Radoub Formats GFF

GFF Format

Generic File Format - the foundation format for most Aurora Engine data files.

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Overview

GFF (Generic File Format) is a hierarchical tree structure used by virtually all Aurora Engine game data. Dialog files (.dlg), creature templates (.utc), items (.uti), journals (.jrl), and dozens of other file types are all GFF files with different type signatures.

File Types Using GFF: DLG, UTC, UTI, UTP, UTD, UTE, UTT, UTS, UTW, UTM, JRL, IFO, ARE, GIT, GIC, FAC, GUI, ITP, and more.

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Binary Layout

Header (56 bytes)

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	char[4]	FileType (e.g., "DLG ", "UTC ", "JRL ")
4	4	char[4]	Version (always "V3.2")
8	4	uint32	StructOffset
12	4	uint32	StructCount
16	4	uint32	FieldOffset
20	4	uint32	FieldCount
24	4	uint32	LabelOffset
28	4	uint32	LabelCount
32	4	uint32	FieldDataOffset
36	4	uint32	FieldDataCount
40	4	uint32	FieldIndicesOffset
44	4	uint32	FieldIndicesCount
48	4	uint32	ListIndicesOffset
52	4	uint32	ListIndicesCount

Data Sections

flowchart TB
    Header[Header 56 bytes]
    Structs[Struct Array]
    Fields[Field Array]
    Labels[Label Array]
    FieldData[Field Data]
    FieldIndices[Field Indices]
    ListIndices[List Indices]

    Header --> Structs
    Structs --> Fields
    Fields --> Labels
    Labels --> FieldData
    FieldData --> FieldIndices
    FieldIndices --> ListIndices

Loading

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Structs

Each struct is 12 bytes:

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	Type (application-specific meaning)
4	4	uint32	DataOrDataOffset (see below)
8	4	uint32	FieldCount

DataOrDataOffset interpretation:

• FieldCount == 0: No fields (value ignored)
• FieldCount == 1: Direct field index
• FieldCount > 1: Byte offset into FieldIndices array

The root struct is always index 0.

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Fields

Each field is 12 bytes:

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	Type (see Field Types below)
4	4	uint32	LabelIndex
8	4	uint32	DataOrDataOffset

DataOrDataOffset interpretation:

• Simple types (0-9): Value stored directly
• Complex types (10-15): Byte offset into FieldData

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Field Types

Value	Name	Size	Storage
0	BYTE	1	Direct
1	CHAR	1	Direct
2	WORD	2	Direct
3	SHORT	2	Direct
4	DWORD	4	Direct
5	INT	4	Direct
6	DWORD64	8	Direct*
7	INT64	8	Direct*
8	FLOAT	4	Direct
9	DOUBLE	8	Direct*
10	CExoString	Variable	FieldData
11	CResRef	1-17	FieldData
12	CExoLocString	Variable	FieldData
13	VOID	Variable	FieldData
14	Struct	4	FieldData (struct index)
15	List	Variable	ListIndices

*Note: 64-bit types store value directly but only lower 32 bits fit in DataOrDataOffset; implementations vary.

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Complex Type Formats

CExoString (Type 10)

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	Length
4	Length	char[]	UTF-8 string (not null-terminated)

CResRef (Type 11)

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	1	byte	Length (max 16)
1	Length	char[]	ASCII resource reference

CExoLocString (Type 12)

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	TotalSize (bytes following)
4	4	uint32	StrRef (0xFFFFFFFF = no TLK)
8	4	uint32	SubStringCount
12+	Variable	SubString[]	Localized strings

SubString format:

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	LanguageID (Language * 2 + Gender)
4	4	uint32	StringLength
8	Length	char[]	UTF-8 string

VOID (Type 13)

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	Length
4	Length	byte[]	Raw binary data

Struct (Type 14)

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	Struct index

List (Type 15)

DataOrDataOffset points to ListIndices array:

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	4	uint32	Count
4	Count*4	uint32[]	Struct indices

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Labels

Labels are 16-byte fixed-width fields:

Offset	Size	Type	Description
0	16	char[16]	Null-padded label text

Maximum label length is 16 characters.

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Usage in Radoub.Formats

Reading

using Radoub.Formats.Gff;

var gff = GffReader.Read("mydialog.dlg");

// Access file metadata
string type = gff.FileType;     // "DLG "
string version = gff.FileVersion; // "V3.2"

// Navigate structure
var root = gff.RootStruct;
var entryList = root.GetField("EntryList");

// Type-safe access
uint delay = root.GetFieldValue<uint>("DelayEntry", 0);
string text = root.GetFieldValue<CExoLocString>("Text")?.GetDefaultString();

// Iterate list
if (entryList?.Value is GffList list)
{
    foreach (var entry in list.Elements)
    {
        // Process each struct
    }
}

Writing

using Radoub.Formats.Gff;

var gff = new GffFile
{
    FileType = "DLG ",
    FileVersion = "V3.2"
};

// Build structure
gff.RootStruct = new GffStruct { Type = 0xFFFFFFFF };
gff.RootStruct.Fields.Add(new GffField
{
    Type = GffField.DWORD,
    Label = "DelayEntry",
    Value = 0u
});

// Write to file
GffWriter.Write(gff, "output.dlg");

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Implementation Notes

Label Format Auto-Detection

Radoub.Formats auto-detects label format based on section size:

• 16-byte fixed (Aurora standard)
• 18-byte length-prefixed (some tools)
• Null-terminated (rare)

Encoding

• CExoString: UTF-8 with Windows-1252 fallback
• CResRef: ASCII only
• Labels: ASCII only

Validation

The reader validates:

• Header size and magic
• Version string ("V3.2" only)
• Array bounds for all offsets
• Struct/field indices within range

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Page freshness: 2025-12-15