Microsoft Agent character

File Format
Name	Microsoft Agent character
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Graphics Microsoft Agent character
Extension(s)	.acs, .acf, .aca
Released	1997

Microsoft Agent was a Windows API, released in 1997 and abandoned by 2003, for creating animated characters (sometimes also called "agents") that would serve as part of a program's interface. It allowed for the creation of new characters, beyond the default provided by Microsoft.

Apparently there was both a "version 1" and "version 2" agent format.

Extensions

Normal character files have the extension ".acs". For distribution online (from when a megabyte download would be too long a wait for most users), characters can be split into .acf files, containing the "core information" of the character; and .aca files, which contain individual animations.

Identification

At least for version 2 files, ACS files begin with 0xAB 0xCD 0xAB 0xC3 and ACF files with 0xAB 0xCD 0xAB 0xC4; ACA files apparently begin with a minor version number.

Specifications

• Unofficial V2 specification

Sample Files

• Official character downloads
• Page with direct links
• The Agentry characters: Characters in ZIP files
• cami.acs
• vrgirl.acs
• Various agents uploaded to the Internet Archive, e.g. Quitter
• Page listing various (mostly archived) collections of characters
• https://telparia.com/fileFormatSamples/other/microsoftAgentCharacter/

Software

• Character and sound editor

Links

• Web page
• Microsoft Platform SDK: Microsoft Agent
• Microsoft Agent web ring
  • Old page
• Wikipedia:Microsoft Agent

See Also

• MASH
• Microsoft Comic Chat