MSBF - Nintendo File Formats

LMS > Overview > Flow Chart (MSBF)

This file is identified by the magic number MsgFlwBn. The format holds flowcharts.

This page describes file format version 3.

Type	Description
`FLW3`	Nodes
`FEN1`	Flowchart Labels
`REF1`	?

FLW3 Block

This section stores a global pool of all nodes in the file.

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	2	Node count
0x2	2	Branch table index count
0x4	12	Padding
0x10	16 per node	Nodes
	2 per ID	Branch table
		String table

Nodes

Actions defined within the FLW3 Section are done via nodes.

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	1	Node type
0x1	1	Parameter types (Only for Branch Nodes and Event Nodes)
0x2	2	Reserved
0x4	4	Parameter data
0x8	8	Node data

Node Types

Value	Type	Description
1	Message	Prompts a message from an MSBT file
2	Branch	Branches to a different node depending on a specific condition
3	Event	Executes a specific action or game event
4	Entry	Node that acts as a starting point for a flowchart
5	Jump	Jumps to a different flowchart in the current file or an external MSBF

Parameter Types

The parameter type determines how the 4 byte parameter data will be parsed by the game. Once the data has been interpreted, the values obtained are passed to the node as arguments.

Value	Arguments
0	`u32`
1	`u16`, `u16`
2	`u16`, `u8`, `u8`
3	`u8`, `u8`, `u16`
4	`u8`, `u8`, `u8`, `u8`
5	`str` (offset from start of block to string in string table)
6	`u32`

Message Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	2	Next node index
0x2	2	MSBT file index into the CTI1 block of an MSBP
0x4	2	Message index into TXT2
0x6	2	Unused

Branch Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	2	`0xFFFF`
0x2	2	Condition identifier
0x4	2	Branch table case count
0x6	2	Starting index into the branch table

Event Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	2	Next node index
0x2	2	Event identifier
0x4	4	Unused

The node identifier allows a game to link the node to a specific action or condition.

Entry Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	2	Next node index
0x2	6	Unused

Jump Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x0	2	Entry node index
0x2	2	MSBF file index into the CTI1 block of an MSBP
0x4	4	Unused

The next node index when marked as 0xFFFF is the end of a flowchart unless it is a branch node. The next node for a jump node must refer to the index of the entry node for another flowchart.

When the MSBF file index is marked as 0xFFFF, the jump node is referencing a flowchart in the current file.

Branch Table

Nodes that are branch will jump to a specific case based on a condition. These function like switch statements.

Offset	Size	Description
0x0		List of node indices

String Table

Offset	Size	Description
0x0		List of null-terminated strings

FEN1 Block

This block contains the flowchart labels. The index of a flowchart is the location of its Entry node.

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LMS > Overview > Flow Chart (MSBF)