Documentation for File Formats used by KotOR/TSL?

[pepoluan 3]

Is there a documentation for the file formats used by KotOR/TSL mods?

 

Like, for instance, internal structures, binary headers, etc.

 

I have the idea of writing a patching system similar to TSLPatcher, but with a "centralized" database that tracks 'conflicting' changes.

 

Hopefully I can develop this idea further to enable clean addition/removal of mods when they edited the same file. Or, at the very least assist troubleshooting by (more easily) indicating which mod does what where.

 

(Currently, the only way to undo a mod would be to restore the "backup" directory, but that will wipe out changes done by later mods. My approach -- if it works -- would be a "surgical" remove of that mod without affecting later mods.)

 

In addition, I plan on making the project cross-platform.

 

But to be able to do that, I need a documentation of the file formats.

[Dastardly 31]

Check out this post on LucasForums.

[DarthParametric 3,784]

For the dead Bioware link, use this - https://web.archive.org/web/20070209092240/http://nwn.bioware.com/developers/

[Fair Strides 509]

And if that doesn't suffice, I can do some write-ups when I get home and send them to you. Also, the .2da format is a little tricky in how the values are stored for each cell. That part is implied in Dastardly's link, but I didn't see it and had to find out the hard way.

[pepoluan 3]

Hey, thanks everyone!

 

Sorry for not replying sooner, much job to do

 

Anyways, I'll start reading the docs. Hopefully I can produce something workable soon!

 

And if that doesn't suffice, I can do some write-ups when I get home and send them to you. Also, the .2da format is a little tricky in how the values are stored for each cell. That part is implied in Dastardly's link, but I didn't see it and had to find out the hard way.

 

If you do have documentations and/or notes, I'd be happy to read them!

 

And don't worry, I'm not foreign to tricky game datafiles. I used to create tools to help Sims 3 modders and, well, let's just say that I don't know what Maxis developers were smoking when they created their datafile formats

[Fair Strides 509]

I can get them to you within the next week.

[pepoluan 3]

Thanks for all your help, mate!

 

At the very least, I've now successfully parsed a V2.b 2DA file.

 

I'm going to chronicle the development in my blog, so as to not clutter up the Forums.

 

Again, thanks!