Catacomb Map Format
| Format type | Map/level |
|---|---|
| Map type | 2D tile-based |
| Layer count | 1 |
| Tile size (pixels) | 8×8 |
| Viewport (pixels) | 192×192 |
| Games |
Catacomb game levels are stored in this format, compressed using Keen 1-3 RLE compression. Levels are stored in LEVEL1.CAT to LEVEL10.CAT for Catacomb I, and LEVEL1.CA2 to LEVEL30.CA2 for Catacomb II. Note that the number in the level name is not padded, unlike in later games.
File Format
Every level is the fixed size of 64×64 tiles, like the later Wolfenstein 3-D, but there is only one plane of data, and each tile is only one byte.
Signature
There is no signature, however the decompressed size will always be 4096 so this value could be checked in the file header.
Header
The first 4 bytes of the level file is the size of the uncompressed data in little-endian format. It is always 4096 (64x64). Following that is the compressed level data, compressed with Keen 1-3 RLE compression. There is nothing else in the level file.
Map Codes
The first 256 tiles in the *CHARS.CAT file are the main tiles used for the level and the menu elements drawn on the screen. Assuming the main tiles are all read into a single spritesheet with the dimensions of 2048x8 you can translate any map tile to a texture index by simply multiplying the tile by 8 (tile width).
Here are some possible tile values:
| Value (hex) | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 41..5A (uppercase ASCII 'A'..'Z') | white block with letter A..Z |
| 61..7A (lowercase ASCII 'a'..'z') | pink block with letter A..Z |
| 80 | green floor (purple in CGA) |
| 81 | pink block (white and cyan in CGA) |
| 82 | grey left wall of room (black in CGA) |
| 83 | top wall of room (purple and grey wall in EGA, white bricks in CGA) |
| 84 | bottom right corner of block |
| 85 | top left corner of room |
| 86 | bottom left corner of block |
| 87 | top right corner of block |
| 88 | secret passage |
| 89 | secret passage in left wall |
| 8A | secret passage in top wall |
| 8F | bag pickup (secret) |
| 91 | key pickup (secret) |
| A2 | bag (not secret) |
| A3 | scroll |
| A4 | key pickup |
| A6 | door |
| A7 | chest |
| E6 | player start |
| E7 | portal |
| E8 | teddy bear |
| E9 | skeleton |
| EA | big red/purple monster's top left corner |
Additional Information
- Not all maps have a start location tile. If the start location tile is not found, the player starts at (2,2)