diff --git a/bindat_to_gcdl.c b/bindat_to_gcdl.c
index 99c86d9..5f80049 100644
--- a/bindat_to_gcdl.c
+++ b/bindat_to_gcdl.c
@@ -82,16 +82,17 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	/** prs decompress the .bin file, parse out it's header and validate it **/
 	printf("Decompressing and validating .bin file ...\n");
 
-	uint32_t decompressed_bin_size;
+	size_t decompressed_bin_size;
 	result = fuzziqer_prs_decompress_buf(compressed_bin, &decompressed_bin, compressed_bin_size);
 	if (result < 0) {
 		printf("Error code %d decompressing .dat data.\n", result);
 		goto error;
 	}
-	decompressed_bin_size = (uint32_t)result;
+	decompressed_bin_size = result;
 
 	QUEST_BIN_HEADER *bin_header = (QUEST_BIN_HEADER*)decompressed_bin;
 	validation_result = validate_quest_bin(bin_header, decompressed_bin_size, true);
+	validation_result = handle_quest_bin_validation_issues(validation_result, bin_header, &decompressed_bin, &decompressed_bin_size);
 	if (validation_result) {
 		printf("Aborting due to invalid quest .bin data.\n");
 		goto error;
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	decompressed_dat_size = result;
 
 	validation_result = validate_quest_dat(decompressed_dat, decompressed_dat_size, true);
-	if (validation_result != QUESTDAT_ERROR_EOF_EMPTY_TABLE) {
+	if (validation_result) {
 		printf("Aborting due to invalid quest .dat data.\n");
 		goto error;
 	}
diff --git a/gci_extract.c b/gci_extract.c
index a565095..d58c696 100644
--- a/gci_extract.c
+++ b/gci_extract.c
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	uint8_t *decompressed_bin_data = NULL;
 	uint8_t *decompressed_dat_data = NULL;
 	uint32_t bin_data_size, dat_data_size;
-	uint32_t decompressed_bin_size, decompressed_dat_size;
+	size_t decompressed_bin_size, decompressed_dat_size;
 	char out_filename[FILENAME_MAX];
 
 	if (argc != 3 && argc != 5) {
@@ -172,17 +172,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
 	QUEST_BIN_HEADER *bin_header = (QUEST_BIN_HEADER*)decompressed_bin_data;
 	validation_result = validate_quest_bin(bin_header, decompressed_bin_size, true);
-	if (validation_result == QUESTBIN_ERROR_SMALLER_BIN_SIZE) {
-		printf("WARNING: Decompressed .bin data is larger than expected. Proceeding using the smaller .bin header bin_size value ...\n");
-		decompressed_bin_size = bin_header->bin_size;
-	} else if (validation_result == QUESTBIN_ERROR_LARGER_BIN_SIZE) {
-		if ((decompressed_bin_size + 1) == bin_header->bin_size) {
-			printf("WARNING: Decompressed .bin data is 1 byte smaller than the .bin header bin_size specifies. Correcting by adding a null byte ...\n");
-			++decompressed_bin_size;
-			decompressed_bin_data = realloc(decompressed_bin_data, decompressed_bin_size);
-			decompressed_bin_data[decompressed_bin_size - 1] = 0;
-		}
-	} else if (validation_result) {
+	validation_result = handle_quest_bin_validation_issues(validation_result, bin_header, &decompressed_bin_data, &decompressed_bin_size);
+	if (validation_result) {
 		printf("Aborting due to invalid quest .bin data.\n");
 		goto error;
 	}
@@ -199,7 +190,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	decompressed_dat_size = result;
 
 	validation_result = validate_quest_dat(decompressed_dat_data, decompressed_dat_size, true);
-	if (validation_result != QUESTDAT_ERROR_EOF_EMPTY_TABLE) {
+	if (validation_result) {
 		printf("Aborting due to invalid quest .dat data.\n");
 		goto error;
 	}
diff --git a/quest_info.c b/quest_info.c
index 39b1306..91cbd0c 100644
--- a/quest_info.c
+++ b/quest_info.c
@@ -102,17 +102,9 @@ void display_info(uint8_t *bin_data, size_t bin_length, uint8_t *dat_data, size_
 	printf("Validating .bin data ...\n");
 	QUEST_BIN_HEADER *bin_header = (QUEST_BIN_HEADER*)decompressed_bin_data;
 	validation_result = validate_quest_bin(bin_header, decompressed_bin_length, true);
-	if (validation_result == QUESTBIN_ERROR_SMALLER_BIN_SIZE) {
-		printf("WARNING: Decompressed .bin data is larger than expected. Proceeding using the smaller .bin header bin_size value ...\n");
-		decompressed_bin_length = bin_header->bin_size;
-	} else if (validation_result == QUESTBIN_ERROR_LARGER_BIN_SIZE) {
-		if ((decompressed_bin_length + 1) == bin_header->bin_size) {
-			printf("WARNING: Decompressed .bin data is 1 byte smaller than the .bin header bin_size specifies. Correcting by adding a null byte ...\n");
-			++decompressed_bin_length;
-			decompressed_bin_data = realloc(decompressed_bin_data, decompressed_bin_length);
-			decompressed_bin_data[decompressed_bin_length - 1] = 0;
-		}
-	} else if (validation_result) {
+	validation_result = handle_quest_bin_validation_issues(validation_result, bin_header, &decompressed_bin_data,
+	                                                       &decompressed_bin_length);
+	if (validation_result) {
 		printf("Aborting due to invalid quest .bin data.\n");
 		goto error;
 	}
@@ -120,7 +112,7 @@ void display_info(uint8_t *bin_data, size_t bin_length, uint8_t *dat_data, size_
 
 	printf("Validating .dat data ...\n");
 	validation_result = validate_quest_dat(decompressed_dat_data, decompressed_dat_length, true);
-	if (validation_result != QUESTDAT_ERROR_EOF_EMPTY_TABLE) {
+	if (validation_result) {
 		printf("Aborting due to invalid quest .dat data.\n");
 		goto error;
 	}
diff --git a/quests.c b/quests.c
index 1a88fb9..ff74472 100644
--- a/quests.c
+++ b/quests.c
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <malloc.h>
 
 #include "retvals.h"
 #include "quests.h"
@@ -67,6 +68,11 @@ int validate_quest_bin(const QUEST_BIN_HEADER *header, uint32_t length, bool pri
 			printf("Quest bin file issue: quest_number is zero\n");
 		result |= QUESTBIN_ERROR_NAME;
 	}
+	if (header->episode > 1) {
+		if (print_errors)
+			printf("Quest bin file issue: unexpected episode value %d, quest was probably created using a 16-bit quest_number\n", header->episode);
+		result |= QUESTBIN_ERROR_EPISODE;
+	}
 
 	return result;
 }
@@ -89,11 +95,8 @@ int validate_quest_dat(const uint8_t *data, uint32_t length, bool print_errors)
 		    table_header->table_size == 0 &&
 		    table_header->area == 0 &&
 		    table_header->table_body_size == 0) {
-			// all zeros seems to be used to indicate end of file ???
 			if ((offset + sizeof(QUEST_DAT_TABLE_HEADER)) == length) {
-				if (print_errors)
-					printf("Quest dat file warning: empty table encountered at end of file (probably normal?)\n");
-				result |= QUESTDAT_ERROR_EOF_EMPTY_TABLE;
+				// ignore this case ... this empty table is used to mark EOF apparently
 			} else {
 				if (print_errors)
 					printf("Quest dat file warning: empty table encountered at table index %d\n", table_index);
@@ -116,3 +119,39 @@ int validate_quest_dat(const uint8_t *data, uint32_t length, bool print_errors)
 
 	return result;
 }
+
+// HACK: this function applies some arguably shitty hack-fixes under certain circumstances.
+int handle_quest_bin_validation_issues(int bin_validation_result, QUEST_BIN_HEADER *bin_header, uint8_t **decompressed_bin_data, size_t *decompressed_bin_length) {
+	// this hacky fix _probably_ isn't so bad. in these cases, the extra data sitting in the decompressed memory seems
+	// to just be repeated subsets of the previous "good" data. almost as if the PRS decompression was stuck in a loop
+	// that it eventually worked itself out of. just a wild guess though ...
+	if (bin_validation_result & QUESTBIN_ERROR_SMALLER_BIN_SIZE) {
+		bin_validation_result &= ~QUESTBIN_ERROR_SMALLER_BIN_SIZE;
+		printf("WARNING: Decompressed .bin data is larger than expected. Proceeding using the smaller .bin header bin_size value ...\n");
+		*decompressed_bin_length = bin_header->bin_size;
+	}
+
+	// this hacky fix is _probably_ not too bad either, but might have more potential for breaking things than the
+	// above hack fix. maybe. i also think this is a result of some PRS decompression bug (or maybe a PRS compression
+	// bug? since i believe the decompression implementation is based on game code disassembly, but most (all?) of the
+	// PRS-compression implementations are based on the fuzziqer implementation which he coded himself instead of it
+	// being based on game code disassembly?) ... who knows!
+	if (bin_validation_result & QUESTBIN_ERROR_LARGER_BIN_SIZE) {
+		bin_validation_result &= ~QUESTBIN_ERROR_LARGER_BIN_SIZE;
+		if ((*decompressed_bin_length + 1) == bin_header->bin_size) {
+			printf("WARNING: Decompressed .bin data is 1 byte smaller than the .bin header bin_size specifies. Correcting by adding a null byte ...\n");
+			size_t length = *decompressed_bin_length + 1;
+			uint8_t *new_bin_data;
+			new_bin_data = realloc(*decompressed_bin_data, length);
+			new_bin_data[length - 1] = 0;
+			*decompressed_bin_data = new_bin_data;
+			*decompressed_bin_length = length;
+		}
+	}
+	if (bin_validation_result & QUESTBIN_ERROR_EPISODE) {
+		bin_validation_result &= ~QUESTBIN_ERROR_EPISODE;
+		printf("WARNING: .bin header episode value should be ignored due to apparent 16-bit quest_number value\n");
+	}
+
+	return bin_validation_result;
+}
diff --git a/quests.h b/quests.h
index 624d37b..dea4d3c 100644
--- a/quests.h
+++ b/quests.h
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@
 #define QUESTBIN_ERROR_SMALLER_BIN_SIZE    4
 #define QUESTBIN_ERROR_NAME                8
 #define QUESTBIN_ERROR_NUMBER              16
+#define QUESTBIN_ERROR_EPISODE             32
 
 #define QUESTDAT_ERROR_TYPE                1
 #define QUESTDAT_ERROR_TABLE_BODY_SIZE     2
-#define QUESTDAT_ERROR_EOF_EMPTY_TABLE     4  // more of a warning i guess? maybe this is totally normal?
-#define QUESTDAT_ERROR_EMPTY_TABLE         8
+#define QUESTDAT_ERROR_EMPTY_TABLE         4
 
 #define PACKET_ID_QUEST_INFO_ONLINE    0x44
 #define PACKET_ID_QUEST_INFO_DOWNLOAD  0xa6
@@ -116,5 +116,6 @@ int generate_qst_header(const char *src_file, size_t src_file_size, const QUEST_
 int generate_qst_data_chunk(const char *base_filename, uint8_t counter, const uint8_t *src, uint32_t size, QST_DATA_CHUNK *out_chunk);
 int validate_quest_bin(const QUEST_BIN_HEADER *header, uint32_t length, bool print_errors);
 int validate_quest_dat(const uint8_t *data, uint32_t length, bool print_errors);
+int handle_quest_bin_validation_issues(int bin_validation_result, QUEST_BIN_HEADER *bin_header, uint8_t **decompressed_bin_data, size_t *decompressed_bin_length);
 
 #endif