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{{lowercase}}
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<onlyinclude>
<onlyinclude>
'''MeSsage StuDio BiNary Text'''  
'''Message Studio Binary Text'''  
<code>MSBT</code> files are Message Studio Binary files. These files define how text is displayed and interacted with by the player.
<code>MSBT</code> is a binary file format belonging to LibMessageStudio (LMS). These files store the game's text and can contain "tags" that define how said text is displayed/interacted with.
</onlyinclude>
</onlyinclude>


== msbt File Layout ==
== File Layout ==
msbt files are made up of four sections that are aligned to 16-bytes.
<code>MSBT</code> files are composed of a file header followed by blocks (each with their own block header). All sections/blocks must be aligned to 0x10 (16) bytes. In BotW, the file layout is as follows:
* Header
* Header
* Labels
* Labels Block
* Attributes
* Attributes Block
* Texts
* Text Block
The list of possible blocks is as follows:


== msbt Header ==
* LBL1 (labels)
* TXT2 (text)
* ATR1 (attributes)
* TSY1 (style info)
* ATO1 (unknown)
 
== File Header ==


=== Header Structure ===
=== Header Structure ===
Line 23: Line 30:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 8
| 8
| String
| char[8]
| msbt file signature (magic) <code>4D 73 67 53 74 64 42 6E</code> or "MsgStdBn"
| msbt file signature (magic) <code>4D 73 67 53 74 64 42 6E</code> or "MsgStdBn"
|-
|-
| 0x08
| 0x08
| 2
| 2
| Unsigned Short
| u16
| Byte-Order Mark
| Byte-Order Mark
|-
|-
Line 34: Line 41:
| 2
| 2
|  
|  
| Padding? {{check}}
| Padding {{check}}
|-
|-
| 0x0c
| 0x0c
| 2
| 1
| Unsigned Short
| u8
| Version? 1.3? {{check}}
| Encoding (0 = UTF8, 1 = UTF16, 2 = UTF32 - games generally only support one specific encoding) {{check}}
|-
|0x0d
|1
|u8
|Version (3)
|-
|-
| 0x0e
| 0x0e
| 2
| 2
| Unsigned Short
| u16
| Section Count? {{check}}
| Block Count {{check}}
|-
|-
| 0x10
| 0x10
| 2
| 2
|  
|
| Padding? {{check}}
| Padding {{check}}
|-
|-
| 0x12
| 0x12
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| File Size
| File Size
|-
|-
| 0x16
| 0x16
| 10
| 10
|  
|
| Padding? {{check}}
| Padding {{check}}
|}
|}


== Labels Section ==
== Block Header ==
The labels section has a header followed by an offset table and finally a string table with meta data regarding the later text section.
This header is shared across all block types. The block data follows directly after the header and is aligned to 0x10 (16) bytes. The block size does not include the size of the header.
 
=== Labels Section Header ===
The section header includes a signature, table size and padding making the header 16 bytes. Table size is relative to the end of the section header.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 75: Line 84:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Signature (magic) <code>4C 42 4C 31</code> or "LBL1"
| Block Signature
|-
|-
| 0x04
| 0x04
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Table size
| Block Size
|-
|-
| 0x08
| 0x08
Line 89: Line 98:
|}
|}


=== Labels Section Offset Table ===
== Labels Block ==
Offsets in the offset table are relative to the end of the Labels Section Header (byte `0x10`). The offset table length is defined in the first four bytes of the table.
The labels block contains the label names for file's text. Its signature is <code>LBL1</code>.
 
The section begins with a four-byte header specifying the number of label groups.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 99: Line 110:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Offset count
| Label Group Count
|}
|}
Each entry in the offset table is 8 bytes. 4 bytes indicating the number of null-terminated strings at the offset and an offset relative to the beginning of the offset table.
 
=== Label Groups ===
Following the header is a table of label groups. Each entry in the table is eight bytes. The first four bytes specify the number of labels in the group and the second four specify the offset of the first label relative to the start of the section. The number of label groups in many games appears to be the smallest prime number larger than half the number of labels (with a max of 101 groups and a minimum of 2). In BotW, this may not always be the case.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 111: Line 124:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| String count
| Label Count
|-
|-
| 0x04
| 0x04
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| String offset
| Offset
|}
|}
Messages are sorted into label groups by hashing the label name. A recreation of the hash function is as follows:<syntaxhighlight lang="python3">
def calc_hash(label):
    hash = 0
    for char in label:
        hash = hash * 0x492 + ord(char)
    return (hash & 0xFFFFFFFF) % num_label_groups
</syntaxhighlight>


=== Labels Section String Table ===
=== Labels ===
The labels can be determined by iterating through the offset table and reading the number of null-terminated strings from the address. The first byte at the offset indicates the size of the label. One label can contain ''zero'' or more null-terminated strings but will not exceed the indicated total length.
Following the label groups is the array of labels. Each label consists of a u8 string length followed by a null-terminated string. At the end of the label is a u32 index specifying the index of the message that corresponds to the label in the text block.
 
After each null-terminated string, there are 4 bytes indicating which index in the texts table this label corresponds to. See the text table section for more information.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 132: Line 150:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 1  
| 1  
| Unsigned Byte
| u8
| String length
| String Length
|-
|-
| 0x01
| 0x01
| ''n''
| ''n''
| char[''n'']
| char[''n'']
| String count number of null-terminated strings<ref>A label can contain ''zero'' or more null-terminated strings</ref>
| Label String
|-
|-
| 0xnn
| 0xnn
| 4  
| 4  
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| String Table Index
| Message Text Index
|}
|}


== Attributes Section ==
== Attributes Block ==
Attributes are not fully understood at this time. The attribute seem to indicate which actor should be attributed with the dialog (A good example is in <code>100enemy.msbt</code> where <code>NPC_GodVoice</code> is referenced).
The attributes block stores additional, optional attributes that can be associated with messages. Its signature is <code>ATR1</code>. The interpretation of attribute data is completely up to the game's discretion and attributes in BotW are not fully understood at this time. The attribute seem to indicate which actor should be attributed with the dialog (A good example is in <code>100enemy.msbt</code> where <code>NPC_GodVoice</code> is referenced).


The attributes seem to correspond to an entry in the text table with the same table index, since the attribute and text tables are usually the same size {{check}}.
Each attribute corresponds to the message of the same index in the text block {{check}}.


=== Attributes Section Header ===
The block begins with an eight-byte header that specifies the number of attributes and the size of a single attribute.
The section header includes a signature, table size and padding making the header 16 bytes. Table size is relative to the end of the section header.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 161: Line 178:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Signature (magic) <code>41 54 52 31</code> or "ATR1"
| Attribute Count
|-
|-
| 0x04
| 0x04
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Table size
| Attribute Size
|-
| 0x08
| 8
|
| Padding
|}
|}
 
Following the brief header is an array of the attribute data. In many cases, this data is actually a string offset relative to the start of the section (as is the case in BotW).
=== Attributes Section Offset Table ===
Offsets in the offset table are relative to the end of the Attributes Section Header (byte <code>0x10</code>). The first 4 bytes of the table are the number of offsets and the second 4 bytes indicate the size of each offset (or table entry) in bytes.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 185: Line 195:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Offset count
| Attribute String Offset
|-
| 0x04
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| Attribute data size
|}
Each entry in the offset table is a 4-byte relative offset from the beginning of the table.
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Size
!Data Type
!Description
|-
| 0x00
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| Attribute offset
|}
|}


=== Attributes Section String Table ===
=== Attribute Strings ===
The attributes can be determined by iterating through the offset table and a null-terminated string from the address. Strings in this table are UTF-16 (Wii U files are UTF-16-BE encoded) encoded and take up 2 bytes for each character. Strings are terminated with a UTF-16 null character <code>00 00</code> or <code>\u0000</code>.
Should the attribute data be a string offset, then the data is followed by an array of null-terminated strings encoded using the encoding specified in the file header. In BotW, this is means UTF16-LE on Switch and UTF16-BE on Wii U.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 216: Line 209:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| ''n''
| ''n''
| char[2]
| char_type[]
| Unicode character
| String
|}
|}


== Texts Section ==
== Text Block ==
The text section contains a table of strings.
The text block contains the text for messages. Its signature is <code>TXT2</code>.
 
=== Texts Section Header ===
The section header includes a signature, table size and padding making the header 16 bytes. Table size is relative to the end of the section header.
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Size
!Data Type
!Description
|-
| 0x00
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| Signature (magic) <code>54 58 54 32</code> or "TXT2"
|-
| 0x04
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| Table size
|-
| 0x08
| 8
|
| Padding
|}


=== Texts Section Offset Table ===
The section begins with a small four-byte header specifying the number of messages in the section.
Offsets in the offset table are relative to the end of the Texts Section Header (byte `0x10`). The offset table length is defined in the first four bytes of the table.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 257: Line 225:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| Offset count
| Message Count
|}
|}
Each entry in the offset table is a 4-byte relative offset from the beginning of the table.
Following the brief header is an array of u32 offsets to the text strings. Each offset is relative to the beginning of the section.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 269: Line 237:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| 4
| 4
| Unsigned Int
| u32
| String offset
| String Offset
|}
|}


=== Texts Section String Table ===
=== Message Strings ===
The attributes can be determined by iterating through the offset table. Strings in this table are UTF-16 (Wii U files are UTF-16-BE encoded) encoded and take up 2 bytes for each character.
The strings are stored as an array of strings encoded using the encoding specified in the header. In BotW, this is means UTF16-LE on Switch and UTF16-BE on Wii U. Each string is read from its specified offset until the next string offset. The last string uses the section size specified in the block header to determine its end position.
 
String length is determined by reading until the next offset in the table and not exceeding the end of the file. Strings cannot be read as null-terminated strings since many strings will have multiple null characters in them.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 285: Line 251:
| 0x00
| 0x00
| ''n''
| ''n''
| char[2]
| char_type[]
| Unicode character
| String
|}
|}


== Text Commands ==
== Tags ==
{{expand section}}
{{expand section}}
Some string include interpolation operators or commands within the strings. These commands tell the game to behave in a certain way while displaying the string. Commands include choices, selling items, buying items and interacting with objects.
Message strings can contain tags that alter how the message is displayed or processed. These tags are processed by <code>nn::ui2d::TagProcessorBase</code> which in Nintendo EPD games is extend by<code>eui::TagProcessor</code> which can then be further extended by the game to handle game-specific tags. The interpretation of tags is completely game-dependent.


Commands are indicated in the strings with <code>00 0e</code> or <code>\u000e</code>.
Tags are embedded directly inside of the text and begin with a brief tag header.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Offset (h)
!Offset (h)
Line 300: Line 266:
!Description
!Description
|-
|-
| 0x00
|0x00
| 2
|2
| Unsigned Short
|u16
| Indicator <code>00 0e</code>
|Signature (<code>00 0e</code> or <code>00 0f</code>)
|-
|-
| 0x02
| 0x02
| 2
| 2
| Unsigned Short
| u16
| Command type
| Tag Group
|-
|0x04
|2
|u16
|Tag Type
|-
|0x06
|2
|u16
|Extra Data Size (this value is ignored for <code>00 0f</code> tags which have no data)
|}
|}
In Nintendo EPD games, tag group 0 tags are system tags, group 1 is <code>eui</code> tags, group 2 is app (game) specific tags, and group 201 is grammar tags. The other groups are currently unknown. In BotW, group 4 appears to be for animations and group 5 appears to be for delays.
For example, in <code>100enemy.msbt</code> the following data appears:
For example, in <code>100enemy.msbt</code> the following data appears:
<pre>  | 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F |                   
<pre>  | 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F |                   
Line 322: Line 300:
70 | 00 02 00 03 00 04 00 05 02 03 00 00            | ............    |
70 | 00 02 00 03 00 04 00 05 02 03 00 00            | ............    |
</pre>
</pre>
At byte <code>0x68</code> is the command indicator followed by the type of <code>1</code>. Command types of <code>1</code> seem to be variable length. The type (in this instance) is followed by the number of additional Unsigned Shorts <code>6</code> and 6 shorts or choices in text. Each choice is a reference to another .msbt file or action.
At byte <code>0x68</code> is the tag header followed with tag group 1 and tag type 6. 0xa is the size of the extra data with the extra data being <code>[00 02 00 03 00 04 00 05 02 03]</code>.


<code>[00 0A] [00 02] [00 03] [00 04] [00 05] [02 03]</code>
=== Tags ===
Not all tags functions are currently known.


There is also the <code>[00 00]</code> at the end which is a reference when a criteria is met. In this example the criteria is an unpowered Master Sword.
==== System Tags ====
 
=== Commands ===
The commands are not fully understood at this time, but below is a list of the known command identifiers and variable counts.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Group
!Type
!Type
!Additional Shorts
!Notes
!Notes
|-
|-
| 0
| 0
| 3
| 0
|Modify text. Followed by modifiers. (Text Modifiers)
|Ruby (extra data is a u16 display span followed by the ruby text)
|-
|-
| 0
| 1
| 1
| ''n''
| Font (extra data is a u16 font type)
| Stop Text. Followed by stop type.
|-
|-
| 0
| 2
| 2
| 2
|Font Size (extra data is a u16 font size)
|
|-
|-
| 0
| 3
| 3
| 3
|Font Color (extra data is a u16 color type)
|
|-
|-
| 0
| 4
| 4
| 3
| Page Break (no extra data)
| End with <code>XX CD</code> for choice
|-
| 5
| 2
| Seem to always end with a line-feed character <code>00 0A</code>
|}
|}
The available colors are red, green, blue, gray, and orange in that order. 0xffff indicates a reset to the default white text color.


==== Text Modifiers ====
==== EUI Tags ====
The Modify text or 0 command can have up to 3 shorts after it. The shorts follow in this order <code>Font</code> <code>Color Modifier</code> <code>Color</code>.
 
'''Note:''' These 6 colors appear to be the only choices availible. <ref>https://github.com/lethedata/BOTW-re-notes/blob/master/MSBT/Colour_Test.txt</ref>
 
Below are the known Hex codes for the shorts.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Group
!Type
!Type
!Hex
!Notes
!Notes
|-
|-
|Font
| 1
|<code>[00 03]</code>
| 0
|English font which allows color changing.
|Delay (extra data is a u32 frame count)
|-
| 1
| 1
| Text Speed?
|-
| 1
| 2
|No Text Scroll?
|-
|-
|Font
| 1
|<code>[00 01]</code>
| 3
|Hylian Font. Does not allow color changes.
|Auto Advance (extra data is a u32 frame count)
|-
|-
|Color Modifier
|1
|<code>[00 02]</code>
|4
|Allows changes in color
|Two Choices (extra data is an array of u16 label indices for each choice followed by a u8 selected index and u8 cancel index)
|-
|-
|Color
|1
|<code>[00 00]</code>
|5
|Red
|Three Choices
|-
|-
|Color
|1
|<code>[00 01]</code>
|6
|Green
|Four Choices
|-
|-
|Color
|1
|<code>[00 02]</code>
|7
|Blue
|Picture Font (Icon) (extra data is two u8s, the second being the type)
|-
|-
|Color
|1
|<code>[00 03]</code>
|8
|Gray
|
|-
|-
|Color
|1
|<code>[00 05]</code>
|9
|Orange
|
|-
|-
|Color
|1
|<code>[FF FF]</code>
|10
|White
|
|}
|}


==== Text Stop Types ====
==== App Tags ====
The Stop text or 1 command has varying stops depending on the type. There are two known stop types at this time: <code>Choice</code> and <code>Delay</code>
// TODO
*'''Choice''' is a stop of the text until the player makes a choice which then moves the the text option choosen. A choice is shown above in <code>100enemy.msbt</code>.
*'''Delay''' is a stop of the text for X number of frames. This is then followed by the frame counter and number of frames.


{| class="wikitable"
==== Group 3 Tags ====
!Type
// TODO
!Code
 
!Note
==== Group 4 Tags ====
|-
// TODO
|Choice
|<code>[00 XX]</code>
|X is the number of choices availible. This can reference an event, text in its document, or text in other documents.
|-
|Delay
|<code>[00 00]</code>
|Immedietly Followed by the frame counter
|-
|Frame Counter
|<code>[00 04]</code>
|Followed by 4 nibbles <code>[00 00 00 XX]</code> where XX is the number of frames in hex. EX: 1 sec = 30 frames = <code>[1E]</code>
|-
|}


===== Example =====
==== Grammar Tags ====
A great example of Text stop and modifiers in use is in <code>Demo700_0.msbt</code> the following data appears:
// TODO
<pre>  | 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F |                 
---|-------------------------------------------------|------------------|
80 | 54 58 54 32 00 00 00 E4 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 | TXT2...d........ |
90 | 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 08 00 54 00 68 00 61 00 74 | .........T.h.a.t |
A0 | 00 20 00 69 00 73 00 20 00 61 00 20 00 0E 00 00 | ...i.s...a...... |
B0 | 00 03 00 02 00 00 00 53 00 68 00 65 00 69 00 6B | .......S.h.e.i.k |
C0 | 00 61 00 68 00 20 00 53 00 6C 00 61 00 74 00 65 | .a.h...S.l.a.t.e |
D0 | 00 0E 00 00 00 03 00 02 FF FF 00 2E 00 20 00 0E | ................ |
E0 | 00 01 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 4B 00 54 00 61 00 6B | .........K.T.a.k |
F0 | 00 65 00 20 00 69 00 74 00 2E 00 20 00 0E 00 01 | .e...i.t........ |
</pre>
*'''Text Modifier:''' At byte <code>0xAD</code> command starts exicuting text color. The English Font is referenced at <code>0xB1</code> which leads into the Color Modifier. Then the color red is chosen. To end the red text and go back to white, the same command is ran after the words at <code>0xD2</code> but with white as the color.
*'''Text Stop:''' At byte <code>0xDF</code> command starts and a text stop command is run. Following the time stop, the delay command is chosen <code>0xE3</code>. The delay command tells us that there is a 4B delay <code>0xE9</code> before the next line.  Convert this to decimal is 75, devide 75 by 30 fps (botw default fps) and you get a 2.5 second delay.


== Compiling the Sections ==
== Compiling the Sections ==

Revision as of 20:50, 1 January 2025

Message Studio Binary Text MSBT is a binary file format belonging to LibMessageStudio (LMS). These files store the game's text and can contain "tags" that define how said text is displayed/interacted with.


File Layout

MSBT files are composed of a file header followed by blocks (each with their own block header). All sections/blocks must be aligned to 0x10 (16) bytes. In BotW, the file layout is as follows:

  • Header
  • Labels Block
  • Attributes Block
  • Text Block

The list of possible blocks is as follows:

  • LBL1 (labels)
  • TXT2 (text)
  • ATR1 (attributes)
  • TSY1 (style info)
  • ATO1 (unknown)

File Header

Header Structure

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 8 char[8] msbt file signature (magic) 4D 73 67 53 74 64 42 6E or "MsgStdBn"
0x08 2 u16 Byte-Order Mark
0x0a 2 Padding [check]
0x0c 1 u8 Encoding (0 = UTF8, 1 = UTF16, 2 = UTF32 - games generally only support one specific encoding) [check]
0x0d 1 u8 Version (3)
0x0e 2 u16 Block Count [check]
0x10 2 Padding [check]
0x12 4 u32 File Size
0x16 10 Padding [check]

Block Header

This header is shared across all block types. The block data follows directly after the header and is aligned to 0x10 (16) bytes. The block size does not include the size of the header.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 Block Signature
0x04 4 u32 Block Size
0x08 8 Padding

Labels Block

The labels block contains the label names for file's text. Its signature is LBL1.

The section begins with a four-byte header specifying the number of label groups.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 Label Group Count

Label Groups

Following the header is a table of label groups. Each entry in the table is eight bytes. The first four bytes specify the number of labels in the group and the second four specify the offset of the first label relative to the start of the section. The number of label groups in many games appears to be the smallest prime number larger than half the number of labels (with a max of 101 groups and a minimum of 2). In BotW, this may not always be the case.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 Label Count
0x04 4 u32 Offset

Messages are sorted into label groups by hashing the label name. A recreation of the hash function is as follows:

def calc_hash(label):
    hash = 0
    for char in label:
        hash = hash * 0x492 + ord(char)
    return (hash & 0xFFFFFFFF) % num_label_groups

Labels

Following the label groups is the array of labels. Each label consists of a u8 string length followed by a null-terminated string. At the end of the label is a u32 index specifying the index of the message that corresponds to the label in the text block.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 1 u8 String Length
0x01 n char[n] Label String
0xnn 4 u32 Message Text Index

Attributes Block

The attributes block stores additional, optional attributes that can be associated with messages. Its signature is ATR1. The interpretation of attribute data is completely up to the game's discretion and attributes in BotW are not fully understood at this time. The attribute seem to indicate which actor should be attributed with the dialog (A good example is in 100enemy.msbt where NPC_GodVoice is referenced).

Each attribute corresponds to the message of the same index in the text block [check].

The block begins with an eight-byte header that specifies the number of attributes and the size of a single attribute.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 Attribute Count
0x04 4 u32 Attribute Size

Following the brief header is an array of the attribute data. In many cases, this data is actually a string offset relative to the start of the section (as is the case in BotW).

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 Attribute String Offset

Attribute Strings

Should the attribute data be a string offset, then the data is followed by an array of null-terminated strings encoded using the encoding specified in the file header. In BotW, this is means UTF16-LE on Switch and UTF16-BE on Wii U.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 n char_type[] String

Text Block

The text block contains the text for messages. Its signature is TXT2.

The section begins with a small four-byte header specifying the number of messages in the section.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 Message Count

Following the brief header is an array of u32 offsets to the text strings. Each offset is relative to the beginning of the section.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 4 u32 String Offset

Message Strings

The strings are stored as an array of strings encoded using the encoding specified in the header. In BotW, this is means UTF16-LE on Switch and UTF16-BE on Wii U. Each string is read from its specified offset until the next string offset. The last string uses the section size specified in the block header to determine its end position.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 n char_type[] String

Tags

Message strings can contain tags that alter how the message is displayed or processed. These tags are processed by nn::ui2d::TagProcessorBase which in Nintendo EPD games is extend byeui::TagProcessor which can then be further extended by the game to handle game-specific tags. The interpretation of tags is completely game-dependent.

Tags are embedded directly inside of the text and begin with a brief tag header.

Offset (h) Size Data Type Description
0x00 2 u16 Signature (00 0e or 00 0f)
0x02 2 u16 Tag Group
0x04 2 u16 Tag Type
0x06 2 u16 Extra Data Size (this value is ignored for 00 0f tags which have no data)

In Nintendo EPD games, tag group 0 tags are system tags, group 1 is eui tags, group 2 is app (game) specific tags, and group 201 is grammar tags. The other groups are currently unknown. In BotW, group 4 appears to be for animations and group 5 appears to be for delays.

For example, in 100enemy.msbt the following data appears: 

   | 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F |                   
---|-------------------------------------------------|------------------|
00 | 00 57 00 68 00 69 00 63 00 68 00 20 00 70 00 61 | .W.h.i.c.h. .p.a |
10 | 00 72 00 74 00 20 00 6F 00 66 00 20 00 74 00 68 | .r.t. .o.f. .t.h |
20 | 00 65 00 20 00 54 00 72 00 69 00 61 00 6C 00 20 | .e. .T.r.i.a.l.  |
30 | 00 77 00 6F 00 75 00 6C 00 64 00 20 00 79 00 6F | .w.o.u.l.d. .y.o |
40 | 00 75 00 0A 00 6C 00 69 00 6B 00 65 00 20 00 74 | .u...l.i.k.e. .t |
50 | 00 6F 00 20 00 63 00 68 00 61 00 6C 00 6C 00 65 | .o. .c.h.a.l.l.e |
60 | 00 6E 00 67 00 65 00 3F 00 0E 00 01 00 06 00 0A | .n.g.e.?........ |
70 | 00 02 00 03 00 04 00 05 02 03 00 00             | ............     |

At byte 0x68 is the tag header followed with tag group 1 and tag type 6. 0xa is the size of the extra data with the extra data being [00 02 00 03 00 04 00 05 02 03].

Tags

Not all tags functions are currently known.

System Tags

Group Type Notes
0 0 Ruby (extra data is a u16 display span followed by the ruby text)
0 1 Font (extra data is a u16 font type)
0 2 Font Size (extra data is a u16 font size)
0 3 Font Color (extra data is a u16 color type)
0 4 Page Break (no extra data)

The available colors are red, green, blue, gray, and orange in that order. 0xffff indicates a reset to the default white text color.

EUI Tags

Group Type Notes
1 0 Delay (extra data is a u32 frame count)
1 1 Text Speed?
1 2 No Text Scroll?
1 3 Auto Advance (extra data is a u32 frame count)
1 4 Two Choices (extra data is an array of u16 label indices for each choice followed by a u8 selected index and u8 cancel index)
1 5 Three Choices
1 6 Four Choices
1 7 Picture Font (Icon) (extra data is two u8s, the second being the type)
1 8
1 9
1 10

App Tags

// TODO

Group 3 Tags

// TODO

Group 4 Tags

// TODO

Grammar Tags

// TODO

Compiling the Sections

The sections are held together by the indexes in the labels table. The indexes correspond to the attributes table and the texts table. The data can be compiled using the index.

By default the indexes in the labels table are not in order, but the text table is (and possibly the attributes table). Below is the labels table in 100enemy.msbt.

String Count Offset Label Index
1 188 talk20 3
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
0 188
1 199 0002 8
1 208 0003 9
1 217 0004 10
1 226 0005 11
1 235 talk13 4
0 235
1 246 talk14 5
1 257 talk15 6
1 268 talk16 7
1 279 talk17 0
1 290 talk18 1
1 301 talk19 2

And the texts table.

Index Text
0 Which part of the Trial would you like to challenge?
1 Which part of the Trial would you like to challenge?
2 Which part of the Trial would you like to challenge?
3 You cannot participate in the Trial when the Master Sword is out of energy.
4 That sword you have reunited with... the Master Sword...it has yet to realize its true splendor. The trial that will awaken its true power... If you wish to rise to the challenge, place the Master Sword in its pedestal.
5 The Master Sword you wield is now more powerful than before. If you desire still more power and wish to retry the blade's test... once again place the Master Sword in its pedestal
6 Now your body, mind, and soul are ready to wield the Master Sword at its full potential. But do not let your guard down. Just as before, if you use your sword to excess, it will run out of energy and become unusable until it recovers. It would be reckless to rely only on your blade when facing Ganon. Prepare for the worst, and consider freeing the Divine Beasts before confronting your fate. Her smile... The princess's sweet smile... How I would love to see it once more..
7 Now your body, mind, and soul are ready to wield the Master Sword at its full potential. But do not let your guard down. Just as before, if you use your sword to excess, it will run out of energy and become unusable until it recovers. That blade is more than a tool. It is your partner across time, your ally from 100 years past... Wield it with care. Her smile... The princess's sweet smile...How I would love to see it once more...
8 Beginning Trials
9 Middle Trials
10 Final Trials
11 Cancel

Using the indexes to match the labels to the attributes and texts tables, the following table can be compiled.

The empty labels are not fully understood.

Label Index Attribute Text
talk17 0 NPC_GodVoice Which part of the Trial would you like to challenge?
talk18 1 NPC_GodVoice Which part of the Trial would you like to challenge?
talk19 2 NPC_GodVoice Which part of the Trial would you like to challenge?
talk20 3 NPC_GodVoice You cannot participate in the Trial when the Master Sword is out of energy.
talk13 4 TwnObj_Village_Korok_DekuTree_A_01 That sword you have reunited with... the Master Sword...it has yet to realize its true splendor. The trial that will awaken its true power... If you wish to rise to the challenge, place the Master Sword in its pedestal.
talk14 5 TwnObj_Village_Korok_DekuTree_A_01 The Master Sword you wield is now more powerful than before. If you desire still more power and wish to retry the blade's test... once again place the Master Sword in its pedestal
talk15 6 TwnObj_Village_Korok_DekuTree_A_01 Now your body, mind, and soul are ready to wield the Master Sword at its full potential. But do not let your guard down. Just as before, if you use your sword to excess, it will run out of energy and become unusable until it recovers. It would be reckless to rely only on your blade when facing Ganon. Prepare for the worst, and consider freeing the Divine Beasts before confronting your fate. Her smile... The princess's sweet smile... How I would love to see it once more...
talk16 7 TwnObj_Village_Korok_DekuTree_A_01 Now your body, mind, and soul are ready to wield the Master Sword at its full potential. But do not let your guard down. Just as before, if you use your sword to excess, it will run out of energy and become unusable until it recovers. That blade is more than a tool. It is your partner across time, your ally from 100 years past... Wield it with care. Her smile... The princess's sweet smile...How I would love to see it once more...
0002 8 Beginning Trials
0003 9 Middle Trials
0004 10 Final Trials
0005 11 Cancel

The attribute table is still not fully understood. In this example, there are 8 attribute entries in the table, but they correctly map to the 8 blocks of dialog.


Tools

Tool Cross-platform Setup Known issues
Wild Bits Yes
  1. Ensure you have a 64 bit version of Python 3.7+ before continuing. Windows users must also install the latest x64 Visual C++ redistributable. You will not be able to install or launch Wild Bits otherwise. See Help:Setting_up_tools.
  2. (Optional) For best results on Windows, install cefpython3. [CLI help]
  3. Install the wildbits package. [CLI help]

On some system configurations, launching with wildbits doesn't work and you must use python -m wildbits instead.

msyt Yes

Download the release for your OS and architecture from the MSYT GitLab under "Download artifacts." Extract it where you please and run it from the command line or terminal.

None

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