KISS/GS ( KISS General Specification ) Manual by K.O.S.
<<<<<<<< KISS/GS (v1.00) $Date: 1994/09/23 23:30:37 $ >>>>>>>>
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This is an abridged translation of the official document about KISS data format.
However parts of it are undefined and will be updated gradually.
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1. Introduction
KISS - a paper doll program has been developped for computers
based on NEC PC-9801VM2 architecture since March 1991.
Many people have enjoyed and implemented KISS for other computers.
Now KISS is running on many platforms.
Now we make a reference manual about new KISS data format, that is,
KISS General Specification : KISS/GS
and release this.
2. Abstract of new specification
New style KISS data is upper compatible with the old style.
* color (cel) 16 colors -> 16 or 256 colors
* color (palette) 4096 colors -> 4096 or 16,777,216 colors
* screen size 640 x 400 -> 768 x 480 or more
* cel and object max 128 -> 256 or more
Multiple palette files available.
(-> 4-1 multipalette)
A header is added to cel/palette files to store additional information.
At implemention some limitations may exist about hardware and software resources.
So implementation level is indicated in the following form:
KISS/GSn ( n = 1,2,3,... )
(-> 7 KISS/GS Ranks)
3. Basic concepts
3-1 KISS functions
KISS is a image viewer program with transparency processing.
It is able to display overlapped pictures
and allow the user to manipulate them with real-time mouse operation.
3-2 Files
KISS needs the following files.
* Cel file
Image data to be moved.
An array of pixels.
Pixel code 0 is transparent pixel.
* Palette file
Defines actual colors of pixels.
* Configuration file
Describes the overlapping order and positions of cels, etc.
KISS reads this first and refers it to read other files.
This file is a text file created with a text editor.
Some parts of it may be changed by KISS program's save function.
3-3 Technical terms
* Cel A minimum element of pictures.
* Object A unit of pictures for moving;
composed of one or more cels.
* Palette group Color information of one screen.
* Set Data composed of a palette group and object positions.
4. GS-KISS new feature
4-1 Multipalette
Before KISS/GS, all cels are drawn according to
a single palette table in the palette file.
Now, cels can be drawn with individual palette tables.
The total number of colors must be less than or equal to 256.
Each cel requires information about which palette it uses.
5. Details of the configuration file
Each line must be shorter than 256 bytes.
Palette/cel filenames are composed of the basename (max 8 bytes) +
the suffix (max 3 bytes). Upper and lower cases are identical.
The character set used in filenames is [_0-9a-z].
A character at the top of line mean that:
* '=' Memory size
Description: =<memory>K
For KISS v1.0 compatibility.
KISS v2.0 or later ignores it.
Its use is discouraged.
Example:
|
|=260K
|
* '(' Screen size
Description: (<horizontal size>,<vertical size>)
Defines the screen size.
If omitted, (448,320) is assumed for KISS v2.18 compatibility.
Maximum size of screen is (640,400) on KISS/GS2.
(-> 7 KISS/GS Ranks)
Example:
|
|(640,400)
|
* '%' Palette file
Description: %<Palette filename>
Describes a palette file.
Palette files are numbered as 0,1,2... in the order of appearance.
All colors in the palette file #0 are used.
But the first (transparent) color in the other palette files is ignored.
Total number of colors must be less than or equal to 256.
All palette files must be described
before description about cel files.
Example:
|
|%COL.KCF
|%COL2.KCF
|
* '[' Border color
Description: [<Border color's pixel code>
Outside of the screen is filled with this pixel code.
Example:
|
|[12
|
* '#' Cel file
Description: #<Mark>[.<Fix>] <Cel filename>
[*<Palette number>] [:<Set number>...]
<Mark> : Identification number to specify object.
Cels of the same Mark are unified
and make an object.
Object number is from 0 to 255 on KISS/GS2.
(-> 7 KISS/GS Ranks)
<Fix> : Fixed value. Specify this for fixed objects
such as the doll's body.
An object with a big value is hard to move.
Value is a number from 0 to 32767.
If omitted, treated as 0 (not fixed).
<Cel filename> : Describes the filename with suffix.
<Palette number> :
Indicates which palette file this cel uses.
If omitted, treated as 0.
<Set number> : The cel is drawn only in the sets specified here.
0 - 9 is available.
If omitted, this cel is drawn in all sets.
The order of cel file descriptions determines
the priority in drawing cels.
The number of cels is max 256.
(-> 7 KISS/GS Ranks)
Example:
|
|#2 data1.cel ; forward (near)
|#3 data2.cel :2 3 4 ;
|#4.255 data3.cel ; fixed
|#5 data4.cel *1 :5 ;
|#2 data1_.cel ; backward (far)
|
data1.cel and data1_.cel make one object.
* '$' Set information
Description: $<Palette group> [<xpos,ypos> ...]
Palette group and positions of object for each set.
There are max 10 sets.
This section can be overwritten by KISS save function.
A long description is folded, and the following lines start with a ' ' (blank) character
to indicate that the lines are continued from the previous line.
<Palette group> : Palette group number. 0 ... 9.
<xpos,ypos> : Position of object (from object mark 0).
Max 256 positions are described on KISS/GS2.
(-> 7 KISS/GS Ranks)
'*' means a non-existent object.
Example:
|
|$2 192,11 * 56,176 55,21 259,62 15,24 375,63
|$3 43,115 154,62 372,108 253,156 * * * 165,207
| * 162,198 * 119,56 152,44 * * *
| 16,355 394,362 108,355 * * * 125,261
|$0 192,11 * 56,176 55,21 259,62 15,24 375,63
|
* ';' Comment
Description: ;<Comment>
This line is ignored.
Future extension may determine how to include various
information of the data (title, author etc.) as comments.
* Others
Reserved for extention.
5. Details of cel files
Cel files have a 32-byte header.
offset size contents
+0 4B Identifier 'KiSS' ( 4Bh 69h 53h 53h )
+4 B Cel file mark ( 20h )
+5 B bits per pixel ( 4 or 8 )
+6 W Reserved
+8 W(L,H) Width ( 1 ... XMAX )
+10 W(L,H) Height ( 1 ... YMAX )
+12 W(L,H) x-offset ( 0 ... XMAX-1 )
+14 W(L,H) y-offset ( 0 ... YMAX-1 )
+16 16B Reserved
Caution: the reserved field must be filled with 0.
Cels of the same object are aligned at the top left corner.
X,y-offsets are the offsets from this alignment point.
+32... Pixel data
* Pixel data order (4 bits/pixel)
One raster:
|<- byte ->| |<- byte ->| |<- byte ->|
MSB LSB MSB LSB MSB LSB
| pix0 | pix1 | | pix2 | pix3 | | pix4 | pix5 | ......... | pixN |
If the width is odd, add a padding pixel of color 0.
The number of rasters is indicated in the height field.
* Pixel data order (8 bits/pixel)
One raster:
|<- byte ->| |<- byte ->| |<- byte ->|
MSB LSB MSB LSB MSB LSB
| pix0 | | pix1 | | pix2 | ... | pixN |
The number of rasters is indicated in the height field.
If the top 4-byte identifier is not 'KiSS', the file format is as follows:
+0 W(L,H) Width
+2 W(L,H) Height
+4... Pixel data
4 bits/pixel.
X and y-offset are 0.
This is the conventional format.
6. Palette file detail
Palette files have a 32-byte header.
offset size contents
+0 4B Identifier 'KiSS' ( 4Bh 69h 53h 53h )
+4 B Palette file mark ( 10h )
+5 B bits per color ( 12 or 24 )
+6 W Reserved
+8 W(L,H) number of colors in one palette group ( 1 ... 256 )
+10 W(L,H) number of palette groups ( 1 ... 10 )
+12 W Reserved
+14 W Reserved
+16 16B Reserved
Caution: the reserved fields must be filled with 0.
+32... Palette data
* Palette data order (12 bits = 4096 colors)
A color consists of 2 bytes. 4 bits each for red, green, blue.
|<- byte ->| |<- byte ->|
MSB LSB MSB LSB
| rrrr | bbbb | | 0000 | gggg | ....
* Palette data order (24 bit = 16,777,216 colors)
A color consists of 3 bytes. 8 bits each for red, green, blue.
|<- byte ->| |<- byte ->| |<- byte ->|
MSB LSB MSB LSB MSB LSB
| rrrrrrrr | | gggggggg | | bbbbbbbb | ...
If the number of palette groups is less than 10,
colors of the remaining palette groups will be copied from Group 0.
If the top 4-byte identifier is not 'KiSS', the file format is as follows:
+0... palette data
12 bits/color, 16 colors in a palette group, 10 groups.
This is the conventional format.
7. KISS/GS Ranks
Rank size colors max cels
--------------- ---------- ---- ----------
KISS/GS1 640 x 400 16 128 ; KISS v2.24c
KISS/GS2 640 x 400 256 256 ; KISS v2.37
KISS/GS3 768 x 480 256 256 ; draft
KISS/GS4 768 x 480 256 512 ; draft
--------------- ---------- ---- ----------
These are just standards. When you implement a KISS program on your system,
you should support the maximum ability of the hardware.
When you create KISS data you are encouraged to consider these ranks.
The lower rank the data conforms to, the more users can play with it.
However, you don't have to conform it to unnecessarily low ranks.
* Appendix
This document is in public domain.
Send bug reports, questions, comments and problems to
UHD98984@biglobe.ne.jp
yav
Thank you.