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INTRODUCTION COMMON TASKS CREATING CONTENT PROVIDED TOOLS
Characters / Models
Missions
Data Files

The SWAT3 Data Files

The SWAT3 Data Files are the text files that drive how SWAT3 loads and interprets game content. The data files can be manipulated to add new weapons, ammunition, special effects, characters, and much more.

 

The Three Types Of Data Files

Data Files come in three different flavors, each associated with particular game attributes and needed in different places. They are: General Data Files, Character Class-Specific Data Files, and Mission-Specific Data Files.

General Data Files

General Data Files control objects and effects used throughout the entire game on any level and global to all characters. An example of a general data file would be guns.dat, a file containing data on all of the weapons used by game characters, both good and bad. 

General Data files are unique in that they are the only files that are "mod additive". This means that when you create your mod, you may create a data file of the same makeup as the global data file but append the word "mod" to the front of the file name to tell SWAT3 to add data from your file to the game without erasing it's already existing data table. For instance, you may want to add only a single gun to your mod. To do this, you'd create a data file that had the same structure and format as guns.dat, add just the weapon that you want to it, and then put the file in your mod directory and rename it modguns.dat. This allows your weapon to be added on to those already in the SWAT3 game by default.

If you decide not to use the mod-additive system, you may be placing yourself at a disadvantage, since much of the mod community is based on additive mods that do not alter weapons already in the game; such mods can peacefully coexist with each other without overriding each other's data. In closing, it is highly recommended that you use the mod-additive system.

Character Class-Specific Data Files

Character Class-Specific Data Files control behavior of certain character classes in the game. Classes refer to a general group of attributes that characters in the game draw from. For instance, Mayor Marlin Fitzpatrick, Thomas Columbato and Russian President Igor Stomas are all male hostages; "Male Hostage 1" is a class. These classes contain attributes that can be changed by modifying the Character Class-Specific Data Files.

Character Class-Specific Data Files do not use the mod-additive system.

Mission-Specific Data Files

Mission-Specific Data Files are packaged in with Missions, and are essentially mod-additive General Data Files with one important change: they only affect the mission they're packaged with. For instance, if you had a character that you only want to appear in your mission, you may create a characters.dat file, add just your character, and save it to your mod mission folder or .zip file as missioncharacters.dat. All you have to do to turn a mod-additive General Data File into a Mission-Specific Data file is prefix the regular data file name with "mission".

THERE ARE TWO SPECIAL ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FILES THAT MUST BE INCLUDED WITH EACH MISSION. This is the reason Mission-Specific Data Files have their own category. All of the other files except these two are optional; they are only needed if the mission is to have data unique to them. The two essential files, missioninfo.dat and missionobjectives.dat, provide essential information about a map that allows SWAT3 to load and interpret it even before the mission begins. These files must be included with the mission.

 

How To Get Started

Look in the .res archives to start your exploration. The data files (files with a .dat) prefix are there for you to examine, break down, and create copies of in your mod folder to modify. For information on how to get at your .res archives, see the Introduction - Finding The Files section.

 

But Under No Circumstances...

...should you EVER edit the data files or any other files in the .res archives themselves! Never do this; your game will become incompatible with others in multiplayer mode, forcing you to ultimately reinstall the product to get the original .res archives back.

To those who were already berated by this warning in the Introduction section, we apologize.

 

Data File Information Archive

A listing of all game data files is given below. Click on the name of any of the data files to access a data sheet about the corresponding data file. Each sheet includes an explanation of the data file, where it's used, how it's structured, and example entries.

General Data Files

ammodefs.dat Ammunition definitions; penetration and damage, velocity, special attributes.
camo.dat Camouflage texture definitions for multiplayer models
characters.dat Character definitions; skins, names, behavior and psychological attributes
config.dat General data tables; AI, timing, miscellaneous features
credits.dat Game credits
dialog.dat Character spoken dialog linking and data
effects.dat Special effect definitions and linking; sparks, smoke, flashes, etc...
enttemplates.dat Physical entity definitions for items, updated for 1.7 to support throwable weapon types and ammunition
guns.dat Firearm data, including rates of fire, ammunition types, flashlight data, etc...
items.dat Item reticule graphics and usage data
maps.dat Single-player standard mission loading graphic, music, and text linking
menu.dat Menu UI button placement definitions
menustrings.dat Single-player standard mission/standard career menu strings
mpmodels.dat Multiplayer character models, armor definitions, speed scalars
objectives.dat Single-player standard mission objectives data
officers.dat Single-player standard mission/career officer traits, biographies
skins.dat Character model definitions, facial expressions, weapon models
sounds.dat Sound definitions, volume, fading, looping, sound environments
sprites.dat Sprite definitions, sprite animation tables, sprite alpha blending

strings.dat

In-Game strings, custom mission mode/career mode/multiplayer mode UI strings

 

Character Class-Specific Data Files

xxx_armor.dat

Character class armor protection data, <name of character class>_armor.dat

xxx_data.dat

Character class animation data, <name of character class>_data.dat

 

Mission-Specific Data Files

missioninfo.dat

Absolutely essential, mission loading data and vital information stored here.

missionobjectives.dat

Absolutely essential, mission objective data stored here.

missioncharacters.dat

Necessary if new characters present in this mission - structure identical to characters.dat

missiondialog.dat

Necessary if new spoken dialog present in this mission - structure identical to dialog.dat

missionskins.dat

Necessary if new characters present in this mission - structure identical to skins.dat

missionsounds.dat

Necessary if new sounds or sound environments present in this mission - structure identical to sounds.dat

missionsprites.dat

Necessary if new sprites present in this mission - structure identical to sprites.dat

missioneffects.dat

Necessary if new effects present in this mission - structure identical to effects.dat

 

 

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