File Format Reference¶
All formats used by Jane's Fighters Anthology, organized by subsystem.
Archive¶
The container format that holds all game assets; almost every file in the game is packed into one of several .LIB archives.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LIB | LIB.md | Main asset archive container with LZSS, PXPK, and DCL compression |
Graphics & Images¶
Paletted image formats used for aircraft skins, cockpit art, icons, and in-game screenshots.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PIC | PIC.md | Compressed image codec — dense, sparse, and JPEG sub-formats |
| PAL | PAL.md | VGA 256-color 6-bit palette |
| RAW | RAW.md | Uncompressed in-game screenshot capture |
Terrain & Maps¶
Theater-level tile maps and the top-down mini-map used during mission selection and in-flight navigation.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| T2 | T2.md | Terrain tile map with height and texture data |
| MM | MM.md | Theater map and mini-map layout |
3D & Scene¶
Aircraft and object geometry, briefing room backgrounds, and the atmosphere/sky lookup tables loaded as Win32 overlay DLLs.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SH | SH.md | 3D aircraft and object shape meshes (Phar Lap PE) |
| INF | INF.md | Aircraft technical info sheet with briefing room scene data |
| HGR | HGR.md | Hangar 3D background scene (Win32 DLL overlay) |
| LAY | LAY.md | Sky and atmosphere rendering lookup tables (Win32 DLL overlay) |
Audio¶
Raw PCM sound effects and MIDI-based music, plus the in-flight music sequencer bytecode.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 11K / 5K / 8K | 11K.md | Raw PCM audio clips at 11 kHz, 5 kHz, or 8 kHz mono |
| XMI | XMI.md | Extended MIDI music sequences |
| MUS | MUS.md | In-flight music sequencer bytecode (Win32 DLL overlay) |
Video & Cutscenes¶
Full-motion video frames for intros and per-aircraft clips, mission briefing video streams, and the scripted cutscene timeline format.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CB8 | CB8.md | FMV video frame decoder for intros, cutscenes, and per-aircraft clips |
| VDO | VDO.md | Streaming mission briefing video frames |
| FBC | FBC.md | Per-frame byte-size index for paired .VDO briefing files |
| SEQ | SEQ.md | Cutscene and animation event timeline |
Mission & Campaign¶
Mission definitions, briefing text, campaign state, AI scripts, and their compiled runtime companions — most loaded as Win32 PE DLLs.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M | M.md | Mission definition — bracketed text format with object placement and waypoints |
| MT | MT.md | Mission briefing and debrief text with section/markup directives |
| CAM | CAM.md | Campaign PE DLL embedding mission lists, weapon tables, and state data |
| MC | MC.md | Per-mission condition evaluator (PE DLL) |
| AI | AI.md | AI script bytecode — plain-text DSL per object category |
| BI | BI.md | Compiled AI binary runtime companion to .AI script files |
Type Definitions (BRF DSL)¶
Seven file types share a plain-text assembly-like DSL that defines aircraft, weapons, objects, and sensors. The BRF spec below is the format overview.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BRF | BRF.md | Overview of the text-based type definition DSL |
| OT | OT.md | Object type definitions |
| NT | NT.md | Nation and country type definitions |
| PT | PT.md | Pilot and aircraft performance type definitions |
| JT | JT.md | Jet engine and weapon type definitions |
| SEE | SEE.md | Sensor and electronics type definitions |
| ECM | ECM.md | Electronic countermeasures type definitions |
| GAS | GAS.md | Guided armament system type definitions |
UI & Win32 Overlays¶
The FA menu system is built from Win32 PE DLLs; each dialog, menu screen, font, and HUD element is a separate overlay loaded at runtime.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HUD | HUD.md | Heads-up display overlay DLL |
| DLG | DLG.md | Dialog box overlay DLL |
| MNU | MNU.md | Menu screen overlay DLL |
| FNT | FNT.md | Bitmap font overlay DLL |
| PTS | PTS.md | Points and scoring overlay DLL |
System & Config¶
Game configuration, multiplayer network settings, the recovered C++ symbol map, and pilot save files.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CFG | CFG.md | Binary game configuration — graphics, controls, audio, pilot slot |
| DAT | DAT.md | Binary multiplayer network settings (NET.DAT / MODEM.DAT / SERIAL.DAT) |
| EFFECT | EFFECT.md | GRAPHIC effect-spawn data — the in-executable effect-parameter and network spawn records |
| SMS | SMS.md | the game executable symbol map — 3,829 MSVC-mangled C++ symbols with virtual addresses |
| P | P.md | Pilot save file — career stats, callsign, and campaign progress |
| BIN | BIN.md | Lookup tables and palette subsets (INSIGMAP.BIN, VFONTPAL.BIN) |
Installer¶
Files used by the EA disc-based setup program — the install script and splash screen click-zone maps.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ESA | ESA.md | EA installer archive — the Disc 1 container holding FA.EXE, the LIBs, and the drivers |
| RTP | RTP.md | Pocket Soft .RTPatch payload — the 1.00F→1.02F updater's binary diff (0xB59C codec + opcode diff) |
| SSF | SSF.md | EA installer script — plain-text keywords driving the setup UI |
| RGN | RGN.md | Installer UI region maps — splash screen click zones and button sprite atlas |
Text¶
Plain-text files embedded in the LIB archives for menu labels and UI screens, sharing the same directive engine as mission briefing files.
| Format | Spec | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | TXT.md | Plain text files used in FA menus and UI screens; shares the .MT directive engine |