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The iff_defs.tbl (Identification Friend or Foe) defines the teams ships belong to: who attacks whom, the colors each team is shown in, and related HUD colors. The engine has a built-in version (shown as the sample below), so the table is only needed to add or change IFFs.

This table is one of the Modular Tables and can be extended with xxx-iff.tbm.

Code: /iff_defs/iff_defs.cpp. See Tables for every table.

Badges show the version a field or behavior was added in.

Contents

  1. General Format
  2. $IFF Name:
  3. Sample Entry
Field index (every field, one per line in table order; click one to jump to it)

General Format

$IFF Name:

General Format

  • IFF_defs table consist of the generic definitions followed by actual iff definitions
  • Table begins with #IFFs
  • The traitor must be defined with $Traitor IFF:
    • This entry is used to define which IFF is used to represent the traitors IFF
  • Different IFFs entries begin with $IFF Name:
  • Table ends with #End
  • The settings before the first $IFF Name: must be in the order listed here, and so must each IFF's fields.

$Traitor IFF:

  • This entry is used to define which IFF is used to represent the traitors IFF
  • An IFF that doesn't exist logs a warning, and a default is used.
  • Syntax: String, IFF entry

$Accessibility Supported:

FSO 24.2

  • Adds an accessibility option to the game's options. When the player turns it on, IFFs use their $Accessibility Color: and +Accessibility Sees ... As: colors instead of the normal ones (for example, colors that are easier to tell apart for colorblind players).
  • Default: NO; without it the option isn't offered.
  • Syntax: Boolean

$Selection Color: or $Selection Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the targeting brackets of selected targets (like asteroids and multi targeting targets and such)
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 255, 255, 255 )

$Message Color: or $Message Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the targeting brackets of the ship currently sending a message
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 127, 127, 127 )

$Tagged Color: or $Tagged Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the tagged targets
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 255, 255, 0 )

$Dimmed IFF brightness:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines how much dimmer (transparent) are the dimmed objects of the HUD (most displays, distant targets on radar etc.)
  • Syntax: Integer, values from 0 to 15

*Default: 4

$Use Alternate Blip Coloring:

FSO 3.6.12

  • If set forces all blips to use uniform transparency based 'dimming' method instead of using 1/2 brightness (non-transparent) on the non-ship blips
  • Syntax: Boolean
  • Also accepted as $Use Alternate Blip Colouring:.

*Default: NO

$Missile Blip Color: or $Missile Blip Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the weapons (bombs) on radar screen. Dimmed color is 1/2 unless alternate blip coloring is in use.
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 127, 127, 0 )

$Navbuoy Blip Color: or $Navbuoy Blip Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the navbuoys on radar screen. Dimmed color is 1/2 unless alternate blip coloring is in use.
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 127, 127, 127 )

$Warping Blip Color: or $Warping Blip Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the warping ships on radar screen. Dimmed color is 1/2 unless alternate blip coloring is in use.
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 0, 0, 255 )

$Node Blip Color: or $Node Blip Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the jump nodes on radar screen. Dimmed color is 1/2 unless alternate blip coloring is in use.
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 127, 127, 127 )

$Tagged Blip Color: or $Tagged Blip Colour:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the color of the tagged targets on radar screen. Dimmed color is 1/2 unless alternate blip coloring is in use.
  • Syntax: Integer list, values from 0 to 255, red, green and blue respectively

*Default: ( 255, 255, 0 )

$Radar Target ID Flags:

FSO 3.6.12

  • Defines the appearance of the currently targeted blip on radar screen.
  • Syntax: ( "String" ), name of the flag
    • List of flags:
      • "crosshairs"
      • "blink"
      • "pulsate"
      • "enlarge"

+reset

  • Optional, directly after the list. Clears all of the flags instead, so the targeted blip looks like any other.

$IFF Name:

  • The name of the IFF
  • A name used twice in iff_defs.tbl is an error. In a modular table, a name that already exists edits that IFF.
  • Syntax: String

+nocreate

FSO 23.0

  • Optional. Goes directly after $IFF Name:.
  • In a modular table, edits the IFF only if it already exists, instead of creating a new one. Using it in iff_defs.tbl itself is an error.
  • Known issue: once one entry in a file uses +nocreate, every later entry in that file is treated as if it had it too, so a new IFF after it in the same file is skipped. Put new IFFs before any +nocreate entry, or in a separate file.

$Colour: or $Color:

FSO 23.0

  • Defaults to white if not defined

FSO 3.6.10

  • Defines the color of the IFF as seen in by default (e.g. in briefing icons).
  • Syntax: ( Color ), three integers, values from 0 to 255; red, green and blue respectively
    • Example: ( 0, 255, 0 )

$Accessibility Color: or $Accessibility Colour:

FSO 24.2

  • The IFF's color when the player has turned the accessibility option on (see $Accessibility Supported:).
  • Default: white
  • Syntax: ( Color ), three integers, values from 0 to 255; red, green and blue respectively

$Attacks:

FSO 3.6.10

  • Defines the IFFs that are attacked by default
  • Syntax: ( String ), name of the IFF
    • Example: ( "Friendly" "Neutral" "Traitor" )

+Sees IFF Name As:

FSO 3.6.10

  • IFF can be set to be seen as in different color than what that IFFS default color is.
  • Same IFF may have multiple +Sees IFF Name As: entries
  • IFF Name defines the name of the IFF to have a different color.
    • Example: +Sees Hostile As:
  • Syntax: ( Color ), three integers, values from 0 to 255; red, green and blue respectively
    • Example: ( 255, 0, 0 )

+Accessibility Sees IFF Name As:

FSO 24.2

  • The same as +Sees ... As:, for when the player has turned the accessibility option on.
  • Syntax: ( Color ), three integers, values from 0 to 255; red, green and blue respectively

+Hotkey Team:

FSO 21.0

  • Which side of the hotkey screen (F3) ships of this IFF are listed under: Friendly, Hostile (or Enemy), or None to leave them off. Without it, the side follows who the IFF attacks. An unknown value logs a warning.
  • Syntax: String

$Flags:

FSO 3.6.10

  • IFFs can have special flags assigned to them.
  • The IFF's flags are cleared before this is read, so a modular table that edits an IFF must list all of its flags again. An unknown flag logs a warning.
  • Syntax: ( "String" ), name of the flag
    • Example: ( "support allowed" )
    • List of flags:
      • "support allowed"
        • When a ship with this IFF is disabled and in a wing, it can call for support (normal behavior for a disabled ship in a wing is to self-destruct)
      • "exempt from all teams at war"
        • As the name says, when the "All Teams at War" flag is set for a mission, ships belonging to this iff will follow normal rules when choosing targets
      • "orders hidden"
        • The HUD will not show a targeted ship's orders
      • "orders shown"
        • The HUD will show a targeted ship's orders (enabled by default for all friendly IFFs)
      • "wing name hidden"
        • The HUD will not show a targeted ship's name if it is in a wing

$Default Ship Flags:

FSO 3.6.10

  • Ships of this IFF start with these flags when placed in the mission editor.
  • Syntax: ( "String" "String" ), names of the flags
    • Example: ( "cargo-known" )
  • Any of the mission editor's ship flags:
    • "cargo-known"
    • "ignore-count"
    • "protect-ship"
    • "reinforcement"
    • "no-shields"
    • "escort"
    • "player-start"
    • "no-arrival-music"
    • "no-arrival-warp"
    • "no-departure-warp"
    • "locked"
    • "invulnerable"
    • "hidden-from-sensors"
    • "scannable"
    • "kamikaze"
    • "no-dynamic"
    • "red-alert-carry"
    • "beam-protect-ship"
    • "flak-protect-ship"
    • "laser-protect-ship"
    • "missile-protect-ship"
    • "guardian"
    • "special-warp"
    • "vaporize"
    • "stealth"
    • "friendly-stealth-invisible"
    • "don't-collide-invisible"
    • "primitive-sensors"
    • "no-subspace-drive"
    • "nav-carry-status"
    • "affected-by-gravity"
    • "toggle-subsystem-scanning"
    • "targetable-as-bomb"
    • "no-builtin-messages"
    • "primaries-locked"
    • "secondaries-locked"
    • "no-death-scream"
    • "always-death-scream"
    • "nav-needslink"
    • "hide-ship-name"
    • "set-class-dynamically"
    • "lock-all-turrets"
    • "afterburners-locked"
    • "force-shields-on"
    • "immobile"
    • "don't-change-position"
    • "don't-change-orientation"
    • "no-ets"
    • "cloaked"
    • "ship-locked"
    • "weapons-locked"
    • "scramble-messages"
    • "no_collide"
    • "no-disabled-self-destruct"
    • "hide-in-mission-log"
    • "same-arrival-warp-when-docked"
    • "same-departure-warp-when-docked"
    • "ai-attackable-if-no-collide"
    • "fail-sound-locked-primary"
    • "fail-sound-locked-secondary"
    • "aspect-immune"
    • "cannot-perform-scan-hide-cargo"
    • "cannot-perform-scan-show-cargo"
    • "no-targeting-limits"
    • "no-scanned-cargo"

$Default Ship Flags2:

FSO 3.6.10

  • The same as $Default Ship Flags:, kept for compatibility; it takes the same list, and its flags are added to the ones above.

Sample Entry

#IFFs
   
;; Every iff_defs.tbl must contain a Traitor entry.  Traitors attack	
;; one another (required by the dogfighting code) but it is up to you	
;; to decide who attacks the traitor or whom else the traitor attacks.	
$Traitor IFF: Traitor
   
;------------------------												
; Friendly																
;------------------------												
$IFF Name: Friendly														
$Color: ( 0, 255, 0 )													
$Attacks: ( "Hostile" "Neutral" "Traitor" )						
$Flags: ( "support allowed" )											
$Default Ship Flags: ( "cargo-known" )								
   	
;------------------------												
; Hostile																
;------------------------												
$IFF Name: Hostile													
$Color: ( 255, 0, 0 )													
$Attacks: ( "Friendly" "Neutral" "Traitor" )						
+Sees Friendly As: ( 255, 0, 0 )										
+Sees Hostile As: ( 0, 255, 0 )

;------------------------												
; Neutral																
;------------------------												
$IFF Name: Neutral														
$Color: ( 255, 0, 0 )													
$Attacks: ( "Friendly" "Traitor" )									
+Sees Friendly As: ( 255, 0, 0 )										
+Sees Hostile As: ( 0, 255, 0 )											
+Sees Neutral As: ( 0, 255, 0 )											
  	
;------------------------												
; Unknown																
;------------------------												
$IFF Name: Unknown														
$Color: ( 255, 0, 255 )													
$Attacks: ( "Hostile" )												
+Sees Neutral As: ( 0, 255, 0 )											
+Sees Traitor As: ( 0, 255, 0 )											
$Flags: ( "exempt from all teams at war" )							

;------------------------												
; Traitor																
;------------------------												
$IFF Name: Traitor														
$Color: ( 255, 0, 0 )													
$Attacks: ( "Friendly" "Hostile" "Neutral" "Traitor" )			
+Sees Friendly As: ( 255, 0, 0 )										
 	
#End

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