Modding tools for Tachyon: The Fringe
This repository explores the file formats used in TTF. My hope is that these tools can be used to mod this venerable game and give it the second life that it deserves!
These are the tools currently available:
A fairly complete tool for decrypting, encrypting, and converting to/from text files in INI-style format.
- In the demo of TTF, many configuration files were just INI-style text files, but in the production version of the game, these were serialized and encrypted.
- This tool converts between the two formats, making modding possible.
Not as complete, but it allows for the extraction of textures and models so far (but not together).
- PAK files are the 3D models + textures format.
Extracts the files from a pff archive according to a manifest file obtained using the pack tool that comes with Tachyon.
Others may come as I explore... Or I might see something more shiny and drop this like a hot rock! ¯\(ツ)/¯
Here is a brief overview:
The archive file that contains all the game data. Pretty standard roll-your-own-tar.
Industry-standard file formats.
The rest of the files can be divided into 4 categories:
- Text files in INI format
- Encrypted binary versions of the above - used for configuration files
- BIN files - Text associations to internal variables. Used for text lookup in various places. This format is used widely in Novalogic's other games, and third-party tools abound.
- Other custom formats for more specific things - 3D objects, sound, etc.
Used where INI-style files would have been used in the demo. They are weakly encrypted with an easily derived XOR key.
Files that use this format:
- NWS - news files
- WNG - wingman definitions
- SEN - Scripted scenes
- SCR - Actor Script files
- OCF - Object Connection files
- MPC - Multiplayer configuration
- MNU - Menu color configuration
- JOB - Job(contract) configuration files
- ITM - Items (specifically for the store)
- HUD - Configuration for ship huds when in first-person perspective.
- DES - 3D object description files. Not the 3D model, but the mapping from the model to entities in space.
- DEF - Generic configuration used by a couple of files.
- CFG - Various configuration from initial game conditions to default controls.
- BOX - Some kind of UI mapping
- BDF - Background Definition Files. Basically fancy skyboxes for levels.
- BAS - Layouts for the starbase interfaces. Kinda like an oldschool image map on the web.
- ANM - Animations used mostly for gates. There is very little animation used in the game.
Not to be confused with CBIN. Sort of similar to CBIN files. The only real difference I think there is is that the CBIN files seem to be able to have multiple values per key, whereas BIN files seem to only have one value per key. But who knows. Maybe I am chasing ghosts and they are identical.
BIN files are used by Novalogic's TextTool. This allows developers to associate text strings with a two-level structure, called by many 3rd party tools as Groups and Variables. They are used as lookup tables for dialog, ship names, etc. I imagine this format exists for the purposes of translation.
- PAK: These contain 3D models and textures broken up by LOD. Conceptually similar to the 3di format used in a number of other Novalogic games. They seem to be different. I don't yet know why they implemented a separate format when they already had 3di.
- PAL: These are essentially just very small PCX files used only for their palette. I think they exist to quickly swap palettes on ships, etc., for various factions.
- PWF: These seem to bundle the sounds.
- SPX: Level files.
I haven't exactly nailed down how the various events in any particular mission are scripted. Perhaps they are in the SPX files.
Note: The only exploration I have done is on the files packaged in the game. I have not tried to reverse-engineer the save files, nor have I done any sort of analysis of the running game.