CLU

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CLU

Introduction

FILExt wrote:

The CLU file type is primarily associated with Lua.

• CLU as a Lua Bytecode Compiled Script:
  These files hold precompiled Lua instructions in a binary format. They run on a Lua interpreter, which reads the bytecode instead of plain text.

• CLU as a Game Data File:
  In some cases (for example in Baldur's Gate) the file stores cluster data for game assets. This type is used by the game engine to organize data. More details are available at D&D Beyond.

• CLU as an Infomap Clustering Output:
  These files are generated by the Infomap tool to group network nodes into clusters. They serve as output data for further analysis. See Infomap for related info.

To open a CLU file, you must know its origin. For Lua bytecode, use a Lua interpreter or decompiler. For game data, the corresponding game engine or mod tools are needed, and for a clustering output, a text editor or analysis software will help view the content.

CLU in Phantasmagoria 2

In Phantasmagoria 2 the .CLU files are the palettes for the DUK movies. The numbered names match names of that particular DUK movie, with the exception of 999.CLU which is a generic palette file for those movies which don't have any specific .CLU file.

The Sierra Chest wrote:

On the level of programming, Phantasmagoria 2 was tough as Sierra's SCI engine was being rewritten from almost scratch by the system developers in Oakhurst while the programmers in Bellevue were programming the game. Every few weeks the programmers would get an update from the system developers which sometimes required changes in the coding. The reason why SCI was being rewritten was because it did not support the DUK movie player.

When playing Phantasmagoria 2 under Windows, the DUK movies feature 16-bit colors, even though SCI only supports 8-bit colors. What basically happens is that, during the interactive parts, SCI is running. This is why the interactive parts are in 8-bit color, both under DOS and Windows. However the moment the player activates a DUK movie scene, SCI gets essentially shut down and the DUK video player is placed on the game screen. The only action the player can do, is to click the mouse and skip the scene, reactivating the SCI engine. Sierra was considering rewriting SCI in order to support 16-bit colors, but it would have taken too long. Also, while it is possible to play Puzzle of Flesh under DOS, the DUK movies were not meant to play under 8-bit DOS. The programmers got around that by applying CLU files, or Color Look Up files. These are palette files for 8-bit playback. Each DUK file has an equally numbered CLU-file, converting the DUK movie to 8-bit colors.

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