GAME Format

This document describes the overall container structure of the Wasteland 1 GAME1 and GAME2 files.

It covers:

• the role of GAME1 and GAME2
• the top-level entry types stored in them
• how those entries are located
• the observed entry order in the shipped files

Detailed entry formats are documented separately:

• EXE Format
• Map Format
• Savegame Format
• Shop Item List Format

Scope

GAME1 and GAME2 are container files.

They store three kinds of data:

• map blocks
• one savegame block
• shop item list blocks

They do not contain a global header or an in-file directory describing these entries.

Key Property

GAME1 and GAME2 are only partially self-describing.

While each contained block starts with a small local header ("msq0" in GAME1, "msq1" in GAME2), the files do not provide enough metadata on their own to locate and parse everything robustly.

In practice, the game uses tables stored in the executable to obtain:

• map start offsets
• map sizes
• tile-map offsets within map blocks
• savegame block offsets
• shop item list offsets

See EXE Format for the structure and locations of those tables.

Top-Level Entry Types

Map Blocks

Maps are variable-sized blocks at the beginning of each file.

They are identified by:

• "msq0" in GAME1
• "msq1" in GAME2

But that local header alone is not enough to parse them fully. Correct parsing also requires:

• the map size
• the offset of the tile-map section inside the block

Both come from the executable.

See EXE Format and Map Format.

Savegame Block

Each file contains exactly one savegame block near the end of the file.

It also starts with:

• "msq0" in GAME1
• "msq1" in GAME2

Its location is taken from the executable.

See EXE Format and Savegame Format.

Shop Item List Blocks

Shop lists are fixed-size blocks near the end of the files, after the savegame region.

They also start with:

• "msq0" in GAME1
• "msq1" in GAME2

Their locations are taken from the executable.

See EXE Format and Shop Item List Format.

Observed Entry Order

In the shipped Wasteland 1 files, the top-level order is:

GAME1

1. 20 map blocks
2. 1 savegame block
3. 3 actual shop item list blocks

GAME2

1. 22 map blocks
2. 1 savegame block
3. 1 actual shop item list block

This ordering is visible directly in the files because the entry offsets increase monotonically.

Observed Block Starts

The top-level blocks in the shipped files begin at these offsets:

GAME1

• maps: 0, 10958, 16697, 26297, 36394, 44582, 49112, 59252, 66522, 73455, 83203, 93710, 100598, 105823, 110061, 115498, 122394, 131766, 139891, 145679
• savegame: 152517
• shop item lists: 157131, 157897, 158663

GAME2

• maps: 0, 4320, 9598, 21955, 29760, 35167, 40852, 46793, 51745, 58006, 66901, 72935, 84078, 94274, 102058, 109750, 118668, 127156, 137175, 142703, 151754, 160761
• savegame: 166855
• shop item list: 171469

Absent In-File Directory

The important consequence of the format is:

• there is no central directory inside GAME1 / GAME2
• entry counts are not stored in the files
• the boundaries of map blocks are not fully recoverable from the map blocks alone

So a complete reader should treat GAME1 and GAME2 as executable-assisted containers rather than as standalone archives.

Relationship Between The Two Files

GAME1 and GAME2 use the same top-level block concept, but differ in content:

• GAME1 contains disk-0 map blocks and the first group of shop lists
• GAME2 contains disk-1 map blocks and the final shop list
• each file carries its own savegame block

The local block headers reflect this:

• blocks in GAME1 use "msq0"
• blocks in GAME2 use "msq1"

Validation Notes

Useful consistency checks when implementing a container reader:

• every top-level block should begin with "msq0" or "msq1" according to the file
• the first block in both files starts at offset 0
• map offsets should form a strictly increasing sequence
• the savegame block should start after the final map block
• the shop item list blocks should start after the savegame block