Rayman 3 Save Files & Save System
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 3:14 pm
Hi everyone! I'm new to the community but had followed it for a while. I wanted to do something for the community in order to start getting noticed, but it wasn't easy. There are a lot of people that do really quality stuff, and I didn't know what I could do to be useful in compear to the others. So I want to start with something simple but helpful.
I've took a look at RaySaves, and tried the save files of Rayman 3 to access to every single section of the game. It works correctly, but the save files are not very organized and well named, and the order of the levels that are shown in the game it's a mess. So I investigated on it, and I found out how exactly the save system in Rayman 3 for PC works.
In every version you can name a save file with a maximum of 5 uppercases and numbers, but in the PC version you can rename the save files however you want. You just have to rename the save file that you want in the SaveGame folder.
If you've installed Rayman 3 from GOG, the SaveGame folder should be located in the path C:\GOG\Games\Rayman 3\GAMEDATA\SaveGame. If you've installed Rayman 3 from the Ubisoft Store or from the disc, the SaveGame folder should be located in the path C:\Users\(your Windows user name)\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Rayman 3\GAMEDATA\SaveGame, allthough the game folder will be in C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Rayman 3.
NOTE: You can swap the SaveGame folder location or put it directly in the game folder (in case you've installed the game from the disc or from the Ubisoft Store) and they will be recognized not only by the game itself, but from Rayman Control Panel as well. Also, if you don't see the SaveGame folder in either of the two paths, you can make it appear by just creating a new save file in the game, and it will be saved in the path dependent by your type of installation as mentioned above. Alternatively you can just manually create the folder yourself in either of the two paths (make sure the names are typed correctly and remember that the SaveGame folder must be putted inside the GAMEDATA folder in order to be recognized by the game).
WARNING: If you have one or more save files that have the same exact name in both paths, they will appear as only one in the game. If the save files are different internally but have the same exact name, one of the files will override the other one, not actually overwriting the file itself, but just be picked by the game over the other ones that have the same exact name. Try to avoid this kind of situation as it can create confusion.
Once you've renamed the save file you wanted in the SaveGame folder, the game will recognize it with whatever name you've renamed the save file into. But that's not all, there is more that you can do with this trick. If a save file uses a maximum of 9 characters, the game will recognize it normally, and when you finish a stage it will save it correctly, however, if the save file uses more than 9 characters, the game will still recognize the save file, except the game will not overwrite the save file when you finish a stage.
This trick can be used to create a complete stage select. All you have to do is play the game normally, and when you want to create a save file for that specific section, just copy the save file that you are playing, so that the save file that you've copied will always take you to that specific section. Repeat the process from start to finish of the game and you'll get a full stage select! You can even decide if you want the game to overwrite your save files or not when you finish a stage by just rename it using less or more than 9 characters. With less then 9 characters, the game will overwrite the save file correctly when you finish a stage. With more than 9 characters, the game will not overwrite the save file when you finish a stage.
Now, this may seems a little bit more complicate than what it seems, but once you learn the trick, it becomes a feature of the game itself. But don't worry, I already created a new pack with all the save files of the game.
Here you can download a better, well organized and well named pack with all the save files for every single section of the game, including a save file of the game completed with every extra unlocked and all the cages smashed:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/3zo3oggp ... s.zip/file
There are 3 different ways I named all the save files: Original Titles, Normal Titles and Alternative Titles.
NOTE: The names of the save files may be different, but the save files are the exact same for all 3 of the folders.
The differences between my save files pack and the one on RaySaves are a lot, so let me explein them.
To start, the method I used to create this save files pack is exactly the one I described early: I played the game from start to finish and copied every save file for every section of each stage while I was playing it, while the pack on RaySaves was done revisiting every stage after completed the game. I did my playthrough smashing every cage in avery level and collecting a fair amount of score for every section. In addition to that, every section starts with full health.
The only sections when you don't have full health are:
The pack on RaySaves most probably use cheats of some sort to set the score of every level at 0 and having full health on every stage (even in stages where you can't normally have full health, as listed above). Plus, the RaySaves save files are named weirdly, and they are not even in chronological order, while the ones on my pack are named way better and are perfectly chronological ordinated from start to finish of the game. Of course you can rename the save files on the RaySaves pack, and use the trick with the 9 characters to choose if you want the game to save after finishing a stage or not, and the same goes for the save files of my pack, but you can't ordinate them in a better chronological order, and the same goes for my pack as well, so it's entirely up to you which pack of save files you want to use. Feel free to use every save file you want and modify it however you want. If you have trouble with something, read again the description or ask direcly to me.
Oh, and before I forget, I have to give a warning. This regards another feature of the save files system of Rayman 3 on PC, so hear me out.
I had mention how the game overwrite the save files once you finish a stage if they have less then 9 characters, and when they have more then 9 characters, the game doesn't overwirte them. However, there is a limit to the amount of characters you can use. The game can register a save file of a maximum of 26 characters, so if you add just another characters the game will crash when it tries to display it in the main menu. So never rename a save file with more than 26 characters.
I also have to mention that if you have imported the save files from the Original Titles folder, the game will crash when it tries to read The Summit Beyond the Clouds 3, since it has 30 characters. So I don't recommand using that folder and only keep that for reference, but if you want to use that folder for some reason, then reduce the number of characters and rename it in something like The Summit Beyond Clouds or Summit Byeond the Clouds, and it should work. Speaking of which, The Land of the Livid Dead and The Desert of the Knaaren have this problem as well, so if you want to use that folder, follow the exemple above and it should work correctly.
I hope to have been helpful.
I've took a look at RaySaves, and tried the save files of Rayman 3 to access to every single section of the game. It works correctly, but the save files are not very organized and well named, and the order of the levels that are shown in the game it's a mess. So I investigated on it, and I found out how exactly the save system in Rayman 3 for PC works.
In every version you can name a save file with a maximum of 5 uppercases and numbers, but in the PC version you can rename the save files however you want. You just have to rename the save file that you want in the SaveGame folder.
If you've installed Rayman 3 from GOG, the SaveGame folder should be located in the path C:\GOG\Games\Rayman 3\GAMEDATA\SaveGame. If you've installed Rayman 3 from the Ubisoft Store or from the disc, the SaveGame folder should be located in the path C:\Users\(your Windows user name)\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Rayman 3\GAMEDATA\SaveGame, allthough the game folder will be in C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Rayman 3.
NOTE: You can swap the SaveGame folder location or put it directly in the game folder (in case you've installed the game from the disc or from the Ubisoft Store) and they will be recognized not only by the game itself, but from Rayman Control Panel as well. Also, if you don't see the SaveGame folder in either of the two paths, you can make it appear by just creating a new save file in the game, and it will be saved in the path dependent by your type of installation as mentioned above. Alternatively you can just manually create the folder yourself in either of the two paths (make sure the names are typed correctly and remember that the SaveGame folder must be putted inside the GAMEDATA folder in order to be recognized by the game).
WARNING: If you have one or more save files that have the same exact name in both paths, they will appear as only one in the game. If the save files are different internally but have the same exact name, one of the files will override the other one, not actually overwriting the file itself, but just be picked by the game over the other ones that have the same exact name. Try to avoid this kind of situation as it can create confusion.
Once you've renamed the save file you wanted in the SaveGame folder, the game will recognize it with whatever name you've renamed the save file into. But that's not all, there is more that you can do with this trick. If a save file uses a maximum of 9 characters, the game will recognize it normally, and when you finish a stage it will save it correctly, however, if the save file uses more than 9 characters, the game will still recognize the save file, except the game will not overwrite the save file when you finish a stage.
This trick can be used to create a complete stage select. All you have to do is play the game normally, and when you want to create a save file for that specific section, just copy the save file that you are playing, so that the save file that you've copied will always take you to that specific section. Repeat the process from start to finish of the game and you'll get a full stage select! You can even decide if you want the game to overwrite your save files or not when you finish a stage by just rename it using less or more than 9 characters. With less then 9 characters, the game will overwrite the save file correctly when you finish a stage. With more than 9 characters, the game will not overwrite the save file when you finish a stage.
Now, this may seems a little bit more complicate than what it seems, but once you learn the trick, it becomes a feature of the game itself. But don't worry, I already created a new pack with all the save files of the game.
Here you can download a better, well organized and well named pack with all the save files for every single section of the game, including a save file of the game completed with every extra unlocked and all the cages smashed:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/3zo3oggp ... s.zip/file
There are 3 different ways I named all the save files: Original Titles, Normal Titles and Alternative Titles.
- Original Titles: The original name of every stage, followed by the number indicating the section of the level.
- Normal Titles: Like the Original Titles, but the names are only composed of two words for each stage. Because of this, some names have been slightly changed.
- Alternative Titles: Here I named every save file approximatly to what every section includes. The numbers indicating the sections for each stage are not present here.
NOTE: The names of the save files may be different, but the save files are the exact same for all 3 of the folders.
The differences between my save files pack and the one on RaySaves are a lot, so let me explein them.
To start, the method I used to create this save files pack is exactly the one I described early: I played the game from start to finish and copied every save file for every section of each stage while I was playing it, while the pack on RaySaves was done revisiting every stage after completed the game. I did my playthrough smashing every cage in avery level and collecting a fair amount of score for every section. In addition to that, every section starts with full health.
The only sections when you don't have full health are:
- At the very beginning of the game.
- In the second part of The Summit Beyond the Clouds (because it's impossible to not take any damage in the battleship section)
- After finished the game and revisiting a stage, where you'll start with more or less half health, due to the armaguiddon final fight with Reflux that arbitrairly reduces your health bar.
The pack on RaySaves most probably use cheats of some sort to set the score of every level at 0 and having full health on every stage (even in stages where you can't normally have full health, as listed above). Plus, the RaySaves save files are named weirdly, and they are not even in chronological order, while the ones on my pack are named way better and are perfectly chronological ordinated from start to finish of the game. Of course you can rename the save files on the RaySaves pack, and use the trick with the 9 characters to choose if you want the game to save after finishing a stage or not, and the same goes for the save files of my pack, but you can't ordinate them in a better chronological order, and the same goes for my pack as well, so it's entirely up to you which pack of save files you want to use. Feel free to use every save file you want and modify it however you want. If you have trouble with something, read again the description or ask direcly to me.
Oh, and before I forget, I have to give a warning. This regards another feature of the save files system of Rayman 3 on PC, so hear me out.
I had mention how the game overwrite the save files once you finish a stage if they have less then 9 characters, and when they have more then 9 characters, the game doesn't overwirte them. However, there is a limit to the amount of characters you can use. The game can register a save file of a maximum of 26 characters, so if you add just another characters the game will crash when it tries to display it in the main menu. So never rename a save file with more than 26 characters.
I also have to mention that if you have imported the save files from the Original Titles folder, the game will crash when it tries to read The Summit Beyond the Clouds 3, since it has 30 characters. So I don't recommand using that folder and only keep that for reference, but if you want to use that folder for some reason, then reduce the number of characters and rename it in something like The Summit Beyond Clouds or Summit Byeond the Clouds, and it should work. Speaking of which, The Land of the Livid Dead and The Desert of the Knaaren have this problem as well, so if you want to use that folder, follow the exemple above and it should work correctly.
I hope to have been helpful.
