Microsoft Agent character - Revision history

Jsummers: Category->Animation

2024-05-18T18:33:23Z

Category->Animation

Sembiance: /* Sample Files */

2024-02-16T19:58:04Z

‎Sample Files

Sembiance: /* Sample Files */

2022-05-18T16:53:47Z

‎Sample Files

Effect2: Removed Wayback Machine link; site still online

2020-05-29T03:12:17Z

Removed Wayback Machine link; site still online

Jsummers: Category:Windows

2020-05-24T15:32:49Z

Category:Windows

Effect2: /* Extensions */ Wording

2020-05-17T10:07:36Z

‎Extensions: Wording

Effect2: /* Sample Files */ Added more; fixed link syntax

2020-05-17T09:15:33Z

‎Sample Files: Added more; fixed link syntax

Effect2: Added :Category:Microsoft; added more examples

2020-05-17T08:36:45Z

Added Category:Microsoft; added more examples

Effect2: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Graphics |extensions={{ext|acs}}, {{ext|acf}}, {{ext|aca}} |released=1997 }} Microsoft Agent was a Windows API, released in 199..."

2020-05-17T08:32:15Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Graphics |extensions={{ext|acs}}, {{ext|acf}}, {{ext|aca}} |released=1997 }} Microsoft Agent was a Windows API, released in 199..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Graphics
|extensions={{ext|acs}}, {{ext|acf}}, {{ext|aca}}
|released=1997
}}
Microsoft Agent was a [[Windows]] API, released in 1997 and abandoned by 2003<ref name="w">[[Wikipedia:Microsoft Agent]]</ref>, for creating animated characters (sometimes also called "agents") that would serve as part of a program's interface. It allowed for the creation of new characters, beyond the default provided by Microsoft.

Apparently there was both a "version 1" and "version 2" agent format.<ref>http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d → Introduction</ref>

== Extensions ==
Normal character files have the extension ".acs". For distribution online (back when a megabyte download would be too long of a wait for most users), characters can be split into .acf files, containing the "core information" of the character; and .aca files, which contain individual animations.<ref name="acfspec">http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d → ACF Format</ref>

== Identification ==
At least for version 2 files, ACS files begin with {{magic|0xAB 0xCD 0xAB 0xC3}} and ACF files with {{magic|0xAB 0xCD 0xAB 0xC4}}; ACA files apparently begin with a minor version number<ref>http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d</ref>.

== Specifications ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200517075707/http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d Unofficial V2 specification]

== Sample Files ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021208163459/http://www.microsoft.com/products/msagent/downloads.htm#character Official character downloads]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021021193411/http://www.microsoft.com/products/msagent/characterdata.htm Page with direct links]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021228004543/http://agentry.net/viewstatusSQL.asp?Status=Available The Agentry characters]: Characters in [[ZIP]] files
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010419195317/http://www.stegami.com:80/corpwebsite/Acs/cami.acs cami.acs]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010418171932/http://www.stegami.com:80/corpwebsite/Acs/vrgirl.acs vrgirl.acs]

== Software ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021204113207/http://www.microsoft.com/products/msagent/devdownloads.htm#character Character and sound editor]

== Links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030118035318/http://www.microsoft.com/PRODUCTS/msagent/ Web page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021201090305/http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/msagent/agentstartpage_7gdh.asp Microsoft Platform SDK: Microsoft Agent]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021129172242/http://msagentring.org/ Microsoft Agent web ring]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20021201233557/http://www.abhisoft.net/agentring/ Old page]
* [[Wikipedia:Microsoft Agent]]

== See Also ==
* [[MASH]]
* [[Microsoft Comic Chat]]

== References ==
<references />

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 * [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%23microsoft+agent%23 Various agents uploaded to the Internet Archive], e.g. [https://archive.org/details/quittermicrosoftagent Quitter]<!-- Finding the "Quitter" upload was the starting point of this page being written. -->
 * [https://microsoftagent.weebly.com/downloads-page.html Page listing various (mostly archived) collections of characters]
-* https://telparia.com/fileFormatSamples/other/microsoftAgentCharacter/
+* {{DexvertSamples|other/microsoftAgentCharacter}}
 == Software ==

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 * [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%23microsoft+agent%23 Various agents uploaded to the Internet Archive], e.g. [https://archive.org/details/quittermicrosoftagent Quitter]<!-- Finding the "Quitter" upload was the starting point of this page being written. -->
 * [https://microsoftagent.weebly.com/downloads-page.html Page listing various (mostly archived) collections of characters]
 == Software ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:32, 24 May 2020
Line 45:		Line 45:

	[[Category:Microsoft]]		[[Category:Microsoft]]
		+	[[Category:Windows]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{FormatInfo
 |formattype=electronic
-|subcat=Graphics
+|subcat=Animation
 |extensions={{ext|acs}}, {{ext|acf}}, {{ext|aca}}
 |released=1997

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 == Specifications ==
-* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200517075707/http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d Unofficial V2 specification]
+* [http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d Unofficial V2 specification]
 == Sample Files ==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 == Extensions ==
-Normal character files have the extension ".acs". For distribution online (back when a megabyte download would be too long of a wait for most users), characters can be split into .acf files, containing the "core information" of the character; and .aca files, which contain individual animations.<ref name="acfspec">http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d → ACF Format</ref>
+Normal character files have the extension ".acs". For distribution online (from when a megabyte download would be too long a wait for most users), characters can be split into .acf files, containing the "core information" of the character; and .aca files, which contain individual animations.<ref name="acfspec">http://fileformats.lebeausoftware.org/downloadfile.aspx?ID=25001fc7-18e9-49a4-90dc-21e8ff46aa1d → ACF Format</ref>
 == Identification ==

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20010419195317/http://www.stegami.com:80/corpwebsite/Acs/cami.acs cami.acs]
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20010418171932/http://www.stegami.com:80/corpwebsite/Acs/vrgirl.acs vrgirl.acs]
-* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A"microsoft+agent" Various agents uploaded to the Internet Archive], e.g. [https://archive.org/details/quittermicrosoftagent Quitter]<!-- Finding the "Quitter" upload was the starting point of this page being written. -->
+* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%23microsoft+agent%23 Various agents uploaded to the Internet Archive], e.g. [https://archive.org/details/quittermicrosoftagent Quitter]<!-- Finding the "Quitter" upload was the starting point of this page being written. -->
 == Software ==