Recovering Overworld Map Data

This is a simple recovery procedure for those who's overworld maps got bugged, most likely with the FF3usME + LE combo, or the LE 'Rouge Editor' bug that leads to a messed up Serpent Trench map, or possibly even something else.

The addresses here are assuming your ROM is HEADERED.

The mission: to copy the map data over from a clean, non-messed up ROM, or a previous ROM with non-messed up data, over to your messed up map(s) ROM.

The overworld map data is located here, and normally looks like:

Regular section usage:
WoB Map/Tiles: $EED434-$EF324F, 24092/24092 bytes
WoR Map/Tiles: $EF4A46-$EF9D16, 21201/21201 bytes
Mini maps: $EFE49B-$EFED25, 0/2187 bytes

You can view this data in usme IF your ROM is expanded, under
'manage expanded ROM'.

If yours does not match up to this, your map data and/or pointers are most likely messed up.

What to do now:

You will want to dump the original map data with a hex editor over to your ROM.
So first, back up your ROM in case you mess up this process, then:

with a clean headered ROM, or a previous working version of your hack if you have made map changes, open the hex editor and go to:
EED434 (hirom) (offset: 002ED434) then select at the top:

Edit, dump binary data, and input:

Starting address: 002ED434 (the address you are at, it should already be there for you.)
Ending address: 002FED25 (where the map data ends, this includes the mini maps as well.)

Then name your file, and hit dump...you will get a binary data file.
Now..

Open your ROM that has the messed up map data, and go to the
same exact starting address, and go ahead and insert the binary data file:
Edit, insert binary data, choose the file and hit yes.

Note that you may not see many if any bytes change, as the data may be further down than you can see. No worries though, it copied over just fine.

IMPORTANT:
You will most likely ALSO need to copy over the map pointers...

The pointers are located at 002EB400 until 002EB460 and covers the compressed map and tiles data and other compressed graphics not related to overworld maps (chocobos, ...)

So do the same dumping and inserting process as you did for the map data for the pointers also, and you should have the map data and pointers back to the original, hit save, and everything should be back to working - you can check the 'Regular section usage' again to see if it all matches up now. If it is NOT, or is even worse, then you messed up somewhere.

It is VERY important to not mess up and insert the binary data at the wrong spot, even if off by 1 byte, or everything will be messed up. I recommend having 2 hex editors open, one with the messed up data, and one with the clean ROM data, at the same address, just to make sure everything looks the same, and matches up exactly, it will make it all that much easier.

Just to make REAL sure you're at the right place:
The overworld map pointers data start with the bytes: 90, B2, EE
The map data starts with the bytes: 10, 8B, 08

Good luck, I hope this helps and saves some hacks!

Nice tutorial! I thought of doing that but I wasn't sure if it would work or if thre was other data than that to change... Thanks!

Thanks very much for posting this! I was panicking for a solution until you came along and posted this, saved me a ton of time!

I guess this is what you do when FF3LE doesn't show the World of Ruin in the editor?

I guess this is what you do when FF3LE doesn't show the World of Ruin in the editor?

Exactly. I've heard about corrupted WOB and WOR with FF6LE and corrupted Serpent Trench map with FF6LE Rogue but it's the first time I heard about the WOR not showing at all.

Yeah, mine is just blank. I haven't gotten to the WoR yet on my ROM hack, so we'll just have to see what happens. This'll come in handy though.

I have used this thread over 6 times now and I must say it has been a massive help when you edit a map to make warp points and realize theres a graphical error with one of your warps yet can't edit anything due to the map editor being all funky. Reset and redone! Thanks!

@Gi Nattak Good tutorial Sir all i can say is really really really massive help a lot, THANK YOU sir your a big savior.......

If i try to save with FF6 LE in one of my roms it says:

"Recompressed WoR mini-map exceeds alloted space.
The WoR mini-map was not saved. "

This guide fix even this error?

Mm hmm yeah it should. That error is a warning that you now have more tile data than the ROM can re-compress back in it's allocated space, without spilling over and overwriting the data after it which is the minimaps. Editing maps without getting that error is a f**k**g challenge at the least, I get it after editing just one tile on some maps. You're supposed to remove/delete a tile to add one basically, but it doesn't always seem like that - some maps just don't wanna be edited.

This recovery procedure will put your map data back to original, so there shouldn't be that error after doing it.