spacehaven-cheat-engine 0.1.0

Pattern-based bytecode patcher that removes skill/attribute point caps from Space Haven character creation

spacehaven-cheat-engine

Remove all skill and attribute point caps from Space Haven character creation. Build your dream crew using the game's own editor UI without artificial limits.

What It Does

Space Haven's character creation screen enforces strict point budgets: ~12 for attributes, ~63 for skill potential, ~32 for starting skills. If you import a custom crew XML or just want more control, you'll hit "Too many skill points allocated."

spacehaven-cheat-engine patches the game's Java bytecode to:

• Remove the "too many points" error completely
• Unlock the + buttons for attributes and skills
• Show 127 free points in every allocation pool
• Raise the total skill level ceiling from 10 to 127

The game's built-in UI handles everything else. Just click + and - to build exactly the character you want.

Installation

pip install spacehaven-cheat-engine

Or run directly from source:

git clone https://github.com/djdarcy/spacehaven-cheat-engine.git
cd spacehaven-cheat-engine
python -m spacehaven_cheat_engine

Usage

Close Space Haven before patching. The patcher needs write access to spacehaven.jar.

Recommended Workflow

spacehaven-cheat --enable         # 1. Enable patches (game must be closed)
                                  # 2. Launch game, create your characters
                                  # 3. Close game when done
spacehaven-cheat --disable        # 4. Restore original game files

It's recommended that you disable the patches after character creation. This keeps your game files clean for GoG / Steam updates and avoids any potential conflicts with the game or distribution platform. Don't worry, your created characters keep their stats. The patches only affect the character creation screen.

All Commands

spacehaven-cheat                  # Toggle: enable if off, disable if on
spacehaven-cheat --enable         # Apply patches
spacehaven-cheat --disable        # Restore original game files
spacehaven-cheat --status         # Check current state
spacehaven-cheat --path "D:\..."  # Specify game path (if auto-detect fails)

The patcher auto-detects common Steam installation paths. Use --path if your game is installed elsewhere.

Example

$ spacehaven-cheat --enable
 ___                  _  _                     ___ _             _
/ __|_ __ ___  __ __ | || | ___ _  _ __  __   / __| |_  ___ ___ | |_
\__ \ '_ / o \/ _/ _)| -- |/ o \ \/ / _)|  \ | (__| ' \/ -_/ o \|  _|
|___/ .__\__,_\__\__,|_||_|\__,_\__/\__,|_|_| \___|_||_\___\__,_|\__|
    |_|              Unlock Your Crew's Full Potential

  Game: E:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\SpaceHaven

  Applying patches...

  Backup saved: spacehaven.jar.cheatengine-backup
  patched: maxTotalSkillLevel (bipush)
  patched: checkTooManyPoints() -> no-op
  patched: canAddPointToAttribute() -> always true
  patched: canAddPointToSkill() -> always true
  patched: getFreeAttributePoints() -> 127
  patched: getFreeStartSkillPoints() -> 127
  patched: getFreeBaseSkillPoints() -> 127
  config.json: added verification bypass flags

  Cheat mode enabled! Point caps removed.
  Launch the game and create your dream crew.

How It Works

Space Haven is a Java game. The patcher:

1. Parses Java class constant pools to find validation methods by name (not hardcoded byte offsets)
2. Patches 7 locations across 2 class files in spacehaven.jar
3. Adds JVM flags (-noverify, -Xverify:none) to config.json so the modified bytecode passes verification
4. Creates backups of both files on first run, restores cleanly on --disable

What Gets Patched

Location	Original	Patched
maxTotalSkillLevel	10	127
checkTooManyPoints()	Validation logic	return; (no-op)
canAddPointToAttribute()	Budget check	return true;
canAddPointToSkill()	Budget check	return true;
getFreeAttributePoints()	Budget calculation	return 127;
getFreeStartSkillPoints()	Budget calculation	return 127;
getFreeBaseSkillPoints()	Budget calculation	return 127;

Surviving Game Updates

Because patches are found by method name (parsed from the Java constant pool), not hardcoded byte offsets, the patcher should survive most game updates. If a patch target can't be found, it reports which methods are missing.

After a Steam update: just run spacehaven-cheat --enable again.

FAQ

Will this corrupt my save files? No. The patcher only modifies spacehaven.jar (game code) and config.json (JVM settings). Save files are untouched.

Can I go back to normal? Yes. spacehaven-cheat --disable restores the original files from backup. You can also use Steam's "Verify Integrity of Game Files" to re-download the originals.

Does this work with the latest version? The patcher was built against the current RC3 Steam release. Pattern-based patching means it should work with future updates unless the game's character creation code is fundamentally rewritten.

Can I set skills above 5? Yes. With the patches applied, the game's UI lets you push attributes and skills beyond their normal maximums.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Space Haven (Steam version)
• Game must be closed before patching

No additional dependencies -- pure Python stdlib.

Development

git clone https://github.com/djdarcy/spacehaven-cheat-engine.git
cd spacehaven-cheat-engine
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Like the project?

License

spacehaven-cheat-engine, Copyright (C) 2026 Dustin Darcy.

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 -- see LICENSE for full details.