ModdingWiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

2026-02-06T11:57:15Z

BOfH: Updated file extensions for theatre specific SHP files

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = Edit
| Tiles = Edit
| Sprites = Edit
| Fullscreen = Edit
| Sound = Edit
| Music = Edit
| Text = Edit
| Story = Edit
| Interface = No
| Platform2=Windows 95
}}

'''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''', also known simply as '''Red Alert''' is the third real-time strategy game released by [[:Category:Westwood Studios|Westwood Studios]].

It keeps Command and Conquer's game mechanic of a harvestable resource found on the battlefield but also introduces a second resource. Ore is regenerating but less valuable, while crystals are more valuable but do not regenerate.

The basic premise of the game is the same as in Command & Conquer; the player has to build a base, harvest the available ore and crystals on the playing field as in-game currency, and use that currency to expand the base and build armies to defend against enemies, and finally destroy their base.

{{BeginGameFileList}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.mix
| Format = [[MIX Format (Westwood)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = File archives.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.pal
| Format = [[VGA Palette#The "Classic" format|6-bit RGB 256-colour palette]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Palettes.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.cps
| Format = [[Westwood CPS Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Full-screen images. Often used for internal processing to identify region clicks.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.wsa
| Format = [[Westwood WSA Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Animations.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.vqa
| Format = [[Westwood VQA Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Full-motion video cutscenes.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.shp *.tem *.sno *.int
| Format = [[Westwood SHP Format (TD)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Sprites. Files specific to one theater (terrain set) are given the extension of that specific theater.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.shp
| Format = [[Westwood SHP Format (Dune II)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Used for only one file; the mouse cursor sprite.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.tem *.sno *.int
| Format = [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert Tileset Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Terrain used in the game's maps.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.fnt
| Format = [[Westwood Font Format v3]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Fonts.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.aud
| Format = [[Westwood AUD Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Sound effects and voices.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.eng
| Format = [[Westwood Strings File]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Ingame text. Strangely, the French and German versions of the game also use <code>.eng</code>, and not <code>.fre</code> and <code>.ger</code> like Dune II did.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.ini
| Format = [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert Mission Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Missions. Stored as an ini file, describing missions and containing embeded binary data describing the maps.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *_vtx.pal
| Format = [[Westwood Fading Table]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Palette remapping tables used as colour filters for special effects in the game. This system is used extensively internally in the game engine, but only the Chrono Vortex tables are ever handled as files.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.lut
| Format = [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert Vortex Lookup Table]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Chrono vortex distortion table. Defines for each pixel in a 64x64 frame which origin pixel it is taken from, and how much it is darkened.
}}
{{EndGameFileList}}

== Tools ==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=game}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Mixer suite]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = Edit
| map = Edit
| gfx = Edit
| mus = Edit
| sfx = Edit
| txt = Read
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and most of the formats inside it. Contains a map editor as external tool in the same pack.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://vladan.bato.net/cnc/ Mix Manager / AUD Utilities]
| Platform = DOS
| grp = Edit
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = Edit
| sfx = Edit
| txt = Edit
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = DOS Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and has tools for converting most of the formats inside it.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = RAMIX
| Platform = DOS
| grp = Edit
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = View
| sfx = View
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = DOS Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and has tools for converting most of the formats inside it.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = View
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can view and convert the game's [[Westwood CPS Format|CPS]], [[Westwood SHP Format (Dune II)|SHP]], [[Westwood WSA Format|WSA]], [[Westwood Font Format v3|font]] and [[VGA Palette#The "Classic" format|colour palette]] formats, and can visualise the game's [[Westwood Fading Table|fading tables]] and [[Command & Conquer Mission Format|missions]].
}}

{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://github.com/Nyerguds/MobiusMapEditor/ Mobius Map Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = View
| map = Edit
| gfx = No
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Fork of the official C&C: Remastered map editor. Can open the .mix archives and open / extract files from them.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Westwood Font Editor]]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can edit the game's [[Westwood Font Format v3|font files]].
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/project_stuff/2014/FilterCreator/ Filter Creator]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = A specialised tool to view and recreate the game's colour filters.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/project_stuff/2018/WWStringsEditor/release/ Westwood Strings Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = No
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = Edit
| sav = No
| exe = No
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27215-tool-for-creating-dune2-wsa-files/?do=findComment&comment=392438 d2shpset]
| Platform = Windows (command line)
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = A small Dune II SHP writing utility written by OmniBlade of the [https://github.com/TheAssemblyArmada/Chronoshift Chronoshift] team for Dune II SHP files. This format is used in C&C for the game's mouse cursor.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://web.archive.org/web/20130501143307/http://www.ultraq.net.nz/redhorizon/downloads/ Red Horizon Utilities]
| Platform = Java (command line)
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Original site is defunct. Backups of the tools can be found [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/tools/redhorizon/ here].
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://ppmforums.com/topic-8337/vqa-encoder-v05-beta-2/ VQA Encoder]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can convert video material into the game's proprietary VQA cutscene format.
}}

{{EndFileFormatTools}}

[[Category:Command & Conquer:Red Alert]]
[[Category:Westwood Studios]]
[[Category:Real-Time Strategy]]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

2026-01-31T22:43:49Z

BOfH: /* File formats */

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = Edit
| Tiles = Edit
| Sprites = Edit
| Fullscreen = Edit
| Sound = Edit
| Music = Edit
| Text = Edit
| Story = Edit
| Interface = No
| Platform2=Windows 95
}}

'''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''', also known simply as '''Red Alert''' is the third real-time strategy game released by [[:Category:Westwood Studios|Westwood Studios]].

It keeps Command and Conquer's game mechanic of a harvestable resource found on the battlefield but also introduces a second resource. Ore is regeneratable but less valuable while crystals are more valuable but do not regenearte.

The basic premise of the game is the same as in Command & Conquer; the player has to build a base, harvest the available ore and crystals on the playing field as in-game currency, and use that currency to expand the base and build armies to defend against enemies, and finally destroy their base.

==File formats==

The following file formats are used by this game.

{{BeginGameFileList|header=false}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.mix
| Format = [[MIX Format (Westwood)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = File archives.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.pal
| Format = [[VGA Palette#The "Classic" format|6-bit RGB 256-colour palette]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Palettes.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.cps
| Format = [[Westwood CPS Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Full-screen images. Often used for internal processing to identify region clicks.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.wsa
| Format = [[Westwood WSA Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Animations.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.vqa
| Format = [[Westwood VQA Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Full-motion video cutscenes.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.shp *.tem *.win *.des
| Format = [[Westwood SHP Format (TD)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Sprites. Files specific to one theater (terrain set) are given the extension of that specific theater.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.shp
| Format = [[Westwood SHP Format (Dune II)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Used for only one file; the mouse cursor sprite.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.tem *.sno *.int
| Format = [[Command & Conquer:Red Alert Tileset Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Terrain used in the game's maps.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.fnt
| Format = [[Westwood Font Format v3]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Fonts.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.aud
| Format = [[Westwood AUD Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Sound effects and voices.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.eng
| Format = [[Westwood Strings File]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Ingame text. Strangely, the French and German versions of the game also use <code>.eng</code>, and not <code>.fre</code> and <code>.ger</code> like Dune II did.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.ini 
| Format = [[Command & Conquer:Red Alert Mission Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Missions. Stored as an ini file, describing missions and containing embeded binary data describing the maps.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.mrf
| Format = [[Westwood Fading Table]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Palette remapping tables used as colour filters for special effects in the game.
}}
{{EndGameFileList}}

== Tools ==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=game}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Mixer suite]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = Edit
| map = Edit
| gfx = Edit
| mus = Edit
| sfx = Edit
| txt = Read
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and most of the formats inside it. Contains a map editor as external tool in the same pack.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://vladan.bato.net/cnc/ Mix Manager / AUD Utilities]
| Platform = DOS
| grp = Edit
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = Edit
| sfx = Edit
| txt = Edit
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = DOS Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and has tools for converting most of the formats inside it.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = RAMIX
| Platform = DOS
| grp = Edit
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = View
| sfx = View
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = DOS Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and has tools for converting most of the formats inside it.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = View
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can view and convert the game's [[Westwood CPS Format|CPS]], [[Westwood SHP Format (Dune II)|SHP]], [[Westwood WSA Format|WSA]], [[Westwood Font Format v3|font]] and [[VGA Palette#The "Classic" format|colour palette]] formats, and can visualise the game's [[Westwood Fading Table|fading tables]] and [[Command & Conquer Mission Format|missions]].
}}

{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://github.com/Nyerguds/MobiusMapEditor/ Mobius Map Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = View
| map = Edit
| gfx = No
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Fork of the official C&C: Remastered map editor. Can open the .mix archives and open / extract files from them.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Westwood Font Editor]]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can edit the game's [[Westwood Font Format v3|font files]].
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/project_stuff/2014/FilterCreator/ Filter Creator]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = A specialised tool to view and recreate the game's colour filters.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/project_stuff/2018/WWStringsEditor/release/ Westwood Strings Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = No
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = Edit
| sav = No
| exe = No
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27215-tool-for-creating-dune2-wsa-files/?do=findComment&comment=392438 d2shpset]
| Platform = Windows (command line)
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = A small Dune II SHP writing utility written by OmniBlade of the [https://github.com/TheAssemblyArmada/Chronoshift Chronoshift] team for Dune II SHP files. This format is used in C&C for the game's mouse cursor.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://web.archive.org/web/20130501143307/http://www.ultraq.net.nz/redhorizon/downloads/ Red Horizon Utilities]
| Platform = Java (command line)
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Original site is defunct. Backups of the tools can be found [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/tools/redhorizon/ here].
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://ppmforums.com/topic-8337/vqa-encoder-v05-beta-2/ VQA Encoder]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can convert video material into the game's proprietary VQA cutscene format.
}}

{{EndFileFormatTools}}

[[Category:Command & Conquer:Red Alert]]
[[Category:Westwood Studios]]
[[Category:Real-Time Strategy]]

Command & Conquer Mission Format

2026-01-28T18:37:40Z

BOfH:

{{Map Infobox
| Type = 2D cell-based
| Layers = N/A (if object types are seen as a layers, at least 7)
| Cell dimensions = 64×64 (C&C) 128×128 (Sole Survivor)
| Viewport = 240×192 (DOS) 320×192 (DOS, no sidebar) 480×384 (Win95) 640×384 (Win95, no sidebar)
| Cell viewport = 10×8 (DOS) 13.33×8 (DOS, no sidebar) 20×16 (Win95) 26.67×16 (Win95, no sidebar)
| Games =
{{Game|Command & Conquer}}
{{Game|Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor}}
}}

The [[Command & Conquer]] mission format is comprised of two parts; binary data containing the raw indestructible terrain, and a .ini file describing everything that should be put on that terrain, as well as the mission's scripting.

In [[Command & Conquer]] the binary data is stored in a separate file, sharing a file name with the ini file but using the .bin extension.

In [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]] the binary data is stored in the mission's .ini file under the [MapPack] and [OverlayPack] sections.

Command & Conquer missions always have a size of 64×64 cells, but the ini file determines which area of that map will actually be accessible in the game. The outer border should never be used, because it is where aircraft get stuck when leaving the map after doing deliveries, air strikes or evacuations. This leaves the map with a 62x62 cell usable area.

The outer edge is not completely useless, though: the cells immediately outside the ini-defined accessible area can be filled with impassable terrain with gaps to control exactly where ground-based reinforcements can enter the map.

In [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]] and [[Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor]], maps have a size of 128x128, but they retain the outer border requirement.

==Terrain file==

The raw indestructible map terrain, stored in a binary file with extension <tt>.bin</tt>, is a simple array of 64*64 cells, each cell being a struct of the following two bytes:

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset!!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT8]]||TilesetID||ID of the tileset file to use for this cell.
|-
|0x01||[[UINT8]]||TilesetCell||Specific cell number inside the tileset file to use for this cell.
|}

This array is interpreted like most image formats; wrapping around at a width of 64. The mission file works with a system of cell numbers, which are simply the indices of the cells in that full array.

The full range of <tt>TilesetID</tt> values can be looked up in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/tilesets.ini the tilesets.ini file] in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/ Nyerguds' ini dump of the game's internal data]. The value <tt>0xFF</tt> is reserved for clear terrain. This is automatically tiled over the map in 4x4 cell blocks.

The <tt>TileSetCell</tt> refers directly to the cell number inside the [[Command & Conquer Tileset Format|tileset file]], without any checks from the game, meaning additional tiles can be added to maps simply by providing a modded tileset file with added tiles, and by editing the map to access those extra tiles. Any such added tiles will use that tileset's primary terrain type, though.

This format is the same on all ports of the game, except for the Nintendo 64.

===In the Nintendo 64 version===

The Nintendo 64 version uses the <tt>.map</tt> extension for its terrain maps, because the <tt>.bin</tt> extension is already used for its music files.

The map format in the Nintendo 64 version looks superficially the same, but it does not work with tilesets at all; the two bytes inside a cell are simply taken together as a single [[UINT16LE]] value, forming a single graphics tile's ID. Unlike the PC theaters, which share a lot of tilesets between theaters, these IDs are completely different between Temperate and Desert theater. Additionally, it uses bytes "FF FF" for clear terrain, where the PC version normally uses "FF 00".

The [[Engie File Converter]] contains the mappings required to convert maps between the two formats, though the N64 version of the game [https://tcrf.net/Command_%26_Conquer_(Nintendo_64)#Removed_Map_Tiles does not contain the full tilesets range the PC version has].

===In Sole Survivor===

[[Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor]], the arena deathmatch spinoff of C&C, introduces a new terrain map format with a basic size of 128x128. The use of this map format is indicated in the .ini file by setting "Version=1" under the <tt>[Map]</tt> section. The extension is still <tt>.bin</tt>, just like in the original game.

The map format differs from the normal maps in that it is a variable-size array that only saves tiles that are not clear terrain. To still position everything correctly, each tile starts with its cell number, giving the following 4-byte structure:

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset!!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT16LE]]||CellNumber||Cell number of the saved cell.
|-
|0x02||[[UINT8]]||TilesetID||ID of the tileset file to use for this cell.
|-
|0x03||[[UINT8]]||TilesetCell||Specific cell number inside the tileset file to use for this cell.
|}

This format has gained some popularity after being included in some fan projects and C&C: Remastered mods based on the released Command & Conquer source code, which add the ability to use this larger map format in the basic Command & Conquer game. More interest also came with the successful reverse-engineering of the Sole Survivor server software, which made Sole Survivor playable in multiplayer mode again.

==Ini file==

The ini file determines which theater (tilesets collection) will be used for the map, what objects are pre-placed on the map, and what mission scripting should happen. It is identical on all ports of the game.

The ini file uses a typical ini format like this:

[Section]
Key1=value
Key2=value
Key3=value

Keys must always be unique, even in situations where the key has no real meaning, like the lists of units, structures and infantry. Usually, in these lists, each item is simply assigned a number as key.

Values are often comma-separated blocks that contain specifically-structured data for the different initialization options of things like units, structures, teams and script triggers.

Section names and keys are technically case-insensitive, but for keys, due to the way the game scans for them, their first letter needs to match the case in which they are stored in the game's internals. Since C&C's keys are all stored in Pascal-style camel case, this means they always need to start with a capital letter. The file needs to end on a line break, otherwise the game will not be able to read the last line of the file.

The full format is very extensive, so I'll only go over the basics. A lot of this information can be derived from just looking into mission files, and mission making guides like [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cncstuff/cctxt/ccmanual.txt this one] are available online.

===The [Basic] section===

This is all about the mission itself. Here, you can change which side you play, what videos you see, and some other stuff. It has the following options:

* CarryOverCap: A cap on the amount of money that can be carried over. Never enabled by the game, and always set to '-1'.
* CarryOverMoney: Specifies how much money from your ending credits in the previous mission will be carried over to this one, as percentage.
* Intro: Intro video of the mission, played before the Brief and Action video. File name is the name of a .VQA video file, without extension.
* BuildLevel: Build level used in the mission. In the campaigns, this defaults to the campaign mission number, however, it needs to be set for add-on missions in the New Missions menu.
* Theme: Start theme of the mission, either as filename or as actual track title. 'No theme' reverts to the default music behaviour.
* Percent: Unused leftover of Dune II, even though the option was never used there, either. In Dune II it determined how much of the enemy base was built from the start of the mission.
* Player: Normally 'GoodGuy' (GDI) or 'BadGuy' (Nod). Could use one of the other houses (Neutral, Special, Multi1-Multi6), but this is not advised since it makes the game lock up in the mission win logic.
* Action: Video played between the Brief video and the mission start.
* Lose: Video played when you lose.
* Win: Video played when you win.
* Brief: The briefing video.
* Name: Mission name. This should be present for missions in the New Missions menu of the game, but is unused for campaign missions.

The unofficial 1.06 patch for the game made a few changes to the behaviour of this section:
* It removed the forced link of BuildLevel to the campaign level number, allowing campaign missions to freely adapt their tech level.
* It solved a lot of problems related to using non-standard values for the <tt>Player</tt> setting; missions played with those will generally return to the game's main menu after completing them.
* It fixed a problem that occurred when both an Intro video and a Theme were set, which made the game play the music and video simultaneously.
* It [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/patch106c_r3_en.html#toc_7.4.1 added a bunch of new options] that unlock either hidden beta options, or special behaviour that was previously hardcoded for specific missions.

===The [Map] section===

This determines which terrain set will be used, and which portion of the map will actually be playable. As mentioned before, the full map is 64x64 (or 128x128 for megamaps), but the outer border can't be used, meaning <tt>X</tt> and <tt>Y</tt> both have a minimum of 1, and <tt>X + Width</tt> and <tt>Y + Height</tt> should both be at most 63.

* Width: Width of the map.
* Height: Height of the map.
* X: horizontal position of left corner of map.
* Y: vertical position of left corner of map.
* Theater: graphics set: WINTER, DESERT, TEMPERATE.
* Version: introduced in ''Sole Survivor'', this is put to "1" to indicate 128x128 megamap format.

The theater determines which tileset files will be loaded to show the map. For example, TEMPERATE will load the TEMPERAT.MIX archive, and from it, it will load the TEMPERAT.PAL palette, and the tileset files with the .TEM extension.

The 1.06 patch adds an additional "SNOW" theater to is, based on graphics from [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]].

===The [Briefing] section===

This section can be used to give a mission briefing to the mission. While normal missions read this from an entry named like the mission file (e.g. <tt>[SCB01EA]</tt>) in the MISSION.INI file, this in-mission version will always override that external one, and is required for the missions in the "New Mission" menu which fall outside the scope of the normal campaign missions.

The format is simply

[Briefing]
1=GDI has attacked and cut off one of our bases. Find a way into
2=the base. One of our agents will assist you by placing a landing
3=flare at the right time. Once you're in,
4=rebuild the base and destroy the GDI forces in the area.

Note that line breaks in this are ignored; the text is always read as one long string and simply wrapped inside the briefing window in the game.

The 1.06 patch adds the ability to force line breaks by ending a line on ##. It also adds the ability to add language-specific briefings as different sections, like <tt>[BriefGer]</tt> and <tt>[BriefFre]</tt>. The names of these sections are controlled by the language control ini files also added by the unofficial patch.

===The House sections===

The game has 10 different "Houses" (a term left over from Dune II, and borrowed from the Dune books), or, simply put, player sides. Each of these can be used in the game, and can have settings related to their alliances and starting conditions.

The section name itself will have one of the House names:
* <tt>[GoodGuy]</tt>: GDI
* <tt>[BadGuy]</tt>: Nod
* <tt>[Neutral]</tt>: Civilians
* <tt>[Special]</tt>: Dinosaurs, in the game's Jurassic Park themed Easter egg campaign (Internally designated as "Containment Team", but in reality used as the dinosaurs themselves)
* <tt>[Multi1]</tt>: Blue multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi2]</tt>: Orange multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi3]</tt>: Green multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi4]</tt>: White multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi5]</tt>: Yellow multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi6]</tt>: Red multiplayer team

They can contain the following keys:

* FlagHome: Unused.
* FlagLocation: Unused.
* MaxBuilding: Unused. Leftover from Dune II.
* MaxUnit: Unused. Leftover from Dune II.
* Allies: Comma-separated list of all the Houses that this House will not attack. Alliances are not automatically mutual, so to prevent odd situations, also set this house in the list of their allies.
* Quota: Unused. Leftover from Dune II, where it was related to missions where the goal was to harvest until a certain amount of money was gained.
* Edge: Reinforcements for this house will come from this direction (North, East, South or West)
* Credits: number of credits they start with divided by 100 (so 10 means 1000)

The houses Special and Multi1-Multi6 do not have tech tree limitations when used in single player, meaning they can build all stuff from both GDI and Nod. The multiplayer mechanics of the game have a way of making the multiplayer houses conform to the player-chosen side. The Neutral house, on the other hand, has barely any construction options at all.

The unofficial 1.06 patch gives this section [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/patch106c_r3_en.html#toc_7.4.4 additional options to control the house's colours].

===Ownerless objects sections===

The <tt>[Terrain]</tt>, <tt>[Overlay]</tt> and <tt>[Smudge]</tt> sections contain all ownerless objects on the map. Terrain consists of trees and rocks; overlay are walls, collectable crates, Tiberium, and a couple of unused pavement types; and Smudge has scorch marks, craters, and the building bibs.

Each object will be placed on the map based on a cell number indicating the top left corner of the object. This is true even if that cell of the object is passable, like the tops of trees sticking out. As mentioned in the terrain file section, cell numbers are simply the index of the terrain cell as seen in the map data; it wraps around at 64 cells.

The number behind the Smudge entry can be used to change the state of craters; a larger number (up to 4) shows a larger crater.

Terrain entries contain a trigger name, but the only event that can be triggered by Terrain objects is the "Attacked" one. This only works on destructible Terrain objects, like trees.

Examples:

[TERRAIN]
; Cell=Type,Trigger
1107=ROCK1,None

[OVERLAY]
; Cell=Type
1406=SBAG

[SMUDGE]
; Cell=Type,Cell,State
3816=SC1,3816,0

===Owned objects sections===

The <tt>[Structures]</tt>, <tt>[Units]</tt> and <tt>[Infantry]</tt> sections contain objects owned by Houses. Like with the ownerless objects, each one has a position defined by the cell number indicating the top left corner of the object. They will also have the unit's orders, a strength (health) value ranging from 1 to 256 (the latter meaning 100%), the direction in which it is facing (ranging from 0 to 255 for a full rotation), and a trigger associated to the object for scripting purposes. Infantry will also have a sub-cell position, since five infantry units fit on each cell. These sub-cells are laid out like the five dots on a die, with 0 as the center, 1 for top-left, 2 for top-right, 3 for bottom-left and 4 for bottom-right.

The facing direction is usually not useful for buildings, but does actually work on Gun Turrets. In fact, units are limited to the values for cardinal and intercardinal directions (0 for north, 32 for northeast, 64 for east, etc.), while the Gun Turret can use more precise values.

Examples:

[Structures]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,Facing,Trigger
002=BadGuy,GUN,256,3566,160,None

[Units]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,Facing,Orders,Trigger
000=BadGuy,BIKE,256,1231,0,Guard,None

[Infantry]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,SubCell,Orders,Facing,Trigger
046=GoodGuy,E2,256,3867,2,Area Guard,0,None

Note that the "index" can be anything; it simply needs to be a unique key for the ini system, and numbers are the easiest way to do that.

===Scripting sections===

Mission scripting, including but not limited to the AI's ability to react on events, is determined by the sections <tt>[Triggers]</tt>, <tt>[CellTriggers]</tt>, <tt>[TeamTypes]</tt> and <tt>[Waypoints]</tt>.

* '''Triggers''' are actual scripted Actions, caused by an Event. There is a wide range of Events in the game, from a simple timer, to certain cells being walked on by units from a certain house, to specific pre-placed units or structures being destroyed, damaged or discovered. Actions include letting the player Win or Lose, making the AI send out units based on a TeamType definition, triggering a superweapon unlock or attack, revealing an area with a dropzone flare, and disabling another trigger. Triggers can be set to either activate once, repeat every time the Event is triggered, or only activate once the Event has been triggered on every object linked to the trigger. A full overview of all the game's Events and Actions can be found [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2824756756 here].
* '''CellTriggers''' are a list of cell numbers and a trigger linked to each one. Triggers linked to CellTriggers should always have the activation criterion '''Player Enters'''.
* '''TeamTypes''' are definitions of groups of units and the orders they execute on the map, usually including a series of specific movement orders to go through to follow a path. These are used for enemy attacks and patrols, but also for friendly reinforcements. There are a bunch of extra options on them which were only recently revealed, [https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection/blob/e37e174be13d2768dc71c29f4aeb9e2712d5d172/CnCTDRAMapEditor/TiberianDawn/GamePlugin.cs#L212-L220 with the release of the first official map editor, and its source code.]
* '''Waypoints''' are shortcuts to cell numbers on the map, used by the TeamTypes section. They contain some special values, like the location of the signal flare that can be activated by the trigger action '''DZ at 'Z'''' ('Z' meaning the 26th Waypoint, which is index #25), the top-left corner of the viewed location at the start of a mission (#26) and the default dropoff location for reinforcements (#27).

Examples:

[Triggers]
; Name=Event,Action,Count,House,TeamType,ExecutionType
; ExecutionType (internally referred to as a trigger's "Persistence") can be:
; 0: execute once, on first triggering
; 1: execute once after all linked objects are triggered
; 2: execute every time it is triggered
atk4=Player Enters,Create Team,0,GoodGuy,nod3,0

[CellTriggers]
; Cell=Trigger
1319=atk4

[TeamTypes]
; Name=House,R,L,S,A,M,P,X,I,F,NrOfTypes,[Type:Amount,Type:Amount,...],NrOfOrders,[Order:Arg,Order:Arg,...],IsReinforcable,IsPrebuilt
; Options after House are IsRoundAbout, IsLearning, IsSuicide, IsAutocreate, IsMercenary, RecruitPriority, MaxAllowed, InitNum, Fear.
nod3=BadGuy,1,0,0,0,0,15,0,0,0,2,E4:2,LTNK:1,4,Move:0,Move:1,Move:7,Move:8,0,0

[Waypoints]
; WayPointNr=Cell
8=2706
7=2263
1=1180
0=1000

===The [Base] section===

The <tt>[Base]</tt> section contains a list of all buildings that should be (re)built by the AI, in the order of build priority. This list can contain buildings that do not appear on the map. The AI will only start building structures from this list once its 'Production' trigger is activated.

The Base section must always contain a "Count" key to indicate how many items it should read from the list.

Example:

[Base]
004=NUKE,436215040
003=HAND,436213760
002=SILO,436216064
001=SILO,436215552
000=PROC,469769984
Count=5

* The key is always a three-digit number. It acts as priority number; 000 will be rebuilt first, then 001, then 002, etc.
* The first argument in the comma-separated value is the building type code. This is the same as the codes used in the <tt>[Structures]</tt> section.
* The second argument in the comma-separated value is calculated from the coordinates, and is a lot more clear when seen as hexadecimal. 436213760 is 1A001800, and the two immediately visible values in there, namely 1A and 18, are the Y and X values of the building's location. So the actual saved value in the ini file is <code>0x1000000*Y + 0x100*X</code> (or, in decimal, <code>16777216*Y + 256*X</code>). The actual coordinates in the example would be Y=26 and X=24, making the cell number <code>64*Y + X = 1688</code>. The fact the values both appear as multiples of 0x100 is because they are actually saved as leptons, the game's more precise internal measurement unit which equates to 1/256th of the size (width or height) of a cell.

Note that the value does not contain an owner for the building, which leads to problems when multiple Production-enabled AIs with construction yards are on the map. They will compete over the available spots, and will send troops to remove enemy units or structures obstructing their build location.

===Other sections===

Two other sections can be encountered in the missions. While they might work, their use is generally not advised:

* '''Reinforcements''': used to control hovercraft reinforcements. Anything this does should be possible in a more controlled way using triggers and teamtypes.

* '''Template''': allows placing tilesets directly on the map in a <code>CellNumber=TileSetName</code> format, overriding whatever the map file had. This isn't very reliable since it can't use cell numbers that fall outside the used map, meaning it won't work well on the top and left map edges. Also, this always places an entire tileset piece, whereas the binary maps place them per single cell, allowing a lot more customisation.

* '''Aircraft''': Deactivated code for reading an <tt>[Aircraft]</tt> section, was discovered by people looking into the internals of the game, but even when reactivated, it didn't work correctly, spawning aircraft in the air and leaving impassable spots underneath. The section functions like the <tt>[Units]</tt> section, except it has no trigger at the end. The use of this section was re-enabled in the C&C Remaster, but is pretty much as broken as it was in the original. The only reliable way to make the unit land on the actual designated cell, thereby clearing the impassable spot, is to give them the "Unload" order. Note that while several missions feature Transport Helicopters 'placed' on the map for the player to capture, these are always flown in by mission scripts at the start of the mission.

Examples:

[REINFORCEMENTS]
1=GoodGuy,E1,Beach,0

[TEMPLATE]
3645=SH2

[Aircraft]
000=GoodGuy,ORCA,256,2960,160,Unload

===In Red Alert===

* The basic map tiles are in the [MapPack] section of the mission ini file. This section contains a number of key/value pairs where the values should be concatenated together to form a string. This needs to be BASE64 decoded. The binary data contains a number of sections of LCW/Format80 compressed data, prepended by two UINT16LE values. The first gives the compressed data size and the second gives the decompressed size. The decompressed size will be 8192 bytes, as the

* The maps are now 128x128 cells
* The data per cell is still <tilesetid>:<tileid> but the tileset ID has increased from UINT8 to UINT16LE. TileID is still UINT8. This gives 128 x 128 cell x 3 bytes == 49,152 bytes, commonly know as 48Kb
* The binary data is split into six 8Kb chunks. The chunks are compressed with LCW/Format80 and prepended with two UINT16LE words, giving the compressed size and the decompressed size (hint: word two is always 8192 bytes)
* The compressed binary is BASE64 encoded
* The BASE64 data is cut into sections and stuff into the [MapPack] section of the mission's ini file
* The [OverlayPack] contains things to be overlayed onto the map like ore and gems. It's probably encoded the same way but I haven't got as far as checking this. Also not sure if the overlays are tiles or sprites.

===In Sole Survivor===

The Sole Survivor map format remains largely the same as that in the base game. These changes exist:

* A <tt>[Crates]</tt> section is added which can be used to balance the different types of crate goodies that come out of crates, and has some more general settings determining the crate density and spawn rate. These settings can however be overridden by the server.
* The contents of the <tt>[Structures]</tt> section are not read. Earlier versions of the game did read this, however, and civilian buildings remain on some maps as decoration, though the final version of the game does not read them.
* Crates are never read from the <tt>[Overlay]</tt> section in the ini file.
* The ROAD pavement in the <tt>[Overlay]</tt> section is used to place Teleporters on maps.
* Certain waypoints have special meanings. Waypoints 0 to 3 are points around which a larger concentration of crates will be spawned. The next eight waypoints, 4 to 11, act as eight possible team home location points for team-based game such as Capture The Flag.
* In addition to the existing houses, Sole Survivor contains House sections for <tt>[Admin]</tt>, <tt>[Spectator]</tt>, <tt>[Team 1]</tt>, <tt>[Team 2]</tt>, <tt>[Team 3]</tt> and <tt>[Team 4]</tt>. The <tt>[Multi#]</tt> Houses also go up to <tt>[Multi100]</tt>.

Vehicles and infantry units can perfectly be placed on maps, though these can cause strange behaviour in the game, since each player can only control one single unit and any non-player units will act as AI hunters, actively seeking out crates to upgrade themselves and hunting down players. The game's scripting also seems to be largely intact in the game's binaries, though very little of that ever worked right in multiplayer anyway.

== Tools ==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=map}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = N/A
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Saves briefings on one line, and converts all data except the briefing text to upper case. Can export maps as images.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://cnc-comm.com/command-and-conquer/downloads/map-editors/ccmap CCMap]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Requires the terrain archives from the DOS version of the game to work.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://github.com/Nyerguds/MobiusMapEditor/ Mobius Map Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = Yes
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Fork of the official C&C: Remastered map editor. Can create and edit 128x128 megamaps and the Sole Survivor format. Can open and save the Nintendo 64 version of the format. Can export maps as images. Has support for editing unmanaged extra ini bits put inside the ini script file.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = No
| canModify = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Terrain visualization and conversion only (between PC and N64 versions). Cannot edit missions.
}}
{{EndFileFormatTools}}
[[Category:Westwood Studios File Formats]]

Command & Conquer Mission Format

2026-01-28T18:37:14Z

BOfH:

{{Map Infobox
| Type = 2D cell-based
| Layers = N/A (if object types are seen as a layers, at least 7)
| Cell dimensions = 64×64 (C&C) 128×128 (Sole Survivor)
| Viewport = 240×192 (DOS) 320×192 (DOS, no sidebar) 480×384 (Win95) 640×384 (Win95, no sidebar)
| Cell viewport = 10×8 (DOS) 13.33×8 (DOS, no sidebar) 20×16 (Win95) 26.67×16 (Win95, no sidebar)
| Games =
{{Game|Command & Conquer}}
{{Game|Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor}}
}}

The [[Command & Conquer]] mission format is comprised of two parts; binary data containing the raw indestructible terrain, and a .ini file describing everything that should be put on that terrain, as well as the mission's scripting.

In [[Command & Conquer]] the binary data is stored in a separate file, sharing a file name with the ini file but using the .bin extension.

In [[Command & Conquer:Red Alert]] the binary data is stored in the mission's .ini file under the [MapPack] and [OverlayPack] sections.

Command & Conquer missions always have a size of 64×64 cells, but the ini file determines which area of that map will actually be accessible in the game. The outer border should never be used, because it is where aircraft get stuck when leaving the map after doing deliveries, air strikes or evacuations. This leaves the map with a 62x62 cell usable area.

The outer edge is not completely useless, though: the cells immediately outside the ini-defined accessible area can be filled with impassable terrain with gaps to control exactly where ground-based reinforcements can enter the map.

In [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]] and [[Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor]], maps have a size of 128x128, but they retain the outer border requirement.

==Terrain file==

The raw indestructible map terrain, stored in a binary file with extension <tt>.bin</tt>, is a simple array of 64*64 cells, each cell being a struct of the following two bytes:

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset!!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT8]]||TilesetID||ID of the tileset file to use for this cell.
|-
|0x01||[[UINT8]]||TilesetCell||Specific cell number inside the tileset file to use for this cell.
|}

This array is interpreted like most image formats; wrapping around at a width of 64. The mission file works with a system of cell numbers, which are simply the indices of the cells in that full array.

The full range of <tt>TilesetID</tt> values can be looked up in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/tilesets.ini the tilesets.ini file] in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/ Nyerguds' ini dump of the game's internal data]. The value <tt>0xFF</tt> is reserved for clear terrain. This is automatically tiled over the map in 4x4 cell blocks.

The <tt>TileSetCell</tt> refers directly to the cell number inside the [[Command & Conquer Tileset Format|tileset file]], without any checks from the game, meaning additional tiles can be added to maps simply by providing a modded tileset file with added tiles, and by editing the map to access those extra tiles. Any such added tiles will use that tileset's primary terrain type, though.

This format is the same on all ports of the game, except for the Nintendo 64.

===In the Nintendo 64 version===

The Nintendo 64 version uses the <tt>.map</tt> extension for its terrain maps, because the <tt>.bin</tt> extension is already used for its music files.

The map format in the Nintendo 64 version looks superficially the same, but it does not work with tilesets at all; the two bytes inside a cell are simply taken together as a single [[UINT16LE]] value, forming a single graphics tile's ID. Unlike the PC theaters, which share a lot of tilesets between theaters, these IDs are completely different between Temperate and Desert theater. Additionally, it uses bytes "FF FF" for clear terrain, where the PC version normally uses "FF 00".

The [[Engie File Converter]] contains the mappings required to convert maps between the two formats, though the N64 version of the game [https://tcrf.net/Command_%26_Conquer_(Nintendo_64)#Removed_Map_Tiles does not contain the full tilesets range the PC version has].

===In Sole Survivor===

[[Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor]], the arena deathmatch spinoff of C&C, introduces a new terrain map format with a basic size of 128x128. The use of this map format is indicated in the .ini file by setting "Version=1" under the <tt>[Map]</tt> section. The extension is still <tt>.bin</tt>, just like in the original game.

The map format differs from the normal maps in that it is a variable-size array that only saves tiles that are not clear terrain. To still position everything correctly, each tile starts with its cell number, giving the following 4-byte structure:

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset!!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT16LE]]||CellNumber||Cell number of the saved cell.
|-
|0x02||[[UINT8]]||TilesetID||ID of the tileset file to use for this cell.
|-
|0x03||[[UINT8]]||TilesetCell||Specific cell number inside the tileset file to use for this cell.
|}

This format has gained some popularity after being included in some fan projects and C&C: Remastered mods based on the released Command & Conquer source code, which add the ability to use this larger map format in the basic Command & Conquer game. More interest also came with the successful reverse-engineering of the Sole Survivor server software, which made Sole Survivor playable in multiplayer mode again.

==Ini file==

The ini file determines which theater (tilesets collection) will be used for the map, what objects are pre-placed on the map, and what mission scripting should happen. It is identical on all ports of the game.

The ini file uses a typical ini format like this:

[Section]
Key1=value
Key2=value
Key3=value

Keys must always be unique, even in situations where the key has no real meaning, like the lists of units, structures and infantry. Usually, in these lists, each item is simply assigned a number as key.

Values are often comma-separated blocks that contain specifically-structured data for the different initialization options of things like units, structures, teams and script triggers.

Section names and keys are technically case-insensitive, but for keys, due to the way the game scans for them, their first letter needs to match the case in which they are stored in the game's internals. Since C&C's keys are all stored in Pascal-style camel case, this means they always need to start with a capital letter. The file needs to end on a line break, otherwise the game will not be able to read the last line of the file.

The full format is very extensive, so I'll only go over the basics. A lot of this information can be derived from just looking into mission files, and mission making guides like [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cncstuff/cctxt/ccmanual.txt this one] are available online.

===The [Basic] section===

This is all about the mission itself. Here, you can change which side you play, what videos you see, and some other stuff. It has the following options:

* CarryOverCap: A cap on the amount of money that can be carried over. Never enabled by the game, and always set to '-1'.
* CarryOverMoney: Specifies how much money from your ending credits in the previous mission will be carried over to this one, as percentage.
* Intro: Intro video of the mission, played before the Brief and Action video. File name is the name of a .VQA video file, without extension.
* BuildLevel: Build level used in the mission. In the campaigns, this defaults to the campaign mission number, however, it needs to be set for add-on missions in the New Missions menu.
* Theme: Start theme of the mission, either as filename or as actual track title. 'No theme' reverts to the default music behaviour.
* Percent: Unused leftover of Dune II, even though the option was never used there, either. In Dune II it determined how much of the enemy base was built from the start of the mission.
* Player: Normally 'GoodGuy' (GDI) or 'BadGuy' (Nod). Could use one of the other houses (Neutral, Special, Multi1-Multi6), but this is not advised since it makes the game lock up in the mission win logic.
* Action: Video played between the Brief video and the mission start.
* Lose: Video played when you lose.
* Win: Video played when you win.
* Brief: The briefing video.
* Name: Mission name. This should be present for missions in the New Missions menu of the game, but is unused for campaign missions.

The unofficial 1.06 patch for the game made a few changes to the behaviour of this section:
* It removed the forced link of BuildLevel to the campaign level number, allowing campaign missions to freely adapt their tech level.
* It solved a lot of problems related to using non-standard values for the <tt>Player</tt> setting; missions played with those will generally return to the game's main menu after completing them.
* It fixed a problem that occurred when both an Intro video and a Theme were set, which made the game play the music and video simultaneously.
* It [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/patch106c_r3_en.html#toc_7.4.1 added a bunch of new options] that unlock either hidden beta options, or special behaviour that was previously hardcoded for specific missions.

===The [Map] section===

This determines which terrain set will be used, and which portion of the map will actually be playable. As mentioned before, the full map is 64x64 (or 128x128 for megamaps), but the outer border can't be used, meaning <tt>X</tt> and <tt>Y</tt> both have a minimum of 1, and <tt>X + Width</tt> and <tt>Y + Height</tt> should both be at most 63.

* Width: Width of the map.
* Height: Height of the map.
* X: horizontal position of left corner of map.
* Y: vertical position of left corner of map.
* Theater: graphics set: WINTER, DESERT, TEMPERATE.
* Version: introduced in ''Sole Survivor'', this is put to "1" to indicate 128x128 megamap format.

The theater determines which tileset files will be loaded to show the map. For example, TEMPERATE will load the TEMPERAT.MIX archive, and from it, it will load the TEMPERAT.PAL palette, and the tileset files with the .TEM extension.

The 1.06 patch adds an additional "SNOW" theater to is, based on graphics from [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]].

===The [Briefing] section===

This section can be used to give a mission briefing to the mission. While normal missions read this from an entry named like the mission file (e.g. <tt>[SCB01EA]</tt>) in the MISSION.INI file, this in-mission version will always override that external one, and is required for the missions in the "New Mission" menu which fall outside the scope of the normal campaign missions.

The format is simply

[Briefing]
1=GDI has attacked and cut off one of our bases. Find a way into
2=the base. One of our agents will assist you by placing a landing
3=flare at the right time. Once you're in,
4=rebuild the base and destroy the GDI forces in the area.

Note that line breaks in this are ignored; the text is always read as one long string and simply wrapped inside the briefing window in the game.

The 1.06 patch adds the ability to force line breaks by ending a line on ##. It also adds the ability to add language-specific briefings as different sections, like <tt>[BriefGer]</tt> and <tt>[BriefFre]</tt>. The names of these sections are controlled by the language control ini files also added by the unofficial patch.

===The House sections===

The game has 10 different "Houses" (a term left over from Dune II, and borrowed from the Dune books), or, simply put, player sides. Each of these can be used in the game, and can have settings related to their alliances and starting conditions.

The section name itself will have one of the House names:
* <tt>[GoodGuy]</tt>: GDI
* <tt>[BadGuy]</tt>: Nod
* <tt>[Neutral]</tt>: Civilians
* <tt>[Special]</tt>: Dinosaurs, in the game's Jurassic Park themed Easter egg campaign (Internally designated as "Containment Team", but in reality used as the dinosaurs themselves)
* <tt>[Multi1]</tt>: Blue multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi2]</tt>: Orange multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi3]</tt>: Green multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi4]</tt>: White multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi5]</tt>: Yellow multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi6]</tt>: Red multiplayer team

They can contain the following keys:

* FlagHome: Unused.
* FlagLocation: Unused.
* MaxBuilding: Unused. Leftover from Dune II.
* MaxUnit: Unused. Leftover from Dune II.
* Allies: Comma-separated list of all the Houses that this House will not attack. Alliances are not automatically mutual, so to prevent odd situations, also set this house in the list of their allies.
* Quota: Unused. Leftover from Dune II, where it was related to missions where the goal was to harvest until a certain amount of money was gained.
* Edge: Reinforcements for this house will come from this direction (North, East, South or West)
* Credits: number of credits they start with divided by 100 (so 10 means 1000)

The houses Special and Multi1-Multi6 do not have tech tree limitations when used in single player, meaning they can build all stuff from both GDI and Nod. The multiplayer mechanics of the game have a way of making the multiplayer houses conform to the player-chosen side. The Neutral house, on the other hand, has barely any construction options at all.

The unofficial 1.06 patch gives this section [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/patch106c_r3_en.html#toc_7.4.4 additional options to control the house's colours].

===Ownerless objects sections===

The <tt>[Terrain]</tt>, <tt>[Overlay]</tt> and <tt>[Smudge]</tt> sections contain all ownerless objects on the map. Terrain consists of trees and rocks; overlay are walls, collectable crates, Tiberium, and a couple of unused pavement types; and Smudge has scorch marks, craters, and the building bibs.

Each object will be placed on the map based on a cell number indicating the top left corner of the object. This is true even if that cell of the object is passable, like the tops of trees sticking out. As mentioned in the terrain file section, cell numbers are simply the index of the terrain cell as seen in the map data; it wraps around at 64 cells.

The number behind the Smudge entry can be used to change the state of craters; a larger number (up to 4) shows a larger crater.

Terrain entries contain a trigger name, but the only event that can be triggered by Terrain objects is the "Attacked" one. This only works on destructible Terrain objects, like trees.

Examples:

[TERRAIN]
; Cell=Type,Trigger
1107=ROCK1,None

[OVERLAY]
; Cell=Type
1406=SBAG

[SMUDGE]
; Cell=Type,Cell,State
3816=SC1,3816,0

===Owned objects sections===

The <tt>[Structures]</tt>, <tt>[Units]</tt> and <tt>[Infantry]</tt> sections contain objects owned by Houses. Like with the ownerless objects, each one has a position defined by the cell number indicating the top left corner of the object. They will also have the unit's orders, a strength (health) value ranging from 1 to 256 (the latter meaning 100%), the direction in which it is facing (ranging from 0 to 255 for a full rotation), and a trigger associated to the object for scripting purposes. Infantry will also have a sub-cell position, since five infantry units fit on each cell. These sub-cells are laid out like the five dots on a die, with 0 as the center, 1 for top-left, 2 for top-right, 3 for bottom-left and 4 for bottom-right.

The facing direction is usually not useful for buildings, but does actually work on Gun Turrets. In fact, units are limited to the values for cardinal and intercardinal directions (0 for north, 32 for northeast, 64 for east, etc.), while the Gun Turret can use more precise values.

Examples:

[Structures]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,Facing,Trigger
002=BadGuy,GUN,256,3566,160,None

[Units]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,Facing,Orders,Trigger
000=BadGuy,BIKE,256,1231,0,Guard,None

[Infantry]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,SubCell,Orders,Facing,Trigger
046=GoodGuy,E2,256,3867,2,Area Guard,0,None

Note that the "index" can be anything; it simply needs to be a unique key for the ini system, and numbers are the easiest way to do that.

===Scripting sections===

Mission scripting, including but not limited to the AI's ability to react on events, is determined by the sections <tt>[Triggers]</tt>, <tt>[CellTriggers]</tt>, <tt>[TeamTypes]</tt> and <tt>[Waypoints]</tt>.

* '''Triggers''' are actual scripted Actions, caused by an Event. There is a wide range of Events in the game, from a simple timer, to certain cells being walked on by units from a certain house, to specific pre-placed units or structures being destroyed, damaged or discovered. Actions include letting the player Win or Lose, making the AI send out units based on a TeamType definition, triggering a superweapon unlock or attack, revealing an area with a dropzone flare, and disabling another trigger. Triggers can be set to either activate once, repeat every time the Event is triggered, or only activate once the Event has been triggered on every object linked to the trigger. A full overview of all the game's Events and Actions can be found [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2824756756 here].
* '''CellTriggers''' are a list of cell numbers and a trigger linked to each one. Triggers linked to CellTriggers should always have the activation criterion '''Player Enters'''.
* '''TeamTypes''' are definitions of groups of units and the orders they execute on the map, usually including a series of specific movement orders to go through to follow a path. These are used for enemy attacks and patrols, but also for friendly reinforcements. There are a bunch of extra options on them which were only recently revealed, [https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection/blob/e37e174be13d2768dc71c29f4aeb9e2712d5d172/CnCTDRAMapEditor/TiberianDawn/GamePlugin.cs#L212-L220 with the release of the first official map editor, and its source code.]
* '''Waypoints''' are shortcuts to cell numbers on the map, used by the TeamTypes section. They contain some special values, like the location of the signal flare that can be activated by the trigger action '''DZ at 'Z'''' ('Z' meaning the 26th Waypoint, which is index #25), the top-left corner of the viewed location at the start of a mission (#26) and the default dropoff location for reinforcements (#27).

Examples:

[Triggers]
; Name=Event,Action,Count,House,TeamType,ExecutionType
; ExecutionType (internally referred to as a trigger's "Persistence") can be:
; 0: execute once, on first triggering
; 1: execute once after all linked objects are triggered
; 2: execute every time it is triggered
atk4=Player Enters,Create Team,0,GoodGuy,nod3,0

[CellTriggers]
; Cell=Trigger
1319=atk4

[TeamTypes]
; Name=House,R,L,S,A,M,P,X,I,F,NrOfTypes,[Type:Amount,Type:Amount,...],NrOfOrders,[Order:Arg,Order:Arg,...],IsReinforcable,IsPrebuilt
; Options after House are IsRoundAbout, IsLearning, IsSuicide, IsAutocreate, IsMercenary, RecruitPriority, MaxAllowed, InitNum, Fear.
nod3=BadGuy,1,0,0,0,0,15,0,0,0,2,E4:2,LTNK:1,4,Move:0,Move:1,Move:7,Move:8,0,0

[Waypoints]
; WayPointNr=Cell
8=2706
7=2263
1=1180
0=1000

===The [Base] section===

The <tt>[Base]</tt> section contains a list of all buildings that should be (re)built by the AI, in the order of build priority. This list can contain buildings that do not appear on the map. The AI will only start building structures from this list once its 'Production' trigger is activated.

The Base section must always contain a "Count" key to indicate how many items it should read from the list.

Example:

[Base]
004=NUKE,436215040
003=HAND,436213760
002=SILO,436216064
001=SILO,436215552
000=PROC,469769984
Count=5

* The key is always a three-digit number. It acts as priority number; 000 will be rebuilt first, then 001, then 002, etc.
* The first argument in the comma-separated value is the building type code. This is the same as the codes used in the <tt>[Structures]</tt> section.
* The second argument in the comma-separated value is calculated from the coordinates, and is a lot more clear when seen as hexadecimal. 436213760 is 1A001800, and the two immediately visible values in there, namely 1A and 18, are the Y and X values of the building's location. So the actual saved value in the ini file is <code>0x1000000*Y + 0x100*X</code> (or, in decimal, <code>16777216*Y + 256*X</code>). The actual coordinates in the example would be Y=26 and X=24, making the cell number <code>64*Y + X = 1688</code>. The fact the values both appear as multiples of 0x100 is because they are actually saved as leptons, the game's more precise internal measurement unit which equates to 1/256th of the size (width or height) of a cell.

Note that the value does not contain an owner for the building, which leads to problems when multiple Production-enabled AIs with construction yards are on the map. They will compete over the available spots, and will send troops to remove enemy units or structures obstructing their build location.

===Other sections===

Two other sections can be encountered in the missions. While they might work, their use is generally not advised:

* '''Reinforcements''': used to control hovercraft reinforcements. Anything this does should be possible in a more controlled way using triggers and teamtypes.

* '''Template''': allows placing tilesets directly on the map in a <code>CellNumber=TileSetName</code> format, overriding whatever the map file had. This isn't very reliable since it can't use cell numbers that fall outside the used map, meaning it won't work well on the top and left map edges. Also, this always places an entire tileset piece, whereas the binary maps place them per single cell, allowing a lot more customisation.

* '''Aircraft''': Deactivated code for reading an <tt>[Aircraft]</tt> section, was discovered by people looking into the internals of the game, but even when reactivated, it didn't work correctly, spawning aircraft in the air and leaving impassable spots underneath. The section functions like the <tt>[Units]</tt> section, except it has no trigger at the end. The use of this section was re-enabled in the C&C Remaster, but is pretty much as broken as it was in the original. The only reliable way to make the unit land on the actual designated cell, thereby clearing the impassable spot, is to give them the "Unload" order. Note that while several missions feature Transport Helicopters 'placed' on the map for the player to capture, these are always flown in by mission scripts at the start of the mission.

Examples:

[REINFORCEMENTS]
1=GoodGuy,E1,Beach,0

[TEMPLATE]
3645=SH2

[Aircraft]
000=GoodGuy,ORCA,256,2960,160,Unload

===In Red Alert===

* The basic map tiles are in the [MapPack] section of the mission ini file. This section contains a number of key/value pairs where the values should be concatenated together to form a string. This needs to be BASE64 decoded. The binary data contains a number of sections of LCW/Format80 compressed data, prepended by two UINT16LE values. The first gives the compressed data size and the second gives the decompressed size. The decompressed size will be 8192 bytes, as the

* The maps are now 128x128 cells
* The data per cell is still <tilesetid>:<tileid> but the tileset ID has increased from UINT8 to UINT16LE. TileID is still UINT8. This gives 128 x 128 cell x 3 bytes == 49,152 bytes, commonly know as 48Kb
* The binary data is split into six 8Kb chunks. The chunks are compressed with LCW/Format80 and prepended with two UINT16LE words, giving the compressed size and the decompressed size (hint: word two is always 8192 bytes)
* The compressed binary is BASE64 encoded
* The BASE64 data is cut into sections and stuff into the [MapPack] section of the mission's ini file
* The [OverlayPack] contains things to be overlayed onto the map like ore and gems. It's probably encoded the same way but I haven't got as far as checking this. Also not sure if the overlays are tiles or sprites.

===In Sole Survivor===

The Sole Survivor map format remains largely the same as that in the base game. These changes exist:

* A <tt>[Crates]</tt> section is added which can be used to balance the different types of crate goodies that come out of crates, and has some more general settings determining the crate density and spawn rate. These settings can however be overridden by the server.
* The contents of the <tt>[Structures]</tt> section are not read. Earlier versions of the game did read this, however, and civilian buildings remain on some maps as decoration, though the final version of the game does not read them.
* Crates are never read from the <tt>[Overlay]</tt> section in the ini file.
* The ROAD pavement in the <tt>[Overlay]</tt> section is used to place Teleporters on maps.
* Certain waypoints have special meanings. Waypoints 0 to 3 are points around which a larger concentration of crates will be spawned. The next eight waypoints, 4 to 11, act as eight possible team home location points for team-based game such as Capture The Flag.
* In addition to the existing houses, Sole Survivor contains House sections for <tt>[Admin]</tt>, <tt>[Spectator]</tt>, <tt>[Team 1]</tt>, <tt>[Team 2]</tt>, <tt>[Team 3]</tt> and <tt>[Team 4]</tt>. The <tt>[Multi#]</tt> Houses also go up to <tt>[Multi100]</tt>.

Vehicles and infantry units can perfectly be placed on maps, though these can cause strange behaviour in the game, since each player can only control one single unit and any non-player units will act as AI hunters, actively seeking out crates to upgrade themselves and hunting down players. The game's scripting also seems to be largely intact in the game's binaries, though very little of that ever worked right in multiplayer anyway.

== Tools ==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=map}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = N/A
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Saves briefings on one line, and converts all data except the briefing text to upper case. Can export maps as images.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://cnc-comm.com/command-and-conquer/downloads/map-editors/ccmap CCMap]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Requires the terrain archives from the DOS version of the game to work.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://github.com/Nyerguds/MobiusMapEditor/ Mobius Map Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = Yes
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Fork of the official C&C: Remastered map editor. Can create and edit 128x128 megamaps and the Sole Survivor format. Can open and save the Nintendo 64 version of the format. Can export maps as images. Has support for editing unmanaged extra ini bits put inside the ini script file.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = No
| canModify = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Terrain visualization and conversion only (between PC and N64 versions). Cannot edit missions.
}}
{{EndFileFormatTools}}
[[Category:Westwood Studios File Formats]]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

2026-01-28T18:29:35Z

BOfH: Created page with "{{Game Infobox | Levels = Edit | Tiles = Edit | Sprites = Edit | Fullscreen = Edit | Sound = Edit | Music = Edit | Text = Edit | Story = Edit | Interface = No | Platform2=Windows 95 }} '''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''', also known simply as '''Red Alert''' is the third real-time strategy game released by Westwood Studios. It keeps Command and Conquer's game mechanic of a harvestable resource found on the battlefield but also in..."

{{Game Infobox
| Levels = Edit
| Tiles = Edit
| Sprites = Edit
| Fullscreen = Edit
| Sound = Edit
| Music = Edit
| Text = Edit
| Story = Edit
| Interface = No
| Platform2=Windows 95
}}

'''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''', also known simply as '''Red Alert''' is the third real-time strategy game released by [[:Category:Westwood Studios|Westwood Studios]].

It keeps Command and Conquer's game mechanic of a harvestable resource found on the battlefield but also introduces a second resource. Ore is regeneratable but less valuable while crystals are more valuable but do not regenearte.

The basic premise of the game is the same as in Command & Conquer; the player has to build a base, harvest the available ore and crystals on the playing field as in-game currency, and use that currency to expand the base and build armies to defend against enemies, and finally destroy their base.

==File formats==

The following file formats are used by this game.

{{BeginGameFileList|header=false}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.mix
| Format = [[MIX Format (Westwood)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = File archives.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.pal
| Format = [[VGA Palette#The "Classic" format|6-bit RGB 256-colour palette]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Palettes.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.cps
| Format = [[Westwood CPS Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Full-screen images. Often used for internal processing to identify region clicks.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.wsa
| Format = [[Westwood WSA Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Animations.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.vqa
| Format = [[Westwood VQA Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Full-motion video cutscenes.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.shp *.tem *.win *.des
| Format = [[Westwood SHP Format (TD)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Sprites. Files specific to one theater (terrain set) are given the extension of that specific theater.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.shp
| Format = [[Westwood SHP Format (Dune II)]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Used for only one file; the mouse cursor sprite.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.tem *.win *.des
| Format = [[Command & Conquer Tileset Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Terrain used in the game's maps.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.fnt
| Format = [[Westwood Font Format v3]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Fonts.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.aud
| Format = [[Westwood AUD Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Sound effects and voices.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.eng
| Format = [[Westwood Strings File]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Ingame text. Strangely, the French and German versions of the game also use <code>.eng</code>, and not <code>.fre</code> and <code>.ger</code> like Dune II did.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.ini *.bin
| Format = [[Command & Conquer Mission Format]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Missions. Always a pair, with a text script in a .ini file, and the raw terrain in a binary .bin file.
}}
{{GameFile
| Name = *.mrf
| Format = [[Westwood Fading Table]]
| KnownFormat = Yes
| Desc = Palette remapping tables used as colour filters for special effects in the game.
}}
{{EndGameFileList}}

== Tools ==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=game}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Mixer suite]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = Edit
| map = Edit
| gfx = Edit
| mus = Edit
| sfx = Edit
| txt = Read
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and most of the formats inside it. Contains a map editor as external tool in the same pack.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://vladan.bato.net/cnc/ Mix Manager / AUD Utilities]
| Platform = DOS
| grp = Edit
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = Edit
| sfx = Edit
| txt = Edit
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = DOS Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and has tools for converting most of the formats inside it.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = RAMIX
| Platform = DOS
| grp = Edit
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = View
| sfx = View
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = DOS Editing suite that can open and edit the game's [[MIX Format (Westwood)|MIX archives]], and has tools for converting most of the formats inside it.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = View
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can view and convert the game's [[Westwood CPS Format|CPS]], [[Westwood SHP Format (Dune II)|SHP]], [[Westwood WSA Format|WSA]], [[Westwood Font Format v3|font]] and [[VGA Palette#The "Classic" format|colour palette]] formats, and can visualise the game's [[Westwood Fading Table|fading tables]] and [[Command & Conquer Mission Format|missions]].
}}

{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://github.com/Nyerguds/MobiusMapEditor/ Mobius Map Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = View
| map = Edit
| gfx = No
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Fork of the official C&C: Remastered map editor. Can open the .mix archives and open / extract files from them.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Westwood Font Editor]]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can edit the game's [[Westwood Font Format v3|font files]].
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/project_stuff/2014/FilterCreator/ Filter Creator]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = A specialised tool to view and recreate the game's colour filters.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/project_stuff/2018/WWStringsEditor/release/ Westwood Strings Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = No
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = Edit
| sav = No
| exe = No
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27215-tool-for-creating-dune2-wsa-files/?do=findComment&comment=392438 d2shpset]
| Platform = Windows (command line)
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = A small Dune II SHP writing utility written by OmniBlade of the [https://github.com/TheAssemblyArmada/Chronoshift Chronoshift] team for Dune II SHP files. This format is used in C&C for the game's mouse cursor.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://web.archive.org/web/20130501143307/http://www.ultraq.net.nz/redhorizon/downloads/ Red Horizon Utilities]
| Platform = Java (command line)
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Original site is defunct. Backups of the tools can be found [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/tools/redhorizon/ here].
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://ppmforums.com/topic-8337/vqa-encoder-v05-beta-2/ VQA Encoder]
| Platform = Windows
| grp = No
| map = No
| gfx = Edit
| mus = No
| sfx = No
| txt = No
| sav = No
| exe = No
| notes = Can convert video material into the game's proprietary VQA cutscene format.
}}

{{EndFileFormatTools}}

[[Category:Command & Conquer:Red Alert]]
[[Category:Westwood Studios]]
[[Category:Real-Time Strategy]]

User talk:BOfH

2026-01-21T19:22:55Z

BOfH: /* C&C Mission Format */

== Welcome! ==

Nice to see another C&C researcher here :) -[[User:Nyerguds|Nyerguds]] ([[User talk:Nyerguds|talk]]) 10:26, 26 March 2025 (GMT)

== C&C Mission Format ==

It might be better to make a separate page for the Red Alert mission format. While some things still have the same syntax, the majority of them do not. Map data, overlay data, triggers and teamtypes are all vastly different, there are a number of specific new options in the Basic section, and there are also smaller differences in the handling of structures, which contain a Sellable and Rebuild status in RA.

Also note, the MapPack data are ''not'' blocks of <tilesetid>:<tileid>. To improve compression, all tileset IDs are saved together first, followed by a second block of all tile IDs.

-[[User:Nyerguds|Nyerguds]] ([[User talk:Nyerguds|talk]]) 01:21, 10 January 2026 (GMT)

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure whether the similarities warranted a separate page or not. I'll bow to your greater judgement :-) Is there a better way to message you than exchanging notes on a talk page? IRC? Jabber? Email?

[[User:BOfH|BOfH]] ([[User talk:BOfH|talk]]) 19:22, 21 January 2026 (GMT)

Command & Conquer Mission Format

2026-01-09T19:55:56Z

BOfH:

{{Map Infobox
| Type = 2D cell-based
| Layers = N/A (if object types are seen as a layers, at least 7)
| Cell dimensions = 64×64 (C&C) 128×128 (Sole Survivor)
| Viewport = 240×192 (DOS) 320×192 (DOS, no sidebar) 480×384 (Win95) 640×384 (Win95, no sidebar)
| Cell viewport = 10×8 (DOS) 13.33×8 (DOS, no sidebar) 20×16 (Win95) 26.67×16 (Win95, no sidebar)
| Games =
{{Game|Command & Conquer}}
{{Game|Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor}}
}}

The [[Command & Conquer]] mission format is comprised of two parts; binary data containing the raw indestructible terrain, and a .ini file describing everything that should be put on that terrain, as well as the mission's scripting.

In [[Command & Conquer]] the binary data is stored in a separate file, sharing a file name with the ini file but using the .bin extension.

In [[Command & Conquer:Red Alert]] the binary data is stored in the mission's .ini file under the [MapPack] and [OverlayPack] sections.

Command & Conquer missions always have a size of 64×64 cells, but the ini file determines which area of that map will actually be accessible in the game. The outer border should never be used, because it is where aircraft get stuck when leaving the map after doing deliveries, air strikes or evacuations. This leaves the map with a 62x62 cell usable area.

The outer edge is not completely useless, though: the cells immediately outside the ini-defined accessible area can be filled with impassable terrain with gaps to control exactly where ground-based reinforcements can enter the map.

In [[Command & Conquer:Red Alert]] and [[Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor]], maps have a size of 128x128, but they retain the outer border requirement.

==Terrain file==

The raw indestructible map terrain, stored in a binary file with extension <tt>.bin</tt>, is a simple array of 64*64 cells, each cell being a struct of the following two bytes:

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset!!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT8]]||TilesetID||ID of the tileset file to use for this cell.
|-
|0x01||[[UINT8]]||TilesetCell||Specific cell number inside the tileset file to use for this cell.
|}

This array is interpreted like most image formats; wrapping around at a width of 64. The mission file works with a system of cell numbers, which are simply the indices of the cells in that full array.

The full range of <tt>TilesetID</tt> values can be looked up in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/tilesets.ini the tilesets.ini file] in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/ Nyerguds' ini dump of the game's internal data]. The value <tt>0xFF</tt> is reserved for clear terrain. This is automatically tiled over the map in 4x4 cell blocks.

The <tt>TileSetCell</tt> refers directly to the cell number inside the [[Command & Conquer Tileset Format|tileset file]], without any checks from the game, meaning additional tiles can be added to maps simply by providing a modded tileset file with added tiles, and by editing the map to access those extra tiles. Any such added tiles will use that tileset's primary terrain type, though.

This format is the same on all ports of the game, except for the Nintendo 64.

===In the Nintendo 64 version===

The Nintendo 64 version uses the <tt>.map</tt> extension for its terrain maps, because the <tt>.bin</tt> extension is already used for its music files.

The map format in the Nintendo 64 version looks superficially the same, but it does not work with tilesets at all; the two bytes inside a cell are simply taken together as a single [[UINT16LE]] value, forming a single graphics tile's ID. Unlike the PC theaters, which share a lot of tilesets between theaters, these IDs are completely different between Temperate and Desert theater. Additionally, it uses bytes "FF FF" for clear terrain, where the PC version normally uses "FF 00".

The [[Engie File Converter]] contains the mappings required to convert maps between the two formats, though the N64 version of the game [https://tcrf.net/Command_%26_Conquer_(Nintendo_64)#Removed_Map_Tiles does not contain the full tilesets range the PC version has].

===In Sole Survivor===

[[Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor]], the arena deathmatch spinoff of C&C, introduces a new terrain map format with a basic size of 128x128. The use of this map format is indicated in the .ini file by setting "Version=1" under the <tt>[Map]</tt> section. The extension is still <tt>.bin</tt>, just like in the original game.

The map format differs from the normal maps in that it is a variable-size array that only saves tiles that are not clear terrain. To still position everything correctly, each tile starts with its cell number, giving the following 4-byte structure:

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset!!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT16LE]]||CellNumber||Cell number of the saved cell.
|-
|0x02||[[UINT8]]||TilesetID||ID of the tileset file to use for this cell.
|-
|0x03||[[UINT8]]||TilesetCell||Specific cell number inside the tileset file to use for this cell.
|}

This format has gained some popularity after being included in some fan projects and C&C: Remastered mods based on the released Command & Conquer source code, which add the ability to use this larger map format in the basic Command & Conquer game. More interest also came with the successful reverse-engineering of the Sole Survivor server software, which made Sole Survivor playable in multiplayer mode again.

==Ini file==

The ini file determines which theater (tilesets collection) will be used for the map, what objects are pre-placed on the map, and what mission scripting should happen. It is identical on all ports of the game.

The ini file uses a typical ini format like this:

[Section]
Key1=value
Key2=value
Key3=value

Keys must always be unique, even in situations where the key has no real meaning, like the lists of units, structures and infantry. Usually, in these lists, each item is simply assigned a number as key.

Values are often comma-separated blocks that contain specifically-structured data for the different initialization options of things like units, structures, teams and script triggers.

Section names and keys are technically case-insensitive, but for keys, due to the way the game scans for them, their first letter needs to match the case in which they are stored in the game's internals. Since C&C's keys are all stored in Pascal-style camel case, this means they always need to start with a capital letter. The file needs to end on a line break, otherwise the game will not be able to read the last line of the file.

The full format is very extensive, so I'll only go over the basics. A lot of this information can be derived from just looking into mission files, and mission making guides like [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cncstuff/cctxt/ccmanual.txt this one] are available online.

===The [Basic] section===

This is all about the mission itself. Here, you can change which side you play, what videos you see, and some other stuff. It has the following options:

* CarryOverCap: A cap on the amount of money that can be carried over. Never enabled by the game, and always set to '-1'.
* CarryOverMoney: Specifies how much money from your ending credits in the previous mission will be carried over to this one, as percentage.
* Intro: Intro video of the mission, played before the Brief and Action video. File name is the name of a .VQA video file, without extension.
* BuildLevel: Build level used in the mission. In the campaigns, this defaults to the campaign mission number, however, it needs to be set for add-on missions in the New Missions menu.
* Theme: Start theme of the mission, either as filename or as actual track title. 'No theme' reverts to the default music behaviour.
* Percent: Unused leftover of Dune II, even though the option was never used there, either. In Dune II it determined how much of the enemy base was built from the start of the mission.
* Player: Normally 'GoodGuy' (GDI) or 'BadGuy' (Nod). Could use one of the other houses (Neutral, Special, Multi1-Multi6), but this is not advised since it makes the game lock up in the mission win logic.
* Action: Video played between the Brief video and the mission start.
* Lose: Video played when you lose.
* Win: Video played when you win.
* Brief: The briefing video.
* Name: Mission name. This should be present for missions in the New Missions menu of the game, but is unused for campaign missions.

The unofficial 1.06 patch for the game made a few changes to the behaviour of this section:
* It removed the forced link of BuildLevel to the campaign level number, allowing campaign missions to freely adapt their tech level.
* It solved a lot of problems related to using non-standard values for the <tt>Player</tt> setting; missions played with those will generally return to the game's main menu after completing them.
* It fixed a problem that occurred when both an Intro video and a Theme were set, which made the game play the music and video simultaneously.
* It [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/patch106c_r3_en.html#toc_7.4.1 added a bunch of new options] that unlock either hidden beta options, or special behaviour that was previously hardcoded for specific missions.

===The [Map] section===

This determines which terrain set will be used, and which portion of the map will actually be playable. As mentioned before, the full map is 64x64 (or 128x128 for megamaps), but the outer border can't be used, meaning <tt>X</tt> and <tt>Y</tt> both have a minimum of 1, and <tt>X + Width</tt> and <tt>Y + Height</tt> should both be at most 63.

* Width: Width of the map.
* Height: Height of the map.
* X: horizontal position of left corner of map.
* Y: vertical position of left corner of map.
* Theater: graphics set: WINTER, DESERT, TEMPERATE.
* Version: introduced in ''Sole Survivor'', this is put to "1" to indicate 128x128 megamap format.

The theater determines which tileset files will be loaded to show the map. For example, TEMPERATE will load the TEMPERAT.MIX archive, and from it, it will load the TEMPERAT.PAL palette, and the tileset files with the .TEM extension.

The 1.06 patch adds an additional "SNOW" theater to is, based on graphics from [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]].

===The [Briefing] section===

This section can be used to give a mission briefing to the mission. While normal missions read this from an entry named like the mission file (e.g. <tt>[SCB01EA]</tt>) in the MISSION.INI file, this in-mission version will always override that external one, and is required for the missions in the "New Mission" menu which fall outside the scope of the normal campaign missions.

The format is simply

[Briefing]
1=GDI has attacked and cut off one of our bases. Find a way into
2=the base. One of our agents will assist you by placing a landing
3=flare at the right time. Once you're in,
4=rebuild the base and destroy the GDI forces in the area.

Note that line breaks in this are ignored; the text is always read as one long string and simply wrapped inside the briefing window in the game.

The 1.06 patch adds the ability to force line breaks by ending a line on ##. It also adds the ability to add language-specific briefings as different sections, like <tt>[BriefGer]</tt> and <tt>[BriefFre]</tt>. The names of these sections are controlled by the language control ini files also added by the unofficial patch.

===The House sections===

The game has 10 different "Houses" (a term left over from Dune II, and borrowed from the Dune books), or, simply put, player sides. Each of these can be used in the game, and can have settings related to their alliances and starting conditions.

The section name itself will have one of the House names:
* <tt>[GoodGuy]</tt>: GDI
* <tt>[BadGuy]</tt>: Nod
* <tt>[Neutral]</tt>: Civilians
* <tt>[Special]</tt>: Dinosaurs, in the game's Jurassic Park themed Easter egg campaign (Internally designated as "Containment Team", but in reality used as the dinosaurs themselves)
* <tt>[Multi1]</tt>: Blue multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi2]</tt>: Orange multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi3]</tt>: Green multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi4]</tt>: White multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi5]</tt>: Yellow multiplayer team
* <tt>[Multi6]</tt>: Red multiplayer team

They can contain the following keys:

* FlagHome: Unused.
* FlagLocation: Unused.
* MaxBuilding: Unused. Leftover from Dune II.
* MaxUnit: Unused. Leftover from Dune II.
* Allies: Comma-separated list of all the Houses that this House will not attack. Alliances are not automatically mutual, so to prevent odd situations, also set this house in the list of their allies.
* Quota: Unused. Leftover from Dune II, where it was related to missions where the goal was to harvest until a certain amount of money was gained.
* Edge: Reinforcements for this house will come from this direction (North, East, South or West)
* Credits: number of credits they start with divided by 100 (so 10 means 1000)

The houses Special and Multi1-Multi6 do not have tech tree limitations when used in single player, meaning they can build all stuff from both GDI and Nod. The multiplayer mechanics of the game have a way of making the multiplayer houses conform to the player-chosen side. The Neutral house, on the other hand, has barely any construction options at all.

The unofficial 1.06 patch gives this section [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/patch106c_r3_en.html#toc_7.4.4 additional options to control the house's colours].

===Ownerless objects sections===

The <tt>[Terrain]</tt>, <tt>[Overlay]</tt> and <tt>[Smudge]</tt> sections contain all ownerless objects on the map. Terrain consists of trees and rocks; overlay are walls, collectable crates, Tiberium, and a couple of unused pavement types; and Smudge has scorch marks, craters, and the building bibs.

Each object will be placed on the map based on a cell number indicating the top left corner of the object. This is true even if that cell of the object is passable, like the tops of trees sticking out. As mentioned in the terrain file section, cell numbers are simply the index of the terrain cell as seen in the map data; it wraps around at 64 cells.

The number behind the Smudge entry can be used to change the state of craters; a larger number (up to 4) shows a larger crater.

Terrain entries contain a trigger name, but the only event that can be triggered by Terrain objects is the "Attacked" one. This only works on destructible Terrain objects, like trees.

Examples:

[TERRAIN]
; Cell=Type,Trigger
1107=ROCK1,None

[OVERLAY]
; Cell=Type
1406=SBAG

[SMUDGE]
; Cell=Type,Cell,State
3816=SC1,3816,0

===Owned objects sections===

The <tt>[Structures]</tt>, <tt>[Units]</tt> and <tt>[Infantry]</tt> sections contain objects owned by Houses. Like with the ownerless objects, each one has a position defined by the cell number indicating the top left corner of the object. They will also have the unit's orders, a strength (health) value ranging from 1 to 256 (the latter meaning 100%), the direction in which it is facing (ranging from 0 to 255 for a full rotation), and a trigger associated to the object for scripting purposes. Infantry will also have a sub-cell position, since five infantry units fit on each cell. These sub-cells are laid out like the five dots on a die, with 0 as the center, 1 for top-left, 2 for top-right, 3 for bottom-left and 4 for bottom-right.

The facing direction is usually not useful for buildings, but does actually work on Gun Turrets. In fact, units are limited to the values for cardinal and intercardinal directions (0 for north, 32 for northeast, 64 for east, etc.), while the Gun Turret can use more precise values.

Examples:

[Structures]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,Facing,Trigger
002=BadGuy,GUN,256,3566,160,None

[Units]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,Facing,Orders,Trigger
000=BadGuy,BIKE,256,1231,0,Guard,None

[Infantry]
; index=House,Type,Strength,Cell,SubCell,Orders,Facing,Trigger
046=GoodGuy,E2,256,3867,2,Area Guard,0,None

Note that the "index" can be anything; it simply needs to be a unique key for the ini system, and numbers are the easiest way to do that.

===Scripting sections===

Mission scripting, including but not limited to the AI's ability to react on events, is determined by the sections <tt>[Triggers]</tt>, <tt>[CellTriggers]</tt>, <tt>[TeamTypes]</tt> and <tt>[Waypoints]</tt>.

* '''Triggers''' are actual scripted Actions, caused by an Event. There is a wide range of Events in the game, from a simple timer, to certain cells being walked on by units from a certain house, to specific pre-placed units or structures being destroyed, damaged or discovered. Actions include letting the player Win or Lose, making the AI send out units based on a TeamType definition, triggering a superweapon unlock or attack, revealing an area with a dropzone flare, and disabling another trigger. Triggers can be set to either activate once, repeat every time the Event is triggered, or only activate once the Event has been triggered on every object linked to the trigger. A full overview of all the game's Events and Actions can be found [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2824756756 here].
* '''CellTriggers''' are a list of cell numbers and a trigger linked to each one. Triggers linked to CellTriggers should always have the activation criterion '''Player Enters'''.
* '''TeamTypes''' are definitions of groups of units and the orders they execute on the map, usually including a series of specific movement orders to go through to follow a path. These are used for enemy attacks and patrols, but also for friendly reinforcements. There are a bunch of extra options on them which were only recently revealed, [https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection/blob/e37e174be13d2768dc71c29f4aeb9e2712d5d172/CnCTDRAMapEditor/TiberianDawn/GamePlugin.cs#L212-L220 with the release of the first official map editor, and its source code.]
* '''Waypoints''' are shortcuts to cell numbers on the map, used by the TeamTypes section. They contain some special values, like the location of the signal flare that can be activated by the trigger action '''DZ at 'Z'''' ('Z' meaning the 26th Waypoint, which is index #25), the top-left corner of the viewed location at the start of a mission (#26) and the default dropoff location for reinforcements (#27).

Examples:

[Triggers]
; Name=Event,Action,Count,House,TeamType,ExecutionType
; ExecutionType (internally referred to as a trigger's "Persistence") can be:
; 0: execute once, on first triggering
; 1: execute once after all linked objects are triggered
; 2: execute every time it is triggered
atk4=Player Enters,Create Team,0,GoodGuy,nod3,0

[CellTriggers]
; Cell=Trigger
1319=atk4

[TeamTypes]
; Name=House,R,L,S,A,M,P,X,I,F,NrOfTypes,[Type:Amount,Type:Amount,...],NrOfOrders,[Order:Arg,Order:Arg,...],IsReinforcable,IsPrebuilt
; Options after House are IsRoundAbout, IsLearning, IsSuicide, IsAutocreate, IsMercenary, RecruitPriority, MaxAllowed, InitNum, Fear.
nod3=BadGuy,1,0,0,0,0,15,0,0,0,2,E4:2,LTNK:1,4,Move:0,Move:1,Move:7,Move:8,0,0

[Waypoints]
; WayPointNr=Cell
8=2706
7=2263
1=1180
0=1000

===The [Base] section===

The <tt>[Base]</tt> section contains a list of all buildings that should be (re)built by the AI, in the order of build priority. This list can contain buildings that do not appear on the map. The AI will only start building structures from this list once its 'Production' trigger is activated.

The Base section must always contain a "Count" key to indicate how many items it should read from the list.

Example:

[Base]
004=NUKE,436215040
003=HAND,436213760
002=SILO,436216064
001=SILO,436215552
000=PROC,469769984
Count=5

* The key is always a three-digit number. It acts as priority number; 000 will be rebuilt first, then 001, then 002, etc.
* The first argument in the comma-separated value is the building type code. This is the same as the codes used in the <tt>[Structures]</tt> section.
* The second argument in the comma-separated value is calculated from the coordinates, and is a lot more clear when seen as hexadecimal. 436213760 is 1A001800, and the two immediately visible values in there, namely 1A and 18, are the Y and X values of the building's location. So the actual saved value in the ini file is <code>0x1000000*Y + 0x100*X</code> (or, in decimal, <code>16777216*Y + 256*X</code>). The actual coordinates in the example would be Y=26 and X=24, making the cell number <code>64*Y + X = 1688</code>. The fact the values both appear as multiples of 0x100 is because they are actually saved as leptons, the game's more precise internal measurement unit which equates to 1/256th of the size (width or height) of a cell.

Note that the value does not contain an owner for the building, which leads to problems when multiple Production-enabled AIs with construction yards are on the map. They will compete over the available spots, and will send troops to remove enemy units or structures obstructing their build location.

===Other sections===

Two other sections can be encountered in the missions. While they might work, their use is generally not advised:

* '''Reinforcements''': used to control hovercraft reinforcements. Anything this does should be possible in a more controlled way using triggers and teamtypes.

* '''Template''': allows placing tilesets directly on the map in a <code>CellNumber=TileSetName</code> format, overriding whatever the map file had. This isn't very reliable since it can't use cell numbers that fall outside the used map, meaning it won't work well on the top and left map edges. Also, this always places an entire tileset piece, whereas the binary maps place them per single cell, allowing a lot more customisation.

* '''Aircraft''': Deactivated code for reading an <tt>[Aircraft]</tt> section, was discovered by people looking into the internals of the game, but even when reactivated, it didn't work correctly, spawning aircraft in the air and leaving impassable spots underneath. The section functions like the <tt>[Units]</tt> section, except it has no trigger at the end. The use of this section was re-enabled in the C&C Remaster, but is pretty much as broken as it was in the original. The only reliable way to make the unit land on the actual designated cell, thereby clearing the impassable spot, is to give them the "Unload" order. Note that while several missions feature Transport Helicopters 'placed' on the map for the player to capture, these are always flown in by mission scripts at the start of the mission.

Examples:

[REINFORCEMENTS]
1=GoodGuy,E1,Beach,0

[TEMPLATE]
3645=SH2

[Aircraft]
000=GoodGuy,ORCA,256,2960,160,Unload

===In Red Alert===

* The basic map tiles are in the [MapPack] section of the mission ini file. This section contains a number of key/value pairs where the values should be concatenated together to form a string. This needs to be BASE64 decoded. The binary data contains a number of sections of LCW/Format80 compressed data, prepended by two UINT16LE values. The first gives the compressed data size and the second gives the decompressed size. The decompressed size will be 8192 bytes, as the

* The maps are now 128x128 cells
* The data per cell is still <tilesetid>:<tileid> but the tileset ID has increased from UINT8 to UINT16LE. TileID is still UINT8. This gives 128 x 128 cell x 3 bytes == 49,152 bytes, commonly know as 48Kb
* The binary data is split into six 8Kb chunks. The chunks are compressed with LCW/Format80 and prepended with two UINT16LE words, giving the compressed size and the decompressed size (hint: word two is always 8192 bytes)
* The compressed binary is BASE64 encoded
* The BASE64 data is cut into sections and stuff into the [MapPack] section of the mission's ini file
* The [OverlayPack] contains things to be overlayed onto the map like ore and gems. It's probably encoded the same way but I haven't got as far as checking this. Also not sure if the overlays are tiles or sprites.

===In Sole Survivor===

The Sole Survivor map format remains largely the same as that in the base game. These changes exist:

* A <tt>[Crates]</tt> section is added which can be used to balance the different types of crate goodies that come out of crates, and has some more general settings determining the crate density and spawn rate. These settings can however be overridden by the server.
* The contents of the <tt>[Structures]</tt> section are not read. Earlier versions of the game did read this, however, and civilian buildings remain on some maps as decoration, though the final version of the game does not read them.
* Crates are never read from the <tt>[Overlay]</tt> section in the ini file.
* The ROAD pavement in the <tt>[Overlay]</tt> section is used to place Teleporters on maps.
* Certain waypoints have special meanings. Waypoints 0 to 3 are points around which a larger concentration of crates will be spawned. The next eight waypoints, 4 to 11, act as eight possible team home location points for team-based game such as Capture The Flag.
* In addition to the existing houses, Sole Survivor contains House sections for <tt>[Admin]</tt>, <tt>[Spectator]</tt>, <tt>[Team 1]</tt>, <tt>[Team 2]</tt>, <tt>[Team 3]</tt> and <tt>[Team 4]</tt>. The <tt>[Multi#]</tt> Houses also go up to <tt>[Multi100]</tt>.

Vehicles and infantry units can perfectly be placed on maps, though these can cause strange behaviour in the game, since each player can only control one single unit and any non-player units will act as AI hunters, actively seeking out crates to upgrade themselves and hunting down players. The game's scripting also seems to be largely intact in the game's binaries, though very little of that ever worked right in multiplayer anyway.

== Tools ==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=map}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = N/A
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Saves briefings on one line, and converts all data except the briefing text to upper case. Can export maps as images.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://cnc-comm.com/command-and-conquer/downloads/map-editors/ccmap CCMap]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Requires the terrain archives from the DOS version of the game to work.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [https://github.com/Nyerguds/MobiusMapEditor/ Mobius Map Editor]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = Yes
| canModify = Yes
| editHidden = Yes
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Fork of the official C&C: Remastered map editor. Can create and edit 128x128 megamaps and the Sole Survivor format. Can open and save the Nintendo 64 version of the format. Can export maps as images. Has support for editing unmanaged extra ini bits put inside the ini script file.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canCreate = No
| canModify = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Terrain visualization and conversion only (between PC and N64 versions). Cannot edit missions.
}}
{{EndFileFormatTools}}
[[Category:Westwood Studios File Formats]]

Westwood AUD Format

2026-01-09T19:24:24Z

BOfH: Created page with "Aud is a format from Westwood studios for storing game Music and Sound Effects. Files typically hae a <tt>.AUD</tt> extension. The extension is probably short for "Audio". Aud is known to be used in Command and Conquer and Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Most likely it's used in other Westwood Studios game too. \[citation needed\] ==File format== === Header === The format starts with the following header. {|class="wikitable" !Data type!!Name!!Description |- |UI..."

Aud is a format from Westwood studios for storing game Music and Sound Effects. Files typically hae a <tt>.AUD</tt> extension. The extension is probably short for "Audio".

Aud is known to be used in Command and Conquer and Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Most likely it's used in other Westwood Studios game too. \[citation needed\]

==File format==

=== Header ===

The format starts with the following header.

{|class="wikitable"
!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||Sample||Sample rate in Hz (typically 22,050Hz)
|-
|[[UINT32LE]]||FileSize||Size of file less the 12 byte header
|-
|[[UINT32LE]]||DecompressSize||Bytes required to hold the decompressed data (For users of really old languages where you have to pre size your data types)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||Flags||There's two. First bit 0 = mono and 1 = stereo. Second bit 0 = 8 bit and 1 = 16 bit
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||AudioType||There's two types of audio compression 1=WW compressed, 99=IMA ADPCM
|}

Following this header are the actual frames of data.

=== Frames data ===

Each frame has the following header:

{|class="wikitable"
!Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||CompressedSize||Size of compressed data in bytes that follows this header)
|-
|[[UINT16LE]]||DecompressedSize||Size of decompressed data
|-
|[[UINT32LE]]||0000DEAF||Two bytes, always 0x0000DEAF (Deaf, get it?!)
|}

If the compression is IMA ADPCM, indicated by 99 (0x63) in the type filed of the header, then the data contains 4 bit nibbles, which decompress using IMA ADPCM to 16 bit PCM samples.

If the compression is WW compressed, indicated by 99 (0x63) in the type filed of the header, then the data is compressed using some clever Westwood compression system. If you find out which one, please update this page.

[[Category:Westwood Studios File Formats]]

Command & Conquer Tileset Format

2025-03-26T10:20:41Z

BOfH: /* Header */

{{Tileset Infobox
| Hardware1 = VGA
| MaxTiles = 254
| Palette = Shared between all tilesets in one theater
| Names = N
| TileMinSize = 24×24
| TileMaxSize = 24×24
| NumPlanes = 1
| PlaneArrangement = Linear
| HasTransparency = N
| Metadata = None
| Subtilesets = N
| Compressed = N
| Hidden = Y
| Games = {{Game|Command & Conquer}}
}}
The '''Command & Conquer Tileset Format''' is an uncompressed tileset containing tiles with dimensions of 24x24. Technically, this tile size can be changed, but the game defines cells as 24x24, so changing it does not seem useful.

A single Command & Conquer "tileset" does not represent an entire map environment; it only contains the terrain tiles of a single piece of terrain. The full collection of tileset files that comprise one map environment is called a "Theater", and is combined into one [[MIX Format (Westwood)|.mix archive]] together with its colour palette and the theater-dependent terrain objects, civilian buildings, and [[Westwood Fading Table|fading table files]].

== File format ==

===Header===

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset||Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT16LE]]||TileWidth||Tile width. Should always be 24.
|-
|0x02||[[UINT16LE]]||TileHeight||Tile height. Should always be 24.
|-
|0x04||[[UINT16LE]]||NrOfTiles||Number of tiles. While this is an Int16 value, the game's map format can only access tiles up to index 255. Since tiles can be marked as empty, this value can differ from the number of actual images stored inside the file.
|-
|0x06||[[UINT16LE]]||Zero1||Always zero.
|-
|0x08||[[UINT32LE]]||Size||Size of the entire file.
|-
|0x0C||[[UINT32LE]]||ImgStart||Offset of the first image.
|-
|0x10||[[UINT32LE]]||Zero2||Always zero.
|-
|0x14||[[UINT16LE]]||ID1||Always 0xFFFF.
|-
|0x16||[[UINT16LE]]||ID2||Always 0x0D1A.
|-
|0x18||[[UINT32LE]]||IndexImagesInfo||Offset of the images info array; an array containing one byte for each actual image in the file. It is unknown what these bytes mean; they are usually all just 0x00.
|-
|0x1C||[[UINT32LE]]||IndexTilesetImages||Offset of the index linking each tile to the index of an actual image at <code>ImgStart</code>. This index is a [[UINT8]][NrOfTiles]. Value 0xFF in the index indicates an empty tile.
|}

Generally, the order of the data after the index is:

# ImgStart
# IndexTilesetImages
# IndexImagesInfo

Of course, since these are read from header values, their order has no real effect.

Note that there is no way to know the dimensions (Width and Height) of the full tileset. If there are 6 tiles it could be 6x1, 1x6, 3x2, or 2x3. The game doesn't actually need this information either, since [[Command & Conquer Mission Format#Terrain file|the maps]] reference the individual tile indices inside the tileset files directly; the only tools that would actually need this information (besides image converters) are map editors.

The game's exe file does contain the dimension information of all tilesets, though, alongside the tilesets' other information, because the map editor used to be built into the game engine, and because [[Command & Conquer Mission Format#Other_sections|the <code>[Template]</code> section in a mission file]] supports placing terrain tilesets from a mission file. This tileset information is available in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/tilesets.ini the tilesets.ini file] in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/ Nyerguds' ini dump of the game's internal data]. The [[Engie File Converter]] uses this ini file to determine the dimensions of C&C tileset files based on their file name.

===Image Data===

Since the tileset can contain empty entries, the actual amount of images following the <code>ImgStart</code> location should be determined by taking the maximum value (excluding any 255 values indicating empty tiles) in the the array at <code>IndexTilesetImages</code>, and adding 1 to it. Note that [[Westwood Font Format v3#Optimisation|like in the game's fonts]], identical images are generally saved only once, with the data referenced in the index multiple times, which further reduces the actual amount of images.

The image data is located at <code>ImgStart</code>. To look up the image data of a specific tile N, first check in the array at <code>IndexTilesetImages</code> what the image index of the tile is. If it is not 0xFF, the image data can be found at:

tileImageStart = ImgStart + (TileWidth * TileHeight * fileData[IndexTilesetImages + N])

The image data will always be 24*24 bytes, and represents a simple 8-bit indexed image.

==Tools==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=image}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Uses internal mapping based on the file name to show the tile in its correct dimensions. Automatically saves tiles containing nothing but colour 0x00 as empty tiles.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Mixer]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Does not attempt to show the actual shape of the tileset, and just shows a list of tiles.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = Mix Manager
| Platform = DOS
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Conversion suite containing PCX2TMP and TMP2PCX tools for converting the tileset files.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = RAMix
| Platform = DOS
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Contains a TMP2PCX tool that can visualize the tileset file to adjust dimensions before converting to PCX. Does not contain a tool to convert back; you just have to use the one from ''Mix Manager''.
}}
{{EndFileFormatTools}}

[[Category:Westwood Studios File Formats]]

Command & Conquer Tileset Format

2025-03-26T10:19:58Z

BOfH: /* Header */

{{Tileset Infobox
| Hardware1 = VGA
| MaxTiles = 254
| Palette = Shared between all tilesets in one theater
| Names = N
| TileMinSize = 24×24
| TileMaxSize = 24×24
| NumPlanes = 1
| PlaneArrangement = Linear
| HasTransparency = N
| Metadata = None
| Subtilesets = N
| Compressed = N
| Hidden = Y
| Games = {{Game|Command & Conquer}}
}}
The '''Command & Conquer Tileset Format''' is an uncompressed tileset containing tiles with dimensions of 24x24. Technically, this tile size can be changed, but the game defines cells as 24x24, so changing it does not seem useful.

A single Command & Conquer "tileset" does not represent an entire map environment; it only contains the terrain tiles of a single piece of terrain. The full collection of tileset files that comprise one map environment is called a "Theater", and is combined into one [[MIX Format (Westwood)|.mix archive]] together with its colour palette and the theater-dependent terrain objects, civilian buildings, and [[Westwood Fading Table|fading table files]].

== File format ==

===Header===

{|class="wikitable"
!Offset||Data type!!Name!!Description
|-
|0x00||[[UINT16LE]]||TileWidth||Tile width. Should always be 24.
|-
|0x02||[[UINT16LE]]||TileHeight||Tile height. Should always be 24.
|-
|0x04||[[UINT16LE]]||NrOfTiles||Number of tiles. While this is an Int16 value, the game's map format can only access tiles up to index 255. Since tiles can be marked as empty, this value can differ from the number of actual images stored inside the file.
|-
|0x06||[[UINT16LE]]||Zero1||Always zero.
|-
|0x08||[[UINT32LE]]||Size||Size of the entire file.
|-
|0x0C||[[UINT32LE]]||ImgStart||Offset of the first image.
|-
|0x10||[[UINT32LE]]||Zero2||Always zero.
|-
|0x14||[[UINT16LE]]||ID1||Always 0xFFFF.
|-
|0x16||[[UINT16LE]]||ID2||Always 0x0D1A.
|-
|0x18||[[UINT32LE]]||IndexImagesInfo||Offset of the images info array; an array containing one byte for each actual image in the file. It is unknown what these bytes mean; they are usually all just 0x00.
|-
|0x1B||[[UINT32LE]]||IndexTilesetImages||Offset of the index linking each tile to the index of an actual image at <code>ImgStart</code>. This index is a [[UINT8]][NrOfTiles]. Value 0xFF in the index indicates an empty tile.
|}

Generally, the order of the data after the index is:

# ImgStart
# IndexTilesetImages
# IndexImagesInfo

Of course, since these are read from header values, their order has no real effect.

Note that there is no way to know the dimensions (Width and Height) of the full tileset. If there are 6 tiles it could be 6x1, 1x6, 3x2, or 2x3. The game doesn't actually need this information either, since [[Command & Conquer Mission Format#Terrain file|the maps]] reference the individual tile indices inside the tileset files directly; the only tools that would actually need this information (besides image converters) are map editors.

The game's exe file does contain the dimension information of all tilesets, though, alongside the tilesets' other information, because the map editor used to be built into the game engine, and because [[Command & Conquer Mission Format#Other_sections|the <code>[Template]</code> section in a mission file]] supports placing terrain tilesets from a mission file. This tileset information is available in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/tilesets.ini the tilesets.ini file] in [http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/inirules/ Nyerguds' ini dump of the game's internal data]. The [[Engie File Converter]] uses this ini file to determine the dimensions of C&C tileset files based on their file name.

===Image Data===

Since the tileset can contain empty entries, the actual amount of images following the <code>ImgStart</code> location should be determined by taking the maximum value (excluding any 255 values indicating empty tiles) in the the array at <code>IndexTilesetImages</code>, and adding 1 to it. Note that [[Westwood Font Format v3#Optimisation|like in the game's fonts]], identical images are generally saved only once, with the data referenced in the index multiple times, which further reduces the actual amount of images.

The image data is located at <code>ImgStart</code>. To look up the image data of a specific tile N, first check in the array at <code>IndexTilesetImages</code> what the image index of the tile is. If it is not 0xFF, the image data can be found at:

tileImageStart = ImgStart + (TileWidth * TileHeight * fileData[IndexTilesetImages + N])

The image data will always be 24*24 bytes, and represents a simple 8-bit indexed image.

==Tools==

{{BeginFileFormatTools|Type=image}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [[Engie File Converter]]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Uses internal mapping based on the file name to show the tile in its correct dimensions. Automatically saves tiles containing nothing but colour 0x00 as empty tiles.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = [http://xhp.xwis.net/ XCC Mixer]
| Platform = Windows
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Does not attempt to show the actual shape of the tileset, and just shows a list of tiles.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = Mix Manager
| Platform = DOS
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = Yes
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Conversion suite containing PCX2TMP and TMP2PCX tools for converting the tileset files.
}}
{{FileFormatTool
| Name = RAMix
| Platform = DOS
| canView = Yes
| canExport = Yes
| canImport = No
| editHidden = No
| editMetadata = N/A
| notes = Contains a TMP2PCX tool that can visualize the tileset file to adjust dimensions before converting to PCX. Does not contain a tool to convert back; you just have to use the one from ''Mix Manager''.
}}
{{EndFileFormatTools}}

[[Category:Westwood Studios File Formats]]