Basic Concepts and Terminology

This section identifies all of the fundamental concepts and terminology that form the backbone of the Kit. A brief summary is provided for general topic below. Click on a topic to get all of the details.

Data File Types

There are an assortment of different file types involved in a complete set of data files, which are all outlined in this section.

File Locations and Naming Conventions

Data files must reside in specific locations for HL to properly find and use them, and there are critical naming conventions that your data files must subscribe to.

Unique Ids

Just about everything within HL data files is assigned a unique id that serves to uniquely identify that object throughout the data files and enables it to be referenced by other objects. There are specific rules for unique ids that must be adhered to.

XML Files

All the data files you'll work with subscribe to the XML standard. A brief overview of XML files, as they pertain to the Kit, is provided in this section.

Structural Building Blocks

On a structural level, the Kit relies on an assortment of objects that serve as building blocks for everything pertinent to a given game system. These building blocks are outlined in this section.

Visual Building Blocks

Distinct from the structural building blocks for a game system, the Kit has a separate set of objects upon which the visual behaviors of the data files are built. The visual elements are outlined in this section.