Understanding and Viewing Files

[redblueyellow]

A question that has been bothering me for some time now is file formats (specifically in regards to ripping).

For DS, there's the .nclr, .ncgr, .ncer, etc and other commonly used formats, but for the more obscure formats, is there a general way to go about researching what a file consists of?

Some things that come to mind are hex editors and programs such as TileGGD and TileMolester. Are there certain things to look for when viewing a file in a hex editor, and as far as decompressing a file, what steps are needed to go about it?

I have a feeling the answer isn't nearly as simple as I am putting it out to be, but if anyone has any tips/ links/ answers to point me in the right direction, they would be greatly appreciated.

Just trying to broaden my understanding of ripping so there are less stops along the way.

[Lexou Duck]

barubary is really good at this stuff iirc, you might want to ask him

i should warn you though, learning this stuff is gonna take quite some time, like knowing the compression type, headers, etc.

[redblueyellow]

barubary is really good at this stuff iirc, you might want to ask him

i should warn you though, learning this stuff is gonna take quite some time, like knowing the compression type, headers, etc.

Thanks, I'll shoot a PM Barubary's way this week.

And I understand that it's probably going to take a long time. I've got all of summer to work on it, and I'll be fine if I only happen to barely scratch the surface of the topic with the time I commit to it.