questshock/modding/ss-specs/archives/index.md

Archives

This section covers the archive files. There is one template archive file, called archive.dat, and a number of save-game files, called savgamXX.dat. All of these files are regular resource files.

Any new game is based on the archive.dat file. All these archive files contain the complete game state, including the level layout. In other words: Citadel itself, with all its content, is represented through such a file; Properties and media for the content is in the other resource files.

Map specific data

Each level has 98 resources reserved, but only 51 in use. The level-specific resources are grouped according to the level identifier. For example, on Citadel level R, the resources start with ID 4002 (decimal) up to 4053. Level 1 uses 4102 to 4153 and so forth.

On the following pages, resources identified as LXX refer to level-specific resource XX for any level. These numbers will always be given in decimal.

Extra Resources

Name of archive, resource 0x0FA0 (4000)

This resource contains the name of the archive (title of the save-game). It is a 0x00 terminated string, with a dynamic length of up to 32 bytes (including the termination character).

The archive.dat file contains extra (unknown) data after the name in this resource, up to a complete length of 128 bytes. A save-game file has only the name in this resource. The name of the template archive is "Starting Game".

Game state resource 0x0FA1 (4001)

This resource contains information about the game and the hacker. It also contains the level variables.

Additional Resources

Save-game files contain 4 further resources that are not present in archive.dat :

• 0x0000 Unknown int32. 0x00000000 at first investigation
• 0x024E Unknown.
• 0x024F Unknown.
• 0x0F9F Unknown int32. 0x00004444 at first investigation

Index

By topic

• Map Information
• Level Objects
• Surveillance Cameras
• Loop Configuration

By level-specific resource ID

• L02 Map version number. int32 with value 0x0000000B for all maps.

• L03 Object version number. int32 with value 0x0000001B for all maps.

• L04 Basic level information

• L05 Map Layout

• L06 Level schedules

• L07 Level texture map

• L08 Main object table

• L09 Level object cross-reference table

• L10 to L24 15 object class specific tables

• L25 to L39 15 object class default info

• L40 Miscellaneous savefile version number. int32. For all maps: CD-Release: 0x0000000D. All other: 0x0000000B

• L41 Unused entry. byte with value 0x00 for all maps.

• L42 Texture animation

• L43 Surveillance Sources

• L44 Surveillance Surrogates

• L45 Level variables

• L46 Map notes

• L47 Map notes pointer

• L48 Unknown. 0x30 byte length.

• L49 Unknown. 0x1C0 byte length.

• L50 Unknown int16. 0x0000 for all maps.

• L51 Loop Configuration

• L52 Unknown int16. (Only present in CD-Release)

• L53 Unknown. 0x40 byte length, all zeroes. (Only present in CD-Release)

Levels of Citadel

This is the level list of the base game:

• Level 00: Reactor level
• Level 01-09: Levels 1-9
• Level 10: SHODAN cyberspace
• Level 11: Delta grove
• Level 12: Alpha grove
• Level 13: Beta grove
• Level 14: Cyberspace for levels 1 and 2
• Level 15: Cyberspace