Ultima 5 File Formats (Sharp X86000 version)
============================================
Last updated on 19-March-2004.
Please send additions, corrections and feedback to this e-Mail address:
Remove space + vowels from "marc winterrowd" and append "at yahoo dot com"
General Notes
-------------
Conversations with NPC's and a few displayed texts are in Japanese (Kanji).
The rest of the game is in English (runes or Latin characters).
*.16
----
These files are LZW-compressed.
File format:
file = number_of_entries, set of offset32, set of image
number_of_entries = uint16
offset32 = uint32
image = width, height, image_data
image_data = blue_plane, red_plane, green_plane
blue_plane = bitplane
red_plane = bitplane
green_plane = bitplane
bitplane = set of uint8 (1 bit per pixel)
Notes:
1) "width" is the number of bytes per row per bitplane, not the actual
width. You can calculate the real width like this:
real_width = width*8
UL??.BIN
--------
The music files.
File format is currently unknown.
*.CH
----
NPC.CH
------
This file contains the NPC tiles.
Tile format: 32x32 pixels, 4 bits per pixel (blue, red, green, alpha)
struct NPC_CH {
Tile tiles[0x100];
}
struct Tile {
Tile_Row blue[0x20]; // blue bitplane
Tile_Row red[0x20]; // red bitplane
Tile_Row green[0x20]; // green bitplane
Tile_Row alpha[0x20]; // alpha bitplane
}
struct Tile_Row {
uint8 pixel_data[4]; // 32 pixels, 1 bit per pixel
}
TILES.CH
--------
This file contains the world tiles.
Tile format: 32x32 pixels, 3 bits per pixel (blue, red, green)
struct TILES_CH {
Tile tiles[0x100];
}
struct Tile {
Tile_Row blue[0x20]; // blue bitplane
Tile_Row red[0x20]; // red bitplane
Tile_Row green[0x20]; // green bitplane
}
struct Tile_Row {
uint8 pixel_data[4]; // 32 pixels, 1 bit per pixel
}
*.DAT
-----
BRIT.DAT
--------
Map of Britannia.
Its size is 256x256 tiles, and each tile is stored as a uint8.
The way the map is stored differs from the PC version:
1) The map is not compressed in any way.
In the PC version, all-water chunks were left out to save space.
2) The map is not divided into chunks. In other words:
brit_dat[y*0x100 + x] = tile(x,y)
DNG?.DAT
--------
These files are not compressed.
They have the same format as the uncompressed *.16 files.
Notes:
1) In DNG?.DAT, offsets 0x8 and 0x18 are zero.
ITEMS.DAT
---------
This file is not compressed.
items_dat = number_of_entries, set of offset32, set of image
number_of_entries = uint16
offset32 = uint32
image = width, height, image_size, image_data
width = uint16
height = uint16
image_size = uint16
image_data = blue_plane, red_plane, green_plane, alpha_plane
blue_plane = bitplane
red_plane = bitplane
green_plane = bitplane
alpha_plane = bitplane
bitplane = set of uint8 (1 bit per pixel)
Notes:
1) "width" is the number of bytes per row per bitplane, not the actual
width. You can calculate the real width like this:
real_width = width*8
2) image_size = width*height (number of bytes per bitplane)
MON?.DAT
--------
These files are LZW-compressed.
Uncompressed, they have the same format as ITEMS.DAT.
SIGNS.DAT
---------
This file has the same format as the PC version's.
UNDER.DAT
---------
Map of the underworld.
The file format is identical to that of BRIT.DAT.
*.NPC
-----
These files contain information about NPC's.
The file format is the same as the PC version's.
*.TLK
-----
These files contain conversation scripts.
File format:
tlk_file = number_of_entries, set of offset16, script_data
number_of_entries = uint16
offset16 = uint16
script_data = set of kanji_char
kanji_char = uint8, uint8
Notes:
1) In the PC version, the *.TLK files contain compressed words. There are
no compressed words in X86000 version, because every Kanji character is a
word.
2) Unlike the PC version, the X86000 version doesn't store the NPC numbers
in the *.TLK file header.
Sources
-------
Nytegard
(
geocities.com/nodling/ultima/text) (
geocities.com/nodling/ultima) (
geocities.com/nodling)