Your choice of file format is hugely dependent on your current toolset and the game you are intending to make. With that said...

Toolset is one of the most important factors when deciding a game file format. If you make a binary format, you have to always ensure that you have the tools to input your game data. This could be as simple as a hex editor, or as complex as Unreal Editor.

I guess the main advantage of XML, YAML, or any other language files, is that you can edit it easily via a text editor. And using an existing standard, it ensures you can't go wrong. But, this is extremely tedious when you have a thousand files, which brings me to my next point.

Game. What kind of game are you making? Why I say this will affect the file format? Because, if you are making something like 2D bomberman, you could get away with a simple text file like:

*********
*1     2*    1,2,3,4  - start point of players 1, 2, 3, 4
* + + + *    +        - walls
*       *
* + + + *
*3     4*
*********

That said, RPGs are the most complex game genre to make. They require lots of data.

• Maps, particles, and other graphical stuff tend to use a custom binary format. Because it's the simplest way to implement it. Not humanly-sane to describe maps textually. Usually edited via map/level/particle editors.
• Players, items, enemies, skills and quests are statistics that affect game balance. They usually require lots and lots of input and tweaking. I like to do this by putting it in an XML file for ease of implementation, but yet having an object editor for the designers to play with. Best of both worlds.

Generally, you want to describe text with a text format, and graphics with a binary format. The following should give you an example:

<Skill>
    <Name>Fireball</Name>
    <Animation>fireball.dat</Animation> <!-- Graphics described in another file -->
    <Attack>1.3</Attack>
    <Cooldown>15</Cooldown>
</Skill>

To sum it up, it is to my fullest recommendation that if possible, you don't script your data, unless absolutely necessary. The end-user doesn't care about how awesome the format is, as long as the game is playable, that's all that matters.

Cheers, roy =)

Your choice of file format is hugely dependent on your current toolset and the game you are intending to make. With that said...

Toolset is one of the most important factors when deciding a game file format. If you make a binary format, you have to always ensure that you have the tools to input your game data. This could be as simple as a hex editor, or as complex as Unreal Editor.

I guess the main advantage of XML, YAML, or any other language files, is that you can edit it easily via a text editor. And using an existing standard, it ensures you can't go wrong. But, this is extremely tedious when you have a thousand files, which brings me to my next point.

Game. What kind of game are you making? Why I say this will affect the file format? Because, if you are making something like 2D bomberman, you could get away with a simple text file like:

*********
*1     2*    1,2,3,4  - start point of players 1, 2, 3, 4
* + + + *    *        - walls
*       *    +        - crates
* + + + *
*3     4*
*********

In other words, always go for the most obvious format for your specific data. RPGs are the most complex game genre to make. They require lots of data. But doesn't mean you have to stick a specific format, be it binary or text-based for all data in the game.

• Maps, particles, and other graphical stuff tend to use a custom binary format. Because it's the simplest way to implement it. It's not humanly-sane to describe maps textually. Usually edited via map/level/particle editors.
• Players, items, enemies, skills and quests are statistics that affect game balance. They usually require lots and lots of input and tweaking. I like to do this by putting it in an XML file for ease of implementation, but yet having an object editor for the designers to play with. Best of both worlds.

Generally, you want to describe text with a text format, and graphics with a binary format. The following should give you an example:

<Skill>
    <Name>Fireball</Name>
    <Animation>fireball.dat</Animation> <!-- Graphics described in another file -->
    <Attack>1.3</Attack>
    <Cooldown>15</Cooldown>
</Skill>

To sum it up, it is to my fullest recommendation that if possible, you don't script your data, unless absolutely necessary. The end-user doesn't care about how awesome the format is, as long as the game is playable, that's all that matters.

Cheers, roy =)