2DA

2 Dimensional Array File: Game rules file (table). Also used for miscellaneous effects and modifications

ACM

Interplay Proprietary Audio File (not the same as Microsoft's Audio Compression Manager formats)

ADD-IN

A game modification that seeks to add additional adventure elements to an existing game, thus adding on to it. Add-in would imply adding to the existing game anywhere and possibly throughout the original game to extend the gameplay by altering the game at several points thoughout the game and may include extending past the game's normal ending as well.

ADD-ON

A game modification that seeks to add additional adventure elements to an existing game, thus adding on to it. Add-on would imply adding to the end of the existing game to extend the gameplay after the game's normal ending.

ADV-MOD or ADVENTURE MOD

A large game modification that entails many quests and adventures, as well as other game elements.

ARE

Area File

AVATAR

Character (or creature) representation on the adventire screen (which walks, attacks and casts spells)

BAF

AI Script Source File (not compiled)

BAM

BioWare Animation Medium: Moving or Sequencial Graphics/Icons

BAMW

BAMWorkshop

BIF

BioWare Indexed File (?): Each contains many data files which are indexed externally in the CHITIN.KEY file (similar to WADs for Doom, except WADs index their contents within themselves)

BIO

Biography File. Used to keep track of a character's biography (in IWD)

BCS

AI Script File (compiled) (player characters use BS files)

BS

Player Character AI Script File (compiled)

BG

Baldur's Gate

BG2

Baldur's Gate II -or- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

CCBG

Character Control - Baldur's Gate

CCBG2

Character Control - Baldur's Gate II

CCIWD

Character Control - Icewind Dale

CCPT or CCPST

Character Control - Planescape: Torment

CHR

Character File: Similar to a CRE file, but with added information and officially has some data blocks swapped when compared to CRE files

CHU

(?): Used to control placement of images, text, and scrollbars on the GUI

CRE

Creature File: Includes all creatures, monsters, animals, as well as joinable and non-joinable NPCs

CUSTOMS or CUSTOMIZATIONS or CUSTOM FILES

Typically refers to individual or many custom made files that don't constitute a game mod as they are not placed within any game and are only accessible by using a cheat or editor. These are also the building blocks for game mods.

DLG

Dialog File

DSOTSC

Dark Side of the Sword Coast (an unofficial BG:TotSC add-on)

EFF

Effect File: Can be used via the Use EFF File effect to specify who is affected by it, and on CRE/CHR files for proficiencies (in BG2) and effects

FEATURE MOD

A game modification that adds a new game play system to the game engine by creating new and unique features to the game play, like adding a banking system or a food and starvation system which was previosuly not in the official release of the game.

FR

Freedom's Reign (an unofficial BG2:SoA mini-mod) -or- Forgotten Realms (an AD&D world)

FRAG-MOD or FRAG MOD

A specialized game modification focussing on multiplayer dueling like in 3D shooters where its player against player.

GAM

Save Game File

GAP

Game Audio Player

GSA

GameSpy Arcade (chat based online multiplayer service, which has been ruined with cheating and player killing)

HOW

Heart of Winter (Icewind Dale official add-on)

IAP

Infinity Addon Patcher -or- Infinity Addon Patch File

IAP SFX or IAP-SFX

Infinity Addon Patch Self Extracting File (an EXE file that will install the custoim files inside of it)

ICM

Infinity Campaign Maker (obsolete, replaced with IETME)

IDS

(?): Used to allow keywords and functions/triggers/actions to be used in BAF files and dialog creation that can be translated properly when compiling and decompiling scripts and dialog files

IDU

Infinity Dialog Utility

IE

Infinity Engine (game engine used for BG, BG2, IWD and PST), Infinity Explorer, or MS Internet Explorer (no, we don't do anything with MSIE here)

IEEP

Infinity Engine Editor Pro

IEES

Infinity Engine Editor Standard

IEFIE

Infinity Engine File Info Extractor

IESDP

Infinity Engine Structures Description Project

IETMC

Infinity Engine TBG Mass Converter

IETME

Infinity Engine Tileset Map Editor

INF EXPL or INFEXPL

Infinity Explorer

IPM

Infinity Project Manager

IPU

Infinity Projectile Utility

ISC

Infinity Sound Converter

ISE

Infinity Script Editor

ITM

Item File

IWD

Icewind Dale

KEY

Indexed listing of all data files embedded in BIF files (can also include non-BIF'd data files if they are in an override folder)

MINI-MOD

A small game modification, something that adds only a small game interaction element such as a small quest or a single NPC, shop or other.

MOD or GAME MOD

Game Modification (must be easily accessed and playable, not using cheats to obtain or access)

MOS

Static image file, used for worldmap image, area mini-maps, in the GUI

MOSW

MOSWorkshop

MVE

Interplay Proprietary Movie File

NI

Near Infinity

PAPERDOLL

Character representation on the inventory screen (as it looks like a paperdoll cutout

PC or PARTIAL CONVERSION

Partial conversion implies completely altering a portion of the game, thus creating something majorly different than the original game but not totally replacing the game. This is usually the result of an incomplete Total Conversion.

PLT

(?): Used for Paperdolls in BG2, in the other games they use BAM files, BG2 can also use BAM files instead of PLT files

PST or PT

Planescape: Torment

RESREF

Resource Reference (usually refers to a filename without the file extension)

SK

ShadowKeeper

SPL

Spell File

STO

Store File

STRREF

String Reference (string is a line of text, string reference means an address/location a string appears in the game's dialog.tlk file)

TBG

TeamBG Export File

TC or TOTAL CONVERSION

Total conversion implies completely altering a game, thus creating a new game.

TDD

The Darkest Day (an unofficial BG2:SoA add-on)

TEAMBG

TeamBG, exactly that, it does not stand for anything else. We are about modding games made using the Infinity Engine, the first of which was called BG (or Baldur's Gate) and was the only IE game out when we started.

TEAM BG or BGTEAM or BG TEAM

It is actually TeamBG, exactly that, it does not stand for anything else. We are about modding games made using the Infinity Engine, the first of which was called BG (or Baldur's Gate) and was the only IE game out when we started.

TIS

Tileset File: the graphics for area backgrounds

TLK

Talk File: Holds all text in the game (except that in the CHR file header and BIO files)

TOB

Throne of Bhaal (Baldur's Gate II official add-on)

TOSC or TOTSC or TALES

Tales of the Sword Coast (Baldur's Gate official add-on)

TOTL or TOTLM

Trial of the Luremaster (Heart of Winter official and free add-on)

VB5

Visual Basic version 5.0, programming language, also refers to the DLL and OCX files that are needed to run programs written in VB5

VB6

Visual Basic version 6.0, programming language, also refers to the DLL and OCX files that are needed to run programs written in VB6

VVC

VEF Video Cell: controls animations and related properties

WAVC

Compressed WAV Sound File: ACM file with a WAV header

WED

Walls/Overlay/TIS information for an area (may stand for Walls, Environmental and Details)

WMP

Worldmap file: controls parameters of worldmap