Reverse engineering of an N-Gage game Ashen
- Can extract game resources
- Place the ROM
mkdir rom/ cp /path/to/packfile.dat rom/packfile.dat
File parsing is in test suite only, for now.
- Unpack game resources
- Run deflate test
cargo test --release -- --ignored parse_rom_packfile
- This will split and deflate game files into
output/deflated/
directory. - Files are named with the address as they appear in the asset table.
- Files that begin with decompression signature are automatically decompressed and named with
-deflated
suffix. This automatic decompression doesn't work well for collection assets such as textures.
- Run deflate test
- Parse resources (make sure to unpack first)
- Run parsing tests
cargo test --release -- --ignored parse_rom_asset
- This will parse select few game files into
output/parsed/
directory - Directions on how to opened parsed files are available here
- Run parsing tests
- Gamma table
- Purpose
- Look up table for brightness when changing gamma in settings
- Output format
- PNG image
- Purpose
- Color map
- Purpose
- Look up table for 12-bit RGB colors, because textures are stored in 256 indexed color format
- There is also ghost version for when you use Ghost Vision Goggles in game
- There are unique color maps for monsters, pick-ups (and some other models), UI sprites, and levels
- Output format
- PNG image
- Purpose
- Model
- Purpose
- Texture, geometry, and model data
- TO DO
- Figure out what to do with pre-calculated face and vertex normals
- Output format
- Blender Python script that can be executed with
blender -P /path/to/script.py
- Automatically sets up Cycles material and animations as shape keys in dope sheet's shape key editor
- Blender Python script that can be executed with
- Purpose
- Sky
- Purpose
- Color map and skybox texture
- Output format
- PNG image
- Purpose
- Skins
- Level geometry
- Level collision
- Level waypoints
- Sprite
- Texture
- Purpose
- Texture info - offsets, texture dimensions
- Texture data - color indeces
- Output format
- PNG image
- GIF image for animated textures
- Purpose
- Music and sound effects
- Purpose
- Sound effects
- Music
- TO DO
- Improve mixer with pitch, pan, and other sound effects
- Support sustained instruments
- Set correct tempo
- Output format
- WAV audio file
- Purpose
- String table
- Purpose
- Printable strings in UI
- TO DO
- Figure out weird non-text characters (probably for controlling in-game events)
- Output format
- Plain text
- Purpose
Important
I use the packfile that comes with Ashen 1.06. Your packfile may have different order, I didn't test with different versions.
Address (HEX) | Asset |
---|---|
00 |
gamma table |
01 |
creature colormap |
02 |
creature colormap (ghost) |
03 |
ghost creature colormap (ghost) |
04 |
pickup colormap |
05 |
pickup colormap (ghost) |
06 |
jacob colormap |
07 |
level colormap (ghost) |
08 |
player hands colormap |
09 |
player hands colormap (ghost) |
0A |
aquagore |
0B |
broodmaw |
0C |
cryptcrawler |
0D |
firedeacon |
0E |
hunter |
0F |
psistalker |
10 |
stormfluke |
11 |
tentacle |
12 |
wraith |
13 |
primeentity |
14 |
playermodel |
15 |
vanessa |
16 |
rocket |
17 |
grenade |
18 |
fxblast |
19 |
aquagore shot |
1A |
broodmaw shot |
1B |
cryptcrawler shot |
1C |
firedeacon shot |
1D |
gib generic 1 |
1E |
gib generic 2 |
1F |
gib generic 3 |
20 |
blood generic 1 |
21 |
charles |
22 |
human gib generic 1 |
23 |
human gib generic 2 |
24 |
human gib generic 3 |
25 |
pickup ammo pistol |
26 |
pickup ammo double pistol |
27 |
pickup ammo shotgun |
28 |
pickup ammo machinegun |
29 |
pickup ammo sniper |
2A |
pickup ammo grenade |
2B |
pickup ammo rocket |
2C |
pickup ammo gatlinggun |
2D |
pickup weapon pistol |
2E |
pickup weapon double pistol |
2F |
pickup weapon shotgun |
30 |
pickup weapon machinegun |
31 |
pickup weapon sniper |
32 |
pickup weapon grenade |
33 |
pickup weapon gatlinggun |
34 |
pickup weapon shockwave |
35 |
pickup ghostvision |
36 |
pickup focitalisman |
37 |
pickup letter |
38 |
pickup key1 |
39 |
pickup flakjacket 25 |
3A |
pickup flakjacket 50 |
3B |
pickup flakjacket 100 |
3C |
level1 sky |
3D |
level2 sky |
3E |
level3 sky |
3F |
level4 sky |
40 |
level5 sky |
41 |
level6 sky |
42 |
level1 sky palette (ghost) |
43 |
level2 sky palette (ghost) |
44 |
level3 sky palette (ghost) |
45 |
level4 sky palette (ghost) |
46 |
level5 sky palette (ghost) |
47 |
level6 sky palette (ghost) |
48 |
jacob skin red |
49 |
jacob skin green |
4A |
jacob skin blue |
4B |
jacob skin yellow |
4C |
level1a |
4D |
level1a collision |
4E |
level1a waypointnav |
4F |
level1a colormap |
50 |
level1b |
51 |
level1b collision |
52 |
level1b waypointnav |
53 |
level1b colormap |
54 |
level2a |
55 |
level2a collision |
56 |
level2a waypointnav |
57 |
level2a colormap |
58 |
level2b |
59 |
level2b collision |
5A |
level2b waypointnav |
5B |
level2b colormap |
5C |
level3a |
5D |
level3a collision |
5E |
level3a waypointnav |
5F |
level3a colormap |
60 |
level3b |
61 |
level3b collision |
62 |
level3b waypointnav |
63 |
level3b colormap |
64 |
level4a |
65 |
level4a collision |
66 |
level4a waypointnav |
67 |
level4a colormap |
68 |
level4b |
69 |
level4b collision |
6A |
level4b waypointnav |
6B |
level4b colormap |
6C |
level5a |
6D |
level5a collision |
6E |
level5a waypointnav |
6F |
level5a colormap |
70 |
level5b |
71 |
level5b collision |
72 |
level5b waypointnav |
73 |
level5b colormap |
74 |
level6 |
75 |
level6 collision |
76 |
level6 waypointnav |
77 |
level6 colormap |
78 |
level7 |
79 |
level7 collision |
7A |
level7 waypointnav |
7B |
level7 colormap |
7C |
level8 |
7D |
level8 collision |
7E |
level8 waypointnav |
7F |
level8 colormap |
80 |
leveldm1 |
81 |
leveldm1 collision |
82 |
leveldm1 colormap |
83 |
leveldm2 |
84 |
leveldm2 collision |
85 |
leveldm2 colormap |
86 |
leveldm3 |
87 |
leveldm3 collision |
88 |
leveldm3 colormap |
89 |
leveldm4 |
8A |
leveldm4 collision |
8B |
leveldm4 colormap |
8C |
levelmonsters |
8D |
levelmonsters collision |
8E |
levelmonsters waypointnav |
8F |
leveldoors |
90 |
leveldoors collision |
91 |
leveldoors waypointnav |
92 |
sprites |
93 |
texture info |
94 |
sprite texture info |
95 |
textures |
96 |
sprite textures |
97 |
sound data |
98 |
stringtable english uk |
99 |
stringtable english us |
9A |
stringtable french |
9B |
stringtable italian |
9C |
stringtable german |
9D |
stringtable spanish |
- Test level for enemies
- There is a pool with fish enemies, which I don't remember seeing in the game
- Test level for doors
- Collision by itself works with other level geometry, geometry by itself also works, but not together