Redguard Preservation — Documentation
Documented findings from reverse-engineering The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (1998) — file formats, engine behavior, and undocumented features. Analysis is primarily based on the GOG release (Glide renderer), with original-CD differences noted where known.
GOG Version Contents
Main Files
| File | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
REDGUARD.EXE | 980 K | Main game executable |
RGFX.EXE | 1.9 M | Glide (3dfx) renderer executable |
DOS4GW.EXE | 260 K | DOS/4GW protected-mode extender |
3DfxSpl2.dll | 1.1 M | 3dfx Splash/Glide support library |
glide2x.dll | 1.3 M | Glide 2.x runtime |
ENGLISH.RTX | 177 M | Dialogue text + voice audio container (largest file in the game) |
REDGUARD.SWG / redguard.swx | 20 K each | Swap/workspace files |
OBJECT.SAV | 4 K | Object state persistence |
*.INI (7 files) | — | Configuration: COMBAT, ITEM, KEYS, MENU, REGISTRY, surface, SYSTEM, WORLD |
*.LOG (14 files) | — | Runtime log files (BITMAP, CAMERA, COMBAT, ERROR, EXIT, GENERAL, GRID, MAINLOOP, MENU, OBJECT, PATH, RAI, SAVEFILE, STARTUP, TESTMAPS) |
*.TXT (3 files) | — | BETHESDA.TXT, CREDITS.TXT, ReadMe.TXT |
Asset Directories
| Directory | Size | Files | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|
fonts/ | 604 K | 29 | 29 .FNT bitmap font files (Arial variants, HI/LO menu fonts, Redguard-styled fonts) |
fxart/ | 102 M | 755 | Glide-version 3D assets: 204 .3DC, 65 .3D, 31 .ROB, 27 .COL, 415 TEXBSI.xxx textures, FOG.INI, more (build manifest from Hugh’s 3D tool) |
maps/ | 12 M | 45 | 27 .RGM scene files, 5 .PVO visibility octrees, 4 .WLD terrain files, 9 .TSG trigger-state files |
sound/ | 5.3 M | 49 | MAIN.SFX (all 118 sound effects), R212.WAV, Miles Sound System drivers (.mdi, .dig), STATE.RST, audio configs |
soup386/ | 48 K | 1 | SOUP386.DEF — script function/flag definitions for the SOUP engine |
system/ | 18 M | 69 | 65 .GXA UI graphics (menus, inventory, compass, maps, skies), gui.anm, gui.lbm, pointers.bmp, SKY_61.PCX |
SAVEGAME/ | 79 M | 594 | 17 save slots (SAVEGAME.000–016), each containing per-map .TSG trigger-state snapshots + LOGBOOK.TXT |
GOG vs Original CD Differences
Redguard shipped with two parallel sets of 3D model assets for different renderers:
| Directory | Renderer | Model versions | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
3dart/ | Software | v2.6, v2.7 | Original software-rendered assets. 120 v2.6 .3DC + 52 v2.7 .3D + 27 v2.7 .3DC. Also contains art_pal.col (the software renderer palette). |
fxart/ | Glide (3dfx) / GOG | v4.0, v5.0 | Glide-accelerated assets used by the GOG release. 204 v4.0 .3DC + 26 v4.0 .3D + 39 v5.0 .3D. 415 TEXBSI texture files, 27 COL palette files. |
The two directories contain the same models re-exported for different renderers. The Glide versions (v4.0/v5.0) have a cleaner header layout and different texture encoding. See 3D — v2.6/v2.7 Header Differences for details.
Note: The GOG distribution contains
fxart/only. The software-renderer3dart/directory shipped on the original CD but is not present in the GOG release.