Skip to content

Savegames

Jump to bottom
Daniel Nylander edited this page Aug 1, 2026 · 3 revisions

Savegames

Firestaff saves user data under the Firestaff configuration directory.

Typical location:

~/.firestaff/

Game data belongs under:

~/.firestaff/data/

Save files and runtime configuration are kept separate from original game data.

General Notes

  • Do not place private keys, tokens, or unrelated personal files in the game-data directory.
  • Keep backups before replacing save files from another version or platform.
  • Original-save import/export is active work and may differ per game.
  • Quick save (F5) and quick load (F9) work across all games.

Dungeon Master PC 3.4

The PC 3.4 save format is little-endian. The documented Block 2 cipher key is stored at byte offset 20, and the early save blocks are 256, 256, and 128 bytes. Champion records and portrait data are stored separately. These details are important when validating an original-save round trip: do not treat a save as a generic opaque blob or rewrite unknown sections.

Format reference: DMWeb saved-game files.

Chaos Strikes Back

CSB uses the same save format as DM1 PC 3.4. The block structure, cipher key layout, and champion record encoding are identical. CSB saves include the DSA (Dungeon-Specific Actions) state, which records actuator and sensor triggers unique to each dungeon configuration.

The original game wrote saves to a dedicated save disk. Firestaff stores CSB saves alongside other game saves in the configuration directory.

DM2: Skullkeep

DM2 uses SKSAVE.DAT as its save file. The format follows the skproject reference and is independent from the DM1/CSB save structure. Key differences:

  • DM2 saves include outdoor/indoor map state and the current map index.
  • Weather state (rain, mist, thunder) is persisted.
  • The creature and projectile tables use DM2-specific layouts.
  • Item encoding follows the GDAT type system rather than DM1 thing types.

Firestaff reads and writes SKSAVE.DAT in the original format for compatibility with other DM2 tools.

Dungeon Master Nexus

The original Saturn game saved to the console's backup RAM cartridge or internal memory. The save format is Saturn-specific and includes:

  • World state serialized from the DGN runtime.
  • Item state from the IBS (Item Binary Store) tables.
  • Monster state from MNS records.
  • Party position and champion data.

Firestaff stores Nexus saves as files in the configuration directory, using the same data layout as the Saturn backup RAM format.

Theron's Quest

The original PC Engine game saved to battery-backed SRAM on the HuCard or via the TurboGrafx CD system RAM. Save formats include:

  • SRM: battery-backed SRAM save, used by HuCard and emulators.
  • TQSV: Theron's Quest save container used by some preservation tools.

Theron's Quest is a single-champion game, so saves contain only one champion record. Dungeon progression and quest-block state are included. Firestaff reads both formats and writes to its own save directory.

Clone this wiki locally