Saves are validated by a modified MD5 hash at the end of the save. It can be overcome using Bo98's save rehasher.
Other platforms
No protection is present.
Row definitions
Row definitions define the fields, or columns, used in each table. With different schema versions, new row definitions may be added and existing ones may be altered or removed.
Although row definitions are best read programmatically with the rest of the database, the structures they define are provided in a subpage for those who want to read them manually.
This is the overall savegame structure. Only the MUD database itself is defined in Criterion's debugging symbols; the rest is from independent research and prone to error.
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Wii U
Offset
Length
Type
Name
Description
Comments
0x0
0x4
uint32_t
?
Database length
All pointers in the database are relative to offset 0x4 because of this