Weapon.dat

The weapon.dat file is located in the .\data directory and contains weapons properties and settings. Weapon models are defined inside the default.ide file located in the same folder.

File format

The file is in plain text format so it can be opened with any text editor (like Notepad). Line comments are indicated by the character # (number sign) and empty lines are allowed. They can be placed anywhere in the file. Each entry takes up one line and follows a specific format detailed below. Data in each entry are separated by any whitespace like  (space) and  (horizontal tab). The file must contain the text ENDWEAPONDATA in order for the game to stop reading the file.

GTA III

	Identifier	Type	Description
A	Weapon Name	string	The name must be from the list of hardcoded names (see below).
B	Fire Type	string	Available types include: MELEE, INSTANT_HIT, PROJECTILE, and AREA_EFFECT
C	Range	float	The range of the bullet in units
D	Firing Rate	integer
E	Reload	integer	The time to reload in milliseconds, constrained by the animation being played
F	Amount of Ammunition	integer	The number of ammo per clip
G	Damage	integer	Damage done to damageable objects; damage done to characters are within the range of the value while to others are accurate to the value
H	Speed	float
I	Radius	float
J	Life span	float
K	Spread	float
L,M,N	Fire Offset Vector	float[3]	The x,y,z offset of the gunflash
O	Animation to Play	string
P	Animation2 to Play	string
Q	Animation Loop Start	float	Start point of animation to be looped for shooting
R	Animation Loop End	float	End point of animation to be looped for shooting
S	Animation Fire Point	float
T	Animation2 Fire Point	float
U	Model ID	integer	IDE model of the weapon
V	Flags	integer	See below

Weapon names

The game contains a hardcoded list of weapon names. This is used to assign a weapon name to a weapon type (Unarmed is type 0, BaseballBat is type 1, etc.).

• Unarmed
• BaseballBat
• Colt45
• Uzi
• Shotgun
• AK47
• M16
• SniperRifle
• RocketLauncher
• FlameThrower
• Molotov
• Grenade
• Detonator
• HeliCannon

Vice City

This section is incomplete. You can help by fixing and expanding it.

	Identifier	Type	Description
A	Weapon Name	string	The name must be from the list of hardcoded names (see below).
B	Fire Type	string	Available types include: MELEE, INSTANT_HIT, PROJECTILE, AREA_EFFECT, and CAMERA
C	Range	float	The range of the bullet in units
D	Firing Rate	integer
E	Reload	integer	The time to reload in milliseconds, constrained by the animation being played
F	Amount of Ammunition	integer	The number of ammo per clip
G	Damage	integer	Damage done to damageable objects; damage done to characters are within the range of the value while to others are accurate to the value
H	Speed	float
I	Radius	float	The length of melee weapon
J	Life span	float
K	Spread	float
L,M,N	Fire Offset Vector	float[3]	The x,y,z offset of the gunflash
O	Animation to Play	string	Animation file in gta3.img
P	Animation Loop Start	float	Start point of animation to be looped for shooting
Q	Animation Loop End	float	End point of animation to be looped for shooting
R	Animation Fire Point	float	Point in animation to fire weapon, value has to be between values in columns P and Q
S	Animation2 Loop Start	float	Start point of crouching animation to be looped for shooting
T	Animation2 Loop End	float	End point of crouching animation to be looped for shooting
U	Animation2 Fire Point	float	Point in crouching animation to fire weapon, value has to be between values in columns S and T
V	Breakout Animation	float
W	Model ID	integer	IDE model of the weapon
X	Model2 ID	integer	IDE model of the weapon attachment, only Minigun model shows an effect
Y	Flags	hex	See below
Z	Weapon Slot	integer	0 = Fist 1 = Melee 2 = Thrown 3 = Pistol 4 = Shotgun 5 = Submachine gun 6 = Assault rifle 7 = Heavy 8 = Sniper rifle 9 = Special

Weapon names

The game contains a hardcoded list of weapon names. This is used to assign a weapon name to a weapon type (Unarmed is type 0, BrassKnuckle is type 1, etc.).

• Unarmed
• BrassKnuckle
• ScrewDriver
• GolfClub
• NightStick
• Knife
• BaseballBat
• Hammer
• Cleaver
• Machete
• Katana
• Chainsaw
• Grenade
• DetonateGrenade
• TearGas
• Molotov
• Rocket
• Colt45
• Python
• Shotgun
• Spas12Shotgun
• StubbyShotgun
• Tec9
• Uzi
• SilencedIngram
• Mp5
• m4
• Ruger
• SniperRifle
• LaserScope
• RocketLauncher
• FlameThrower
• M60
• Minigun
• Detonator
• HeliCannon
• Camera

Flags

Byte	Value	Column Name	Description
1	1	USE_GRAVITY
	2	SLOWS_DOWN
	4	DISSIPATES
	8	RAND_SPEED
2	1	EXPANDS
	2	EXPLODES
	4	CANAIM	Can auto-aim, "Classic" controls only Small guns only
	8	CANAIM_WITHARM	Can run while auto-aiming, "Classic" controls only Small guns only
3	1	1ST_PERSON
	2	HEAVY	Disables jumping and sprinting
	4	THROW
	8	RELOAD_LOOP2START
4	1	USE_2ND	Will use a second animation after the main one played Recommended for melee weapons only because it looks odd for others
	2	GROUND_2ND	Use a second animation for attacking knocked down pedestrians
	4	FINISH_3RD	Will use a third finishing animation after the second one played, only works when USE_2ND flag is used
	8	RELOAD	Reload animation will play
5	1	FIGHTMODE	Will go into a fighting stance after attacking, can crash the game if no such animation exists Melee weapons only
	2	CROUCHFIRE	Allows firing while crouching; for weapons without a crouching animation, character will stand up to attack and crouch back down
	4	COP3_RD	Cops and other law enforcement (Ped type 6) will use a third animation instead first, can crash the game if no third animation detected
	8	GROUND_3RD	Use a third animation for attacking knocked down pedestrians
6	1	PARTIALATTACK	Can attack while running for melee weapons Recommended for melee weapons only because it looks odd for others
	2	ANIMDETONATE

San Andreas

This section is incomplete. You can help by fixing and expanding it.

San Andreas knows two different weapon types. Each weapon can be only one of those types. It gets defined by the first character of a line and defines the whole lines structure. The types are:

• < – Melee weapons
• $ – Guns

Identifier	Description
A	The weapon name.
B	Firing type. Can be: MELEE, PROJECTILE (grenades, molotovs, etc.), INSTANT_HIT (for guns), USE (goggles, detonator), AFFECT_AREA (spraycan, fire extinguisher), and CAMERA.
C	The maximum distance a target can be aimed at.
D	The maximum range of the weapon to cause damage.
E	Model identifier of the primary weapon (defined inside the default.ide file).
F	Model identifier of the secondary weapon (apparently unused, always -1).
G, H	The time the primary weapon requires to be reloaded.
I	The slot the weapon requires in the game.
J	Animation group to be used.

Melee weapon parameters

This section is incomplete. You can help by fixing and expanding it.

Gun parameters

This section is incomplete. You can help by fixing and expanding it.

Identifier	Description
K	Ammunition in one clip.
L	Damage done by one hit.
M, N, O	X, Y, Z offset of the muzzle flash.
P	Skill level (0-Poor, 1-Gangster, 2-Hitman, 3-Cop[Colt45 only])
Q	Required skill to achieve the level.
R	Accuracy
S	Strafing speed
T	Starting time for animation.
U	End time for animation.
V	Point in animation to fire weapon (must be between T and U)
W, X, Y	Same as T, U, V, but used for firing while crouching.
Z	Animation breakout time.
a	Hex flags

Weapon aiming offsets

This section is incomplete. You can help by fixing and expanding it.

See also

• List of all data files
• OBJS – IDE section to define weapons in GTA III
• weapon.dat file content for Vice City
• WEAP – IDE section to define weapons in Vice City and San Andreas

External link

• Weapon flags calculator (JavaScript), by spaceeinstein