Overview: What is an ESP File? [1][2]
An ESP File is an export file used in several of my "SchwanSongs" software puzzle products. It captures all the SchwanSongs-generated puzzle information you need to re-create them in your own style for your publishing workflow or interactive "game-player" software.
An ESP file is generally meant to work with my grid-style puzzles, like word searches, mazes, and sudoku, but can be extended to other puzzle types. It contains the entire "puzzle" and "solution" information, normalized coordinates for wall lines, and the user’s chosen colors and font names, allowing you to generate the puzzle in your own format/size.
This file format is created/exported by several puzzle software applications that I publish, including:
You are free to use the file format however you like, including adapting your own software to read or write to this format.The file has the extension ".esp" (upper or lower case), and is encoded in a standard JSON (UTF-8) file format.
You can download the specification document below for free. This document has sections describing the file format and example files at the end.
* [1] E.S.P. stands for "E.S.Puzzles", and probably not for "Extra-Sensory Perception" (despite the intentionally alluded pun.)
* [2] Yes, my "ESP" logo which I have used since I was a teen to sign my works, is an intentional nod to a certain world-famous Dutch graphic artist, MCE.
