Table of ContentsThis is a set of pages intended to serve as a user manual \ FAQ for Terrasavr. If there are particular questions that are not covered here, you can also contact me. Pages by categories:Saving and loading: Using Terrasavr:
Misc:
Locating PLR files"PLR" (short for "Player"?) is the file extension used by Terraria when storing character information. The files themselves are small (usually under 10KB) and contain tightly packed information about the character's stats, visuals, inventory contents, and few other things. Whereabouts of the files vary by platform: WindowsSaved characters in Terraria for Windows are located in My Documents » My Games » Terraria » PlayersMost often these are in your "personal" folder (as opposed to "shared" folders). If needed, you can also quickly bring up this location via "Run" or "Explorer" by using a relative address: %UserProfile%\Documents\My Games\Terraria\Players MacSaved characters in Terraria for Mac are located in ~/Library/Application Support/Terraria/PlayersThe easiest way to get there is:
Alternatively you may use the search feature in "Finder" to locate the folder. LinuxSaved characters in Terraria for Linux are located in ~/.local/share/Terraria/PlayersYou can usually "cd" there just fine. If using a file manager application, the process is as following:
Depending on your configuration, the files may instead reside in $XDG_DATA_HOME/Terraria/Players iOS/Android(see the Mobile section) Use with TerrasavrUsually you should be able to navigate to the saved characters folder directly from the browser's "file picker" dialog. If that is not possible, you can often copy the file path to clipboard (e.g. "C:/.../Terraria/Players/Yellow.plr") and paste it into the dialog. If that is not possible either (or unnecessarily complicated), you can copy the file(s) into an easily accessible location, work with file(s) there, and copy the file(s) back afterwards. Troubleshooting loading problemsThis page houses a list of common problems that you may encounter while loading files and their resolutions. "Failed to dispatch FileReader"Means that program has received the file, but could not read it due to certain functionality not being present in the browser. Resolved by using the Flash version, but trying a different (newer) browser also may work. "The file is empty"
Quite literally, means that the file uploaded contains nothing inside (size is 0KB). "That doesn't look like a valid character file"Due to how the game encodes\decodes the files, their size (in bytes) can only be a multiplier of 16. This error means that the chosen file's size isn't, most likely due to corruption or otherwise missing fragments. "Failed to load profile. The error was ..."Is an error from the underlying file reading routines. If neither the regular nor Flash versions can load the file, it usually means that it is corrupt or in wrong format (for example, mods may have an incompatible format for files). Troubleshooting saving problemsThis page houses a list of common problems that you may encounter while saving files and their resolutions. Nothing happens upon clicking "Save"Usually means that either:
Trying the Flash version or a different browser may help. The browser opens a new tab with gibberish textMeans that your browser, for some reason (perhaps extension being shared with something else), had decided to display the incoming PLR file as text instead (which it isn't). You should be able to "save" (default Ctrl+S) the opened file just fine. The browser opens a blank tab (without anything in it)This is an issue that occurs on certain versions of Safari on Mac - the browser, for reasons uncertain, may not understand that it was given a file and is supposed to be displaying a dialog for letting the user choose where to save it. While I'm yet to find a solution (if any) to this on program's side, there are a couple of possible workarounds:
The game considers the edited character corruptIf the character wasn't corrupt before opening it with the Terrasavr, it may mean that you've found a bug in the program. If you can send me a copy of the initial (.plr\.bak) and the corrupt (.plr) files along with a short description of what you were doing, that'd be nice (and I would have a chance to fix the problem). The game ignores the changes to the characterMake sure that the game is closed or is at the title screen while editing.
The game crashes time to time \ on "Exit and Save"This is a very rare problem related to the browser sometimes setting the downloaded files as "read-only". Open "Properties" for both .plr and .bak files and untick the "read-only" checkbox if it is set and apply changes. Some of the added items\stats\... are missingWhile you may change the character file pretty much as you please (and Terrasavr helps with that), the game reserves the right to ignore the changes as it sees fit:
However, here's a small list of things that do work while they shouldn't:
Editing the character
General character-related information can be edited via the "Character" tab. FormatFile format version. If you want to migrate the character to an earlier version of the game, this can be used. Version options are grouped by functionality introduced - you only need to set this to a version earlier or equal to the game version used. HealthCurrent and maximum health. Click the according number and input the new value. ManaCurrent and maximum mana. Click the according number and input the new value. ModeMode\difficulty. Setting a character to Hardcore mode requires confirmation to avoid accidents. "Expert mode" is set for worlds rather than for characters. Hair styleDetermines the looks of the character's haircut. You can enter an index manually or use arrow-buttons to switch through over the hundred of ones available. GenderDetermines the character's gender. Gender in Terraria only affects the character's appearance and "hurt" sound effects. Cloth styleControls the appearance of character's default clothes. Terrasavr currently does not display these separately, meaning that you may have to experiment with the options to see how each one looks. ColorsThe set of options determines the colors of character's features and default clothes. Colors are entered in hexadecimal format. You can find applications to aid you with picking a color visually by searching "hexadecimal color picker online" or so. A in-program color picker is planned for a later update. Fishing quests completeThe number of quests completed for the Angler. Higher number means better rewards for the new quests, but only up until 150. Due to a code error, rewards for quests 151+ will have similar odds to those on quest 1. The issue persists since the introduction of fishing quests and is not fixed as of 1.3.0.7. Extra accessoryWhether the extra accessory slot for "expert mode" worlds have been unlocked. Has no effect in non-expert-mode worlds. Editing itemsThe character's possessions are shown across multiple tabs, akin to how they are shown in-game. Managing itemsItems can be managed in roughly the same way as they can be in Terraria:
Adding items
The most common way to add items is through use of "library". To do so, click "Library" on the right, and select a desired item library from the list. Editing itemsWhenever an item slot is clicked, it becomes selected (indicated via a border around it). The selected item can then be edited via the "Edit" tab on the right side. There you can change the item ID (if you know the desired one), change the item quantity, or change it's prefix. All of three are done by clicking the according number and inputting the new value. For convenience, the bottom of the "Edit" tab is filled with prefix categories, with items being clickable to quickly apply one or other prefix to the item. Restocking itemsIf you need to stack up an item to max capacity, you can do so by middle-clicking it (alternatively, ctrl+clicking). This can be handy for restoring the used up stacks of materials or "preparing" the library tab before filling the inventory tab with item stacks. Setting modifiers\prefixesTo change an item' modifier, you need to:
Note that different kinds of items can have different prefixes. If the game discards (or changes) the prefix upon loading, chances are that it's an incompatible one. Editing buffsThis is mostly akin to editing items - you have your "inventory" of active buffs, and then the catalogue on the bottom/right. Infinite buffsTerraria doesn't do infinite buffs in a conventional way - instead duration of 18000 (5 hours) is used as an indicator. For buffs that can be non-expiring (e.g. Shadow Orb), this prevents them from ticking down.
For the rest, well, you have to refill them once per 5 hours. Editing spawnpointsThis tab, previously titled "Worlds", allows you to edit your spawnpoints - that is, where you will be when you enter the world or after you die and respawn. There is very little reason to touch this tab, save for carrying over information to a new character or cleaning up old spawnpoints if you have somehow hit the 200-spawnpoint hard limit (after which you cannot set any more) Downloading \ offline useWhile Terrasavr is largely an online\browser-based program, in some cases you may want to use the program without a connection to the internet. If you have tried to save the page as-is, chances are that the local copy did not work correctly (or at all). This is due to a couple of factors:
However, that can be helped - if you download the SWF file used by the flash version, you'll be able to open it with a browser even if no internet connection is available. If you need to download this documentation, that is much easier to do - simply save any of it's pages. It is specifically designed to include all content in a single file, which then displays displays one or other part of itself depending on the input. Supported game versions/platformsTerrasavr supports a number of Terraria versions,
As result, Terrasavr is primarily intended as an character editor for desktop versions, and an character viewer for anything else. Using Terrasavr on mobileMobile 1.3 update certainly took a massive amount of effort from developers, and brings the game more in line with PC versions, including save file format and surprisingly user-friendly options for save file backup/restoration. There are some caveats, however:
With that out of the way, let's review the points of interest Finding your save filesTo much of your (and mine) convenience, there are official guides for backing up and restoring save files: Using TerrasavrAlthough you can transfer your files to a computer, edit them, and transfer them back, you can also use Terrasavr on your mobile device! So you can open Terrasavr in your mobile browser as usual, pick your save file, tweak what you must, save it back to the device (usually the file will end up in Downloads folder), and move it back to the save directory as per the official guide. Unless your device has a pretty big screen, it is generally recommended that you use Terrasavr in landscape mode (much like Terraria itself); please excuse some clunkiness - I was not warned in advance that I'd have to make it work on mobile devices. Troubleshooting
Terrasavr and console versionsAs modern console versions of Terraria are starting to update ot PC-like features and save file format, some of their save files become compatible with Terrasavr. There's a whole bunch of caveats, however:
For above reasons, I don't think the reward is worth the risk and work involved; As of writing this (Oct 2019) people have only confirmed Terrasavr to work with Switch save files. The flash versionThe flash version of the program uses Adobe Flash Player instead of JavaScript for vast majority of it's functions. While it relies on the aforementioned browser plugin to function, that permits it to work more consistently and remain independent of system and browser settings. If the regular version is not working correctly for you, the flash version is a good alternative to having to open the program in a different browser. It can also be downloaded for offline use. Feature requests \ roadmapThis page contains a list and status of commonly requested features. Set custom stats for itemsCurrently not possible: Terraria only stores a bit of information about each item in the file, namely just the item index (which item it is), item quantity (where applicable), and the item' prefix index. So that's a job for the downloadable game mods. Preview the character with armor\vanity\dyesPlanned, but don't hold your breath: while a potentially useful feature, is also a crazy amount of work - not only would I need to efficiently pack all the additional armor and particle imagery, but also precisely replicate the game's algorithms of drawing the various effects and dyes. tAPI supportImplemented: is a separate program. While item names\icons\descriptions from custom mods will not be displayed, they can be modified as long as you know the item IDs to input. Mod support"Are there plans to support mod X?" Planned: Since the character files only store item indexes (as opposed to actual stats), supporting a given mod currently requires me to make a partially altered version of the program that would recognize those items and file format changes (see above). Needless to say, that is a lot of work. In future I plan to make the program more adapted for supporting multiple formats and item sets at once. Most likely will be done together with some major UI overhaul if anything. Downloadable\executable versionPlanned: While you already can download Terrasavr for offline use, I would like at some point to make a "proper" downloadable version that would be able to save/load files without displaying file prompts every time. That is not as easy as it sounds though - web applications function quite differently to the "native" ones, and doing a native application "right" is quite different from doing a web application "right". Consistently compiling 5 versions of the program (JavaScript, Flash, Windows, Mac, Linux) would likely be a rather time-consuming process as well. Localizations"Will Terrasavr be available in language X?" Planned: Currently Terrasavr is only available in English. This is due to a couple of reasons:
I plan to experiment with more compatible approaches to displaying user interface in future, which should potentially both allow to rely on the viewer's system for font features and for translation software to be able to "read" the program's text. Software for other games"Could you make an editor for game X?" Maybe, but most likely not: Most of the time I'm extremely busy with work (which is mostly on videogames! Go take a look sometime), life, and supporting a variety of existing projects. Intents & motivationPeople sometimes ask me why I made Terrasavr, or why I still update it, so Ease of useMost of the existing tools at the time would have one or other kind of setup requirements - sometimes you'd need a .NET framework version, sometimes Java, sometimes an incredibly specific version of Python. Then, of course, you had the actual tool UI, which varied from somewhat expected to unconventional. For these reasons Terrasavr was made web-based (which means that it runs on majority of devices with no additional effort) and mimics the way UI works in Terraria itself. SafetyThere is an inherent risk to running software that you downloaded from the internet. Most of the people making tools are in for a technical challenge, but how many are ready to support these tools for years to come? You never know when a thing you use quietly changes hands twice and ends up in hands of an Israel-based company that is extremely interested in selling your entire browsing history.
So, Terrasavr is a web-based tool. I think this is a good setup to strive for. BalanceMy by-far biggest gripe with Terraria at the time of starting to work on Terrasavr (late 2013) was the scarcity of some of the essential items - most notably Magic Mirror. You'd only get 1-2 of these per a small world, so, if you wanted to play with 3 players, some of you would have to get around by foot for the entire duration. Over time this problem was gradually mitigated (first by introducing Recall Potions, then by introducing Magic Mirror variants acquired through other means), but Terrasavr remains valuable for situations where you don't want to have a huge hole in your world's desert just because you wanted some sandstone for construction. Translating TerrasavrYou can help translate Terrasavr to other languages! For this you will need a few things:
The process
Additional notes
ContactIf needed, you can contact me via the following means:
You can also ask questions in the program's topic on the official Terraria forums. |