I'm trying to create some software that will allow direct editing of TPT stamps/saves. However while I've accomplished the task of being able to decompress and recompress BZIP2 compressed data, I noticed it's VERY easy to still break a save. Replacing something like DMND (which doesn't use any extra variables) with something like ICE or NEUT (which does use a "ctype" var or "life" var correspondingly) causes TPT to crash upon loading the save (or at least refuse to load it) as that extra variable for that pixel wasn't stored in the save file (and so TPT looks in the save for a nonexistent variable). Also it seems that the other way around (replacing a something that needs extra vars with something that doesn't) may also cause issues.

So I'll need to know 2 things:
1) What elements use extra variables (and what those vars are) and what elements don't need extra variables
2) How those extra variables are stored in a save file.

@gamax92 (View Post)
Because some of the things I'd want to make (like perfect sinewave, etc) require mathematical algorithms (NOT HAND DRAWING) to create correctly.

An example of what my program can do so far (when it by chance does NOT create an incompatible file) can be seen here.

Yes, and official rules say I'm not allowed to upload these. However I posted this only as an example of what I'm trying to accomplish, and as an explanation of why I'll need some technical assistance here. Specifically about the data structure used in the save/stamp files, and info on what elements use extra variables.

Still this thread remains a request thread for technical assistance in the matters of:
1) What elements use extra variables (and what those vars are) and what elements don't need extra variables
2) How those extra variables are stored in a save file.

Please help me here.