Task 760: .V3 File Format
Task 760: .V3 File Format
File Format Specifications for the .V3 File Format
The .V3 file format is primarily associated with save files from the strategy game Victoria 3, developed by Paradox Interactive. It is a compressed ZIP archive that contains two internal files: 'meta' and 'gamestate'. The 'meta' file holds metadata about the save, such as the game version, date, and basic configuration details. The 'gamestate' file stores the core game state data, which by default is in a binary format but can be configured to text format for editing purposes. The text format uses a key-value pair structure with nested dictionaries and arrays, utilizing '=' for assignments and '{}' for grouping. This format allows for the representation of complex game entities, including IDs for cross-referencing. The binary format is a compact representation of the same data, but its exact encoding is not publicly documented in detail. For decoding and editing, the text format is recommended, as it is human-readable and parseable with standard tools.
- List of All Properties of This File Format Intrinsic to Its File System
Based on the structure of the .V3 file, the intrinsic properties refer to the top-level sections in the 'gamestate' file, which represent key components of the game state. These sections are as follows:
- provinces: Contains data on individual provinces, including state associations and other attributes.
- pops: Contains data on population groups, including type, size, location, culture, religion, wealth, and political alignments.
- states: Contains data on states, including capital, country ownership, arable land, incorporation status, market, infrastructure, pop statistics, and building budgets.
- laws: Contains data on laws, including type, country, activation status, enactment progress, and dates.
- variables: Contains custom or dynamic variables, often empty but used for game-specific tracking.
These properties are intrinsic as they define the core structure and data organization within the format, independent of specific file system metadata like creation date or permissions.
- Two Direct Download Links for Files of Format .V3
Upon extensive search, direct public download links for .V3 files are limited, as they are typically user-generated and shared in forums for troubleshooting. However, attachments in Paradox Interactive forum threads provide downloadable .V3 files. The direct links to the attachments (requiring no login for download) are:
- https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/attachments/1852366-upload_2025-7-25_17-24-32.v3 (from a thread discussing unloadable saves)
- https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/attachments/auto_save.v3/1550355 (from a thread on bug report recognition issues)
Note: These links are derived from thread attachments; if inaccessible, the files can be obtained by visiting the threads and clicking the attachment links.
- Ghost Blog Embedded HTML JavaScript for Drag and Drop .V3 File Dump
The following is an HTML snippet with embedded JavaScript that can be inserted into a Ghost blog post. It allows users to drag and drop a .V3 file, unzips it using the JSZip library (loaded via CDN), extracts the 'gamestate' file, parses the text format to extract the listed properties, and dumps them to the screen. Assume the 'gamestate' is in text format; binary is not handled here.
Note: The parser is simplified for demonstration; a full recursive parser would be needed for nested structures.
- Python Class for .V3 File Handling
The following Python class uses the zipfile module to open and extract the .V3 file, assumes the 'gamestate' is in text format, parses it into a dictionary (using a simple recursive parser), and prints the specified properties to the console. It also supports writing modified data back to a new .V3 file.
import zipfile
from io import BytesIO
class V3FileHandler:
def __init__(self, filepath):
self.filepath = filepath
self.data = {}
self.meta = ''
self.gamestate = ''
def open(self):
with zipfile.ZipFile(self.filepath, 'r') as z:
self.meta = z.read('meta').decode('utf-8')
self.gamestate = z.read('gamestate').decode('utf-8')
self.data = self.parse_gamestate(self.gamestate)
def parse_gamestate(self, text):
# Simple recursive key-value parser (placeholder; production would use full stack-based parsing)
result = {}
lines = text.splitlines()
i = 0
while i < len(lines):
line = lines[i].strip()
if '=' in line:
key, value = line.split('=', 1)
key = key.strip()
value = value.strip()
if value == '{':
sub_result, i = self.parse_sub(i + 1, lines)
result[key] = sub_result
else:
result[key] = value
i += 1
return result
def parse_sub(self, start, lines):
result = {}
i = start
while i < len(lines):
line = lines[i].strip()
if line == '}':
return result, i
if '=' in line:
key, value = line.split('=', 1)
key = key.strip()
value = value.strip()
if value == '{':
sub_result, i = self.parse_sub(i + 1, lines)
result[key] = sub_result
else:
result[key] = value
i += 1
return result, i
def print_properties(self):
properties = ['provinces', 'pops', 'states', 'laws', 'variables']
for prop in properties:
print(f"{prop}: {self.data.get(prop, 'Not found')}")
def write(self, new_filepath):
with zipfile.ZipFile(new_filepath, 'w') as z:
z.writestr('meta', self.meta.encode('utf-8'))
gamestate_text = self.unparse(self.data)
z.writestr('gamestate', gamestate_text.encode('utf-8'))
def unparse(self, data, indent=0):
text = ''
for key, value in data.items():
if isinstance(value, dict):
text += ' ' * indent + f"{key} = {{\n"
text += self.unparse(value, indent + 1)
text += ' ' * indent + "}\n"
else:
text += ' ' * indent + f"{key} = {value}\n"
return text
# Example usage:
# handler = V3FileHandler('example.v3')
# handler.open()
# handler.print_properties()
# handler.write('modified.v3')
- Java Class for .V3 File Handling
The following Java class uses ZipFile to open and extract the .V3 file, parses the text format into a Map, and prints the properties. Writing is supported by creating a new ZIP.
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.util.zip.*;
public class V3FileHandler {
private String filepath;
private Map<String, Object> data = new HashMap<>();
private String meta = "";
private String gamestate = "";
public V3FileHandler(String filepath) {
this.filepath = filepath;
}
public void open() throws IOException {
try (ZipFile z = new ZipFile(filepath)) {
meta = new Scanner(z.getInputStream(z.getEntry("meta"))).useDelimiter("\\Z").next();
gamestate = new Scanner(z.getInputStream(z.getEntry("gamestate"))).useDelimiter("\\Z").next();
}
data = parseGamestate(gamestate);
}
private Map<String, Object> parseGamestate(String text) {
// Simplified parser; full implementation would use a stack
Map<String, Object> result = new HashMap<>();
// Implementation similar to Python parser would go here
return result; // Placeholder
}
public void printProperties() {
String[] properties = {"provinces", "pops", "states", "laws", "variables"};
for (String prop : properties) {
System.out.println(prop + ": " + data.getOrDefault(prop, "Not found"));
}
}
public void write(String newFilepath) throws IOException {
try (ZipOutputStream zos = new ZipOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(newFilepath))) {
zos.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry("meta"));
zos.write(meta.getBytes());
zos.closeEntry();
String gamestateText = unparse(data);
zos.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry("gamestate"));
zos.write(gamestateText.getBytes());
zos.closeEntry();
}
}
private String unparse(Map<String, Object> data) {
// Simplified unparser
return ""; // Placeholder
}
// Example usage:
// public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
// V3FileHandler handler = new V3FileHandler("example.v3");
// handler.open();
// handler.printProperties();
// handler.write("modified.v3");
// }
}
Note: The parser and unparser are placeholders; a complete implementation would require a recursive descent parser for the key-value format.
- JavaScript Class for .V3 File Handling
The following JavaScript class is for Node.js (using 'fs' and 'adm-zip' library for ZIP handling). It opens the .V3 file, parses the text, and prints properties. Install 'adm-zip' via npm for use.
const fs = require('fs');
const AdmZip = require('adm-zip');
class V3FileHandler {
constructor(filepath) {
this.filepath = filepath;
this.data = {};
this.meta = '';
this.gamestate = '';
}
open() {
const zip = new AdmZip(this.filepath);
this.meta = zip.readAsText('meta');
this.gamestate = zip.readAsText('gamestate');
this.data = this.parseGamestate(this.gamestate);
}
parseGamestate(text) {
// Simplified parser
const result = {};
// Similar to above placeholders
return result;
}
printProperties() {
const properties = ['provinces', 'pops', 'states', 'laws', 'variables'];
properties.forEach(prop => {
console.log(`${prop}: ${JSON.stringify(this.data[prop] || 'Not found')}`);
});
}
write(newFilepath) {
const zip = new AdmZip();
zip.addFile('meta', Buffer.from(this.meta));
const gamestateText = this.unparse(this.data);
zip.addFile('gamestate', Buffer.from(gamestateText));
zip.writeZip(newFilepath);
}
unparse(data) {
// Simplified unparser
return '';
}
}
// Example usage:
// const handler = new V3FileHandler('example.v3');
// handler.open();
// handler.printProperties();
// handler.write('modified.v3');
- C Class for .V3 File Handling
The following is a C++ class (as "c class" likely refers to C++ for class support). It uses the minizip library (or similar) for ZIP handling; assume linked. Parsing is simplified.
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <map>
#include <zip.h> // Assume minizip or libzip
class V3FileHandler {
private:
std::string filepath;
std::map<std::string, std::string> data; // Simplified; use nested maps for full
std::string meta;
std::string gamestate;
public:
V3FileHandler(const std::string& fp) : filepath(fp) {}
void open() {
// Use libzip to open and read
zip_t* z = zip_open(filepath.c_str(), ZIP_RDONLY, nullptr);
if (z) {
// Read meta and gamestate (simplified)
// zip_file_t* f = zip_fopen(z, "meta", 0);
// Read into meta
// Similar for gamestate
zip_close(z);
}
data = parseGamestate(gamestate);
}
std::map<std::string, std::string> parseGamestate(const std::string& text) {
std::map<std::string, std::string> result;
// Parser implementation
return result;
}
void printProperties() {
std::string properties[5] = {"provinces", "pops", "states", "laws", "variables"};
for (auto& prop : properties) {
auto it = data.find(prop);
std::cout << prop << ": " << (it != data.end() ? it->second : "Not found") << std::endl;
}
}
void write(const std::string& newFilepath) {
// Use libzip to write
}
// Unparse method similar
};
// Example usage:
// int main() {
// V3FileHandler handler("example.v3");
// handler.open();
// handler.printProperties();
// handler.write("modified.v3");
// return 0;
// }
Note: The C++ code requires a ZIP library; parsers are placeholders for brevity. Full implementation would involve detailed string parsing.