MSBF (File Format)

Under Construction

This article is not finished. Help improve it by adding accurate information or correcting grammar and spelling.

MSBF (MessageStudio Binary Flow) is a format used in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and possibly other games. It is unknown how the format works, and what it's used for.

File Format

Header

The file starts with the following header:

Offset	Type	Description
0x00	Char[8]	File magic. Always MsgFlwBn in ASCII.
0x08	UInt16	Byte-order-mark. FE FF for big endian, FF FE for little endian.
0x0A	UInt16	Unknown.
0x0C	Byte	String encoding. UTF8 = 0, UTF16 = 1.
0x0D	Byte	Possibly a version number. Games on Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as well as Mario Kart Tour use 3, games on Nintendo Switch and Super Mario Run use 4.
0x0E	UInt16	Number of sections.
0x10	UInt16	Unknown.
0x12	UInt32	File size in bytes.
0x16	Byte[10]	Unknown. Always 0.

FLW2

The FLW2 section stores flow data.

Offset	Type	Description
0x00	Char[4]	Section magic. Always FLW1 in ASCII.
0x04	UInt32	Section size (starting from 0x10).
0x08	Byte[8]	Unknown. Always 0.
0x10	UInt16	Unknown.
0x12	UInt16	Unknown.

FEN1

The FEN1 section stores flow entries.

Offset	Type	Description
0x00	Char[4]	Section magic. Always FEN1 in ASCII.
0x04	UInt32	Section size (starting from 0x10).
0x08	Byte[8]	Unknown. Always 0.
0x10	Int32	Number of entries.

FEN1 Entry

Each entry has the following structure:

Offset	Type	Description
0x00	Int32	Number of sub entries.
0x04	UInt32	Sub entry offset, relative to 0x10 in the FEN1 header. Always set even if the number of entries are 0.

FEN1 Sub Entry

Offset	Type	Description
0x00	Byte	String length (K).
0x01	String	String.
0x01 + K	UInt32	Unknown. Possibly an index in the FLW2 entries.

Tools

The following tools can handle MSBF files:

• (none)