Darkspore Parser

A simple tool for parsing Darkspore binary files.

Features

• Parses various Darkspore file types
• Exports parsed data in XML or YAML format
• Supports recursive parsing of directories containing Darkspore files

Filetypes

• .AffixTuning
• .AiDefinition
• Catalog (catalog_131)
• ChainLevels
• .CharacterAnimation
• .CharacterType
• .ClassAttributes
• .Condition
• .CrystalTuning
• .DifficultyTuning
• .DirectorTuning
• .EliteNPCGlobals
• .Level
• .LevelConfig
• .LevelObjectives
• .LootPreferences
• .LootPrefix
• .LootRigblock
• .LootSuffix [5.3.0.103 / 5.3.0.127]
• .MagicNumbers
• .MarkerSet
• .NavPowerTuning
• .NonPlayerClass
• .Noun
• .NpcAffix
• .ObjectExtents
• .Phase
• .PlayerClass
• .PVPLevels
• .SectionConfig
• .ServerEventDef
• .SpaceshipTuning
• .TestAsset
• .UnlocksTuning
• .WeaponTuning

How to Use

Basic Usage

recap_parser [options] <file|directory>

Command Line Options

• --help, -h - Show help message
• --xml - Export to XML format
• --yaml, -y - Export to YAML format
• --silent - Removes all logs, except error logs
• --debug, -d - Enable debug mode to show offsets
• --recursive, -r [extension] - Process all supported files recursively. Optionally filter by extension
• --output, -o <directory> - Specify output directory for exported files
• --log, -l - Export complete log to a text file
• --sort-ext, -s - : Organize output files in subdirectories by file extension
• --game-version - : Specify game version (5.3.0.103, 5.3.0.127)

Examples

Parse a single file:

recap_parser file.noun --xml -o output/

Parse all supported files in a directory recursively:

recap_parser --recursive --xml -o ./output/ ./AssetData_Binary/

Parse and organize by extension (your use case):

recap_parser --recursive --xml --sort-ext -o ./AssetData_Binary_Parsed ./AssetData_Binary
# Or using the short alias:
recap_parser -r --xml -s -o ./AssetData_Binary_Parsed ./AssetData_Binary

This will create a structure like:

AssetData_Binary_Parsed/
├── aidefinition/
│   ├── file1.AiDefinition.xml
│   └── file2.AiDefinition.xml
├── noun/
│   ├── creature1.Noun.xml
│   └── creature2.Noun.xml
├── level/
│   ├── level1.Level.xml
│   └── level2.Level.xml
├── nonplayerclass/
│   └── npc1.NonPlayerClass.xml
├── npcaffix/
│   └── affix1.NpcAffix.xml
├── phase/
│   └── phase1.Phase.xml
└── playerclass/
    └── class1.PlayerClass.xml

Filter by specific extension:

recap_parser --recursive .noun --xml -o ./output/ ./AssetData_Binary/

Output Organization

Default Behavior

By default, all exported files are placed directly in the output directory with their original extension preserved:

output/
├── creature1.Noun.xml
├── level1.Level.xml
├── npc1.NonPlayerClass.xml
└── ...

With --sort-ext

When using --sort-ext, files are automatically organized into subdirectories based on their extension:

• Extension names are converted to lowercase
• The leading dot is removed from the extension
• Files without extensions go to an "others" folder

Benefits:

• Better organization for large datasets
• Easier to find specific file types
• Cleaner directory structure
• Perfect for processing entire game data directories

Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract the executable to your desired location
3. Run from command line as shown in the examples above

Building from Source

# Using CMake (Linux/macOS)
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make

# Using Visual Studio (Windows)
# Open recap_parser.sln in Visual Studio and build

Credits

• dalkon for the original parser and findings on how these formats are interpreted within the game executable