Maps.dat Editor

A WinForms desktop application for editing maps.dat files used by the Talos project.

Overview

The Talos project relies on a maps.dat file that contains preloaded map data — dimensions, warps, world map links, and metadata — used for pathfinding and navigation. This editor provides a GUI for browsing, editing, and safely re-serializing that file without corruption.

Features

• Load and save maps.dat files with byte-perfect serialization
• Browse and search all maps by name or ID
• Edit map properties (ID, name, size, flags, music)
• Add, edit, and delete warps and world map links
• Add new maps or duplicate existing ones as templates
• View world maps and their node definitions
• Roundtrip verification to confirm data integrity before saving

Requirements

• .NET 8.0 SDK (Windows)

Usage

cd MapsDatEditorGUI
dotnet run

Use the Load button to open a maps.dat file. Click Verify Roundtrip after loading to confirm the file parses and re-serializes correctly, then make your edits and Save.

File Format

The maps.dat binary format uses .NET BinaryReader/BinaryWriter conventions, including 7-bit encoded length-prefixed strings. The structure is:

1. Header — int32 version
2. World Maps — count (int16), then for each: name, node count, and node entries
3. Maps — count (int16), then for each: ID, size, name, flags, music, warps, and world map links