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#+TITLE: Forts Data Directory Map (index of the shipped game files)
#+AUTHOR: LibreForts Project
#+DATE: 2026-07-02
#+OPTIONS: toc:3 num:t
* What this is
An INDEX of how the shipped Forts game data is organised, so we know where to
look when we need a reference value or want to understand a mechanic. It maps a
local install at:
: SteamLibrary/steamapps/common/Forts/data/
This is a structural map only (directory layout, file inventory, purpose). The
game's actual content is EarthWork Games' copyright and lives ONLY on your own
machine; none of it is copied into this repo. We read it at runtime (materials
etc. via `forts:` paths) and distil numbers into
=research/forts-data-reference.org=.
The whole game logic ships as *plain, unpacked Lua* (nothing compiled or packed),
which is why the design is fully readable.
* Totals
- ~6,700 files total, ~2,650 of them =.lua=.
- Art: ~2,380 =.dds=, ~674 =.tga=, ~248 =.png=. Audio: streamed elsewhere.
- What you CANNOT get from here: the compiled C++ engine (solver, renderer,
netcode) and the binary assets themselves — the Lua only references those.
* Top-level directories
| Dir | Files | Lua | What it is |
|---------------+-------+------+--------------------------------------------------------|
| =db/= | 23 | 18 | Global constants, rules, mod system, sprite atlas defs |
| =materials/= | 119 | 2 | Building materials data + their textures |
| =weapons/= | 270 | 16 | Weapon + projectile definitions + art |
| =devices/= | 288 | 20 | Device definitions (reactor, generators, tech) + art |
| =scripts/= | 45 | 44 | Mission condition/action scripts + engine helpers |
| =ai/= | 42 | 21 | Skirmish AI logic + prebuilt fort templates |
| =effects/= | 498 | 181 | Particle/impact/fire effect defs + their textures |
| =environment/=| 268 | 53 | Terrain/backdrop themes (alpine, canyon, desert, ...) |
| =maps/= | 888 | 328 | Playable maps (~100+), each Lua + preview + heightdata |
| =mods/= | 2880 | 1867 | ~100 built-in mods (commanders, DLC, disables, cheats) |
| =ui/= | 1248 | 87 | HUD layout, menus, fonts, icons |
| =objects/= | 15 | 0 | Misc props (art only) |
| =packs/= | 63 | 0 | Texture atlas packs |
| =shaders/= | 7 | 0 | GPU shaders |
* The important directories for us (gameplay data)
** db/ — global tuning + framework
- =constants.lua= — THE tuning file: gravity, solver oversampling, spring
stiffness/damping ranges, stress + angle break thresholds, fire rates,
extrusion rules, terrain bounce, network/sync. (Distilled in our data-reference.)
- =rules.lua= — game rules / win conditions / resource rules.
- =mods.lua=, =modtools.lua= — the mod loading + priority system and its API.
- =sprites.lua= — sprite/atlas definitions. =version.lua= — build version.
- =*_user.lua= — user-overridable copies. =skins_menu_*.lua= — cosmetic skins.
** materials/ — building materials
- =building_materials.lua= — every material (bracing, background bracing, camo,
armour, door, energy shield, solar, rope, fuse) with HP, stiffness, mass,
compression/expansion + angle break limits, min/max/segment lengths, costs,
flammability + burn/spread rates, and per-projectile/beam collision flags.
- =brace_plates.lua= — cladding plate defs. Rest of the dir is =.tga= textures
(bracing, armour, cable, damage states).
** weapons/ — weapons + projectiles
- =weapon_list.lua= — the roster + tech prerequisites + costs.
- =projectile_list.lua= — projectile physics/damage/splash for all weapons.
- Per-weapon files: =cannon.lua=, =beamlaser.lua= (plasma laser/firebeam),
=mortar.lua=, =mortar-incendiary.lua=, =machinegun.lua=, =minigun.lua=,
=sniper-ap.lua=, =snipertower.lua=, =missilelauncher*.lua=, =missileswarm*.lua=
(+ inverted variants). Each has fire arc, reload, muzzle speed, damage, sprites.
- Subfolders hold each weapon's art/animation frames.
** devices/ — devices
- =device_list.lua= — the catalog + prerequisites + costs.
- Per-device: =reactor.lua=, =minireactor.lua=, =mine.lua= / =mine2.lua=,
=windturbine.lua= / =windturbine2.lua=, =battery.lua=, =metal_store.lua=,
=derrick.lua=, =sandbags.lua=, =explosivebarrel.lua=, =target.lua=, and the
tech buildings =workshop.lua=, =factory.lua=, =upgradecentre.lua=.
- =ammo_list.lua=, =device.lua=, =device_util.lua= — shared plumbing.
** scripts/ — mission scripting
- ~28 =condition-*.lua= (e.g. connect/disconnect to ground, destroy device
first, limit shots, efficiency reached, group fired/created) and matching
action scripts — the building blocks for campaign/tutorial objectives.
- Engine helpers: =campaign.lua=, =mission.lua=, =schedule_call.lua=,
=interpolate.lua=, =shapes.lua=, =lights.lua=, =music.lua=, =blastdoors.lua=.
** ai/ — skirmish AI
- =ai.lua= — the AI behaviour. =tips.lua= — loading tips.
- =forts/= — a large tree of prebuilt fort TEMPLATES the AI places, categorised
by terrain (cliff / tall / hanging / ledge / step / vanilla) and range
(mid/long) and tier (t1/t2). Useful reference for fort-building patterns.
* mods/ — the built-in mod library (~100)
All follow the same layered-override structure (a =mod.lua= manifest with
Priority/Category, plus files mirroring the base tree that mutate the globals).
Categories observed:
- =commander-*= (12): the commanders — each bundles =commander.lua= (ability),
tweaks to =weapons/=, =materials/=, =db/rules.lua=, portraits, and effects.
- =disable_weapon_*= (29), =disable_tech_*= (5): toggle content off.
- DLC packs (=dlc2=, =dlc3=, moonshot/high-seas content), =weapon_pack=.
- Sandbox/cheat mods: =unlimited-metal/energy(-cap)=, =zerogravity=, =windy=,
=unlock-all-weapons=, =truce*=, =target-self=, =smooth-recording=,
=repair_station=.
These are the best worked examples of the modding API in practice (add a
weapon/material/device, tweak balance, override rules).
* effects/ + environment/ + ui/ (support systems)
- =effects/= — ~180 Lua effect defs (impacts, ricochets, explosions, fire,
smoke, destruction) each pointing at particle textures; how the game wires
visual feedback to events.
- =environment/= — themed terrain/backdrop sets (alpine, canyon, desert, fields,
midwest, polluted, training ground, common shared bits).
- =ui/= — HUD/menu layout, fonts, and the large icon set.
* How we use this
1. Need a real value (HP, stiffness, damage, arc, fire rate)? -> the matching
file above, then record it in =research/forts-data-reference.org=.
2. Studying a mechanic? -> read the relevant =*_list.lua= + per-item file.
3. Building a mod system feature? -> =db/mods.lua= + any =mods/*= as examples.
4. Reference art at runtime? -> =forts:<relative path>= (see CLAUDE.md §5),
e.g. =forts:devices/windturbine/base.tga=. Nothing gets copied into the repo.
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