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AGS Game Build process (3.5.*)
Following document outlines the building process of an AGS game: source (project) data, final (engine's) data, and build steps between them.
Big XML file, contains main game data and some extras:
- General game properties
- Global game entities and logical assets (Characters, GUI, Inventory Items, Views, Dialogs, ...)
- Dialog script sources
- Script module references
- Audio clip references
- Sprite references
- Translation file references
- Runtime plugin references
- Editor plugin serialized data
- Default runtime config settings
- _BuiltInScriptHeader.ash - contains API declaration. This file is atm always embedded into Editor exe (as of 3.5.0).
- _AutoGenerated.ash - generated from the game properties and entities. Contains their declaration that may be required for script. Only exist in program memory (as of 3.5.0).
- _GlobalVariables.ash/asc - generated from global variables component. Only exist in program memory (as of 3.5.0).
- Script headers provided by plugins. These are generated by plugins on demand by Editor and only exist in program memory (as of 3.5.0).
These are text files which contain AGSScript source for global and custom script modules.
acsprset.spr is a binary file, contains array of bitmaps corresponding to game sprites. These are added when user imports a sprite in Editor. Bitmaps are optionally compressed using RLE algorithm (as of 3.5.0). sprindex.dat is a binary file, contains an auxiliary info about sprites: their dimensions and an offset table. This file is optional, if it's not present same index could be generated by parsing acsprset.spr.
IMPORTANT: as of 3.5.0 these files are used by both Editor and Engine alike.
Binary file, contains all the room related data:
- General room properties.
- Local room entities (Objects, Hotspots, Regions, Walkable Areas, Walk-behinds).
- Background bitmaps, compressed using LWZ algorithm.
- Compiled room script.
IMPORTANT: as of 3.5.0 thes files are used by both Editor and Engine, except for the script: Editor does not load compiled room script, but a script source (see below).
These are text files which contain AGSScript source for rooms.
These are text files which contain translation table.
Contains audio files copied by the editor when you import audio file into the game. These are essentially copies of originals, with generated unique names in auNNNNNN.EXT format.
Contains files for character speech voice-over:
- Audio files with ABCDNNNN.EXT naming format (e.g. EGO5.OGG, CHAR4567.MP3)
- Voice-based lip sync files (*.PAM, *.dat)
Files with OGV and FLIC extensions. These are not edited by the Editor, and packed into game as is if found in the project root.
Binary file contains main game data and some extras:
- General game properties
- Global game entities and logical assets (Characters, GUI, Inventory Items, Views, Dialogs, ...)
- Compiled global and module scripts
- Compiled dialog scripts
These are direct copies from the project data.
These are direct copies from the project data.
Compiled translation tables.
These are direct copies from the project data.
These are direct copies from the project data.
OGV, FLIC are direct copies from the project data. MPG video files (playable only in Windows at the moment) are put directly into game data by user.
In theory engine is capable of reading all the above files either directly from the disk, or from a CLIB package. In practice, as of now, its programmed to detect a presence of a game package with game28.dta inside before launching the game; but that may be changed in future.
CLIB package format allows to store multiple files packed into one or multiple packages, forming a "file library". The first package always contains a table of contents with full list of assets in the library, package index and offset for each asset.
Following is a table that shows how the project data is converted into runtime data, and which procedures are necessary for that. This table splits process in most small steps, to make it easier to design standalone tools and build pipeline. Files that are part of either project source or final game data are marked with bold.
| Input | -> | Output | Comments/Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game.agf | Parse XML, write binary data | game28.dta | |
| Game.agf | Parse XML, generate | _AutoGenerated.ash | agfexport autoash |
| Game.agf | Parse XML, generate | _GlobalVariables.ash | agfexport glvar |
| Game.agf | Parse XML, generate | _GlobalVariables.asc | agfexport glvar |
| Game.agf | Parse XML | List of script modules | agfexport script-list |
| Game.agf | Parse XML | List of image files | |
| Game.agf | Parse XML | List of audio files | |
| Game.agf | Parse XML Convert dialog scripts to AGSScript |
__DialogScripts.asc | agf2dlgasc |
| EDITOR | Query plugins | Plugin's ash-s | |
| _BuiltInScriptHeader.ash _AutoGenerated.ash _GlobalVariables.ash All Plugins' ash |
Merge | Internal script header | |
|
Any asc Internal script header List of script modules Script module ash-s |
Merge | Prepared script | |
| Any Prepared script | Preprocessor | Preprocessed script | agscc |
| Any Preprocessed script | Compiler | Compiled script (bytecode) | agscc |
| Compiled global script Compiled modules Compiled Dialog script |
Write binary data | game28.dta | not needed in 3.6.X |
| Compiled roomXXX script | Write binary data | roomXXX.crm | not needed in 3.6.X |
|
Image files List of image files |
Write bitmaps into sprite file | acsprset.spr | |
| acsprset.spr | Parse, write index | sprindex.dat | |
|
Game.agf All roomXXX.crm All asc |
Parse XML Read room data Parse asc write |
Any TRS | |
| Any TRS | Parse, write binary data | TRA | trac |
| game28.dta Any roomXXX.crm Any TRS Any WFN/TTF Any OGV |
Package CLIB | game.ags | agspak |
|
Audio files List of audio files |
Copy files | AudioCache | |
|
AudioCache List of audio files(?) |
Package CLIB | audio.vox | agspak |
| Speech folder | Package CLIB | speech.vox | agspak |