Differences

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--- falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac [2009/02/15 01:02] – lightning
+++ falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac [2024/07/31 08:34] (current) – links added. snakeman
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== .CAM/.TRN/.TAC File Overview ======
+====== Falcon 4 .CAM/.TRN/.TAC File Overview ======
-The various files in Falcon that end with .CAM, .TRN, and .TAC extensions are just container files for storing various other campaign files (kind of like a .ZIP file, but without the built-in data compression -- note that Falcon compresses most of the contents of the majority of the individual files inside a .CAM/.TRN/.TAC file using LZSS compression)
-They come with an embedded "directory" of their contents, typically located at the end of the file, although there is no requirement that the directory must come at the end.  The only requirement is that the header
+[[https://www.pmctactical.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=47|Falcon 4.0 Forum]], [[:falcon4|Falcon 4 Home]], [[falcon4:campaign|Falcon 4 Campaign]], [[falcon4:cockpits|Falcon 4 Cockpits]], [[falcon4:database|Falcon 4 Database]], [[falcon4:file_formats|Falcon 4 File Formats]], [[falcon4:srtm|Falcon 4 SRTM Terrain]], [[falcon4:terrain|Falcon 4 Terrain]], [[falcon4:textures|Falcon 4 Textures]], [[falcon4:tools|Falcon 4 Tools]]
-must point to the beginning of the directory information, and the directory information must conform to the directory layout standard.
-To read a .CAM/.TRN/.TAC file properly, you first need to read the embedded directory, and then using the information from the directory, you can extract any or all of the embedded files.
+**Falcon 4 File Formats .CAM, .TRN and .TAC**
+===== .CAM Files =====
+Campaign files are similar in structure to training and TE files. Generally they do not have flights allocated though, leaving them to the mission planner to generate.
+Campaign files end in the suffix .CAM and often have associated other files, such as:
+Trigger files, to trigger events (.TRI) \\
+Force Ratio files (.FRC) \\
+History files (.HIS) \\
+===== .TAC Files =====
+Tactical files are similar in structure to training and campaign files. Generally they do not have flights allocated though, leaving them to the mission planner to generate.
+Tactical files end in the suffix .TAC.
+===== .TRN Files =====
+Training missions files end in the suffix .TRN.
+Training files are similar in structure to campaign and TE files. Generally they have preplanned missions already edited, and do not generate debriefing screens.
+===== Basic Structure =====
+The various files in Falcon that end with .CAM, .TRN, and .TAC extensions are just container files for storing various other campaign files (kind of like a .ZIP file).
+.CAM, .TRN, and .TAC files come with an embedded "directory" of their contents, typically located at the end of the file, although there is no requirement that the directory must come at the end.  The only requirement is that the header must point to the beginning of the directory information, and the directory information must conform to the directory layout standard.
+To read a .CAM/.TRN/.TAC file properly, you first need to read the embedded directory, and then using the information from the directory, you can extract any or all of the embedded files.  Note that Some of the files embedded in a .CAM/.TRN/.TAC file have their contents compressed using [[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:lzss_compression|LZSS compression]].  Other files are uncompressed binaries, and yet others are uncompressed plain text files.
 ===== HEADER SECTION =====
@@ Line 28: / Line 54: @@
 ===== Typical directory contents =====
-A.CAM/.TRN/.TAC file typically contains several of the following types of embedded files.
+A.CAM/.TRN/.TAC file typically contains several of the following types of embedded files.  Clicking any of the files listed below will take you to a Wiki article that describes that file's content and file-format structure.
 [[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:cmp_file|.CMP file (basic campaign information)]] \\
@@ Line 34: / Line 60: @@
 [[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:obd_file|.OBD file (campaign objective deltas)]]\\
 [[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:uni_file|.UNI file (campaign units list)]]\\
-.TEA file (campaign teams list)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:tea_file|.TEA file (campaign teams list)]]\\
-.EVT file (campaign events list)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:evt_file|.EVT file (campaign events list)]]\\
-.POL file (campaign primary objectives list)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:pol_file|.POL file (campaign primary objectives list)]]\\
-.PLT file (campaign pilots list)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:plt_file|.PLT file (campaign pilots list)]]\\
-.PST file (persistent objects list)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:pst_file|.PST file (persistent objects list)]]\\
-.WTH file (weather)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:wth_file|.WTH file (weather)]]\\
-.VER file (version information)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:ver_file|.VER file (version information)]]\\
-.VC file (victory conditions)\\
+[[falcon4:file_formats:cam_trn_tac:te_file|.TE file (Victory conditions)]]\\
-.TE file (F4:Allied Force victory conditions)\\
 ===== Example Code in C# =====
-The following example code provides a C# class which can be used to enumerate and read the embedded files from within a .CAM/.TRN/.TAC file, per the above specification.  The code below does not actually uncompress any of the embedded files, but it extracts their (raw) uncompressed bytes.
+The following example code provides a C# class which can be used to enumerate and read the embedded files from within a .CAM/.TRN/.TAC file, per the above specification.  The code below does not actually uncompress any of the embedded files, but it extracts their (raw) uncompressed bytes, which can then be processed according to the specifications for that individual file.
 <code c#>