Sonic Adventure 2/Level Data Formats

SCHG: Sonic Adventure 2
Dreamcast GameCube PC
Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast) Main Article Object Editing Editing Objects File Name Layout Format Special Objects Object Lists Programs Sound Editing Sound Editing Music List Voices Sound Effects Level Data Formats Locations Models Model Files Animation Files Model Formats Info Level List Character Animation IDs Character Action Lists Event List Cutscenes Textures Global Indexes Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (Gamecube) Main Article Object Editing Editing Objects File Name Layout Format Special Objects Object Lists Programs Sound Editing Sound Editing Music List Voices Sound Effects Level Data Formats Locations Models Model Files Animation Files Model Formats Info Level List Character Animation IDs Character Action Lists Event List Cutscenes Textures Global Indexes Sonic Adventure 2 (PC) Main Article Object Editing Editing Objects File Name Layout Format Special Objects Object Lists Programs Sound Editing Sound Editing Music List Voices Sound Effects Level Data Formats Locations Models Model Files Animation Files Model Formats EXE Editing EXE Editing RAM Editing RAM Editing Info Level List Character Animation IDs Character Action Lists Event List Cutscenes Textures Global Indexes

LandTable header format

This struct defines the number of models and animations in the level, the location of the corresponding lists, and the texture list used. The name comes from the label in the DLL Export table of various DLLs in the PC versions of Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2.

Offset	Type	Description
0	Short	COL Count
2	Short	Chunk Model Count
4	Int?	Unknown
8	Int?	Unknown
C	Float	Unknown, usually 3000
10	Pointer	COL List
14	Int?	Unknown
18	Pointer	Texture file name. Optional. If not null, a PVM with this name will be loaded to the address pointed to by the texture list pointer.
1C	Pointer	Texture List

The number of models indicated by the Chunk Model Count will be using the Chunk Model, and any models after that will be using the Basic Model. Generally, the visible models are nonsolid chunk models, and collision is solid basic models. In Battle, the main LandTables use a new model format in place of the Chunk Model.

COL Format

The name COL is an antiquated misnomer, but for lack of a better name, it stuck. This data struct is a reference for loading a level model. It's 0x20 bytes long and works as follows:

Offset	Type	Description
0	Float[3]	Center of collision sphere
C	Float	Radius of collision sphere
10	Pointer	Model (OBJECT Struct)
14	8 Bytes	Padding?
1C	Int	Surface Flags (see below)

Surface Flags

These flags are not entirely figured out yet, but here's what is known for sure:
0x00000001 = Solid
0x00000002 = Water (ignores Solid bit)
0x00000004 = Ice
0x00000008 = Slow
0x00000010 = Less Slow
0x00000020 = Diggable
0x00000080 = Cannot Climb
0x00000100 = Ignore Slope
0x00000400 = Hurt
0x00001000 = Cannot Land Or Climb
0x00002000 = Other Water, Cannot Swim
0x00008000 = Don't Cast Shadow
0x00100000 = Something Weird
0x00400000 = Cannot Land 2
0x01000000 = Very Weird Collision
0x08000000 = Slow, Fall Off Edge, Cannot Climb
0x80000000 = Visible

Dreamcast Lighting Data

0x20 bytes long. This is for lighting stored in stgXX_light.bin files. It begins with a direction vector (can be any length) followed by a float related to color multiplication and an ARGB color in floats. Direction vector should be thought of as moving from the point provided towards 0,0,0. Colors and/or multipliers should use the range 0-1F. Seems to always contain 12 sections.

Number	Type	Description
0	Float	X Vector Component
4	Float	Y Vector Component
8	Float	Z Vector Component
C	Float	Color Multiplier
10	Float	Alpha (Color Multiplier)
14	Float	Red
18	Float	Green
1C	Float	Blue

Gamecube Lighting Data

0x30 bytes long. This is for lighting stored in stgXX_light_gc.bin files. Seemingly a way to extend the original lighting format using many of the same principles. Unlike dreamcast lighting, it can hold 2 colors and does not use a multiplier value, instead relying solely on the color values for both. The first color is the directional while the second is the ambient. Following this is a u32 int flag which should be set to 0 unless you wish to ignore the data for that struct and use what the game loads for the dreamcast version of the file from that section instead. If the dreamcast file does not exist, parts of objects in that section that receive lighting will black from lack of lighting. Seems to always contain 12 sections to match with what it can override from its DC counterpart.

Number	Type	Description
0	Float	X Vector Component
4	Float	Y Vector Component
8	Float	Z Vector Component
C	Float	Red (Directional)
10	Float	Green (Directional)
14	Float	Blue (Directional)
18	Float	Red (Ambient)
1C	Float	Green (Ambient)
20	Float	Blue (Ambient)
24	U32 Int	DC override flag
28	U32 Int	Unused? Leaving as 0 seems fine.
2C	U32 Unk	Unknown value; Leaving as 0 seems fine.

Fog Data (16 and 528 byte versions)

There are 2 variations of the fog format with the second 528 byte variant usually being "fogB", though not always. In the PC version, only the initial 16 bytes are used regardless. It is speculated that the remaining data in 528 byte fog files is unused garbage data or related to fog falloff in some way in the Dreamcast release. The format is rather simple, seeming to have two u16 ints as parameters to start, the color, and then then the near and far distance. These seem to affect clipping on certain special bits of geometry like Metal Harbor water.

At the Maximum Fog Effect Distance from the player, geometry will be purely the color picked for the fog. Up to that point from the Minimum Fog Effect Distance, a gradient of fog is made. This is negative in many levels to make the fog more dense close to the player.

Number	Type	Description
0	U16 Int	Fog Type (Usually 02)
2	U16 Int	Fog Param 2 (Usually 02)
4	Char Array[4]	ASCII Color (ARGB), Alpha ignored
8	Float	Maximum Fog Effect Distance
12	Float	Minimum Fog Effect Distance