Serial Number issue - an idea...

[Aular]

{rant}
Every time I have to deal with character management in this game, I realize Sega really dropped the ball here. It's so aweful to try and do anything reasonable. I know they were trying to prevent cheating ... but that's happened anyway.
{/rant}

So. My issue. I've searched the forums and found bits and pieces of this info, but not this specific question.

I had a roomate who had a copy of PSO. I used my memory card to jump online while he still lived here, and his information got entered into the Serial Number and access key spots. This is bad, because I now have my own PSO copy. I know I can't edit the settings (from an earlier post), and that the information is tied to the Character or System files.

Now, I read a while ago on here that there was a program for the PC that transfered files from a memory card on to the PC. Character files are tied to Format IDs on memory cards, so my question is -- could I use some kind of combination of this program with deleting the system file to perhaps change the serial number?

My idea:

1. Use the PC program to connect to the GC and copy the Character File.

2. Delete the files on the card (GULP).

3. Re-setup the card with my Serial number info.

4. Copy the Character file back on to the Card with the PC program.

Does anyone have experience with this? Would this work? I don't have a spare card to test this with (another beef I have with the game ... all this space on the card and I can only have FOUR characters).

Your help is appreciated!

*bows*
Aular of the Light

[VioletSkye]

On 2004-03-23 17:21, Aular wrote:
{rant}
Every time I have to deal with character management in this game, I realize Sega really dropped the ball here. It's so aweful to try and do anything reasonable. I know they were trying to prevent cheating ... but that's happened anyway.
{/rant}

So. My issue. I've searched the forums and found bits and pieces of this info, but not this specific question.

I had a roomate who had a copy of PSO. I used my memory card to jump online while he still lived here, and his information got entered into the Serial Number and access key spots. This is bad, because I now have my own PSO copy. I know I can't edit the settings (from an earlier post), and that the information is tied to the Character or System files.

Now, I read a while ago on here that there was a program for the PC that transfered files from a memory card on to the PC. Character files are tied to Format IDs on memory cards, so my question is -- could I use some kind of combination of this program with deleting the system file to perhaps change the serial number?

My idea:

1. Use the PC program to connect to the GC and copy the Character File.

2. Delete the files on the card (GULP).

3. Re-setup the card with my Serial number info.

4. Copy the Character file back on to the Card with the PC program.

Does anyone have experience with this? Would this work? I don't have a spare card to test this with (another beef I have with the game ... all this space on the card and I can only have FOUR characters).

Your help is appreciated!

*bows*
Aular of the Light


Won't work. I'm too lazy and to apathetic about PSO these days to explain it all again, but once you get online with those chars, your char and guild files become tied to that serial and access number.

Do NOT delete your system file. Every other file on your card is tied to that and if you delete it, it will recreate ALL THE FILES and you will lose everything on that card.

If you were to copy the PSO files onto the PC, and then delete them so that you could create new files on your memory card that would be tied to your serial and access, then transferred the Char file back over from your PC, it will simply corrupt. Same exact thing happens when using a USB card (which uses the same save format which is a .gci file.) I tested long long ago with other users who emailed me there save files and what we soon discovered was:

1. If you tried to restore all their emailed files onto your USB it would corrupt because the memory card ID doesn't match.

2. If you tried to restore only their char file (supposing that theoretically they had the same ID), it would still corrupt because the serial and access key on the rest of the files would not jive with the new char file.

Basically what I'm saying is that ALL the files must jive in terms of the serial and access key tied to them.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2004-03-23 17:55 ]</font>

[Aular]

Won't work. I'm too lazy and to apathetic about PSO these days to explain it all again, but once you get online with those chars, your char and guild files become tied to that serial and access number.

Do NOT delete your system file. Every other file on your card is tied to that and if you delete it, it will recreate ALL THE FILES and you will lose everything on that card.

If you were to copy the PSO files onto the PC, and then delete them so that you could create new files on your memory card that would be tied to your serial and access, then transferred the Char file back over from your PC, it will simply corrupt. Same exact thing happens when using a USB card (which uses the same save format which is a .gci file.) I tested long long ago with other users who emailed me there save files and what we soon discovered was:

1. If you tried to restore all their emailed files onto your USB it would corrupt because the memory card ID doesn't match.

2. If you tried to restore only their char file (supposing that theoretically they had the same ID), it would still corrupt because the serial and access key on the rest of the files would not jive with the new char file.

Basically what I'm saying is that ALL the files must jive in terms of the serial and access key tied to them.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2004-03-23 17:55 ]</font>


I was afraid of something like that. The character management of this game never ceases to frustrate me.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

*bows*
Aular of the Light