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Raw file
v50.14 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF.Note that some content may still need to be updated. |
Raw files are text files found in the raw/objects/ subdirectory of Dwarf Fortress (used for world generation), as well as inside the saved game folder (data/save/<region name>/raw/objects/) for already generated worlds. These files can be looked through to discover various specifics of game items, materials, and creatures, and can be changed to alter how the game behaves. They are sometimes referred to by players as just "the raws".
The raw/graphics subfolder of Dwarf Fortress is used to store user-customizable graphics sets. The raw/interaction examples folder contains examples useful for modding but completely ignored by Dwarf Fortress.
Dwarf Fortress is not currently an open-source program, so most modding of the game is limited to altering the raws or memory hacking.
Duplicating the raw files can cause strange, difficult-to-diagnose problems, and even crashes in some cases.
Syntax of raw files
filename [OBJECT:TYPE] [TYPE:ID] <...contents...>
ID is a unique identificator for your type to use (i.e. [CREATURE:DOG], ID=DOG or [ITEM:ITEM_WEAPON_SWORD], ID=ITEM_WEAPON_SWORD).
Types of content
- BODY — body parts and structures.
- BODY_DETAIL_PLAN — similar to CREATURE_VARIATION, but used for defining tokens related to body parts (specifically materials, tissues, the assignment thereof, and body part positions, relative sizes, etc.)
- BUILDING — custom workshops and smelters.
- CREATURE — creatures.
- CREATURE_VARIATION — variations that can be applied to creatures (e.g., making them giants, or anthropomorphic). Technically a series of tokens that are added to or removed from the creature (essentially a set of templated changes).
- DESCRIPTOR_COLOR (tag is COLOR) — named colors for use with DESCRIPTOR_PATTERN objects (other purposes unknown)
- DESCRIPTOR_PATTERN (tag is COLOR_PATTERN) — patterns with color combinations for use with creatures.
- DESCRIPTOR_SHAPE (tag is SHAPE) — shapes with descriptions and variations, used for engravings.
- ENTITY — civilization types, with assigned race, language, culture, ethics, and social structure.
- GRAPHICS — graphic tiles for creatures. These are not found inside the raw/objects folder.
- INTERACTION — interaction definitions.
- INORGANIC — inorganic material definitions.
- ITEM — items ranging from ammunition to food types, has secondary types for the purposes of [TYPE:ID].
- ITEM_AMMO — ammunition for ranged weapons.
- ITEM_ARMOR — body clothing, including armor.
- ITEM_FOOD — prepared food definitions.
- ITEM_GLOVES — hand clothing, including armor.
- ITEM_HELM — head clothing, including armor.
- ITEM_INSTRUMENT — instrument definitions.
- ITEM_PANTS — lower body clothing, including armor.
- ITEM_SHIELD — shields.
- ITEM_SHOES — foot clothing, including armor.
- ITEM_SIEGEAMMO — ammunition for siege weapons that ballistae fire.
- ITEM_TOOL — multi-purpose items that can serve as a weapon, food storage container, etc.
- ITEM_TOY — toy definitions.
- ITEM_TRAPCOMP — components that can be used in weapon traps (two special tags define trapcomps that can be used in other constructions: IS_SCREW and IS_SPIKE).
- ITEM_WEAPON — weapons that are used by soldiers, as well as digging tools.
- LANGUAGE — word definitions for the languages used by ENTITY objects.
- Entries beginning with [SYMBOL:ID] sort words into symbolic/poetic groups to be referenced by ENTITY preferences.
- Entries beginning with [WORD:ID] define words and their alternate forms (in English).
- MATERIAL_TEMPLATE — definitions of information common to groups of materials (referenced all over the place).
- PLANT — definitions of plants, their materials, and their derivatives.
- REACTION — reactions/custom workshop jobs (turn items into other items through dwarven or adventurer effort).
- TISSUE_TEMPLATE — defines templated tissues for use with BODY_DETAIL_PLAN objects or in creatures.
Usually empty lines are used to divide different types of structures like the file name and [OBJECT:] or different entries, however everything which is not a token besides the 1st string (which is the filename) is understood as comments and is not considered.
The tokens are enclosed in square brackets ([TOKEN:VALUES]).
When a world is generated, the raw files are copied from <game folder>/raw/ to <game folder>/data/save/REGION/raw/. It is currently unknown how much these can then be changed without breaking the save.
A list of tokens can be seen at Category:Tokens.
Parsing
The order that Dwarf Fortress parses raw files in is determined by the first line of the raw file (not necessarily the filename). This parsing order is important for certain tags, such as [COPY_TAGS_FROM], but not for most other tags.
The names of raw files are completely irrelevant - when you create a new creature, you can put it in any file you want (or even in a brand-new file) and the game won't behave any differently. You can even rename all of the existing raw files and the game still won't care (as long as you generate a new world first, of course).
The load order (recorded by logging DF 0.44.09 file activity in Windows 10) follows the following pattern:
language_* descriptor_shape_* descriptor_color_* descriptor_pattern_* material_template_* inorganic_* plant_* tissue_template_* item_* building_* b_detail_plan_* body_* c_variation_* creature_* entity_* reaction_* interaction_*
Therefore, vanilla DF 0.44.09 loads RAW files in the following order:
language_DWARF.txt language_ELF.txt language_GOBLIN.txt language_HUMAN.txt language_SYM.txt language_words.txt descriptor_shape_standard.txt descriptor_color_standard.txt descriptor_pattern_iris_eye.txt descriptor_pattern_pupil_eye.txt descriptor_pattern_special.txt material_template_default.txt inorganic_metal.txt inorganic_other.txt inorganic_stone_gem.txt inorganic_stone_layer.txt inorganic_stone_mineral.txt inorganic_stone_soil.txt plant_crops.txt plant_garden.txt plant_grasses.txt plant_new_trees.txt plant_standard.txt tissue_template_default.txt item_ammo.txt item_armor.txt item_food.txt item_gloves.txt item_helm.txt item_pants.txt item_shield.txt item_shoes.txt item_siegeammo.txt item_tool.txt item_toy.txt item_trapcomp.txt item_weapon.txt building_custom.txt b_detail_plan_default.txt body_default.txt body_rcp.txt c_variation_default.txt creature_amphibians.txt creature_annelids.txt creature_birds.txt creature_birds_new.txt creature_bug_slug_new.txt creature_desert_new.txt creature_domestic.txt creature_equipment.txt creature_fanciful.txt creature_insects.txt creature_large_mountain.txt creature_large_ocean.txt creature_large_riverlake.txt creature_large_temperate.txt creature_large_tropical.txt creature_large_tundra.txt creature_mountain_new.txt creature_next_underground.txt creature_ocean_new.txt creature_other.txt creature_reptiles.txt creature_riverlakepool_new.txt creature_small_mammals.txt creature_small_mammal_new.txt creature_small_ocean.txt creature_small_riverlake.txt creature_standard.txt creature_subterranean.txt creature_temperate_new.txt creature_tropical_new.txt creature_tundra_taiga_new.txt entity_default.txt reaction_adv_carpenter.txt reaction_other.txt reaction_smelter.txt interaction_standard.txt
Required objects
While most of the raw files are replaceable or removable, some contain raw objects that are used by procedurally generated creatures (such as FBs and experiments). Raws with the following IDs must exist, to support those creatures. The file names are where said objects exist by default, but are not important on their own, as long as the objects exist somewhere in the raws the game may use them. This list was compiled by examining the code that emits the various "Cannot generate random creatures -- missing *" error messages.
material_template_default.txt:
SKIN_TEMPLATE FAT_TEMPLATE MUSCLE_TEMPLATE SINEW_TEMPLATE BONE_TEMPLATE CARTILAGE_TEMPLATE HAIR_TEMPLATE FEATHER_TEMPLATE SCALE_TEMPLATE NAIL_TEMPLATE TOOTH_TEMPLATE EYE_TEMPLATE NERVE_TEMPLATE BRAIN_TEMPLATE LUNG_TEMPLATE HEART_TEMPLATE LIVER_TEMPLATE GUT_TEMPLATE STOMACH_TEMPLATE PANCREAS_TEMPLATE SPLEEN_TEMPLATE KIDNEY_TEMPLATE LEATHER_TEMPLATE HORN_TEMPLATE PEARL_TEMPLATE SILK_TEMPLATE BLOOD_TEMPLATE ICHOR_TEMPLATE GOO_TEMPLATE SLIME_TEMPLATE SHELL_TEMPLATE SOAP_TEMPLATE TALLOW_TEMPLATE CHITIN_TEMPLATE MILK_TEMPLATE CREATURE_CHEESE_TEMPLATE STRUCTURAL_PLANT_TEMPLATE SEED_TEMPLATE LEAF_TEMPLATE THREAD_PLANT_TEMPLATE PLANT_ALCOHOL_TEMPLATE PLANT_POWDER_TEMPLATE PLANT_EXTRACT_TEMPLATE CREATURE_EXTRACT_TEMPLATE FLAME_TEMPLATE
tissue_template_default.txt:
SKIN_TEMPLATE FAT_TEMPLATE MUSCLE_TEMPLATE BONE_TEMPLATE SHELL_TEMPLATE HORN_TEMPLATE CARTILAGE_TEMPLATE HAIR_TEMPLATE CHEEK_WHISKERS_TEMPLATE CHIN_WHISKERS_TEMPLATE MOUSTACHE_TEMPLATE SIDEBURNS_TEMPLATE EYEBROW_TEMPLATE EYELASH_TEMPLATE FEATHER_TEMPLATE SCALE_TEMPLATE NAIL_TEMPLATE CLAW_TEMPLATE TALON_TEMPLATE TOOTH_TEMPLATE EYE_TEMPLATE NERVE_TEMPLATE BRAIN_TEMPLATE LUNG_TEMPLATE HEART_TEMPLATE LIVER_TEMPLATE GUT_TEMPLATE STOMACH_TEMPLATE PANCREAS_TEMPLATE SPLEEN_TEMPLATE KIDNEY_TEMPLATE FLAME_TEMPLATE
b_detail_plan_default.txt:
STANDARD_MATERIALS STANDARD_TISSUES CHITIN_MATERIALS CHITIN_TISSUES FACIAL_HAIR_TISSUES HEAD_HAIR_TISSUE_LAYERS FACIAL_HAIR_TISSUE_LAYERS BODY_HAIR_TISSUE_LAYERS BODY_FEATHER_TISSUE_LAYERS VERTEBRATE_TISSUE_LAYERS EXOSKELETON_TISSUE_LAYERS STANDARD_HEAD_POSITIONS HUMANOID_HEAD_POSITIONS HUMANOID_RIBCAGE_POSITIONS SHELL_POSITIONS HUMANOID_RELSIZES
c_variation_default.txt:
STANDARD_BIPED_GAITS STANDARD_QUADRUPED_GAITS STANDARD_WALKING_GAITS STANDARD_CLIMBING_GAITS STANDARD_SWIMMING_GAITS STANDARD_CRAWLING_GAITS STANDARD_FLYING_GAITS STANDARD_WALK_CRAWL_GAITS
body_rcp.txt:
RCP_BASIC_BODY RCP_BASIC_BODY_STANCE RCP_BASIC_BODY_STANCE_WITH_HEAD_FLAG RCP_UPPER_BODY RCP_LOWER_BODY RCP_THORAX RCP_ABDOMEN RCP_CEPHALOTHORAX RCP_HEAD RCP_NECK RCP_TWO_PART_ARMS RCP_PINCERS RCP_CLAW_ARMS RCP_FIRST_SIMPLE_LEGS RCP_FIRST_SIMPLE_LEGS_GRASP RCP_SECOND_SIMPLE_LEGS RCP_THIRD_SIMPLE_LEGS RCP_FOURTH_SIMPLE_LEGS RCP_FIFTH_SIMPLE_LEGS RCP_SIMPLE_FRONT_LEGS RCP_SIMPLE_FRONT_LEGS_GRASP RCP_SIMPLE_REAR_LEGS RCP_TWO_PART_LEGS RCP_FRONT_FLIPPER RCP_REAR_FLIPPER RCP_TWO_FLIGHTLESS_WINGS RCP_TWO_WINGS RCP_TAIL RCP_2_TAILS RCP_3_TAILS RCP_TAIL_STINGER RCP_LOWER_BODY_STINGER RCP_PROBOSCIS RCP_TRUNK RCP_SHELL RCP_ANTENNAE RCP_1_HEAD_HORN RCP_2_HEAD_HORNS RCP_3_HEAD_HORNS RCP_4_HEAD_HORNS RCP_LARGE_MANDIBLES RCP_5_FINGERS RCP_4_FINGERS RCP_3_FINGERS RCP_2_FINGERS RCP_5_TOES RCP_4_TOES RCP_3_TOES RCP_2_TOES RCP_5_FRONT_TOES RCP_4_FRONT_TOES RCP_3_FRONT_TOES RCP_2_FRONT_TOES RCP_5_REAR_TOES RCP_4_REAR_TOES RCP_3_REAR_TOES RCP_2_REAR_TOES RCP_1_EYE RCP_2_EYES RCP_3_EYES RCP_BEAK RCP_NOSE RCP_CHEEKS RCP_LUNGS RCP_HEART RCP_GUTS RCP_THROAT RCP_SPINE RCP_UPPER_SPINE RCP_BRAIN RCP_SKULL RCP_MOUTH RCP_TEETH RCP_RIBS RCP_RIBS_EXTERNAL RCP_LIPS RCP_1_EYELID RCP_2_EYELIDS RCP_3_EYELIDS RCP_GLOSS_HOOF RCP_GLOSS_PAW RCP_5_FRONT_FINGERS* RCP_4_FRONT_FINGERS* RCP_3_FRONT_FINGERS* RCP_2_FRONT_FINGERS* RCP_TONGUE*
- * - The game does not confirm the presence of these objects, but it will still attempt to use them (and fail if they are missing)
The objects RCP_FORKED_TONGUE, RCP_BILL, and RCP_2_HEAD_ANTLERS are currently not used by the game and can be safely removed.