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Mauro Merconchini 5850fe8455 doc: Updated README
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README.md doc: Updated README 2026-05-24 14:56:32 -04:00

README.md

Infinity Engine Journal Extractor

A small command-line tool that reads a classic Baldur's Gate 1 save file, extracts the in-game journal entries, sorts them chronologically, and writes them to a plain .txt file.

The point: long CRPGs are easy to put down for weeks and forget. The exported text file can be handed to an LLM for a quick "where was I" recap of the story so far and what quests are still open.

What it does

The classic BG journal stores entries as numeric string references inside Baldur.gam, with the actual text living in the game's dialog.tlk string table. This tool reads the .gam, resolves each reference against dialog.tlk, sorts the entries by their in-game timestamp, and exports a readable transcript.

The exported text matches the in-game journal exactly:

In-game journal next to the exported text file

And the resulting file is ready to drop straight into an LLM chat:

Using the exported journal for a story recap

Requirements

  • A classic (non-Enhanced Edition) Baldur's Gate 1 installation
  • .NET Framework 4.0 or later (the tool targets 4.0 so it runs on Windows XP SP3 or later)

Setup

  1. Place the executable wherever you like — next to the game is convenient or as a shortcut on the desktop.

  2. Run it once. If no settings.ini exists, the tool creates a blank template beside the executable and exits.

  3. Open settings.ini and fill in your game install path:

    game install path = "C:\Games\Baldur's Gate"

  4. Run it again.

By default the tool automatically picks the most recently modified save, so there is nothing to update as you play. The save folder name and export location keys are optional — see the comments in the generated settings.ini.

Output

The journal is written as <save name>.txt — for example a save folder named 888888888-Mission-Pack-Save produces Mission-Pack-Save.txt. By default it is written next to the executable.

Notes

  • This targets the Infinity Engine GAM/TLK format (Baldur's Gate 1 and Tales of the Sword Coast). Other Infinity Engine games use related but not identical formats and are not supported.
  • The Enhanced Edition is not supported.

Credits

Created by Mauro Merconchini.

May 2026