DDI Wad

DDI Wad

Filename extensions	.wad, .pwp
Magic number	WADH, WWAD
Developed by	Data Design Interactive
Initial release	1997
Type of format	Archive file
Compression	Optional; see § Rob Northern compression
Container for	Video game files

DDI Wad is an archive file format developed by Data Design Interactive for storing files in video games. DDI Wad files usually use the file extension .wad. The format was first used for the 1997 video game Conquest Earth and was used regularly until Data Design ceased regular game development after 2010.

The DDI Wad format is not known to be related to other .WAD formats, such as Doom WAD or Wii WAD files.

File format

Data Design Interactive used multiple versions of the WAD format between 1997 and 2010. At least three major revisions are known, plus two versions designed exclusively for PlayStation games.

Conquest Earth files

TBD

WWAD

The WWAD format was first used in LEGO Rock Raiders in 1999. It is the most well-understood format, and multiple editing tools have been developed for it. The only other game currently known to use it is Gubble Buggy Racers, a racing game originally intended to be based on Wallace & Gromit before being reskinned for the Gubble franchise.

File structure

Type	Value	Description
char[4]	"WWAD"	ASCII file signature (or "magic number"). Always 57 57 41 44 (WWAD).
uint32	Count	Number of file entries in the WAD file. Example: D6 00 00 00 for a WAD containing 214 files (LegoRR1), FF 15 00 00 for one containing 5,631 (hex: 15FF) files (LegoRR0).
cstring[]	Names	Relative file paths and names within the WAD file ("Relative directories" or "Reldirs"). Each path is followed by a null character (00) before the next entry. Example: Languages\ObjectiveText.txt
cstring[]	BuildNames	Original file paths used when building the WAD file for each file listed in Names, following the same order ("Absolute directories" or "Absdirs"). Each path is followed by a null character before the next entry. Example: \\ROBW\C\Dev\SourceSafe\Lego\Languages\0009-English\Data\Languages\ObjectiveText.txt
Entry[]	Entries	Storage metadata for each file listed in Names, following the same order. Each entry is 16 bytes and lists a file's storage format, file size, and location in the WAD. See the table below for more details.

Entry structure

Entry structure

Type	Value	Description
uint32	Flags	Flag determining the file's storage format. This entry is thought to be read as a single byte, though its entry still takes up 4 bytes of space. The flag has two known options: 01 for Store (uncompressed), 02 for Rob Northern compression (RNC). The game engine does not check for the Store flag, rather it checks against the RNC flag. By default, no versions of LEGO Rock Raiders or Gubble Buggy Racer are known to use RNC; it is, however, used in Conquest Earth. For more information on RNC, see Sega Retro and ModdingWiki.
uint32	PackedSize	Packed size of the file's data in the WAD file. If the file is flagged as uncompressed, this entry must be identical to UnpackedSize.
uint32	UnpackedSize	Original unpacked size of the file's data.
uint32	Offset	Absolute offset to the file's data in the WAD, counting the number of bytes from the start of the WAD to the start of the file's data.

WADH

The WADH format was first used in Tonka Space Station. It was last known to have been used in My Personal Golf Trainer in 2010. TBD