Modding research
File formats
Five formats, in rough order of how much of the game they unlock. Each page says what was measured, what was only inferred, and what this research got wrong on the way.
Maps and scenarios
.scn .smp .lgd .map
The world grid, its terrain, and the objects standing on it — decoded, written back, and accepted by the game.
MeasuredWe were wrong about this
Sprites and animation
.imp
How a frame is positioned, how a direction picks a stored facing, and why the file contains no timing at all.
MeasuredOpen questionWe were wrong about this
GameScript
.gs
The stack language the whole game is written in — and the 1,906 engine operators it calls into.
MeasuredWe were wrong about this
Savegames
.sav .lom
Nine sections, no compression, no encryption — and a leak of the game's own memory into every file you share.
MeasuredWe were wrong about this
The game archives
.mpq
Where everything lives, and what the two big community mods actually change.
Measured