to open your newly-updated save file in DEBUTTS with the same password and make sure the file contents are actually being saved. If it is being saved, check that your JSON is valid in a JSON validator like JSONlint or check your Serialization-based file to missing brackets or parenthesis -- the only web-based app I can find for this is Balance Braces, but be advised it doesn't use HTTPS protocol.
If you save your file, but now it's empty when you open it in the app, well, this shouldn't happen but it might if you save without any password entered.
If DEBUTTS detects you're overwriting a file that already exists, it should make a backup for you. The backup folder is in the same folder the application is in and is sorted by date and time. Regardless, you should take care not to lose your precious save data, as the developer is not responsible for any lost information.
- Start a list of known save-file decryption passwords for games
- It sure would be nice to be able to validate JSON inside the app. I know how to get it to tell you when it isn't valid, but not how to tell you where it's wrong yet.
The short version of the CC By 4.0 license is summarized by the deed available at the Creative Commons website, which states the following:
- You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. -The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
- Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
The complete and legally-binding version of the license is under LICENSE.md.
See the CREDITS.md file.