Game data files

File Format
Name	Game data files
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Game data files

Overview

Many popular games use proprietary file formats to store their assets. These include custom image, sound and video formats and custom archive formats. There is no way that all of these can be enumerated here in some way or another. And as long as the games can still be run by an Emulator it's not that much of a deal. However, a lot of work has been put into deciphering, decrypting and hacking these files, and that work should be preserved.

See also: Interactive Fiction for data formats related to text adventure games, and Saved Games for data saved by games to store a player's game status.

References

• Xentax Wiki
• ReWiki
• QuickBMS, a tool suite to describe archives in an abstract BASIC-like language, and lots of scripts for even more games

General Game Formats

This section details formats such as Interplay ACM and Unreal Music Format which are used in a number of games.

Audio / Music

• Commodore Amiga
  • AC1D-DC1A Packer
  • AMOS Music Bank
  • Channel Players
  • Digital Illusions
  • Game Music Creator
  • Jason Page
• Epic Megagames MASI
• id Software Music Format
• Interplay ACM
• Ken's Adlib Music
• Sierra AGI
• Sierra SCI
• Westwood Studios ADL
• Westwood Studios AUD
• Xbox IMA ADPCM
• Nintendo GameCube / Wii
  • Nintendo GameCube / Wii AST
  • Nintendo GameCube / Wii BRSTM

Individual Game Formats

This section details formats which are specific to a single game, such as God of Thunder Music Format.

• Donkey Konga 2
  • Donkey Konga 2 DSP
• God of Thunder
  • God of Thunder Music Format
• In the Groove
  • In the Groove PCK
• Mario Paint
  • Mario Paint Composer
  • SHI
  • SHO
• Super Paper Mario
  • BRSTMPSM (music data)
• Vinyl Goddess From Mars
  • Vinyl Goddess From Mars Instrument Format
  • Vinyl Goddess From Mars Music Format